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Obamarama - Replacement talk

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The National Journal’s CongressDaily publication [subscription only] had this little gem today…

“There really hasn’t been much of a conversation,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said about replacing Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., if he becomes the 44th president. “If there is a conversation about it, I want to be in the mix.”

In Illinois, in addition to Schakowsky, there is speculation that Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich might want to serve in the Senate, but the most likely candidates come from the congressional delegation, perhaps Rep. Rahm Emanuel or one of the state’s three black representatives, all Democrats: Reps. Bobby Rush, Jesse Jackson Jr., or Danny Davis.

Rush, who defeated Obama in a 2000 Democratic primary by a 2-1 margin, said he supports Obama’s presidential bid, and added there would be no dearth of candidates to replace him. “There are a lot of people who I think would be well-positioned to become a U.S. senator,” Rush said.

Aides said Emanuel has not given the Senate any thought. Other prominent Illinois Democrats include state Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Chicago Mayor William M. Daley, although one party source suggested the mayor might see Washington as a “lateral move” at best.

Oh, brother, I can’t stop laughing. Tears are in my eyes. What a hoot!

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:06 am

Comments

  1. William M. Daley? When did Bill get Richie’s job?

    Comment by cermak_rd Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:08 am

  2. William Daley? Yes he would be interested. Mayor Daley? I don’t think so. Rush or Danny Davis? Cmon now….Rahm oh yeah!

    Comment by thomas paine Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:08 am

  3. Rich,

    At least the D.C. inkslinger didn’t call him William J.Daly.

    Comment by Pat Hickey Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:15 am

  4. Rich, do you have a secret deal with DC reporters to swoop in every so often and prove you right about bad DC reporting?

    Comment by Buck Turgidson Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:17 am

  5. Beyond naming Bill Daley as mayor, this list is just not realistic. They got maybe two names right.

    Comment by Niles Township Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:18 am

  6. It’s Lisa’s. She earned it and it the only one mentioned that could win the seat if it were held in a general.

    Comment by Shaq-owski Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:24 am

  7. “There really hasn’t been much of a conversation,” says Jan.

    “This isn’t really much of a story, though”, says CongressDaily.

    “Lets speculate - I have a deadline!”

    See those polls recently? There hasn’t been much to cheer about. It looks like Rod will have to keep that day job he hates.

    Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:26 am

  8. Poor Danny Hynes. Looks like his early cheerleading earned him a fat bag of squat.

    Comment by grand old partisan Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:26 am

  9. Take our governor, please.

    Comment by Shelbyville Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:39 am

  10. Hmmm I can’t take any of those candidates seriously. Would Mayor Daley really want to be a Senator and leave Chicago? I doubt it.

    I’m also not so sure Jesse Jackson Jr. wants to be in the Senate. I can entertain Danny Davis for US Senate but not Bobby Rush.

    And Gov. Blagojevich well I’m not sure what to say!!!

    Comment by Levois Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:39 am

  11. Levois,

    Rep. Mary Flowers would be just the ticket!

    Comment by Pat Hickey Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:43 am

  12. I thought Lisa wanted to be Governor.

    Comment by Bridget Dooley Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:45 am

  13. Jim Clayborne. Picking a downstater will help keep the seat Democratic.

    Comment by Sango Dem Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 10:46 am

  14. I rather have Governor Blagojevich in Washington as a senator than in Springfield as Governor, there is less damage he could do there

    Comment by RMW Stanford Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 11:18 am

  15. I think Mayor Daley would rather be a large toad in a small pond rather than a small toad in a large pond. Who will lead the gun prohibition movement in Illinois if he leaves?

    Comment by Pro-gunner Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 11:30 am

  16. Gianoulias, very closely allied with Obama.

    Comment by Blue Boy Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 11:31 am

  17. Anyone but Schakowsky … please.

    Comment by jaundiced eye Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 11:32 am

  18. I think right now Rod would be happy to send Pat Quinn.

    Comment by OneManBlog Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 11:35 am

  19. I think it’s realistic to talk about what happens if Obama gets the job. Polling at this juncture means nothing. Polling as late as January, 2004 had Dean in first place, followed by Clark.

    You KNOW the state dems are already arguing about who gets the Senate seat “if”.

    Comment by HoosierDaddy Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 11:55 am

  20. Tim Nieukirk

    Comment by A Big Fan Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 11:58 am

  21. Anyone but Elvis. He can’t handle being Senator because he wouldn’t be able to move D.C. to Chicago. Remember, he wants to live in Chicago to be close to his family. So Blago, you’re definitely not Senator material and MOST definitely not Presidential material.

    Comment by Little Egypt Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:09 pm

  22. I second the Nieukirk nomination! Rich, tell those guys to start lobbying for it so they have a reason to make more videos and entertain us.

    Comment by Bridget Dooley Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:09 pm

  23. No question that Schakowsky was a big early supporter of Hairboy. She was with him from the get-go. Of course the possibility that she might be forced otherwise into a runoff with him for what people thought might be a missing Chicago seat after redistricting - that might have played a role too.

    I really doubt Rahm would move up, or would even particularly want to. He’s in his element now in the House. You go to the Senate if you dream of being President someday, and whatever Rahm dreams of, I don’t think he’s measuring drapes.

    No way Bobby Rush gets the nod. Jackson Jr or Davis are both possibilities.

    Comment by ZC Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:10 pm

  24. How old are Obama’s children? I’m sure one would make a fine Senator.

    Comment by Underdog Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:25 pm

  25. How about Gutierrez? Doesn’t the Governor make the appointment? I don’t see him giving the seat to Lisa, since they hate each other, I’m not sure he can appoint himself, and he doesn’t seem to get along with our African-American congressmen. He seems to be good with Gutierrez.

    Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:28 pm

  26. Tim Nieukirk

    Comment by Taylor Street Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:40 pm

  27. While we are in fantasy land let’s speculate on the Secretary positions in an Obama admin. I mean really isn’t that where Gov. Hairspray is angeling? Sec. of Health and Human Services. Of course with his legislative record he is well suited for the US Senate.

    Comment by frustrated GOP Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:51 pm

  28. RMW STANFORD: I rather have Governor Blagojevich in Washington as a senator than in Springfield as Governor, there is less damage he could do there

    ….shouldn’t that be “in [Chicago] as Governor?”

    Comment by What were they thinking? Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 12:51 pm

  29. good lord, that is terrible journalism. Also, although this whole conversation is way hypothetical, let me the first to point out that: (1) I think the author meant Bill Daley, not the Mayor; (2) there is no way in God’s green earth that the Governor would appoint either Danny Davis or JJJ, both of whom would promptly lose the seat for the Dems in 2010; (3)Ditto Jan; (4) Rahm wouldn’t want it - he has real power in the House. (5) Finally, its not so far fatched (actually this whole conversation is far fetched), that Rod would pick Lisa, who should take it (even though its not as good a job as Governor). If it were me, I’d appoint Lisa or Tammy Duckworth.

    Comment by paddyrollingstone Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 1:31 pm

  30. My bet has always been on Tammy Duckworth.

    Comment by Bridget Dooley Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 1:37 pm

  31. Doesn’t the governor name whomever he pleases?

    Comment by Shelbyville Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 1:42 pm

  32. Jesse White to the Senate. Jay Hoffman to SoS.

    Comment by Punley Dieter Finn Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 1:56 pm

  33. Rankings based on power and prestige of the office.(Some make more of it than others)

    1. Governor
    2. Mayor of Chicago
    3. U.S. Senator
    4. Speaker of the House
    5. Cook County Board President
    6. President of the Senate
    7. Secretary of State
    8. Attorney General
    9. U.S. House
    10. Lt. Governor
    11. Supreme Court Judge
    12. Cook County Assessor
    13. Cook County State’s Attorney
    14. DuPage County Board President
    15. Cook County Sheriff
    16. Cook County Clerk
    17. Cook County Clerk of Circuit Court
    18. Chicago Alderman
    19. Member, Cook County Board

    Comment by Anon Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 2:08 pm

  34. Rankings based on power and prestige of the office.(Some make more of it than others)

    1. Governor
    2. Mayor of Chicago
    3. U.S. Senator
    4. Speaker of the House
    5. Cook County Board President
    6. President of the Senate
    7. Secretary of State
    8. Attorney General
    9. U.S. House
    10. Lt. Governor
    11. Supreme Court Judge
    12. Cook County Assessor
    13. Cook County State’s Attorney
    14. DuPage County Board President
    15. Cook County Sheriff
    16. Cook County Clerk
    17. Cook County Clerk of Circuit Court
    18. Chicago Alderman
    19. Member, Cook County Board

    Comment by Anon Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 2:08 pm

  35. you have to be able to speak to be a US Senator

    Comment by Hugh Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 2:30 pm

  36. It won’t be a Congressman, and it certainly won’t be Guitierrez - he’s retiring after 2008. It will be a statewide officeholder, and my money is on Alexi. Lisa would be a popular choice but she could easily turn it down so she can stay in Illinois and be governor for as long as she wants. Jesse White won’t take it because he’s nearing retirement. Dan Hynes does not excite anyone. But Alexi - who was Barack’s chosen candidate - is independently wealthy, has charisma and looks, is doing a good job and won his 2006 race in fully convincing fashion. If he can keep it up and continue confronting Blago, the governor will want to get rid of him. And let’s face it: U.S. Senator is a MUCH bigger office than that of the state treasurer.

    Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 2:32 pm

  37. i know it’s provincial but I can’t help reading an article like this without calculating how many dominoes have to fall before Joe Moore makes his move.

    Comment by Hugh Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 2:36 pm

  38. I don’t know about power or prestige, but Chicago Alderman would do much better if the ranking were earning potential normalized by level of scrutiny.

    Comment by Hugh Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 2:46 pm

  39. If Barry O’Bama is elected Prez I would like to put myself in contention for the senate seat. After all replacing one Irish American with another only seems fair in this age of ethnic politics.

    http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0315/obamab.html

    I am fully qualified to be a US Senator. I meet the age,residence, and citizenship requirements and I have been DUI free since early last year.

    IRISHPIRATE FOR SENATE!

    Comment by irishpirate Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 2:58 pm

  40. the national media may have a wacky list, but
    the very fact that the discussion is under way
    is problematic…add to that the Tammy wants
    in the cabinet discussion. for a number of
    months, one obama surrogate has been telling
    people he is on the short list for the vacancy.
    meanwhile, Obama is veering too close to James
    Frey-land and the campaign has hit a big bump.
    speculation on the part of those who might
    wish for the spot is delusional.

    Comment by Amy Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 3:55 pm

  41. IF, and it is a big IF, this scenario develops, Milorad will appoint whomever he wants.

    Comment by Reality Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 4:44 pm

  42. I think the choice would be calculated to give the most personal gain to the governor…that might just be Patrick Fitzgerald. It would get him out of Illinois and away from those pesky indictment forms.

    Comment by Just because Friday, Mar 30, 07 @ 8:42 pm

  43. No one has suggested Dan Seals? Or Shelia Simon? I would not be surprised if either got selected for their possible statewide appeal.

    Comment by Boone Logan Square Saturday, Mar 31, 07 @ 9:44 am

  44. What about Congresswoman Melissa Bean? She’s a moderate woman Democrat from the suburbs and not beholden to anyone. She’s doing well in Congress and ran solid campaigns.

    Comment by Anon Saturday, Mar 31, 07 @ 11:19 am

  45. What had Tammy done that makes her deserve to be a US Senator?? Just because Dick picked her up to run for Congress (umm, which she lost)doesn’t give her any credentials to be a US Senator. She is a nice enough person, but come on. No way would JJJ or Davis get it, nor do they deserve it. Lisa is probably in a good position, but I’m not convinced she is qualified either.

    Comment by SW Dem Saturday, Mar 31, 07 @ 5:55 pm

  46. Pat Hickey for US Senate

    Comment by Jerry Saturday, Mar 31, 07 @ 11:31 pm

  47. Duckworth couldn’t even win a Congressional seat against a weak candidate. She makes NO sense for a statewide seat. Alexi makes sense. Lisa Madigan does too.

    Comment by selene Wednesday, Apr 11, 07 @ 11:12 pm

  48. history in an hour dot There is certainly a uniformity pleasing or
    prodotti tipico*
    him and held him by the hand dot Friends must be torn asunder and

    Comment by foro lwte Tuesday, May 8, 07 @ 6:42 pm

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