reid called blagojevich about who was`t acceptable for the senate seat

[madrchsod]

now we know why fitzgerald wants more time...reid was tampering with the selection process.



http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,harry-reid-blagojevich-jesse-jackson-010209.article

[redstate_democrat]

1. WOOOOOOOOWWWWW

Days before Gov. Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid made it clear who he didn’t want in the post: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis or Emil Jones.

Rather, Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Sources say the Senate majority leader pushed against Jackson and Davis — both democratic congressmen from Illinois — and against Jones — the Illinois Senate president who is the political godfather of President-elect Barack Obama — because he did not believe the three men were electable. He feared losing the seat to a Republican in a future election.

Harry, Harry, Harry. Hey, good luck to you in the future.

Edited: Wait a minute. He thought Tammy Duckworth was electable, despite the fact she lost a congressional race. But JJJ, Danny Davis, and Emil Jones have won every race they've had. Harry's logic is might hairy.

[camera obscura]

5. Now I could swear those three men have something in common

They've all been democratically elected to their positions? No, that wouldn't make sense. They're all reliable liberals? No, that doesn't make sense either... hmmmm.

I'm sure it'll come black, er, back to me at some point.

[redstate_democrat]

8. LOL!

Wheeeeewwww! Harry, Harry, Harry, I thought I knew ya!

[IsItJustMe]

32. Add Roland Burris to the equation and one migh wonder WTF is up with Harry? Don't look, that is

for damn sure.

[Lucky 13]

73. 2008 was a HUGE eye-opener for me.

I stupidly and naively thought that racism didn't exist on the left to the extent that it does on the right. I naively thought that OUR party was largely POST racial. Turns out that was pretty much bullshit. I think maybe I was projecting or just believing what I HOPED was true.

Throughout 2008, many (formerly) respected Democrats (who shall remain nameless) were saying things that were AT BEST foolish and hurtful and AT WORST overtly racist. There was always room for plausible deniability, but everyone knew what was really being said... even the ones defending them.

And of course, I learned the old game of how voicing any offense over their comments resulted in being accused of playing the race card.

I know, I know... I'm just stating what everyone else knows. But it's just been shocking to me. Utterly shocking. It's not hard to figure out when Republicans are being racist... especially when their songs include the words "magic negro". It's like they don't even bother to hide it.

But for the first time in my life I heard the dog whistles coming from the LEFT and recognized the nod-nod, wink-wink. They crafted their message to reach people just like me - 30+, white, "hard-working". Their message was overtly telegraphed and was received LOUD AND CLEAR. Luckily most of us just rejected the fuck out of it. But no one can tell me it wasn't there. I saw it. I heard it. And it's changed the way I think about our country and our party forever.

So, I'm making a list and checking it twice. Every time I hear that old dog whistle, I make a mental note of yet another ignorant motherfucker that I'll be sure never to support again.

[angee_is_mad]

75. You get it

and as a Black woman I thank you for getting it.

[redstate_democrat]

77. I figured it out this year as well.

I stupidly believed the racist party was the Repukes. I believed that most Dems were progressive when it comes to race. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, can't get fooled again! My conclusion is that both parties have their fair share of racists. No party is more or less racist than the other. The Repukes' racists are just politically and socially tone-deaf so they don't hide it as well as those in the Dem party.

Look

Jessie Jackson, Danny Davis, Emil Jones, and Roland Burris are just not "clean" or "articulate" enough to enter into the holy chamber of the United States Senate. Get over it, Black Democrats!!!!1111

[marimour]

81. good comparison.

I would almost rather the overt racism of the Repubs, b/c at least they are man enough to put it out there and stand behind it so at least I know where I stand with them.

[marimour]

80. so true. every single word.

[Lucky 13]

74. dupe

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

115. Reid saying blacks need not apply. What a dope - can't we get rid of him?

[dansolo]

9. Tammy Duckworth was Rahm Emmanuel's hand picked candidate in 2006 in IL-06

I'm sure he is the reason why she was being pushed for consideration. She was a horrible candidate back then, and appointing her would probably guarantee a GOP pickup in 2010.

[madrchsod]

48. rahm picked her over cegalis and caused a split in the democrats

of the district. ill will was put aside but duckworth lost. i thought obama would bring here to washington for a position at veterans affairs

[madrchsod]

10. yes... reid knows best for us here in illinois

well guess what harry you probably did cost our party the election in 2010..

jessie jackson or lisa madigan would win in illinois in 2010 but i doubt that now.

[davsand]

11. I can't fault Reid's analysis of the situation, but WHAT was he thinking?

While I tend to agree with his analysis of the candidates' prospects of holding that seat, I just can't get my head around him crossing that line and making that phone call.

Reid has lost any and all credibility in the discussion about seating a Blago appointee.




Laura

[redstate_democrat]

14. He needs to STFU ASAP

He had no problemo ringing Blago to dictate who he wanted. REID is now TAINTED. He has absolutely no fucking say whatsoever.

[madrchsod]

16. jessie and lisa would be a shoe in for the senate seat in 2010

but it`s not reid`s call ..it`s ours...the citizens of illinois and our primary selection.

[davsand]

23. I think Lisa Madigan would win easily. Jackson, not so much.

Outside the metro areas (read as Chicago and the collar counties) Jackson's name carries some high negatives. I'm not saying they are justified, but they ARE there.

I also remind you that in Obama's Senate Primary Obama mostly won in the north part of the state. His opponent Dan Hynes carried pretty much everything else. There IS still a pretty big cultural gap between Chicago and the rest of the state and I am pretty serious when I say I don't think Jackson would be able to overcome that.

Just sayin. It isn't necessarily right, but I think it is there.



Laura

[redstate_democrat]

25. Where do the Democratic votes come from in Illinois?

[davsand]

30. The trick to winning Illinois statewide is to carry Cook AND...

...the collar counties big enough to offset the bleeding in the rest of the state. It helps a LOT if you can carry any of downstate.

Obama won his Primary by playing it smart and targeting key areas downstate along with the area north of I-80. He carried key downstate counties big enough to solidify his win.

Jackson, I believe, would not fare quite as well in those downstate counties that Obama won, and THAT would be the problem.


Laura

edited to remove the second appearance of my name

[Critters2]

47. DuPage and Rockford are red, too.

That's why you need to win in at least cities downstate. You probably won't carry Hastert/Hyde country. Things seem to be changing, but those can't be taken for granted.

[madrchsod]

64. foster carried the eastern part of the 14th.

but even out here in the west he got closer than anyone has in years. i hate to see foster and others in close races lose because of blago`s shit....

[Critters2]

68. That's what I meant when I said things were changing. But those

areas have been real red for a long time. You're right, this could really hurt.

[davsand]

70. THAT is why I think so many IL Dems are so pissed off.

We see a lot of hard work on the line because Blago is SUCH a turd. The IL GOP has never really recovered from George Ryan getting busted and I think a lot of IL Dems are worried we are gonna suffer that same fate.

Blago already managed to bring several promising (prominent) IL minority Dems into a place where people are always gonna wonder, "How much did YOU bid for that Senate seat?" I'm worried that little shit is gonna take the enire Dem party down too.



Laura

[madrchsod]

38. jjj would be long shot

but lisa would be a shoe in even out here in republican hell. but now i`m not sure. she`s done a great job and is well liked even out here but giving the republican this much crap to work with....help...talk me down!:rofl:

[dsc]

24. Not all congressional races are created equal

JJJ, Davis, and Jones all are from exceptionally safe districts. Duckworth ran in a seat which is still GOP though getting better for us as time goes on.

[redstate_democrat]

29. But she has never been elected to anything. IF she couldn't get elected there, she can't get

elected statewide, under some people's rationale. At least the other three have demonstrated they can get elected. Now, I'm guessing JJJ is in a strong Dem district. Could Duckworth go there and unseat him? Probably not. So, she can't get elected in a purple district and she can't get elected in a blue district.

She can't get elected.

[dsc]

39. that is silly

Duckworth ran in a GOP district while Illinois is a Dem state. That would be similar to someone saying a GOP person who couldn't beat say John Lewis couldn't win in Georgia.

[redstate_democrat]

41. Okay, so she could win blue areas but not republican areas.

That would put her in the same boat as say, JJJ or Danny Davis, correct...

or is there something else to it?

[dsc]

44. I admittedly don't know all the numbers

but I can easily see a senario where say she lost her district 55 to 45 but anyone else would have lost it 60 to 40. That would make her a better candidate than someone who wins a district 90 to 10 that we always win 90 to 10. I know she ran in a Rep stronghold while the other candidates are all in safe seats. My point is that just because she lost and they won doesn't all by itself say she is a worse candidate than they are.

[KittyWampus]

2. what a fucked up way to characterize Reid's contacting the Gov and voicing his opinion

I wish you self-loathing "Democrats" would get another hobby.

And if you aren't a Democrat, leave this forum to those of us who are.

[madrchsod]

15. you do`t live in illinois and are`t the one who

is getting fucked over by a governor selling the seat or some guy from neveda telling us who he thinks is best for us..

[sandnsea]

19. Some are just uninformed n/t

[thunder rising]

3. Yet again, this is a foolish analysis.

[PBS Poll-435]

4. Shocking

Like an electric eel in a kiddie pool.

[PurityOfEssence]

6. I guess Daddy and Jr. can each take a testicle...

Still, suggestions are a hell of a lot different than threats, and Reid has every right to try to seat a more durable person. Sigh. What a mess.

(edited for syntax...)

[mopinko]

91. jr is not dad. and dad is not the monster you are portraying.

dad accomplished a lot of good. i know he is coarse. but his heart is in the right place.
but jr is not his dad. he is a fine congressman, a fine human being, and a fine democrat.

your comment is uncalled for.

[PurityOfEssence]

102. I believe senses of humor are available at amazon.com

Yes, his heart IS in the right place, even if he has a habit of playing fast-and-loose with his mouth, as in the "Hymietown" incident, and more than enough bitterness from not having been granted the status and position he feels he deserves.

It was a joke. Pardon the tackiness, but the faux-pas was exceedingly funny when I saw the clip, and public figures who foist off an image of rectitude, like, shall we say MEN OF THE CLOTH are ripe for humor; humor literally creates itself out of rigidity and seriousness.

I don't view him as a saintly elder stateman who shouldn't be lampooned. Those honorable feelings are reserved for the likes of George McGovern and Jimmy Carter, who have never shown an ugly side as the oh so good Reverend has on quite a few occasions. (Carter and McGovern have good senses of humor, by the way, and I'll rib them a bit, too...)

Rev. Jackson is in a peculiar position and he knows it: he's already put his foot in his mouth on a few occasions about Obama, so his future words will be consistently accused to be those of a bad sport. Meanwhile, people like Bobby Rush try to drive a wedge in that Obama's somehow not good enough to the black community, and that's just superfluous horse shit that I hope we don't have to endure. This will have people chattering about the race issue, and that's just sad.

Still, Jesse DESERVES some ribbing, and my little jab was hardly character assassination.

Think so if you will, but in times of strife, a sense of humor is one's best friend. This whole episode is a monumental display of idiocy, and I hope the team gets a little packet of common sense in their next box of Cracker Jack and decides to shut the fuck up, not dispute the appointment, and let it blow over.

Sadly, though, if Burris DID want to go forward with a death penalty prosecution of someone he KNEW to be innocent, he's not fit for appointment to the sewer board. By the way, bear in mind that, as an agnostic with a hard and fast respect for life, I am not morally against the death penalty; I view it as justified self defense to remove a predator who has proven a taste for killing. (It's the only sure way to know that he/she will never kill again...) I AM against the death penalty on these grounds: it's unfairly administered, and no matter how it's applied, mistakes are possible, so we must simply not have it for that last reason.

Enough digression.

You might be able to get a reasonable one on eBay, but it'll probably be overpriced. Get the large size; you never know how big an outrage life will throw at you to have softened.

[mopinko]

118. ok, ok

it thought that sarcasm tags were mandatory around here lately. i guess you didn't get the memo.

and yes, jesse does this shit to himself. i just hate to see jr punished for dad's sins. he is a great guy, and would make a great senator. he worked his ass off for obama, too.

[redstate_democrat]

7. I would love to hear the tape of Reid explaining to Blago how

Danny Davis, JJJ, and Emil Jones weren't "electable", yet, Duckworth is although she lost a 2006 house race when Dems picked up seats. I'd love to hear the justification for all that.

Hmmmm.

[marimour]

37. yep! wonder if those tapes will be released?

[angee_is_mad]

12. The nail in his coffin

It's OVER. The three BLACk candidates did not fit his criteria, while someone who has not held elected office did?

Shit is going to hit the fan now. Damn Harry, say it ain't so!

[redstate_democrat]

17. I predict that the shit will hit the fan POST HASTE

[angee_is_mad]

27. The Afrosphere has been going CRAZY

about this shit for the last couple of days. Next black talk radio, then the churches, beauty salons, barber shops.

All I can say is, "DAMN,DAMN, DAMN and double DAMN!!!"

[Alexander]

13. Harry Reid is a Mormon - blacks were banned from Mormon priesthood until 1978.

Harry Reid was about 38 or 39 when this happened.

Hint, hint.

[PurityOfEssence]

28. Sorry, but I think that's out of line

I can't stand religion, and Mormonism is way up on the list with a very special place among those I can't stand, but I don't think this proves Reid a racist. Hopefully, he merely suggested instead of threatened or attempted to offer goodies. Reid's heart is more or less in the right place as far as I can see, but this is a hell of a mess a'brewin'...

Mormonism is just Christianity's version of Islam, that's all.

[marimour]

40. What?

"Mormonism is just Christianity's version of Islam, that's all."

Huh? From my knowledge true Islam does not exclude anyone based on race, I don't think Mormonism can even be compared.

[PurityOfEssence]

50. Okay, I'll concede that point...

...but what I was talking about is the overall flavor of the stuff: multiple wives, no liquor, little if any distinction between the clergy and government, a required mission, a built-in problem with nudity, dietary restrictions, extreme prosetelyzing and that sort of thing.

Does that make sense, whether you agree or not? They're rather similar in their all-encompassing approach to laying claim on the lives of their followers and their habits.

[marimour]

54. ok i see your point.

I wasn't really thinking about it that way. But most of that applies to Christianity too, we just don't follow it. Most Muslims, and probably Mormons are more devout, while a lot of us Christians only go to church on holidays and pick and choose the rules we follow.

[PurityOfEssence]

117. Ever hear the term "Jack Mormon"?

You might be right, since Mormonism seems to police its ranks pretty severely, and Islam is so pervasive in the societies where it has sway that it does the same, whereas Christianity is a huge amorphous blob of many, many different sects, some of which are downright tolerable and pleasant.

Still, my Muslim chums like to remind me of the blind eye turned toward drinking and other forbidden habits, especially in the big cities. (Then again, cities are almost by definition the more liberal areas of cultures.) The term "Jack Mormon" is a mormon-created term for the wild ones in the flock, and I knew quite a few in my high school days.

I'll give you this, though: the extremists in Islam put Christian extremists to shame. Christians may believe in an afterlife, but they don't have the same whacked-out extreme certainty of your garden variety suicide bomber...

People and cultures seem to have a pretty similar spread of nice and bad, wild and tame, pleasant and toxic, and I don't think that cowering before the mailed-fist of an extremist religion is all that much more noble than going through the motions in a quasi-hypocritical way: they're both a version of self-serving and the easy way out.

Complex stuff, this religion; it's best kept at arm's length as far as I can see.

[IsItJustMe]

59. You are probably right. But damn, appearances, appearnaces, appearances.

[mitchum]

71. No...Mormonism is a Protestant combination of Judaism's tribalism...

and Catholicism's "woo woo magic voodoo" ...with a seasoning of 19th century science fiction claptrap

[AngryAmish]

98. Bullshit

If looking at his actions alone, he is objectively a racist.

[Dreamer Tatum]

100. Mormons get called racists here all the time

If the shoe fits, wear it.

[sandnsea]

18. Oh christ, this is NOT tampering

This is having a conversation, which is done all the time. Even Obama's people spoke to Blago about the seat.

And the truth is, they also use fundraising to secure favors, all of them -- Blago was just stupid enough to be honest about it.

[redstate_democrat]

20. Yeah, the tampering accusation is probably BS

but that article is very illuminating...

[madrchsod]

21. yes ..i retracted in another post--pressuring is a better word

i`m just a tad bit pissed off that reid thinks he knows who we should elect. we do have a primary selection process.

[sandnsea]

22. Discussing, that's what politicians do

He's the Senate Majority Leader who wants to keep all Senate seats possible, whether you like it or not. He had a discussion. Why would you want to help Republicans discredit our party?

[madrchsod]

31. so reid is picking his choice for our senator?

..thanks harry but we make our decision through the primary system or did you suspend the primary in illinois?

reid is the one who has discredited the voters in illinois not me

[sandnsea]

34. He is? How is that?

Since when is having a phone call the same as making decisions for the person you're calling?

[yardwork]

26. Does this mean that we can get a new senate majority leader?

[madrchsod]

33. why?..... what`s wrong with harry?

[Blarch]

86. Jeeesh.

The guy is a spineless idiot who lets the repubs walk all over him.

How the fuck can you ask "whats wrong with harry?" Holy fucking shit.

[angee_is_mad]

35. but the three Blacks were unacceptable?

If there was a fourth (white)unacceptable candidate it wouldn't be so bad. Of all the people who wanted that seat or whose name was thrown in for that seat, the only ones that were unacceptable were the three black men, who wanted to take over a seat that was held by a black man?

At the end of the day, this ain't a good look for Reid. There will not be a single member of the CBC who will publicly back Harry and Nancy on not seating Burris once this filter through into the black community.

They were not be able to go back to their constituency. Hell there are some young lions itching to knock a few of them out, especially for backing hillary over Barack. Remember John Lewis?

[redstate_democrat]

36. It really is a bad look for ole Harry.

Wow. I really, really, really want to hear that tape!

Edited to Add: I hope they don't try to get Obama to run to their rescue and put a black face on this. Obama does not need that shit at all.

[madrchsod]

42. barack will stay out of this ....

he knows this has become a snakepit...

[marimour]

43. seriously! Let Reid stand on his own on this one.

[angee_is_mad]

45. Burris will be the next Illinois Senator

It has hit the Afrosphere. The backlash will be too great for the dems not to seat him, especially with the repubs threatening not to seat Franken.

Once again, Blagabitch is GANGSTA!!!!

[redstate_democrat]

46. LOL @ "Blagabitch"

:rofl:

[marimour]

49. ....

edit. replied to wrong person

[redstate_democrat]

52. IL sent TWO of the THREE black senators since Reconstruction to the Senate.

Carol Mosley Braun, anyone? I bet you some people on DU would be claiming "She's Unelectable!!11111111"

[marimour]

55. so true. I knew there was another one (and a woman at that!)

but I couldn't remember the name. In that case it looks like Illinois is the state MOST likely to send a black person to the senate.

[madrchsod]

61. boy did she get screwed over...

i think she was a bit naive but the press crucified her over somethings no one would give a shit about now

[madrchsod]

53. angee_is_mad you made my long day....

madrchsod thanks you for putting a smile on my face after being totally pissed off..."blagbitch is GANGSTER"

someone maybe calling him that in a federal prison.....:rofl:

[angee_is_mad]

57. Don't hate the Playa

Hate the Game.
I can only sit back and admire his trifling, lowlife, crooked, corrupted ass.

I remember during the primaries people were saying Barack wasn't strong enough or a fighter, and Sista Michelle said, "Barack is from Chicago!" She ain't never lied.

[marimour]

51. you know what I don't get?

"A Jackson spokesman said the congressman believes he could attain statewide support.

“Congressman Jackson was encouraged that two independent statewide polls confirmed that he was the most popular Democrat to succeed Barack,” Jackson spokesman Rick Bryant said. “The polls also showed he was in a strong position to win reelection in 2010, drawing strong support from virtually every demographic group.”

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,...

I mean a man named Barack Hussein Obama won, but they (and people on DU) are acting like Illinois will never vote a black man into the senate. Illinois has already proven that they will and did but people are still holding onto those same backwards assumptions.

[IsItJustMe]

56. Many people are ignorant about Illinois. The majority of the state population is in the north.

The north is comprised by a majority of AA and Latinos. A person of color has a better chance of winning a state wide race in Illinois than any other state, for sure. Harry is not only ignorant, but he is also a meddlesome.

[marimour]

60. thanks for the info.

I'm ignorant about the makeup of the state too (didn't know there was a large Hispanic population). But I assumed Chicago, its suburbs and Springfield were the majority of the population, so the rural areas wouldn't matter as much. I know Obama won some states in the primaries without winning any rural areas. The cities count for a lot.

[redstate_democrat]

62. Not only that, but there are heavy AA districts downstate

East St Louis anyone? Madison County?

[IsItJustMe]

66. Yep, forgot about E St Louis and Madison County..

[AZ Criminal JD]

93. The majority of the north is not AA and Latinos

Even Cook County is not majority AA and Latino (49%) although almost. http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/17/17031.html However, I agree a AA candidate can win statewide and history has shown that.

[madrchsod]

58. the problem is the republicans ran keyes

the republicans voted for barack in the majority of the counties in illinois. obama lost 5 out of 106.
this time time it won`t be that easy. the democratic party is not quite in the same position as the republicans at that time but who knows what is going to happen in the next few months.

jessie would be good but lisa madigan has better state wide exposure as a very good attorney general

[marimour]

63. but Obama was leading b4 Keyes entered the race.

I read recently on DU that Obama was up in the polls by a large margin even before the original (white male, republican) opponent dropped out. If thats true he would have won anyway, Keyes just made it an easier race, but he would have won it anyway. I wonder how Carol Mosely Braun won since by these same standards, Republicans and rural areas wouldn't vote for her either?

[madrchsod]

67. ryan was a moderate and was close to 45% before he exploded

the moderates got into a fight with the conservatives in the party. they walked away and let the conservatives bring in keyes...keyes got 29% of the vote.

[marimour]

69. so they went from

almost 45% to 29% without the moderates. So even when the moderates were with the Republicans, Obama was still leading. This sounds like a good position for Democrats, and if they don't nominate a moderate Repub, it should make it even easier to pick off the moderates.

[dsc]

76. Mosley Braun ran against a candidate who was intended to be a sacrifical lamb

running against Dixon. By the time it was apparent Dixon was in trouble in his primary the GOP was stuck with a crappy candidate. Ryan imploded in his race or Obama may well have lost.

[marimour]

78. may well but more likely wouldn't have.

If Obama was up in the polls b4 Ryan exploded then I would think he had a good chance of winning. What would have changed that would have allowed Ryan to win despite being down in the polls?

[nsd]

107. JJJ's problem is that his name is "Jesse Jackson".

He's worked pretty hard to create his own identity (one more like Obama's), but the image of his father is so strong that he's only partly succeeded. A lot of those negative associations get put on him. Maybe that's unfair, but that's life.

[acmavm]

65. Harry, what exactly is your criteria for concern? Spying and wars, you

don't put up much of a fuss.

Things that don't concern you, you're right there trying to pull the strings.

[book_worm]

72. Maybe we better not seat Harry until this is all cleared up

[marimour]

79. lol!

[Luminous Animal]

82. Honestly, you are being an idiot...

is there any evidence of Reid "horse trading'? If not, it is simply a matter of one Democratic leader telling another his preference.

Sure, there are implications, but are you really going to tell me that there were not a handful of other powerful Dems not doing the exact same thing?

Are you really doing to tell me that the Dem leadership should withhold their preferences?

Unless there is any evidence that Reid was currying favor, then screw the corporate media and screw the OP for expressing glee in taking down a Dem with no evidence of any wrongdoing.

Ya'll are being led by the nose by the Republicans agenda.

[marimour]

83. i don't think it was wrongdoing but the implications of his choices are the problem.

I'm sure plenty of people did the same but I have to wonder if Reid would have done the same if Blago had chosen from his "acceptable" candidates. I'm really interested in hearing those tapes when they come out. I wont crucify him until then.

[Luminous Animal]

84. With zero evidence...

you already accused him of tampering.

[marimour]

89. actually NO I didnt!

I Never accused him of anything. Maybe you are confusing me with the OP. Plus I could care less about the tampering until I hear tapes, its the whole "the black candidates are unelectable" implication that I have a problem with. Its actually the only thing I even talked about.

[izzybeans]

85. "tampering with the selection process"

:rofl:

:rofl:

[DevonRex]

87. Seems pretty normal to me. Reid has an interest in the replacements.

He has to deal with them on a regular basis, no matter who they are. And he has an interest in keeping a democratic majority in the Senate.

So, no big whoop to me. I'm actually kind of surprised he was this proactive and I think it reflects well on him.

[Lyric]

88. Yeah, because no Senate Majority leader EVER contacts a Governor

to discuss Senate appointments.

:eyes:

It's a conspiracy!!!!111elevens

[Paladin]

90. Yeah, I Bet Blago Is Shaking In His Wingtips.......

....over the iron will and power-wielding of Harry Reid.


(Sarcasm notice, for the few of you who need it....)

[unblock]

92. given that the senate can reject any appointment, this is completely appropriate

and with ZERO hint that there was anything illegal offered in exchange, the article is nothing but a hit piece by implication.

what's next? oooooh, obama discussed the stimulus plan with congressional leaders!!1!! how dare he!!!

[ShortnFiery]

106. It makes NO sense to over-rule STATES' RIGHTS. Reid needs to STFU. eom

[unblock]

108. take it up with the founders, who gave the senate the power to reject appointments

[ShortnFiery]

109. Yes, it gave them the power but when an appointment is LEGAL, they are behaving "above the law"

That's NOT out our founders would have wanted. :thumbsdown:

[unblock]

110. that's simply wrong

the founders did not give the power to the courts, nor to the senate, to decide simply on the basis of what's legal. in fact, putting that power in the senate would not make good sense. the supreme court, or the state, would be better places had the intent been simply to decide on the basis of legality.

no, the founders wanted all manner of legality, qualifications, and suitability to be placed in each chamber. each house has the power to who can sit as a member and with 2/3rds vote it can expel an already seated member for any reason.

i see no basis for questioning the appropriateness of contact between a governor and the senate majority leader on the matter of a senate appointment.



From Article 1:


Section 5 - Membership, Rules, Journals, Adjournment

Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member.

Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.

Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

[ShortnFiery]

111. Yes, ask all the family members of Harry Reid who get their jobs through nepotism? Reid is VOMIT.

Harry Reid has no MORAL compass that the founders had depended upon for representatives in the Senate. He's gutless when he should fight (Alito Confirmstion) and a tiger on INANE issues.

Yes, this is an inane issue. Does Blago have the legal right to appoint? Is Burris qualified? Case closed.

[unblock]

114. i'm with you on a certain amount of disappointment in our democratic leaders

alito is a good example.

but on the topic at hand, it seems misdirected. reid talked with blago? of course he did, so what?

[AZ Criminal JD]

94. Reid: No African-Americans need apply

He would drum up an excuse to block any of them not just Burris.

[phleshdef]

95. I'm no huge fan of Harry Reid by any stretch, but this really isn't all that huge of a deal.

[Doctor_J]

96. Can you imagine a Repuke helping a Dem prosecutor go after a Repuke?

The Dem party will look a lot different than it does now when it finally succeeds it overcoming Republicanism.

[AngryAmish]

97. Just go ahead and join the Klan, Reid

It would just make it clear.

[Uzybone]

99. Is the Blago camp the source for this?

Or is it the Fitz office?

Blago sure loves the divide and conquer game that so many are falling for.

[onefreespiritedchick]

101. What an idiot

Good luck in the future Harry, you'll need it!

[anonymous171]

103. Let's take Reid out!

[ShortnFiery]

113. And he can take gutless Pelosi with him.

:nuke:

[nsd]

104. What tampering? What are you talking about?

Telling Blagojevich that it would be a bad idea to appoint JJJ, Davis, or Jones is not tampering. It's totally legitimate.

[ShortnFiery]

105. Reid is corrupt. He and Pelosi need to be replaced. POSTE HASTE! eom

[paulk]

112. "tampering"?

what a stupid thread...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

116. No doubt Reid was going to got $ under the table if 1 of his white buddies got the gig.