Oct 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
The Solution
The Hill reports that Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) would like to be appointed to fill the vacancy that would be left behind if Barack Obama moves into the White House:
But Jackson Jr.’s path is by no means assured. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) also wants to replace Sen. Obama (Ill.) in the upper chamber if he is elected president.
This gives Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who must choose between an African-American political scion and a close ally of the labor movement, a difficult decision.
I think the obvious solution is to give the job to Chicago’s 1997 Person of the Year — William Ayers.
49 Responses to “The Solution”
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October 26th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Oh, come now. I think at some point we’re going to have to have pity on the poor fluttering hearts of the paranoid Republicans!
October 26th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Their hearts will be fluttering enough knowing that a Jesse Jackson is indeed going to get a federal appointment thanks to Obama, even if it’s not the Jesse Jackson.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Oh, come now, surely the right man for the job is that close friend of both the Illinois governor and the Illinois current Senator, Tony Rezko.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Why is everyone ignoring Jeremiah Wright? Isn’t he the obvious choice?
October 26th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I think the question of who to replace Biden is perhaps a more interesting one.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
It’s going to be Lisa Madigan. She’s the rising star in that firmament. Shebis the biggest vote getter in the state, and her dad is the state house speaker. But I would not be surprised if Blago just picked himself.
Wait, is George Ryan out of the can?
October 26th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Blagojevich’s career is over and he might end up in jail like a long list of Ill. guvs. His approval rating is like 15%. The point is normal political considerations don’t really apply as near as I can tell. As a purely political calculation the smartest thing the Ill. Dems could do would to appoint a downstate (That means anywhere outside Cook county) to the seat.
Ill. has a very weird place in GOP politics. Being the ‘land of Lincoln’ means huge proportions of the state still vote Republican by habit of pride. I grew up in a county NW of Chicago that has never elected a Democrat to a county office, Never! Downstate Republicans never did have to jump onto the ideological train from the Gipper on because they were as safe as safe can be. The state never developed a strong statewide party apparatus. They just sit in Springfield and bargin with Cook County. For the most part ideological sentiments are absent in Ill. politics to a degree that might
October 26th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Bernadine Dohrn. Married to Bill Ayers – can you hear all the rumors about what nefarious acts he’s up to in D.C. while she is off being Senator? Radical in her own right, has spent time in jail, birth name is Ohrnstein… lots of things for right wing talk radio to work itself into a froth over.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Blago is going to give himself the job.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Rapier: Since Durbin is from downstate and Obama is from Cook County, wouldn’t it actually make more sense to give the seat to another Chicagoan, so as to preserve regional balance? Or do you mean that Chicago is viewed as so corrupt that anyone from there would be regarded as tainted?
October 26th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Does Oprah still live in Chicago? The Ultimate Twofer.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Does anyone think that Hot Rod gets to pick anyone other than whomever Barack Obama wants?
October 26th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
How about IL’s treasurer, the one that BHO backed for his current job? Or, will get a national post?
October 26th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Is Alan Keyes still carpetbagging in Illinois?
October 26th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Jeremiah Wright?
October 26th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
lol i heard rush limbaugh the other day blowing a gasket because he thinks if obama is elected he’ll put cornel west and rev. wright on the supreme court lol. i wonder how he’ll flip out over the jesse jackson thing (the corner already is)?
as an aside, rush is already ranting about how this election just proves that a moderate republican can’t get elected and that the party needs to go back to an “exclusive tent” for “real” conservatives. yikes: http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/rush_limbaugh_explains_it_all.php
October 26th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
James Kabala & Rapier,
Jan Schakowski is from Cook County without being from Chicago. She’s from Evanston. Plus, she’s just plain awesome (anti-war and an Obama backer fom the get-go). I would be thrilled if she got bumped up to the Senate, as would President Obama I imagine.
October 26th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
What about Balki from Perfect Strangers. He lives in Chicago.
(That’s a tv show Linus. It’s not real.)
But did you know it was on for eight seasons?
October 26th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
That’s my Senate seat and I was really, really, hoping for Tammy Duckworth. That’s who Durbin is pushing and I just really like her. There would have to be some big time quid pro quo for Lisa Madigan to get the seat. Mike Madigan and Blago are in a high stakes pissing match and I *guess* if Madigan called off the dogs that might be enough to get Lisa the seat.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Does anyone think that Hot Rod gets to pick anyone other than whomever Barack Obama wants?
That’s either Jackson or Duckworth. I can think of pros and cons for each.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I know very little about IL, but wouldn’t it make sense to give it to someone from downstate? Chicagoland is assured for Dems basically forever, so why not make a choice that cultivates the rest of the state?
October 26th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
“I think the obvious solution is to give the job to Chicago’s 1997 Person of the Year — William Ayers.”
Ayers can’t be in the Senate; he’ll be Obama’s head of Homeland Security. Odd thing is that this isn’t that far from the kind of College Republican pranksterism that we’ve been living through. John Bolton to the UN! If only Rove had been able to get Sarah Palin nominated Secretary of Education. She could have become the second Republican education president in a row!
Is it a couple years from now (?) that Illinois Republicans will get to test their idiotic theory that Ditka would be an unbeatable opponent to take on the next Democrat for a Senate race?
October 26th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
The rumor in the Chicago papers is Obama wants Valerie Jarrett to replace him.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Considering Blago’s approval ratings (at 15%, lower than Bush), he would probably appoint Lisa Madigan, just to take her out of the running for govenor [sp] in 2010.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I know very little about IL, but wouldn’t it make sense to give it to someone from downstate?
Hell no. You couldn’t find any democrat down there that wasn’t rabidly pro-coal and pro-life. They would lose next election cycle to a moderate republican.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I think Valerie Jarrett is the next secretary of HHS.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
My hunch is Lisa Madigan would have an easier time winning the seat 2010 than either Jackson or Schakowsky (unless the Republicans run Oberweis or Keyes again).
I also think Rod will run again in 2010 if he manages to stay out of prison. He does not want to go up against Lisa in the primary, so he could appoint her just to remove that obstacle (but he’ll lose anyway).
Re: George Ryan, I think we can expect a pardon right around January 19th.
October 26th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Does Norm Finkelstein still live in Chicago? [/joke]
October 26th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Oh please don’t let it be Jesse Jackson Jr.
He’s not the worst guy Blagojevich could pick, but a downstate Dem would be a much better selection and would keep the seat safer.
October 26th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Go Jesse Go!
No contest!
October 26th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I’m seeing this as a pretty safe seat, so I want the most progressive person I can get. Schakowsky’s awesome in that regard. Don’t know much about the rest.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Exploding heads
I have no idea whether or not Bill Ayers would make a good Senator for the great state of IL. But appointing him would be a great way of reducing conservatives a sputtering impotent rage that would leave them too pre-occupied to accomplish any real-world evil.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:05 am
Ayers is played, works for the Man, and another example of white fashionable-radicals piggybacking on the hard and dangerous work of pioneering minorities. Bring Bobby Seale back to Chicago and appoint him.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:21 am
Guys, moderate downstate Democrats? Seriously? Either way I expect this seat to belong to Dems for a while. The IL GOP governor’s primary in 2006 somewhat strongly resembled the GOP Presidential field this year – their winner, too, became the nominee by being the least readily disqualified of the candidates. She still lost by ten points. (Of course, the Green Party member got ten percent of the vote, which is, I consider, a sure sign of bipartisan discontent.)
Dems in the state, on the other hand, have a pretty deep bench. I would love Jan Schakowsky for sure, and I’d also be happy with Jesse Jackson Jr. Lisa Madigan would also be a good choice. I heard the idea of Luis Gutierrez today, which would be nice – he’s my Congressman and I like the work he does. This isn’t to say that there aren’t unwise choices as well (Blago, Emil Jones, Giannoulias), but they’ve got their pick of great candidates.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Da Ayers!
October 27th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Ayers can’t be in the Senate; he’ll be Obama’s head of Homeland Security.
Based on his professional accomplishments and charitable work, he’d seem to be best-suited for Secretary of Education.
But then, I understand he’s also done some work at the Pentagon.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:53 am
It is time to bring in th adults. That’s what this election is about. No more raving lunatics.
October 27th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Blagojevich would probably like to appoint Lisa Madigan to Obama’s seat (in order to get rid of his most likely and most formidable opponent in the 2010 Democratic primary for Governor), but Lisa Madigan would probaly prefer being the next Governor of Illinois. Therefore, Blagojevich is most likely going to pick someone who will help Blago when he runs for governor again in 2010, especially since Obama’s seat will be up again for election in 2010 also.
Blago’s most likely choices are Tammy Duckworth (who currently heads the Illinois Dept of Veteran’s Affairs), Jesse Jackson Jr, Lt Governor Pat Quinn, Congressman Rahm Emmanuel (who succeeded Blago in Congress), or maybe even Bill Daley.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I know it’s a mistake to take Steve Sailer seriously, but for what it’s worth, Tony Rezko has no party loyalty. He’s an equal opportunity influencer.
In Chicago, he mostly tries to influence Democrats because the local Republicans are a powerless joke, but statewide and nationally he buys influence from Republicans:
He’s the kind of guy who, if he happened to live in Arizona, would be John McCain’s new best friend — Charles Keating II, if you will.
I’m rooting for Jan Schakowsky, who’s as far from machine politics as it’s possible to get in Cook County.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
DITKA!
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