Those looking to throw Reid under the bus re: IL Senate seat should also target Durbin as well

[wndycty]

I'm not happy about Reid's decision to oppose Burris, however I'm not ready to throw him under the bus over this. Let's be honest there is a huge contingent here at DU who hate Pelosi and Reid and look for ANY REASON to criticize and call for their heads. I have my issues with both of them but I still feel they are doing a good job.

Also, for those who want to paint Reid as racist for his opposition to Jackson, Davis and now Burris should realize he is taking his cues on Illinois from Dick Durbin. So if you want to throw Reid under that bus make room for Durbin.

I think Burris should be seated, but I'm not about watch some DUers who like to complain about EVERYTHING throw Reid under the bus on this, especially considering that if he does belong under the bus someone should make room for Dick Durbin as well.

[glowing]

1. Durbin is at least from the state.. Reid has nothing to do with it other than

sit at the top and subvert every progressive ideal and to fold everytime the minority party says boo.

[wndycty]

3. Yeah but Reid's actions re: Illinois are being driven by Dick Durbin

He (Reid) is depending on Durbin for direction.

[undeterred]

20. How do you know this?

[babylonsister]

2. From another post: if someone could answer, I'd be grateful.

On December 10, 50 Democratic senators signed a letter calling for

Blagojevich to resign, and were roundly applauded for it. Now, many people want the senators to ignore their previous action and do Blago's bidding? Would that not indicate a lack of spine, and wouldn't they be roundly criticized for going back on their word? We can't have it both ways.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/10/democrats-blagojevi... /

Senate Democrats unanimously call on Blagojevich to resign.»

Huffington Post’s Sam Stein reports that all 50 members of the Democratic Senate caucus have signed Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) letter calling on Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) to “step down from his post and refrain from appointing anyone to the vacated Illinois Senate seat.” The signatories include Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton. President-elect Barack Obama has also called on Blagojevich to step down.

[wndycty]

4. What is your question?

:kick:

[babylonsister]

5. Perhaps not to you, but everyone is so ready to throw the Dems under the

bus for not accepting Burris. I'd like to know if their initial efforts to get Blago to resign actually mean anything. They'll be condemned either way, and I'm just tired of it.

[wndycty]

6. I agree. . .in retrospect the Dem's should not have backed themselves into a corner. . .

. . .I think they figured there was no way he hold on. They didn't think that 1) he would not resign and 2) the Illinois legislature would fuck it up just as bad.

[IsItJustMe]

9. Everything that I ever read or heard about Blago told me that he would not be the type of person

that would go quietly into the night. I just don't see how they did not see that.

[camera obscura]

7. Durbin wanted a special election. Reid wanted Duckworth. I'm not sure where you got this idea from.

[IsItJustMe]

8. Do you think that Durbin was also driving Reid in discouraging Blago from appointing

Jesse Jackson Jr, Danny Davis and Emil Jones?

I honestly don't know what to make of this. It may very well be a set of unfortunate circumstances. I would be less than honest however, if I said that it did not leave me with questions.

[wndycty]

12. Yes. Durbin is part of Senate leadership and I would imagine Reid was acting on Durbin's behalf. . .

. . .don't forget Blagojevich was not returning Durbin's calls.

[saltpoint]

10. I'm not sure what the rationale is for getting rid of Durbin. I like him

and would prefer him to Reid as Majority Leader.

Durbin isn't in the Blago camp. He's got a lot more common sense and political acumen, IMO. Blago is shrewd, but shrewd in the service of self-promo.

I get none of that vibe from Durbin.

[wndycty]

13. Read the OP I'm not saying DUMP Durbin, I'm just saying that Reid was most likely echoing Durbin. .

. . .when he told Blagojevich that Jackson and Davis were not suitable.

[saltpoint]

25. I did read your OP and still see Durbin as stand-alone all-free ofthe Blago mess.

[wndycty]

26. Reid is not going to call Blago w/o Durbin's knowledge and most likely his input. . .

. . .seriously.

[davsand]

11. I'm curious about how electable you see Jackson, Davis, and Jones as being in a statewide race?

Seriously. I'm curious what your opinion is.

Burris is probably the only one of the lot that I think has enough positive name recognition statewide to win. We all know, however, that I am not a gifted psychic, so I'm asking you as somebody that is a lot more intimate with all the players here.

I'm not terribly surprised at Reid wading in with an opinion on who "they" would like to see fill Obama's seat--we ALL know full well that the guys at the national level make those kind of calls pretty regularly. Very often they are the same ones that make the decisions about who gets campaign funding and help so it follows they are gonna weigh in on candidate selection.

Durbin is on the ground here and his opinion SHOULD carry some weight. Again--this is not a shock to me.

I think I'm mostly surprised at Reid making that call since it has been a pretty openly recognized thing that Blag was under investigation and probably getting taped. Wouldn't you THINK that a guy at Reid's level would maybe be a bit more careful about how his comments would be construed when the tapes went public?

WTF was he thinking?



Laura

[wndycty]

15. Junior is probably the most electable of the 3 of them. However he would need Obama's backing. . .

. . .and he wouldn't get that in a primary, only in the general election.

I always wanted this seat to be held by an African American PLACEHOLDER and then have an open primary in 2010.

[davsand]

18. Do you think Jr could do well in Madison and St Clair?

I think we could probably deliver some votes here in Champaign County for him, but I doubt seriously that he'd pull too much beyond the hard core Dem base in Vermillion.

Anybody running as a Dem needs to stop the bleeding downstate in a few counties at least, and I am mostly worried about how any of these guys will do down here in boo-foo--where nobody has really met them. Obama had worked hell out of selected parts of downstate in his Senate Primary, and even he had some very real problems outside selected pockets.

I think the General is a wild card and a HUGE amount hangs on who the IL GOP can put up. If they run one of the usual suspects they are screwn, but if they find somebody who does not have the last name of Ryan or Oberwies they might just pose a threat. (I am salivating at working against the Milk Nazi someday, BTW. THAT is my personal political fantasy.)

:evilgrin:


Laura

[wndycty]

19. I don't know enough about downstate counties. I do think Jr. would run well in. . .

. . .Peoria, the Quad Cities and Metro East.

As for the GOP I think they have big problems. They still need to find direction are the moving to the right or to the center? Either way the GOP is splintered and we are still at an advantage for both the Senate and Governor's mansion. Downstate GOPers are far right and the Chicago are GOPers are moderate with a vocal minority on the far right.

[ColesCountyDem]

14. I don't hate Sen. Reid-- I just think he's made a bad decision.

You shouldn't pick a fight you can't win, and he can't win this one.

[wndycty]

16. When he picked this fight he had no idea Rod would hang around long enough to make the decision. . .

. . .he backed himself into a corner on this one, but most people did. Not just Reid.

[davsand]

17. I'm no lawyer and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night--but I agree.

From what I've seen Reid is in a no win position on this one. I seriously think he drew a line in the sand before he should have and now he's stuck in an indefensible place.

Seems a shame to see this kind of turmoil over a happy event like electing Obama, but I have to admit I am fascinated to see guys at Reid's level make mistakes like this. You'd think that anybody who has been in politics this long would have learned a long time ago NOT to take a position too early in the game.



Laura

[Lint Head]

21. I am tired of milk toast cowards holding hearings and doing nothing.

Bush should be in jail.:dem:

[PBS Poll-435]

22. Ahem...

milquetoast

[Lint Head]

23. Thanks for the spelling.

:smoke:

[BuyingThyme]

24. I'm already on the eighth or ninth bus.

And one was a double-decker.