Obama Happyworld Politics Thread!

by **jerseyhoya** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 15:42:36

He's 71. He lost the gubernatorial primary to Blago back in 2002. He was never going anywhere. A tainted appointment is really his only hope.

by **Woody** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 15:47:11

Well there you have it:

tainted Senate appointment > no Senate appointment at all

by **dajafi** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 15:48:22

I feel bad for the guy, because this is going to be his legacy. And he ran for the nomination in 1984--lost to Paul Simon. (Who was portrayed on SNL by Al Franken, who's about to become a Senator. Ah, the circle of celebritocracy...)

But I sort of agree with not seating him. Blagojevich is radioactive, and with cause. It's bad enough that the case against him looks weak enough that he's unlikely to go to jail; at the least, I want him maximally disgraced and shunned.

by **jerseyhoya** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 16:00:11

I don't know if there's much downside for Burris. No one that I've seen is really thinking that he was in on the bidding for the seat. Obviously it is tainted due to all of Blagojevich's crap, and that will rub off to some extent on him, but if Burris wanted to, he could say no. I mean, there's no reason to feel bad for the guy.

by **FTN** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 16:01:46

With only mistakenly rejected absentee ballots left to tally in Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount, Democrat Al Franken has a 50-vote lead over Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.

The lead, Franken's largest since Election Day, buoyed the Franken campaign.

"We are absolutely thrilled with where we stand," said Marc Elias, Franken recount attorney.

The Coleman campaign was less than thrilled.

"We're faced with an artificial Franken lead," said Coleman recount attorney Tony Trimble. The Coleman campaign has all but promised it will contest the election results in court because it believes more than 100 votes from Franken-friendly areas were double counted.

The 50-vote lead is provisional because there are still rejected absentee ballots to count.

Those absentee ballots, which local election judges mistakenly didn't count, are the latest focus of recount controversy.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_11336331

by gr » Tue Dec 30, 2008 17:49:30

I abhor recounts and the whole process that goes along with them, mostly because of the tedium involved, but it would be kind of awesome if the tabulation finished in a tie and Pawlenty had to step in to settle it once and for all with a coin clip, which Coleman gets to call as the imcumbent, and then it gets caught in Franken's hair and Ventura appears out of nowhere and smacks Franken's head to dislodge the coin and then it mistakenly goes down the drain and the Dept of Sanitation finds it and says it was tails up and then no one can remember how Coleman called it anyway.

So, I guess I actually like tedium, but only the specific kind that I like. Who knows?

by **pacino** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 18:38:32

jerseyhoya wrote:Senate Democrats to block Burris appointment

Two Democratic officials tell CNN Senate Democratic leaders are planning to block Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to the Senate seat once held by President-elect Obama.

The officials said this has nothing to do with Burris, an African-American leader and former state attorney general: "anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich can not be an effective representative of Illinois and will not be seated by the Democratic caucus," said one.

A spokesman for President-elect Obama says the transition has no comment on this. But they note Obama has previously called on the governor to resign.

UPDATE: Senate Democratic leadership released a statement saying Blagojevich's appointment of Burris was "unfair to the people of Illinois and it will ultimately not stand."

This could end up being pretty interesting on a constitutional level and whatnot.

They can't actually block anything. It's an entirely legal appointment, and he must be seated.

by **jerseyhoya** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 18:48:59

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.

I've read people who say they can stop it, and others who say they can't. In any case, Reid says they aren't going to seat him, so he apparently thinks they can do something.

by **Bakestar** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 18:50:53

Might they refuse to let him caucus with the Democrats? So he'd be a quasi-Independent for two years?

by **pacino** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 18:54:29

It would be ridiculous if they tried it. I see no reason to not allow him. Blags hasn't been convicted of anything and is still the governor of Illinois with all the subsequent duties.

by **jerseyhoya** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 18:54:59

I guess that might be what Reid means. Also Illinois Secretary of State has said he will refuse to certify the appointment, so that might prevent it from happening. This isn't as cut and dry as pacino is making it out to be, and is by no means finished.

by **FTN** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 18:57:46

pacino is such a wide eyed optimist

by **lethal** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 22:30:37

Powell v McCormack would seem to indicate that Congress cannot refuse to seat a member as long as they meet the requirements noted in the Constitution and were legally selected by their state. However, they may expel a member with a 2/3s vote.

by **jerseyhoya** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 14:18:32

by **jerseyhoya** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 15:12:55

Senate opposition fiercer than Burris thinks

by **FTN** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 15:51:43

From the article I read the other day, there's nothing the Senate can do in terms of seating him. The only requirements for the Senate are age and citizenship, I believe.

by **jerseyhoya** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 16:06:14

People keep saying that in this thread, but really good reporters like Lynn Sweet keep referencing the many ways the Senate is going to obstruct the appointment. From the article linked to above:

The new Congress will be sworn in Tuesday. Burris will arrive with no floor privileges because Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White will not certify his appointment. The Senate will likely refer the matter to the Rules Committee, where it will be handled as s-l-o-w-l-y as possible. For example, the rules panel will require a very, very, very complete investigation to make sure the appointment is stain-free.

While the Senate Democrats are slow-walking, they want the Illinois House to fast-walk the Blagojevich impeachment proceedings, and then have a swift state Senate trial, conviction, and installation of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as governor. Quinn then can make the pick, preferably a Democrat with an excellent chance of winning either a special election or the 2010 contest.

See also, this article from the Politico.

by **jerseyhoya** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 16:13:07

Michael Bennet will replace Ken Salazar in the Senate.

Profile from the Denver Post when Bennet was in the running for Secretary of Education. Seems like a pretty decent choice. Beats the hell out of the crap going on in New York and Illinois.

by **dajafi** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 16:34:27

jerseyhoya wrote: Beats the hell out of the crap going on in New York and Illinois.

People close to Paterson are leaking that he's going to pick Princess Caroline.

I don't think I like Paterson very much, and it wouldn't shock me at all if he loses next year. What's horrifying is the thought of who might beat him.

by **Monkeyboy** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 16:45:53

dajafi wrote:
jerseyhoya wrote: Beats the hell out of the crap going on in New York and Illinois.

People close to Paterson are leaking that he's going to pick Princess Caroline.

I don't think I like Paterson very much, and it wouldn't shock me at all if he loses next year. What's horrifying is the thought of who might beat him.

I guess upstate NY likes him fore than NYC, but how can he possibly win? Isn't he half-man, half-punchline these days? I realize politics can change greatly over the course of even a few months, but he has more baggage than practically anyone in America, from Keric to his mistress to the 911 fiascos with the bad radios, etc.

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Obama Happyworld Politics Thread!