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There is evidence that Roland Burris does not have plans to quietly go away at the end of his appointed term. A barely assembled website with the URL http://supportburris.com emerged yesterday with the banner "Roland Burris for U.S. Senate - Support Roland Burris in 2010." The site also includes an option for visitors to donate money. This morning, the site has more meat to it and while Burris has issued no public statement about the website or 2010, his staff confirmed the website was, indeed, legit. So now that we know Burris is gunning for 2010, who will he face? We've heard before he could be up against Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky in the Democratic primary. But another name emerged yesterday that makes things a little more interesting.
In a press release Monday morning, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for U.S. Senate in 2010. Making no mention of the current Burris controversy, Giannoulias cited his supporters as the reason behind his decision.
"More than ever, we need a Senator who can deliver on the change that President Obama has promised our nation," said Giannoulias, noting that he has received a tremendous response from Illinois residents encouraging him to pursue the Senate seat.Giannoulias, the state's chief investment officer, says restoring the public's trust and confidence in government, reviving the economy and getting Illinoisans back to work would serve as his top priorities.
"Working families in Illinois and throughout the nation are facing serious financial challenges during this economic downturn," Giannoulias said. "They are hungry for new leadership and solutions."
Giannoulias has been rumored to have been interested in the seat, and Senator Dick Durbin has expressed support for his candidacy, should he choose to run.
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Burris' "I'm being persecuted because I'm black!" act might work in Chicago, but downstate folks don't give a shit.
And Alex has a good rep, and in the past I'd be super excited he was running, but more and more shady deals I heard he pulled while a loan officer and the fact he's got a little bit more "machine hack" taint on him than I'd like mean I'll probably hoping for a better candidate down the road.
I'm voting for him because the senate needs more egos of color and here you have a man who found a wife who's first name matches his last name and who name both his kids after him. Burris in the U.S. Senate translates into a thousand egos of color in the Senate!
haha. i like the issues section. i also wish there was a section for comments. i have a few for him.
The nature of Illinois politics means that unless we enact a law that says nobody who has even been elected to anything can run for public office, there will never be a politician without the taint of machine hack on him. This is inevitable, and I'm willing to forgive some of it for practicality's sake. Thus far, Giannoulias has at least always seemed sane to me, which is much more than can be said for Burris.
There's a really easy way to avoid "hack" status:
Downstate folks have their own machine, but outside of Chicago, people are *slightly* more independent. I'd vote for Duckworth in a heartbeat.
Endorsed by Daley? Probably a sellout.
I'm all for voting against every incumbent I come across in the primaries for probably the next four years. Stroger, Blago, and Daley have left a terrible taste in my mouth. And Alex has been tight with some of these guys at various points throughout his career.
I'm with you on Duckworth, but Duckworth left ... which suggests she was more sane than any Illinois politician we've had. I don't really see downstate as being any more independent than Chicagoland ... their machine just runs to the tune of a different party. (And really, would downstate Topinka have been better than Blagojevich? Only from a legal standpoint.) I'm willing to go with the no-incumbent plan, but that's just as much a stab in the dark as anything.
Occassionally, some people come along who make sense. I forgive Giannoulias his association because you can't really have his job without some association, unless you want to become as isolated as Quinn was before impeachment. Otherwise, I'm looking for people like Forest Claypool.
Not all machines downstate are Republican. And Illinois politics are more than cornfields and Chicago. I would argue the suburban ring is more powerful than the city itself.
I miss the old days when I was a kid and you always had that "last angry man" type guy like Les Dupres on the news all the time.
Claypool is good, but I'm praying him (or Quigley if he loses) could take on Stroger for County Chairman later.
Be on the lookout for Andrea Barthwell on the Republican side. She is African American, a medical doctor, and a mom of 3. She is pro-choice, so the far right wingers will do their best to stop her, as they did in 2004 when they shamed the party by picking Alan Keyes to run against Obama.