The plot thickens…
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.
To clarify:
- Reid is opposed to the appointment of Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis and Emil Jones, all African American.
- Reid has stated publicly that he will barr African American Roland Burris from entering the Senate Chamber.
- Reid’s proposed choices for the vacant senate seat are Tammy Duckworth and Lisa Madigan, both white.
Whether or not Senator Reid is a racist (which I personally doubt) is less interesting than the fact that no one is calling him one.
John McCain was famously likened to segregationist George Wallace for running against a black opponent. Never mind that McCain also famously refused to call President-elect Obama to account for his ties with black liberation theology preacher, Jeremiah Wright, precisely because such a move would be considered racist.
When a Republican engages in activities that have the mere hint of racism, all the usual suspects are on hand to cry “Bigot!” Where are they now that the Democrat Senate Majority leader has been exposed as having spoken against 4 eligible men, all of whom are black, for Obama’s vacant senate seat?
The fallout of this will be poetic justice. As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
“[Franklin] Raines, who you’re talking about, worked for Fannie Mae, was there for a while. The only connection that people could bring up about Raines and Barack Obama is they both are African-American, other than that there is nothing.” — Harry Reid, 10/28/08
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