During the 2004 Illinois Senate race, GOP nominee Alan Keyes, facing certain crushing defeat from rival Barack Obama, suggested that Jesus Christ would not back the Democratic contender.
"And I think you remember my response, which was, I wanted to know who his pollster was," Obama joked to Fox News host Alan Colmes on Oct. 26, 2004.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chief of the House political operation....is tightly booked today.
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12:30 p.m. DEMOCRATS-IMMIGRATION _ Senator Chuck Schumer, D-NY and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-IL, hold a news conference to highlights weaknesses in the GOP record on immigration. Release of new poll results. With representatives of Third Way.
1:15 p.m. DEMOCRATS-PELOSI _ House Democrats hold a news conference to discuss ``Republican failures heading into the Independence Day recess and new directions offered by the Democratic party.'' With Reps Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn, Larson and Emanuel.
Gov. Blagojevich was in Washington on Tuesday. Let me first summarize the developments or rather, the debacle.
*Blagojevich stiffed Mayor Daley and Sen. Dick Durbin by originally skipping a joint press conference with the two other top Illinois Democrats, only to scamper to it in retreat after his chief of staff, John Harris, and an aide could not shake reporters who had questions for the governor.
A short time ago I ran into champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France winner, as I was waiting for an elevator on the House side of the Capitol. I just wrapped up covering Gov. Blagojevich and Mayor Daley, in Washington to meet with members of the Illinois delegation.
I introduced myself to Armstrong and we chatted briefly:
Better late than never....Gov. Blagojevich and Mayor Daley finally get around to briefing the Illinois congressional delegation on the city-state agenda for the legislative year on Tuesday.
Blagojevich arrived in Washington on Monday night and hosted a fundraiser at Charlie Palmer's, a restaurant near the Capitol. A very small crowd--about a dozen paying customers were around for a reception and then a private dinner with the governor. Blagojevic was sunningly optimistic about his re-election when we chatted. He was accompanied by.....
UPDATE: Blagojevich let slip what his staff did not want out--that before he flew to Washington on Monday, he stopped in Boston for a fundraiser at an event hosted by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and his son Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) Patrick Kennedy did not attend. I ran into Patrick Kennedy today, asked him how he was (recently in rehab for prescription drug abuse) and he said fine.
The senior Kennedy was returning the favor for Blagojevich. The governor helped him raise money in Illinois.
This flag burning amendment legislation gets a whole bunch of floor time starting today courtesy of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a possible 2008 presidential candidate.
Frist is getting it from the right and left for tying up the chamber on symbolic legislation. Even a bunch of blue chip conservatives--who support the resolution--hit Frist recently for making a priority of flag burning instead of pushing to confirm conservative judges.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) who thinks the measure is a waste of time, said Sunday on ABC's ``This Week'' it is within one vote of passage.
What is the Bush administration doing with all those 9-11 Commission suggestions?
Chicago congressional delegation members and the two Illinois senators-- say not enough. Friday they sent a letter to Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff asking for a meeting with them in the wake of the alleged plot to blow up Sear Tower.
Click here for the letter....
`` You might recall that Senator Kerry was for the war before he was against it. Somebody should do him a favor and tell him the election's over so he can stop flip-flopping. ''
'Nothing to it,'' said House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, asked about his $2 million windfall from selling land near his Plano home, a few miles from the proposed Prairie Parkway he has championed.
That transaction -- reported last week in the Sun-Times, Tribune, Beacon News and on the Web site of a new political watchdog group -- was a front page story in the Thursday Washington Post, headlined, "Lawmakers' Profits Are Scrutinized."
Two Democrat proposals to remove troops from Iraq failed on Thursday, with the Illinois senators taking different approachs. The vote served to highlight that Democrats are not united around one strategy while the GOP gave President Bush a show of support.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) voted for a measure by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) to bring soldiers home by July 1, 2007. That failed on a 86-13 roll call, with the GOP senators all voting no.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Durbin backed a proposal by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) that only asked Bush to design a plan for a military withdrawl by the end of the year. Republicans voted party line and this measure failed 60-39.
Obama ran in the heavily contested 2004 Illinois primary as the candidate who opposed the war in Iraq.
Except when they are on the Senate floor during a vote or a big debate, it's rare that all Democratic female senators are together in public. They grouped on Wednesday morning at the house in Washington that sered as headquarters for the movement that led the fight to get women the vote to announce their agenda ``checklist for change.'' Last night, they massed at CNN's Capitol Hill studio for the Larry King Live show.
The Dem Sen Fems dine together about once a month.
And all 14 Democratic and Republican female senators have dinner together regularly.
In the entire history of the U.S., only 33 women have served in the Senate.
And they are -- Senator Barbara Boxer of California, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Senator Patty Murray of Washington, and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.
Vice President Cheney touches down in Chicago for a few hours Friday for a funder to help 8th CD GOP House nominee Dave McSweeney and to talk about the economy at the Merc.
Cheney was in Lake Forest a few weeks ago to raise money for the Republican National Committee.
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) last year made about $2 million in real estate deals on parcels near his Plano home in booming Kendall County and could profit from additional land sales in the future.
But Hastert did not take the extra steps called for in the House Ethics Manual and volunteer that he held land in a secret land trust called "Little Rock Trust #225.''
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and GOP House leaders virtually killed chances wide-ranging immigration legislation -- supported by President Bush -- will be considered this election year.
This quote from our Sun-Times story on the clout hiring trial grabbed me:
`` Political operative Dominic Longo, of the controversial Coalition for Better Government group, made no apologies for going to bat for his people. "All my guys were qualified," Longo said.''
Dems want to force a vote on hiking the $5.15-an-hour federal minimum wage, which is meeting resistance from the GOP leadership. This may be an election year splinter issue for Republicans--some may revolt and move to get the issue to the House floor.
While they weigh raising the wages of low-paid people (21 states already have higher minimums) last week, House members got a two percent cost of living raise--up $3,300 to a base $168,500.
Courtesy of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Republicans dished up some red meat rhetoric at their giant fundraising dinner for 5,500 Monday night headlined by President Bush, who worked himself up quite a bit in his riff on tax cuts. (click below)
Both Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said the ``P’’ word in working up the crowd, who anted up, it turns out, better than the original $23 million estimate-- $27 million for the House and Senate campaign committees to use for the midterm November elections
