Happy Nominating Petition Filing Period Opening Day!
After dithering over whether to run for his US Congressional seat, or for Cook County Board President, Danny Davis today submitted his petition to run for the later. In fact, he said that his "mind is made up." Kinda. BEZ has the exact quote. You decide what that means.
I totally get where these three are likely coming from when they sign on to a Blue Dog letter (pdf) that says:
"As the FCC embarks on its much anticipated rulemaking addressing the subject of "net neutrality," we therefore urge the Commission to carefully consider the full ranges of potential consequences that government action may have on network investment."
They likely feel that living in communities where there is a paucity of access already for their constituents, Davis because of poverty and Foster and Halvorson because of rural lack of affordable infrastructure, then their first priority is to get service first then worry that there are quality of speech issues with that service second.
Still it's a shame that they are allowing themselves to be strong-armed by corporate internet service providers. Davis should realize that it's a Sophie's Choice; that you can't trust corporate thugs to follow through on any promise they make when there are profits to be make by screwing you.
Sorry for the late notice, but Danny Davis will be having a town hall meeting (styled as a "State of the District Address") Sat August 22nd (tomorrow as of this writing) at Malcom X College from 9am to noon.
Over $64,000 $67,000 has been raised on Act Bluesince this morning for a list 57 congresspeople who signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi and 18 that took the FDL Pledge to vote against any health care reform bill that didn't include, at the minimum, a robust public option.
Right now this "Progressive Block" is what is keeping the public option on the table -- if they cave it is all over. (BTW I am completely stealing this analysis from Open Left.) Why? Obama needs to pass health care legislation and to do that someone needs to blink. In the past the progressives have been the blinkers so it makes sense to pressure them now. But we desperately, desperately need these folks to keep their eyes wide open.
In an effort to show my appreciation for their resolve I went to Act Blue and threw in a cool $10 each to the only three Illinois congresspeople on the list:
- Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) - Phil Hare (IL-17) - Jesse Jackson Jr. (IL-02)
So ... where are the rest of our Illinois Dems? Jan? Mike? Danny? Your buddies are looking pretty lonely there.
Maybe it would help if they knew that there was a crisp 10-spot in it for each one of them if they are willing to add their names to that list (which I think they can do via the FDL Pledge). If you too want to reward those who are standing strong you can do so here:
The 49th Ward Democratic Party's panel on health care reform produced a turnout that surprised even veteran observers. Approximately 200 attendees, by my count, packed the upper room at the Loyola Park Fieldhouse on Mon. night, Aug. 10. The speakers included Dr. Anne Scheetz of the pro-single-payer Physicians for a National Health Program, William McNary, Co-Director of Citizen Action/Illinois, Leslie Combs of Jan Schakowsky's office, and Congressman Danny Davis.
There was no disruption from the Right; not the best turf to pick a fight, I'd say. The loudest applause may have been for Scheetz, who asserted that the plan being put forward in Congress is doomed to fail. McNary articulated the HCAN position, which is that it is still meaningful reform if the plan has a public healthcare option that is available on day one, available everywhere, with the leverage to negotiate lower rates with providers and pharma.
Below is a pic which shows the room as it was still filling up (it became so full many extra chairs had to be added a few minutes later. 49th Ward party president Michael James welcomes the crowd. Seated at the table are committeeman David Fagus, Scheetz, McNary, and Davis. Against the wall are Combs and Ald. Joe Moore. Others in attendance included County Clerk David Orr, and of course numerous activists from DFA, the 49th Ward Dems, and MoveOn.org. The only announced candidates on the scene besides myself and Davis (who will presumably be running for something) were judicial candidates Steve Bernstein of Evanston and Abbey Fishman Romanek of Wilmette.
When one is expected to defend the guilty, it is better to focus on process ('innocent until proven guilty') or distraction. Today, Rep. Danny Davis -- who had rejected Rod Blagojevich's offer to make him the replacement senator from Illinois because he thought it would be tainted by Blagojevich's crimes -- offered both in defense of the scandal-plagued junior senator.
You may recall that Roland Burris was seated after supposedly fulfilling two conditions. One was the necessary signature from the Secretary of State (which was essentially waived by the Secretary of State). The second has been described in a couple of ways. One description was:
As Reid and Durbin described it, the process depends on two developments: Burris securing the right signoff on his appointment papers, plus a sworn declaration that he didn't offer anything to Blagojevich in exchange for the seat.
In response to the recent Gaza War, a fundraising page was set up on ActBlue.com in order to contribute to elected officials who have been supportive of the peoples of Israel and Palestine. The page is called A Dream of Peace: Justice and Equality for The People of Israel and Palestine, and can be found here.
The mission of the page states "All of the people of the Holy Land need to live in peace and security. We need to support and elect candidates that are willing to stand up for the rights of the citizens of Israel and Palestine. These candidates support measures to stop violence, increase economic and humanitarian aid, actively engage in negotiation, and promote co-existence among these two Peoples."
"It would be difficult to generate the trust level people would have to have in me. I just decided there was too much turmoil, too much disagreement. It was something I wanted to do, but I said I would not take an appointment from the governor."
There was a moment there where Blago was playing with the media and supposedly let slip that Danny Davis was going to be his choice. During that time I heard Davis speak at a Rotary Club luncheon, and Davis was beaming with pride to be considered. But he is way to classy to tarnish a good and decent reputation in a way that Roland Burris now has done to his reputation.
And as a response to Bobby Rush:
Davis, an African American, disagrees with Rush. It's not all about race.
Said Davis, "I always said that I don't think it is a seat that belongs to anybody. . . . The person should be who can best unify the state and bring back a sense of integrity and trust. . . . The seat does not belong to any race or any ethnic group or any category of individual. It belongs to the voters."
Blagojevich's slip fuels Davis speculation
By Klaus Marre
Posted: 11/28/08 10:51 AM [ET]
A slip of the tongue from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is fueling speculation that Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) could be chosen as President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate.
Blagojevich referred to Davis as "senator," according to the Associated Press. The lawmaker has expressed an interest in the position and the governor said Davis would make a great senator.
William Jefferson, the Democratic Representative of Louisiana's 2nd District, was recently indicted on 16 counts including fraud, money-laundering, theft, and bribery. Jefferson's trouble, you may remember, came to the forefront when the FBI raided his home and found $90,000 in his freezer. You may also remember Jefferson from when he requisitioned the National Guard to retrieve some belongings from his house during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. The complete book on Jefferson can be found here from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
But we aren't here to discuss Jefferson. The fact that he has the problems he has aren't, or at least shouldn't be, new to anybody. No, we're here to discuss the Democratic response. Lots of people weren't pleased that Jefferson didn't get hit harder when the Democrats took control of Congress. You'd think now that he was indicted he'd lose any of his defenders. Danny Davis, though, was unmoved.
[The Congressional Black Caucus would be] as supportive of our colleague as possible, in terms of saying a person in America is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty.
I appreciate that. Innocent until proven guilty is as important of an American concept as there is, and especially with Alberto Gonzalez' Justice Department... But the thing is, this is politics. This is a place where appearance is at least as important as reality. It's a place where indictments can be as harmful as convictions. Rahm Emanuel, a consummate politician if nothing else, appreciates this:
"I can't imagine that based on what's happened and what we've done [on ethics rules changes and lobbying legislation] that at the very least, he'll be asked to step down from committee... We've set down a pretty clear marker about what's going to be expected.
Now the media wants to make this a race issue. I don't know. I try, but I'm not nearly sensitive enough on that to pass judgment. But I recognize that, and look to those who might be... Skeptical Brotha, African-American Political Pundit, Oliver Willis and Jack and Jill Politics all seem to think that the corruption justifies the response. That isn't to say that the racism isn't there, you just have to know where to look for it. (And let's try to not abet them.)
I'll grant Danny Davis and the CBC that perhaps the penalties Jefferson faces are harsher than those faced by similarly corrupt white Congressmen. The fact of the matter, though, is that rather than condoning Jefferson we all need to be more vigilant in condemning the rest of the culture of corruption. In the meantime, we can't let the Republicans somehow convince the public that the Culture of Corruption isn't primarily one of their making.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, first of all, I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for providing what we never had in the last session, and that is ample opportunity to fully discuss Iraq, where we are and what we ought to be doing about it. I have always been told that when you start with a faulty premise, you will inevitably reach a faulty conclusion. And the rationale given for entering the war was faulty. There were no weapons of mass destruction, no connection to 9/11. Therefore, we never should have invaded Iraq in the first place. But then after the invasion, the occupation of Iraq has been tragically mismanaged. Civilian military leadership ignored the advice of senior commanders on requirements for preventing chaos in the aftermath of the invasion. As a result, our extended presence in Iraq continues to worsen the situation, not only in Iraq, but in the entire region. Terrorist incidents continue to flare up around the world, from England to Spain, from Indonesia to Jordan. Chaos and intolerance in the form of civil war now has secured a deadly grip on Iraq. The policy of escalation has failed, and failed again, to loosen that horrendous grip. The Iraqi people want us to leave, and so do the American people, especially those in my congressional district, and especially those that I encounter at churches, schools, synagogues, town hall meetings and on the street. Madam Speaker, democracy and self-government cannot be imposed on Iraq by any foreign power, including us, the United States of America. Our troops have done everything we have asked of them, even when we have failed to equip and protect them. The problem does not lie with our troops, but with the distorted world view of this administration and the military and diplomatic doctrine of preemptive war as a solution to global political problems. We must do everything possible to protect our troops and we must do everything in our power to take care of them when they return home. It is impossible, Madam Speaker, to build a coalition against terrorism by attempting to unilaterally impose these doctrines on the international community. We cannot undo the many mistakes which have been made in Iraq. And when our national interests have been so distorted, when we have so lost our direction, it is the historical, moral, and constitutional responsibility of this Congress to set us back on course and on the right track. It is time to recognize that we are enmeshed in an unending, vicious circle of escalating violence, rather than a force for peace, and that is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 508, which would bring the force of law to end this war. Today we have before us a nonbinding resolution, most likely insufficient to end the occupation. But it can help to move us in the right direction and set us on the right path. Therefore, I support this resolution, because it reflects the will and interests of the American people, and I trust that this administration will abandon demagogic calls for constantly changing notions of success and victory and awaken to the world of reality. Madam Speaker, it is time, it is past time, to bring our troops home. I am told that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results. This resolution sets us on the right course, gives us the right direction. I urge its passage.
