Questions for Democrats hang over two Senate seats - Reuters
Appointment process to be scrutinized - The Hill
Two key congressional subcommittees on Wednesday will hear early testimony on a constitutional amendment that would reform the manner in which Senate vacancies are filled.
The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), would require any senator to be popularly elected. Any Senate vacancy is currently filled by appointment by a state's governor, pursuant to the 17th Amendment.
Dreier and Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) will testify before a joint meeting of two House and Senate subcommittees on the Constitution Wednesday, alongside experts who back some form of altering the manner in which replacement senators assume office.
Feingold and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) will chair the hearing.
Burris at 5 percent in Illinois Senate poll - The Hill
Burris in 2010? - Sun-Times
Race and 2010 - Capitol Fax
Considering how touchy the race issue has become for the Democrats here, despite or maybe even because of Barack Obama’s election, a lack of African-Americans on the ticket could be a big problem. The race issue could become for the Democrats what the ideological purity issue is for the state Republicans. And parties often lose when their base is divided.
That post is based on this Sun-Times Column:
Dems risk losing African- American vote in 2010 - Mark Brown
Without Burris or Stroger, Democrats run the risk of heading into the November 2010 election with only one African-American candidate -- Secretary of State Jesse White -- for the 11 major state and Cook County offices to be contested.
For a Democratic Party whose success relies in part on racial coalition building, that's a recipe for disaster.
The immediate effect would be a major reduction in voter turnout in the African-American community with the resulting vote loss extending up and down the Democratic ticket. The longer-term impact could be an energized black electorate making its displeasure known in the 2011 city elections.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying this as part of some effort to save Burris or Stroger. Good riddance to both of them.
Nor do I endorse the idea that any elective office belongs to one particular racial or ethnic group -- or political party for that matter -- by dint of its current occupant.
I'm just trying to point out that -- in a world where race still matters in the voting booth, Barack Obama or not -- Illinois Democrats are on the verge of digging themselves a hole and stumbling into it unless they come up with a more inclusive array of candidates.
The Five Percent Option - Progress Illinois
Bad News Burris: Poll Shows Next To No Support in 2010 - Chicagoist
First sign of Burris’ uphill battle - Illinois Issues
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