{"id":323815,"date":"2010-02-15T18:57:25","date_gmt":"2010-02-15T23:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c60fd53ef012877a5dd42970c"},"modified":"2010-02-15T18:57:25","modified_gmt":"2010-02-15T23:57:25","slug":"prominent-african-american-democrats-criticize-madigans-lieutenant-governor-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/323815","title":{"rendered":"Prominent African-American Democrats criticize Madigan’s lieutenant governor plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted by Rick Pearson<\/em> at 5:55 p.m.
<\/br><\/p>\n

Several prominent African-Americans on the panel that will pick a replacement lieutenant governor nominee are criticizing House Speaker Michael Madigan as \u201cauthoritarian\u201d for trying to do away with the office.<\/p>\n

The letter from the Democratic State Central Committee members also seeks from Madigan, who is the state Democratic chairman, a \u201cuniform, comprehensive and transparent criteria\u201d for selecting a successor to Scott Lee Cohen, the embattled winner of the Feb. 2 Democratic lieutenant governor primary who is dropping out.
<\/br>
<\/br>Among those signing today’s letter are the state central committeemen and committeewomen representing the state\u2019s 1st, 2nd, and 7th Congressional Districts, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, all of Chicago. The letter writers represent seven of the 38 committee members who will select Cohen\u2019s replacement and they are a large voting bloc in the selection process.<\/p>\n

<\/br>The letter acknowledges Madigan\u2019s right to propose a state Constitutional amendment to eliminate the lieutenant governor\u2019s office in 2015 as a member of the legislature. At the same time, the committee members said, \u201cadvancing legislation that impacts the Democratic Party without a discussion or an endorsement from the Democratic Party leadership is premature.\u201d
<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cThere should be no divergent interests between you in your role as party chairman and us in our role as party committeemen and committeewomen. Therefore, prior to your public announcement about your support of the elimination of a constitutional office, the Democratic State Central Committee should have been consulted,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown issued a statement in response late this afternoon:
<\/br>\n<\/p>\n

"The speaker will take the vetting request under review, but he
\ndisagrees with the notion that a legislator should\u00a0 check with a
\npolitical committee before introducing legislation."<\/p>\n

Madigan\u2019s proposal, introduced in the wake of the Cohen debacle, would require approval of 60 percent of the House and the Senate, and would then be put before voters in the November general election. It would make the attorney general next in line for succession \u2014a post now held by Madigan\u2019s daughter, Lisa Madigan, though it is questionable that she would seek re-election to the job should she win another term in the fall.
<\/br>
<\/br>The letter from committee members notes that a Democratic governor who steps down could be replaced by a Republican attorney general if Madigan\u2019s plan were to be realized. \u201cAs party chairman, to offer this far-ranging plan without consultation and deliberation among members of the State Central Committee is un-democratic at best and authoritarian at worst,\u201d the letter from the state central committee members said.
<\/br>
<\/br>At the same time, the committee members used the letter to seek a strong vetting process for a Cohen replacement. \u201cWe believe that, among the criteria, our party leadership should be publicly advancing a
<\/br>vetting process that considers a candidate\u2019s experience; public record; electoral viability; ability to
<\/br>strengthen the party’s overall ticket; and the candidate’s overall electability,\u201d the letter said.
<\/br>
<\/br>There are racial sensitivities surrounding the choice Democrats are facing as they mull a Cohen replacement \u2014 a decision to be made after March 5, when the State Board of Elections certifies the Feb. 2 ballot. The runner-up to Cohen was veteran state Rep. Art Turner of Chicago, who was endorsed by Madigan and is a member of Madigan\u2019s House leadership team. Turner is African-American.
<\/br>
<\/br>But even some black Democratic leaders have noted that among the six statewide nominees chosen so far for the Nov. 2 general election ticket, the Democratic Party already is offering three African-American nominees: Jesse White for secretary of state, state Rep. David Miller of Lynwood for comptroller and former state Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson for treasurer.
<\/br>
<\/br>Some Democrats have contended the November slate could use more geographic balance than a statewide field all hailing from the immediate Chicago area. The letter does note that \u201ca candidate\u2019s ability to raise resources as well as geographic, racial and gender balance should also be considered\u201d to fill the vacancy.
<\/br>
<\/br>\u201cWe provide a sizable base of support for the Democratic Party,\u201d the letter writers wrote to Madigan. \u201cConversely, the electorate is weary of political machinations and the press is watching with a jaundiced eye as we prepare to act. If we are to have both credibility and success; it is incumbent upon us to act in a transparent, open and a fair manner.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted by Rick Pearson at 5:55 p.m. Several prominent African-Americans on the panel that will pick a replacement lieutenant governor nominee are criticizing House Speaker Michael Madigan as \u201cauthoritarian\u201d for trying to do away with the office. The letter from the Democratic State Central Committee members also seeks from Madigan, who is the state Democratic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3992,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-323815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3992"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323815\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}