January 04, 2009 05:10 AM UTC

Harry Reid needs a lesson in Public Relations

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• by: Dabee47

If you say you’re against four different African-Americans being appointed to Illinois’ vacant Senate seat, does that make you a racist?

Well, of course not.  But it does make you look like an idiot in the world of political communication and public relations.  

Our beloved Senate Leader, Harry Reid, apparently didn’t see the potential ramifications of opposing not one, not two, not three, but four different, varyingly qualified, potential appointees to the Senate from Illinois.  Unfortunately for him, they all happen to be black.

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.

The fourth is obviously actual appointee Roland Burris.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with not wanting these fine fellows in the Senate.  Their flaw according to Reid?

[…]he did not believe the three men were electable. He feared losing the seat to a Republican in a future election.

Sounds like a perfectly valid reason to me.  Unelectable is a bad trait to have in a potential Senator, eh?  That is until he opines on who would be a good appointee and later candidate.

Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan

We can argue about Madigan, she would probably make a good candidate and has won statewide blah, blah, blah…  But Tammy Duckworth?  In the words of Jon Stewart, “Bwahhh?!?!?”

Really, Mr. Leader?  Tammy Duckworth, who lost to Peter Roskam in a truly competitive district just two years ago and is one of the least attention-grabbing stump speakers out there, is a better candidate than either of two incumbent House members and the Illinois Senate Leader, who, by the by, is the “political godfather” of the President-elect?

Never mind the reality that both Davis and Jones might not even run for reelection, the three possibilities you opposed as supposedly not electable are in a state that, four years ago, nominated a “skinny kid with a funny name” to take on Republican front-runner Jack Ryan.  Really, Harry; they’re not electable?

To me there are two options here.  Harry Reid is a closet racist who doesn’t want any more black Senators; or, his view of “electability” is seriously flawed.  (Obviously) I suspect it’s the latter, but the point is the same.  Harry needs to know when to close his mouth and let the process run it’s course.  Add this to the Senate refusing to seat Burris come Tuesday and Reid is quickly building a list of African-Americans he’s opposing for less than logical reasons.  And that my friends is a political gaffe, IMO.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/m…