Monday, January 24, 2011

Are Rahmbo's Hopes for Mayor Toast? UPDATED

Below.*** The Illinois appellate court kicks him off the ballot. Reaction from his tenant, not his roommate, who briefly flirted with running for mayor himself:
Residency, Halpin said, is “one of the rights that goes with the rent payment.”

Halpin said “it’s very clear that only one resident” could be attached to a single residence, “unless it was some sort of hippie commune.”
But the Illinois Supreme Court is the next stop. Sun Times:

Emanuel is expected to comment on the ruling at a 1:30 p.m. appearance at The Berghoff in the Loop.

Emanuel’s attorneys are expected to use Lampkin’s dissenting opinion to appeal the case to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Will Rahmbo have to eat some yummy creamed spinach or can he wipe that rotten egg off his face. The Illinois Supremes are majority Dems. But then this is a Dem primary election. Which determines the mayor.

...Memeorandum thread here. All the Illinois Supreme Court justices up were retained in the last election.

P.S. What a lack of foresight on Rahm's part, though. He should have kept a room in the basement. You know, call it the Lincoln Bedroom or something. But would you want Rahm lurking in your basement?

P.P.S. This just in. (Rahmbo's assembling the mob, via Facebook):

Rahm Emanuel Today at 5 pm: Meet at the Chicago Board of Elections to rally for Rahm’s right to be on the ballot and to let Chicagoans choose. Corner of Dearborn and Washington at 5pm.

He was so confident the ads on my site were pushing voting for him by mail. Well, they're still up. And the ballots haven't been printed yet. Never underestimate the Chicago Machine.

Because have no doubt. He's the machine candidate. (He might be the only one who can save the city from bankruptcy too, but that's a whole other ball of wax.)

More. Actual comment from the facebook thread:
"What a bunch of political horse #@ - Illinois Appellate Court? What jurisdiction in Chicago?"
hahahahahaha

...I'm sure he could offer his services to the city gratis as a true public servant.

hahahaha.

More.
Emanuel told a news conference he would appeal the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court and would ask for an injunction so his name will appear on the mayoral ballot.

"I have no doubt at the end we'll prevail in this effort," Emanuel said. “We’ll now go to the next level to get clarity."
Legal Insurrection. JWF. Michelle Malkin. Am listening to WLS live. They're going to have the winning lawyer from this one, Burt Odelson on the air soon.

More from the Facebook thread:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2208810052 As Generallismo of the Chicago Secession movement, I react.
Meanwhile, our Dem Governor Quinnocchio rashly bet he'd have to wear a Packer shirt at a cheesehead food pantry if Da Bears lost.

More. According to Odelson on WLS, the ballots are now being printed without Rahm's name, based on the appellate decision. Chicago Daily Observer:

First, the case will be appealed to the IL Supreme Court, which could refuse the case– in which instance all is done for Rahmbo. Going through federal court channels would be next to impossible with the election looming before us: first round on Feb.22 and early voting to begin next week.

If the court accepts the case on an emergency basis (1) it could postpone the start of early voting for a week and have two weeks to review and rule. A side question is whether Justice Anne Burke should recuse herself because her husband Ed already has taken a position opposing Emanuel and endorsing Gery Chico.

hahahahaha. Then there will be 3 Dems and 3 Republicans. Will there be a deadlock? hahahaha

So maybe they will refuse the case:)

Will Rahmbo mount a write-in campaign? Will he thumb his nose? He's got all the moola he rushed to raise before the new ethics rules kicked in:

In the waning days of December, Chicago mayoral candidates rushed to fill their campaign coffers with high-dollar contributions before they would become illegal.

Tapped for donations during the furious spree of fundraising were movers and shakers likely to seek a piece of the next city government, state records show.

Leading the way in the dash for cash was front-running mayoral contender Rahm Emanuel, who raised more than $1.4 million in the final 10 days of last year alone. About $1.2 million of that haul would have violated the new state law limiting campaign contributions if the donations had been made after the first of the year.

Spurred by the political corruption scandal that swirled around impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the rules that took effect Jan. 1 limit individuals to giving $5,000 and corporations and unions to $10,000.

Overall, of the more than $10.5 million that Emanuel reported raising from July through December, about 275 donations worth nearly $7.5 million would have exceeded the new limits, a Tribune review of campaign data showed.

Well, he could always donate it to charity--and now he'll have all the time in the world to testify to Blago's good character at the trial.

hahahaha

...the public unions are probably pleased at this, since they have residency requirements and the Rahmbo rule wouldn't have passed muster for them. Rahm also might have been tougher on them than any of the other candidates. Let them all go bust.

More detail. Clout St.:

Time is of the essence, however. Early voting starts a week from today on Jan. 31. An elections board spokesman said ballots have not been printed yet but are scheduled to be printed starting tonight.

Later, Langdon D. Neal, the elections board chairman, issued a statement: "We're going to press with one less candidate for mayor."

Elections board spokesman Jim Allen said ballots are being printed tonight.

“We’ve basically hit the go button,” Allen said. “We needed to do this on the 18th, we were waiting for this decision. We going to press now, we have to.”

“A candidate who is removed from the ballots by the court’s has until Feb. 15 to file as a write-in,” Allen said.

Assuming the state Supremes take the case and rule in his favor. Happy Valentine's Day, Chicago.

...They're saying on WLS a tie of the Supremes goes back to the appellate court--which already ruled against Rahmbo. hahahahaha

More. Via the Dem back channel at Politico.

Ben Smith
"The Supreme Court is absolutely loathe to overturn an appellate court decision," an Illinois lawyer tells me.
hahahaha

Those insider outsiders.

... Is someone more inside than Rahm? hahahaha

I know I am being very obnoxious.

More. Thanks for the link, Pundit & Pundette.

More. The Economist's Democracy in America is still impressed by Rahm. How can you call yourself Democracy in America? His smashmouth machine crony capitalist style of politics makes a mockery of democracy.

More. Newsalert: Rahm's Fate to be Decided by Chicago Mob Linked Alderman Ed Burke and Justice Anne Burke?

And what do we have for Chicago Breaking News:

Days after two Chicago Public School teachers were arrested and charged with stealing public money, Cook County prosecutors today announced criminal charges against five others accused of similar crimes.

The charges are part of an expanding public corruption probe nicknamed "Operation Cookie Jar."

5 comments:

jill said...

This is the funniest thing I've heard in a while. :D

Anne said...

It's sure as heck lightening my mood:)

Quite Rightly said...

I hope the lawsuits are keeping Rahmbo on his toes! (tee-hee)

I'm with others who want to know how somebody got standing to question his eligibility to run. An interesting question.

Anne said...

Oh, I'm not a lawyer so am not sure.

I just know the two who are pressing the lawsuit are a lawyer and a retired policeman.

I really wonder if the unions are really PO'd about Rahm. They have to live in the city or they get booted off the force.

Unknown said...

I just noticed the both "important" daily rags in Chicago have editorials criticizing the Appellate Court decision. The Tribune's screed is particularly disgusting since it takes potshots at Justices Hoffman and Hall. What is truly incredible is that these justices are two of the best in the first district. I am a lawyer and have practiced in front of them when they were circuit court judges and Justice Hoffman in particular was always very thorough and meticulous. Neither of them are known for making the political rounds.