...and been ignored.
The halftime show at the Super Bowl was extra-special in Chicago. Remember the "wardrobe malfunction" in 2004?
Well, last night in Chicago they had the "democracy malfunction" as Scott Lee Cohen announced during halftime that he was stepping down as the Democratic Party's pick for Lieutenant Governor.
Here's a partial list of people who "urged" Scott to step down:
Dick Durbin- US Senator
Danny Davis- US Congressman
Lisa Madigan- Illinois Attorney General (and daughter of IL Dem Party Chair)
Mandi Eneman- Character witness, former girlfriend and convicted prostitute
Pat Quinn- Illinois Governor (by scandal) and Gov Candidate for the Democrats
Mike Madigan- Chairman of IL Dem Party and IL House Speaker (and dad of AG above)
Alexi Giannoulias- Democrat candidate for US Senate (and Rezko's banker)
Mayor Richie Daley of all people said Cohen has every right to remain on the ticket and that it was his decision. Daley wasn't urging him to do anything.
So, the 212,902 people who voted for Scott Lee Cohen were told their votes didn't count. Second place, with 184,432 votes was Art Turner.
Here's what the Tribune is reporting from Art:
Turner said he would make a case to the state central committee that he was the most qualified of those who sought the lieutenant governor nomination — but did not believe that his second-place finish should automatically give him the spot.
"I don't think it ought to be an automatic. The fact that you finished second, I would not want to set a precedent for that," Turner said. "What I'm saying is that of the people interested in the job — others could have expressed an interest but didn't — I am the most qualified."
As you can see, it's pure power-brokering at this point. A second-place finish means nothing. Heaven forbid you set a precedent for trying to accommodate the voters' wishes.
Father knows best. And it's all in the hands of the kingmakers once again.
