Carpetbaggers...

[qwerty]

With Hilary, and now Keyes going into states they don't live in to run for Senate, I think we need to ammend the Constitution to require senators to live in their state for six years prior to running for office.

[opebo]

I see nothing wrong with Carpetbaggers.  Just don't vote for them if you don't like them.

[acsenray]

Yeah, and don't mouth off about carpetbaggers when it's none of your business (Yeah, I'm looking at you, Alan Keyes).

[7,052,770]

no amendment necessary.  Let the people elect whomever they want

[PBrunsel]

Carpetbagging isn't as bad now as it was from 1865-1877. Those Carpetbaggers were devious. They promised blacks, "40 acres and a mule" and none pf them ever got it. The Carpetbaggers won office. Republican Governments took almost every Southern Governorship and Legeslature.

[ijohn57s]

no amendment necessary.  Let the people elect whomever they want

I agree with that. If they feel that a "carpet-bagger" candidate is a better person for the job, they should be able to vote for that candidate.

[The Dowager Mod]

The Constitution clearly states the requirements to be eligible.

[muon2]

no amendment necessary.  Let the people elect whomever they want

I agree with that. If they feel that a "carpet-bagger" candidate is a better person for the job, they should be able to vote for that candidate.

Exactly so, in IL it is not unusual for candiadtes to shift districts for state offices, and even for US House races. I don't think it's happened for US Senate, but the ability of the candidate to represent me well in Washington is a very important consideration for any Congressional candidate. Part of that representation is knowledge of issues unique to my state and locale. I'll be reading press releases carefully.

[Giant Saguaro]

I don't know, I don't have that big of a problem with it. If somebody comes in from out of state and they aren't who people want, they won't get voted in. People should choose - if there is someone from out of state that people like, they can vote them in.

Obviously, though, if you're going to do it you have to look like you're not doing it. That's what I think Keyes' other problem is. Keyes looks like he's doing it, Hillary didn't. He's not going to be able to get away with the "I care about the people in this state so much that I had to come up here and run..." and all that because he's too far right for a state like Illinois. Why he's going up there to get chewed up and spit out, embarrassed, made a fool of, etc., I don't know. He could be a very formidable candidate elsewhere. He's a smart guy, but it seems to be a waste running him in Illinois, I think. I don't know, let the voters decide.

[ijohn57s]

I don't know, I don't have that big of a problem with it. If somebody comes in from out of state and they aren't who people want, they won't get voted in. People should choose - if there is someone from out of state that people like, they can vote them in.

Obviously, though, if you're going to do it you have to look like you're not doing it. That's what I think Keyes' other problem is. Keyes looks like he's doing it, Hillary didn't. He's not going to be able to get away with the "I care about the people in this state so much that I had to come up here and run..." and all that because he's too far right for a state like Illinois. Why he's going up there to get chewed up and spit out, embarrassed, made a fool of, etc., I don't know. He could be a very formidable candidate elsewhere. He's a smart guy, but it seems to be a waste running him in Illinois, I think. I don't know, let the voters decide.

Keyes said today in an interview with Sean Hannity that he doesn't agree with it if you're doing it for your own personal advancement. He said that his reason for doing so is that he wants the conservative viewpoint to be represented.

BTW, I can't wait to see the debates between Keyes and Obama. They are both very articulate.

[qwerty]

I just think it's very dishonest. The people representing these states should actually know what life in the state is like.

[Giant Saguaro]

I don't know, I don't have that big of a problem with it. If somebody comes in from out of state and they aren't who people want, they won't get voted in. People should choose - if there is someone from out of state that people like, they can vote them in.

Obviously, though, if you're going to do it you have to look like you're not doing it. That's what I think Keyes' other problem is. Keyes looks like he's doing it, Hillary didn't. He's not going to be able to get away with the "I care about the people in this state so much that I had to come up here and run..." and all that because he's too far right for a state like Illinois. Why he's going up there to get chewed up and spit out, embarrassed, made a fool of, etc., I don't know. He could be a very formidable candidate elsewhere. He's a smart guy, but it seems to be a waste running him in Illinois, I think. I don't know, let the voters decide.

Keyes said today in an interview with Sean Hannity that he doesn't agree with it if you're doing it for your own personal advancement. He said that his reason for doing so is that he wants the conservative viewpoint to be represented.

BTW, I can't wait to see the debates between Keyes and Obama. They are both very articulate.

An excellent reason for running, I agree with him. He may well lose, but don't let Obama get it unopposed. And nobody wanted to challenge Obama in state and no one up there seemed interested in finding anybody to do it - I mean da coach, Mike Ditka? Nah, get serious. Good for Keyes. Man, I wish him the best.

[TeePee4Prez]

The people that complain about it probably won't vote for the candidate regardless of residency.  Look at Keystone Phil moaning about Allyson Schwartz.  She lived what a mile or two outside of PA-13.  And like it mattered because our districts are so gerrymandered anyway and change constantly.  

[Keystone Phil]

The people that complain about it probably won't vote for the candidate regardless of residency.  Look at Keystone Phil moaning about Allyson Schwartz.  She lived what a mile or two outside of PA-13.  

Hmmmm now isn't that funny? Remember when you brought up that Brown lived in Tennessee and tried to make that an issue until I brought up the fact that Schwartz lived in NY? Remember that Handzus? Point is, you want to make it an issue when it helps you but want to run away from it when it will hurt you. I, on the other hand, have been very critical of carpetbagging. I never like when a candidate, Republican or Democrat, moves somewhere for political gain. I have even stated that if I lived in Illinois, I most likely would not vote for Keyes and probably just write in a candidate.

[TeePee4Prez]

Yes, but there is a difference between one mile and a few states.  Both Schwartz and Brown were born and raised in other states.  You are acting like Melissa Brown is soo inimate with the district it makes me want to vomit.  She is a millionaire doctor.  Her Section 8 diatribes were Perzel-fed.  She is trying awful hard to make herself more common with Northeast residents to the point it's laughable.  I know I'm not the only one seeing this.

[Keystone Phil]

Yes, but there is a difference between one mile and a few states.  Both Schwartz and Brown were born and raised in other states.  

Difference than one mile and a few states? Brown has been here much longer than Schwartz. While Schwartz was just "one mile" away, Brown was living here, raising her family. Don't make it seem that while Brown was in TN (she only lived there for a year or two, actually), Schwartz was just a mile away from the district.

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Want to know what's laughable? The fact that your candidate is not addressing the issue that is important to voters here. Brown is not running around telling voters what is important, she is just addressing something they want addressed.

[acsenray]

I agree -- people should be allowed to vote for someone who recently moved into the state if they want to. The voters will decide for themselves whether it matters. For the same reason, I'm against term limits.

Of course, a hot-air-blower like Keyes will always be his own worst enemy:

"I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it."

This guy spouts more pseudo-intellectual blather than Newt Gingrich even.

And Illinois Republicans have been offering extremely feeble endorsements of him.

[jimrtex]

With Hilary, and now Keyes going into states they don't live in to run for Senate, I think we need to ammend the Constitution to require senators to live in their state for six years prior to running for office.

What about Rufus King?

[muon2]

In fine IL tradition, the Democrats are also going out of state for a replacement candidate. Long time Congressman Bill Lipinski withdrew from the ballot last week to retire. The Democrats selected his son to replace him on the ballot. It turns out that his son lives in Tennessee where he works as a political science professor.

The new candidate will of course move to IL to meet the legal residency requirements. There is no doubt that he will win this heavily Democratic district.

I don't object to this selection any more than I do Keyes. The drafted candidates will meet the legal residency requirements, and the voters will decide which candidate will best represent them. Knowing the issues unique to the electorate should be an issue, but residency does not guarantee that knowledge, nor does living out-of-state guarantee a lack of knowledge.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Lipinski carrying on the family business, eh?

[minionofmidas]

Lipinski carrying on the family business, eh?

Yeah...safe seats are turning into family heirlooms all over America...wonder why they still have this charade of "electing" the House of Reps...

[acsenray]

Am I dreaming or are we _this_ close to a consensus -- Let the voters decide for themselves whether the fact that a candidate came from out of state matters to them.

Hey, Republicans, Democrats, (Others), liberals, conservatives ... let's all join hands ...

[CollectiveInterest]

I've got no beef with people moving to run for office. The voters get to decide.

But let's be fair about this. The state leg, where the rules are made, usually enacts stiff residency requirements to run. If we allow candidates to shop for audiences for Congress, it should be allowed for the state leg and local races.