Geoghegan on the Unconstitutionality of Gubernatorial Senate Appointments

Tom Geoghegan cuts to the chase regarding the controversies over who will get appointed to the Senate in Illinois, New York, Delaware, and Colorado by arguing that all such "appointments" are unconstitutional. Special elections are required.

Another Strong Endorsement for Tom Geoghegan

This one from Thomas Frank in the Wall Street Journal:

Now that conservative orthodoxy has collapsed in a heap of complex derivatives, I can't help but think what a refreshing dose of plain-spoken Midwestern reality Mr. Geoghegan could bring to the nation as a whole.

To begin with, Mr. Geoghegan thinks big while Democrats in Washington tend to think small, proposing a stimulus package here and better oversight there. The government's goal, as he explained it to me a few days ago, should not merely be "to pump up demand again." It should be to enact sweeping, structural change, "to get in a position where we're not bleeding jobs out of the country."

[snip]

It is also time, he says, to change the relationship between the financial sector and the rest of the economy. After all, as he tells me, "We bought into these banks, we ought to have directors on the boards. We the people, as stockholders, have different interests than some other stockholders because we have some other ideas about how we prosper in the long term."

For example, "rather than go for high-roller returns on financial speculations," a publicly appointed director "might be willing to accept lower returns in manufacturing where we can be globally competitive and create good jobs."

This is supposed to be a time for bold ideas on the left, with the failures of the free-market consensus becoming more glaring and more painful by the day. And Mr. Geoghegan's ideas should be part of the debate.

More on Tom Geoghegan for Congress

Tom Geoghegan has officially announced his candidacy to replace Rahm Emanuel as Congressman for the 5th District of Illinois. I encourage you to visit his campaign website, especially his position on various issues.


This is the type of candidacy that inspires and thrills people. A small sample:

From Kathy G (read the whole post!):

I can't tell you how utterly thrilled and delighted I am by this development. Because there is nobody -- nobody -- whom I'd rather see holding elected office in America than Tom Geoghegan. For some years now, I've had the pleasure and the privilege of being Tom's friend. He's one of the most brilliant people I've ever met, and also one of the kindest. A passionate progressive from the top of his bald spot down to the tips of his toenails, Tom has spent a lifetime tirelessly fighting on behalf of underdogs and the dispossessed -- steelworkers being cheated out of their pensions, say; or stressed out single mothers being harassed by predatory lenders; or union reformers trying to run a clean election in their corrupt local.

From James Fallows:

Having been a friend of Geoghegan's for most of my life, I couldn't be more enthusiastic about his deciding to run.

Tom Geoghegan for Congress

James Fallows strongly endorses Tom Geoghegan in the upcoming special election to replace Rahm Emanuel as Congressman from Illinois's 5th District.

I'm rather embarrassed, as I didn't realize Geoghegan had announced his candidacy for this seat, but I will chime in with my own endorsement. I've been impressed by Geoghegan ever since I read his 1991 book, Which Side Are You On? I was so impressed, in fact, that I wrote a letter to him, the first and only time I ever did such a thing. To my surprise, he responded and invited me to lunch. I accepted his offer and although I'm sure I underwhelmed him with my presence, he was as cordial as he was intelligent and I was thrilled.

You can read a synopsis of Geoghegan's life and career as a labor attorney on the Facebook page that has been created for his Congressional run.