White House leaves Dick Durbin hanging

[robinblue]

White House leaves Dick Durbin hanging


By GLENN THRUSH & MANU RAJU | 4/23/10 4:43 AM EDT




Sen. Dick Durbin slipped into the West Wing last week to ask Rahm Emanuel for White House help in saving Barack Obama’s old Senate seat.

But he didn’t leave with any ironclad commitments.

Durbin told Emanuel that Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias could use some serious presidential intervention in his uphill race against Republican Rep. Mark Kirk.

At the moment, the White House seems open to the idea of losing Obama’s old seat rather than putting the president’s prestige on the line for Giannoulias, the brash and boyish Illinois state treasurer — and onetime Obama basketball buddy — whose campaign has been rocked by the financial meltdown of his family’s bank.

Durbin said Emanuel was sympathetic to his pleas but ultimately noncommittal, telling him that the White House was “considering the race, weighing their options and weighing a decision on what to do.”
.................

The White House declined to comment on Durbin’s conversation with Emanuel. But an administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that the White House harbors deep concerns that Giannoulias’s campaign will implode if the family business, the financially strapped Broadway Bank, collapses as many analysts anticipate.
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36243.html#ixzz0lyMZRhRZ



See this also:



Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject Feds Take Over Giannoulias Family's Broadway Bank
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4355156#4355156
4355156, Feds Take Over Giannoulias Family's Broadway Bank
Posted by cal04 on Fri Apr-23-10 11:23 PM

Source: WBBM/CBS

It was the end of the road Friday for a Chicago bank with political ties.

State regulators along with representatives of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. arrived to shut down Broadway Bank at about 5 p.m. It's the family bank of U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias.

Customers earlier been told the FDIC would take control and re-open Saturday under a new name. It was not immediately clear if another bank is in line to take control of the bank right away.

CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.

Read more: http://www.wbbm780.com/Feds-Take-Over-Giannoulias-Family-s-Broadway-Bank/6880444


"I hope that all of you who follow this closely will report that (Alexi Giannoulias) has had nothing to do with this bank for four straight years," U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a fellow Democrat and ally, told reporters. "I hope that you will report that 90 percent of the loans at the bank today he had absolutely nothing to do with."
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/broadway.bank.failure.2.1652169.html


Broadway Bank, 3 Other Illinois Banks, Shut Down By FDIC
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/23/broadway-bank-3-other-ill_n_550321.html

[FrenchieCat]

1. The first article is from Politico....and so I say.....

FUCK POLITICO!

The other articles aren't trying to blame the President, because there is no reason for it.

[Cha]

2. And, then there's that

"White House anonymous sources" again.

[Enrique]

9. the White House declined to respond on the record

would you rather Politico just report Durbin's side of the story?

[Enrique]

7. what do you have against Sen. Durbin?

why wouldn't you be interested in what he has to say about the IL senate race?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Consider the source: Politico.

If I ever hear this from a reliable source I might believe it. But since it's Politico it goes in my "Bullshit" file.

[robinblue]

5. Do you know if or how the WH may be helping? Just curious.

[robinblue]

6. Glad to see this. The WH will be helping Dems in IL.....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/sns-ap-il--illinoissenate-troubledbank,0,6279357.story

Durbin: Giannoulias can still win US Senate seat despite troubles at family's bank



DEANNA BELLANDI Associated Press Writer

2:34 p.m. CDT, April 23, 2010


CHICAGO (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama intends to help Illinois Democrats who will be on the ballot in November.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement that Obama would help Democrats "up and down the ballot."

At the top of the ticket is Democrat Alexi Giannoulias (jeh-NOO'-lee-ehs) who is locked in a tight race for Obama's old Senate seat against Republican Mark Kirk.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters Friday he thinks Giannoulias can win despite the troubles at Giannoulias' family bank. Broadway Bank could fail in just days if it doesn't raise about $85 million under a deal with regulators.

[Enrique]

13. Durbin is reliable

this conversation happened, just as Durbin described it. The WH didn't dispute any of it.

[ClarkUSA]

4. More shit-stirring innuendo from GOP-owned Politico media whores? Gee, thanks!

:sarcasm:

[Enrique]

8. it quotes Richard Durbin n/t

[ClarkUSA]

10. So Dick Durbin told Politico, "The White House left me hanging"? Really??!

:sarcasm:

[Cha]

11. ...

Where's that smilie for :shakeshead:?

[Enrique]

12. I agree, the headline is dumb

what about the story? Do you think Obama should campaign for Giannoulias?

[Grand Taurean]

14. Politico is again citing "Anonymous" sources.

I see.

[Enrique]

16. that's because the WH declined to comment

Durbin's quote was on the record.

[ClarkUSA]

17. No, Politico does that as a general rule when they make up shit stories on this administration...

... which is why they are considered such a dodgy source of "news".

[Enrique]

18. I've read a lot of criticism of Politico

but I've never read that. Lots of sins, but making up quotes is not one of them. The Durbin quote is accurate, and so is the quote from the White House.

Politico sucks, but so does bogus criticism of Politico just to defend Obama.

[ClarkUSA]

19. I never said that. You're creating a "bogus" strawman argument.

I was referring to Politico's rather convenient use of unnamed sources whenever they generate these kinds of bullshit headlines.

[craigmatic]

15. I personally believe the article. Obama isn't sentimental about firing staff. Why would he care if a

basketball buddy of his wins the seat? This falls right in line with Obama's old pattern of cutting loose political liabilities and Giannoulias definately falls into that category. Plus they're about to push for banking reform too. Obama wants nothing to do with this guy.

[Hawkowl]

21. Obama is loyal only to Obama

Not to principles. Not to people. I've followed him since the early 90's and this fact more than any other is what defines him. He will throw anyone under the bus if it is expedient.

[Aramchek]

20. trash reporting

[frazzled]

22. This is why I voted for David Hoffman in the primary

Alexi Giannoulias may be an okay guy--I don't actually know. But I did know that he would be very easy to attack. Hoffman had good creds and seemed unassailable from a personal or political standpoint. He wasn't a dynamic speaker, but he would have learned pretty quickly.

Now we're stuck with Giannoulias's baggage. I'll certainly work for the guy, but it's not an appealing prospect. Why should the White House want to jump into this pile of questionable crap before seeing where it all settles?