(Rep. Ray) LaHood (R-Ill.) considered for Cabinet post (head of DoT per knowledgeable GOP sources)

The Hill ^ | 12/17/08 | Susan Crabtree

[NormsRevenge]

Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) is in discussions with the Obama administration to take a Cabinet-level post — most likely secretary of the Department of Transportation, according to knowledgeable GOP sources.

When reached on his cell phone, LaHood said only that Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), President-elect Obama’s incoming chief of staff, had contacted him last night.

He would not discuss the details of the conversation.

“It’s probably not a good idea to discuss this at this moment,” LaHood said.

But one GOP source said that LaHood was engaged in talks with Emanuel about the Transportation secretary position, and the Obama transition team would like to make an announcement about it on Friday.

LaHood, a centrist Republican from Peoria, Ill., who serves on the Appropriations Committee, was first elected in 1994. He announced plans to retire last year.

Obama’s team has pledged to appoint Republicans to his administration. Right after the election, the president-elect announced that he wants Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stay on board for at least another year. He would not say whether his decision to keep Gates met the self-imposed requirement for a Republican in the Cabinet.

The Obama transition team did not immediately return a call for comment.

[NormsRevenge]

RMSP member
http://www.republicanmainstreet.org/index.php/ElectedMembers

[Oldexpat]

LaHood was an AA for Bob (go along to get along) Michel, the permanent minority leader of the House.
LaHood followed in his footsteps and is definitely more comfortable in the minority.
All those years that Michel went along..he never managed to get a new Interstate to his hometown of Peoria. All the new roads went elsewhere. But, they kept re-electing him because he was such a nice guy and good singer.

[chimera]

Michel was the boot licker who rolled over for the 'Rats when they stole the 8th Congressional District in Indiana back in '84, ramrodding McCloskey ahead of McIntyre in a crooked House-sponsored "recount". Of course, the 'Rat came out "ahead" by four "votes". The 'Pubs with some sense of honor and spine walked out in protest.

What was Michel's (the reputed "leader" of the 'Pubs) response? He had coffee with the 'Rat.

[EternalVigilance]

Hey, the Combine members with R’s by their name gotta get theirs too, you know.

[ari-freedom]

Congressman Ray LaHood represents almost the entire area which was contained in the Congressional District represented by Abraham Lincoln for his one term (1847-1849) in the U.S. House.

[St. Louis Conservative]

LaHood was a liberal RINO hack who never saw a spending bill he didn’t like. Good riddence!

[Night Hides Not]

Another Illinois (Washingtonian) politician for Obama's cabinet. Why am I not surprised?

Yessirreebuddy, Obama's the one we've been waiting for....BLECH!!!

[Army Air Corps]

Change! With the same ol’ gang of wankers...

[EQAndyBuzz]

Take the republican for the cabinet post, appoint another Democrat to the position, fire the cabinet member.

Was, rinse, repeat.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Although he might be a RINO, he’ll probably be replaced by a Dem, furthering the numbers gain in the House.

[lnzog]

Thats my congressman, and I was glad he was retiring...

[lnzog]

He was already replaced this election by a 27 year old republican.

[Chet 99]

This is the RINO scumbag who was rumored to be the threatened primary challenge to Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (if he did not retire voluntarily). Peter Fitzgerald did step aside, paving the way for O.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Look, kids, LaThug’s payoff for sabotaging Sen. Fitzgerald and paving the way for the False Messiah. It pays to be a Combiner in IL.

[NewHampshireDuo]

LaHood was on Peter Blute’s (former RINO congressman from Massachusetts) radio show last week. Peter was going on and on about how great LaHood is (more of that sickening reach across the aisle stuff) and LaHood was talking up Obama and how they had worked on legislation together. LaHood’s just another pubbie in name only who should disappear from the scene.

[kenmcg]

The RATS probably feel they can put a RAT into the vacant House seat.

[PhilCollins]

LaHood’s only qualification for being the secretary of transportation is that he has a drivers license. If Obama wanted to choose a republican Illinois congressman, he should have chosen Tim Johnson. Johnson is a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, but LaHood isn’t a member of that committee. In 2000, when then-St. Rep. Johnson ran for Congress, he promised that he wouldn’t be in the U.S. House for more than three terms. Later, he changed his mind and broke his promise. Last month, he was elected to his fifth term. If Johnson leaves Congress, he might be replaced by St. Sen. Bill Brady, who is more conservative than Johnson.

[Impy]

What was Lincoln’s seat? Peoria/Springfield Central Illinois?

[BillyBoy]

This is definite "payback" for LaThug working so hard to clear the field for Obama in 2004. Not only has LaThug worked to install Obama in office, but he's been instrumental in helping defeat many conservative Republicans in Illinois. When I was the proud creator of the (now defunct) nolahood.com during his "exploratory" campaign for Governor, one of Jim Ryan's former staffers emailed me and said LaThug actually gave a 2002 radio interview saying Jim Ryan's campaign was hopeless and Rod Blagojevich is such a "saavy impressive young Congressman" that his election was inevitable -- and he gave this interview in downstate Illinois a few days after the latest poll said Ryan had closed the gap and was now behind Blago by only single digits. LaThug didn't even try to hide his support for democrat takeover of Congress, and in 2004 he actually gloated how it was "going to be a very, very good period for the people of Illinois" and "we're gonna have the kinds of clout we used to have in Congress", when Obama and Melissa Bean were elected, giving the Dems a majority in the Illinois congressional delegation.

On the plus side, with LaThug and Toopinko now out of picture, now would be a great time for Peter Fitzgerald to make a comeback. On the negative side, LaThug's handpicked choice of Andy McKenna is still IL GOP Chairman (after presiding over the disastrous 2006 and 2008 defeats), and McKenna's family has a history of donating to Democrats. McKenna was the very first name LaThug floated when he was looking for a "better" choice to "take out" Peter Fitzgerald in 2003. Shame on the Illinois conservatives who backed LaThug's sock puppet for party chairman.

I know Phil has floated the possiblity of running Congressman Tim Johnson (not to be confused with the Senator from SD) for Illinois Governor in 2010.

This would be a mistake, IMO. Johnson used to be fairly conservative, but in the last few years he's gotten screwy and taken a hard turn to the left. He's way too liberal now. His ACU rating in 2007 was only 60%, which means he voted liberal 40% of the time. He was never like that in the Illinois legislature, because the RINOs were LaHood, Kirk, and Biggert. Some of his votes make no logical sense like his vote against the surge last year (he represents a solid downstate conservative district, and yet he and ultra RINO Mark Kirk were the only Illinois Republicans to oppose the surge). I talked with Congressman Dan Crane, who used to represent in the area (he was defeated after being caught up in that 1983 congressional page scandal) and Crane figures that Johnson has spent too much time at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and wants to be liked by "hip" college kids and the liberal professors down there.

According to the ACU, last year he voted with the Dems on the Minimum Wage Increase, Against the Iraq “surge”, taxpayer funded Union Elections, for increased Amtrak Funding, against Earmark Reform, against Offshore Natural Gas Development, energy policy for regulating lights and appliances, the Housing Trust Fund, and energy policy - automobile mileage mandates. And this article noted:

10th Congress - Dance of the RINOs
The House has just passed H.R. 6, which aims to raise taxes on domestic oil companies (the compelling and insightful argument against which I outlined just hours ago) by a vote of 264-163.
The legislation is utterly atrocious, intellectually dishonest, and capable of inflicting significant damage on our oil industry, on American consumers, and indeed on our dependence on foreign oil.
Worse, 36 Republicans went along for the ride.
This was the 6th and final initiative among the new majority's 6 for 06. Of those 6, 3 have been truly terrible bills that each deserve the "atrocious, dishonest, and damaging" labels. In addition to H.R. 6, the 2 other abominations are H.R. 2 (the minimum wage hike) and H.R. 4 (the prescription price control bill).
With the votes for all 3 now on the board, a dozen Republicans bear the shame of having voted in favor of all three. RINO watchers will find many of the names familiar:
* Rep. Tim Johnson (IL)

So even ultra RINO Mark Kirk didn't vote for all 3, but Johnson did. He seems to have a Walter Jones/Chuck Hagel vibe going the way he's slowly morphed into a huge thorn ijn the side of the GOP after being known as a staunch conservative for years.

I also think he's not gubernatorial material. He's from a safe GOP district, and looks and acts like one of those "angry sitcom dads" who threaten to kill their daughter's dinner date during sweeps week:

I would much rather see Congressman John Shimkus take a stab at running for Senator or Governor, as I've suggested for six years. Sadly, he doesn't seem to have much interest. He's much more conservative than Johnson, he represents Durbin's old seat in the House, and he was the only person to come close to beating Durbin -- I think he got within 2% of taking him out in '92 or '94. His district was merged with another Dem district, and he took out Congressman Phelps, so he now represents two formerly RAT entrenched districts (His district has since been redraw to be much more Republican.) He also seems much more like gubernatorial material to me: