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Judy Baar Topinka takes some heat for her comments in yesterday’s George Will column.
Yet what can pass for candor or eccentricity in drawing voter attention to a low-level state office becomes magnified under the glare of the race for governor. How her comments, or her latest rendition of “Lady of Spain,” will play with voters in the Nov. 7 election is an open question.“You can pop off sort of under the radar when you’re the GOP Lincoln Day speaker or the warm-up act,” said Christopher Mooney, a political scientist at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “When you’re the top dog, then people take everything you say much more seriously and pay more attention to it.”
On Thursday, nationally syndicated columnist George Will wrote about Topinka’s challenge to Blagojevich. He said that Topinka “speaks about her opponent with a Chicago vigor: He is `slick’ and `has little weasel eyes.’” […]
But some Republicans are privately expressing concern that Topinka’s campaign has not made a quick transition from a primary in which she largely played defense as the front-runner to a general election in which the level of competition against Blagojevich, a seasoned campaigner, is much higher.
More here.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 7:22 am
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I’ll support her over Blago any day. He is SO bad for this State. My first choice was Brady but that’s over now. Meeks may throw this race to JBT if she can start acting like a serious candidate and doesn’t blow the opportunity. She needs to stay away from slamming Blago personally and start slamming his policies - God knows there’s endless opportunities and plenty of areas to do that.
Comment by Jechislo Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 7:31 am
Judy hasn’t made the transition, and many of us supporting other candidates are waiting to see how she pulls us all together. I stand firm in my numerous comments on this Blog that as long as the Governor continues to have problems, she can stay quiet and just try to stay within striking distance.
Budget, capitol improvements, potential indictments are all slowing the governor.
The budget battle is looming and Madigan is prepared to go at least another 2 weeks. If he is having problems shoring up his own party, why attack from outside and give them a reason to get together. It will be a tough balance for Judy. She needs to take a page from Bill Brady and be positive and focus on her message, let the guv do his thing. When the time is right she can attack, but only if necessary.
I really believe people are so tired of negative campagining and there is so much press on the Gov’s mishaps if she is positive and ignores him except in debates she can win.
Comment by the Patriot Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 7:33 am
Topinka has a glaring problem at the staff level. It is very weak starting with Nancy Kimme. Topinka needs to bring in some major campaign staff to address the issues faced in a Gubernatorial campaign.
Comment by Lee Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 7:43 am
To be honest, Blago’s spokespeople handled this well……blow it off with a simple, 1 sentence retort. They (and any Blago supporters at large) would be wise not to try and make any more hay out of this quote…..because I think (and deep down, most of the more honest and level-headed Democrats would silently acknowledged as well) that it touches on a very real perception out there that Blago is just another fast-talking politico who only cares about your problems to the extent that he can use them to further this own ambitions. And to those who are already gearing up to tell me what a load of partisan puffery that is, think about it: why are his campaign commercials full of other people talking about how great his programs are?…..people just don’t believe it coming from him personally).
Comment by gopartisan Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 7:54 am
I voted for here and I think she was wrong in what she said and she admitted it.At least she did not say she read about it in the paper like Blago says or just flat deny the problem exist like he does.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 8:16 am
Anybody who has to get up and talk all the time is going to make mistakes and “little weasel eyes” is a mistake, as are any criticisms of an opponent’s physical appearance. Happily she has acknowledged this.
On the other hand, JBT does have a reputation
as being somewhat quirky and most people aren’t looking for a quirky governor. This remark adds to the impression.
More important, why doesn’t she have a campaign manager and a campaign finance manager. It may be true that at this point she doesn’t need them badly but at some point she will and the lack of apparent candidates for these jobs is definitely disturbing. I don’t know who Ms. Kimme is but presumably she can’t do everything.
Comment by Cassandra Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 9:32 am
She could start by taking down the “Authorized Personnel Only” sign off her Springfield headquarters…or at least be consistent about it and put up a good old-fashioned “Go away” sign…lest she attract too many volunteers in need of being organized and actually give RB a run for his money.
Comment by Prospective volunteer Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 9:44 am
She’s a real class act.
She’s got to be on medication, or something.
Comment by B Hicks Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 9:46 am
now that i think about it.. he does have little weasel eyes..
Comment by Tony Soprano Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 9:53 am
Well done, B Hicks. Keep fighting class with class.
Comment by gopartisan Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 10:01 am
B Hicks -
First - That comment (”she’s got to be on medication, or something) was completely out of line. First, it’s irrelevant to the question of whether she’s a qualified candidate; even if your statement is true, it would then also be true that JBT has done more for the Treasurer’s office on medication than Blagojevich has done for the rest of the state (purportedly) without it. Second, that comment shows an incredible insensitivity to those suffering from mental illness. I hope you’re not a Republican, because I don’t want to have to clean up the political messes you must be making.
Second - I’d agree with those who say that her campaign maybe isn’t quite as well-oiled as the Blagojevich machine, but it’s APRIL. The problem with running on an anti-corruption platform is that you don’t provide quite as many incentives to keep the troops in the field for the whole campaign. This time around, though, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.
Comment by Defensor Pacis Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 10:02 am
I love the sensitivity of the folks on this blog. They can insult GRod, his wife and children, but the moment someone calls AccordianGal a whack job folks get all teary eyed. Get real
Can’t we all agree that AccordianGal & her pet rock, Brickhead The Executioner, are the best hope GRod has for reelection? Keep her quiet and who knows what happens.
If it were me, I would pay to put her on Spike O’Dell to explain how worried she is about the fat,fancy pension for the government payrollers.
Comment by Reddbyrd Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 1:17 pm
Now, Redbyrd, nobody insults the governor’s wife and children here. Or if they have, the comments have all been deleted.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 1:19 pm
Come on, people…Cut the name-calling for just one minute. Do you people actually enjoy the fact that Illinois politics has become a laughingsstock all over the country? Show some seriousness for a change.
Comment by The sparrow with his bow and arrow Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 1:26 pm
btw…Since when has candor been a liability for a candidate?
Comment by Defensor Pacis Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 1:37 pm
Thank you; thank you very much.
She is pretty, though.
Comment by B Hicks Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 2:28 pm
Oh yeah; I said on medication, OR SOMETHING. Does that mean that if she was boozed-up, I’m insulting drunks, too?
Comment by B Hicks Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 2:41 pm
Let’s just move along.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 2:43 pm
This is going to be one long general election season. I hope she not pulling a page from the Looserweis book on campaigns. I agree with the person who said that she needs to attack on the issues.
Crap, the pension thing alone would probably be enough.
Real long season…
Comment by Central IL Stater Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 4:41 pm
She needs to win Suburban Cook County. She doesn’t need to win Burlington Vermont or some other dainty place where saying your opponent has weazel eyes gives offense.
This isn’t eccentric. We really do look people in the eyes to sort the weazels. We call them something else when not in print either.
Comment by Bill Baar Saturday, Apr 8, 06 @ 4:51 am