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The AP doesn’t think much of Topinka’s campaign so far.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been flooding TV screens with campaign ads and traveling the state to talk about improving education, helping families pay for college and expanding health care for working families.The big initiatives from his Republican opponent, meanwhile, have been a change in the procedure for voting on the state budget and an idea, which she didn’t actually endorse, to reduce gasoline taxes.
Lacking money to run campaign commercials, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka can’t respond to Blagojevich’s ads, which paint her as insensitive on assault weapons and the minimum wage and clueless about how to improve Illinois schools.
She has also had limited success getting her message to voters through “earned” media — news stories about her policies or her attacks on Blagojevich.
Some of her fellow Republicans fear Topinka is letting Blagojevich control the governor’s race. They’re not panicking yet, not with the election five months away, but they say Topinka must start laying out her position on issues that will attract public attention.
“She needs to get out there every day with a lot of fresh ideas,” said businessman Gary MacDougal, former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. “Blagojevich has been defining her already. She’s got to get him on the defensive, even this early.”
And Finke doesn’t think much of one of the governor’s campaign operatives.
[Sen. Bill] Brady was ready to start the news conference. The assembled reporters were ready to start the news conference. It didn’t start. Some yahoo from the Blagojevich campaign refused to take a seat even after he was asked to sit so the news conference could begin. Instead, he went from reporter to reporter passing out a press release blasting Blagojevich’s opponent, Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, a feeble attempt to deflect attention away from the latest Blagojevich problems. Eventually, the Blagojevich agent completed his rounds and graciously allowed Brady to begin, but the Republicans and the reporters were angry about the disruption.A suggestion to the Blagojevich campaign: If you want to send your moles to Republican events, that’s your prerogative. But you might want to suggest to them that they act with a minimal amount of respect and courtesy before things get out of control.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 8:29 am
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Previous Post: Another Lane Evans open thread
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Judy is saving her money and the polls were still in her favor(last I heard). She is letting the Federal prosecutor (whom she did not support) be her de facto campaign manager.
Comment by Wumpus Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 8:55 am
Whether Judy Barr Topinka is elected or not will be determined by Patrick Fitzgerald. The ads that Blagojevich has been running are not as effective as many Democrats would want the voters to believe. How Judy conducts herself in the debates will carry far more weight in the voter’s minds. So far, she has lacked solid plans and goals with time frames attached to them. If she doesn’t come up with solutions to our problems for the voters,she will be history. She will appear to have only “fluff” for solutions.
Comment by Beowulf Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 9:55 am
Patrick Fitzgerald won’t be a factor in this race because he’s not going to indict a governor up for re-election. He and his office don’t want to be seen as determining the outcome of the election. However, if Rod wins, he better celebrate quick, cause the feds won’t wait too long after that.
Comment by Yawn Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 10:12 am
Why spend your money when your opponent is busy destroying himself.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 10:12 am
I think its easy to say Judy isn’t doing enough to get her message out, but what do you want her to do? She doesn’t have $15 million like Blago and needs to raise all she can now and spend it the last two months. She has no other choice and its really not her fault. But perhaps she could do more free, novel, guerilla attacks on Rod but those sometimes are hard to pull off as well.
Comment by Just Observing Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 10:12 am
You have to realize, Blagojevich people are completely unfamiliar with the Blue Room in Springfield, since their boss never goes there to meet and answer the press, but prefers to stand in front of posed backgrounds and banners. Maybe they should raise “user fees” on banner makers; under this administration, they are making out like bandits.
Comment by Gregor Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 10:15 am
I am not saying that PF will indict Rod, but as long as indictiments of D’s and Rod’s people keep coming, not good for RB. PF is no Elliot Spitzer, if that were the case, he’d have indidcted Rod while he was on the ballot the day before election day.
Comment by Wumpus Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 10:44 am
This election is about Blagojevich, and whether he deserves reelection. On November 6th, the majority of voters will say “no”.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 11:04 am
Good to see the media is finally catching on the AccordionGal is not ready for prime time. Behind in the polls, lacking any real cash, running mate has more drag than an open parachute and now the “earned” media (tee hee) is running down hill
Opps. Shoulda gone with one the right wingers Maybe Cheney will leave some crumbs behind up in Lake Forest
Comment by Reddbyrd Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 11:28 am
Hey, this looks good for Judy. It’s all going to backfire on Rod, remember. She’s picking her moment. It’s all part of the master plan.
Like a coiled cobra, she’s ready to strike!
Team Judy, she’s falling apart.
Comment by B Hicks Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 12:26 pm
That’s true Reddbyrd…and yet she’ll still win.
Comment by FactsofLife Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 12:45 pm
The AP feed coming out of this state has always been pro-Democrat of late.
The only ones more biased are the folks at WBBM radio - they must really have it in for Republicans. I find some of their stuff to be flat out distortionate.
Comment by Bubs Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 1:03 pm
Have they checked to see if the guy distributing the Blago press release wasn’t Ibendahl, or some other Jack Roeser fanatic?
Comment by Check the Film Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 4:28 pm
12 comments, that’s it? Come on people. When the critical articles come out about Rod, you guys are all over it.
Nothing to say?
Judy is running a p-poor campaign. She spouts off about a “Clout Listâ€, he brings up Fawell’s list. She pipes off about investigations; he throws it right back at her. She criticizes the current administration’s policies, but she won’t offer-up alternatives.
Today, she had Jimmy Edgar criticize Blagojevich’s education plan. I guess when you don’t have one of your own, you have to have someone else pick at it to avoid looking stupid.
Come on…. admit it. You got a dud for a candidate.
4 more!
Comment by B Hicks Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 5:35 pm
Come on…. admit it. You got a dud for a candidate.
The people have 2 duds for candidates, one of whom is likely to get indicted, the other whom is hoping it happens before election day.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 7:11 pm
From the negative on JBT sounds like the Blago side is starting to sweat.They see what JBT’s people see a downward spiral on Blago.All the money he has spent his approval rating should be 60% instead of 35%.Give me a break this bunch of clowns that are working for Blago have no idea how to get his ratings out of the sewer.All she has to do is let the press keep putting out to the public all the bad pr on this guy.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 9:03 pm
I have always noticed that like personalities tend to attract each another. As he has proven, over and over, Rod is a certfied moron.
Comment by Papa Legba Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 9:15 pm
BTW. Yes, I may be drunk, but you are foolish enough to believe in Blagojevich. Tomorrow, I will awake sober…
Comment by Papa Legba Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 9:21 pm
Reddbyrd - You sound like a spokesperson for the Illinois Democrat party or Blago’s re-election campaign. You should send in your resume. They need people like you who can ignore the facts and simply distract the reader’s attention.
Comment by Anony Monday, Jun 5, 06 @ 9:54 pm