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* AP…
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon and Congressman Mike Quigley are officiating mock same-sex weddings during a festival in one of Chicago’s gay neighborhoods. […]
Simon attended Northalsted Market Days Sunday. She says the idea is to illustrate the commitment of same-sex couples. Quigley performed about one dozen ceremonies Saturday. He says it’s to draw attention to the fact that Illinois doesn’t have same-sex marriage.
The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago also participated.
* Simon posted a photo of one of the mock marriages on her campaign’s Facebook page…
One of the more interesting things about this comptroller’s race is that if Sheila Simon wins the Democratic primary, her Republican opponent Judy Baar Topinka also strongly favors gay marriage. It doesn’t really impact the way state checks are cut, but an important electoral constituency will have an interesting choice to make.
* And it’s becoming clear that the incumbent doesn’t much care for her new opponent…
Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said her opponent in the upcoming race for comptroller does not understand the role of the office.
“According to her, we’re supposed to go out there and ferret out crime, and we sound like junior G-Men,” Topinka said.”Well, I’ll give her a junior G-Man badge and she can run around with that. But that’s not what we do, and that’s not what the law says we do. SO I suggest she reads what the law is so she knows what the office does. We really put a lot of time and effort, and she wants to make it into Attorney General Lite.”
Topinka said Attorney General was Simon’s original goal, but she has turned to the office of Comptroller when those plans fell through.
“She wanted to be Attorney General, she told everybody that,” Topinka said. “She said that if Lisa Madigan ran for Governor, she was going to run for Attorney General because she is a lawyer and she wanted to be Attorney General. But when Lisa wouldn’t run and held up that position, she’s now looking at comptroller as a consolation prize. We’ll I’ve got to tell you, we hold this place together, this is not a consolation prize.”
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:29 am
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Love hearing JBT lay the smack down on Sheila!
Duffy Blackburn is not dropping out of the primary vs. Sheila?
Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:33 am
What is the point of a mock wedding? Why don’t we just focus on passing the marriage equality bill and doing real weddings?
Comment by Raising Kane Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:33 am
“officiating mock same-sex weddings”
Anything for a photo op, eh Sheila?
Despite your initial attempts to mar your opponent with a clueless allegation, I held out hope you might return to the roots of your family’s great heritage.
Now I’m just hoping you bring a bit more than the cookie-cutter, “let’s focus on divisive issues” approach. You may have noticed the fact that you’re not exactly running against a right-wing, white, male good old boy who comes from political lineage and was handed the spot.
Horror of horrors, you might even have to focus on fiscal issues and effective administration of the office amid our fiscal crisis.
I know it’s tough to do when the incumbent is a popular, moderate, effective leader of her office. But you could at least try.
What’s next, a sit-in? Seriously, Sheila.
Comment by Keep Calm and Carry On Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:42 am
As a dem I will once again be voting for Judy. It’s hard for not to like her brash up in your face style. She’s going to mop the floor with Sheila and hopefully she’ll head back SIU to do what she apparently is decent at, being a prof, a politician not so much.
Comment by Farker Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:44 am
“Well, I’ll give her a junior G-Man badge and she can run around with that”. excellent.
“mock gay marriage” kind of like how the government she’s participated in for the last 4 years has pretended like it’s the real deal.
also for the record pat quinn, dick durbin, judy baar topinka, cullerton, madigans-jr and sr, just filed to run for re-election in 2038. they are never ever going away and they can’t because without them, Illinois would just completely collapse. I would throw the daleys in there, but you know bill daley is a private sector leader and elder statesman who only participates in public service when called upon to serve the people.
Comment by shore Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:46 am
Junior G-Men…
Still time to order
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Junior-G-Man-badge-Tootsie-Toy-pin-back-old-/390474861508
Comment by OneMan Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:47 am
Mock wedding? Doesn’t it somehow seem bizarre that an elected official, who presumably swore to uphold the laws of Illinois, is “mocking” them for some sort of political gain? Regardless of the issue of gay marriage, this just seems wrong.
Comment by N'ville Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:49 am
Mocking your opponent won’t cut it. Stick to wandering the state telling everyone how bad the nill backlog has become, forming “study groups” and forgetting to mention the backlog could be nearly gone if she had asked two GOPies to vote “yes” for the debt issue that was already funded
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:52 am
G-Men….it’s 2013……
Comment by Amalia Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:54 am
Sheila Simon is that person who is applying for a job, gives you all these great ideas, and credentials, but is utterly clueless to what job they are applying for, or how all these ideas and credentials apply to even do the job if they got it.
I guess I should give Sheila … some … slack. I mean, Sheila has to find a use for all this Attorney General knowledge she got while telling Sneed all about her running for AG.
Attention, LG Simon;
Comptroller Ida job with REAL constitutional responsibilities, here is a tip, learn what the office does, and what those responsibilities are. Heck, that would be a nice start, in between “mock weddings”, or in between actually advocating actively for the passage of SB10..,
Other than that….yikes.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 10:55 am
Circular, you guys are veto-proof so vote for the borrowing bill if you love it so!
Comment by Raising Kane Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 11:00 am
==you guys are veto-proof so vote for the borrowing bill if you love it so! ==
That refrain is getting old. It’s a total cop out on everything.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 11:05 am
yep. demorialized…but its the downside of a super-majority. REpubs hate borrowing so why should they put votes on that?
Comment by Raising Kane Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 11:08 am
===REpubs hate borrowing ===
Not when it comes to capital projects.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 11:15 am
“That refrain is getting old. It’s a total cop out on everything.”
Of course. The only solution is electing more Democrats.
After all, it’s those darn Republicans obstructing the Dems veto-proof majority. Not the failure to keep one’s caucus in line or the failure to work towards develop better policy and legislative proposals.
Separately, shore and some others make a good point. Sheila was part of the administration that has so far failed the LGBT community. She sure wasn’t presiding over such “mock” ceremonies until campaign season rolled around.
Comment by Keep Calm and Carry On Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 11:32 am
The mock weddings are such blatant political pandering by Simon and others, the stunt deserves the derision they are drawing. Worse, it cheapens the notion of marriage, something the gay marriage advocates are so desperate to claim would not occur under a gay marriage regime. Therefore, it undercuts their claim to ennobling the institution of marriage.
Comment by Conservative Republican Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 12:02 pm
Shelia might as well hold a mock election and pretend she won.
Comment by Empty Suit Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 12:07 pm
Yeah, She’ll be the guest of honer at a mock Comptroller’s swearing in ceremony in 2015 so she might as well get the practice in…
Comment by Mouthy Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 12:07 pm
===REpubs hate borrowing ===
Hard to understand how anyone can continue to spout that fantasy on either the national or state levels. There is absolutely no evidence to support it.
Deficit spending is borrowing. Shorting pension funds is borrowing. Running months late on bills is borrowing. Capital projects require borrowing.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 12:10 pm
word: you should have recognized that evidence wasn’t particularly relevant when conservatives began their war on science. everything is relative, right???
Comment by bored now Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 12:20 pm
“We’ll I’ve got to tell you, we hold this place together, this is not a consolation prize.”
Topinka desperately tries to convince herself its not a consolation prize every time she passes the Governor’s mansion.
Perhaps Topinka could show us where in the Constitution it calls on the Comptroller to issue regular press releases on legislative issues her office has no responsibility over.
Topinka doesn’t look in the mirror much, does she?
Comment by Will Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 12:27 pm
Up to now, I thought Sheila Simon was officiating over a mock campaign. JBT will have an easy election.
Comment by Norseman Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 12:55 pm
Caption contest: Shelia Simon visits Disney World ..photo taken at Fantasy Land!
Comment by Empty Suit Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 1:25 pm
That photo of Simon is very awkward. Like she photo-bombed a gay couple taking their own picture.
They don’t even seem to acknowledge her being there.
Comment by BDuty6 Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 1:50 pm
I have to agree with previous posters about mock weddings. It so cheapens the whole effort to provide equality. Equality and rights - not something to be mocked, in any way. Quigley - listen up, this is for you too.
Comment by bobby dylan Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 1:56 pm
Simon looks like A cartoon character from the Simpsons. Ned’ Flanders cousin crashing in from Farmersville….where they don’t enjoy the usual Flanders good looks gene
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 2:48 pm
She has been a part of a mock Gov administration for a while now so she knows how to fake governmental functions.
Comment by Fed up Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 4:35 pm
The Comptroller: “we keep this place together…” Now who doesn’t understand the duties of the office?
Comment by Alexander Haig Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 4:55 pm
@FakeJasonPlummer - Hey Sheila, how do I apply for your Mock Government? Dad always let’s me do anything I want, as long as its a Mock
#EvenFakeJasonIsOnlyAllowedToMockDoThings
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 5:47 pm
Most CERtainly this is how an Official Candidate for State Comptroller should be spending her free time…! (Huh)?! Oh, that’s right–she’s still Lt. Gov… And just WHERE is it delineated again, ya know, in the “official duties” of that Office does it specify her need to preside at such mock get-togethers…??? Hrrumph!!
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Monday, Aug 12, 13 @ 7:12 pm
==Mock wedding? Doesn’t it somehow seem bizarre that an elected official, who presumably swore to uphold the laws of Illinois, is “mocking” them for some sort of political gain? Regardless of the issue of gay marriage, this just seems wrong.==
Same red herring argument for any civil rights ever or treating all human beings equally as human beings in a civil society ever.
==The mock weddings are such blatant political pandering by Simon and others, the stunt deserves the derision they are drawing. Worse, it cheapens the notion of marriage, something the gay marriage advocates are so desperate to claim would not occur under a gay marriage regime. Therefore, it undercuts their claim to ennobling the institution of marriage.==
How does this cheapen the notion of marriage? I say the heterosexual nuts who jump into marriage, berate each other, beat each other up, etc. are the ones cheapening the sanctity of marriage. In fact, the hetero cissexuals have been ruining marriage for years.
Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Aug 13, 13 @ 1:52 am
I’m a gay Democrat and I’m voting for JBT.
Comment by Brendan Tuesday, Aug 13, 13 @ 10:08 am
Same JBT quote holds true when Cross announces for Treasurer!
Comment by hold on Tuesday, Aug 13, 13 @ 11:53 am