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I’m curious what you make of Kass’ latest column.
Stufflebeam. Stufflebeam of Illinois. Gov. Randall C. Stufflebeam.Hmm. I endorse no one here, but there’s a musical quality to the name Stufflebeam. It’s melodiously attractive, and I think I know why.
Stufflebeam sounds nothing like Topinka or Blagojevich.
Stufflebeam, 46, of Belleville is a conservative write-in candidate for governor of Illinois. There are other write-ins, including one from the Green Party, but don’t they demand we ride bikes to work? I’d rather drive.
Go read the whole thing and then tell us what you think.
[Also, just to be clear, the Green Party is on the ballot this November. They’re not a write-in.]
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 8:58 am
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Is the Green Party on the ballot or running write-in candidates? I think Kass is just saying what a lot of us feel. If the two party candidates suck, who do we vote for? I am a staunch democrat who has rarely swayed from the party. But of all the times I would be willing to cross the aisle, the choice isn’t worth wasting my vote on. I might as well waste it on a write in or the green guy.
Comment by anon Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:05 am
The Press should give some coverage to all the third party candidates because we’ve been so poorly served by the two parties.
But I thought Kass’s column and the type wasted on the name was, well, a waste.
Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:05 am
If John Kass (and his editor) don’t know the Green Party has qualified for the ballot–and the extra hurdles imposed on minor parties to get on the ballot–he probably shouldn’t be commenting on the governor’s race.
Kass has become like Stufflebeam, a Right Wing freak. But at least in Kass’s line of work (being a columnist) there are plenty of jobs for Right Wing freaks.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:07 am
Most of Kass’ columns are a waste of time, space and Tribune money. Perhaps with the Trib in corporate/shareholder trouble, cuts will be made and we will be spared Kass’ low-level insights and information and, mercifully, the pointless columns of Eric Zorn as well. It may be traitorous for Chicagoans to do so but I’m cheering for the Chandler family interests to clean up the Tribune Co. management approach to the varous content outlets they own, starting on the print side.
Comment by jaundiced eye Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:16 am
Having totally trashed both Blago and Topinka, what’s Kass to do if he doesn’t want to look like a completely negative guy? Throw some kind words behind a third-party candidate.
Comment by DeepFriedOnAStick Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:18 am
Zorn is the one columnist I’d keep. And Steve Chapman and Clarence Page from the editorial page.
The rest of them mostly are banal and boring.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:19 am
Kass is the biggest Joke of a Chicago columnist. He needs to get off his high horse and realize he isnt fooling anyone with his “better government” rants…especially when it comes from a guy who is best friends with Ed Vrdolyak. Kass is nothing more than the Jay Mariotti of political writing.
Comment by HANKSTER Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:28 am
I love John Kass. Great to have someone in the Illinois media with some smarts and who is not wrapped around Topinka’s little finger like most of the others.
Comment by RealClear Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:31 am
Rich,
Clearly you are confused, it’s bloggers not big-time journalists like Kass, who ignore little things like facts in their writing.
– SCAM
Comment by So-Called "Austin Mayor" Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:42 am
” Blagojevich and Topinka surely consider the Constitution an important document too. But they also consider state Sen. Jimmy DeLeo (D-How You Dooin’) an important legislator, which he is, almost a vice governor.
- (D-How You Dooin’). Priceless.
* John Kass is the only press person in the State of Illinois who gets it. Those of you on here that are insiders understand that, whether you agree with him or not.
He knows how the game works, and interjects some humor, to what is otherwise a sad state of affairs in Illinois.
Keep up the good fight, John.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 9:59 am
Kass is the Jay Mariotti of political writing. Ouch! That stung.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 10:17 am
I personally thought the article was bizarre.
I mean, Kass is definitely to the right, but it still seems ridiculous for him to glow over Stufflebeam, who isn’t running a serious campaign, simply for not being Blagojevich or Topinka.
He not only dismisses Whitney by making a factual error in saying that he’s a write in candidate, but makes up a ridiculous issue in a failed attempt at being clever (mandatory bicycling) and attributes it to Whitney.
Kass isn’t exactly a hack, but as Rich (Miller) demonstrates, there’s never a lack of interesting things to talk about with regards to state politics. As much as I support third party movements, Stufflebeam isn’t one of those interesting things.
Comment by Diversity of Thought Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 10:34 am
The effect will be negligible since …
- “Randy Stufflebeam” may get an extra 500 votes thanks to Kass
- “Randall Stefelbeam may get an extra 100 or so
- “R. Sufferbeam” might get another 50 or so
Does he have enough money to even print up “How To” cards to walk people through the convoluted write-in process?
Comment by NW burbs Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 10:40 am
Stufflebeam sounds like a character from “Barney and Friends.” Perhaps Kass finds the name “melodiously attractive” because he’s been watching too much children’s programming. Or maybe it’s because he hates Topinka-Kjellander with every fiber of his being (he did coin the phrase “combine”), and he’s still hoping that a Topinka loss will send a message to the GOP.
Good luck with that, John. If the GOP listened to voters, they would’ve supported Peter Fitzgerald, along with stem cell research, abortion rights, the minimum wage, health care reform and civil unions.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 11:16 am
Stufflebeam??? The Consitution Party?!? Frightening.
Somneone wrote that Kass “get’s it”, but that’s just a code phrase for “Kass Agrees With Me.”
After reviewing the national platform, I think the term “Constitution Party” is a non sequitur. It should be renamed the “Angry, White, Right-Wing, Non-Christians Need Not Apply, Know-Nothing Party.”
Think of what you are doing next time, John.
Comment by I Don't Get It Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 11:38 am
I thought Mr. Kass was showing that he is very open-minded with his article about Randy Stufflebeam Unlike much of the narrow close-minded comments by others to his article. The fact that Randy Stufflebeam also has Randy White now running as his Lt. Governor running-mate will also bring some fresh air to the Lt. Governor race as well. Learn more about Randy Stifflebeam at www.runrandyrun.com and also more about Randy White at www.journal-pilot.com
Comment by Mike Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 11:42 am
Stuffelbeam really a joke. The folks who currently intend to vote for him really don’t know what he stands for because the press is not covering him.
These naive fools claim to be tired of voting for the “lesser of two evils”, assuming that the major parties are “evil” because they may disagree with them on one or several issues.
But then they assume that if they haven’t heard anything yet from Stufflebeem that they disagree with, then they agree with him 100%. How ignorant.
But voters are entitle to be irrational. Thus his appeal.
Comment by William Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 11:52 am
Sorry, I missplelled the journal paper. It is Journal with an “r” and also Randy Stufflebeam was accidentally misspelled as the correct spelling is Stufflebeam. Even American citizen Muslim voters and other minority voter groups recognize a strong leader in Randy Stufflebeam. Readers who have a dislike of any individual of religious faith can even vote for change from the the Democrat Party’s best in Gov. Blagojevich and the Moderate/Liberal Republicans best in Judy Topinka. randy Stufflebeam has been the strongest uopen candidate in support of the first amendment rights of religious faith as well as the rights of the press.
Comment by Mike Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 11:52 am
Does Kass actually get paid for doing this stuff?
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 12:28 pm
Mike, no one is against a person of religious faith. Persons other than Constitution Party members actually go to church on Sunday. But governments are instruments of men under God, not instruments of God over men.
Ironically, for you CP types (who have “Founding Fathers” and “God” written all over your Platform), Revolutionary heroes such as Franklin, Washington and Jefferson were Deists, and deeply suspicious of organized religion, or the undue empowerment of religious bodies and principles in public debate. I suspect they would view the recent empowerment of the Religious Right in America as echoing the power the Church of England held in America prior to the Revolution, and wouldn’t think much of it.
Comment by I Dont Get It Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 12:35 pm
Kass is the same fool who told voters they might as well cast a ballot for John Stroger because electing Claypool would be just as bad.
A vote for anyone but Topinka is a vote for Blagojevich. Then again, if Kass didn’t have Stroger, Daley and Blagojevich to write about - he might be out of a job.
Anyone who listens to Kass for voting advice deserves the elected official they get.
Comment by Phocion Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 1:25 pm
To the person listing themselves as “I don’t get it” it is so true. However, Thomas Jefferson, yes a non-Christian, and author of the Declaration of Independence (read his document sometime and become better educated) recognized that all our unalienable rights come from the Creator (God). So a Constitutionalist, Randy Stufflebeam and Thomas Jefferson actually have more in common values-wise than any of the other candidates.
Comment by Mike Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 4:01 pm
Oh, Mike, I’ve read it.
Interesting point: In Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration, the phrase was “we hold these truths to be Sacred and Undeniable.” Franklin changed it to “we hold these truths to be self-evident” a crucial change away from divine origin, and Jefferson agreed, as did the Congress.
If you read the Decalaration carefully, you will see that the rights are considered a necessary consequence of human creation and existence, not a gift at Sinai. Indeed, the Declaration does not say that the Creator is Christian, Moslem or Buddist. The document says that governments are created to protect the inalienable rights, not impose one group’s interpretation of the Bible.
It is also interesting that you apparently cannot differentiate between “Constitutionalist” and “religious.” That says volumes about where the CP is coming from.
You are only proving to me how off-base John Kass was in his article.
Comment by I Don't Get It Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 4:47 pm
Stufflebeam? Stufflebeam? Where was this guy in the primary? He’s a johnny come lately. I can’t believe he’s getting time here. Anybody who takes the time to write in a vote for Stufflebeam can stuff it.
Comment by Centrist Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 5:05 pm
After reading Kass’ column on Stufflebeam and going to www.runrandyrun, I had a number of questions for Stufflebeam. I also copied Kass on the questions as well. Mike - maybe you can answer them as you are apparently a CP supporter. Here they are:
If neither the police nor any arm of government should register firearms, how do you trace guns used in crimes? Are you against any limitations on what kind of firearms can be owned by citizens?
As a strong believer in private property, is it allowable for private businesses to discriminate against minorities? For example, would a restaurant owner be able to refuse to serve blacks? Could an owner of a company fire someone for being gay? Should government play any role in fighting discrimination?
You talk about how several amendments to the Constitution have “deterioriated” the intent of the Founding Fathers. One you mention is the seventeenth amendment which mandated the popular election of Senators. Why does this particular amendment make your list? What other amendments would you strike from the Constitution and why?
Do I understand you correctly that the funding for education should come solely from the people who have kids? That is, a single person or a DINK couple would not have any responsibility to pay for the education of someone else’s children. Aren’t we going back then to the days where education was the province of simply those whose families could afford it?
Regarding religion, do you believe that a state should have the right to establish a state church? Is it acceptable for a local government to explicitly endorse the beliefs of a particular religion? Can an atheist or an agnostic be a “real” American in your view?
Regarding the relationship of states to the federal government, didn’t the Civil War settle the issue of state sovereignity? Lastly, how do you view Lincoln as a President? Do you see him as a defender of the Union or as a tyrant who trampled the Constitution?
Comment by David P. Graf Monday, Sep 25, 06 @ 6:39 pm
Centrist - you have only exposed your own ignorance.
Stufflebeam is a third party candidate. Third parties are not able to particpate in the primaries. They have to attempt to gain ballot access through acquiring 25,000 uncontestable signatures.
AND, Stufflebeam is NOT a “Johnny-Come-Lately.” He participated in a debate in January along with 4 (of the 5) Republican Candidates (Oberweis, Gidwitz, Brady and Martin). It’s just now people are really starting to get that they are about to be stuck with Topinka or Blagojevich.
The interesting thing is how much whining and complaining goes on here at the Capitoal Fax about having to vote for either of these two. And for true conservatives the only option they have is to vote for Stufflebem; since the Republicans have shown that they want nothing more than to compete for Democrat votes and NOT give its constituents a candidate whom they can vote for.
Comment by Patriotic Jones Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 1:42 am
having just read every comment today,about Randy Stufflebeam, and his running mate Pastor Randy White I find it astounding, how narrow minded, both sides are. first they are not running as constitution party candidates, they are running as independents. You are making judgements on them and you don’t even know them, I doubt if anyone on the blog has even actually met them both. looking back through articles about both men,printed in newspapers over the last 8 -10 years, I see compassion, intelligence, hard working informed people. People that this state would do well to elect. What I do not see is right wing radicals. When they say they are going to run the government according to Biblical princeples, to me that says they have studied history and are well read individuals that are willing to look at what has worked and what has not. Do any of you realize we have went from 7 billion bonded indebtedness to 20 billion bonded indebtedness. Do you realise one of the first things christian people practice is, compassion, hospitality, fairness. Racial bias or discrimination in any concept is not tollerated within the christian religeon, do you realise that the now running mate Pastor Randy White was awarded from the Jaqueline Kennedy Onasis society their “nobel prize” for volunteering,
isn’t that a Democrat organisation, isn’t Randy’s voting record Republican. I see tolerance and wisdom not narrow mindedness. and Racial bias. Isn’t Randy Stufflebeam working for Scott air force base, as a computer technician, Let me see we have a retired marine still serving his country in civilian capacity, We have his running mate who has been around the world helping people of all religeons not to mentionn both candidates have worked with or are envolved in Agriculture, Teachers, and the medical feild, budgets, and local government. But those who have never met them are saying they are right wing radicals. Well this I know what we have been doing has not worked it has caused us to get more in debt education to get worse, and business to flounder. guess I’m going with a true change and going for Stufflebeam/White
Comment by common sense Wednesday, Sep 27, 06 @ 3:28 pm
As a matter of fact I have met Mr. Stufflebean in Northern part of illinois where I live. He is from downstate Illinois, Belleville, where he lives. Governor Blagojevich and Judy Topinka live closer to me and I have yet to meet either of them. I like the fact that Randy is running a campaign for “We the People” whereas Rod and Jusdy have both primarily been in politics for what the people can do for them. I have not ever met Mr. Randy White. My question for you is, “Do you just naturally dislike people who have a religious faith because they have religious faith and decide to run for elective office? Your posts certainly appear that way.
Comment by Mike Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 6:54 pm