20 Comments - Lorenzo the Edgy - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 12:26 am: I am curious, who do you all think is the most likely GA member to lose a primary next month? - Anon - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 5:43 am: According to Sneed, Eisendrath’s campaign manager has resigned. And I’m sure the Illinois Congressional delegation just loved his letter to them undercutting their attacks on Republican corruption. Could his campaign get any more pathetic? - SenorAnon. - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 9:19 am: Well, if the pizza thing’s the best satire…then I guess we’ve got a long way to go in the satire department. Just not that funny. - Randall Sherman - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 9:42 am: It looks like the leadership of the IFT (I said leadership because anyone who thinks the union’s rank-and-file get to make a dumb decision like this is totally naive) has a death wish. - Senorita Anon - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 10:01 am: SenorAnon, Point us to your daily blog for your version of humor … or is your “name” the best you’ve got? - Paul Simon Museum Guy - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 11:19 am: Truly disturbing that Glenn Poshard put the brakes on Mike Lawrence’s columns. So much for free speech at institutes of “higher” learning… - Norseman - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 11:55 am: I’m curious as to whether there would have been more attention paid to Lawrence’s muzzling if the Governor had been a Republican. Frankly, I don’t blame Poshard for silencing Lawrence. Everyone knows how vindictive Blago and his sycophants are. - Bill - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 12:18 pm: Norseman, If the Governor was republican Mike would probably be officially shilling for him instead of mouthing off from a patronage appointment at SIU. It is about time someone made him shut up. If he wants to be in politics he should give up his place at the trough and sign on with Obie or Gidwitz. That is where the real money is. - Lovie's Leather - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 1:49 pm: I found it very odd that the Illinois teachers association endorsed Blago at all… I personally know several teachers that are really upset with the governor for robbing from the pension fund. Just goes to show who is just a tool of an incumbent… and maybe the democratic party… - Norseman - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 2:00 pm: Bill, Bill, Bill, even campaign workers have to have some credibility. Mike Lawrence was one of the most respected journalists in Illinois. Every decent Democrat would be disgusted with your attack on him. If you have any doubt, call Poshard and see what he has to say about the man’s integrity. Now back to your campaign computer and start dishing out more dirt about Edwin and Judy. - Bill - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 2:37 pm: Norseman, I didn’t say anything about his integrity. I just don’t think 8 years of working for Edgar makes up for his lack of academic credentials. The fact that he spews forth his opinions while supposedly being director of the Public Policy Institute just calls attention to his lack of credentials for his position. I am not a camapign worker, just a concerned citizen with no axe to grind…. just one of the millions of Illinois citizens who admire the Governor and the way he takes care of real working men and women in this state. - Norseman - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 3:07 pm: Bill, please! Your use of the phrase “officially shilling” was not an attack on his integrity? Like the tactics your beloved administration is known for, you’re trying to change your story when called out. Now it’s a matter of lacking academic credentials. Try this new argument on Poshard and see if he agrees. This IS a publc policy institute. I would say that a man who spent years covering state government as a journalist and eight years as a key advisor to a Governor is extremely qualified to be its director. Evidently Paul Simon, a Democrat I think, thought highly enough of his qualifications to have hired him as the assistant director. I’m glad you don’t have any axes to grind. The sparks around your posts had me fooled, but you really can’t expect me to believe that your a “concerned citizen.” - SenorAnon. - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 3:34 pm: Senorita, do I have to be a pizza chef to point out a bad pizza? Must I be a screenwriter or a director to know a bad movie when I see it? Your argument is so weak, I can’t believe I just wasted thirty seconds addressing it. - Mr. Anon - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 3:41 pm: Hey CaptFax! Should you accussed on underselling the little Post Dispatch story on GOP fundraising? Illinois GOP aims golf outing at getting lobbyists’ cash By Kevin McDermott As Illinois Republicans hammer at political ethics issues this election year, they will fund their message in part with money raised this month at an Arizona resort - where Illinois lobbyists paid $3,000 each to play golf and drink cocktails with top Illinois GOP legislators… The two-day fundraiser in Scottsdale included a reception at the Arizona home of one Illinois lobbyist who represents major gambling and utility interests, according to a Post-Dispatch review of documents and interviews with participants. Three Illinois legislators - including the top Republican in the House - skipped part of a legislative session day to travel west for the outing. About a dozen lobbyists attended, according to interviews. “Given the climate right now, naturally, I think all of us are taking a close look at lobbyists and the kind of relationships they have with legislators,” said Cynthia Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a watchdog group. “There’s nothing illegal about this . . . (but) it does raise questions about how cozy these relationships get.”… One Republican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said last week that such questions hurt the party’s position when it tries to make the case that Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich is too cozy with special interests and businesses. “To miss a session day to do a fundraiser 1,500 miles away . . . I think it’s highly improper,” said the official. An organizer of the event said last week that the Democrats’ domination of political fundraising in Illinois made it necessary for Republicans to offer potential donors a reason to open their wallets. “We’ve had to get more creative about fundraising. There’s only so much money out there anymore, and Blagojevich seems to be getting it all,” said state Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano, R-Elmwood Park. Saviano is chairman of the House Republican Organization, which held the fundraiser to gather donations for various GOP House campaigns this year. “This $5,000-a-plate quiche doesn’t work anymore. We have to give them something to get something. We try to give them some value to make it worth it for them to participate,” Saviano said. He added: “I think it’s a nice thing to do for these guys.” The invitation-only event was held Feb. 10 and 11 at Scottsdale’s Grayhawk Golf Club, Three top GOP House members - Saviano, House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, and Deputy Minority Leader Brent Hassert, R-Romeoville - were listed as absent from the House session day of Feb. 9, the Thursday before the Friday start of the Arizona outing. Louis for Arizona. A spokesman for Cross referred questions to Saviano. “I shot a 46 on the front, and I fell apart on the back,” said Saviano…., - Bill - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 5:31 pm: Norseman, Maybe its just me but I really don’t consider being a reporter for however many years the equivalent of a graduate degree that most “directors” at a major research institutions are required to have. My only point is that if I were in his position and I wanted to stay there I would not be writing political columns. Also I really don’t consider a press secretary to be a key adviser. I think shill would more accurately describe it. Whatever, if I hurt your feelings Mike, I apologize. - ArchPundit - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 5:47 pm: ====The fact that he spews forth his opinions while supposedly being director of the Public Policy Institute just calls attention to his lack of credentials for his position. Isn’t part of being a director of a Public Policy Institute spewing forth analysis? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for basic research on relatively esoteric questions in policy analysis, but a Public Policy Institute is about analyzing policy. BTW, the last guy wrote columns and was a college dropout to boot–he also brought in Lawrence. - FATKAT - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 6:45 pm: Mike Larwence was’nt muzzled,he was put to sleep. When an attack dog goes bad you have to put him down. Let’s face it,when you cut out the gravy train most will do what it takes to keep the feed coming. Remember these are the people that run your tax dollar universitys!!! - anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 11:11 pm: Bill - I wonder what people you are referring to when you say the governor takes care of the real working people of the state. You certainly aren’t referring to the real people who have to do the paper work for all these “initiatives” he keeps proposing but can’t afford. Those real people work hard and have to put up with the governor calling them names but making all kinds of demands to make him look good, while seeing their pensions taken away to other more politically expedient schemes. The state is BROKE! There is no money to play Santa Claus to everyone. What part of that don’t you understand? The budget is not balanced - it’s a smoke screen. Or don’t you understand that either? - Bill - Wednesday, Feb 22, 06 @ 5:58 am: Anon, I am talking about working families who despite working hard to support their families can’t afford health insurance for their children, unlike state employees who get relatively cheap coverage. I am talking about one and two parent working families who can’t afford pre-school for their children. I’m talking about people who, unlike state employees, are forced to work for minimum wage, who got a decent raise when the governor supported raising the minimum wage in Il.. I’m talking about people with children in public schools who saw their foundation fudning level raised under the Gov more than any other governor in history. I’m talking about senior citizens who , in our great state, will not have to worry about Bush’s donut hole in their drug coverage. . Rod accomplished all of this and more without raising sales or income tax. The state is NOT BROKE. Jobs are increasing, revenues are increasing, no one had their pensions “taken away” or raided. The Gov has made a committment to the real people of Il to direct the state’s resources to the people that really need them, not state employees or any other special interest group. The best is yet to come! 4 more years! - YNM - Wednesday, Feb 22, 06 @ 7:09 am: Lovie’s Leather, just to be clear, this was the IFT’s endorsement, not the IEA’s … two different groups. As far as I know the IEA has not yet endorsed any candidate in this election cycle. It’s not surprising that the IFT endorsed Blago … they are primarily representative of Chicago Teachers and he is the Chicago Governor. No idea who, if anyone, the IEA might endorse, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be Oby after his little rant about tenure and merit pay. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.