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Split decision - and misc. weekend political stuff
Saturday, Mar 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller No links yet, but the Sunday edition of the Tribune has a Gidwitz endorsemnt and the Sunday Sun-Times endorses Topinka. Steve Rauschenberger was endorsed by both papers. Neither paper apparently endorsed in the Democratic guv primary. I’ll put the links up tomorrow. (The AP now has a story.) UPDATES: · More to come on the Eisendrath TV buy. Stay tuned. · Bill Brady just took out a bank loan for $250,000. · Post-Dispatch story points out that a verdict decision for George Ryan could happen right before primary day, and wonders how that might impact the race. · Blagojevich defends ethics record. · FactCheck.org rips Oberweis a new one for his anti-JBT ads. On the charge that JBT is “under investigation,” the Annenberg Center writes: That falsely implies that she is currently under investigation on the old document-destruction matter, which is false. In fact, it is doubtful that any investigation is still open. And on the hotel deal allegations, they write: The deal may be viewed as “bad,” as Ryan concluded at the time, but there were no indications or serious allegations of any foul play. · Claypool takes early voting to court. · Joe Birkett STILL hasn’t returned all the money he received from an alleged anti-Semite in the 2002 campaign. Birkett vowed to return all the money before election day, but didn’t pay off a loan until months later and still hasn’t given back the direct contribution. UPDATE 2: My great pal Jerry Clarke was just profiled by the AP. Nineteen months in Iraq spread over two tours of duty. Two Bronze Stars. The commander of 15 pilots who himself flew some 600 hours in a combat theater in a single year.
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- Another Limerick - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 2:29 pm:
The paper formed by the Colonel
Endorsed Gidwitz in their journal,
But despite the boost
It had little use
‘Cept for good reading material in the urinal.
- Gidwitz's Bladder Infection - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 2:30 pm:
Wow, Gidwitz just might break the glorious 15% line. Good for him.
- Reddbyrd - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 3:09 pm:
looks like BrickheadJoe drags down another GOP.
Now he can really work on repaying the “loans”
- MJW Minion - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 3:09 pm:
Personally, I’d like to hear some more details about Madigan’s “going to war” comment and being in the chair for so long yesterday. What are the details on that?
P.S. Rich, you rock! Thank you for providing this service.
- political hack - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 3:47 pm:
thank god Clarke is better at winning wars than he was at winning campaigns. From one hack to another, welcome home!
- Cassandra - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 5:57 pm:
I have been wondering…how does a politician or officeholder know that they are no longer under investigation.
Do they send something out saying we have concluded our investigation and find…whatever.
Or do they hold all investigations open forever in case something new comes in…..?
- DOWNSTATE - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 6:10 pm:
Now see how all you people have been to Blago accusing him of all this wrong doing.Finally he has come out swinging with the truth that there is no corruption in his administration.Just like the Captian of the Titanic saying “no no my dear that was not an ice berg.”
- Reddbyrd - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 8:02 pm:
Madigan being in the chair is a lot like the day care teacher giving the children a time out
Everyone got their bills passed….no spills….no messey pants…TomCross&TheEmptySuits.com get free trips to Chicago. You get to foot the bill.
Go Salukis!
- Lovie's Leather - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 10:31 pm:
Wow… a pleasant suprise from the Trib… Giddy and Rauschy… I hope they won’t be 0 for 2… you never know…
- Anonymous - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 11:12 pm:
In the primaries for governor, last three elections, Trib has been wrong every single time except one and that person was indicted.
- Grand Old Partisan - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 11:48 pm:
Congrats to Ron and Judy for getting those endorsements.
- Beowulf - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 7:02 am:
I like Rauschenberger so I was happy to see that both Chicago newspapers endorsed him. I think Joe Birkett is a decent guy as well but he is not as qualified as Rauschenberger is to deal with the myriad of financial problems the State of Illinois finds itself with.
- Cassandra - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 7:44 am:
I think that JBT and Gidwitz are equally competent to fix the state’s finances; Rauschenberger is probably more qualified to fix same than Birkett, who seems to have a flashy tv prosecutor persona.
With JBT and Rauschenberger, maybe us middle class taxpayers would have a chance of successfully doing what we now must do in a global economy…fund not only our ongoing lives but also our children’s college education, our retirement, and our retirement health care…all out of the same pot of money that we ourselves earn. Because most of us don’t have lush public employee retirement benefits.
Blago seems to be entirely focused on helping
the people who want to finance their lives via government handouts and on the backs of the middle class….illegal immigrants, the
“poor,” many of whom made choices not to educate themselves or to work, state government employees, and, of course, state contractors and the politically powerful.
As the S-T pointed out, Rauschenberger would be a voice for the middle class….and we need one
- anonymous - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 12:00 pm:
Re the AP article on the Guv’s supposed ethics, I wonder why the Campaign for Political Reform hasn’t asked to Guv. why he is so insistent upon state employees taking ethical tests ad nauseum but refuses to abide by the same ideals himself. After all, the rank and file aren’t getting big bucks from someone for contacts and favors, nor are they getting free trips, or free anything.
What a hypocrite and sleazy operator. And he gets away with it every time he brings it up. Isn’t there anyone who will challenge him, who is in a position of authority?
- grand old partisan - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 12:04 pm:
To whomever posted using the name “Grand Old Partisan” at 11:48pm last night:
I certainly do not disagree with your comment, but I just want to set things straight. I have been using that pseudonym on this blog (and Illinoize) for quite some time now, and I’d hate for there to be any confusion at a later point. If you could please think up another name to use in the future, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
- Marta Elena - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 12:13 pm:
Cassandra:
I was raised in a middle class family. Believe, no matter whether you are a middle or low income family - no one wants their tax dollars squandered.
However, I am my brother’s keeper. There was an expose done a couple of years ago in the Chicago Tribune about the working poor. I don’t have the numbers on hand - but believe I was shocked to know how many working poor families there are in Illinois.
My heart and soul goes out to these families who are barely making it and are stretched thin by their circumstances. I have YET to meet a working POOR FAMILY who chooses to be poor.
However, I will agree with you on your statement that this state needs someone with fiscal responsiblity - especially someone conscious of the global economy.
- Rich Miller - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 1:27 pm:
Yeah, one grand old partisan at a time is plenty. lol
- Norseman - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 4:44 pm:
Downstate, there is a major difference between an investigation 3 years ago about using employees for campaign purposes (and if you haven’t noticed, the Guv uses his entire administration as his personal propaganda machine)and a new one every few weeks involving several abuses. The latest is the Governor’s handling of the closure of the dump site. Clearly, Governor Puffery is an expert on “Pay to Play,” otherwise he wouldn’t have $15 million in his campaign fund.
- grand old partisan - Monday, Mar 6, 06 @ 9:00 am:
Thanks, Rich