A fight for second place?
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
A roundup from the Tribune:
Oberweis, an Aurora businessman who regularly speaks about his opposition to illegal immigration, responded Tuesday to a reporter who asked him to clarify his comments Monday to supporters that he didn’t “believe that the government should be forced to print multiple languages of anything.”
“I don’t think that we should have to print ballots in multiple languages,” Oberweis said Tuesday, “but it’s not a passion issue, it’s not one I go to sleep worrying about.” […]
In Springfield, Brady said the latest poll numbers show his campaign must get to the undecided Republican voters, who he believes are conservative. He held a news conference announcing the Senate Republican Caucus would oppose the use of taxpayer money to fund embryonic stem cell research for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. […]
Gidwitz also released a new television commercial, running statewide, that reverses his campaign’s trend of ads criticizing his Republican opponents. The newest ad promotes Gidwitz’s record as a businessman and former head of the Illinois State Board of Education.
- Proud RINO - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 9:48 am:
Is it too much to hope that in six days we will no longer hear from Jim Oberweis?
- ISU REP - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 9:57 am:
We can only hope!!
- So-Called "Austin Mayor" - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 10:10 am:
The actual political viablity of Jim “The Icecream Headache” Oberweis need not play any role in appearance on Illinois ballots. Just take a gander at this story from the Sun-Times:
“Now Martin, 60, who used to go by the name Anthony R. Martin-Trigona, is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in next week’s primary. Over the past four decades, the self-described consumer advocate has run for president as both a Democrat and a Republican and mounted unsuccessful campaigns for mayor, governor, congressman, U.S. senator, state representative and state senator in Illinois, Connecticut and Florida.”
I fully expect the Abominable Milkman to have a similar political resume be for all is said and done.
- DOWNSTATE - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 10:25 am:
YE GADS Austin Mayor you are making the children cry and scaring the old folks with that bit of news.
- Marta Elena - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 10:59 am:
Brady. Brady. Brady.
Sad to hear about the republican opposition to stem cell research in Illinois. I hate when politicians get in the way of science.
- Schiznitz - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 11:00 am:
Ouch. The negative ads are quickly biting their owners. Oberweis does not have political intuition. And Gidwitz doesn’t have charisma. Sometimes, millionaires suck.
- YNM - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 12:08 pm:
politicians tend to get in the way of everything … that’s because they control the state funding and state funding is behind everything … so we’re all stuck between a rock(money) and a hard place (politicans) …
- Dem Voting R - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 12:35 pm:
And so we enter the final act - bowing and scraping to the unscientific right, suddenly realizing that positive campaigning paid off for Brady so maybe Giddie will try it, and Obie-wan being, well, himself. On to November, cause we know how this one ends.
- Bubs - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 12:43 pm:
It sounds like the GOP Primary is drawing peacefully to its close, which is a surprise.
- Kustra's Place - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 12:45 pm:
I have heard about six Rauschenberger radio ads on WBBM. Mostly touting his endorsements. They are really short.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 1:25 pm:
Brady has used his campaign exposure admirably. He will come in second place and will use it as a stepping stone to another statewide office, or a US Congressional seat. When LaHood runs against Taliban Dick in 2008, perhaps Brady will use that opportunity to set up shop in Washington.
While he is too conservative for Illinois to be elected as a governor, he is right for “Western Indiana”, (aka Downstate Illinois).
BUT if Brady doesn’t beat Oberweis, then he will need to start from scratch again. Losing to a hack weirdo wrecks one’s political career - for sure.
- Establishment Republican - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 1:36 pm:
I would love to see Brady come in second, almost as much as I want to see Topinka come in first.
- Milkmansucks - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 2:13 pm:
March 22nd everyone needs to gather all of the milkman crap and drop if off at his corporate headquarters. Just make a huge pile of it, and tell him to never fun for office again.
- ISU REP - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 2:15 pm:
Agreed Establishment! Bill’s got a bright future in Congress, however JBT’s time has come!
- the Patriot - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 2:20 pm:
The only way to get Jim to not run again will be to boycott his products until he agrees not to. Even then I don’t know. It is sad that legitimate candidates like Brady can’t get a shot a people like Topinka because there are millionairs with no government experience willing to spend 10’s of millions on their own vanity. Oberwise has spent countless dollars in 3 statewide races and he will finish with few more votes then on his first ballot. What a waste of cash, Jim, if you want to flush some cash my mortgage is $80,000. It won’t get you elected but at least you would actually be helping out a taxpayer.
- DOWNSTATE - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 3:26 pm:
One thing you can say about this primary is all the canidates,like them or not, are home grown.No more Keyes.The Repubs are stepping up to the plate and uniting.This is something the party can build on.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 3:59 pm:
If you’re going to bash the Senator on the embryonic stem cell issue, why don’t you at least get it right and call it that. Generically calling it “stem cell research” is either uneducated or intentionally misleading. They were very clear yesterday that they all - including Sen. Brady - support adult stem cell research. They oppose state funding of embryonic stem cell research. Until this issue is reported responsibly, the general public will have a one-sided analysis and will continue to be unable to make an educated decision on it. If a politician were trying to get away with generalizations like this, they’d be (and often are) badgered unmercilessly until specifying.
- Dupage - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 4:09 pm:
Brady lives in Johnson’s district not Lahood’s…boy it’s impressive that so many people really know their candidates.
- Beowulf - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 8:10 pm:
Something just took place that tells me that Bill Brady is doing far better in the polls than we are being led to believe. Today, Congressman Jerry Weller endorsed Bill Brady rather than Judy Barr Topinka.
Jerry Weller never backs a horse in a race until it comes around the final turn and it is in the lead (or he knows the other horses ahead of it have been drugged). Congressman Weller’s endorsement has a lot of meaning written into it.
I was at Illinois State Senator Gary Dahl’s Gala Fund Raiser where Senator Dahl publicly endorsed Bill Brady for Governor. Congressman Weller was also at this function but he would not endorse Bill Brady at that time. Congressman “Fair Weather Friend” Jerry Weller would not now endorse Bill Brady unless he has been told that Brady has a better than 50/50 chance of beating Judy Barr Topinka. Stay tuned Sports Fans. Something is up for Weller to have done this.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 8:57 pm:
After reading Rich’s Sun-times column, I have to agree that it would have been nice for Oberweis to start small (state rep or senator) and work his way up. At least Gidwitz has been the city colleges chair and the state education chair, so he has relevant experience (albeit appointed). What else can Oberweis run for? If he runs for Senate in 2008 I can see the party doing everything it can to force him out ESPECIALLY if a good, establishment candidate is in the mix. I am not trying to mean or spiteful, but his staff and volunteers are rather angry and belligerent people. Oberweis is a nice guy but I think that, in the end, his bouts of momentary insanity and his un-Christian way of trashing people with or without supporting evidence will do him in for good.
- Shadrock - Wednesday, Mar 15, 06 @ 11:29 pm:
Ok, Beowulf - educate me. Weller plays it safe but can he move votes this late in the game - or is this all about Jerry claiming to be with a winner?
- Anon - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 1:34 am:
Saw something funny the other day. Some wrote in the dirt on the back of an Oberweis dairy truck, “Will trade milk for votes.”
Hell, I’d do it. It’s damn good milk!
- Shadrock - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 7:37 am:
Swallow if you want but, Oberweis’ name now leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
- ISU REP - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 7:38 am:
Weller endorsing his friend and someone from his district…Never saw that one coming…
- Beowulf - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 8:16 am:
My only point ISU Rep, is that Weller waited until the last minute to endorse Brady. If Brady is Congressman Weller’s friend and from his district, please enlighten me as to why he waited until only a week before the Primary election to endorse him?
It would seem to me that Congressman Weller is a heck of a friend to have waited so long. I think they call those type of friends “Fairweather Friends” and Fairweather Jerry might easily slip into that category.
I think Weller has suddenly decided to back Bill Brady because he has discovered that Brady has far more support in this election than he previously thought. Jerry Weller is not going to be moving that many votes to Brady by his endorsing Brady at the last moment. But Weller will be able to claim that he backed him in the event that Brady wins or makes a stronger showing than others thought he would.
- Bradys the Guy - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 10:46 am:
B’wulf, you are rigth ISU REP shows his ignorance when he ignores the following: Weller is in Obie’s backyard, so any move to alienate him (and Jack Roeser’s post election vindictiveness) means taking a risk. Weller’s endorsement now reflects the fact that Brady’s support is growing exponentially, and therefore there is little risk for Weller in supporting this genuine candidate.
- HoosierDaddy - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 10:59 am:
Wait a minute, guys, that’s three different districts you claim Brady lives in. Which is it? Fact is, he ran for Johnson’s seat and lost in the primary. Johnson has endorsed him for guv, which speaks highly of a former opponent.
I hear that Topinka also thinks highly of Brady as an opponent.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 11:06 am:
Brady lives on the East side of Bloomington so Johnson is his Congressional Representative (unless I’m confused about the map inside town even more than I thought). 61704 is all in Johnson’s District I believe.
- Anon - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 7:00 pm:
They ran against each other that means they live in the same district. Let’s see maybe Weller waited until the greatest number of people were watching and so would be more people watching including the media, bigger bounce.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 16, 06 @ 7:15 pm:
===They ran against each other that means they live in the same district.
While that would be normally true, the lines were significantly changed after 2000—before 2000 all of Bloomington-Normal was in 15. After 2000 it was split down the middle. Johnson’s general election opponent was redistricted into 11 by less than a block and Weller bragged that he wanted the District to go further South so his parents could vote for him. Further confusion is common because LaHood used to have some of far western McLean County until the 2000 redistricting cycle.