UPDATE: The folks at Hotline’s “House Race Rankings” have moved the 6th District race down two notches, from 18th “hottest” in the nation to 20th.

Duckworth’s decision to turn down several debates in key towns indicates she’s not as politically polished as Roskam.

Melissa Bean’s race was also downgraded ever so slightly, from 27th to 28th.

Bean nabbed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsement, a rarity for any Democrat not named Zell Miller or Ben Nelson.

And the governor’s race was also moved down one notch, to 14th.

Does Blagojevich ever get good press? On paper, this race shouldn’t be as competitive as it currently appears.

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· The State Journal-Register has allowed comments on its articles for several weeks. I’ve noticed that the comments on the site are a lot more outrageous than the ones here, even though the paper claims to screen all comments before posting them. A story yesterday about a dog owner shooting a gun devolved into “debate” over the Middle East crisis and then the SJ-R allowed this comment to go through:

Have them put up a yelloe flag & we will get to them…Do you want an Air Force jet(ours) or a F-16 piloted by a Jew?

And then this:

$5,000 per capita each year….for what? For F-16’s..109 artillary units D9 Cats…..We keep Israel alive…don’t bite the hand that feeds you. I have seen the lite and have contacted my Senators & Congressman( a Lebanese) so I & my pals will watch every dime that goes to Israel. Call it what you want…Don’t fight on my dime & expect me to clean up your mess too! Israel is no friend of mine!

And some state agencies block my site? Explain that one, please. [Hat tip: DW]

· Krol looks at the 10th.

If there’s a sleeper race in the suburbs this fall, it’s the 10th Congressional District contest pitting well-respected three-term Republican Mark Kirk against impressive Democratic newcomer Dan Seals.

The district, which includes eastern Lake and northwest Cook counties, is just starting to register on the national political radar screen, with the D.C. pundits moving it up a notch closer to competitive.

That’s partly due to voting history — Democrats Al Gore and John Kerry both carried the district, with Kirk successfully swimming against that top-of-the-ticket tide both times. It’s partly due to dissatisfaction with the Iraq war and military expert Kirk’s out-front support. And it’s partly due to Seals. […]

Ultimately, Seals’ challenge could rise or fall depending on whether the national Democrats, led by Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel, provide some help. But Emanuel probably can’t afford to spend much more in Illinois, given the $4 million-plus he’s already pegged for TV ads in the 6th (Hyde) and 8th (Bean) Districts.

· IRN gets harsh:

Two weeks ago, when Governor Rod Blagojevich gave the city of Marion $1,000,000 extra for ballpark infrastructure work, NewsRadio WJPF asked him where the idea came from.

The Governor told us that he came up with the idea on the spur of the moment, even suggesting that his budget director would be upset when he heard about the decision.

He lied.

The Governor’s Budget Director, John Filan, admits that he and the Governor had already agreed on the amount of extra cash to be handed out and where it would come from. Filan says the two discussed it more than once.

The same can be said for $500,000 Blagojevich doled out earlier this week at the Illinois State Fair.

· Friday beer blogging

· Ron sez: “Nce legs.”

       

17 Comments - Anonymous - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 11:50 am: The Governor lied? I’m shocked! And appalled!! Well, appalled at least. - Bill Baar - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 12:02 pm: Thanks for the beer pics link. I need a break after reading again about what the Jews are behind. Sometimes I think it’s good to leave those comments out there so people can see. It is a great mistake to suppose that the only writers who matter are those whom the educated in their saner moments can take seriously. There exists a subterranean world where pathological fantasies disguised as ideas are churned out by crooks and half-educated fanatics for the benefit of the ignorant and superstitious. There are times when this underworld emerges from the depths and suddenly fascinates, captures, and dominates multitudes of usually sane and responsible people, who thereupon take leave of sanity and responsibility. And it occasionally happens that this underworld becomes a political power and changes the course of history. —Warrant for Genocide: the Myth of the JewishWorld-Conspiracy and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, p. 18 - Squideshi - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 12:24 pm: Is it really any mystery why Blagojevich is paying attention to Southern Illinois? He’s got an opponent from down there that’s becoming popular. - Lovie's Leather - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 12:38 pm: Governor Blagojevich latest comments: “I know there has been a lot of lying going on. That is why I am rooting out this lying. I stopped it as soon as I am found out about it… and you know, I am not asking for any credit. Mike Flannery: “What?! Huh? I am not sure what the governor is talking about.” - Cassandra - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 12:49 pm: Blago may have lied but was Filan supposed to back the story? Was Filan flustered or is he wandering off message. Probably not a great idea to have your top people separating from the pack during an election season. Pressure, pressure… - anon - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 1:15 pm: Cassandra, that’s what happens when you order Filan back to Springfield when he’s on vacation. Whoops, he told the truth. - Wumpus - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 1:20 pm: Wow, he is giving away $1,000,000 for beisbol at the spur of the moment ideas? That is virility. The most disturbing part of the lie is that a little lightbulb came on in the gov’s head and he gave them a million dollars. I wonder if he will pay them on time? - NW burbs - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 1:37 pm: Judging by the initial comments on this thread, Seals will stay under the radar… Kirk’s signs sprouted like weeds last Tuesday. My neighbor told me they didn’t even ask her before sticking one in her yard. That’s a “sign” of desperation if you ask me — and part of the reason whats-his-name lost to Kotowski in the 33rd primary last spring. (She took the unrequested Kirk sign down.) - Ashur Odishoo - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 1:55 pm: When Blagojevich is caught in his lies, he dismisses them as “campaign puffery”. Here would be an interesting QOTD. Who is the most honest politician? Some politicians are the best leaders and very moral, but so many are just self-serving egomaniacs. - anonymous - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 2:45 pm: That’s it. I’m a liberal Democrat working for a prominent local Democrat in Chicagoland, and with this pointless lie the Governor has irretrievably lost my vote. Lying for no purpose is something Bush Republicans do, not Democrats. Rod has shamed the party one too many times for my taste. - R.I.P. McMurphee - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 2:51 pm: Rich, you had a QOTD concerning the impact of the Lieberman race in Illinois. Krol has picked up on the fact that the 10th CD is our own little Connecticut and that Seals has a chance to sneak up on Kirk. - Anon. - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 3:50 pm: More lies and deceit from the Gooberner. What else is new? I’m so sick of it - can’t believe anything he says. - Bill Baar - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 4:46 pm: Krol has picked up on the fact that the 10th CD is our own little Connecticut and that Seals has a chance to sneak up on Kirk. Lamont snuck up on another Democrat. This race pits a Democrat against a Republican. Conn was about Dems self destructing. - Buck Flagojevich - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 4:53 pm: Legs??? I thought someone put shoes on malformed kielbasa. Yikes! - bored now - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 5:09 pm: Conn was about Dems self destructing. bill’s not a strategic thinker, but connecticut was about democracy, plain and simple. the results in connecticut and michigan are mere examples of partisan primaries. perhaps republicans are just better than democrats, but the club for growth has been doing this for years, and the republican party has not only gotten stronger, it’s become far more disciplined. but it could be that republicans are just better than democrats… - state worker A - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 9:15 pm: What’s the point of making a lie up like that? Did he want the public to think he was spontaneous? It really portrayed him in a bad light. - NW Burbs - Friday, Aug 18, 06 @ 10:00 pm: Bill, considering how much help Lieberman received from Republicans before the Democratic primary and the avalanche of GOP support he’s now getting after the Democratic primary (even the NRSC is saying they’ll support Lieberman over their own Republican candidate, Schlessinger)… I think it’s clear the Democratic primary in Conn turned out to be between a Democrat and at least a pseudo-Republican. Self destructing my little toe, more like waking up and growing a darn spine. Lieberman is now a former-Democrat. In fact, he’s really now just a Republican-backed incumbent scratching tooth and nail to retain his seat — no more, no less. He’s also turned into quite the hypocrite. By way of prime example, just look over his glowing remarks during the 2000 presidential campaign about Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and even positive comments about Farrakhan. Compare to his current race-baiting gutter politics tactic of pointing out over and over that Jackson and Sharpton supported Lamont, as if in the last 6 years they suddenly became pariahs to the opportunistic Republican-backed incumbent. In these regards, I don’t think the 10th is our own little Connecticut. Mark Kirk may hide his conservatism well, but he hasn’t proven himself to be that big of a hypocrite (yet — you never know). Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.