54 Comments - The Shoe - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 8:32 am: I am a shoe. I am about to drop on Peraica. It will involve Dan Proft. I am a big shoe. You should have check references, Anthony. - Wumpus - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 8:53 am: Dan Proft is growing up and learning. Keyes did not listen to anyone, let alone Proft. He was just working for Keyes, since he was working for Jack. Dan Proft will not harm Peracia’s chances, only the idiot Cook Count employees/voters who support Toddler will. Funny how Peracia can go on hostile WVON, while Toad will not go on a one-on-one on WLS. Todd is out of his league. - big al - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 9:14 am: i’m going to close my eyes when i vote for the County. - Beowulf - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 9:23 am: Granted, the Chicago Gay Games would bring in money for Chicago. So would legalized prostitution so let’s go there next after we welcome the Gay Games. And, as far as Dan Proft having been involved with Alan Keyes campaign, what has that got to do with the price of eggs in Mongolia? Where do these guys come up with this stuff to try to make somebody look bad? What I remember of the Alan Keyes campaign was that when everybody in the Illinois delegation that invited Alan Keyes (to step in and fill Jack Ryan’s shoes) found out who the “real” Alan Keyes was, they dropped Keyes like a “hot rock”. The guy was a nut case much like John Brown the abolitionist was prior to the Civil War. Dan Proft had a code of honor that he chose to uphold. He stayed to help Alan Keyes because he had given Keyes his word that he would help him when Keyes came here from Maryland. I am sure Mr. Proft would like to go back in time after finding out what kind of guy Alan Keyes was going to turn out to be. But, we can’t unring the bell. I respect Dan Proft for upholding the value that “his word was good and that it counted for something”. That is rare with political types. Dan Proft didn’t stay with Keyes for a paycheck because Jack Ryan (if you remember correctly) told all of his team that despite the fact that he was stepping out of the race, he would guarantee them all that they would still receive their normal paycheck. That said a great deal about the kind of guy that Jack Ryan is. We may not agree with Dan Proft on all of his views but, I have found him to be a man of integrity and honor. His word is good (no matter how painful the cost in making it so). The fact that Dan Proft has signed on to help Tony Peraica makes me realize that Peraica must be a decent stand-up type of guy. Proft helped Larry Dominick mop up a cesspool in Cicero, Illinois after the feds got Betty Loren Maltese out of there. Dan helped Mr. Dominic sweep out the reminants of the friends and cronies of Betty’s that had been bleeding the Cicero taxpayers dry. Tony Peraica is not the warm and fuzzy duffus that many people have come to expect in their politicians who choose to simply tell their audience “what they want to hear”. Tony is “a no-nonsense, get the job done, and don’t be afraid to step on toes to do it” type of guy. He is the type of guy that is needed for this tough job. Not some whimpy Stevie Urkiel who will whine, “Did my Daddy do that?” - Schiznitz - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:05 am: Strange decision. It was obviously hostile territory. I’m not sure what Peraica can gain by campaigning in the black areas. I’ll give him credit for courage and it makes me think he’ll actually be a real reformer as county board president. I don’t know if debates help people decide. I think the 2 FBI raids are more damaging to the race. - fedup dem - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:09 am: So the Toddler voter “present” on crime bills when he has warming a seat in the State House. Is it any wonder that Cliff Kelley, a convicted former alderman, is so gung-ho about Toddler’s campaign? - Bubs - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:34 am: It was interesting because Peraica had to debate with Cliff Kelley more than the stumbling Toddler. - ArchPundit - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:35 am: ===Granted, the Chicago Gay Games would bring in money for Chicago.So would legalized prostitution so let’s go there next after we welcome the Gay Games. So you equate loving consensual adult relastionships with prostitution. Wow, I didn’t know conservatives were becoming Andrea Dworkin types. - Bubs - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:45 am: BTW, Machine Hacks, gun control is a state issue, as is the definition of marriage. Neither is a County government issue. Red herring, red herring. Peraica has repeatedly and publicly stated that he will not change County policy allowing abortion, even though Democrat Geroge Dunne banned abortion, and Stroger’s father set the current policy with a stroke of a pen, rather than a Board vote. Peraica, on the other hand, has respect for the law of the land set by the Supreme Court, as well as representative democracy, which means Board votes to change things, not pen strokes. Stay tuned, Hacks, some new polls are coming out that will have Peraica smiling! You guys had all better get your fraudulent overtime sheets in fast - things are going to change as of Nov. 7! - Tom - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:08 am: Kudos to Peraica for entering a hostile forum and essentially debating two opponents. Contrast that with Stroger who didn’t show up for Don Wade and Roma. - Niles Township - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:09 am: All this is a sideshow. This race remains about one thing…(and I am speaking as a lifelong Dem) do we let the committeemen put another one over on us voters, or do we use this as an opportunity to remind them they all have to be accountable to us, not those they hand jobs and contracts out to! - Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:20 am: Tom: Kudos to Tony for swinging exactly three votes his way from the WVON listener base. Are Don and Roma Wade still on the air? That surprised me a bit. - Carl Nyberg - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:25 am: Bashing Peraica about the Gay Games on WVON seems odd. How many Black ministers openly embraced the Gay Games? And how is the Gay Games issue important to how the county is run? Peraica attacking Stroger on legislative votes seems odd. It seems like there would be more relevant lines of attack. - Levois - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:28 am: Yeah Todd Stroger is out of his league. I can’t believe he might win this one. - Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:29 am: Bubs: And you just happened to be listening to Cliff Kelley’s show? On WVON? Do you pop over there when Don & Roma are on commercial breaks? - Man Zosahack - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:38 am: So, Bubs, let me get this straight. You just happened to be tuning into Cliff Kelley’s show on VON and heard the debate? How long have you been on Tony’s payroll? - Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:52 am: Peraica and Proft are both joined at the hip to Cicero, a town that’s as dirty as ever. Proft’s on the city payroll for nearly 100 Grand a year as town spokesman. How he can also be running a campaign “on the side” is a scandal in itself. The new Mayor, Larry Dominick was a senior cop under Betty-Loren Maltese, and the cops there were dirty too. Dominick, like Peraica, never said a peep about all the corruption in Cicero under Maltese. Little has changed in Cicero, except a few of the names. Peraica only left Maltese because she threw him off the bus. Had nothing to do with Peraica leaving for ethical reasons. If Peraica wasn’t so hard to work with, and if Maltese hadn’t gone to prison, Peraica would still be quite comfortable in that company. And in fact now Peraica’s back in with Dominick and closer than ever with Cicero. It’s meet the new boss, same as the old boss. The idea that Peraica is some kind of a reformer is laughable. - House - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 12:07 pm: Let’s see if Stroger has any guts and debates Tony on Don Wade & Roma. - House - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 12:08 pm: Beowulf, if you were anymore out of touch…well, I’m not sure that’s possible…but thanks for rewriting history. - Stoker - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 12:09 pm: How can Proft be on the government’s payroll yet run political campaigns during working hours? I thought that was illegal. - Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 12:45 pm: That’s a very good question Stoker. Proft would likely say he’s only a “consultant,” and he has lots of clients. But for all the low income people in Cicero, anything close to $100,000 a year is a full time salary, and a darn good one, especially when it’s paid by city taxpayers. When a city pays anyone that much, residents should expect full time service. But don’t forget, Proft also helped run Dominick’s campaign for Mayor last year. His post with the city certainly looks like a reward, at taxpayers’ expense. And Peraica was also an intregal part of that campaign. It was Tony’s chance to get back at the Cicero faction (Ed Vyrdoliak in particular) that in his mind had screwed him a few years before. So yes, it looks incredibly bad. It also further exposes just what a hypocrite Peraica is on the reform issue. Again, the press seems to be ignoring a huge story. They would love to keep this race close and sell some more papers, no matter how incompetent it makes them look. - Skeeter - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 12:47 pm: I have to give Proft credit so far. He’s one of the few working Illinois campaigns that have either talent or dignity, although he does need to choose some better clients. In comparison, you get people like Charlie Johnson who work for dingbats but lack both talent and dignity [”Zinga said that because she did not prepare properly and she did not parrot my instructions well.”] This appearance took guts. I have a pretty low opinion of Peraica, but my opinion of him went up knowing he made this appearance. Currently, I’m deciding whether to leave the ballot position blank or vote for Peraica, and this may push me over that edge to Peraica. He’s a right wing extremist dingbat, but a dingbat with guts and that’s worth something. - Bubs - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 12:57 pm: Anon 11:29- WVON is 1690 on the AM dial - I assume your radio works? I’ve occasionally listened to WVON for years, even when it was AM 1490, and Lu Palmer was doing his show - “On Target” as I recall. It was enlightening to get the Black community perspective on the issues. Tune in. Who knows, you might learn something. P.S. I knew the debate was coming, didn’t you? - Wumpus - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 1:20 pm: Well Skeet, most of the things you hold so dear he has no effect on. he has no real effect on gun issues, abortion or gay marriage. This is the Cook county board president, not the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or any other judgeship/federal legislator. - Mike Williams - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 1:53 pm: “In one of the few new areas covered, Stroger pointed out Peraica’s campaign manager, Dan Proft, was also the campaign manager for Alan Keyes, the conservative candidate who was defeated by Sen. Barack Obama.” …I wouldn’t go there if I were Todd. Getting into Campaign Managers histories, etc. could backfire before too long. Pingback Musing Minds » Blog Archive » Stroger-Peraica Debate - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 2:20 pm: […] Now to the debate. The Daily Herald has the story here. (h/t The Capitol Fax Blog). […] - The Picolo Player is a... - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 3:27 pm: RICH! I cannot BELIEVE you said it takes guts for Peraica to go on an African-American show. Why? Because Stroger is Black?!?!?! Does Todd have guts to go before any radio show or predominantly white group of any sort because he is black? What the hell, man? - Skeeter - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 3:34 pm: Pic, When has Young Todd answered any substantive questions from anybody, much less somebody perceived to be backing the other guy? In answer to your question, no Todd has not gone before any white interviewer and answered questions. In fact, he hasn’t gone before anyone and answered questions. For instance, he refused to answer questions from the Chicago Tribune. If you have any evidence that he has answered questions from anybody perceived to be hostile, please show us when and where. Do you really believe that WVON has no bias? Have you ever listened to WVON? Do they say a lot of nice things about Republicans there? Peraica stood up to answer questions from somebody who didn’t like him. Let’s give credit where credit is due. - cermak_rd - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 3:48 pm: Anyone who says they didn’t know what Keyes was like before representing them in 2004 is lying or incompetent at doing basic research (e.g. google). He had a public record long before 2004 of being freaky. - Dem Going GOP - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 3:49 pm: Skeeter is right. WVON has a track record of crushing attacks on Republicans. It is also decidedly unfriendly to whites who run against blacks. I have personally heard the racial vitriol on that station that would get any white radio host thrown out of town. Stroger’s cowardly no-show on WGN is telling. And his bumbling performances on NPR and before the Tribune editorial board make this Democrat eager to cast a ballot for Peraica. - Skeeter - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 3:55 pm: Cermak: Of course Keyes was a dingbat and of course Proft should have known before signing on. However, during that campaign Keyes did a lot of stuff that was strange and hostile and appeared out of character for a candidate who worked with Proft. Proft worked on the JACK! campaign and that was not actually the temple of virtue, but it did not even come close to what Keyes pulled. If you remember, Keyes even refused to concede — ever. For a guy who talked about morality, he never showed any. Keyes gets the blame and not Proft. I hate to defend the guy, but the ILGOP is being overrun by people like Charlie Johnson who really do stoop to the Keyes level or worse. In comparison, Proft is a class act. - Bettina - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 4:08 pm: Peraica on the Gay Games to the Chicago READER: “I thought it was morally hypocritical and political pandering to have the Gay Games,” Peraica explains. “I don’t think we should have Gay Games any more than we should have African-American Games or Croatian Games. I know this is a hot-button issue, a wedge issue. But as you look at the long-term picture, decay comes from within.” Someone want to tell me how you can rationalize voting for someone who refers to an entire segment of the population as decay? - Skeeter - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 4:17 pm: Bettina, Read what he actually said. He said games that divide society along any lines lead to decay. He did not say that homosexuals are guilty of decay. Peraica has said a lot that is bizarre and offensive, but that was not one of them. I have to admit, as much as I don’t like Peraica, there is something odd about the Games. Next year, are we going to have the Irish Males Who Marry Southern Europeans Games? Why should we have games that take one category of society and put that sector apart from the rest? Moreover, if you replaced “white” with “gay” in the games, how would you feel? - JakeCP - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 4:19 pm: Cliff Kelley makes me sick and this is not the first time Peraica has been on WVON. Also I would like to respond to that person who asks does WVON say any nice things about Republicans. Well they don’t but there is a talk show host on Sunday Nights at 10 o clock or at least I think he still comes on and he calls hoimself a Republican. He also supports Tony peraica and he’s black. I respect Tony peraica for going on WVON and getting after Kelley. - Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 4:29 pm: Man, there’s a lot of misinformation being spread here. Bubs - It was Dick Phelan, not John Stroger, who restored abortions at Cook County Hospital “with a stroke of a pen”. John Stroger actually filed a lawsuit to block that decision, supposedly because he thought Phelan had overstepped his power. And it would be President Peraica who decides how much in resources to devote to abortions, whether to fill vacancies when doctors who perform abortions quit, etc. Also – gun control is not just a state issue – Cook County has an ordinance regulating the location of gun shops. Beowulf – your hooded sheets are showing. “The guy was a nut case much like John Brown the abolitionist was prior to the Civil War.” According to wikipedia – “Numerous American historians in the 20th century deprecated Brown as an insane and bloodthirsty zealot and madman. Few if any of these writers were biographers and some were motivated by pro-South sympathies…. It is notable, however, that the leading John Brown documentary scholars, especially Boyd B. Stutler (d. 1970) and the Rev. Clarence Gee (d. 1975), upheld Brown as essentially moral, positive, and quite sane despite the controversy attached to his historical reputation.” So I guess we can see where YOUR sympathies lie. And while Proft might be a “nice guy”, anybody who read his website before he dropped it to run campaigns knows the guy is about as right wing an extremist as you can get in this country without getting put in jail. Wumpus – the right to have an abortion doesn’t mean much if you can’t afford one, and right-to-lifers have ensured that the usual mechanism for healthcare for the poor – Medicaid – can’t pay for them. So for 3/4ths of the poor women in Illinois, a change in the abortion policy at Stroger Hospital is the same as overturning Roe v. Wade. - Dem Going GOP - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 4:52 pm: Bettina, Spare us the phony outrage. A fair reading of that quote is that the “decay” to which Peraica refers is the increasing divisiveness in our population. Whether you agree with the concept of the U.S. as “melting pot,” or not, it’s a fair and principled position. Now, I do know that Todd Stroger has given money to organizations that bash gays and interracial marriages. Where is the outrage on that one? - Bubs - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 5:08 pm: Bettina, nice try on “decay,” but he wasn’t referring to gays. The decay to a guy like Peraica, who is an immigrant himself, is that each member of our community stops seeing themselves as “Americans,” and only as some sort of oppresed hypenated minority with an agenda. Note that he is himself Croatian, but would not support “Croatian Games.” - Jeff - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 5:15 pm: I met Tony Periaca at the McSweeney-Giuliani-Edgar Rally. He seemed like a great guy and is going to make an great Cook County Board President. I only wish that I lived in Cook County so I could vote for him. - cermak_rd - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 5:30 pm: Wow! He seemed like a great guy! I’m impressed. Must’ve forgotten to take his unpleasantness pills for the day. I don’t like Todd. I don’t like the process that led to Todd. I didn’t like it when Lip II got in that way and I don’t like it that Todd got in that way; though I will state that it’s harder to plan a stroke than it is a retirement so there was a more premeditated ginning of the system under the Lipinskis. But I won’t vote for Peraica. He’s anti-gay and that was enough to keep me from voting for Poshard, well that and abortion rights. I also don’t trust Peraica with that either. He says he won’t do anything but many in the prolife movement believe that lying is OK when life is at stake. So politically inexperienced possibly corrupt hack faces off with politically inexperienced moralist. Sigh. These are the races that try men’s soul. - Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 5:48 pm: I met Tony and had the exact opposite feeling that Jeff had. And I was sorry that I lived in Cook County where the possibilities exist that Tony could — but highly unlikely — become County Board President. - Then You Deserve Every Bit of It - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 6:13 pm: Cermak - it’s people like you that perpetuate the Machine, and leave them bold to steal our money. Thanks a lot, dummy!!! Cermak Rd. bases his vote on gay issues, which the County doesn’t have any jurisdiction over, anyway; and abortion, which is under the control of the full County Board, if push comes to shove. So Peraica couldn’t change it even if he were lying. While Cermak Rd. thinks he is being a high-minded liberal idealist, he is just being a patsy, like so, so many in this town. WAKE UP! - Ashur Odishoo - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 7:52 pm: I don’t think we should be so hard on Toddler. Just because he hasn’t answered one question with a substantative answer, doesn’t mean he isn’t a true reformer. Just because he has never been anything but a daddy’s boy hack with the gold family ties, doesn’t mean he won’t reform the government. Should we not take Toddler at his word. He has two big words for corrupt county employees “quit now”. Maybe when he grows up, he’ll be able to speak in full sentences. Ashur Odishoo Candidate State Representative 11th District - Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:09 pm: Carl Nyberg: Agreed that it seems odd that Todd would bash Peraica over the Gay Games. How many black ministers supported the staging of that event here? Why is there such a profound disconnect between what most churchgoing black people believe personally and the positions of the political candidates whom they support, namely local, state, and national Democrats? - Establishment Republican - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:28 pm: People can always say what they want about Peraica, but he is the personification of guts. - sage - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:48 pm: Peraica is a dinosaur when he calls segments of the population “decay.” He is a little goofy too. BUT he will clean house in Cook County government, and at least for four years, nothing is more important. He is honest and he really says what he believes. Too bad tho he has the parasite Proft who specializes in running campaigns that get under 40% of the vote. Gay policy and abortion aren’t going to change regardless of who wins. What will change is big money saved from ripping out corruption with a fresh start. It will be Peraica despite himself (and Proft). - Richard T - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 10:56 pm: All this blog talk from the same people about how unpleasant Tony Peraica is does not seem to ring with reality. Yes, some corrupt political types do not like him like Ed Vrdolyak or Mayor Serpico but that is inside politics that the average person does not know nor care about it. Peraica has a compelling personal story including BEING AN ORPHAN, COMING TO AMERICA AT AGE 7, WORKING HIS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE, BECOMING A LAWYER AND SMALL BUSINESSMAN–he is articulate and intelligent–I do not agree with everything he does nor says nor is his style my own but he has a great story and he talks well. He is certainly better than most politicians including John Stroger, Todd Stroger or Forest Claypool. He is more honest, independent, and intelligent than most politicians. He will definitely shake government up. In terms of Peraica being too conservative (although Proft is certainly no prize) Glenn Poshard was pro-life (and “anti” gay) and would of been a better governor than George Ryan who humiliated Illinois and put us in debt. Jim Ryan was pro-life. John Daley and John Stroger BOTH were pro-life and tried to stop Phelan from instituting public taxpayer funding of abortion at Cook County Hospital. The gay games cost us money, it was not a big draw and cost a lot of resources. Most people, including Senator Meeks, are against gay marriage–so maybe the Black religious leaders will dump Todd Stroger because he goes against their Biblical beliefs. Or maybe the most pro-life subgroup according to the Steve Neal poll on abortion–Mexican American Women–(a Democratic constituency) will vote for Peraica. In terms of opposing Prince Barack Obama (whom I voted for)–IT WAS TODD STROGER WHO SUPPORTED DAN HYNES OVER OBAMA AND THE STROGER FAMILY AND 8TH WARD WHO SUPPORTED RICHIE DALEY OVER HAROLD WASHINGTON (Actually the 8th ward oppossed Dorothy Brown and many other good Black candidates for the Machine hacks) So stop the nonsense and political BS. I am voting for Tony Peraica and proud of it, he is not just the best of two choices–but the best candidate who will bring real challenge and change and has a great personal story. - Michael Serafian - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:20 pm: I am voting for Peraica because he is so much better qualified than all the sons and daughters of politicians who have no life experience and never earned anything like Lisa Madigan, Dan Hynes, Todd Stroger and all the rest. Also he is not Irish. This should be a democracy and not a dynastic oligarchy. I like that the guy has some life experience and made it the hard way. - tired - Friday, Oct 6, 06 @ 11:41 pm: I am voting against stroger perica can be replaced in 4 years by any semi qualified democrat. to bad the party leaders didnt put up a semi qualified canadate this time. voting against stroger shows the committemen that the voters count and that backroom deals wont be tolerated by the voters put up qulifeied canadates and there is no race here the dems win in a landslide. - Casey - Saturday, Oct 7, 06 @ 12:06 am: Democrats who are still Pro-Life: House Speaker Michael Madigan 1998 Democratic nominee and former Congressman Glenn Poshard Former Senate President Phil Rock (Just imagine that not to long ago both DEMOCRATIC House and Senate leaders were officially pro-life and in 1998 BOTH the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor were both officially pro-life) the late Democratic Cook County Board President George Dunne who kept abortion banned at Cook County Hospital and said that abortion was not a disease John Daley (both in the Senate) and in his 1992 lawsuit against Dick Phelan to keep abortion banned (current Finance chair and Cook County Board Commissioner) Congressman Costello (D-IL) Congressman Lipinski (D-IL) former State Senator Jeremiah Joyce current state Rep Kevin Joyce (who also opposses gay marriage strongly) Senator Ed Maloney Senator James Meeks Senator Louis Viverio Senator James DeLeo former State Rep Ralph Caparreli former Congressman Marty Russo State Rep Joseph Lyons State Rep Kevin McCarthy (more conservative than his Republican opponent) State Rep James Brosnahan former State Rep Bob Bugielski former State Rep Tony Laurino ALL DEMOCRATS ALL PRO-LIFE and that is just the Chicago area and not even including DOWNSTATE ILLINOIS remember that RICK GARCIA blamed MALONEY, VIVERITO, MEEKS, DEMUZIO–For not initially passing the gay rights bill The Downstate Dems are not only Pro-Life and “anti gay” but also PRO GUN The Democratic Speaker of the House is PRO-LIFE The Democratic Downstate Senator is the chief sponsor of a bill (probably redundant) banning gay marriage SO THIS IDEA THAT TONY PERAICA IS SO OUT OF STEP IS NOT MATCHING REALITY. Let alone all the FORMER DEM PRO-LIFERS like Dick Durbin, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Dick Gephardt ALL who used to be pro-life (Bonior is still pro-life) SO IS TODD STROGER ATTACKING THE POSITION OF HIS DAD, JOHN DALEY AND TED LECHOWICZ??? (a relatively moderate one of NO TAXPAYER FUNDED ABORTION NOT banning abortion) IS TODD STROGER ATTACKING THE PRO-LIFE POSITION OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE MICHAEL MADIGAN???? IS TODD STROGER ATTACKING THE ANTI-GAY POSITIONS OF SENATOR MEEKS, OR REV. HATCH, OR ALDERMAN BEAVERS, OR SENATOR VIVERIVO OR CONGRESSMAN BILL OR DAN LIPINSKI??? ALL DEMOCRATS AGAINST GAY RIGHTS ?????????? We should be accurate and fair on these issues - Beowulf - Saturday, Oct 7, 06 @ 6:58 am: Sorry Arch Pundit at 10:35 AM. The comment about prostitution being alright, much like the Gay Games, was meant to be “tongue-in-cheek” to illustrate a point. I thought that it was obvious. I was evidentally wrong based on your comment. I will try to make my point in a much “simpler” way in the future. My Aunt Millie used to also have to do things in a “simpler” fashion for my Uncle Ralph so I understand your confusion. Whenever Uncle Ralph ate her “noodles & ham” casserole, Uncle Ralph would spend 30 minutes picking the ham out from the noodles before he could eat it. He would tell Millie, “I am a simple man and I want things put before me in a simple way.” Aunt Millie finally realized that she had to “cook for her audience” if you will. Future dinners always consisted of a separate plate of ham for Uncle Ralph and a separate bowl of noodles for him. Uncle Ralph was then a happy man. - Anonymous - Saturday, Oct 7, 06 @ 10:47 am: People seem to forget that it’s Peraica who has been on the Cook County Board for 4 years. So when Cook County gets raided by the FBI, that’s on HIS watch. Sure, he tried to latch onto Claypool’s leadership on some tax reform issues. But Peraica’s no reformer. And I’m certainly not saying Todd is either. I would say that Todd seems a little less self obsessed and ego driven. The bigger concern is that Peraica is closely tied to Cicero, the only government that’s even more corrupt than Chicago and Cook County. The same old stuff is still going on there. The new Mayor there, Dominick, that Peraica and Proft are so close to, was part of Betty-Loren Maltese’s inner circle. - Tom - Monday, Oct 9, 06 @ 7:43 am: Ummm, Anon at 10:47am, yes Peraica has been on the Cook Board for the last four years, but John Stroger had a wee bit more influence. The system was rigged in favor of Machine Democrats, not Peraica supporters. - Mike Williams - Monday, Oct 9, 06 @ 2:28 pm: Casey, good points all…but leave the caps out next time, please? Without the social issues, Little Stroger has nothing to run on. It is so transparent it makes me sick. He can’t run on the issues that county government really deals with (he has no experience) nor can he run on reforming the patronage abuses (his father was a prime practitioner of the art of patronage). That leaves the social issues. The Stroger campaign knows this also. Hence all this talk about abortion, etc. etc. etc. Are the voters of Cook County smart enough to see through it? We’ll see. - Richard T - Monday, Oct 9, 06 @ 6:14 pm: “Are the voters of Cook County smart enough to see through it?” Maybe not, there are too many racial divisions, and people were stupid enough to vote for the corrupt and incompetent John Stroger. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.