62 Comments - VanillaMan - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 10:31 am: HEY! It’s the JULIE RAMOS Campaign song! - 4/9/2009 Sing to the tune of…La Cucaracha! I’m Julie Ramos! A candidate with, A catchy metaphor! When you hear it, You will run quick, Out the nearest exit door! You little voters, With your six legs, I respect you awful lots! I will lead you, My leetle army, If you let me call the shots! When I fall sleep, At my office desk, You run out for a meal! But if I catch you, You will soon feel, The crush of my leetle heel! But I love you, Because you’re so many, Many more than I can smash! So please contribute, To my campaign, And send a little cash! So my leetle vermin, I’m kinda yearnin’, For a Congress posi-shee-one! So take a looky at, This leetle roach hotel, It is full of sticky fun! What is the problem? What is that you say? You don’t like my metaphor? You don’t want to be, My leetle roaches, And you don’t like me anymore? - WOW - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 10:35 am: That’s a lot of backing from the local establishment and elected officials. I am sure Senator Bond is displeased that two of his chamber are lining up behind her. - 10th Indy - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 10:40 am: Messrs. Bond and Seals can’t be happy. - Niles Township - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 10:49 am: Ramos? It is Hamos. - Just sayin' - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 10:52 am: Maybe they are all getting behind her because they are anxious to see her leave town. - Amy - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 10:54 am: Wev…… - wordslinger - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 10:57 am: VMan, I’m thinking you’re not giving the taxpayers you purport to defend a full-days work for a full-days pay. - WOW - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:00 am: I agree with wanting her to leave town. Run Hamos Run! - siriusly - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:02 am: I don’t know if Bond is serious, but most local Dems are very excited about Julie running. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:03 am: People, take it easy. - Bill - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:15 am: Good luck, Julie. - Pat collins - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:15 am: Seals can’t be happy He had two shots, in REALLY good years for Ds. At some point, he has to accept he had his chance. - bored now - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:19 am: nothing wrong with a good primary. and with an open seat, you got to expect it. i seem to recall that very few people thought mike quigley would win his primary, despite the fact that he was the only democrat who had previously run district-wide and started with the highest name recognition… - wordslinger - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:21 am: Up next: A breathless Sneed column stating that Chris Kennedy has decided not to run for anything in order to spend more time with his family. You can’t win if you don’t compete. - lakeview lawyer - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:22 am: i for one am very happy to see julie enter this race. i think she has been a consistently progressive, common sense voice in springfield and will bring her legislative experience and progressive voice to washington. i supported seals before, but i think his time has come and gone. go julie! - north shorer - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:32 am: she doesnt fit the district. And she doesnt live in the district. OOPS! Guess she couldnt announce from Evanston or Jan might get mad. - respectful - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:53 am: Seals doesn’t live in the 10th either, while Melissa Bean still does live there. - Ela Observer - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:02 pm: Seals still has the advantage of ballot name recognition. Hamos has a shot if she’s the only woman on a crowded ballot. - Shore - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:07 pm: I can’t tell you how excited I am to see Julie Hamos run. 1. People that take pride in their schools and communities don’t take pride in being someone’s 2nd choice to move up the career ladder. 2. People that take pride in electing thoughtful independent leaders take exception to a chicago democrat thinking that because obama was elected she can impose her values on us. 3. People that take pride in their belief in fiscal responsibility don’t take a liking to legislators who have called for tax hikes to make up for their failures to control spending. 4. Jewish people like myself that take pride in our values of social justice and make up 20 percent of the district won’t take pride in the cuts to education that are happening under her watch or her total lack of experience on advocating for Israel. Bring her on. - Shore - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:08 pm: Seals should absolutely run. He can field test themes tying her to springfield incompetence and corruption for whoever the Republican nominee is. Bond should also feel emboldened to hit her from the right as he at least uses the words fiscal responsibility on his website. - Rob_N - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:08 pm: north shorer, whether or not she fits the district is up to the voters to decide. and she has said very clearly that she will move into the district. - montrose - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:29 pm: Shore- You have problems with Julie voting for the tax hike and problems with the cuts to education “under her watch”? Pick which one you think is bad and stick with, because you cannot have it both ways. - Budget Watcher - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:35 pm: After this past legislative session, I’d have a hard time justifying a promotion for any sitting state representative or state senator. Unfortunately, the political calculus regarding whether she can win trumps the question of whether she can help govern. In my opinion, I’d have to give failing marks on the ability to legislate. - Shore - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:38 pm: Montrose, she worked on the tax writing committee in d.c. before being a state rep. She should know how to produce a state that isn’t hiking taxes and cutting services. I’ve watched her on 2 berkowitz interviews and a chicago council on foreign relations show and not once have I heard her utter the words fiscal responsibility. She is going to get crushed. - Qinn T. Sential - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:45 pm: {Julie Hamos will launch her campaign for Congress in the 10th Congressional District and will also be available for individual press interviews immediately following the announcement event.} Afterwards she will return home; to the 9th Congressional District, passing Dan Seals,Jay Footlik, Larry Suffredin, and Jeff Schonberg’s homes, not to mention the puppetmaster Jan, who’s name was not very inconspicuously omitted in a feeble attempt to try to hide the reality that this is just another in a series of efforts to merge the 9th and 10th Congressional districts under Jan’s control. Let’s hope that Julie realizes that even if she wins, Jan will sell her out for 30 pieces of silver when it comes time to re-map. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 12:50 pm: QTS, that came very close to the line. In the future, try not to make Judas comments when referring to Jewish people. It makes you look like a neanderthal. Thanks. - erstwhilesteve - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:01 pm: Rep. Schakowsky invested a lot in Dan Seals - I’ll be interested to see whether she supports Hamos or Seals or stays (officially) on the sidelines. Actually, if she is publically neutral, that’s probably almost the same as endorsing Julie… - Lakefront Liberal - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:02 pm: Is everyone here forgetting Julie’s role on brokering a deal during the CTA funding crisis last year? That is what first brought her to my attention and made me a supporter. Since then I have been impressed by her work on the Tamms prision situation as well a her willingness to support something that is very unpopular but very needed — a state income tax increase. I have seen her take leadership in a way that is far beyond what one would expect from a State Rep; though I appreciate what Dan Seals did Julie is my first choice for this seat. - Out There - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:08 pm: I don’t know Lakefront Liberal, do the big salaries of that area really want a tax increase? My assumption is they do not, but would be open if you have information to the contrary… - Shore - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:16 pm: Lakefront, what Seals never got, what Hamos doesn’t seem to care about is the fact that just because the 9th and 10th are next to each other doesn’t meant they have same values. They DON’T. In evanston they like seeing their money flushed down the toilet by legislators like hamos who ask for tax increases because they can’t control spending and can’t create a tax base. In winnetka they do not. In evanston they also buy this garbage that Israel should give up settlements in the west bank and shouldn’t hit Iran. In Highland Park and Deerfield they don’t believe Israel should stop settlements in the West Bank and do think Israel has a right to defend itself. Remember Kirk, a non jew, has beaten 2 jews in races in the last 10 years. It would be interesting to see a jan/seals vs. hamos battle royale. - wordslinger - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:24 pm: –In evanston they also buy this garbage that Israel should give up settlements in the west bank and shouldn’t hit Iran. In Highland Park and Deerfield they don’t believe Israel should stop settlements in the West Bank…– Shore, I have no idea if you are anywhere near correct here (I assume it’s your opinion), but from my reading, public opinion and the many, many political parties in Israel are quite divided on these subjects and any number of subjects. You’re not suggesting there’s a monolithic, “Jewish” position in the 10th District, are you? - Rob_N - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:30 pm: Shore wrote, “1. People that take pride in their schools and communities don’t take pride in being someone’s 2nd choice to move up the career ladder.” If you truly believe your spin, please explain your support for Mark Kirk and his vascillations between (A) running for reelection in the 10th, (B) running for governor if Lisa Madigan didn’t or (C) running for Senate if Lisa Madigan didn’t. He chose “C” as you recall but even that wasn’t exactly his “first choice”… or maybe it was. Or not. You may also recall that he literally was calling around to leaders in Illinois and DC saying he was “in” the Senate race only hours after Madigan’s announcement. A week or so later he called the Washington Post and others to say he was “out” of the Senate race if McKenna stayed in. Then he had staffers quickly call back to say he didn’t say that (?). Then he patched things up with McKenna, embarrassing him in the process as McKenna stuck his tail between his legs, and finally publicly, officially, no-going-back announced he was running for Senate. Confusing, no? “2. People that take pride in electing thoughtful independent leaders take exception to a chicago democrat thinking that because obama was elected she can impose her values on us.” Huh? So Bush’s election meant Kirk could impose conservative values on us but the 2006 Dem Congressional takeover meant Kirk could veer left, leaving his conservative base behind, to impose on-again/off-again “moderation” only to have voters suffering whiplash as he waffles between voting for one thing then (after an earful from his conservative base) thinking about renegging on his vote? I’d rather know where someone actually stands on an issue instead of hoping Moderate Mark shows up instead of Conservative Kirk. But you seem ok with not knowing from one day to the next how your representative will actually represent you. “3. People that take pride in their belief in fiscal responsibility don’t take a liking to legislators who have called for tax hikes to make up for their failures to control spending.” I think you need to re-review Hamos’ record during the past few sessions. She has stood up to leadership and spoken out about the mess in Springfield. If, as you say, spending has been out of control please tell us where you would cut nearly $10 billion out of the state budget, and don’t say you’d cut education, social services, or humanitarian efforts because… “4. Jewish people like myself that take pride in our values of social justice and make up 20 percent of the district won’t take pride in the cuts to education that are happening under her watch or her total lack of experience on advocating for Israel.” Another poster noted your hypocrisy in both railing against revenue increases AND budget cuts. There are no money trees or pots of gold sitting around in Springfield, so voters can choose one or the other or play Solomon and split the difference. But to avoid cuts in education one needs to actually fund education. – Out There, not everyone in the 10th makes “big salaries” but several do rely on society to lend a helping hand here and there when needed. - Anonymous45 - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:32 pm: I remember approaching Rep. Hamos about an issue I was dealing with several years back by mentioning this situation could be an issue within her district and she brushed me off in a rather rude fashion…she is bright and harworking, but lacks an empathy gene as far as I can tell… - north shorer - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:32 pm: Yes, lakefront liberal, she did broker the deal for the cta. but now she wants to represent the transportation rich 10th congressional district that doesnt have the cta. the deal she brokered didnt help the CAPITAL needs of the 10th district. guess that could be an issue - Out There - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:34 pm: Thanks Rob. If she wants to run on a tax increase plank, so be it. I was just wondering. ‘t’wouldn’t be my advice to her though… - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:40 pm: Very few congressional candidates run on a tax increase plank. - Shore - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 1:58 pm: Hamos will have Springfield put on her neck and used to sink her, the same way dems spent the last 4 years trashing Kirk for d.c. As for the jewish vote. It is A LOT more conservative in the 10th than in the 9th. In the 10th jews are a lot more concerned with Israel’s national security and less concerned with government services. Kirk was a force with jewish fundraisers. http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=Q05&cycle=All&recipdetail=H&mem=Y - siriusly - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 2:00 pm: I think it matters little who Shakowsky supports. All of the local Dems I know felt burned by Seals because his campaign was so flat the second time around. He cannot count on most of his former supporters sticking with him. Seals will come in 3rd in the primary I predict. He also won’t get money this time, it will all go to Julie - because she can win. All Seals has proven is that he’s good at losing campaigns. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 2:00 pm: ===the same way dems spent the last 4 years trashing Kirk for d.c.=== In case you didn’t notice, that didn’t work. So, I’m not sure your logic holds up here. - Yellow Dog - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 2:39 pm: - Shore: Ahem…I’d be very careful with comments like this: As for the jewish vote. It is A LOT more conservative in the 10th than in the 9th. In the 10th jews are a lot more concerned with Israel’s national security and less concerned with government services. Gross stereotypes about the behavior and attitudes of one ethnic group over another are just that. “Gross” and “Stereotypes.” I’ll grant you that the 10th CD is more conservative than the 9th CD, but if you want to argue the behavior of one subset of voters, its put up (some polling data) or shut up. Moreover, at this point, Hamos’ first concern is Democratic primary voters, and how Jewish voters and independents drawn to that primary behave. IF Hamos wins the Democratic primary, I expect she will do very well among the 1 in 5 voters in the district who are Jewish, unless she faces another Jewish candidate. Contrary to popular wisdom, Mark Kirk is not as much a “pro-Israel” candidate as he was a “anti-worker” candidate. Yes, he did raise over $400,000 from pro-Israel interests. But he raised nearly $800,000 from anti-worker PACS. I’d also point out that while Kirk was the top recipient of “pro-Israel” funds in 2008, his was also one of the most expensive races, and the large sums directed his way reflect strategic giving not ideological affiliation. 14 of the Top 20 recipients in Congressional races in 2008 were Democrats, and if Hamos positions herself within their line of thinking, she should do well among national Jewish donors. Oh yeah, one of those Top 20 was Jan Schakowsky. Finally, do NOT underestimate the power of Hamos’ biography to win over Jewish voters. Her family FLED persecution from Hungary when she was just six years old. Its Moses meets Ann Frank meets Bella Abzug, and it is compelling. - north shorer - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 2:48 pm: yellow dog, I guess your description of “anti-worker” and mine are different. I consider Mark Kirk a pro-worker. He supports small business — the backbone of this country. He is a fiscal conservative, so small business can hire more workers. And i can spend more so business can produce more. Guess its just in the definition. - Rob_N - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 2:57 pm: Rich says to Shore, “I’m not sure your logic holds up here.” What do you mean just “here”? – North Shorer says, “He supports small business — the backbone of this country. He is a fiscal conservative, so small business can hire more workers.” Except when Conservative Kirk shows up with legislation to prohibit health insurance reform, thereby directly causing insurances rates to continue to climb at astronomical levels and negatively impacting small businesses with a much larger hit to the bottom line than large businesses. This means small businesses either continue taking big hits to their bottom lines, don’t hire workers because climbing insurance rates eat up labor costs (instead of actual labor), and/or drop insurance benefits altogether at risk of losing out on quality talent who then gravitate toward larger firms with more attractive benefits. …Not sure why you consider “anti-worker” and “anti-small business” positions to be “pro-worker” and “supports small business” but to each their own. Maybe your business has found some as-yet-undiscovered way of avoiding the above-mentioned benefits conundrum. If so, please let us all know because it’s impacting every other small business in the district, the state and the country. - north shorer - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 3:15 pm: Well Rob. The current “health reform” is a small business killer. It will force small businesses to limit the number of employees to 25 or less or hire contract employees to stay under the threshhold for providing insurance. The current “reforms” are no panacea to the problem. It is a partisan issue that the Democrats cant even ram through their own caucus before recess. - Conservative Veteran - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 3:29 pm: North Shorer, Rep. Kirk isn’t a fiscal conservative. He says that he opposes all congressional earmarks, but he ensured that the federal government spent at least $5 million, each, in his district, for Metra, HUD, Headstart, and local police departments. He’s a hypocrite. - Shore - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 3:47 pm: Conservative. You are confused. There are 2 kinds of money districts get that members of congress take credit for. 1 is routine grant work that the feds do. I.e. a local dance troupe applies for a 25k grant from national endowment for arts. Then there is pork where a member of congress gets money for something the feds didn’t request and that was not competed for. Unless you have worked in the process it’s very hard to tell what’s good and bad spending. Good spending headlines will read “Kirk announces 25k for dance group”, band spending will read “Rahm Emanuel secures 1.5 million for planetarium projector”. When Rich one day decides to write a book on his life and times and career, he will no doubt include little tidbits like these to help the masses better understand government. This would probably be in a chapter entitled “understanding your creepy congresscritter”. - north shorer - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 4:03 pm: kirk got money to benefit his district. money that would not have gotten to good causes without his help. Police, Transportation, Housing. Not bad. Bet he did some good for veterans too. - Quinn T. Sential - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 4:20 pm: Sorry Rich, no anti-semetic undertones intended. Jesus hiself was the king of the jews; and the christians didn’t come into fully into vogue until after the resurrection. Judas’ religious beliefs were not really relevant, and he was nothing more than an a short sighted opportunist looking to take advantage of a situation for his benefit without considering the longer term consequences. I actually think that if HAMOS wins, not at all out of the realm of possibility depending on the opposition, that the girls will gang up on Roskam and squeeze him and Biggert in together somehow anyway. Even a far left winger like Schakowsky has no interst in doing missionary work in Waukegan. - Rob_N - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 4:37 pm: North Shorer, the “small business killer” known as FMLA limits small businesses to 50 or less. It’s been established law for years now and hasn’t seemed to “kill” any small businesses yet (including, apparently, your own). Besides, the 25 employee figure is still being debated and is likely to change. Further, no one’s trying to “ram” anything through anywhere. The debate over health insurance has been a topic in Congress off and on since Truman’s Administration. More recently, the current version of the debate has been enjoined since the beginning of this session in January — that’s 7-months and counting. The problem is that private insurers are exponentially increasing their rates while continuing to cut back on services and coverage, all while reaping “strong profits” to the delight of Wall Street. The status quo is what got us to this point and none of the ill-defined GOP “proposals” (if you can even call them that) actually do anything to effectively fix the status quo. – And Conservative Veteran’s point, it seems, is that one Congressman’s “pork” is another Congressman’s “grant”. CV wouldn’t even be able to look up such grant info if it weren’t for the Dems’ imposing transparency rules on spending bills. One can’t logically both “spend” Federal money and then turn around and rail against “spending” Federal money but since when did logic stop a pol? As I recall the Republicans on the Stimulus committee engineered an oversized portion of the funds to their home states, despite having voted against Obama’s plan. And yes, several of those such projects are very worthwhile investments. (Solar panels on schools comes to mind, a program Kirk launched.) - wordslinger - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 5:08 pm: –As for the jewish vote. It is A LOT more conservative in the 10th than in the 9th. In the 10th jews are a lot more concerned with Israel’s national security and less concerned with government services. Kirk was a force with jewish fundraisers.– Dude, you’re making a statement that anyone who doesn’t support the current Likud coalition regarding settlements is not concerned with Israel’s security. It doesn’t work here, and it certainly doesn’t work in Israel. - wordslinger - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 5:15 pm: North Shore, from the Bush/Hastert era to the present, the phrase “fiscal conservative” has been inoperative. Under presidents and Congresses of both parties, we’ve been borrowing and printing money like crazy. You can argue about the reasons, but not the numbers. You can look them up. The last fiscal conservative was Clinton. You can look that up, too. - Gview - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 5:54 pm: Hamos (D) does not live in the 10th Seals (D) does not live in the 10th Bond (D) does not live in the 10th Thaler (R) lives in the 10th Cadigan (R) lives in the 10th Green (R) lives in the 10th Remember - Hamos’s key supporter is Robert Creamer - a two-time convicted felon. - wordslinger - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 5:57 pm: GView, U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section II: ==No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.– So what’s the problem? - Rob_N - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 6:14 pm: Gview, Living outside the district didn’t stop Roskam the first time he ran for Congress. It also didn’t seem to matter when the more conservative 8th elected Bean. Hamos has said she will move into the district. What else is there to say? Besides, in 2012 the district itself will change shape anyway. And “key supporter” is a pretty weak slob of mud to throw around — as if she only has a single solitary supporter in the first place. I can see the ominous commercial now… Visual: Grainy night picture of possible criminal wearing a trenchcoat in dark alley. Wisps of steam rise from storm drains. Voiceover: There once was a guy who was convicted of a bad white-collar crime who even served (emphasis) jail time (/emphasis). Visual: Translucent words “CONVICTED”, “CRIME” and “JAIL TIME” float over grainy alley shot Voiceover: This criminal is a key supporter of … Visual: Words “KEY SUPPORTER” superimposed over handcuffs Voiceover, with emphasis: Julie Hamos! Narrator: Paid for by Gview against Hamos Gview: I’m Gview and I approved this lame message. – Word, the Constitution very clearly states “he” while discussing eligibility requirements for House members. That must mean women are ineligible to hold Congressional office. (/”strict constructionist” snark) Yeah, right - Springfieldish - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 9:19 pm: Whew! Given the level of bile from Shore and Rob and the rest of Team America’s crew, it sure sounds like the 10th GOPers are a tad nervous. As well they should be. Bond carries with him a sparkling first term and real-world business expertise. Hamos brings a longer legislative resume and a compelling personal story. Take your pick. Either one can clearly win the 10th in the general election if the this lame yada yada is the best the GOP can do.. - Team America - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 9:24 pm: Springfieldish- none of us are kidding ourselves that it’s not the Dems’ seat to lose, given the voting record of the 10th. But the candidates the Dems are putting up, the baggage they carry, and the mood of the state/nation with respect to the Dems and their philosophies/values make us all hopeful that Mark Kirk will not be the last Republican Congressman from the 10th. - Gadfly - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 9:36 pm: What about that Jimmy Kirsch fella from Highland Park — he’s in the district and doesn’t have the aroma of Springfield on him. - Obamarama - Monday, Jul 27, 09 @ 11:49 pm: Team, Let’s not forget, we have a redistricting coming up after the 2010 election. The tenth congressional district could be Gutierrez’s district by then… or it could be in Carbondale… or it could be one of the seats we (as Illinoisans) lose to another state. Just sayin… (is it still ok to say that?) - Team America - Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 6:37 am: Obamarama - You’re right, of course, but I think the results of the redistricting may be a lot different depending on who holds those seats when the map is redrawn. If the 10th falls into Dem hands, there will be a greater chance that it will survive (perhaps even largely unchanged) and some other districts will be affected/consolidated (such as Biggert/Roskam), assuming the Dems are in control of the redistricting. Since we can’t predict the future, I think each party will still do a full court press to win as many districts as they can, and then we’ll see how the remap falls out. - Rob_N - Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 9:26 am: S’fieldish, I think you need to re-read my comments there bub. – TA, Sounds like you’ve come down with a case of teh hopium. Since polls still show the American people side with the Dems’ proposals (ie, “philosophies/values”) and Obama’s poll numbers still put his approvals at almost twice that of W your tea leaf readings seem a bit askew, to say the least. At least we’re not the party that refuses to call a birth certificate a birth certificate. Say, does your guy Mark Kirk think Barack Obama is a natural born citizen? It’s a yes or no question. - Team America - Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:03 am: Rob_N, I have no idea where Kirk is on the ‘birther’ issue, but I personally think it’s rather silly. It’s also unfair to paint an entire party with the broad brush of only one segment of the party–your side has your own baggage too. Yes, yes, Obama’s numbers are still better than not. But there’s a long way to go till Nov. 2010. - Obamarama - Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 10:19 am: Rob_N, as ridiculous as it sounded at first, I would love to see someone stick a microphone in front of Kirk and ask him the birther question. If he admits that the issue is complete lunacy, he further agitates the far-right (maybe?); if he makes the claim that Obama isn’t/may not be a citizen, it alienates some of the moderates who Kirk otherwise appeals to. That being said, he’ll probably dodge the issue forever. I would. - Mike - Tuesday, Jul 28, 09 @ 2:13 pm: Pat Collins: It’s not exactly true to say Seals had two good shots “in REALLY good years for Ds.” While Seals’ performance improved in 2008, not a single Illinois incumbent lost that year. That Seals was one of the many losing challengers says very little. I also don’t know where these people are who felt burned by Seals’ campaign in 2008. I live in Wheeling Township and his campaign breathed new life into our Democratic organization, as well as that of Palatine Township. We have a large number of new people participating now, thanks to the Seals campaign pulling them in. Without an incumbent to run against, I even think Seals could WIN Wheeling Township this time around. I like Hamos, but I plan on supporting Seals. Hamos’ path to running for the 10th is not unlike Kirk’s path to running for the Senate. Originally she was going to run for attorney general, which would have been a good fit for her, but now here she is running for the 10th since Madigan is running for re-election. It strikes me as someone who has simply decided her current position is too small for her, and wants to move up for the sake of moving up. That’s not someone I can believe in. Dan Seals, while, yes, running for the third time, has never struck me as an opportunist any of the times I’ve met him. Granted, it will be part of his campaign’s challenge to portray that to the many voters who HAVEN’T met him, but I fully believe his running again is motivated by a dedication to serving the community, not opportunism. It’s true that he does not live in the district, but unlike Hamos and Bond, he has close ties to the district. His kids go to school in the 10th, and I believe his wife works in the 10th. Personally, I don’t care too much if someone doesn’t quite live in the district, so long as they’re close (Seals and Bond are, Hamos is not), and so long as they have ties to and experience in the district (Seals does, Hamos and Bond do not). Finally, when I checked the Seals website today to see if he had anything to say about Hamos running, I saw some very interesting numbers which will go a long way toward helping him win this primary: “Of [10th district Democrats], 70% have a favorable view of him, 15% are neutral, and just 3% have a negative view of him.” All that said, both Hamos and Bond are respectable candidates, and I will support either of them if Seals loses the primary. Until then, I will be volunteering for Seals, and I know many of the Democrats in Wheeling and Palatine Township will as well. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.