A suburban congressional candidate who’s stressed the need for fiscal restraint lost a condominium to foreclosure last October, the same month he announced his bid for office, court records show.
Joe Walsh, the Winnetka Republican running against Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean in the 8th House District, used to own a condominium on the 1400 block of Sherman Avenue near downtown Evanston. The two-bedroom unit went into foreclosure in 2008 and Walsh was evicted last fall, Cook County circuit court records and real-estate reports indicate. […]
Walsh now opposes abortion and a weapons ban, but he didn’t when he first ran for Congress in 1996. Earlier this year, he told the Daily Herald his views on abortion changed after a spiritual journey, and he shifted on gun control after being “educated” on the issue.
He also said he had a more liberal stance on gay rights in 1996 “because I was running in Evanston, Ill.,” a reference to the largely left-leaning city.
Cook County President Todd Stroger has quit his post as Democratic committeeman in Chicago’s 8th Ward, and he all but announced his retirement from politics after today’s County Board meeting.
“I’m going to continue to be involved in public service,” Stroger said, “but I won’t be running for office any time soon.”
Quitting the committeeman position was more than symbolic, as Stroger’s father, John Stroger, built the 8th Ward Democratic organization into his political power base as he became the county’s first black president.
Ald. Michelle Harris is taking over the committeeman’s job. More on Stroger…
A Sneed spotter claims since his election loss, outgoing Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has become a fixture at the East Bank Club. “I guess he doesn’t need to be bothered by his current job,” said the Sneed source.
* It will be interesting to see how the editorial boards handle these interviews today…
Illinois Democratic Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias will face the editorial boards of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday to answer questions about his connections to his family-owned troubled Broadway Bank.
Giannoulias, the state treasurer, has to factor into his campaign the potential for the bank to fail in the coming weeks as his GOP rival Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.), makes the Giannoulias tenure at the bank as a loan officer a central part of his campaign. On Tuesday, the Kirk campaign sent out a memo titled, “Mounting questions surrounding Alexi Giannoulias’ risky lending practices take center stage in Illinois Senate race.”
* So far, the only applicants for lt. governor are people who haven’t done much in politics. Here’s a coverage roundup…
* Sen. Kirk Dillard talks about the ongoing vote-counting process. Not much new here, but take a look if you get the chance…
* I don’t write about it much, but some of you know that my wife is an Assyrian from Iraq. Mark Brown has an interesting read today on how the Christian exiles/immigrants are not pleased with the voting venue for Iraq elections this year…
One of the little tricks of the old Chicago Democratic Machine was to screw around with the polling places in areas where the opposition was expected to run strongest by moving them to locations that would tend to discourage voters from turning out.
Strange, but that’s exactly what some members of Chicago’s Iraqi community say has been done to them in advance of their national parliamentary elections, the balloting for which opens here Friday.
The one and only Chicago area polling place for Iraqis living in the U.S. is located inside a martial arts studio in the back corner of an out-of-the-way Glenview industrial park with no access via public transportation and limited parking.
And when I wrote “exiles” I meant exactly that. My wife’s family home was bombed three times and a Muslim gang demanded that they hand over my brother-in-law so he could be martyred for their cause. They finally left for Syria, obtained UN refugee status and are now in Finland, of all places.
I guess Joe Walsh could fit in with the 111 other GOP Congressmen and Senators who rail on and on about spending in Washington, but then are there for the photo-ops when the ‘bacon’ is brought home to their districts.
Birds of a feather ….
It will be fascinating to see if the Ed Boards take off the kid gloves with Alexi or they just give him a pass.
He’ll blame Bush for the bank failing, he’ll say the bad loans weren’t his fault, he’ll say it’s old news because he’s been gone for years…
And he’ll probabaly be allowed to leave it at that and go on his merry way.
Meanwhile, Alexi is getting his hatchet men/women on board to throw every red herring accusation at Kirk they can think of, but they will claim that his record as a failed banker is now a settled issue.
I wonder if they’ll find a clip of Harold Washington criticizing Kirk?
Joe Walsh–a fraudulent weasel. He deserves to lose. I guess life hasn’t been good to him so long…
On the headline about the oddball Lt Gov candidates, it’s quite incorrect and misleading. It might have freaked out Card George a bit, too. Attending some classes at (and subsequently dropping out of) a secular university’s divinity school is hardly the same as preparation for being a priest. Bad headline by the media.
Secondly, I am amazed at the disregard the IL Dems are showing to the voting rank and file by possibly choosing out of left field the Lt Gov candidate for the party. Utter disregard for the party’s voters.
I am sorry for your wife’s family’s suffering. One thing that has been quite neglected throughout the undertaking of the Iraq war is the safety of Christians. Godspeed to them.
Alexi has already answered questions from the Sun-Times Editorial Board about his role at Broadway. Rich linked to the video on Monday, but I think the video was shot before the primary vote.
I think Alexi handles the questions just fine. I’d like to see more of the video though.
Alexi has repeatedly said he would address Broadway questions after the primary if indeed he did win the election. I don’t know what new questions could be asked.
I don’t mind touching on the Broadway questions, but I’d really like to know more about Alexi’s ideas for job creation. He’s sitting on an unrealized gain with Broadway Bank if he really wants to answer every question about Broadway by bringing up “too big to fail” and how banks like Broadway can never compete with investment banks that are permitted to transition into bank holding companies and consistently granted extensions on their capital reserve requirements.
That’s like giving an extra 50 million in free payroll to the Yankees to argue it is necessary to draw more viewers to watch the evil empire potentially lose.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 11:11 am:
brave would have been to run to the editorial boards BEFORE the primary. to do it now, is well, um, just necessary.
I am glad your wife’s family is safe, Rich. It makes my blood boil when I hear of these kinds of things whether they happen here or elsewhere. People shed their blood in some countries in order to vote while here in the US, 1/2 of those eligible don’t even bother to register. I admire those in Iraq, and elsewhere, who understand that liberty is precious.
Rich,
Finland has a long history of hospitality towards displaced persons, as long as you are not a gypsy. I am not surprised that they are accepting families from that war torn area.
It has a very humane social net and I hope that allows her family to recover quickly.
- train111 - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 10:38 am:
I guess Joe Walsh could fit in with the 111 other GOP Congressmen and Senators who rail on and on about spending in Washington, but then are there for the photo-ops when the ‘bacon’ is brought home to their districts.
Birds of a feather ….
train111
- Adam Smith - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 10:42 am:
It will be fascinating to see if the Ed Boards take off the kid gloves with Alexi or they just give him a pass.
He’ll blame Bush for the bank failing, he’ll say the bad loans weren’t his fault, he’ll say it’s old news because he’s been gone for years…
And he’ll probabaly be allowed to leave it at that and go on his merry way.
Meanwhile, Alexi is getting his hatchet men/women on board to throw every red herring accusation at Kirk they can think of, but they will claim that his record as a failed banker is now a settled issue.
I wonder if they’ll find a clip of Harold Washington criticizing Kirk?
- Peggy SO-IL - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 10:45 am:
Joe Walsh–a fraudulent weasel. He deserves to lose. I guess life hasn’t been good to him so long…
On the headline about the oddball Lt Gov candidates, it’s quite incorrect and misleading. It might have freaked out Card George a bit, too. Attending some classes at (and subsequently dropping out of) a secular university’s divinity school is hardly the same as preparation for being a priest. Bad headline by the media.
Secondly, I am amazed at the disregard the IL Dems are showing to the voting rank and file by possibly choosing out of left field the Lt Gov candidate for the party. Utter disregard for the party’s voters.
I am sorry for your wife’s family’s suffering. One thing that has been quite neglected throughout the undertaking of the Iraq war is the safety of Christians. Godspeed to them.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 10:47 am:
===I am sorry for your wife’s family’s suffering.===
Nothing to be sorry for, but thanks. Their personal dignity has been a constant source of inspiration.
- siriusly - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 10:49 am:
Giannoulias running straight into the editorial boards to talk about the bank is either brave or stupid.
- Carl Nyberg - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 11:09 am:
Joe Walsh doesn’t live in the district. And he got evicted. How did he win the GOP primary?
Doesn’t anybody do opposition research anymore?
- Brennan - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 11:09 am:
Alexi has already answered questions from the Sun-Times Editorial Board about his role at Broadway. Rich linked to the video on Monday, but I think the video was shot before the primary vote.
http://www.southtownstar.com/video/index.html?pid=cOKAVd1uIzpWAV_21qOGtiMEKNuDvgtE
I think Alexi handles the questions just fine. I’d like to see more of the video though.
Alexi has repeatedly said he would address Broadway questions after the primary if indeed he did win the election. I don’t know what new questions could be asked.
I don’t mind touching on the Broadway questions, but I’d really like to know more about Alexi’s ideas for job creation. He’s sitting on an unrealized gain with Broadway Bank if he really wants to answer every question about Broadway by bringing up “too big to fail” and how banks like Broadway can never compete with investment banks that are permitted to transition into bank holding companies and consistently granted extensions on their capital reserve requirements.
That’s like giving an extra 50 million in free payroll to the Yankees to argue it is necessary to draw more viewers to watch the evil empire potentially lose.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 11:11 am:
brave would have been to run to the editorial boards BEFORE the primary. to do it now, is well, um, just necessary.
- dupage dan - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 1:19 pm:
I am glad your wife’s family is safe, Rich. It makes my blood boil when I hear of these kinds of things whether they happen here or elsewhere. People shed their blood in some countries in order to vote while here in the US, 1/2 of those eligible don’t even bother to register. I admire those in Iraq, and elsewhere, who understand that liberty is precious.
- Hack - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 1:47 pm:
Rich,
Finland has a long history of hospitality towards displaced persons, as long as you are not a gypsy. I am not surprised that they are accepting families from that war torn area.
It has a very humane social net and I hope that allows her family to recover quickly.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 1:49 pm:
===It has a very humane social net ===
You’d think so, but it’s not nearly what we thought it would be.
- I'm just saying - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 2:53 pm:
I find it funny to See walsh whining about the media and Melissa Bean on another website, Bean 60: Walsh 40………
- Hack - Wednesday, Mar 3, 10 @ 3:14 pm:
Sorry to see that, its been a while since I was there sad that things have changed.