36 Comments - wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 7:56 am: Kinzinger would really shake things up in the GOP gov. primary. On paper, he has the makings of a very formidable Illinois statewide GOP candidate. Young, handsome Air Force Major, Main Street Partnership, not extreme right by today’s standards. He even beat up a mugger who attacked a woman with a knife on the streets. You could make some swell TV spots with him. No wonder the Club for Growth hates him. If Kinzinger gets in, Farmer Bruce better get that big checkbook ready to bankroll some front group to do his dirty work for him like he did against Schock. - Lil Squeezy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 9:47 am: Steve Kim??? I do not see what that gains Rutherford. - walkinfool - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 10:24 am: Kim’s not bad, but Rutherford could have done better. The interesting one will be with Rauner. - None of the Above - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 10:36 am: Kim was demolished in his race for AG. I do not see what he brings to the ticket. - Raising Kane - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 10:38 am: Jil Tracy is a good choice for Dillard. Steve Kim is a very underwhelming choice for Rutherford. He needed better. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 10:44 am: You can’t make a case for Kim? Successful businessman, community leader, immigrant living the American Dream? At least he had the guts to make a run against Lisa. All the alleged big-hitters in the party were scared to death of her and wouldn’t make a move until she made her intentions known. Politics is a game of addition, something the Illinois GOP has forgotten in recent years. - Just Observing - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 10:47 am: === At least he had the guts to make a run against Lisa. === He was a sacrificial lamb, and didn’t have much to lose. It’s not like he had to give up a seat in the GA to run against her. - Just Observing - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 10:50 am: I too don’t really get the Steve Kim pick. It would be interesting to know what the Asian vote is in Illinois, particularly in a GOP primary. It may also mean an influx of money from the Asian community as they are sorely underrepresented in Illinois politics. But still… Steve Kim’s highest office was Township Trustee (the most worthless form of government in Illinois). - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 11:01 am: To ‘Dave’ Kim, ‘Mike’ Kim … Whew! Glad I waited for this. Probably the laziest “token” put-up in recent history. Kim raised no money last time, had no organization to build upon for this, and how many times have we all laughed about having to “search engine” Lisa Madigan’s last opponents? While Steve Kim might be a “nice guy”, Steve Kim proved to be a horrible candidate last time, even for a ‘token’ candidate for Lisa Madigan… To that, very specifically to Steve Kim… I like to see diversity in My Party, I beg for it, but if you compare the Dan Rutherford v. Jesse White run… and the Pat Quinn v. George Ryan run… then use those two to compare ‘Dave’ Kim, ‘Mike’ Kim to Lisa Madigan … I mean, it is not even a run at Lisa Madigan compared to those two, it was a “walk, bordering a crawl” against Lisa. At some point, Steve Kim has to be judged by what he brings to a candidate… as a former candidate… and this was not a stellar choice for right out of the gate. To top it off, Rutherford makes that Dopey Twitter angle look amateurish, and makes Kim look like a novelty that can be dragged to the dance via Twitter for some “hits” on the Twitter. Who is captaining this ship for Rutherford? No ‘Base of operation’ for Steve Kim, no regional appeal that has been measured with electoral success, and a complete lack of governmental experience that make Bruce Rauner seemed qualified. To that point, how is Rutherford going to hammer Rauner with a “lack of exeprience” when his own #2 has the same experience, and Rutherford Tweets how lucky the state would be if Steve Kim had to take over… “Treasurer Rutherford, you say I am not qualified and lack understanding, would you say the same about your LG choice?”, mocks Clouter Rauner. You gave Rauner his “out”, and gave him cover on the experience front. Well done. So … @FakeLisaMadigan - Rats! I was looking forward to a rematch! #LightweightLG-LightweightCandidate @FakeBruceRauner - Nothing like inoculating me, @FakeBruceRauner, by choosing someone to take over for you that is less qualified than me! #NoRecordDoesntBeatNoRecord @FakeRutherfordDan - wait for Dan’s Super-Secret message next, it will not disappoint #DrinkYourOvaltine #AChristmasStory To Jil Tracy, Regional appeal that none of the other 3 can point to to as a base, therefore expanding the reach of Dillard. Electoral experiences, that include winning, a financial piggy bank for Dillard, and a seemingly workable partner that makes sense and still keeps Rauner off-base, and can define Rauner far better by her own image and presence. One more thing… Jil Tracy and Steve Kim need to be attack dogs, that is part of the role, being “bad cop” so the Top Dog can stay above and be “good cop”. Can either do that, time will tell… - shore - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 11:26 am: Kim is underwhelming. Kinzinger does not seem polished enough for the big job and faces opponents with decades of ties around the state. You want to give up a safe house seat for that? no. that dillard video with him wearing a football jersey was awkward, barely audible and weird. wordslinger your relentless optimism should be lauded by all people on all sides. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 11:41 am: Ok, some positives for Steve Kim; Kim gives Rutherford a running mate that can focus on Chicago/Cook and energize not only the Asian community, but Kim can be a strong working partner in the Chicago/Cook community for outreach. Kim can not be in an office, Kim needs to be out, and out trying to put together the aparatus necessary to have a strong GOTV/Election Day. Using the Brady/Dillard 193 votes, “all votes matter” banner, Kim can use his presence in Chicago/Cook to try to keep Dillard/Tracy off-balance, while Dan can focus his energies elsewhere, and Kim can bring to Chicago/Cook areas that are usually untouched the “education” aspect of the Payton Prep Clouter in Chicago/Cook, especially, and very specifically, in areas where Rauner is not going to be too visable. Further, Kim makes the choice for Bill Brady more interesting, given Brady and Rutherford share a region, and Dillard/Tracy can try to cement a foothold in the Quincy Region. Kim forces the hand, just a very small bit, of Brady, due to regional politics. Finally, Steve Kim is a nice guy, and can speak and do well on TV unlike some who have faced Phil Ponce. Being able to be articulate on TV, and reinforcing the narrative necessary to Rutherford to get out tof this primary, and do it well in Cook, might be Kim’s biggest asset, if they allow Kim to take the usual role of a #2 as “attack dog”, making the case, and doing it in areas of Chicago/Cook that make the biggest difference; the areas usually ignored. The “other shoe” of the Steve Kim pick … - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 12:09 pm: You know, yesterday would have been a great time to turn the corner and bury it from our memories, but instead we get D LARD everywhere. Well, except for the irrelevant football jersey. - Highland, Il - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 12:43 pm: Can’t believe Jason is still available. - Fan - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 1:22 pm: Tracy is a great choice for Dillard. 1st rule…do no harm. Done. She will be a net gain for Kirk downstate and he can handle the Chicago area. Great job! - Quincy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 1:31 pm: Yes Tracy a real chicago’n now she only a joke and like I said before she voted for every retirement bill that has ever come up to cut our benefits as retirees. A NO VOTE FOR Dillard OR Her - wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 1:39 pm: What’s with D-Lard and the George McAfee jersey? Don’t see many of those. At least football’s back after a long, lost baseball summer up north. Great road wins by NIU and Northwestern on Saturday. Salukis threw quite a scare into the Illini. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 1:59 pm: “Politics is a game of addition, something the Illinois GOP has forgotten in recent years.” Bingo. As to anyone knocking Jil Tracy? Jil > Sheila Simon in 2010. More experience and better performance in both the public and private sectors. - Quincy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 2:51 pm: The only way tracy got into office in the first was because chuck scholz had to drop out do to a bad illness. What experience did she have before becoming a state rep A BIG FAT O. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 3:11 pm: - Quincy -, Welp, she has the experience … now. And, she is the choice of someone to possibly be the Lt. Governor of Illinois. I am pretty sure, no, I know … She was elected in 2006, and re-elected State Representative in the 2008, 2010, and 2012. Further… She was recently appointed as one of the 10 House and Senate members to serve on the Conference Committee On Pension Reform. So, I guess House Leadership thinks pretty highly of her… And … She was one of 21 House members selected to serve on the Investigative Impeachment Committee in December, 2008, with newly minted Minority Leader-Elect Jim Durkin… So, for someone who had ..what was it … “A BIG FAT 0.”, Jil Tracy has made an impression as a leader, as intellegent on issues, and someone her collegues believed would serve the state well in the impeachment of Blago… Other than that… Knock her on the issues, her stances, however you want to honestly measure someone with her background, but otherwise it just sounds like sour grapes and drive-bys… Dope. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 3:39 pm: I was going to reply, but shall instead leave it at this: What @OswegoWilly said. Well put, as usual. - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 3:53 pm: Well said, Willy. From where I sit, this is the best move D LARD has made to date. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 4:12 pm: - Formerly Known As… - & - AA -, Thanks. To - AA -’s point, Dillard was able to check off some significant boxes when choosing a LG; Regional base that can been seen with electoral success. Financial asset, (no pun inteneded, honest), not a money liability in the running of the LG. A resume that can been seen and debated, but also respected. If it were me, and no one is asking, Jil Tracy needs to focus on two things as the LG running mate. She needs to focus on what makes Dillard the best choice, but pointing out the glaring differences between Dillard and Rauner in the Republican prism, and Tracy needs to do all she can, organizationally, in the Quincy region to solidify support that the other 3 can not get by not having a “native son” from Quincy as a running mate. If you are not Hurting, you are Helping … If you are not Helping …you are Hurting. Cover her own base, be the attack dog with Rauner’s faux GOP credentials as the prism … add her resume, and all above … good start for a ticket. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 4:17 pm: Sorry! Adding … Focus on the Primary. Get out of the Primary, all I have stated relates directly to a Primary run. Any candidate that has a primary fight and wins need to re-calibrate AFTER you get through the primary. Focus on the fight in front of you, not what is …possibly … ahead of even that. Apologies for the addition. - Bryan Engelbrecht - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 6:02 pm: Lite Guvs?? Must be the governors with more taste, yet less filling. - low level - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 7:28 pm: Kitzinger - he would give up a safe seat in the U.S. House, as part of the majority party (thru the next cycle at least in all likelihood - as much as it pains me to admit that, thanks to GOP gerrymanders in OH and the south) / word is leadership likes him a great deal - he’d give all that up for the slim chance to become Lt. Gov? I guess I can understand a Jil Tracy giving up seat to try - but Congressman Kitzinger? Can’t see why he’d do that. - J. Nolan - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 7:37 pm: Oswego Willy - I don’t quite understand your dislike of the Steve Kim pick. I think that Chicago has a bit more folks than the Quincy area. With all the work that Dan has put into the minority community this only solidifies that work especially with the Asian community. Dan now has the potential to break into an untapped volunteer army of Asian Americans in the Chicagoland area even for the primary. Is the non rebel rousing, establishment Jil Tracy (not a bad pick by any means) going to be able to generate that kind of help in the west central Illinois area? I doubt it. - Quincy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 7:56 pm: J Nolan its called tracy money. Dillard is using tracy money here to try and win down state - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 8:01 pm: - J Nolan -, To your question, My criteria for a #2 is stated pretty clearly; Regional Base - looking back at Kim’s “crawl” for AG, Kim formulated no base. Even in Chicago/Cook. There is also no electoral success that can be seen by Kim’s run, of the carrying of that success for Rutherford to BUILD on. Financial asset - do we need to hash out the financials Kim had when he “crawled” against Lisa? What is going to make me think Kim adds monies? Time will tell. Resume - At best, it’s the same idea-driven resume as Rauner. So, what uniqueness is Steve Kim, and further, you just gave Rauner’s resume instant credibility. Not wise, The rest, I will let my earlier posts stand alone and speak for myself. Nothing has changed for me to look at this Kim pick any differently. If you have even more direct questions to my thoughts, ask away, but, I think with what I tried to clarify with this post, and all I stated before, I like my case for ‘Dave’ Kim not being a wise pick. For everyone who gets a kick out of using the “search engine” to remember Lisa’s opponents AND think this is a good pick… think about that duality and tell me Steve Kim is still a fair pick. - J Nolan -, with respect… - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 8:04 pm: - Quincy -, Since bringing money to the table is one of the 3 criteria I had, then Tracy is holding her end up of the bargain. Thanks for seeing that! - J. Nolan - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 8:26 pm: Ohh and didn’t Dan get clobbered by Jesse White and look where he is now? A race as sacrificial lamb against him or Madigan is not a good judgment. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 8:31 pm: - J Nolan -, Dan got beat, learned, raised money, gained credit in the Illinois Senate, and built a following. Steve Kim, not so much. I can’t remember having to “search engine” Jesse White’s opponent Dan Rutherford, but ‘Dave’ Kim, many here still have to remind ourselves who were Lisa’s opponents. - J. Nolan - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 9:39 pm: Steve Kim also is not running for Governor..and it is one less cycle.. Oh and Steve did not have an office to fall back on. Apples and oranges. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 9:47 pm: ===Steve Kim also is not running for Governor.=== Steve is running for LG, meaning, if needed, Steve Kim would have to fill in or be … Governor. So, when you run for LG, you are… running for the qualifications of Governor, just not the office. You made the last point about Dan getting clobbered … and what did Dan run for next? Treasurer, not hearbeat away from being the Governor of the 5th largest state. ===Oh and Steve did not have an office to fall back on. Apples and oranges.=== I don’t get that. Two years ago, there was an election, for House and Senate, heck, they were … all … up. Steve Kim is underwhelming … at best. He is. - fake county chairman - Tuesday, Sep 3, 13 @ 9:57 pm: Expect Randy Freese to to be appointed to to her seat .I respect his choice lots of mullah and can respect her business connections.A good counter to RAUNERS millions.Look where RAY LAHOOD ended up at with her help. - Dil Lard - Wednesday, Sep 4, 13 @ 1:29 am: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KTtUbzYDzB0 - low level - Wednesday, Sep 4, 13 @ 8:50 am: Dan was fortunate and/or wise to be running for Treasurer in a very bad year for Democrats. That’s why he won that office. I agree with OW on Kim. However, if he is able to tap into an Asian American base of some sort, good for him. I can’t see it happening, however. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.