39 Comments - Sugar Corn - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 9:33 am: Good, authentic ad for a good, authentic man. - Amalia - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 9:36 am: A Great commercial that should be a lesson to Democrats. BTW, do the Dems have another opponent for McAuliffe? - Retired Educator - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 9:43 am: Good intro for the upcoming campaign. Manar works hard for his district, and the State of Illinois. I don’t see McMillan having much of a chance no matter the amount of money spent. Manar is well liked by Democrats, and Republicans in his district. - The Captain - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 9:43 am: My expectation about this race has always been that it would have some early spending followed by polling that doesn’t show it moving enough to keep spending there. Manar is a Democrat in a Republican district but he’s one of those that should be locally popular enough to overcome the natural partisan leanings of his district, just like McAuliffe up north. I’d bet that the spending here lightens up and Manar coasts by 5 or more. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 9:45 am: Manar is the goods. What he’s got, the Dems wish they could bottle it, because he sure can sell it. We’re going to hear more from this Downstate kid, and I don’t mean just a postcard. Future governor, senator, no doubt. He’s got a Javy Baez ceiling, without the Ks. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 9:56 am: ==Future governor, senator, no doubt.== Unless he gets boxed out by all the other young Dem talent (Bustos and Stratton, mostly). - City Zen - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:05 am: Best to spend that JB money before others in the Democratic Heartland get a hold of it. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:10 am: You can’t teach authenticity and character, and you can’t try and exude either without truly having it within you. Manar is a natural. - Every Dem - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:13 am: DCCC should call Manar and ask him how he does what he does. I don’t know how he does it in his district. But this ad captures it. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:14 am: –Unless he gets boxed out by all the other young Dem talent (Bustos and Stratton, mostly).– And Mendoza. They’ve all got the goods. Strangely enough, none of them feel the need to wear a pineapple suit to feed their sad narcissism. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:16 am: Directly to the ad itself, The flip side is that the “no budget, no pay” is a phony pandering, and something Manar probably could do without and while exuding the traits I mentioned above, that drop in is disappointing. The images, top shelf, and his narration exudes all I mentioned above too. Drop the “no budget, no pay” - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:16 am: Andy votes for gun owners’ rights, so it would be extremely difficult for him to win a statewide Dem primary. - The Captain - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:16 am: === Strangely enough, none of them feel the need to wear a pineapple suit to feed their sad narcissism. === I think that’s right but I would support sending them a pineapple suit just to see what happens. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:17 am: ===sad narcissism.=== Huh, I thought he spelled it S-O-S-N-O-W-S-K-I. - Under Influenced.... - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:27 am: Solid first ad. Roots him in his small town in rural Illinois and doesn’t throw too much at the listener. Simple, yet effective. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:28 am: ==Andy votes for gun owners’ rights, so it would be extremely difficult for him to win a statewide Dem primary.== Eh, they got Frerichs to flip on abortion. No one cares about the Treasurer, though, lol. - SaulGoodman - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:32 am: **Eh, they got Frerichs to flip on abortion.** Frerichs was also able to clear the field. That’s a LOT harder to do in a US Senate or Governor race. - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:44 am: Drop the no budget no pay? Talk about out of touch OW. Look at the polling on that issue and get back to us Most Illinois residents have lost faith in the GA because they don’t see them addressing Illinois problems, just working to get re-elected. The fact he is refuses a pension is also a huge plus. - walker - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:51 am: “”none of them feel the need to wear a pineapple suit to feed their sad narcissism.”" Clever, but gratuitous and off-topic. Not up to your usual standard. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:51 am: ===Drop the no budget no pay? Talk about out of touch=== It’s unconstitutional. ===Look at the polling on that issue and get back to us=== Polling and following the law, it explains a lot that understanding my objection is lost in you. - Anon - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:58 am: –You can’t teach authenticity and character, and you can’t try and exude either without truly having it within you. Is that right? -Manar is a natural. He’s a natural something. That’s for sure. Here’s what I see: I see a guy that’s been grooming himself for big political plans his whole life. Mayor at 25? County Board Chair in his 30s. Worked for the Democratic machine locally as a kid and for the State Dems not long after growing out of being a kid. It’s not a natural skill, it’s a cultivated 20 year practiced skill. I mean his Wikipedia page says his occupation is a teacher, but I’m pretty sure he’s a career politician and not a teacher. If he spent his career in a classroom and was a politician second, I would be more included to agree that he’s a natural. But he’s not, he’s just a politician spending good money on excellent marketing. The only thing the video was missing was a dog. I see favorable quotes used by a local publication, whose writer took out a contract under Manar’s chairmanship for a previous local publishing business that defaulted and the full loan was never recovered. I see guy that quotes accomplishments (like decreasing the County Board) that had negligible fiscal impact but substantial personal political impact. And I see a guy that is more impressed with protecting his friends that fixing his messes based on local history. He’s going to win by a landslide, but he’s a total Transmetropolitan “Smiler” if you’re a fan of Warren Ellis. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 11:13 am: ===He’s going to win by a landslide=== His 20 years of preparing him for his next opportunities and making the most of those opportunities, that’s not partisan or easy. If it were, officials like Manar would be a dime a dozen is skill and talent, winning districts that seem to lean for the other party. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 11:14 am: Your dad labored? Watching him labor “shaped” you? LOL Sorry man, watching isn’t doing, even if you’re related to the labkrer. …patronize much? - MissingG - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 11:14 am: Turn down that acoustic guitar. It’s distracting - LOL - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 11:18 am: Third election now that Andy Manar has said he cut Macoupin County board members pay. Anybody ever both to ask him by how much? - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 11:29 am: “Sweat” is the title of this ad? Being sweated on, isn’t the same as actually sweating, Andy. Rauner wears work clothes, but you know real people who sweat in them? Wow, you’re so authentic. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 11:46 am: VMan: If you had any idea who Andy Manar actually is you wouldn’t be making such ridiculous comments. - City Zen - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 11:50 am: ==Third election now that Andy Manar has said he cut Macoupin County board members pay. Anybody ever both to ask him by how much?== In 2007, Macoupin County board had 26 county board members, including 2 chairman (of which Manar was one). In 2012, Manar’s last year on the board, there are still 26 total. In 2013, after Manar left, that number was reduced to 17 and continued with only one chairman. Is Manar taking credit for right-sizing only after he left office? Not sure. Whether or not pay was reduced, you can see for yourself at the link below. But while Manar’s “base” pay as chairman went down for a couple of years, he claimed more “other” pay and his final salary was the highest it ever was (at least in the database): https://data.macoupincountyil.gov/d/mdwe-sxya/visualization - Anon - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 12:37 pm: ==Anon @10:58 It’s good to see you finally admit you aren’t not going to beat him. You have a candidate who has a past that a guy like Manar will deconstruct with very simple things like words and complete sentences on the campaign trail. McMillan is unhinged and untested. He’s a potential disaster for you so much it could take out Rodney Davis and a list of local Republicans as collateral damage. Manar is going to make you pay for McMillan. - Anon - 10:38 - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 12:53 pm: Anon 12:37, You assume I’m some sort of Republican. Incorrect. I support the Democratic Party, but I require those that I support in the Democratic Party to have integrity vs pandering to animals and kids to win votes. I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, and he certainly talks one hell of a game, but you look at what he’s done locally on a political level that isn’t airbrushed or spun and you don’t have much more than a nice guy that has a lot of political power whose willing to do or say anything to climb the next political ladder step. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 12:54 pm: ==Clever, but gratuitous and off-topic. Not up to your usual standard.== That sounds negative. I’m fragile, so please be careful. Meh, when I worked at Standard it was fillerup, wipe the windshield, check the oil. Been a while since I was up to that. - Publius - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:11 pm: Two thumbs up - Truth Squad - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:19 pm: Andy Manar doesn’t have an authentic bone in his body. - Taylorville Native - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:33 pm: Looks like Seth McMillan is spending lots of time on the blog today. - Uncle Ernie - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:51 pm: Good starter ad…good candidate, the Dems need more of them. - LowRider - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 2:18 pm: ** Andy votes for gun owners’ rights, so it would be extremely difficult for him to win a statewide Dem primary ** LOL, not really. He threw us under the bus on the 72 hour waiting period, and skipped out on gun dealer licensing. - JS Mill - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 2:27 pm: Manar seems to be opposed to local control with his position on property taxes. His work on ed funding reform was nice but did not amount to much in terms of actually increasing funding for many schools. His focus was always on schools in low income communities, which sounds noble but it is the middle class schools that more often struggle with finding du to the way the poverty grant works. I have talked to him a number of times and found him to be articulate and intelligent but, with respect to some of the others posting here, I don’t think he is quite “the goods” and he is as much a politician as anyone meaning I see him as more of a mixed bag. - A guy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 3:44 pm: == He threw us under the bus on the 72 hour waiting period, and skipped out on gun dealer licensing.== Keep talkin’ like that and he will win statewide. Q: If you throw a hardcore ISRA guy under the bus, is he then considered to be an IED? A: ? - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 5:09 pm: I have seen this ad a zillion times this afternoon. Holy Cow. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.