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Friday Topinka blogging
Friday, Mar 10, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * We used to have a regular feature at the dawn of this blog called “Friday Topinka blogging.” I’d post an image of our then-state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and the far-right trolls would come out of the woodwork to fight with the normies. The far-right hated her because she was a pro-choice woman who favored gay rights and they lost their ever-loving minds when she took over the Illinois Republican Party. Good times. But the game got old after the trolls scurried elsewhere and I literally ran out of online photos to post (the Internet wasn’t as all-encompassing back then). The cameras loved her and she always obliged… 
* I bring this up because Rep. Jackie Haas delivered a speech on the House floor this week to commemorate International Women’s Day and honor Judy Baar. It’s worth a watch, even for you newbies who never had the opportunity to meet JBT… There will never be anyone else like her.
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- phocion - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:38 am:
God I miss her.
- Proud Papa Bear - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:41 am:
One of my great regrets is having voted for Blago instead of her.
- Curious citizen - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:42 am:
Back in the 90s I was writing sports for a weekly newspaper in rural western IL; I also had a column in the paper and one week I wrote something critical about her. She responded and I ran that in a follow-up and forgot about it.
When my mom passed away months later, I got a sympathy card from JBT. That was the person she was.
- Homebody - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:42 am:
I can’t imagine someone like her having any future in the ILGOP if she started her career today.
- Cubs in '16 - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:43 am:
A moderate who can embrace values aligned with the opposing party. Those are becoming almost non-existent in today’s political climate.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:44 am:
===having any future===
Yeah. I mean, she publicly offered to be the flower girl at gay weddings.
- Just Another Anon - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:44 am:
I miss JBT. Such a kind woman. If it wasn’t for that damn polka ad with George Ryan, things might have been different and IL would have been spared Rod B.
- JS Mill - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:45 am:
JBT- My kind of ILGOP.
- frayedcat - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:51 am:
Proud Papa Bear, my regret is voting green because I could not vote for her or blagojevich, as you said should have voted for he
- Occasionally Moderated - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:56 am:
This made my day.
She was the best.
It is not a direct comparison in any way but to me Susana Mendoza carries the same kind of genuineness.
- Give Me A Break - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 9:59 am:
When I was at a state agency she once called me for some assistance with an issue. She called me around 4:00 on a Friday afternoon.
First she said, “sorry to bother you” and then she said, “I’ve got to talk fast the Friday garage sales will be starting soon”.
They won’t ever make another JBT, they broke the mold when she was created. Love her.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:02 am:
I’ve now seen Rep. Haas’ speech a couple times. It touched me thinking of jbt and her history in this state she so loved.
I’ll leave to others who knew her very well to give the real stories instead of typing here the known. it’s also very easy to recognize that jbt had so so many friends, you can’t run into someone with any knowledge of state government that doesn’t have a story, and each is unique because jbt treated each and every person the same, but in that sameness gave each and every person what she could to them and their own needs.
She was partisan, but not arguably angry so.
She was self effacing, she gave and spread credit for accomplishments, never taking more of the spotlight from whom she saw as the stars. She was socially moderate, but one can say jbt was socially conscious of the anger and bias of others that needed to not only be pushed back but pushed beyond to make Illinois better.
I’d put jbt up with Big Jim as two who loved this state like no others would or could. All of Illinois, all of her people, every region, race, lot in life, she loved Illinois for what it was and could be, striving always for a better Illinois.
Her laugh was contagious, her smile warmed the coldest of hearts, her grit and determination were feared as allies will say to a person, once you had her on your side, look out those not with ya.
I’d suggest using the Google Key and listen, listen hard and listen closely to her speech on Illinois Equality, and it’s triumph
The reason jbt had the audience in her hands was in a speech about inclusion, she included everyone in her congratulations and recognition, and playing down herself, classic Judy Baar Topinka.
I miss her. I think of her very often. There will not be another
In today’s politics of partisan fighting to social and economic extremes playing to bases looking for no surrender, just think on where jbt sat on each and every issue and where she’d be today believing (and living and governing,) in our sadly divided existence.
Judy Baar Topinka was a beacon to what we should want to be as a state, what we want from our leader to be in power, and what we all should see as people when living in a society so much in need of common sense and love.
- Jibba - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:10 am:
Second to last Republican I voted for.
- Norseman - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:21 am:
JBT was a quality elected official representing a party that no longer exists. She cared for people and worked hard to represent them.
Her typewriter should be on display in a museum to commemorate JBT’s work.
- fs - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:36 am:
She’d likely be ostracized by today’s Trumplican Party.
I can’t help but always wonder how different the Rauner years would’ve been different has she not passed away. My guess is the first two years would’ve been interesting, to say the least. And if Rauner ignored her…well, I think she might’ve won that battle before the Trumps took over. The sad part, in many many ways is we’ll never know.
- Give Us Barabbas - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:41 am:
I got to visit her home, she showed off every room. Place was wall to wall with the garage sale treasures, lovingly arranged. Elephants, everywhere. But also Slovakian walking sticks and icons of Our Lady of Chestohova. And her science fiction book collection was impressive. She told me the only reason she could get elected in the first place was the multiple reps system before Quinn’s cutback amendment gave independents a way in
- Jerry - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:43 am:
Its not that she was “pro-choice” (A Republican Marketing Slogan) but believed the gub’mint should not be making healthcare decisions for you, or telling you whom to marry. That is Socialism (by Republicans own standards).
- Give Us Barabbas - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:44 am:
She was inspired by the Brenda Starr comic strip to pursue journalism, did a crime beat and ride-alongs as a young woman in a time when that was extraordinary.
- West Sider - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:44 am:
In ‘O4, I worked the Brookfield 4th of July parade for St. Senator Obama- we had the slot directly behind Judy. She had recently broken her ankle and rode in a Willys Jeep. We spent the time on the parade route talking (and trash talking). A fond memory. May she rest in peace.
- The Professor - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:47 am:
First met Judy Barr when she was a reporter in the Chicago area and I worked for Congressman Ed Derwinski. Back in the day when the Republican Party was controlled by reasonable people. Days gone by.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:53 am:
The last moderate GOP, someone who valued and related to working class people. Today the entire ILGOP is against protecting union rights—even though many GOP/independents voted for the WRA. Voted for her before and have no qualms about voting for someone like her, but they don’t come like that anymore. She is really, really missed.
- Marrs96 - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 10:58 am:
She used to visit my mother-in-law’s consignment shop in Peoria Heights fairly frequently. She really practiced her “fiscal responsibility” personally instead of the empty rhetoric of most state republicans.
- King George - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:00 am:
mmmmmm cheesecake day…..
- Gravitas - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:12 am:
Sadly, she had a serious cigarette smoking habit. I wondered if it hastened her demise? She was only 70 when she passed away due to a stroke.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza still has a “JBT” tribute on the Comptroller’s web site.
- The Ford Lawyer - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:18 am:
She was a great guest at fundraisers for state rep candidates- she was the life of the party! When I used to work for GOP candidates (before they were all nuts) we would always try to get Judy for a fundraiser. People loved her and she loved people.
- JR - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:20 am:
JBT was the BEST and almost as amazing as ILSoS JW.
- Gravitas - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:22 am:
I remember one of Topinka’s fundraising events was held in Cicero, Illinois at the former Klas Bohemian restaurant, which dated back to the Capone era.
Cicero and the Western suburbs were unusually bipartisan in those days and US Congressman Bill Lipinski (D-3) was present at Topinka’s GOP event.
At about 7:00 many of the guests began to exit the restaurant in a hurry. Someone explained to me that State Senator Martin Sandoval (D) was holding his own fundraiser that same night at 7:30 pm and some of the guests had purchased tickets to both events.
- Mr. Middle Ground - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:24 am:
She was the best. Miss her and her era.
- Commonsense in Illinois - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:35 am:
Like others, I too miss her smile and camaraderie. Judy was taken from us far too soon.
- Ares - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:36 am:
JBT may be gone, (requiescat in pacem), but there is nothing preventing her moderate-GOP type from repopulating (and rejuvenating) the GOP, especially if the extreme right wars within itself in 2024, and the full toll of COVID on the anti-vaccine crowd is found to deplete the far-right end in future elections.
- H-W - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 11:59 am:
Wonderful recognition.
- Leslie K - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 12:01 pm:
I was just getting involved in Illinois government when JBT passed. Although I never met her, it was clear we had lost an amazing leader. Well done.
- Oldtimer - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 12:25 pm:
JBT was known for being frugal. There was a convenience store close to the Capitol that she sometimes got her lunch. One of their sandwiches was informally known as The Topinka. I happened to be in the store once when two of her aides tried in vain to get the sandwich made by a clerk who had no idea what a Topinka was. Mass confusion.
- Abdon - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 12:34 pm:
God rest Judy’s soul. The restraint she showed with the questions we reporters asked about her party’s senate nominee Alan Keyes in ‘04 - it was a thing to behold. Her comparisons of Rod Blagojevich to Fidel Castro; The smile on her face when she stood next to Governor Quinn as he signed Marriage Equality… I miss Judy.
- cermak_rd - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 1:39 pm:
I remember her in the Affair Keyes, IIRC she played honest chairman and just let the comittee come to their conclusion on who to get to replace Jack Ryan.
- Jimmy H - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 3:03 pm:
JBT was like my cool, sensible aunt who was the balance to my hateful, crackpot uncle. JBT was an awesome person.
- Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 4:10 pm:
A day with Judy was always a good day. I think about her all the time. She DID pave the way for the women like me. We did so many fun programs together Culinary Kids; Comptroller’s Critters. We try to honor her legacy at the Comptroller’s office every day, not just with fun things like Cheesecake Day, but with honest accounting, accurate reporting of numbers and transparency. Judy was a model of competence, integrity, bipartisanship, professionalism and a love of life. I miss her.
- Just Peachy - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 4:13 pm:
One of the BEST! I miss her very much.
- levivotedforjudy - Friday, Mar 10, 23 @ 5:28 pm:
Just look at my CapFax nickname! She was great!