* Sun-Times reporter Abdon Pallasch went to House Speaker Michael Madigan’s district and reports that Madigan’s signs are everywhere…
Driving through the 22nd district confirms the outward show of Madigan support. Nearly every lawn on some blocks has the rectangular white signs, positioned perfectly perpendicular to the homes, looking almost in military formation like the tight political organization Madigan runs.
On the 3800 block of West 68th Street, nearly every house has a Madigan sign except two. Those are the homes of Olivia Trejo and Mike Rodriguez, the other two candidates in the Democratic primary with Madigan and Piszczor.
One of the two homes between Trejo’s and Rodriguez’ has a Madigan sign. There are no signs on Trejo’s or Rodriguez’s lawns or windows. No one answered the door at either home, though the television went off at the Rodriguez home after the Sun-Times rang the bell.
Attendees of the DeVry University Job Boot Camp hosted by state Rep. Michael Madigan, D-Chicago (pictured below addressing the crowd at the 13th Ward Office), Alderman Marty Quinn (13th Ward) and state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) learned new ways to improve skills for gaining employment. Topics of the workshop included resume preparation, job interview skill development, job search strategies, social media assistance and professional networking.
“We want to provide people with the tools they need to be prepared for finding good paying jobs,” said Rep. Michael Madigan.
Photo from the event…
Caption?
* So, why is Madigan putting himself through the full program? The man never takes chances and he has a feisty opponent who continues to generate media coverage…
If there are really five candidates in this race for state representative on the Southwest Side, why does only one of them have his own campaign sign on his front lawn?
Candidate Michele Piszczor, 25, says it’s because the only real candidates in the race are herself and Speaker of the House Michael Madigan.
And when Madigan heard she’d be running against him, he drew her neighborhood out of the district, so there’s no point in posting a sign on her lawn — her neighbors can’t vote for her, she said.
“They’re not real candidates,” Piszczor said of the others. “I’m the only legitimate candidate standing up to Mike Madigan,” whom she calls “the most powerful … man in this state.”
* Piszczor sent me this press release over the weekend…
Michele Piszczor, a Hispanic/Polish woman running against Michael Madigan in House District 22 democrat primary race was ambushed at a press conference led by Joshua Hoyt, Chief Strategic Executive of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), on Friday February 10th, 2012 in Chicago. “Mr. Hoyt made several derogatory comments and character assassinations to the media about Jack Roeser, who has not even contributed to my campaign. Hoyt’s group also tried to convince me to donate the few campaign contributions I have received to charity. Hoyt’s group stated that my contributors are ‘dark people’ and ‘spreading hate’ within our community” said Piszczor.
“The ICIRR is attacking people who have a history of providing good jobs to our community”, said Piszczor. ICIRR’s mission is to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees. They provide many free services, which are very temporary. “Some of the people interested in my campaign are people who have great respect for and provide considerable jobs for Hispanics. That is very lasting and empowering for my community” said Piszczor.
Since the video of the press conference has gone viral on the internet Piszczor is getting emails from all over the state. “There are people from all over Illinois - including Republican groups - who are contacting my campaign all of a sudden and want to contribute. Hundreds of Democrats have told me that they can not openly support me and of course that I will not get help from the Democrat Party, since Madigan is the chairman. I believe the anti-Madigan sentiment is rising. Joshua Hoyt’s unscrupulous press conference and obvious pro-Madigan strategy has gotten my campaign rolling full steam ahead,” according to Pizczor.
“For those groups of people, such as Hoyt’s, who think I should donate the contributions I have received in my campaign to charity – I will. However, in order for there to be a level playing field you must get Madigan to donate the 4 million dollars in his campaign chest to charity as well. Madigan goes first. (Hoyt should look at the many contributions Madigan gets from Republicans as well).
Madigan has name recognition, huge amounts of cash, is chairman of the Democrat party and almost NO ONE KNOWS HIM IN THE 22ND DISTRICT. I’m a young Hispanic/Polish female with little money, no name recognition and a huge desire to represent the people of the 22nd district with honor and integrity. There are other so-called candidates in the race. Why didn’t Hoyt get the other candidates to the press conference/ambush? It is because they are fake candidates meant to confuse the voters. It is really pathetic and just another reason why Madigan will go to his deathbed one day with an enormous amount of guilt. With Madigan’s wide-ranging corrupt power and money, why is he (or Hoyt) worried about a little Hispanic/Polish girl anyway?” stated Piszczor.
They may not know him, but they all have his signs in their yards. Just sayin…
* Anyway, Piszczor told me via e-mail this weekend that Jack Roeser will henceforth be backing her campaign. Piszczor reported $5,000 in total contributions yesterday from a Barrington company and a Wheeling CEO.
* Last fall, state Senate candidate Tom Pliura (R-Ellsworth) went a bit off track during a tea party forum…
Pliura said he was “disappointed” to see the passage of a civil-unions law in Illinois earlier this year, saying it “wasn’t necessary” and “wasn’t appropriate.”
The LeRoy physician and attorney said he was “strongly opposed to gay marriage.”
“I don’t think society ought to be condoning that anymore than, quite frankly, if a guy wants to get married with a donkey,” he said. “If you want to have relations with your donkey, that’s fine. Just don’t ask me to say, ‘OK, now that we have a civil union here, my donkey can get health care benefits.’”
And now somebody has posted a mocking video of Pliura’s moment…
Oy.
I called Dr. Pliura today and asked if he would do anything different if he had to do it over again. Pliura said he was talking in the forum about how his late brother was gay and how he was personally opposed to civil unions, but did admit “I probably should have just stopped right there.”
No kidding.
“I’m learning very quickly,” Pliura added. “I’m a newbie to this.”
* This TV ad isn’t so humorous. As subscribers already know, Rep. Randy Ramey was whacked for his DUI…
* Congressman Don Manzullo goes after Congressman Adam Kinzinger on government spending…
…Adding… Congressman Kinzinger also has a TV ad up…
A deeper look into where the responses to this poll came from reveals that Manzullo continues to lead comfortably in the areas he represented prior to the re-map, while young Adam Kinzinger is cleaning up in both his former area and the areas that are new to both candidates. As we always like to point out: a single poll in a given district should never be taken as a prediction of the inevitable. But the internal numbers–especially WHERE the responses came from–point to Kinzinger as the clear leader for now.
