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* The Tribune’s editorial today was entitled “The Rebuke.” It was pretty thin soup…
Illinois Republicans broke the Democratic Party’s complete control of state government and captured the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. The gubernatorial race between incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn and GOP challenger Bill Brady was too close to call at this writing.
First, notice how they breezed past that Brady thing.
More importantly, though, the US Senate seat is not part of “state government.” That’s quite the stretch.
The state Senate, which is part of state government, gained just two Republican seats, despite the fact that the Tribune endorsed every Republican running in a contested district. And those two seats the Democrats lost were the hardest to hold. The only surprise last night in the state Senate was the large winning margins of some of the Democratic candidates. So, who was “rebuked,” exactly?
House Speaker Michael Madigan, whom the Tribune has relentlessly railed against, lost a net of six seats. But Madigan only lost one seat in the Tribune’s coverage area: Rep. Mark Walker. The Tribune, you will recall, claimed that Walker was anti-business, even though he’d been endorsed by the Illinois Chamber. So, there’s a win, I suppose. But they lost every other suburban battle.
The words “Madigan” and “Cullerton” aren’t even in the editorial. Curious, that.
Well, what about those Congressional races? Surely, the big blue lady can crow about those, right? Well, the Tribune endorsed Democrats Bill Foster and Melissa Bean. Oops.
And now for the grand finale…
Machine Democrats won control of the Cook County assessor’s office. Voters inexplicably handed the key to Joseph Berrios at the expense of independent candidate Forrest Claypool. File this one under: There is much in life that we as mortals cannot comprehend.
To all the joyful property tax lawyers who are nursing hangovers as Wednesday dawns: Your momentary discomfort is nothing like the pain the rest of us will feel if Berrios suffuses this crucial office with the pay-to-play politics he has employed on the county’s property tax appeals board.
Stay classy, boys.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:12 am
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I would say I wouldn’t trust the Tribune as far as I can throw it, but they have so few ads these days that this old saying doesn’t work anymore.
Comment by Angry Chicagoan Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:19 am
Please give up the Tribune bashing and journalism review in general. It gets old. Comments and insight into the Illinois political landscape are much more the attractiveness of this blog and the Capitol Fax.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:23 am
They should change their name to the Chicago Republican!!!
Comment by Well.... Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:24 am
I like the Tribune bashing since it is well-deserved. The paper has lost its way, and criticism may help it find it. I for one don’t even go to the website anymore let alone subscribe (after 20 years).
Comment by Lefty Lefty Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:28 am
Rich, help those of us out who don’t follow Springfield as closely as the national stuff, what would be the breakdown in the House and Senate then with the meager GOP pick ups? Thanks
Comment by Bakersfield Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:28 am
I strongly disagree Anonymous 10:23. I think that the news coverage and editorial biases greatly influence the political process and I really think Rich’s analysis of the news business is terrific. Its even more important than ever because there is so little actual discussion of news coverage anywhere else, except perhaps for NPR’s On The Media.
Is it me or was Mr. Independent’s victory speech shockingly very partisan last night?
Comment by siriusly Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:28 am
Hey Anon at 10:23–Rich should give up the Trib bashing when the Trib actually starts to report the facts about State Government politics. I hope that paper never gets out of bankruptcy. They are shameful for the crap they report as facts.
Comment by Tom Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:29 am
Hate to defend the Trib, but I interpreted that line as:
The GOP:
1. Broke the Dem control of state government;
and
2. Took the senate seat.
I did not read it as the second was part of the first.
Comment by Skeeter Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:29 am
I second siriusly. this blog is a source of great info about the news and editorial world and I welcome more info on that.
speaking of that world, what electronic outlets are covering the Brady presser at 10:30?
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:30 am
===Comments and insight into the Illinois political landscape ===
The Tribune considers itself a part of that landscape, ergo the commentary.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:35 am
what happens to the Berrios seat on the Board of Review?
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:37 am
Compared to my own predictions… the Trib still looks pretty acurate…. But I think at this point, Illinois did not rebuke democrats in general. Downstate did it, but Chicago and many parts of Cook county did not move an inch.
Comment by Heartless Libertarian Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:40 am
“Stay classy, boys.”
Not likely…may be beyond them at this point.
Comment by sal-says Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:46 am
AMALIA
Berrios position is filled by appointment. Tim Evans, chief judge of Cook County makes the appointment.
Comment by MOON Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 10:55 am
Rich is correct that it’s wrong to conflate the Congressional races w/ the state government — in Illinois they are in two different orbits.
But the Tribune’s despair over Berrios and attack on those lawyers who subsidized his campaign is completely well founded and not un”classy” in the least. Those in the state govt. media who are too personally fond of these people have lost touch with their inner-child’s sense of fairness. Somewhere in Cook County, some old widow without the right lawyer (or ability to pay for one) is going to lose their home because of Berrios/Madigan’s pay to play who wouldn’t have under Claypool.
Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:02 am
Saints be praised, Madigan & Co. can continue business as usual.
Comment by jim Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:03 am
At least the Tribune gave Mike Royko a place to be published, much as he may have despised the paper and it him. IMO no newspaper endorsements mean much of anything anymore.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:11 am
The GOP did incredible on the national level and good in Illinois. The GOP picked up 2 stardust offices and made gains in both of the state chambers. It didn’t put them over the top but it helps them moving forward. The senate seat is a huge win Obama campaigned hard for Alexi and lost. The congressional gains by the GOP are troubling. Some of the Dem losers (Bean, Foster) were good and the quality of the GOP winners is something to worry about. I doubt GOP holds these long unless they moderate.
Comment by Fed up Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:14 am
It appears that the Tribune editorial board is way out of step with the community, given that the overwhleming majority of their picks, including their token Dem toss in’s, lost.
But at least they arent afraid to hide the truth and cover up their own miscalculations.
Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:33 am
If the Trib were a baseball player they would be a punching judy middle infielder. So funny to see them take it in the shorts, they become less relevant every day. Stay tuned for their mayoral coverage I am sure it will be “fair and balanced” the Fox way.
Comment by Obama's Puppy Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:34 am
Shouldn’t the Trib and Carol Marin publish the results of their investigative reporting on the illegal doings of Madigan, Berrios, et. al? There must be some, right, because they’ve been awfully exercised by them for some time.
Wasn’t Blago the crook? Indicted, tried, convicted, with more to come.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:35 am
WORDSLINGER
The Tribune will be closing their doors !
Carol Marin will take a new position as public relation director for Jim Houlihan and Forrest Claypool.
Comment by MOON Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:42 am
Didn’t the feds investigate Berrios a number of years ago? I think they even did a midnight raid on the Board of Review offices, taking files and computers and the like. And what happened? Nada. All smoke, no fire.
Comment by Great Caesar's Ghost! Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 11:54 am
by teh way, Rich, thanks for the great coverage last night and always. CF is the place to be!
Comment by Susie Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 12:15 pm
So… Now that the Dems will control the legislature and will likely have the governorship, which two current sitting congress people are going to have to square off against each other when we lose a US Rep?
Comment by Mercutio_27 Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 12:17 pm
GCC - the feds pick and choose who to go after and when to go after them. Just recently, they took on Bamani Obadele, who engaged in some self-dealing during the early days of the Blago administration.
Comment by Cynic Al Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 12:39 pm
@Mercutio–population declining in SO IL. I bet it’s Costello vs. Shimkus.
Comment by Ray del Camino Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 12:58 pm
Rich, you have done a great job following the state legislative and statewide officers contests with a glaring exception. Your anti-Quinn bias, to which you are entitiled, affected your reporting. Your daily drumbeat of Quinn errors, screw-ups and bad politics left no doubt about how you expected this race to turn out. You should be man enough to admit that you didn’t devote anywhere near that much attention to the baggage of his out-of-step opponent.
Comment by Podge Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 1:09 pm
Word I thought we invented the editorial so we could skip the whole investigative side of reporting…
Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 1:12 pm
Podge, bite me. He got fair treatment.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 1:18 pm
2012 … Mr. Dold, meet Mr. Walsh.
Comment by Great Caesar's Ghost! Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 1:32 pm
Obviously it was the Trib that was rebuked.
Gee, no one listened to a bankrupt Animal House frat. What a shock.
Comment by just sayin' Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 1:39 pm
Rich,
I know it’s not Clarence Page writing these editorials. Maybe it’s the “drawer” that WGN had on from Alabama. Who exactly on the Trib board are writing these things? Steve Chapman is as honest, middle of the road as it comes. So it’s not him.
Cross picks up a couple seats, Senate Rep one, I know the Congressional delegation flipped and was disappointing but everyone would agree anyone other than Alexi gets the nod. Maybe it’s Kass..
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 3, 10 @ 1:45 pm