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* It’s spreading: Critics cry foul over govâ€™s move to fund one school

* Another 400-person CS-T poll allows Tony Peraica to denouce its results as “fundamentally flawed.” Meanwhile Christine Radogno also questioned the results of the CS-T poll done in her race.

* “A federal jury on Monday convicted a former high-ranking Illinois Secretary of State official of helping three janitors pocket more than $150,000 in state pay for work they didn’t do.”

* Topinka focuses on women’s health

* Madigan: Power auction unfair - Attorney general asks court to void results

* Oy: “One is a shaggy-haired boy, now 16. Another, a distressed elder brother. Then there’s the bewildered woman, just barely 18. And two older women who say they were overwhelmed with drugs and sex. Their video statements, recorded in April for East Alton attorney Ed Unsell and made available to the Post-Dispatch, present a clearer and more emotional picture of the child sex and drug abuse allegations against former attorney and Metro East power broker Tom Lakin. The accusations paint Lakin - publicly an accomplished lawyer and political boss - as a free-wheeling man of sexual avarice.”

* More coverage of and reaction to yesterday’s landmark appellate court ruling on independent candidates in Illinois can be found here, here, here and here.

* Stu Rothenberg: “Over the past year or so, Iâ€™ve heard more than a few people talking about 2006 as an anti-incumbent election. Well, those people are wrong. We are not going to have an anti-incumbent election in November. We are going to have an anti-Bush election.”

* Two state workers ticketed for smoking in a state-leased building.

* Ethanol faces uphill road in US

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 8:05 am

Comments

Sen. Syverson’s comment about there being no list of schools to approve in school construction (in the Chambers story) is ignorant. Under the law as written, the State Board and CDB can’t even begin compiling the list until the money is approved. It’s one thing to complain about a lack of a revenue stream, but if he wants specific schools on the list, he should introduce a bill to change that law.

Comment by Gus Frerotte's Clipboard Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 8:29 am
Rich:

Stu Rothenberg is a very good handicapper, as is Charlie Cook. I agree with his assessment, too. People are frustrated. They know that the rotten bums they throw out will be replaced by fresh bums.

And I was saddened to see that the Peraica/Stroger poll was so lopsided. In a perfect world, Peraica would lose his District seat to another unknown, Bill Gomolinski, and then lose the President’s race by 150 votes. Priceless.

Lastly, the inept Cook County Republican Chairman is “demanding” the Sun-Times retract their poll data! When was the last time a newspaper buckled to the demands of a tired political establishment?

Comment by John Lee Pettimore Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 10:57 am
Odd isn’t it? The Sun Times has Tony down 30 points, when Tony’s polls show him up 4, and even TODD STROGER’S internal polls show Tony up 6 points.

This dinger may get the award for the Most Incompetent Poll of the Year.

Comment by Bubs Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 11:22 am
Bubs:

How would you know what TODD STROGER’S own poll has to say? Did he publish them? I think the CS-T poll is dead on accurate. Tony’s positions on key social issues don’t mesh with the majority of Cook County.

And Tony’s a clown. Deet deet deedle leedle deet deet deet deet.

Comment by John Lee Pettimore Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 12:13 pm
The word on the street is that everybody (Dem ward organizations) are now on board with Giannoulias. Apparently a treaty of sorts was negotiated by a former north side ward committeeman respected by all sides.

Ms Radogno is in trouble.

Comment by Charles Martel Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 12:26 pm
I think Stroger takes it, just not by so wide of a margin. Tony is perceived as a cranky old man. And his anti-gay tendencies haven’t helped him.

I think 400 people in Cook would be more accurate than 400 people statewide.

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 12:38 pm
I just don’t get it. While I am Dem, I can’t just can’t bring myself to vote for Giannoulias (can anyone spell corruption in this county?) or for Toddler Stroger (can anyone understand elections should be decided by voters, not committeemen). Where are the people of common sense and good will? No wonder so many who would do so well never get involved or run for office. The masses are …..(you fill in the expletive).

Comment by Niles Township Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 1:49 pm
Corn into ethanol. I don’t like it. It surely will make Fritos more expensive.

Comment by Buck Flagojevich Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 2:03 pm
Can someone please ask Lt. Governor Patrick Quinn to take his tea bags home and put them in some hot water with lemon and sugar and not put them in the mail that will be sent through the U.S Post Office so that someone cries fowl, “TAINTED TEA BAGS IN THE MAIL” and postal inspectors, FBI and other agencies have to waste tax dollars only to find out that it was only tea that spilled from its bag inside an envelope.

WHERE IS COMMON SENSE or is it all about POLITICS AND WINNING?

Comment by One Man Can Make A Difference Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 5:34 pm
â€œfundamentally flawed.â€

Stroger will win by thirty points.

Comment by HappyToaster Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 9:53 pm
Rich,
Little to nothing about what’s going on with the Secretary of State’s office? seems what happened last night was a bit of a bombshell. why so little coverage on your site?

Comment by colt 45 Tuesday, Sep 19, 06 @ 10:34 pm
Hear, Hear, One Man.
Pat Quinn is irresponsible for suggesting this.
And He ought to know better, politically, than to get his name in the press next to ‘teabag’.

Comment by OAD Wednesday, Sep 20, 06 @ 1:04 am
I’ve been wroking on the Todd Stroger Campaign since August. His initial poll numbers had him in a statistical tie with Peracia in late July. That was before anybody in Cook County knew what he stood for, or anything about Todd. Peracia’s stance on abortion (100% pro life, despite his “pledge” to honor abortion services at County Hospitals), his position on Gays and Guns and higher real estate taxes for homeowners (all of his positions are on record -WITH QUOTES), are completely out of sync with 83% or more of County voters (more to come).

Furthermore, the Todd/Urkel website really damaged his credibility with the voters who see this as a cheap insult and tacky publicity stunt. What Tony and his supportes fail to realize is that the stunt came off as a childish and insulting prank, unbecoming of someone who is asking the voters to take him seriously. The guys has no gentleman qualities at all. Period. Not to mention that there is no one in the county who believes he doesn’t know who maintains that website. Oh, by the way the Stroger campaign knows the host of the website(more to come on that).

Lastly, for information on Tony’s positions with actual quotes and to find out who the source of the “Democrats for Peracia” website host is, look for a new website titled “Truth About Tony.Com” to launce in a few days.

By the way one of his own Republican “supporters” provided that little tidbit about the website host, with the necessary proof.

Look for the website “Truth About Tony.com” in the next day or two.

Comment by Reality Check Wednesday, Sep 20, 06 @ 11:55 am