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Did Gov. Rod Blagojevich win a mandate last Tuesday? And, if you believe he did, a mandate for what?

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 1:49 am

Comments

Yes a [cynical] mandate for;

more reckless spending on things that the Governor feels like throwing $$ at - using the General Fund as his own personal piggy bank,
more socialist programs to provide freebies for those who can’t afford them,

more blaming the financial woes of IL on George Ryan - whenever something goes wrong,

more irresponsible underfunding / raiding of the pension systems,

more dismantling of state agencies that the Governor does not like [Corrections, Police and IDOT] while giving that $$ to Puerto Rican Day parade, Baptist Church roof rebuilding, stem cell research, minor league baseball stadiums everywhere and

more driving away business and sources of tax revenues by hiking minimum wage and increasing fees and additional costs to IL businesses.

In short, our Governor is now enabled to do more of whatever he feels like doing, in whatever manner he wishes. The perception of corruption or close association with illegal dealings won’t slow him down or cause him to be more careful. Looks like we’ll all get outdated, banned influenza shots from Europe and $1500 checks for our kids’ birthdays from the Governor. Mandate is for more of the same, just bolder and more reckless with no concern for what happens to the state 5 or 10 years down the road.

Comment by North of I-80 Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 4:05 am
In addition to the above;

More appointing of unqualified, uneducated and unethical people to jobs and boards.

Comment by just say no Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 5:11 am
The only “”mandate”" he rec’vd is for more “business as usual”….and un-encumbered ! It is apparent where the votes came from & those constituencies will continue to benefit & the people that represent them. It goes to show where the power lies & that people really don’t care about who, if they think they’re losing something. Also, a nice thank-you note would be appropriate to Rich Whitney & his “Green Party” is his assistance in the Bladgo win. That in & of itself is amazing how a guy who didn’t manage to meet the minimum signature requirements, got on the ballot & barely raised enough money to bother counting or much less reporting managed to win that many votes….talk about using earned press. Bladgo should offer him a job….for a job well done !!!

Comment by annon Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 5:41 am
I’m not sure I would call recieving a little less than half of the votes a mandate. But in that regard, he’s not much different from Bubba Clinton who managed to get elected to the presidency twice with less than 50 percent of the voters supporting him.

I’m sure in Blago world this is considered a mandate to continue to propose and underfund welfare for everyone programs… dismantle state agencies… alienate hard working veteran state employees… create more distrust among state legislators… and govern by press conference.

Comment by roadkill Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 5:57 am
no.

Comment by bored now Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:39 am
I agree with you, roadkill, on everything except the Blago-Clinton conparison. I recently read a bio about Clinton…”During the administration of Clinton, the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than at any time in its history. He was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. He could point to the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country’s history, dropping crime rates in many places, and reduced welfare rolls. He proposed the first balanced budget in decades and achieved a budget surplus.” I don’t expect anything near that from GRod…

Comment by Just Wonderin' Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:45 am
I don’t think he’ll know what to do with it. He may not even know that a veto-proof majority could hurt him.

Comment by Levois Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:47 am
The Democrats won a mandate in Illinois. Blagojevich will use that to attempt to promote his programs and his cronies. Not sure if Fitzgerald will let him.

Comment by phocion Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:49 am
A self-imposed mandate to keep his keister out of the pokey. I hear the Gov’s staff are just waiting for the indictments. Any fingernails left?

Comment by if it walks like a duck... Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:56 am
Whether or not he won a mandate, he and his people will certainly attempt to spin it as though he did. After all just under 50% of the those voting voted for him; And given that only 50% of the registered voters actually voted, that means his mandate is based on 24% of the registered voters actually electing him. If we have in fact registered 85% of those voters eligible to vote, the percentage of eligible voters electing him is even lower. So much for the daunted Republican â€œget out the voteâ€ machine. But why should they bother? Those in charge of the purse strings are in good stead with the current administration and it makes no sense to start over. Hardly a mandate by those voting but can be conceived as a mandate by those staying home. I fear we have become a state of wimps with more interest in entertainment and shopping than in elections. We deserve what we get!

Comment by Justice Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 7:13 am
Isn’t this the wrong question, Rich? Did Emil Jones win a mandate last week?

Comment by Boone Logan Square Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 7:19 am
Maybe a Chicago mandate but certainly NOT a central Illinois mandate.

Comment by Shallow Pharnyx Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 7:19 am
Mandate? Hah. They’ll think so, but it’s not. They will act as if they have one, and dig their hole deeper than ever.

Comment by Gregor Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 7:25 am
Man people, get over it already.

Yes, he did receive a mandate from the voters.

Minimum wage hike
Expanding health care further
Reducing the number of state employees, again
The list goes on and on

Stay tuned, I think that there is more to be announced.

Comment by Bobby Hicks Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 7:33 am
Yes.

Blago won a mandate for discord.

He ‘won’ a mandate. So did Emil Jones, So did Mike Madigan. So did all the other statewide Democratic officeholders.

So, exactly which one of the above gets the top rung?

That’s why it is a mandate for discord. You’ve got a whole bunch of recently elected pol’s, all with different agendas, and most, if not all with “A” type personalities, and all certain that they “know what’s best” for the citizenry.

And as pointed out, the Republicans are on the sidelines for this one.

And with massive numbers of federal investigations looming in the background….

Is this ‘Groundhog Day’ circa 1998?….

Comment by Judgement Day Is On The Way... Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 7:39 am
The truth is that Quinn was more likely to be the candidate of choice.

Comment by Joannie Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 8:04 am
Mandate? MANDATE?!? You must be kidding. He didn’t even get a majority!

Please. A mandate indicates strong support of the people. He only got the support of the fools he could afford to purchase.

Of course, you could have just made a typo. I think the word you were looking for is “indict”.

Comment by Southern Illinoisian Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 8:10 am
It’s going to be a long four years for some of the people here. For four years they raised the same complaints and then said, “Just wait until November 2006.” Now it’s November 2006 … and all we have are the same complaints.

I suspect he will govern like he has a mandate, and why not? That’s exactly what George Bush did in 2000 when he not only didn’t get 50% of the vote, he got fewer votes than one of his opponents (not an issue for Governor Blagojevich). The Governor’s 2006 campaign ran the Karl Rove playbook, so why shouldn’t his administration keep doing the same?

Judgement [sic] Day makes a good point, though; a number of Democrats, particularly the Senate President, feel like they won mandates. On many issues the Democrats will agree on policy, probably including such core base priorities as the minimum wage. But what will be interesting to see is what happens when their interests start to diverge. Those waters will be choppy, and the Senate President and Speaker are too good to let their interests wither on the vine. The Governor has a great chance here to deliver on some of his promises, but it will take some work to get there. His win is strong enough that his party leaders won’t openly go after him, at least at the outset, but if he plays his cards wrong they will, and then whatever mandate he has will shrivel up very quickly.

Comment by Gus Frerotte's Clipboard Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 8:19 am
Since when does less then half the vote cast count as a mandate for anything? This is almost as ridiculous as Bush saying he had a mandate when the majority of voters didn’t vote for him!

Comment by Niles Township Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 8:31 am
No, the fed dems wona man-date,a s did the GOP in 94. He won a mandate to start the attack ads in March and keep raising money from state contract holders.

When he goes to jail, he may get a man date with George Ryan, Rezko and Fawell.

Comment by Wumpus Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 8:32 am
Hell, NO!!!

Comment by fedup dem Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 9:18 am
Strictly speaking, no. More Illinoisans voted against him than for him. If he can claim a mandate for anything, itâ€™s that (in my opinion, quite incorrectly) he was viewed by more people as having better policy positions and being the lesser of two corrupt hacks. He needs to live up to that. Focus on policy and clean house politically. If he gets indicted, and the Republicans nominate a fresh face with no ties to the Thompson-Edgar-Ryan administrations, Illinois will go from blue to purple very quickly.

Comment by grand old partisan Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 9:26 am
No, the majority did NOT vote for him since he did not get 50% of the vote

Comment by He Makes Ryan look like a saint Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 9:27 am
Under 50% of the vote in a state that is over 50% “Blue”, meaning he didn’t even win his own party’s vote. In a race where his money defined his only serious opponent (inaccurately) as a total lune, he should take no satisfaction at all.

The only “Mandate” that could be read into it is that he needs to clean up his act and start doing the job he was elected to do (not running for his next one). Of course he won’t read it that way, and it will ultimately be to his (and the state’s) detriment…

Comment by Animous Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 9:34 am
Totally agree, this is no mandate. Rod will of course say it is, might even run some ads to make sure that we know he thinks it is.

But it is no mandate. I can’t think of another state in the Union that would have had “None of the Above” take over 50%–except IL.

Maybe Rod will actually start governing now. I doubt it, but there’s always hope.

Comment by Cornelius Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 10:00 am
I heard earlier today that Lon Monk and Bradley Tusk are out and some reporter from CLTV is coming in as chief policy guy.

Does anyone know about this?

Comment by Anon Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 10:04 am
If Bradley is smart, he’ll go back to work for Bloomberg, a politician with a brain and no indictments on the horizon.

Comment by Cassandra Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 10:11 am
If anyone won a mandate it was Mr. Emil Jones. He will have free reign over the Senate.

However, back to the question…our guv did not win a mandate. Running against George Ryan for a SECOND TIME and not even getting 50% in a Dem state does not give him carte blanche. Rod is going to try everything under his office and power to push his programs through yet he will hopefully realize that he must work with both leaders as well as a diverse group of legislators within his own party. This will not spell doom for Rod’s programs/ideas but it will pose a challenge for him.

Getting under 50% oughtta tell people something about this guy. His national hopes should be dashed and he should concentrate more so on governing our state than gaining national ID and raising money.

Yes, this is a partisan way of looking at things. But I truly think Blago is not the Dem answer in a Dem state. I wonder if people ever regret not voting for Paul Vallas in 2002?!

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 10:13 am
all this election did was prove to the moderate republicans they can not spit in the face of the conservative republicans and win. only a unified party behind traditional republican value can have a chance of winning.

Comment by eastcentral Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 10:56 am
[I fear we have become a state of wimps with more interest in entertainment and shopping than in elections.]

Not a mandate statewide, but he’ll probably think he has one because a bunch of fools did manage to elect him.

As far as the “wimps” comment goes, just pass through the average supermarket or mall and listen to the conversation around you for a bit, and it becomes clear that a bunch of people just don’t *get* it at all.

I heard people asking, “Do you think there’s anything to the allegations?”

You mean that’s all the thought they gave to some of the news reports? Did they even bother to read past the headlines and absorb some of the detailed info that the reporters put out there? The press often seemed to get it, but the voters? No way.

But on a positive note, the Dems are in charge, so they should be expected to shut up and smile from here on out. No whining about the sorry state of the state or the nation. Got issues? Get ‘em solved, because there’s no one else to blame when they are in the driver’s seat.

From the shopping malls to the halls of academia, the rest of us should expect to NOT have to listen to more drivel about how America is a racist, sexist, homophobic, ecocidal Satan on a 24/7 basis.

Stop the k’vetching and start looking for some bunnies to pull out of a hat, folks, because there are many issues in need of some very creative solutions.

Comment by Angie Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 11:01 am
Yes. It would appear that the majority of Illinois voters approve of the concept of expansion of health care to more people and prescription coverage for seniors. What I don’t think the voters fully understand is that this administration has not figured out a fiscally responsible way to pay for such programs. The pension funding crisis looms on the horizon. Perhaps voters who are not governmment employees don’t care about that.

Comment by one of the 35 Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 11:03 am
Blagojevich ran on using government to help the condition of regular people. More specifically he ran on increasing the minimum wage and expanding health care.

He also ran on holding the line on the state income tax.

I think that the people have spoken by saying, “If Rod Blagojevich can expand health care with raising income taxes, we’re for it.”

When I saw Blagojevich on the West Side he didn’t pitch his gambling revenue for education proposal. I think that was something to give Meeks a dignified way to exit a race he didn’t want to run.

I don’t think there is a mandate for a big education funding plan.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 11:14 am
Hurry up Governor Quinn and save us

Comment by decaturboy Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 11:21 am
Non-governmental employees ought to be worried about the state pension issue too - the Satae Constitution protects the pension rights of the state employees (Art. XIII, Sec. 5). The State can’t pimp the employees over on this one, and there will have to be cuts made somewhere to pay the unfunded obligations.

Comment by m Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 11:28 am
I think it’s a mandate for no increase in state taxes combined with increased state service. JBT never did shake the impression, probably inaccurate, that she would likely raise state income taxes.

Is it possible? Sure. But we have to hold his feet to the fire on it. And that means no tax swap either. The evergreen tax swap proposal is roaming around out there. The tax swap would amount to not only an increase in state income taxes but a net tax increase for a huge swath of Chicago suburban voters. And that’s not what
Blago promised.

Comment by Cassandra Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 11:31 am
He got a mandate to keep his promise to reject and veto the ill conceived, counterproductive, anti taxpayer, IEA/IFT money grab income and service tax increase known as HB750.

This bill will be the kiss of death for any GOP legislator voting for it,and any Dem whose district has taxpayers being “net losers” by the 67% tax gouge. That’s virtually every collar county and suburban district, and much of Chicago.

His keeping this heinous bill from being passed was perhaps his greatest legacy in his last 4 years, and provided him with just enough anti-tax votes to put him over the top on Nov 7.

Judy was virtually PROMISING to increase income taxes and support HB750 (after the election, of course) and that’s one reason,among many, for her major smackdown last Tuesday.

Comment by PalosParkBob Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:01 pm
Of course it is a mandate. More than 75% of the adult citizens of the state said they didn’t want to change course. It will be up to the Governor to decide what to do with the mandate.

Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:04 pm
Yes. He has a mandate to provide honest governance, to promote fiscal responsibility, and to work for the sustainability and improvement for our great state of IL.

It could happen…

Comment by cermak_rd Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:18 pm
This is no mandate. He only received about 24% of votes from eligible voters. Most of Rod’s votes were from the Chicago and metro east areas where a good many of these voters just vote for the “D* or “R”. Sangamon county, the only county in the state where the majority of voters actually pay attention to state government workings, Rod only received about 25% of the vote.

Comment by Downstater Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:23 pm
If “None of the Above” had been on the ballot, we would’ve seen record turnout and s/he would’ve gotten 55% of the vote.

It’s elections like these — a choice between Dumb and Dumber — that make me wish there were Mulligans in politics.

Even after spending millions, Rod still has a job approval/disapproval rating of 38/59 — a sterady decline — according to SurveyUSA. That number has remained the one constant in his tenure. According to the graphs, his approval peaked briefly in April, ‘06. He’s averaged 41% approval over the last 18 months.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:28 pm
The real mandate was against the Republicans. The GOP (both National and State) are painfully out of touch with their constituency. The comments on this thread, as well as the election results, prove that out. Less ideology and more populism would be a good start. But, the GOP hasn’t listened to common sense for quite a while. So, why start now?

Comment by Fellow Dawg Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:38 pm
PalosParkBob — Hmmmm….Terry Parke steadfastly opposed education funding reform and property tax relief, and he’s no longer with us. In fact, Republicans who opposed education funding reform lost every contested race I can think of, except Gutzmer-Murphy.

It’s over-the-top rhetoric like yours that is costing Republicans the support of not only independents, but moderates in your own party.

HB 750 is not a “67% tax increase,” unless you want to close your eyes real tight and ignore the fact that every homeowner and business in Illinois would see a 20-25% cut in their property tax bills. Perhaps you don’t pay property taxes, so you don’t care that the state of Illinois has shifted billions in tax burden onto the backs of local taxpayers in every region of the state, including suburban Cook and the collar counties.

But the rest of us understand that those high property taxes are driving seniors out of their homes, preventing young families from realizing the dream of home ownership, and driving employers out of Illinois.

Now, maybe you back the lottery plan or the casino plan — neither of which includes property tax relief. If your such a wise guy, I’d love to hear your plan to provide the property tax relief that Illinois desparately needs.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:40 pm
I don’t understand Steve’s math here, but I agree with Downstater that this election cannot reasonably be considered a mandate. Rod will try to spin it that way though, just as Bush did in ‘04. The difference is that with Bush we had a pretty good idea what he wanted to use his claimed “political capital” for. (Privatizing Social Security and tax cuts for the rich come to mind here.) In Rod’s case we have only the sketchiest clue.

What interests me is just how well Rod will play with the other Democrats in the sandbox when budget time comes, and that’s pretty soon. Remember: the last two budgets were “balanced” on the bases of a two-year State pension payment deferrment in the first year netting something like $2.3 billion. That money is gone now, and Hynes thinks it clear that any natural revenue growth will be eaten-up out-of-the-box by required programmatic spending increases. Steve should understand the significance of this better than anyone.

So. Will Madigan again sign-up for a pension raid? He no longer has any political incentive to do so, and when he doesn’t how will “Mr. Mandate” respond?

We could be looking at another long summer of Special Sessions.

Comment by David Starrett Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 12:53 pm
more ‘business as usual’ which, I believe, is what he campaigned against the first time around.

Comment by kimsch Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 1:03 pm
David, about 52% of those registered didn’t bother to vote, thereby tacitly accepting the status quo, and 50% of those who did vote affirmatively selected the Governor. In addition, of course, are the ones eligible to register but choosing not to, also tacitly accepting whatever happens next.

Not many voters bother to understand the issues regarding the budget that you raise (shame on them) and the media, attempting to be ” fair or neutral” report the budget as “he said, she said” rather then reporting the facts, which as you know, may be subject to spin but not to debate.

Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 1:12 pm
No mandate. Should be a wake-up call. Corruption was important to voters and it obviously had an effect on the election, otherwise he would’ve had a much higher margin.

Comment by doubtful Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 1:14 pm
YDD and I have argued before about the wisdom of HB 750, and while we’ve disagreed before, I agree with him to a point here. While it’s quite clear that the vast majority of “working families” (or whatever you want to call them) would see an aggregate tax increase, there are particular constituencies (most notably seniors, Cook County businesses, and people who bought a bigger house than they can afford) who would do fine under HB 750. It is an aggregate tax increase, and somebody’s paying, but it’s not going to be a 67% increase for everybody.

And, whatever the impact of the bill, I tend to agree with YDD that the time is probably now. Much of the Governor’s base in fact supports the increase, and voted for him despite his position. (Some people presumably did vote for him because of it, but probably not most of the union members who came out in force for him.) There may well be enough votes in both chambers for a veto-proof majority on a tax increase, if the Senate President and Speaker get together to jam one through over the Governor’s veto.

How the Speaker comes out on the issue of an income tax increase is probably the biggest variable in the session; if he sides with the Governor, it’s dead, and if he doesn’t, the Governor’s ability to drive the budget process will be severely compromised, at best. If the Speaker agrees to a bill, it’ll probably diverge from the current draft of HB 750 in several particulars (most notably making the property tax relief harder and faster than the current bill), but he could end up seeing that as the best way to resolve a variety of issues.

Comment by Gus Frerotte's Clipboard Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 1:20 pm
Hardly a mandate when as leader of the party you come in at 800,000 votes behind LM, 500,000 behind DH and JW, and (ouch) 100,000 behind AG. At $10 a vote, expensive way to buy a job. Still he won. If this has to be spun into a mandate then be the Gov, live in Springfield, balance the budget with real money, spot looking at national office, and stop blaming GRyan. The last four years were yours.

Comment by zatoichi Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 1:47 pm
Senate Democrats - mandate
Rod B. - not so much

Comment by Bob o Link Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 1:53 pm
No, I would not characterize Blago’s win as a mandate.

Comment by Bridget Dooley Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 2:03 pm
Blagojevich has no mandate. He wasn’t even able to achieve a simple majority of the total vote. The guy has completely alienated a good deal of progressives; and if he wants to win them back, one of the best things tha the could do would be to push for Instant Runoff Voting. The fact that he’s not talking about this, even after this election, is just another example of why people don’t like him very much.

“That in & of itself is amazing how a guy who didnâ€™t manage to meet the minimum signature requirements, got on the ballot & barely raised enough money to bother counting or much less reporting managed to win that many votes…talk about using earned press.”

Excuse me? Rich Whitney significantly EXCEEDED the signature requirements, which were already five times more stringent than those for the Democrats and Republicans. In fact, Blagojevich wasted a lot of taxpayer money in an unsuccessful attempt to kick Whitney off the ballot! They only needed 5,000, but Whitney needed 25,000; and Whitney collected more than 39,000.

Comment by Squideshi Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 2:05 pm
Nope, not a mandate… atleast for anything positive. But I have to agree that this was Rove style politics at its best. The governor ran a great advertising campaign. Next year we are going to get the same thing we got when many independents voted for Bush… and that is… “Why did I vote for this guy?” You voted for Bush and Blago because they ran great campaigns. As long as the electorate remains ignorant to why they like and dislike candidates, this will be the norm. Maybe in a couple years JBT will come out and say something totally ridiculous to make you feel better (much like John Kerry did), but you still have to regret reelecting that as our governor.

Comment by Lovie's Leather Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 2:11 pm
Justice, of all the numbers here, yours makes the most sense. Factoring in the people who don’t even bother to register to vote makes Blago’s percentage of approval extremely low.
What I take comfort in is that this governor is not smart enough to do business any other way. His butt is in a sling and he is pretty clueless about how it got there but I’m betting he now knows how it’s going to get out (via Federal indictment, trial, guilty verdict and sentencing).

I am absolutely astounded that this election went the way it did. We can certainly blame the press for not holding Blago’s feet to the fire? The public has NO access to him in order to ask questions and even less chance of getting honest answers. But the press let him get by with official comments from his press corps and Press Releases Of The Day, placing his name on each piece of material that is mailed out from every State department, running TV ads for Allkids, signs on the tollways, and any other “innovative” way he could/can find of getting his name before the public. The radio debate was a sham and any other debates would have been useless if there were not hard and fast rules. No wonder there were no further debates, even though it was Blago himself who back in May proposed two debates per month and then backed out because nothing concrete could be arranged. HELLO, try to arrange the debates by actually picking up the phone and having your people talk to her people and vice versa instead of doing business by e-mail.

This state needs revamped in a big way and in a big hurry or else we will see more of this in 4 years (possibly 2). Negativity has worked for him. Others will use it next time. He will not stop raising campaign money and staying on the offensive. He and his campaign staff are so good at offensive strategy, he should have been a football coach instead of governor.

The only comfort I take in all of this is that I’m absolutely postive we will end up with Pat Quinn as our governor just as sure as Sam Shapiro took over when Otto Kerner got in hot water.

Comment by Little Egypt Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 2:27 pm
A mandate to hire a new senior advisor. Is the hiring freeze over?

Comment by Mr . Ethics Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 3:48 pm
I don’t think he got a man date. I don’t think the dude likes man dates. He said on comedy central he wasn’t the gay governor.

Me and pedro voted for that nieukirk dude. he gave us a t-shirt.

Comment by napoleon dynamite Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 3:49 pm
I am a Dem but I think one party control is not conducive to good government. I hate Bush, worked for Seals but I also voted for Peraica and did not vote for Blagojevich.
It is scary this much power in the hands of so few petty people.

Comment by Richard T Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 4:25 pm
Of course he did, but Emil’s and Rahm’s was bigger. Me, I voted for Pedro

Comment by The Horse Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 4:43 pm
Eastcentral…in case you haven’t noticed, conservative Republicans have not been able to get elected in a statewide general election for some time now. Think Al Salvi (lost to Dick Durbin for US Senate in ‘96), Jim Ryan (lost to Blagojevich in ‘02), Alan Keyes (lost to Barack Obama in ‘04), etc. Illinois is becoming more and more Democratic, thanks in no small part to the number of conservative right-wing candidates who are out of touch with Illinois voters. I’m not saying this to be partisan, either; I’m actually a Republican.

Comment by Anonymous ZZZ Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 5:02 pm
Steve - Capitulation to the status quo is not the same as an endorsement. That’s like arguing that those who didn’t vote in the last election endorse the current Congress.

Many Americans are disenfranchised, and as much as you and I believe in democracy and the power of one person, one vote, many people have come to experience/believe that their vote won’t change a thing. That’s why I consider the poll which shows 60% of Illinois voters believe Gov. Blagojevich is leading in the wrong direction to be a more accurate measure. You don’t have to infer anything.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 5:13 pm
Dog,

How are many Illinoisans disenfranchised?

And, I don’t have to infer anything from the fact that 75% of registered Illinois voters didn’t ask for a change in governance last Tuesday. It speaks for itself.

Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:49 pm
The term mandate does not matter in this case. What does matter is how long it takes to clear or confirm the cloud of suspected corruption around this guy. Until then he should be kept at arms length by any ethical and honest lawmaker. The election may be over but not the investigations, questions, and serious uncertainty. Fitzgerald will proceed at his usual deliberate speed but let’s hope it resolves soon. Until then I would expect a degree of gridlock between the governor and Madagin and Jones.

Comment by Citizen A Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:49 pm
With a veto-proof majority, do we even need a governor? Better question, does that mean he’s free to roam the countryside preparing for a U.S. Senate run. (snort!)

From the SJR tonight: “A longtime television news reporter started Monday as senior adviser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Bob Arya, 38, will research issues and brief the Democrat - who won election to a second term last week - on policy and legislative topics and prepare remarks for his speeches.

Arya will make $115,000 and report to Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk, Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said.”

Comment by Marie Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:53 pm
Also, with this cloud of corruption swirling about him the existence of no political capital is very important. He is a bankrupt and severely damaged goods. Mandate ? I hardly think so.

Comment by Citizen A Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 6:55 pm
Anon. ZZZ–

Ryan had the last name “Ryan” and Al Salvi was… well… Al Salvi. In case you didn’t notice, the GOP candidates who got the floor mopped with themselves were moderate/liberals. I don’t think the libs in the GOP need to be pointing to the conservatives as the root of their problem. The problem is lack of leadership and corruption.

It’s time to throw all of the bustards (fat birds) out and start again.

As for a mandate for Rod, no. 49 percent is no mandate, especially when half of the votes came from the City of Chicago, and he got his arse handed to him in most of the state.

My next project– secession. You guys in Cook can have your own state and elect whatever crook you want.

VOTE WHIG. Win in ‘10!

Comment by HoosierDaddy Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 7:35 pm
Yeah, Truman, Jim McGreevey has been ringing his phone off the hook!!!

Comment by Lovie's Leather Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 10:33 pm
A mandate is a lot of nonsense. You win, and you do what you can.

Comment by T.J. Tuesday, Nov 14, 06 @ 5:15 am
An election? Yes.

A mandate? No.

eastcentral - Monday, Nov 13, 06 @ 10:56 am said it all:

“all this election did was prove to the moderate republicans they can not spit in the face of the conservative republicans and win. only a unified party behind traditional republican value can have a chance of winning.”

I’m again supporting Bill Brady in 2010.

Comment by Jechislo Tuesday, Nov 14, 06 @ 7:21 am
HoosierDaddy - you are talking about one election, which was more of a backlash against Republicans in general (based on dissatisfaction with Bush and our current Congress), rather than individual candidates. The trend of conservative Republicans not being able to win statewide races in Illinois has been going on for a decade. I forgot to mention in my previous post the additional examples of Jim Durkin losing to Dick Durbin in 2002 and Chris Lauzen losing to Dan Hynes in 1998.

I agree that lack of leadership and corruption are problems, too, but you can’t ignore the fact that Illinois has been rejecting the conservative ideals of the Republican party for quite awhile.

Comment by Anonymous ZZZ Tuesday, Nov 14, 06 @ 9:06 am