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This just in… Republican already attacking Halvorson * Guv says veto opponents will kill people *

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Illinois

* 10:46 am - Mayor Daley just said during his budget address that if “Springfield” doesn’t pass the property tax assessment cap, it would be “difficult” to raise property taxes in Chicago. In other words, taxpayers are gonna get hit either way. Listen live at this link.

* 10:52 am - Governor ready to compromise on his formerly hardlie “Plan B” position?

Through a proposed new option, pharmacies would be allowed to work by phone or fax with an off-site pharmacist — one without moral objections to emergency contraception — to process a patient’s prescription. The settlement says a pharmacy technician or store manager would be allowed to sell the patient the medicine so she wouldn’t have to go elsewhere.

Pharmacies still would be required to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception, commonly sold under the name Plan B, if the medicine is in stock.

But the settlement, filed this week in Springfield’s U.S. District Court, would give pharmacies another way to avoid fines or the loss of operating licenses even if they employ pharmacists who believe that Plan B is a form of abortion and would refuse to dispense the drug.

* 10:56 am - The Tribune has a brief bit on Mayor Daley’s budget address…

Daley said his budget avoids substantial layoffs or services. But, having exhausted other options, Daley said, “We must ask taxpayers for more.”

The mayor blamed state lawmakers for failing to enact funding reforms for education and mass transit, which he said further pressures city taxpayers. He also called on lawmakers to approve an extension of a property tax break for homeowners.

“For their inaction, Chicagoans pay the price,” Daley said.

* 11:00 am - Future Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell on the sale of the Chicago Cubs…

“I have no idea who is going to end up with the Cubs, but it ain’t gonna be me.”

Zell isn’t the standard button-down Tribune type. From the same article…

Zell’s colorful talk on the workings of mergers and acquisitions included several expletives and a joke involving a male body part.

* 11:59 am - The Reader reports that the Daily Southtown will no longer cover professional sports.

* 12:01 pm - The Senate is scheduled to convene at noon. Listen here. The House will attempt to convene at one o’clock. Listen here.

* 12:03 pm - From Crain’s, which promises to update this story later…

Blaming bad economic times and Springfield infighting, Mayor Richard M. Daley on Wednesday rolled out more than a quarter of a billion dollars in proposed tax hikes and fee increases to balance his 2008 operations budget.

Leading the list is a requested $108-million increase in the city’s property tax levy — an item that is already stirring stiff opposition among aldermen and may require all of Mayor Daley’s legendary political muscle to pass.

* 12:21 pm - New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann is definitely in the race to replace Congressman Jerry Weller. Both men are Republicans and Weller is with Baldermann. The Herald News has his campaign co-chair list..

Jack Partelow, chairman of the Will County Republican Party; Don Green, the mayor of Kankakee; Keith Cain, the mayor of Princeton; and Tom Templeton, the LaSalle County sheriff.

*** 12:52 pm *** Tim Baldermann is already on the attack. From his campaign kickoff press release…

“Debbie Halvorson has been the number two leader in the state Senate for the past four years and if anyone has followed the news to any degree at all, they know our state government is as badly managed as is conceivable,” said Baldermann. “Our federal government has problems, but the last thing we need is to have the proven dysfunction of Springfield infect Washington.”

* 1:33 pm - Interesting…

Among Baldermann’s biggest contributors were the campaign committees of William Beavers, a Democratic Cook County board member…

*** 1:38 pm *** The master of understatement strikes again. The guv wants lawmakers to uphold his veto of a bill that would allow trucks to drive 65 mph on the interstates…

Blagojevich says lawmakers who vote to overturn his veto will effectively be voting to kill people.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 10:46 am

Comments

Someone ask Zell if he is going to wind up with Wrigley Field.

Comment by Leroy Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 11:54 am
Go Balderman! Is he really a Republican? According to the article his past contributors have had a decidedly blue tint.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 12:38 pm
Well, it will be fun to see her defend the performance of the IL senate.

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 1:11 pm
hit the enter button too soon.

Really, she has a dilemna. Either explain WHY the performance of the Senate isn’t so bad, OR explain why she’s not to blame.

But if as #2 she can’t get things done here, how can she be effective in Washington?? A good dilemna to make all Dem candidates from the house and senate face this season.

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 1:13 pm
Here’s an eye-raising quote from the Trib blog entry you linked to. Daley said Chicago is in “the most difficult economic times we’ve faced in years”. If it’s this bad now what happens if the economy slips into recession in ‘08 as some have forecasted?

Comment by Independent Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 1:29 pm
Good to see Baldermann on the offensive, although his blue donors concern me. Maybe he will tout that as bipartisanship. In any event, I cannot wait for Lil’ Debbie to defend her record in the IL Senate and defend the overall ineptitude of Emil Jones. Myron Brick, get to work! Ha!

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 1:31 pm
Why do news outlets put Chicago at the beginning of Blago stories? Is his location not always a given?

Comment by jwscott72 Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 1:45 pm
Someone should have told Rod that if he got back in the SUV after the press conference and drove South on 55 that he would actually end up in Springfield.

All in favor of vehicular homicide vote I, those with more common sense, nay…..

Comment by sammy hagar Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 1:48 pm
Having received a slew of campaign cash in the past from the likes of Bill Beavers (who had Toddler Stroger put his girl friend on the county payroll with a six-figure job), Baldermann is in NO position to complain about Sen. Halvorson.

Comment by fedup dem Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 1:56 pm
From the AP: “The governor and highway safety advocates say letting trucks go 65 would lead to at least 100 more deaths a year on Illinois roads.”

I have to ask, how many lives would we save then if we reduced the car speed limit from 65 to 55? Does this mean that by allowing the car speed limit to continue to be 65, then the state is continuing to kill people?

Comment by Kiyoshi Martinez Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:02 pm
Kiyohsi,

Exactly. As I posted the other week, we implicitly price life and safety every minute of the day, from what we eat to the car we drive, every choice is a tradeoff. We should propose nighttime restrictions on driving, and call legislators who vote against it “murderers.”

Comment by Greg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:07 pm
Dear Mr. Tim Baldermann, which Springfield Democratic screw-up would you say is a greater error than invading Iraq? What is your position on continuing the occupation of Iraq? When did you first say that invading Iraq was wrong?

Mr. Tim Baldermann, I would like you to apportion the blame for problems in Springfield.

Here are the cast of characters:
Rod Blagojevich
Michael Madigan
Emil Jones
Richard Daley
Tom Cross
Frank Watson
Debbie Halvorson
other Democrats
other Republicans
media/journalists
others who aren’t listed

Please rank them from most able to fix things in Springfield to least likely.

Then assign a percentage of the blame to each person (or people).

What percentage of the blame did you assign to Halvorson?

Finally, do you think Emil Jones would have behaved more responsibly, less responsibly or about the same if Debbie Halvorson were not in the Illinois Senate?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:07 pm
RRW: Halvorson can just say “Those guys are wacko, I’m not, that’s why I am ready to leave.” She’s not one of the four tops, and she’s not been quoted in the news every day for the past six months as saying something crazy. Then, she can point to all the bills she shepherded through during this bizzare session.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:14 pm
Wow, idiots debating physics. Maybe Fortner should weigh in on the physics aspect of this debate.

Comment by gulag Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:17 pm
Halvorson has also stood up to Emil throughout the year. She’s not a patsy. The GOP is clearly scared of her and they should be, she will win.

Comment by Napoleon Has Left The Building Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:18 pm
“Those guys are wacko, I’m not, that’s why I am ready to leave.”

So you will bail when the going gets tough?

She’s not one of the four tops,

So, even though #2 in the Senate you aren’t effective? So why should we send you to Springfield.

Iraq

If you can’t handle things when your party controls a chamber, how can you possible deal with complex issues like this?

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:28 pm
Halvorson has also stood up to Emil throughout the year

And look what a good job she did of it? Since when is not making a difference a case for being elected to Congress?

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:29 pm
Baldermann attack ad: Debbie’s face morphing into Blago.

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:30 pm
Sounds like Baldermann is a ringer for the Democrats. He’s certainly taken a lot of their money and some from Bill Beavers? No Republican would take cash from Beavers.

I wonder what Baldermann’s voting record look like…

Comment by Super Mega Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:40 pm
After reading about Baldermann, all one cay say is, Central Casting couldn’t have done better.

Comment by True Observer Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:42 pm
The House could vote to have the sun shine 12 hours a day and the Governor would accuse the House of supporting skin cancer. I’ve seen college freshmen come up with better arguments. It’s also ironic that the Governor supports “Plan B” but you don’t hear him calling the pharmacists that dispense it killers. It’s the same thing: involuntary manslaughter. Once again, the words of Dan Hynes ring loud and clear, “[h]is hypocrisy knows no bounds.” I wonder what his position is on speed restrictions on state airplanes?

Comment by DC Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:46 pm
Just to clarify my previous remark: a speeding truck that hits another vehicle and causes a death would typically be involuntary manslaughter, similar to the result of dispensing Plan B.

Comment by DC Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:49 pm
Greatest comment ever: “The House could vote to have the sun shine 12 hours a day and the Governor would accuse the House of supporting skin cancer.”

Love it!

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:52 pm
So if 55 is safer than 65, then are we to believe that if we capped the speed limit at 40 for everyone in IL, we would save 250 lives?? How about raising the speed limit to 75 for everyone, double the number of patrol cops out there and double [or triple] the fines for citations? Commerce gets a bump, roads might actually be policed and counties receive extra fine $$ from the wrong-doers… [DUIs of course mandatory jail, $1000’s in fines and revoked licenes for many years AUTOMATIC].

Comment by North of I-80 Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:55 pm
Baldermann comes out swinging! Debbie’s main problem throughout the next 13 months is going to be her role in the current donnybrook known as the Statehouse. As #2, she should have some input - and if all she has been doing is laying down for Emil, then she has a lot to answer for.

Carl, no offense, but what influence could the mayor of New Lenox have had over Iraq policy? Debbie is the Senate Majority Leader in Illinois; she has a direct input on daily legislative matters and policy initiatives. She is at least somewhat responsible for actions and/or inactions. But how could Tim Baldermann have had a hand in Iraq policy and President Bush’s stubborness on the issue?

Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:55 pm
Why should (unindicted co-conspirator) A-Rod care how fast trucks go? He doesn’t share the road with them, except for going to and from the airports.

Comment by The Mad Hatter Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 2:57 pm
Baldermann has been a Republican precinct committeeman for 5 years. He is center right and will play well in the district. He also happens to know influential people in Chicago and can work the other side of the aisle. He’s a formidable candidate.

Comment by Sage Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:03 pm
Oh, silly me. I forgot why A-Rod might want to make trucks go slower: they didn’t give him a campaign contribution. Not that I’m in favor of trucks going any faster than they already do, but there seems to be an ulterior motive to every action A-Rod takes. He doesn’t care one whit about the taxpayers in this state, only the money he can fleece for himself and his friends.

Comment by The Mad Hatter Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:06 pm
Team Sleep,

Tim Baldermann wants to run as a Republican — the Republican Party gave us the rationale for the war (which turned out to be based on lies and errors), put the war in place by implementing the strategy, and has since kept our troops and our nation stuck in the quagmire first through use of their majority and now by use of the veto and filibuster.

It’s entirely appropriate to ask a Republican candidate what his views of recent Republican policies are.

Comment by Rob_N Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:14 pm
Mad Hatter -

You do realize that the only reason there was a bill that passed in the first place to raise the speed limit was because of campaign contributions to lawmakers from the trucking industry and their lobbyists.

The safety arguments of a uniform speed limit are just a cloak for the real reason - it benefits the trucking industry if the trucks can go faster.

Everyone is culpable in this game. Don’t let lawmakers off the hook for cozying up to contributors, either.

Comment by GoBearsss Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:16 pm
Pat: A good campaign statement doesn’t need to stand up to logic. It just has to sound good.

My preference would be to hear Balderman and Halvorson talk about what they will do for us when they get to Washington.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:22 pm
As a democrat, I wouldn’t blame Halvorson for a second if she threw Blago under a speeding semi-truck. In fact, I’d encourage it. The man has a lower approval than Bush.

Blame the problems in Springfield on the Governor, who is largely to blame anyway.

Comment by jerry 101 Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:35 pm
A good campaign statement doesn’t need to stand up to logic

I know. I just think Halverson has more to fear from that than to gain from it.

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:35 pm
Tut, tut, Mad Hatter. The governor loves truckers…..just about as much as he loves pharmacists.

Comment by Joe Schmoe Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:36 pm
Not to change the subject… but HB 3866, the budget bill, has been placed on the Senate calendar starting tomorrow, according to the ilga.gov website. Does this mean the Senate really is going to vote on it, or is it just a formality?

Comment by Lainer Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:38 pm
Tim Baldermann is running for Congress.

Does he or does he not have a position on the Iraq occupation?

How can he be taken seriously as a candidate if he won’t take a position on the biggest, most immediate issue facing the federal government?

Baldermann wants the Republicans to be the majority party in the House of Representatives, right? What does he think the big successes of Hastert’s tenure were?

You may not like Madigan and Emil Jones, but under Democratic leadership the Illinois legislature didn’t roll over for bad policies advocated by the Democratic governor.

Can you say the same about Republicans in Congress?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:41 pm
Team Sleep, if you think Halvorson is responsible for problems in Springfield, can you make that argument with specifics or are you exclusively going to argue she’s a Democrat in the leadership so therefore she should have been able to keep Blago, Madigan and Jones from behaving badly?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:44 pm
“Baldermann” rhymes with “alderman”. Apparently in more ways than one.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:45 pm
I do not like the speeding trucks
I do not like them, WTF?
I do not like the way they bribe
I do not like the way they drive
I do not like Mike Madigan’s house
He’d sell out safety, what a louse
The Guv may be the devil in fact
But he’s right on this one, cut him slack

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:52 pm
she’s a Democrat in the leadership so therefore she should have been able to keep Blago, Madigan and Jones from behaving badly?

Isn’t that the argument you are making about R’s and Bush?

Bottom line is that going into Iraq is the past. What to do about it NOW is a real Q. Since DH wasn’t effective in making anything reasonable happen in the Senate when she was #2, how can she be expected to have more influence in Washington?

The other guy seems to have been an effective mayor.

It’s the “might be able to” vs the certain “can’t do it”

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 3:56 pm
Carl Nyberg now has an outlet on Capitol Fax, so he isn’t just wasting time screaming at the wall.

Comment by Super Mega Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 4:17 pm
Pat Collins writes, “The other guy seems to have been an effective mayor.”

On what are you basing this claim, Pat… The number of dog poops picked up from village sidewalks?

Who is Tim Baldermann? There’s been almost no bio about him or accounting of his tenure as mayor til just very recently. At least with Senator Halvorson we know what we’re getting (whether you like her values and her politics or not — you can point to an actual record).

Comment by Rob_N Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 4:25 pm
Super Mega, are you able to construct a reasoned argument and defend it.

Or do you just do insults?

Is that what defenders of the Republican Party are left with? Insulting people who criticize Republican arguments and policies?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 4:36 pm
Carl,

No, I’m pretty versatile and have been pretty fair of my criticisms of both parties.

I take issue with the fact that you take the same partisan attacks that you read on Daily Kos, or some other liberal Democrat blog, and try to apply it here.

I think Baldermann should answer where he stands on the war, but your question to him doesn’t warrant a response, or the assumption that he’s actually reading your post.

Be proud to be an American, Carl.

Comment by Super Mega Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 4:44 pm
Hey - they just went after that 12 year old kid from the Dem radio address, his disabled sister and their family, just because they’ve been helped by SCHIP. So what would you expect.

Back in 1994, the Republicans called themselves the party of ideas and attacked the Dems for being intellectually bankrupt. There was a lot of truth in that. Today, the national party has become intellectually bankrupt, ethically challenged and simply the party of hate and bile. Should make for an interesting election season.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 4:45 pm
Super Mega, you’re not showing any talent or versatility, but thanks for acting as your own reference.

I’m really impressed by a guy who can tell us what a great guy he is. Have you considered running for office? You’re versatile and think you’re really reasonable. Can you tell us how virtuous you are? How bout telling us how great you are at sex? Tell us about how you’re one of God’s chosen people and going to heaven too.

Super Mega, why do you assume I give cut and paste arguments from other places? Is that where you get your arguments?

Super Mega, which of my questions to Baldermann on Iraq do you find inappropriate? Why are they inappropriate?

What questions would you ask about Iraq?

BTW, what do I have to do to get the right to question my fellow citizens’ patriotism? Is joining the GOP enough? Or is there a special club within the GOP I need to join?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 5:04 pm
== Blagojevich says lawmakers who vote to overturn his veto will effectively be voting to kill people. ==

Such suprising rhetoric from a usually low-key, details oriented leader. The cynic in me suspects that both ‘Mad Hatter’ and ‘Go Bearsss’ are correct in that the legislative motivation on either side of the bill are likely tied to lobbying and campaign contributions.

Regardless, GRod’s simplistic take on the safety consequences of Differential Speed Limits (DSLs) versus Uniform Speed Limits (USLs) once again exposes why he was a self-proclaimed C/D student, in that to develop an informed position, one actually needs to read research, ask questions and weigh related policy implications. Suffice it to say, the verdict has not yet been reached on whether a change similar to what Illinois has proposed (DSL to USL) actually increases, decreases or maintains the status quo on crashes. There are a number of confounding factors related to this question, and to Speed Limits in general, not the least of which is the role that Enforcement plays. Perhaps a better counterproposal to a “I’ll take my ball and go home” veto would have been adopting a USL but attaching to it increased truck registration fees to support ISP speed enforcement activities — for both trucks and cars. After all, the current administration has proven they are quite fond of raising “fees”, so long as they are not “taxes”. Oh, but wait…I forget..they are least fond of “compromise”.

BTW, for anyone that is interested in an objective primer on the issue, check out http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pubs/04156/index.htm

Comment by Illinois Valley Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 5:18 pm
Chicago cynic,

“They” are just some conservative bloggers, and “going after” involves the relevant schip question: where should the income cutoff lie? If Reid offers an example, bloggers ought to examine that example, as it helps us all consider who should and should not be included. Once an example is submitted for review, why not review it?

But as for the rest of the bickering on this thread, it’s becoming painful to read.

Comment by Greg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 5:37 pm
Wonder what BlunderBoy had to give up to get this huge win?
Guess we’ll wait for the G to drop some paper on the flippers.

Comment by Mr. W.T. Rush Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 6:02 pm
Greg,

The “going after” involves publishing the home address of a 12 year old boy and his disabled sister and accusing this working class family of basically being frauds. The attacks are not just conservative bloggers but Rush Limbaugh and much of the right wing machine.

BTW - The family of 4 has a combined income of 45,000. The kids attend private schools on scholarship. Please explain how publishing their home address and launching nasty assaults on them constitutes a “review”.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 6:07 pm
Greg,

I realize you’re responding to Chicago Cynic but…

The attacks against the 12 year old and his family have all been thoroughly debunked yet the conservative partisans keep hounding the family — calling their house, emailing them, digging through files, driving by and “inspecting” their home (again, all with the effect of conservatives jumping to erroneous conclusions).

Sounds more like conservatives are getting ready for a Mob hit than “submitting an example for review”.

The family was rejected by 3 private insurance companies and would have no coverage for their children without SCHIP (for which they qualify being more than $10,000 under the ceiling).

Do you and your allies prefer that these handicapped kids have no insurance whatsoever? Would you rather “hang ‘em up to let ‘em twist in the wind and be eaten by ravens” as one Redstate blogger put it?

This conservative attack against a kid has been despicable and beyond the pale. What makes it even worse is that the Senate Republican leadership was hoping to use the baseless attacks to discredit not just that family but the whole of SCHIP and would’ve done so — dragging a 12-year-old and his family through the mud — had other citizens not stepped up to debunk all of the hollow talking points the right-wing keeps regurgitating in their angry mob mentality.

Not one conservative in this was trying to determine “where should the income cutoff lie”. Instead, they were clearly (and still are clearly) trying to play “gotcha” by painting a false picture of a well-off family mooching off the government. Again, the family is not at all well-off — they’re barely lower middle class and with an income of $45,000 for two parents and four kids they are $10,000 below Maryland’s SCHIP cut-off as it is. Plus, they’ve been rejected thrice by private insurance and had nowhere else to turn. Even if they could get private insurance their annual premiums, out-of-pockets and deductibles would likely total in the thousands. Starting with an income of $45,000 and substracting a few grand leaves a lot less available for, say, food, clothing, mortgage, etc.

The phrase “conservatives without conscience” keeps coming to mind.

(…sorry for going so far o/t Rich — had to respond to the clearly ‘not getting it’.)

Comment by Rob_N Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 6:19 pm
Chicago Cynic, It’s a family of 6. The two children involved in the car crash have two siblings, plus the parents who are trying to make ends meet.

Comment by Rob_N Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 6:21 pm
WHY would trucks be allowed to go faster than cars? That makes no sense at all! The gov (for once) is RIGHT to veto that!

Comment by Way Northsider Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 6:32 pm
Chicago Cynic,

Personally I don’t care too much. I thought it worth defining “they,” since the noun in the previous posts to which you were responding was “Republicans.” I try to not generalize that much.

From what I’ve read, Malkin has spearheaded that thing. And you know what? I read her entire post, and then I read the (long) Kos responses to it. I try to take in everything and then filter out the bs. The bad stuff is from individual commenters, and we all know that we have to write a lot of them off, on both sides.

My personal conclusion was that reviewing this particular example was very helpful, because it illustrates the kind of family targeted. Of course the number of family members is relevant, as well as the income, as well as the significant property holdings. All of this begs the question: how (or should) we means-test entitlements?

Because we’ve got to think that one over very well, looking at the actuarial projections for all programs. Again, I’d say you submit an example, great; let’s take a look.

Also, I’m not sure how many younger commenters we have here (I’m one of them), but I fully admit on behalf of my generation that we are a bit of a ruthless bunch, and I think we tend to not be as offended by invasions of privacy as previous generations seem to. Just a thought…

Comment by Greg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 6:33 pm
I tried to do a bit of fact-checking, and it appears the address was first posted on Free Republic’s message board during a discussion about their asset values.

So there’s obviously a biased review coming from both sides: their assets appear to exceed the national median, their income is right around it, if a bit south, but they would struggle to buy insurance on the private market, and probably can’t affors it without significant asset liquidation.

So again, my response would be that a rational review (of the kind I just very briefly summarized) is helpful, but of course, no one likes nasty attacks…

Comment by Greg Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 6:48 pm
Way, That’s not what the law would have done - it would have made the speed limit the same which is the way it is in most US states. But it’s a moot point since the House did not override the veto.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 7:07 pm
Blago has lost his mind, someone please find a way to remove hime from office, please.

Comment by Dan, a Voter Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 7:48 pm
Halvorson gets to run against Rod and Bush, the two most unpopular people in Illinois right now. Balderman gets to run against Rod and embrace George Bush.

Who would you rather be?

Comment by archpundit Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 8:01 pm
Balderman doesn’t *have* to embrace Bush, since Bush is not running next year. Expect a “distance dance” from all R’s running for an open congressional seat next year, here and in other states. Some might even pull it off successfully, although it’s obvious their D opponents will link them inextricably to our “popular” POTUS.

Any IL R, state or Congressional race, that doesn’t focus on the state government’s current status is a fool campaigner. Cripes, even Durbin is worried about it and knows which party the voters are likely to hold accountable. So Deb and many other D’s will likewise try to show their independent streak in distancing themselves from the mess in Spfld.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 8:26 pm
The master of the understatement apparently stole that line from the Tribune editorial, as noted in the Morning Shorts.

Comment by winco Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 8:39 pm
Halvorson has a voting record, and despite any attempts to distance herself from Jones, the voting record for majority leaders typically (if not almost always) mirrors their boss. This race is essentially a race between Emil Jones and Balderman. I’m not sure the voters in New Lenox, Frankfort, Bourbonnais, Morris and Plainfield are quite ready for ads that say “sponsored by MoveOn.org”. We saw the political shift in 2006 and it will shift slightly to the right in 2008. As a former resident of Weller’s district, the voters there are craving common sense solutions to common problems. Halvorson’s voting record - and that should be the focus- will definitely not resonate with that constituency.

Comment by DC Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 8:39 pm
>>* 11:59 am - The Reader reports that the Daily Southtown will no longer cover professional sports.

Comment by God's Country Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 8:50 pm
God’s Country:
Does this mean Kristen McQuery will be doing a cooking column or are defining “professional sports” as activities where boys where funny clothes?

Comment by Mr W.T. Rush Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 9:41 pm
Carl, it’s a pretty sad situation for Mrs. Halvorson if she has no influence and pull with Emil. And I do consider sitting idly by in politics to be a problem for any candidate or leader. How different would the country be if someone or some group had stood up to Tom DeLay? Hastert, Blunt, Jerry Lewis, etc. - all of whom are very powerful and influential - allowed DeLay to walk all over them and help add to a huge deficit.

I realize Iraq is the paramount issue. Baldermann’s stance on Iraq will be important. But he had no input on the decision to go into Iraq - just as he had no formative input since. Halvorson, however, has now been in the Senate majority since 2003, and she is the current majority leader. Baldermann can tie problems to the current governmental gaffes in Illinois to her while also questioning how effective she can be in a Pelosi-led Congress that hasn’t done much in 9 months. Halvorson can then challenge Baldermann on Iraq, but Baldermann can dodge and assert that he never voted on the issue.

Baldermann will distance himself from Bush. And DC has a great point: the 11th CD isn’t a liberal-leaning district, and voters in the 11th will not appreciate move-on.org ads.

Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 10:47 pm
Issues are important, but more importantly, listening to Debbie Halvorson is like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard.

Comment by Truth Thursday, Oct 11, 07 @ 8:12 am
Number One: Who is Debbie Halvorson married to now? According to Project Vote Smart, which has all the other pertinent data on Senator Halvorson correct and up to date - her husband is Gordon and they have two children. But on her website, she says she has a husband named Bush and has four children.

Nowhere does she explain the “Halvorson” part of her name, how it got there, and for how long she has been a Halvorson.

Is she now Senator Debbie DeFrancesco Halvorson Bush? Since when?

Number Two: Where does she live? If she is from Crete, why is her district mostly in Cook County instead of Will? Most of her voters are in the Chicago Heights region and her district strattles Cook and Will. Is she a Cook County Democrat, or a Will County Democrat? Does Congressional District 11 want to be represented by someone with more governmental ties to Cook or Will?

Number Three: This election will be defined by the candidates. If I were Halvorson, I would scream about Iraq, health care, and George Bush and make it a national referendum. The problem for her will be that George Bush is not on the ballot. Instead Clinton will be. Iraq is fading as an issue, and will continue to do so, and health care isn’t a silver bullet straight to DC.

So, what we have left is a state and local contest between Emil Jones’ silent partner and Tim Balderman. If I were Balderman, I wouldn’t tie Halvorson to Blagojevich, I’d tie her to her political sugar daddy and mentor; Jones.

If the meltdown in Springfield is a battle between three kings, then Majority Leader Debbie DeFrancesco Halvorson Bush is the Queen of the Springfield Meltdown.

What kind of Majority Leader is she?

Did she voice her disapproval when Jones locked up democracy in the Senate - as he is currently doing regarding the budge vetoes?

Where was her comments in support of electric rates relief after her political mentor Jones allowed ComEd to decide our fate and derail it?

Where was she when Jones turned into a Jones Personnel Service for families and friends living off our tax dollars? Does Debbie have friends that Jones has also rewarded?

What about the battle over the South Suburban Airport? Debbie and Jesse Jackson Jr has been scuffling over this quite handsomely. If she becomes a Congresswoman, how will she reward her political mentor, Jones? Do we want to see Emil Jones and Company controlling the Airport at a Federal level too? How badly is Jones salivating over this big ticket item?

We haven’t even covered just how extreme Debbie is on issues. Her political marriage to Emil Jones is so ripe for Balderman, it is hard to choose exactly how Tim will wish to present his opponent next November.

If Debbie really wants to go to Washington, she is going to have to come up with a lot of convincing reasons why District 11 should elect the weakest Majority Leader in Illinois history, or Emil Jones’ “Mini-Me”.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Oct 11, 07 @ 9:38 am