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Hamos really needs a new outlook on life, or at least a new speechwriter

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Illinois

* State Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) wants to run for attorney general and has developed a unique unified political theory. Unfortunately, it involves comparing the power of the people to an army of cockroaches.

Hamos related this theory to Champaign County Democrats the other night. According to Tom Kacich, she talked about how you step on one cockroach and the next morning there are two, and then the next morning there are three. “Pretty soon, you’ve got an army of cockroaches in there.”

And if that wasn’t yucky enough for a dinner speech, Hamos’ analogy then proceeded to get way outta hand…

“That’s what constituent letters are all about,” she said. “So if any of you wonder if it’s important for you to reach out to even excellent legislators, constituent letters demonstrate that there is an army of cockroaches right behind you.

“And you know what? In the state Legislature, 10 cockroaches demonstrate to us that there is a whole army right behind you. And that is the power of constituents and grass-roots organizing. I don’t want any of you to forget that.”

For anyone at the Democrats’ dinner, I doubt that will be possible.

Hamos wasn’t finished. Near the end of her talk she mentioned the need for citizens to apply pressure to legislators to fix the state’s financial problems. “Can we as legislators take action on a very, very tough agenda without that army of cockroaches right behind us? I really want you to help us do this. It’s really going to take public support.”

From you cockroaches.

Call me crazy, but I doubt that visual will work well in a TV ad. If she wants to be a populist, she’s probably got the analogy backwards. Unsolicited advice: Time for a total rethink.

* Meanwhile, Attorney General Lisa Madigan expressed more doubts about Gov. Quinn’s tax hike proposals…

“I’m in the grocery store, I’m walking across the street and people will stop me and have a lot of questions about state government and say how is it that you’re going to tax us more? We can’t afford it.”

* Gov. Quinn may push the recall issue again once the General Assembly returns from spring break. The guv is also set to act on a backlog of pardon requests. That ought to show us how brave he really is.

And this is not news. Quinn told me months ago that his “heart is big enough for two teams.” He’s the governor, so he probably shouldn’t hate. The rest of us are free to do what we want. In that spirit, I say again: Go Sox. Cubs suck.

* Related…

* Rutherford forms exploratory committee for state treasurer run

* Quinn backs Foster military relief bill

* Ex-death row inmate acquitted at retrial

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 9:42 am

Comments

===I say again: Go Sox. Cubs suck===

Typing while on painkillers is bad Rich!!

Go Cubs!

Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 9:50 am
I haven’t taken a pain killer since yesterday afternoon.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 9:51 am
Cubs suck? Really now Rich. Baseball isn’t a zero sum game in Chicago. Love your team all you want, but leave mine out of it please. Just because I want the Cubs to win doesn’t mean the Sox must also lose.

Save your hate until the Red Line interleague series, or God bless, a cross-town World Series. It’s almost like you Sox fans are obsessed with the Cubs, while we northsiders couldn’t care less about your team.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 9:58 am
I feel better now that I’ve been compared to a c0ckroach. They’re survivors, you know.

Comment by Fan of the Game Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 9:59 am
===It’s almost like you Sox fans are obsessed with the Cubs===

Nah. We just think your team sucks. Don’t flatter yourself.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:00 am
===“heart is big enough for two teams.” ==== What about three? My bet is at least half of downstaters, if not more, are Cardinal fans.

Comment by Been There Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:02 am
Isn’t Quinn going to need all of his “political capital” to get his huge middle class tax increase
through the legislature while fending off the maneuvers of AFSCME and the corporates to get their part of the the pain excised.

Recall and pardons are fine but let’s face it, they are not emergencies, with all due respect to the potential recipients of pardons. Our money is.

Either the fix is in with the legislature re tax increases or the guv is taking a scattershot approach, hoping he can get something through before February.

Meanwhile, the increasingly astute Lisa is making another feel your pain comment which is likely to
resonate with the electorate with or without the middle class tax increase.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:04 am
I think my team sucks half the time too Rich, but I don’t waste any time on caring one way or the other about yours. That’s the difference between us I guess.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:06 am
===I don’t waste any time on caring===

That’s your problem. A few minutes a week of healthy Cub hating can be liberating. Try it sometime.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:09 am
Cassandra “Isn’t Quinn going to need all of his “political capital” to get his huge middle class tax increase
through the legislature while fending off the maneuvers of AFSCME and the corporates to get their part of the the pain excised”.–

Their part of the pain excised? You realize Cassandra, that the evil AFSCME, as you seem to think of it more often than not, will be opening up their wallets to pay that tax increase too, right? So you hurt/have pain either a bit or none and the evil ones can shoulder a much broader pain? Okay, I think I’ve got your line of thought now.

Comment by Princess Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:16 am
This White Sox fans has the same feeling about the Cubs that Tony Montana does about his enemies: “Bury those cockroaches!”

Comment by Fire Ron Guenther Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:18 am
Cockroaches come out of the woodwork at night and do their work/deeds in dark. We need some sunlight tossed around were a clear view may be seen. Please Ms. Hamos, find yourself a different critter to do comparisions.

Comment by Princess Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:21 am
Eww! Cockroaches!

Comment by Levois Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:24 am
Well, those current union contracts allowing for 4% annual cola increases and up to 4% annual increases for practically everybody in state govt (since practically everybody in state govt is unionized now)—anyway, that should ease AFSCME constituents’ pain.

No such anesthetics available for the rest of
us folks out here in the world, where 8 percent
annual raises are beyond rare these days.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:27 am
Was Rep. Julie Hamos impersonating Tony Montana, perhaps?

Comment by Hopeful Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:40 am
Wait, Cassandra. Did you just say ‘current contracts’? I believe you did. So if the state has a current bargained and negotiated obligation it is perfectly okay with you to try and stomp all over it? You are aware I’m sure that the ink is barely dry. I believe I discussed your generalization of different union and contracts with you here the other day. But your bottomline seems to be everyone, heck anyone, but you should have to dig us out of this mess. Why is that, Cassandra?

Comment by Princess Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:41 am
Cassie,
You citizens out there in the “real world” of Illinois owe state workers over $70 Billion that you stole from their pension funds over the last 3 decades. It is time to pay up.

Comment by Bill Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:48 am
My prediction, Cubs win their division, though unspectacularly. Aramis, Derrek and Alfonso aren’t getting any younger. If they or the pitchers get bit hard by the injury bug, they could fall out of contention.

The White Sox however will be lucky just to end the season at .500 . They’re not going anywhere this year.

Go Cubs.

Comment by ZC Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:53 am
Lisa M., what would you do? You can’t have a problem without a solution.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 10:58 am
Hamos is creating quite a platform in her bid for Attorney General. She is comparing those nagging constituents to cockroaches, and is working hard to make sure that the poor inmates at Tamms Prison have a much easier prison life. Nice priority list…

Comment by unspun Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:02 am
Actually, I didn’t say that middle class citizens shouldn’t have to pay anything.

But the bulk of the money to be garnered from Quinn’s middle class tax increase will be coming from, yep, the middle class. There arent that many
rich folks, and poor folks, at least Quinn’s version of poor folks, will get the higher deductions, but the middle class will bear the brunt. And we are also supposed to save the economy by purchasing more stuff (even though Quinn is hitting up our Obama rebate), save for our pension-free retirements, and pay for the kids’ college too. It’s a lot, ya know. But that won’t stop our legislators.

Meanwhile, Quinn has already signaled he’ll “talk” to the corporates, his proposed cuts are teensy and very difficult to verify and AFSCME pays enough money in campaign contributions to ensure that things don’t go too badly for their constituents.

Looks like the middle class and the tobacco companies will be paying up for decades of very bad decisions by state financial managers and our fearless legislators. Don’t fall for that sharing the pain routine. It won’t be shared.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:21 am
===Looks like the middle class and the tobacco companies will be paying up for decades of very bad decisions by state financial managers and our fearless legislators.===

Look at it this way, Cassandra: The taxpayers are having to pay up for the stupidity of voters. It’s essentially their own fault. You talk as if the government has zero relationship with the governed. There is a cause and effect here, y’know, even if it is often rigged.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:24 am
Lisa Madigan sure is perfecting her bashing of Quinn…if she does become Governor, may her rhetoric come back and bite her…easy to criticize when your not on the hot seat Missy…

Comment by Anonymous45 Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:32 am
HEY! It’s the JULIE RAMOS Campaign song!

Sing to the tune of…La Cucaracha!

I’m Julie Ramos!
A candidate with,
A catchy metaphor!
When you hear it,
You will run quick,
Out the nearest exit door!

You little voters,
With your six legs,
I respect you awful lots!
I will lead you,
My leetle army,
If you let me call the shots!

When I fall sleep,
At my office desk,
You run out for a meal!
But if I catch you,
You will soon feel,
The crush of my leetle heel!

But I love you,
Because you’re so many,
Many more than I can smash!
So please contribute,
To my campaign,
And send a little cash!

So my leetle vermin,
I’m kinda yearnin’,
For a statewide posi-shee-one!
So take a looky at,
This leetle roach hotel,
It is full of sticky fun!

What is the problem?
What is that you say?
You don’t like my metaphor?
You don’t want to be,
My leetle roaches,
And you don’t like me anymore?

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:36 am
I went to the Sox game yesterday and they really did suck up the place. They need to get some speed between Quentin, Thome, Dye, Konerko and Pierzinski. That really is the slowest 5 batters in a row I’ve ever seen.

BTW, why are the fans so hard on the Wise guy already?

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:37 am
There’s left brain, there’s right brain, and then there’s … VanillaMan brain.

Comment by ZC Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:40 am
Well…..just to disagree with Rich for a second….(only a second)….The people on this blog are so involved in politics that they forget that most people truly never once in their entire lifetime ever speak to their legislators about anything. When someone does, it really is a sign that there are more behind them who feel that way. Let’s face it, there are legislators who won’t vote for anything risky because they are political cowards. They just want to STAY in office. If they heard from some of these cockroaches, they might act. The metaphor works for me.

AND, as she points out, a lot of people who have great legislators just STOP contacting them and assume they can do all the work without any activism from the people.

Comment by hmmm... Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:42 am
If Julie is lucky, her opponent won’t be playing this song in the background as she is quoted about her leetle roach friends!

I can hear it now - on car horns!

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:44 am
Cassandra “And we are also supposed to save the economy by purchasing more stuff (even though Quinn is hitting up our Obama rebate), save for our pension-free retirements, and pay for the kids’ college too. It’s a lot, ya know.”

Purchase more stuff? I’m busy trying to pay for what I have to purchase: gas, utilities, groceries (have you not noticed your grand total at the grocery store lately?). College? I could not afford college for my first two, they had to work and do it on their own. Pensions? Been contributing to that for years while the state has been helping themselves to it. It’s a lot, ya, know”.

Good day to you, Cassandra. On such a beautiful day I’m going out to divide daylilies. Try it sometime. Dig in the dirt, it’s a great stress relief. I hardly have any grass/lawn left, but you should see my perennial beds and borders

Comment by Princess Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:47 am
Time to install the auto-Cassandra machine…. (grumble) fat cat lazy state workers (grumble) soaking up my hard-earned tax dollars (grumble) nothing left for the hard-working private-sector folks (grumble)

BTW, tobacco companies are not paying a dime extra in taxes….smokers are, plus a few extra dimes for the corporate coffers (or is that coughers?)

Comment by Vote Quimby! Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 12:09 pm
How about a 100% tax on campaign funds with an $83,000 exemption?

Comment by Excessively rabid Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 12:41 pm
==VanillaMan brain.==

oxymoron

Comment by Bill Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 12:44 pm
Hamos has demonstarted political seppuku by speech.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 1:55 pm
It’s probably a wee bit early to declare a seppuku, Ghost.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 2:01 pm
They say cockroaches will survive a nuclear blast, so I guess we’ll survive Illinois politics after all. (Vanilla Man, you crack me up–I can hear Ramos’ competitor’s ads now).

Comment by ChampaignDweller Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 2:38 pm
Put Hamos and Shock together on a speaking tour. They can charge admission to raise campaign money by entertaining the crowds with talk of nukes in taiwn and cockroaches… after all, nukes and cockroaches go together like milk and coookies.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 4:03 pm
This blog bums me out. People are just political junkies–there is no heart.

Comment by whatever Thursday, Apr 9, 09 @ 11:49 pm