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Mr. Curious has some questions

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* Does this mean we can now assume Mark Kirk is out of the US Senate race?

The head of the Illinois Republican Party is making a move to run for the U.S. Senate. Andy McKenna Jr. is due in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to meet with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and with GOP members of the state’s congressional delegation. Key among the latter is North Shore Congressman Mark Kirk, who so far has not heeded pleas by party leaders to run, creating a political vacuum.

Mr. McKenna already has spoken with NRSC Chairman Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and has been encouraged to proceed, according to a source familiar with their conversation.

I’ve been hearing about this for weeks, but was loathe to post it here since McKenna’s name draws so many hateful comments. Please, try to contain yourselves today, OK? Thanks.

* I’m sure former Chicago Ald. Billy Ocasio has good reasons for wanting Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus to replace him on the city council, now that Ocasio has taken a high-level position with Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration. Rev. De Jesus is being slammed by some as being way too insensitive on gay rights, but, again, I’m sure he has his reasons.

Still, why would Ocasio want a replacement who doesn’t even live in his ward? Wasn’t there a qualified candidate who was actually a constituent?

Not that it will probably matter, since Mayor Daley makes the choice, doesn’t particularly care for Ocasio and has a list of four candidates. Presumably, at least one of them lives in Ocasio’s ward.

* Why would Gov. Quinn support an old plan for eleven stops on the proposed high speed rail line between Chicago and St. Louis? Isn’t that a bit much?

* Could Todd Stroger even win this race?

Will Cook County Board Commissioner Bill Beavers retire . . . thereby enabling beleaguered Cook County Board President Todd Stroger to run for Beavers’ job — and step aside from the board presidency . . . before the juggernaut of Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, who wants Stroger’s job, runs him down?

* So, will it be Utay Park or Ricketts Field? I’m confused.

Your turn.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:15 pm

Comments

Andy McKenna Jr. will fit like a glove in D.C. There is no leadership in Washington, and he has shown no leadership to the state Republican Party. Good luck to him.

Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:18 pm
McKenna v Kirk, pretty much sums up the problems with the State GOP and its struggle to win elections.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:21 pm
Please, try to contain yourselves today

We’ll do our spewing on primary day *^^*.

Seriously, if he got a go ahead from National, it means they have well and truly written off IL.

I dont see how he makes it past the primary.

Comment by Pat collins Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:22 pm
{The head of the Illinois Republican Party is making a move to run for the U.S. Senate. Andy McKenna Jr. is due in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to meet with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and with GOP members of the state’s congressional delegation. Key among the latter is North Shore Congressman Mark Kirk, who so far has not heeded pleas by party leaders to run, creating a political vacuum.}

Have you contemplated this as a head-fake, designed to negotiate on behalf of Kirk, the terms and conditions for his entering the race, without being perceived by voters the same Lisa Madigan was after word of her meeting came out (clear field, presidnetial endorsement, etc.)

This may well simply be providing cover for Kirk to negotiate, without him actually negotiating himself. That way if it doesn’t work out, it will not be portrayed as his having tried and failed to gain what he wanted in the way of concessions in order to run.

Comment by Quinn T. Sential Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:23 pm
Only moving 110 mph is not “high-speed rail”– that is barely “rail” at all. There is no reason to have 11 stops between Chicago and St. Louis (other than politics, of course, which is the whole problem).

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:35 pm
Quinn, Kirk’s congressional office is 2 feet from the Republican National Comittee, I don’t think he needs an interlocutor to work up a scheme for him.

1. McKenna could start to build an organization for Kirk or someone else, then if things go badly for dems, hand it over to Kirk.

2. Mckenna could just run, in which case the question becomes does he get 39 percent of the vote or 36 percent of the vote.

3. If Chris Kennedy runs this sets up the battle of sheridan road mercedes benz station wagons. Will Kennilworth prevail over Winnetka?

4. In 2004 the national political enviornment was better for republicans and mckenna couldn’t get the seat, but locally dems were strong. In 2009 the national political enviorment is weak for GOP, but strong locally. If he wins does this prove once and for all, all politics is local?

Comment by Shore Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:44 pm
I recall the original high spped rail discussions from decades ago; The original discussion had a stop in springfield, with debates over a stop in bloomington and joilet on the St. Louis to Chicago run.

To make the speed issue menaingful, there should be one stop. cut out the 15-20 downtime per stop. If needed, change the stop location based on the run.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:46 pm
The article on high speed trains to St Louis didn’t mention what towns would be included in the 11 stops so it is hard to judge. The Acela train on the eastern corridor makes many more stops than that but is stopping at places that matter. Can Illinois boast 11 stops from Chicago to St Louis that matter enough to stop a train travelling over 100 mph? I don’t think the number of stops should be an issue, really. I just would want to make sure the stops make sense, not as a political consideration.

Comment by dupage dan Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:50 pm
It is pretty funny how they are all jockeying to be the sacrificial lamb. Where’s Jim Oberweis and Aaron Schock?

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:53 pm
McKenna seems like a calculated risk to me. He probably figures that he definitely beats Burris or Jackson. Has an outside shot at Alexi. And loses to Kennedy or Madigan. not horrific odds. there is a path to victory, but he needs some breaks.

Comment by Easy Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:53 pm
there is a path to victory, but he needs some breaks.

He needs a serious plan to win the primary, and then to get out the conservatives who will sit home or undervote him.

Comment by Pat collins Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 1:57 pm
Maybe Kirk will consider running as an Independent. It would certainly make for an interesting race.

Comment by KeepSmiling Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:04 pm
The problem with the Chicago-St. Louis route has always been the Joliet-Chicago portion. This is one of the nations’ premier industrial zones, and it is hard to schedule a hurtling 110 mph or faster train thru the maze of industrial development on tracks shared by through freights, local freights, commuter trains and switching movements. Also, that ten-billion+ $ 220 mph proposal for a new, duplicate “true high speed rail” route seems altogether ridiculous if we are to pursue spending a few billion on upgrading the existing line, too. There’s only so much money to go around, and there’s not THAT many people going from Chicago to St. Louis, are there???? I would assume the 11 stops would need to be assessed; on the one hand, every stop eliminated nixes potential customers, but every stop added slows the service down.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:07 pm
Also, the premise of high speed rail replacing air traffic would have a lot more traction if the connection was made at the airports (especially OHare) and not downtown. It’s hard to convince someone to get off their plane, take the CTA to downtown Chicago, probably walk a few blocks with your bags, and catch the high speed train rather than waiting at the airport for your connecting flight.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:13 pm
Why would McKenna run against Kirk in a GOP primary? He’s gotta know he would get creamed. Could this mean that Kirk is leaning toward the Gov. race? McKenna could see Kirk at the top of the ticket as providing him with some coat-tails.

Comment by 10th Indy Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:14 pm
Sneed should be careful about pushing the Preckwinkle-Daley juggernaut story as fact.

Plenty-o-Candidates have relied on early “word-on-the-street” promises of Daley support to raise their profile AND money. And just as many have been left standing at the altar.

There’s another big fight over Wal-Mart brewing at City Council. Preckwinkle - even more than Joe Moore - has been a leader for the Chicago Federation of Labor in the past.

That’s not gonna go over well with Da Boss, but Preckwinkle needs labor to win too.

Comment by Notsofast Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:19 pm
McKenna for U S Senate? OMG is that all the republicans have to offer. He has the personality of a thimble full of wet sand! Me thinks we just don’t care.

Comment by getmeoutofhere Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:35 pm
Six, the original discussions implied that the high speed train would not be just for travelrs, but for commuters as well. The theory is if the run to springfield could be made in an hour (or less) then springfield could become almost like a suburb of chicago with affordable housing etc. But this only works with a 200+ speed train reducing the commute time to what you already experience in the area.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:49 pm
One big sticking point for the ‘high-speed’ rail is the fact that the tracks between Joliet and Godfrey (just north of St. Louis) are owned by Union Pacific. Right now UP runs about 1 freight per day on the line. (3 round trips per week between Gateway Yard in East St Louis and Bloomington and a local 3X per week north of there) The UP is now in the process of constructing its Global 4 intermodal terminal southwest of Joliet on a portion of the old arsenal grounds. Global 4 is scheduled to open in June of 2010. UP is looking to use this terminal for its international intermodal business–the cheap consumer crap from the far east. Right now, it would mean an additional 2 or so trains in each direction, but once the recession is over, that number is bound to go up.
Since UP owns the track, does anybody seriously want to bet on whether or not they’re going to dispatch a passenger train that earns them almost nothing in front of a revenue generating freight train. As long as ‘high speed’ rail runs on tracks owned by for profit freight hauling railroads, the ‘high speed’ part will be in name only.
The Chicago-St.Louis route has been fortunate in that the main portion of it sees little competing freight traffic–Even the Chicago-Joliet portion isn’t a hugely trafficed line but has enough freight to cause headaches, but that appears to be changing real soon.

train111

Comment by train111 Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:02 pm
I thought Mckenna was a friend of Kirk’s?? I guess all the talk of a clear primary was meant for Mckenna to have a clear primary.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:05 pm
Ghost,

I am liking the plan even less if marketed that way. We could build lots of affordable housing in Chicago for $13 or $15 billion or whatever, and save all the trips and large-lot exurban sprawl in the Springfield area that would be induced by this scheme. Of course, if the train stopped in my town, I’d be all for it:-)

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:21 pm
Andy McKenna has tried running for Senate before. He failed. Badly (4th place as I recall). Why is this time going to be any different?

Comment by You gotta be kidding Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:24 pm
Conservative Veteran, you’ve posted that (now deleted) comment about that June 13th several times now.

I consider that repeated comment to be spam and it will be deleted from here on out.

Stop it.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:25 pm
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 2:59 pm:

It will only be McKenna or Kirk, both are too scared to demonstrate leadership, I mean fight to succeed.

Once again - that is not me.

Please post under another name.

Lisa Madigan seems ready for a Senate race, which opens up the Governor’s race for Kirk. Kirk can beat whoever the Democrats put up - (at this point), and the GOP will have a problem finding someone to face Madigan in the Senate race, (if she is nominated - that is).

McKenna is not the guy to win. Ray LaHood is.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:33 pm
Maybe McKenna thinks that his next U.S. Senate race would be different because he has experience as a party leader.

Comment by Conservative Veteran Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:33 pm
Rich - If McKenna runs, maybe Beth Coulson could take over for him now

Comment by 10th Indy Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:33 pm
VanillaMan, as I noted on another thread, that comment was deleted and the commenter has been banned for life.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:34 pm
Mckenna why? He has done such a great job at organizing and enrgizing the GOP. Where is Borland? How about Dr. (the Indian Gent) Kat…, the powdered wig guy and John Cox? Someone find doe in the headlights Jack! in a sex club and lets have a 2004 Reunion.

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:35 pm
that explains why Mckenna fired most, if not all, of the Republican party staff yesterday. he wants new people so that the state party can fund his race and his people.

Comment by 4 percent Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 3:36 pm
a.) andy mckenna’s 2004 campaign was originally designed to primary former senator peter fitzgerald, before he announced that he was going to retire. think about that.

b.) mckenna finished behind oberweis and rauschenberger in 2004. he’s not a solid candidate.

c.) andy mckenna can’t turn the illinois gop around, what makes him think he can have a successful senate campaign? he completely lacks the support of what’s left of gop leadership.

i think mark kirk or steve rauschenberger would make better candidates.

Comment by Seven7 Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:06 pm
Seven7, you can’t in one breath say that because somebody lost a single statewide bid they are disqualified from running, and then in the next point to somebody who has lost more than one statewide bid and say that person would make a better candidate.

Illogical.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:12 pm
rich-

point taken. however, if you can’t get out of a primary by finishing behind oberweis and rauschenberger, you can’t be considered a serious candidate for statewide office after running that badly with your potential base.

i cited rauschenberger as a better candidate because of his service in the state senate, his reputation amongst grassroots leaders, and his ability to raise money through the united republican fund and other connections.

i should have elaborated.

Comment by Seven7 Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:18 pm
Rich,

If you are going to start calling out all the illogical posts on the blog you will have to forego sleeping and all other activities for the rest of your life.

Comment by E Pluribus Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:20 pm
Untrue, EP. Most commenters here are quite good.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:24 pm
oh, and steve rauschenberger has a personality, which mckenna hasn’t been able to find yet. but i digress…

Comment by Seven7 Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:29 pm
All I can say about Andy McKenna is [Hateful comment] [More hateful comments] Wanted to confirm Rich’s premonitions on comments about the disdain Andy brings out of people.
The GOP cannot be viable party in Illinois until Andy is gone. Most Republican’s don’t like him and I’m one of them that doesn’t understand how he took over the state party without having a majority of Republicans wanting him.
O well. Can’t let Dems have all the corruption fun themselves.

Comment by Dudeman Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:37 pm
It is hard to see how Andy McKenna can get over the wall on this one.

He has a lot of the pieces in place, such as access to big money, a pleasant face, a gentlemanly manner, and decent name recognition. He could use some issues that grab voters and a personality infusion, but neither is the big problem.

The Fringe Right of the Illinois GOP has, rightly or wrongly, made him Whipping Boy Numero Uno for the fact that they do not have total power in the Illinois GOP. (A new boogey man to hate and fear was required once Topinka, and then Kjellander went home, and McKenna is it.)

The leaders of the Fringe Right don’t believe in team play, don’t really care if the Democrat wins so long as their boogey man loses, and will destroy anyone that does not sign on to their agenda. In this case, they will do anything, (and I mean anything, as we learned with Topinka in 2006) to “Get McKenna,” if only to create fear in would-be future candidates. It is in effect a weird kind of political terrorism practiced within the Illinois GOP.

Perhaps Andy’s best move is to show backbone by addressing the obvious, and finally facing these people down as the cowardly schoolyard bullies they truly are. Ignoring them has not done the trick, as recent statewide elections have shown.

Comment by Bubs Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:49 pm
…and I am a conservative Republican.

Glad to see all the McKenna trashing going on here. With his deep pockets and the likelihood (after MANY failed Senate races) that no serious competition will challenge him in the primary, McKenna will wind up the suprisingly pleasing and formidable Republican alternative to the continuing Democratic meltdown.

I shouldn’t say too much more. Let the underestimation of McKenna continue. Rather the Dems be lulled into false complacency.

Comment by Conservative Republican Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:58 pm
bubs-

typical perception of someone who is not familiar with il gop politics.

give the “fringe right” thing a rest.

Comment by Seven7 Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 4:59 pm
The position by the Governor to establish 11 stops along the so called high speed rail reveals the nature of his support.

It is just a vehicle for pork to be ladled out with support from the communities that will have stops. 11 stops along the route is a commuter train, not high speed rail.

All funding for this boondoggle should be stopped until there is adequate money of essential services.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 5:00 pm
I love it! If McKenna runs he loses by Alan Keyes margins. It will be more embarrassing than the last time he ran in 2004. The fact that Republicans know him better now obviously only hurts him. His record is awful.

But this sounds like a good way to finally get him off the field for good.

I can see the opposition’s commercials now,

“Don’t let Andy McKenna do to this state what he did to the Illinois Republican Party.”

Run Andy Run!

Comment by Just sayin Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 5:31 pm
Seven7 -

Thank you! I have not laughed that hard in months.

Comment by Bubs Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 6:14 pm
bubs-

if that’s the case, you lack what some would call…a life.

Comment by Seven7 Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 6:57 pm
–Also, the premise of high speed rail replacing air traffic would have a lot more traction if the connection was made at the airports (especially OHare) and not downtown.–

Six, that’s absolutely brilliant hooking up the airports with rail. I’ve covered or followed high-speed rail ideas for 20 years, and that’s the first time I’ve heard that proposed.

Why not do both?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 7:41 pm
I know there’s a hard core in the GOP that doesn’t like any Democrats, but given recent comments about Kirk and McKenna (not to mention McCain and Powell), I’m getting the idea that those same people don’t like any Republicans, either.

A little free advice: It makes sense for Rush and Fox News to appeal to that 20-25% of the country that thinks the rest of us aren’t “the right kind of people.” They own that market and make a lot of money off of it.

It makes absolutely no sense for a political party (another hint: you need at least a plurality to win). The way things are going, if the Illinois GOP could find a phone booth, they could hold a caucus in it.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 7:54 pm
I’m “The Fringe Right of the Illinois GOP” and like McKenna, but I recognize I’m outnumbered. Incidentally, he’s a Hell of a lot better than LaHood.

Comment by T.J. Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 8:43 pm
The St Louis-Chicago train # 304 takes 5 hrs 40 min. There are 8 stops. One of the stops, 15 minutes, is for smokers. The Megabus from Chicago to St. Louis takes 5 hrs and 30 min and stops once. If train travel were more attractive, i.e. quicker and cleaner with better food, more people would use it. If train service between Chicago and other midwestern cities like Cleveland, Cincinatti and Minneapolis were improved, more people would use it.

Comment by Emily Booth Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 10:36 pm
I’m glad he is running..and Andy will make it competitive. 2010 nationally is shaping up to a GOP year, but IL is just a “different state.” Andy vs. Lisa is odd but interesting.

I believe this puts Kirk in the Guvs race OR he’ll just remain as a Congressman. Financially Kirk has a leg up on Quinn in fundraising and all the GOPers in the primary (which they should all drop out) & he seems to be fordmidable in that race.

I’m going to assume that Lisa is running for the Senate seat…things are beginning to fall in place for 2010??

Comment by scoot Tuesday, Jul 7, 09 @ 10:41 pm
I’ve covered or followed high-speed rail ideas for 20 years, and that’s the first time I’ve heard that proposed.

The airports in Paris and Frankfurt are hooked up with high speed rail. Maybe a brilliant idea, but not mine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_rail_link

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Jul 8, 09 @ 1:06 am
Any idea why Danny David would give up being a US congressman..on the powerful Ways and Means Committee would try to oust Stroger? What else is he thinking???? Danny needs to see the forest for the trees..there are 3 black out of 435 members on that committee and he want to give it up to try to take out another blank man who has done a good jon…Shirley Chisolm said it best about us “Crabs in a barrell”

Comment by blackdem Wednesday, Jul 8, 09 @ 9:53 am
to those who want to hook up high-speed rail to O’Hare:

It’s all about a little matter called “right of way”.

I’m very sorry, but I have a hard time believing all those communities on the west side of Chicago that this line would have to go through would agree to this, and if they did, I think we would see 11 stops balloon to 30 or 40 or more.

I’d like to see the high-speed rail happen; I am a big fan of public transportation. But let’s be honest: part of the path it follows will relate to where it can be run with the smallest amount of public outcry, lawsuits designed to slow down construction, etc.

Sorry guys!!! :-/

Comment by LynnS Wednesday, Jul 8, 09 @ 11:45 pm