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* From the Chicago Tribune’s endorsement in the 66th House District Republican primary…

But in this race, our nod goes to Skillicorn, a marketing professional who is the most outspoken about the need to blow up the status quo in Springfield.

I happen to like Skillicorn and think he’s running a solid campaign. This isn’t about him. It’s about this bizarre belief that if we only had more chaos in Springfield things would be perfect and everything would turn out well. Politicians say what politicians say, but editorial boards ought to be more thoughtful.

Along those lines, it seems to me that the rhetorical flourishes are getting way out of control these days. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this and I’m really starting to worry that somebody’s gonna get physically hurt - or worse - because our “betters” keep ginning up their bases well beyond the usual political crankiness.

…Adding… MrJM in comments…

This is the shared faith of all aggrieved fundamentalists of any political stripe. They know that their political beliefs — and their political beliefs alone — are Right and Universal. Whether it’s based in Marxist dialectical materialism or Randian free-market fundamentalism is irrelevant; theirs is the political viewpoint of Nature itself.

And yet, somehow, their perfect world view has not been universally accepted as The Truth, i.e. the one solution to every political and economic ill. But they have a ready explanation for that: They believe that the only reason their political philosophy hasn’t been recognized as the Truth is the corruption in the current political system.

If only the status quo were “blown up” — or blown away by a hurricane — then The Truth would be unshackled and, at long last, assume its natural position as the universally accepted pure and perfect political point of view, as Nature intended.

Peace, justice and prosperity would inevitably follow — how could it be otherwise? — and we’d all live happily ever after.

It’s an absurd and childish way to look at the world, of course, but it does go a long way towards explaining the political nihilism by which we now find ourselves surrounded.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:45 pm

Comments

Amen.

Comment by West Sider Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:47 pm
Yep. It’s the language of pro-wrestling, and each dumbing down of our journalism dumbs down our political discourse. David Brooks, who I do not often agree with and whose motives I usually suspect, was right on with his column this week with regard to how this kind of dumbing down opens the way for the Trumps of the world.

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:48 pm
True words. When will we learn from our history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Charles_Sumner

Comment by The Muse Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:50 pm
The last thing we need under the dome right now are more bomb throwers.

What we really need at the moment are some old school pols in a smoky back room cutting a deal to move legislation.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:55 pm
The Tribbie big brains traffic in the language of dorm-room revolutionaries.

I’m sure it’s all very romantic and exciting to them, but it’s just kids’ stuff. Beats having to deal in real numbers, facts, logic and consequences.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:56 pm
==I’m really starting to worry that somebody’s gonna get physically hurt - or worse==

I’ve been feeling this way for quite a while but was reluctant to bring it up. Few things are more painful than losing everything you have because of someone else’s ideology.

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:56 pm
People are already getting physically hurt, and mentally, and emotionally because of the shakin’ and blowin’ up that has occurred from the minute the 2016 Budget was totally vetoed. More of the same is not going to ease the pain and suffering anymore than the cruelness of “it’s not affecting me” syndrome.

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 12:57 pm
Having said that, the Tribbies certainly love the whack-a-doos on their comment pages.

When you’re playing to that crowd, you’re just another talk-radio outlet.

And the Tribbie big brains have been trolling for regular talk-radio gigs that never come for some time now.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:00 pm
You can only push people so far. I’ve worried for a while now that some crazy person might do something harmful.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:06 pm
Competing with talk radio?

Comment by walker Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:11 pm
Yeah vote for me im a whack a doo. Talk about voters remorse.

Comment by anonymous Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:16 pm
The status quo has already been blown up. We now need people who can put it back together, hopefully better than before. But not more bomb throwers, thoughtful people with principles but who also know how to compromise.

Comment by Harry Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:23 pm
From 1979 to 2003, the opinion writers and editorial cartoonists at the Chicago Tribune garnered 9 Pulitzer prizes.

That’s one every 33 months.

Over the last 156 months - 13 years - the Chicago Tribune has earned zero Pulitzer’s for its opinions.

It is the longest drought for a Pulitzer in the paper’s modern history.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-companypulitzerprizes-htmlstory-htmlstory.html

Comment by Juvenal Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:23 pm
Maybe we need to stop shaking things up, blowing up the status quo, or whatever, and get back to getting the people’s business done?

Comment by jerry 101 Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:30 pm
Loud does not equate to accurate
Quiet does not correlate to wrong
Might does not always make right
Insult does not insulate ignorance

Comment by Jake From Elwood Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:32 pm
“It’s about this bizarre belief that if we only had more chaos in Springfield things would be perfect and everything would turn out well.”

This is the shared faith of all aggrieved fundamentalists of any political stripe. They know that their political beliefs — and their political beliefs alone — are Right and Universal. Whether it’s based in Marxist dialectical materialism or Randian free-market fundamentalism is irrelevant; theirs is the political viewpoint of Nature itself.

And yet, somehow, their perfect world view has not been universally accepted as The Truth, i.e. the one solution to every political and economic ill. But they have a ready explanation for that: They believe that the only reason their political philosophy hasn’t been recognized as the Truth is the corruption in the current political system.

If only the status quo were “blown up” — or blown away by a hurricane — then The Truth would be unshackled and, at long last, assume its natural position as the universally accepted pure and perfect political point of view, as Nature intended.

Peace, justice and prosperity would inevitably follow — how could it be otherwise? — and we’d all live happily ever after.

It’s an absurd and childish way to look at the world, of course, but it does go a long way towards explaining the political nihilism by which we now find ourselves surrounded.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:37 pm
…a marketing professional who is the most outspoken about the need to blow up the status quo in Springfield…

Yeah - we need an outspoken marketing professional to do this job because our newspaper’s circulation growth and profitability clearly demonstrates what an outspoken marketing professional can do.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:43 pm
MrJM for the win! He, VMan and Wordslinger are the trinity. Oswego Willy in the John the Baptist role. Rich is the pontiff.

Comment by Moe Berg Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 1:56 pm
“I’m gonna have to go ahead and declare MrJM’s comment the Best Comment of the Year.” (At least so far.)

Comment by Bill Lumbergh Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 2:06 pm
Mr. JM nails it.

I’d add that the One True Way is wholly unsuited for a democratic republic. That was the point and brilliance of shared and separate powers.

If Rauner could have sold his agenda on its merits, he would have done so in the campaign or certainly by now. Instead, it’s just accepted as a matter of faith among the true believers, without any empirical evidence to support it whatsoever.
.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 2:07 pm
Some of the biggest headache causers under The Dome are also popular and work hard back home. Kyle McCarter and Chris Lauzen come to mind. Mr. Skillicorn strikes me as the kind of guy who will actually work his district and have decent constituent service. Does that mean he will eschew the Lauzen/Duffy/McCarter/Ives shenanigans? Who knows. But the in-district stuff actually matters.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 2:25 pm
-The last thing we need under the dome right now are more bomb throwers.

-What we really need at the moment are some old school pols in a smoky back room cutting a deal to move legislation

Right, because that’s what has been working so well.

Comment by ste_with a v_en Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 3:58 pm
Nice words Mister JayEm - with respect.

But I disagree a bit - it is not what WE want as OUR nihilistic truth and to h-e double hockey sticks with everything else. It is that after decades of reckless government and decades of stifled reform attempts, blowing up Springfield is the only way clean up the mess. WE don’t have a preference on how or who does the blowing up, WE just want to get on with the political pyro technics.

Comment by allknowingmasterofracoondom Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 5:33 pm
“WE don’t have a preference on how or who does the blowing up, WE just want to get on with the political pyro technics.”

Political nihilism personified.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 6:09 pm
===blowing up Springfield is the only way clean up the mess===

That’s ridiculous. It’s all rhetoric. You can’t “blow up” Springfield without a real bomb. Get a clue.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 6:27 pm
–It is that after decades of reckless government and decades of stifled reform attempts, blowing up Springfield is the only way clean up the mess. WE don’t have a preference on how or who does the blowing up, WE just want to get on with the political pyro technics.–

Like I said, dorm-room revolutionaries.

Kid stuff.

Put your big-boy pants on, cousin. This ain’t Moscow 1917.

This is a multi-billion dollar a year going concern in one of the world’s richest economies in a democratic republic that effects millions of real people.

There must be some kind of video game that you kids can play while the grownups deal with harsh reality, right?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Mar 1, 16 @ 7:30 pm
Well, without radical changes, this state is headed for insolvency. A tweak here and there will not get it done.

Comment by Peoria Guy Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 8:28 am
–Well, without radical changes, this state is headed for insolvency. A tweak here and there will not get it done.==

Here’s the poster boy for “some of the people, all of the time.”

Any stupid thing is okay as long as Rauner is doing it because something, something, word salad.

If Pat Quinn had engineered, in one year, a $6.2 billion increase in GRF debt while at the same time zeroing out higher ed and social services, would you have thought that was a good thing?

Grow up. You kids are bad news.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 9:03 am
wordslinger - we will disagree. But if Pat Quinn did it, and he was not a career politician, in bed with the nest of other career politicians, then it would be ok by me. This is time for a reset.

Comment by allknowingmasterofracoondom Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 9:16 am