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* Linda Ellerbee told a story in her book “And So It Goes” about how covering presidential campaigns could be mentally grueling. She eventually learned a trick to keep her somewhat sane during the never-ending blur of multiple cities a day. Every night before she went to bed, she’d write a note to herself that included what candidate she was covering and what town she was in. That way, when she suddenly woke up with a start in the middle of the night in yet another strange hotel room, she could just look at her note to settle her nerves.
I told that story last night at dinner (or maybe it was the night before last - this week has been so busy), and then today I watched Rep. Jeanne Ives’ interview at Quad Cities TV station KWQC…
Interviewer: So, if you don’t live in Chicago you’re considered Downstate. The Quad Cities is not actually Downstate, it’s directly west. How will you make sure the rest of the state feels included?
Ives: We’ve traveled the state. I think they feel included. My, my, uh, uh, I’m sorry, my lieutenant governor selection is Rich Morthland. He is a farmer from Rock Island County, which is in the far western part of the state right on the border of Iowa. He’s also a community college professor. We, listen, I grew up in a small town in South Dakota. It was a farming community. And my three uncles farmed around the area. All of us grew up working on the farm. I’m just as much associated with farmland as I am the suburbs where I live. So, I, I, the entire southern, central Illinois, this resonates with me and my background.
Um, KWQC’s studio is in Iowa and sits 1.6 miles across the Mississippi River from Rock Island County. No explanation needed on that one.
And since she was just over the border from western Illinois, perhaps she could’ve mentioned that when talking about how the various regions resonate with her.
Look, sometimes candidates talk so much to so many people in so many towns and then get so tired from all that yakking that their talking points just automatically take over. If you watch the video, she looks relieved when she gets back to familiar ground.
I’m not trying to pick on Rep. Ives here. This stuff happens perhaps more often than you’d think. And, frankly, my brain is a little bit fried as well these days. I don’t know how these people do it.
I need a nap.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:22 pm
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Isn’t the station’s first call letter a giveaway?
Comment by City Zen Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:26 pm
And we need a little Zen moment with one of our favorite dogs!
Comment by Nearly Normal Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:26 pm
I think Linda Ellerbee is still alive
Comment by Plainfield Progressive Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:38 pm
That station was at one time called WOC where Ronald Reagan did a radio show.
Doesn’t she have some staff that could get her the local papers to review before she speaks?
Comment by Claud Peppers Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:43 pm
Told you I needed a nap. Lol
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:43 pm
Rich: I think Ms. ellerbee is still alive as well.
Comment by RWP Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 4:44 pm
Campaigns are tough on everyone, candidates and their familes especially.
They can use some “clear your head time” sometimes more than the Crew.
Gotta respect someone putting their name on a ballot.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 5:24 pm
Here is the wikipedia definition of downstate. It is a little embarassing that the reporter didn’t know this.
Downstate Illinois is all of Illinois south of the Chicago metropolitan area, and is generally meant to refer to everything outside the Chicago area. Some cities in Northern Illinois, such as Rockford[1][2][3] (which is north of Chicago), are also considered to be “downstate”.[4][5] Prior to the issuance of 2000 Census results, when it became part of the Chicago metropolitan area, even DeKalb (located 65 miles west of Chicago) was often considered to be “downstate”.[6][7][8]
The term has been part of the Illinois lexis for decades,[9] and is commonly used by the media.[10][11][12] The General Assembly (the state legislature for Illinois) regularly makes uses the term in the titles of bills it passes.[13]
Comment by Farm boy Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 5:45 pm
Never been on the trail, but guessing it can be like bands on tour not knowing what town they’re in sometimes.
As for ‘downstate’, hate the term. Like most everyone, I’ve seen towns/areas outside of the suburbs called that, even if they were geographically north of the center of Chicago. I know it’s not going away; at least they now use a capital ‘D’.
My windmill to tilt at, I guess.
Comment by Anon1602 Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 7:41 pm
@Farm boy:
Wikipedia definitions are only as good as their sources — in this case, all of the cited sources are Chicago-based publications (Sun-Times, Reader, Tribune). Find me a QC-based or Rockford-based source that self-referentially uses the term “Downstate” and I might begin to think the reporter got this wrong.
Comment by Chambananon Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 7:56 pm
Live just outside the Quad City area and we consider ourselves downstate because we are outside of the Chicago area. Our local stations are channels 4, 6,8 and 18 out of the the Quad Cities and newspapers are Quad City Times and RI Argus/Dispatch which would refer to this area as downstate when talking Illinois politics.
Comment by Stand Tall Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 8:28 am