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The Southern Illinoisan is still the only paper in the state that regularly runs ultra-positive articles about the governor. Today was no different.
When Ivan D. Foutch held the grand opening of his new bar in Du Quoin Friday night, an unexpected guest strolled in - Gov. Rod Blagojevich.The governor had been eating dinner at Alongi’s restaurant when he bumped into some of Foutch’s friends from Centralia who informed him they had come down for the grand opening of ID’s Lounge in Du Quoin.
“Why don’t I just go over there and surprise him?” the governor asked.
Within a few minutes the governor strolled into the new tavern and the jaws of the roughly 50 patrons in the bar dropped to the floor.
It’s a cute story. The kind he doesn’t get much any more, except in that paper.
I just wonder who he was eating dinner with and why the Southern just happened to be around to cover the momentous event.
UPDATE: I neglected to read the governor’s entire press release. This may be why the story appeared:
Governor Blagojevich’s team, “The Blue Suede Running Shoes,” consisted of the Governor; Lon Monk, the Governor’s Chief of Staff… Meta Minton of the Southern Illinoisan…
posted by Rich Miller
Saturday, Apr 16, 05 @ 5:48 pm
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Rich, wasn’t this originally your tip? …
Governor says he’ll run in River to River
BY META MINTON
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - Gov. Rod Blagojevich has indicated he will run in the 80-mile River to River Relay on April 16.
The governor’s chief of staff, Lon Monk, said Monday the governor will be part of an eight-member team that will cover the scenic, rural route across Southern Illinois.
“He’s wanted to do this for some time,” said Monk, who said he will be part of the governor’s River to River Relay team.
Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Apr 16, 05 @ 8:29 pm
I want to get a job where I can train to run relay marathons.
I want to run more too but my job and family seem to get in the way.
Maybe Rod and Lon Monk need to work on education, pension reform, DCFS, the budget etc. and not be doing an 80 mile River run.
Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Apr 16, 05 @ 10:41 pm
Well the author of that article, Meta Minton (editor of the southern), was on Rod’s River-To-River run relay team…
Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Apr 16, 05 @ 11:16 pm
I think its great the governor visits Southern Illinois, unlike any of the recent govs before him.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 2:18 am
Why does the gov waste his time in Southern Illinois?
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 2:19 am
This is a solid voting block for the gov. He’s doing a lot of good things down here…
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 2:21 am
Who were the other reporters on the Governors team and did he invite any of his money men to run with him ?
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 9:45 am
they will, apparently, never get it. 10%+ unemployment in many counties, over half of the counties south of I-64 on poverty watch list, etc….”he’s doing a lot of good things down here.” that makes me want to barf.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 9:58 am
Governor Ryan was a regular in Southern IL., as was Jim Edgar. I bet Blago can walk down the street in Duquoin w/o being recognized. How much support does he give the Duquoin fair??? George Ryan lived there - oh, I forgot Blago can’t live anywhere but Chicago.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 10:25 am
On the bright side, since the River to River race is over, he can go “back to work running the state”.
Comment by EvilTerry Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 11:21 am
I am glad Governor Blagojevich takes time from his busy busy schedule to particpate in events like the River to River run, by doing this he promotes good healt. More of our leaders would do well to do the same.
After tax day on April 15 I believe every tax payer in Southern Illinois can aprreciate that Governor Blagojevich, who promised when he ran for office that he would not raise our income or sales taxes and has kept that promise therefore letting each and every one of us keep more of our hard earned money, prmoting good financial health.
When we spend that money that we got to keep on things that we want that will boost our enconomy in Southern Illinois.
Free Market 101
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 12:39 pm
There is a big difference between good health and taking time to run an 80 mile marathon.
Rod is a primadonna who never had to work a day in his life.
Despite his blue collar immigrant roots, he is a member of the lucky I DO Club and had ghost payroller jobs with Mell on his committees and doesn’t deal with details so he can work out and do press conferences.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 2:35 pm
Maybe it’s just me, but the folks posting comments in support of the Governor can do a way better job.
“I am glad Governor Blagojevich takes time from his busy busy schedule to particpate in events like the River to River run, by doing this he promotes good healt. More of our leaders would do well to do the same.”
This sounds like really bad and heavy-handed spin, mostly because one of the raps on this Governor is that he does not work really hard except when he’s campaigning.
Comment by the Other Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 2:40 pm
Looks like the governor’s CMS employees are off to the races with their fluffy PR campaign, even here on the Capitol Fax Blog…
I particularly enjoyed the “Southern Illinois is a solid voting block” for Blagojevich”…cute, last poll numbers I saw, the Guv was sucking wind with downstate voters and his support was especially anemic in Southern Illinois.
But I guess Rod’s folks wouldn’t know much about that because they’re too busy throwing bombs at good Southern Illinois Blue Dogs like Rep. Bradley, when they should be paying closer attention to their crosstabs.
Comment by Tom DeLay's Mom Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 2:49 pm
The Southern Illinois I know truelly dislikes the governor. If the south is anything right now it is an anti-Chicago politicians voting block.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 3:54 pm
Appears a lot of blogers from northern Illiniois still don’t have a clue. This Governor will be re-elected with the help once again from southern Illinois.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 3:58 pm
I used to run marathons (many years ago)
and my Congressman were Simon and Poshard (we loved Poshard)
The Southern Illinois voters I know (I live in DuPage now) do NOT like Gover Blagojevich at all.
NOT AT ALL.
I cannot run marathons because I do not have time.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 4:31 pm
How many of the Republican candidates for Gov will publicly endorse repealing all of the fee increases the legislature has passed the past couple of years? If they do, what method do they have for coming up with the revenue needed to continue to operate state government even at the level it is at now with all of the layoffs? Just asking someone to clarify this for me.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 4:32 pm
Even if they don’t like him, who is going to win them over? Oberweis was here yesterday and didn’t have answers to even an 8th graders question about meth. “I’ll have to get you an answer.”
None mentioned yet can beat him.
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 4:35 pm
[In my best John McLaughlin voice]:
This anonymous has stumbled on the truth:
“Even if they don’t like him, who is going to win them over?”
As much as I’ve come to dislike Blagojevich (and I was an early, enthusiastic supporter!), I also think he’s in a great position to win. I will probably vote for him, because the alternatives aren’t great (although Topinka may win me over).
BUT, the kind of blatant and self-serving spin that some of his supporters are posting on here just makes me angry. And if the Governor’s minions continue to deny that he’s in trouble with his base — with the people that supported him in the 2002 primary — then I just might be angry enough to vote against him, even if the alternative is not appealing.
So, whoever is advising the Governor and reading this board should take notice that pretending that you haven’t p-oh’ed your base may very well backfire. It may seem easy to say that it’s only a few “insiders” who are mad, and the people still love the Governor. However, “inside” opinion has a way of spreading to the general population.
A little bit of humility between now and November 2006 would serve the Governor well.
Comment by the Other Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 5:27 pm
With the six Gov candidates in Southern il over the weekend, and Pat O’Malley throwing his hat in the ring, the seven dwarfs are set to battle Rod. I didn’t read one article which indicated that any of these lightweights had an original idea. For that matter, they all sounded the same. I’ll live in the mansion, I’ll roll back taxes, fees, tolls, and any other revenue source from the last two years. Can one of these seven tell us how they will balance the budget this year? Just one or two ideas, please. They are against everything. What are they for?
Comment by Tom Joad Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 7:25 pm
Off topic but - how silly is it that the governor’s minions always capitalize his title? “The Governor” this and that. (Bernie Schoenberg noted this earlier in the week too.)
Comment by Anonymous Sunday, Apr 17, 05 @ 7:26 pm
Rod doesn’t want this campaign to be about the budget. And let’s remember, the Republican who wims this primary and has the best chance to beat him in November will be the one who spews the most venom. They will recite every promise Rod broke, not their own plan.
That’s if Rod makes it through the Primary.
Sad.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 12:30 am
By the way, Meta Minton should be really disturbed with her ethical lapse here, and so should her paper and her readers.
If you want to be a gossip columnist, that’s one thing, but if you want to be a reporter, you shouldn’t be in the story at all, and if you are going to be in the story, your readers deserve to know.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 12:33 am
Should she change her name to Meta Minion?
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 6:19 am
It never hurts to have opinion-page editors from large papers on your running team either.
Comment by Knowledgable Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 9:36 am
What makes the internet and blog so great is how well the truth slips out and spoils the traditional journalist’s fun. Thanks to this and the CMS pro-governor letter writing email, we can see the shallow transparency that poses as ideas.
Meta needs to find another job if she continues doing this kind of sloppy work, and whoever emailed that pathetic letter to CMS staffers should realize that whatever is sent out gets exposed.
The Blagojevich staff continues to look like sincere folks without a clue.
Comment by Vanilla World Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 12:53 pm
Meta ain’t all that bad. Journalists, believe it or not, often go out to dinner with people like the guv. I just thought it was weird that she was there for the story.
And, to the first anonymous, no, that wasn’t originally my tip.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 2:22 pm
Paul Vallas could beat him.
Jim Ryan could beat him on the second try.
Jim Edgar could beat him.
Judy Bar is still up in the air.
But how does this guy and his chief of staff find time to run.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 19, 05 @ 12:23 am
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 2:26 pm
Sorry I had to delet that last post. There was a fairly big error on it. Try again if you want, but I didn’t write about the “damage to X’s reputation.”
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 20, 05 @ 2:49 pm
GRod is very beatable and unpopular but no Dem can beat him in the primary and the Repubs will be too screwed up
JBT will alienate conservatives and conservatives will deep six her in a General
Minorities will reflexively vote Democratic
GRod will try to get conservatives by buying off Tom Roeser who will write some good articles and covertly get some money to Paul Caprio who will fund a third party conservative or liberatarian to siphon off votes from the Republican
GRod will triangulate using the Dick Morris strategy of Clinton
especially on not committing to gay marriage and pushing the violent video game thing
Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Apr 23, 05 @ 6:53 pm
I hate to resurrect an old thread, but I wanted to point out that Meeta Minton was “let go” by The Southern Illinoisan this month. She now reportedly works in Springfield as a flack for the State of Illinois.
Meta is a far-right Republican, but she clearly knows the importance of sucking up to the governor.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Sep 30, 05 @ 11:13 am