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Quote(s) of the day

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* Top billing today goes to Delmarie Cobb, US Sen. Roland Burris’ crack media consultant, who talked to Politico about all the people lining up to run against Burris…

“They keep trotting out these marquee names to scare Roland,” said Delmarie Cobb, the senator’s media and political adviser, adding that some Democrats are out to “lynch” Burris and turn him into a “whipping boy.”

* Patti Blagojevich gets the runner-up award…

Apparently navigating Illinois politics isn’t all that different from life in the jungle. On last night’s “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!” Patti Blagojevich had some words of advice for John Salley, who was struggling with a crotchety Janice Dickinson.

“My husband had this campaign where he was running against this woman who was a little bit like her,” Patti told him quietly. “And he thought of her as, as like a crazy old aunt. That he had to kind of like suffer and kind of like, and kind of just like, roll your eyes at. Like she’s the kooky old aunt. You had to be respectful to her because she’s your old aunt.”

Presumably she was speaking of Judy Baar Topinka, who challenged Rod Blagojevich in the 2006 governor’s race. Topinka is more often described as “colorful.”

* Related…

* Chicagoans tuning in on Patti in the jungle

* Black Lawmakers Stay Mum as Burris Fights for Political Life

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:40 am

Comments

Could it be that Rep. Rush will not comment on the Burris situation until the fall because that is when he will make his announcement of running for the seat, himself?

Comment by LisleMike Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:47 am
I actually like the Patti-Runner Up quote better. I met Topinka at an event in Southern Illinois (Carlyle) and she just came off very flighty and aloof. I’m sure she is a nice person and all, but she came off a bit odd.

Comment by Nikoli Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:48 am
Crack media consultant? I think you meant “cracked.”

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:51 am
For someone who was being “respectful,” Rod sure pounded lumps on JBTs head with his ill-gotten, multi-million-dollar media buy. Delusion #586.

I’m not catching Cobb’s meaning. Much too subtle.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:53 am
Ya know what…I hope the feds go after her (Patti) now…she is pathetic!!

Comment by scoot Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:57 am
When I think of Patti Blagojevich I can see those little signs along the highway, surrounded by weeds. Funny how that imagine just keeps being refreshed.

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:58 am
How do we know thats a quote from Cobb and not just Roland speaking about himself in the third person?

I am not familair with the term lynching, is that the process whereby one is prosecuted for perjury and spends time in jail contemtplating how to offer the warden somthing under his lawyers name to get out early?

Ghost needs to make the coments ghost thinks are interesting.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:58 am
A lot of people I know (myself included) have quite surprisingly started to like Patti on that show. I went into it rooting against her, but she seems reasonably down-to-earth next to the other trainwrecks on the show. As much as I hate her husband, I’m starting to have some sympathy for her.

Comment by Rick Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 9:59 am
Say what you want about Patti, but she’s coming across well on that show.

The scary part is that crazy old aunt Patti referred to has escaped from the basement and is still on the loose!

Comment by just sayin Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 10:43 am
‘…are out to “lynch” Burris and turn him into a “whipping boy”.’

Maybe she ought to read the lie-by-lie timeline graciously provided by the Trib on Weds.

‘You had to be respectful to her because she’s your old aunt.’

Oh, THAT’S what goofy meant by: “What was she thinking?’ Must be the whole family has a different concept of ‘respect’ than I do.

Comment by sal-says Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 10:44 am
I saw a program last night that had a couple of sound-bites from Bobby Rush–the first one around the first of December said that the governor should not appoint anyone to the senate seat and that anyone who took that appointment would have no credibility due to the governor. About three weeks later Rush told reporters that Burris should be seated and that any attempts to prevent that was a lynching. Do these guys even read or listen to what they say?

Comment by ChampaignDweller Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 10:50 am
Shame on Delmarie. Everyday she reps Roland she destroys her own credibility and career. It’s ironic, because she was such a critic of Barack but apparently he’s not black so it was ok. Only Roland is black. Bizarre.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 10:51 am
Hey…just saying…I am just saying it was that whack-job and her husband gave us Roland Burris..and as I recall, JBT was dead on about the impending financial disaster about to hit this state. So I am hoping she gets “out of the basement” and back into govt. to help fix the mess your mopes made..I’m just saying, is all

Comment by party of one Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 10:52 am
==she destroys her own credibility and career.==
She did that decades ago.

Comment by Bill Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 10:54 am
I remember the things JBT was saying during the last campaign. Sounded grounded to me. I don’t know if she’s weird - that don’t matter to me. I ain’t looking for someone to bring home to my mom - I want an ethical person who understands fiscal restraint and practicality. JBT certainly had more cred in that department over helmet head.

Let her out!

Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:09 am
The same JBT who cut a deal with cellini (currently part of the pay to play indictments) where he only had to pay back pennies on the dollar for loans from the State to build hotels? The deal blocked by Ryan? the Deal where the press reported they were investigating Cellini raiding the banks earings so he could et out of the loan?

I would not hold JBT out as my corruption free ethical model.

Now if you want to bring back Jim Ryan….

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:15 am
===Now if you want to bring back Jim Ryan…===

You mean the guy who brought Stu Levine to the dance?

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:16 am
Whenever I hear a politician or consultant start using “whipping boy” adn especially “lynching”, I know they have it bottom and are attempting to scare off further discussion on the issue before them. We are past all that, I truly believe, so for me it is a flag to keep on digging and asking the hard questions.

Comment by LisleMike Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:20 am
Jim Ryan’s a nice guy. Problem is, he continued to push the whole Nicarico fiasco even when the evidence for Dugan was overwhelming.

If the feds think JBT was involved in the hotel loan/Cellini why isn’t she indicted along w/Cellini? I may not remember the details so can’t comment on how JBT made that decision but there were many who said we had to cut our losses and get the best deal we could out of that mess. I am sure someone here will correct me on that point.

Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:23 am
Ghost even a guy stuck in the past like you has to realize that the bad hotel loans were structured by Thompson and Cosentino. Topinka tried to salvage something for the taxpayer. Instead we lost millions more. Seems to me that she takes a good, practical approach to finance. We could sure use that now.

Comment by make illinois better Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:25 am
In my opinion, JBT was no more crazy than Quinn is. They’re both a little odd in the same kind of way. At least it’s not unethical, it’s just quirky. I’ll take quirky over corrupt any day of the week.

Comment by Casual Observer Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:29 am
OK - then I will put it this way…

With that kind of logic, how would Delmarie Cobb defend Burris if Roland was a woman?

It is time to end race card games.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 11:44 am
An FYI to Delmarie, there were african americans who were lynched and who were whipped, an african american who lied to his state and sits in most exclusive club in America eating navy bean soup in the dirksen senate cafeteria is not getting whipped.

It’s also interesting that you never hear jewish politicians make illusions to the Holocaust or neo-nazis when they fail politically as badly as Burris has.

Comment by shore Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 12:13 pm
Mrs. Blagof must have been high on meth for that campaign becuase all Mr. Blagoof did to TugBoat Annie was wrapp George Ryan around her neck
BTW jRYAN merely roomed with Stu in college, I think Lee A Daniels gets the real credit for his public service career.
BTW-2 I thought lynching talk was a no no or is it o.k. in the post-partisan era.

Comment by 2ConfusedCrew Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 12:22 pm
I think it was Rich Miller who, during the 06 gubernatorial campaign, posted a link to a video of a Chicago North Side comedian who did a routine on Topinka in which she was “Crazy Aunt Judy”. It seems that Patti was repeating a contrived smear embraced by her husband’s campaign rather than expressing an authentic feeling or assessment about Topinka. Patti’s expression about “crazy aunt” is too close to that comedy bit.

Comment by Conservative Republican Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 12:34 pm
MIB, actually the State is getting millions more from the foreclosure then it would have from the topinka deal by letting Cellini keep the hotles built and paid for by the taxpayers.

here is a cost savings, keep the hotel as a new State building and pull state workers out of leased spaced.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 1:22 pm
JBT’s comment today on WBBM AM, re Patti’s comment from the jungle….i don’t watch the show, i won’t waste my time, but when Patti comes off as normal, compared to a bunch of has beens and wannabees….

note to JBT, if you don’t want to look bad, just say, i did not hear the comment, and good luck to her in the contest. when will you learn to be magnanimous, not flippant?

Comment by Amy Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 1:24 pm
Amy…maybe she just should have just put it in language Patti could understand: “bleep that reality bleep”

Comment by party of one Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 1:44 pm
party of one, i’m no fan of Patti, but she is coming off as likeable on this show. don’t take it from me, read Paige Weiser in the Sun Times, listen to the comments of the show’s other competitors, and really listen to Patti. she is rising to the occasion and lots of people are cheering her on.

Comment by Amy Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 2:36 pm
Amy, I am sure she is capable of being charming when she KNOWS the tape is rolling. I am guessing the real patti will be the one the feds introduce us to when they start playing all those tapes in court, you know, the ones when she didn’t know the mic was live. I bet that is the best reality show of all!!

Comment by party of one Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 3:10 pm
Patti is by far the more level-headed of the two. I always thought she was pretty solid. I can’t fault her for not ditching the moron before being pulled into the ditch herself, but I can’t support her, either.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 3:12 pm
party of one: agreed. but i’m surprised at how much i enjoy watching the jungle show. it is something i never do. Patti is with lots of other people who act for a living. maybe she’s got a future in acting, cause she is quite genuine on the show. as for support for her, i feel sorry for the kids and parents have to step up and get it in gear for a family, that’s the support i give her.

Comment by Amy Friday, Jun 5, 09 @ 4:23 pm