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Two things about today’s Lynn Sweet column.
This afternoon, in a room in the Chicago office of a law firm with a big federal practice in Washington, a “meet and greet'’ will be held for Democratic congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth. Fresh from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), one of Duckworth’s main sponsors, will attend the reception at Holland & Knight, as he gets increasingly involved in her race. […]
Wednesday, Duckworth won the endorsement of the Illinois AFL-CIO, which backed Cegelis two years ago. Illinois AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere told me Thursday that calls from Durbin to union activists helped Duckworth clinch the endorsement.
I’m told that the DC people are putting Durbin out front on this because of all the backlash from Christine Cegelis’ supporters against Congressman Rahm Emanuel, who they claim is really behind the Duckworth campaign.
Duckworth’s first formal fund-raiser will take place Feb. 16 with former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.), a Vietnam vet who lost both legs and an arm in the war, as the keynoter.
Cleland was a hero to those who were upset at the way the Republicans used the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth against John Kerry last year. Many of those same people are Cegelis supporters.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 7:52 am
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Lynn, showing once again she’ll run anything Rahm asks her to print, she’s horrible.
Comment by Ian Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 7:59 am
When I see or hear Rahm Emmanuel I feel like I need a bath.
Comment by The Colonel Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 8:25 am
durbin luney left-wing radical with firends like that who needs enemies!
Comment by Ron Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 8:33 am
Major Duckworth is turning into a major tool.
But if I look at it from her point of view…as a disabled veteran, do I want to have to compete in the free market, or become an establishment tool where all my needs will be taken care of, as long as I dance to their tune? It is easy to say “Let’s tango”
But let’s not mince words…this election is bought and paid for. She is a tool of Rahm and the establishment crowd. She would NEVER be able to do this on her own?
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 8:33 am
I like how Illinois has all state power concentrated in the “Four Tops”. If a state rep tries thinking for themselves, they can get crushed by the powers that be, since they have so much power. Hence, an agenda agreeded upon by these four can move forward without opposition.
I, for one, would like to see this model repeated for Illinois on the national level. What we don’t need is a bunch of representatives in the House in DC running around thinking for themselves. Rahm is taking a good step in that direction: taking a candidate who probably does not have the power to get elected on her own, and getting her elected. She will owe her entire political career to Rahm and his contacts and their money. If we start now, and start gettin people like this elected, with 5-8 election cycles, a few people will control Illinois’ agenda in Washington. Rahm will have the same power ‘the four tops’ have in Springfield, but only on a national level.
Major Duckworth is a major tool. But is that really a bad thing?
Comment by Sheesh Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 8:43 am
Did the AFL-CIO make any general assembly endorsements?
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 8:50 am
Ian, that was way over the top. Some of you people have too much bile for your own good.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 9:47 am
Anon 8:50, I’ll be publishing a complete list soon.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 9:47 am
Here is the COPE list (minus federal endorsements). I’ll put that on the front page for discussion either later today or next week. For now, though, let’s stick to the topic at hand.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 9:52 am
Rich why is the same skepticsm we show towards Blago and his crew unacceptable when we show it towards Tammy?
We know you like Tammy. A lot. That doesn’t mean she is isn’t insulated from the corruption and power politics of Illinois.
In my opinion, this issue is just as blatant as Blago trying to get his cronies a contract at GTECH.
Perhaps to you it is not. One man’s ‘bile’ is another man’s objective skepticsm.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 10:05 am
i have to go along with rich on this one. not that i read lynn sweet every time, but it seems to me that she is a typical reporter. she prints what she thinks is interesting. the duckworth stuff has been newsworthy; you can’t complain about a campaign putting together significant events that deserve coverage.
personally, i find it interesting that rahm actually cares that *he* is the issue in this race; i figured he’d enjoy the attention! (btw, in canvassing the area, people do react when we emphasize christine’s longtime residence/work in the district and her political independence.)
Comment by bored now Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 10:21 am
Anon 10:05, my comment was not about Duckworth but about someone who slammed a columnist without good reason.
And it’s not that I particularly like or dislike Duckworth. I just get fed up with all of the extreme vitriol from her opponents on every possible point. Frankly, it’s ridiculous.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 10:34 am
I respect Duckworth, she was injured in battle…can’t say the same about Cleland though. I just wish we’d hear more from her on issues, rather than endorsements being handed out like halloween candy.
Regarding Ian’s comments, what’s wrong with criticizing a columnist, is the media above that?
Comment by Rick Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 10:46 am
Criticizing columnists is fine, as long as it isn’t mindless, partisan cynicism.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 10:54 am
Lynn, showing once again she’ll run anything Rahm asks her to print, she’s horrible.
Never mind the puff piece she ran about Cegelis last summer.
Have you ever met Duckworth? What position are you in to call her a tool?
So she’s having a meet and greet at a downtown law firm with a big name IL Democrat? Guess what, that is something a winning campaign might want to consider. Where is Christine’s support?
The hatred spewed here reflects a politics of desperation, you people really don’t have anything positive to say about your own candidate, suggesting the tried Cegelis schtick is wearing thin. (I got 44%, you’ve got to run twice, blah blah blah)
Comment by nobodysent Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 11:00 am
Makes sense Rich.
nobodysent…nevermind, you’re not worth it.
Comment by Rick Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 11:12 am
Lynn Sweet has always been a partisan Democrat. Is anybody seriously disputing that?
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 11:15 am
Rich, may I nominate Ron’s pointless vitriol for deletion?
Ron wrote: durbin luney left-wing radical with firends like that who needs enemies!
Ron, I’ve met Senator Durbin. He is a decent man who works hard to the best he can for our fellow Illinoisans. Just because you don’t share the same values he holds dear doesn’t make him any more or less of a “luney” or a “radical” than you. From the left’s perspective, your comments are simply divisive, mean-spirited and do nothing to move this nation or our great state forward. Rather, acidic remarks like that serve only to further split us Americans apart from one another when, really, we have so much more in common than the conservatives want us to realize.
Grow up.
Comment by Nick Name Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 11:17 am
Never mind the puff piece she ran about Cegelis last summer.
I just checked the Sun-Times archives for the last year, and guess what? There was NO puff piece by Lynn Sweet about Cegelis in the summer or any other month in the last two years. None. Try again.
I’m with Ian. Sweet is sour.
Comment by insider Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 11:33 am
Nickname…wow, you got all of that out of “meeting” Durbin? Too funny.
Durbin cares about Durbin, it’s not hard to see that…and I’m a Democrat who is hoping and praying he’ll get a primary challenge.
Comment by too funny Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 11:34 am
Very pathetic…first the dems recruiting all of these anti-war candidates, and then former Sen. Max Cleland to help fundraise?? Will anti-war candidates make America stronger against the War on Terror, and the War in Iraq? No, it will help our enemies. All this anti-war, anti-Bush BS will end up backfiring.
Comment by scoot Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 11:51 am
At the Milton Township Democrats meeting in Wheaton on Wednesday night, Tammy Duckworth was the featured speaker. She showed excellent speaking skills and was well-received by the audience. She spoke from the heart about key issues and was definitely compelling. She’s the kind of candidate who can gain support and it’s no surprise it is happening. In a district where the Repubs expected to easily renew “ownership” of the seat, Duckworth’s candidacy is good news. (The other 6th CD Dem candidates also spoke briefly and will be featured speakers in upcoming meetings.)
Comment by 6th Sense Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 12:17 pm
Too Funny, be the change you want to see while we still live in a democracy. Go ahead and challenge him if you’re truly a Dem and not some conservative in donkey clothing. Durbin’s doing what any politician does — trying to help others gain or retain office. Did you have the same issues with Sen Durbin for helping Melissa Bean?
Scoot, There’s a huge difference between being anti-war (which some on both the left and right are) and being anti-liar… As an American, I don’t appreciate being lied to by my president (whether his last name is Clinton or Bush).
As for veterans returning from Iraq and running for Congress as Democrats, by and large these veterans seem to not appreciate being lied to about on-the-ground support in Iraq not to mention the fact equipment was withheld or not even planned for…
Don’t ask me about that, ask the Fighting Dems. (By the way, don’t forget that there are more veterans from all branches and from all eras of the military elected as Democrats than GOP… Go figure, Dems are dedicated to serving their country all the way around.)
Comment by Nick Name Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 12:50 pm
I sure did Nick, thanks for asking though. Dick Durbin is a self serving egomaniac…do a search from his last election and look at how few editorial endorsements he received. As for running against him, I’d rather finish school first…but there’s time
Comment by Too Funny Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 12:57 pm
nick name- so when durbin compares our military troops to nazis he is not being divisive? maybe you consider it mainstream. i and many others sure don’t
Comment by Ron Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 1:06 pm
Look, the problem in this primary contest is not Major Duckworth or her primary opponents. It is the probably valid perception that duckworth’s candidacy is being jammed down the throats of Democratic voters in the 6th District, many of whom may have been glad to get away from this sort of machine politics when they left the city of Chicago. If enough of these voters see Duckworth as a puppet for Rahm Emanuel, her candidacy is doomed, be it in March or November, She can not defeat Sen. Roskam in November without a unified Democratic Party behind her, and it does not appear that can happen. Sorry Tammy, but that is the political reality as I see it.
RANDALL SHERMAN
Secretary/Treasurer, Illinois Committee for Honest Government
Chicago
Comment by Randall Sherman Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 1:12 pm
Ron,
Let’s be honest here. Durbin NEVER compared american troops to Nazis, not once.
After listing some of the atrocious techniques US by American forces for interrogation he said:
“If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime–Pol Pot or others–that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.”
In my own words: “Hey, we’re better than this, we have to stop acting this way, because we’re NOT Nazis or Soviets, we’re proud Americans and our actions should reflect that”
Comment by iS Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 1:47 pm
I’m a voter in the 6th and have tried to keep an open mind about this race. It’s bothered me though that we’ve seen very few updates to the Duckworth website since she’s announced. I’m sure she’s raising money and meeting with bigwigs and such, but I would have loved to see more than her candidacy announcement on her list of “meet Tammy on the campaign trail.” There have been a few press releases added in the past week, but it’s all a bit too stealth for my tastes these days.
That said, is it wrong of me to want to vote for Duckworth out of spite? Every time I’ve tried to raise and debate potential concerns about Cegelis on forums like DailyKos, I’ve been shouted down relentlessly and been told that I’m not a real Democrat. With friends like these…
Comment by Tyler Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 2:10 pm
Deleted commenter “Brokeback”… that’s a good way to get banned.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 2:57 pm
What no one seems to have asked is this:
Does being close to Durbin help/hurt her in the 6th?
Does being seen as a protoge of Rahm E (ex Clintonista) help/hurt her in the 6th?
And the really interesting Q: Will the AFL/CIO quietly help whoever in Bean’s opponent in the general?
Comment by Pat Collins Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 4:25 pm
Seriously, is something sooo wrong withthe sixth that she doesn’t want to live there? Why doesn’t Bean run for the 10th and Duckworth run for the eigth?
Comment by Wumpus Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 4:51 pm
Ron, “iS” pretty well summed up what my response would be.
If you can’t understand that Sen Durbin was asking why the torture techniques used at Gitmo are more like something you’d expect from Nazis or from a gulag then you have problems (and keep in mind these torture tactics were rationalized by now-Atty Genl Gonzales and put in place by SecDef Rumsfeld and the Bush Administration).
It was the right-wing media (Rush Limbaugh, NewsMax, etc) that twisted Durbin’s words into something completely different than what he meant. The said thing is the traditional media went along for the ride and piled right on.
Torture of any kind is un-American, plain and simple. I pray for you if you can’t see that.
After reading an FBI agent’s report on interrogation tactics used at Gitmo our state’s senior Senator said: “If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime–Pol Pot or others–that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.â€
We as a nation ought to be better than that. Sen Durbin has the utmost respect for our brave troops. The problem is that our President has asked them to sell their soul in the name of ’safety’ — more terrorists lie under torture than actually provide good intel. I’d rather we didn’t sell our soul just to get some tortured lies out of a suspected terrorist.
America ought to be better than that.
Comment by Nick Name Friday, Jan 13, 06 @ 5:33 pm
I am a Cegelis supporter. Did you really mean to compare us to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth? I don’t know who you are talking with but the people I know are just regular people working for their candidate — not against the others. Besides we are too busy to trash anyone — most of us are volunteers with full time jobs.
Comment by GB in the 6th Wednesday, Jan 18, 06 @ 11:25 pm