Yesterday, we attended the House Republican Organization day at Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights. The HRO took over the top-tier club and skyboxes and the rain managed to hold off while attendees discussed the craziness in Springfield and upcoming elections. Notable attendees included House Minority Leader Tom Cross and State Republican Chairman Andy McKenna.
The Lake County delegation was well-represented, including State Reps. Sandy Cole (who invited TA and family, thanks Sandy!), JoAnn Osmond and Mark Beaubien. Dan Venturi, Lake County Republican Chairman, and Suzi Schmidt, Lake County Board Chairwoman (pictured at right with Andy), were also there, and were both being quizzed on the direction of the Lake County Board (with three spots opening up for appointment just in the past few months). I also saw County Board members Linda Pedersen and Steve Carlson, and former Board Member Bob Powers.
I didn't win any bets, but I didn't lose much either. Anyone who thinks that gambling is the cure for the state's budget ills is a simpleton. At least, they won't be plugging the budget gap with my gambling tax contribution.While there was much idle speculation and gossip, the only thing I felt worth reporting was that State Senator Michael Bond is apparently out there raising money for his 10th Congressional District bid, although he seems to be doing it very quietly, which isn't like him. As we've noted here, his website is not even functional at this point. State Senator Susan Garrett was also discussed as a rival for Bond in IL-10. The consensus among the GOP members I spoke with seemed to be that they'd all easily support Garrett if it came down to that, rather than be saddled with even more from the Link-Bond regime that has done so little for Lake County. So far, no strong GOP candidate to replace Mark Kirk (if that becomes necessary) has emerged, and the GOP is in a bit of a box while Kirk contemplates his future from the sidelines. No one from leadership (either national or local) has asked TA's opinion yet, but you can be sure we will be watching the emerging candidates closely (and offering our opinions and possibly an endorsement).
Schakowsky Out: As some on this blog predicted, 9th District Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said no to a U.S. Senate run. While this was fairly well expected, and Jan was not considered a top candidate by many due to her liberalism and felonious husband Bob Creamer, it will re-energize the other Dems (Alexi, Chris Kennedy, etc.) as the field begins to narrow. As Capitol Fax Blog points out, this is all basically another way of having something to talk about while we all (including Congressman Mark Kirk) wait for Attorney General Lisa Madigan to make up her mind on a possible U.S. Senate bid.
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17 comments:
TA,
Waiting for Lisa Madigan's decision? The same Lisa that owes her political career to Daddy Mike Madigan?
Is she someone who can be trusted to do the right thing or the Rahm thing? I vote the Rahm thing.
A partisan hack mastering the art of public speaking but saying nothing.
Under her watch, Illinois suffered the greatest ever "wave of political corruption" while she took toys off of shelves.
Yeah, voters in Illinois would never make her the next U.S. Senator - but then again, looking at Durbin and Burris, Illinois, vis a vis assistance from SEIU, Bill Ayers, Bernadette Dorn, and Mr. Schakowsky....might just elect her...
better to have jan for us to kick around and remind people how awful she is. Plus if she gets more gop territory in a redistricting fight she could be vulnerable in a good gop year.
On bond, it's interesting to note that unlike the last 2 cycles, Mark hasn't made any national democrat hit lists yet. in 06 and 08 mark was targeted from the word go.
FOKLAES
That's funny...my older brother was at the track too, his horse was racing. Not sure what time you guys were there, but his horse won the first race. Cool little small world thing. *shrug*
TA,
I thought I would drop in since it's been a while since Tikkunolam had some backup. I am not surprised that Jan Schakowsky choose not to run. After talking to people close to her, it sounded like she dreaded the idea of having to raise $25 million just to be competitive--honestly I don't blame her. She is perfectly tailored to that district and is set to move up in the House leadership in the coming years. Although you know how much I adore Mark Kirk (about as much as I adore the stomach flu), he isn't going anywhere. The 10th fits him perfectly and, honestly, he can't carry true GOPers in the south and he won't turn out moderates in the collar areas of Chicago if he's running against an Obama-endorsed candidate. The true question here is whether Lisa Madigan will live out her desire to become Governor or fold to the White House pressure to come to DC as our next Senator. Glad to be back and look forward to watching an incredibly interesting political summer unfold.
Until Next Time,
A Concerned Colonial
CC-
Oh, it's good to see you back in these parts. If you look over the past few comment threads, you'll notice my desperate need for a reasonable, civil, empirically driven Democratic voice. You, sir, are most welcome.
" . . . you'll notice my desperate need for a reasonable, civil, empirically driven Democratic voice . . . "
I agree. These are pretty hard to find these days.
Louis G. Atsaves
Thanks, Louis. TA is a very generous guy to give these partisan folks a place to rant, rail and rave about the ills of Republicans. It seems to be their way or the highway with no room in between. The 2010 campaign will be long and tedious on the Blog if they are going to dominate each and every conversation because that woman with the cat on her lap doesn't want anyone's voice but hers these days.
TA-
Please forgive my utterly off-topic and non-conflagutory post here, but i just finished a book you, as a sailor, might enjoy: 'Rescue in the Pacific' by Tony Farrington. It's a spankin' good true story of a sailing regata in the South Pacific that get's slammed by a storm. Just thought you might enjoy it. And no, I ain't suckin' up. I just don't know many sailing fans.
As to the rest of y'all, tough turtles! This blog and it's comments with a rare exception have never been anything but totally partisan. But I'm thinkin' perhaps there's a mind or two out there that appreciates a little bit'o adversarial discourse.
I don't work for the party or speak to the state delegation but why has matt murphy not called for a complete investigation into rezko u and asked for the public outing of all legislators that have tried to get tainted students put into u of I?
Higher education is THE issue in most suburbs-witness the thrashing bond aka chipmunk will get for his subpar schooling-, and you'd think there'd be a few pissed off stevenson/libertyville/deerfield/zion parents that their kiddies got rejected because they didn't have clout.
This is the kind of failure to play political offense we talk about with mckenna that drives us republicans nuts at his impotence.
Good to see you back concerned colonial, sorry about the failure of your mothership government in britain.
FOKLAES
FOKLAES
FOKLAES,
I spent the weekend at a scholarship conference with an organization I belong to.
The political class has no idea how angry the general public is over the University of Illinois admissions stories running in the Chicago Tribune.
Those in attendance were fuming over the large amounts of tuitions they spent on other schools because little Johnnie got elbowed out of the way by someone with lesser credentials but with political clout.
It may have occurred them finally that there is a high price for tolerating corruption, and we all pay the price for it.
These folks were throwing around numbers of $60,000 to $100,000 in extra cash, loans, second mortgages, student loans they paid after little Johnnie was denied admission to the U. of IL.
In time with FOIA requests, we will discover more information about this scandal.
Louis G. Atsaves
See King Louis this is my point. You and TA and I are the only ones making an issue out of this from the right. Our party leaders are supposed to be leading the charge with us in the wings, not us leading the fight for mankind while they plot how denny hastert's playboy dui convicted son gets to congress next fall.
FOKLAES
Foklaes stated, "Higher education is THE issue in most suburbs-witness the thrashing bond aka chipmunk will get for his subpar schooling-, and you'd think there'd be a few pissed off stevenson/libertyville/deerfield/zion parents that their kiddies got rejected because they didn't have clout."
First, this sentence could be an SAT question as to just how many errors in grammar, punctuation, and logic can be identified.
But what's the point?
Allstate didn't think Bond's education was sub-par. But ol' Foklaes here knows better.
The RNCC has issued memos and talking papers about the kind of campaign issue's to avoid and it devoted two complete paragraphs to why attacking the quality of the school a candidate attends is counter-productive. But ol' Foklaes here knows better.
Just curious, ol' Foklaes, but, where exactly did you attend college and what degree did you earn? I only ask because I'm dying to see the looks on the faces of it's admissions officers when they read your posts. Perhaps YOU had a little juice to get in, hmmm? Either that or I'll find out which college english professor killed themselves over the past few years to determine your alma mater. You're like a walkin' - talkin' indictment of the educational system in this country.
Tell me, Foklaes, how exactly does one witness an event expected to take place in the future?
Blue Prairie,
Typical liberal attack - if FOKLAES was a Dem, you'd argue why everyone on the blog should be kicking in money to hire a tutor who would help this poor soul articulate his feelings more convincingly...but because he leans to the right, you kick him in the ass...typical....
Blue Prarie,
I went to a new trier and then an ivy league school for undergrad and got near perfect scores on my sat 2's and sat's, thanks bub. I will grant you that the elite educations of dan seals, lauren beth gash, and hank perritt (remember that walrus), did not spare them from an understanding of policy that wouldn't get them hired as a legislative correspondent in Kirk's d.c. office-republicans hire people on brains not Rezko U connections.
As for bond, education matters because he has a VERY VERY VERY high mountain to climb in this district to prove he isn't as awful as schoenberg, hamos, stroger and blago. People are really sick of the democrat debauchery and want to know as King Louis noted that they will be independent and here for us not their party leaders as bond has been. Mark goes on t.v. all the time as you can see from his twitter account on a variety of issues, I doubt that bond has that mental capacity. I also find it hard to believe that the 10th dem base which is uber liberal and anti-israel is going to back someone like bond that doesn't look like a rachel maddow watching lefty.
FOKLAES
I'm glad to see that my return is hailed as more partisan rhetoric. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I stand a bit
closer to the center then some would like to admit. As far as the education factor, when I was applying to schools years ago, I watched perfectly qualified candidates get rejected from U of I. Luckily, most went on to attend better ranked institutions. I agree that U of I should be subject to higher state scrutiny, especially when state money that pays Bruce weber and ron zook could be used to buy books for inner-city schools or bring better teachers downstate.
In terms of candidates, the people of the 10th should look at their educational backgrounds. Even though great people do not always attend great schools, going to better universities and having success while there signifies a candidates ability to think critically and solve problems--a key role in governing.
Until Next Time,
A Concerned Colonial
CC,
The issue is that 10th gopers are tired as hell of soccer mommy dem duds like kathy ryg, karen may, garrett, shoenberg, nekritz coming up here and feeding us baloney and then going down to springfield and raising our taxes and tickling the corrupt chicago thugs. Bond wins, he's going to d.c. to rubberstamp whatever israel hating tax raising claptrap comes out of the leftwing democratic caucus. That's not our style.
Also ethan hastert and kirk dillard are running for office. I will be opposing both men strongly. Hastert, who had a dui, because his father blew our congressional majority and he's done nothing to show he'll be anything better and dillard for endorsing obama in an ad.
Matt Murphy for Governor
TA for senate.
FOKLAES
You're welcome TA. It was a nice day with wonderful friends!
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