None of this is news to us political junkies, since as soon we saw the new map that was proposed, we could tell that the Dems were playing games with the district boundaries to keep their incumbents safe, but the Trib today does a nice job of connecting the dots to show how all over the Chicago metro area, the Dems carved out Republican and even some non-incumbent Dem competition to protect their favored sons and daughters.
Take former state senate candidate Keith Gray, for example, who lives in Mettawa just down the road from me. Except next cycle, he will be in a new district, where the line placing him in Republican State Senator Dan Duffy's district, instead of his former district, in which Democrat Terry Link is the incumbent, goes right down the street out his front door. I'm still in Terry Link's district (lucky me), but Keith was drawn into the district next door. Any guesses why?
Senator Link, of course, flatly denies he would stoop so low as to play such games:
"It's kind of blatant, but I kind of expected it," said Gray, president of Rondout School District 72.
Link, the Lake County Democratic chairman, dismisses the notion that a Gray rematch was considered in the mapmaking.
"I got to tell you something, and I'll swear on a stack of Bibles — I don't even know where Keith Gray lives," Link said. "I could care less where Keith Gray lives. ... Do you really think I lose sleep over Keith Gray?"
Meethinks the gentleman doth protest too much.
Notice, however, that he did not give someone direction to map Gray out of his district. He just says he doesn't know exactly where Gray lives.
In case you might just think this is a coincidence, my friend Dan Sugrue, who ran against Carol Sente in the 59th legislative district, is also moved to the neighboring district where Republican incumbent Ed Sullivan, Jr., is the state rep.
Map or no map, folks, make no mistake: the Lake County GOP is fired up and ready to go. We're hopping mad about our plummeting 401Ks and the state income tax increase, and we're not going to take it any more!
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6 comments:
No different than what the Republican controlled Lake County Board did with their maps. When you are the majority party, you will manipulate to the advantage of your party. The way it always has been and the way it always will be.
I presume the "stack of bibles" Sen Link refers to is the Satanic Bible. To push gambling as he has done, can only mean you've made a deal with the devil.
Anyone catch The Daily Show interview with our esteemed senior senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin? Jon Stewart was actually making fun of Durbin at the end when Durbin repeatedly insisted that "Republicans love war."
Before Durbin jumped off the cliff with those comments, he was actually making some sense in discussing the history of budget cutting negotiations in Washington.
Maybe Durbin thought he was on the Bill Maher show on HBO?
Or was Durbin just having a senior moment?
Louis G. Atsaves
not to be a downer, but in a year like this you should be able to win tough races no matter the bs. if joe walsh can do it, we can destroy the nekritz's, sheyman's, links and which ever other godforsaken springfield/chicago scum get put up for election. pretty easy message-throw the bums out or how about, we can do better than dead last, or I didn't raise your taxes.
It's been 9 years since annus horribilis when ryan wrecked things and 3 years since his greatness comrade obama took over in dc, more than enough distance to get a fresh start for the party and a new view from voters. No more excuses.
FOKLAES
Foklaes....did the fermented agave get to you this evening? Such nonsense you write of.
Joe Walsh...really?
walsh beat a well financed incumbent for a major race in a democratic leaning area-how many republicans have done that this century in Illinois? Schilling-and no one else.
FOKLAES
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