I'm watching Bush leave the House after the State of the Union. Did you notice that handshake between Bush and Durbin? Kind of a 1970's style soul brother hand shake... If someone can read lips, please tell us what the two of them were talking about in that moment.
Read more...Teresa Bartels, a woman who helped build a thriving personnel placement through Manpower franchises in Lake and McHenry Counties, has announced her withdrawal from the 8th congressional district Republican primary.
According to an Associated Press report, verified by her office, Bartels is doing so because of
the inability to compete with the spending of her opponents, along with a desire to be fair and considerate to her volunteers and donors, as reasons for her withdrawal.Already, opponent Barrington Hills resident David McSweeney reported putting just under $1 million in his campaign, as of the beginning of 2006. Kathy Salvi has indicated a willingness to spend a similar amount, if necessary.
She says she does not feel it is practical to compete with the one million dollars or more some of the other candidates are willing to spend.
Teresa waged a strong campaign for the values we share - lower taxes, reduced spending and commitment to pro-life and pro-family values. I was honored to share the stage with her at public forums where she helped demonstrate how a strong conservative woman can defeat Melissa Bean. I've seen my share of heartbreaks and I know this has been a tough decision. I send my best wishes to Teresa and her family.Bartels’ withdrawal strengthens Salvi’s chances, because now she will be the only woman in the race.
When you spent twice as much as you raise in a campaign, odds are good that you cannot win the contest.
That’s what gubernatorial candidate Steve Rauschenberger did the last half of 2006. His spending exceeded his income by so much that Rauschenberger could not continue on his 2006 quest for the Governor’s Mansion.
And, it’s really worse than it looks, because Ron Gidwitz, the man whose candidacy he joined after dropping back to the lieutenant governor position, provided about 10% of Rauschenberger’s total campaign income—over $40,000.
Gubernatorial and, then, lieutenant governor candidate Steve Rauschenberger managed to raise $415,452 during the last half of 2005. He spent $803,580.34. Approximately 11% of that total went to consultant Dan Proft’s firm Urguhart. Starting with $548,000, he ended the year with $148,000.
While not independently wealthy, Rauschenberger did contribute $25,000 to his campaign. It appears to be his largest contributor, except for Gidwitz’.
For more campaign disclosure stories, including Carpentersville District 300 referendums (and others) being financed by developers and vendors, go to McHenry County Blog.
I promised yesterday on Capitol Fax to write an article on abortion and human rights today. Unfortunately, my cell phone has crashed and I have to spend part of the day replacing it and getting the data transferred over. So I won't have the piece done until late tonight or early tomorrow.
Read more...A few hours after 2 East St Louis democratic precinct workers were sentenced for their roles in a vote buying scheme during the 2004 election, the St. Clair County board voted 21-6 to continue giving the East St. Louis election board $99,916 or $97,143 depending on which paper you read. The cost of running an election in that city is in the $400,000 range so let's see what they get for the money.
The people of East St. Louis have received democratic party workers who purchase votes and are now facing jail time. They have been voting on antiquated voting equipment under the supervision of workers who have not been trained in overseeing elections.
Last night's vote by the St. Clair County board was taken after receiving recommendations from an ad hoc committee which studied the East St. Louis voting situation and came up with recommendations including having the county election office work with the ESL election board in order to train, educate and upgrade elections. However, the board stopped short of only funding the state required minimum amount of $21, 200. The six republicans on the board voted against the proposal, including Steve Reeb who yesterday was reported to be considering voting for the full amount.
"I don't disagree with the committee's findings, but it didn't go far enough," said Reeb, who was a member of the committee. "I would've liked to have seen an audit report. Maybe it was my fault for not pushing harder for it during the meetings. I still believe we need one election board, not two."
An audit might have been nice. Maybe the voters of East St. Louis will someday realize they would be much better served by the County Clerk's office running their elections like every other city, but until then, there should be an accounting of what they get for the money. An accounting would be nice, but a motion by Board member Kyle McCarter which asked that the county "require the East St. Louis Board of Commissioners to submit a specific plan for reducing costs, justification for voter roll totals that is consistent with census data, and monthly financial statements," was voted down.
In The Forward,
National and local Jewish organizations are gearing up for a rally to be held April 30 in Washington under the aegis of the Save Darfur Coalition, which brings together more than 150 faith-based and human rights groups and in which Jewish organizations figure prominently.Cross Posted at Bill Baar's West Side Read more...
From the Trib
Facing lawsuits from fired prison officials who say Gov. Rod Blagojevich broke his pledge to keep good employees, lawyers for the state offered a surprising defense: His promises were "classic political puffery."
He's doing it now here. And it works pretty well. Check it out. He deserves a lot of credit for doing this. I think it's a nice example of how the GOP reacts to the licking they've taken in Illinois. It creates room for the creative people to step forward.
Read more...Now is the time when candidates and media start touting polls. Oddly enough the polls usually reflect good news for either the candidate or the editorial board stance of whoever sponsored the poll. Common sense tells one that when five or six different polls come out, each claiming to have a 3-5 point margin of error, yet with wildly diverging results, someone is lying to someone - perhaps themselves.
At best a poll is nothing more than a snapshot in time taken through a badly distorted lens. At worst it is an utter fraud. A few quick rules for reading polls:
1) Methodology is critical. If, during a primary, a pollster conducted a survey on Republican candidates and sampled only likely Democratic voters, the results would be interesting, but useless. Watch to see who is sampled. A very bad way to sample is to go by voter "households." Whenever this methodology is used it always understates the conservative vote - not because of bias, but because of a methodology flaw. I haven't looked at the numbers in a few years, but the last time I did, conservative households had a little more than .5 more voters on average than moderate households. Even if everything else is flawless, the poll ends up understating ative the voting power of conservative households.
Be careful also of polls that sample registered voters without a filter for likely voters. These polls tend to favor those with higher name recognition without measuring organization. The best polls are those that measure likely voters for a particular election. Even so, if some major sub-theme is running beneath the surface, these polls can be wildly inaccurate. For example, in 1992 Carol Moseley-Braun won the Democratic Primary for Senate and polls never showed it coming. The reason is there was a huge influx of voters in Cook County who did not normally vote. A poll that counts unlikely voters is always inaccurate in normal times; but a poll which counts only likely voters when there is a powerful sub-theme running is also wildly inaccurate.
2) How are the questions asked. It is very easy to design a poll to give you the answers you want to hear. That, in fact, is the specialty of a whole host of pollsters. Some of the ways of doing it are subtle; some are blunt. Most people are familiar with the nototrious push polls (i.e...'If you found that candidate A had committed various felonies, while candidate B is notable for philanthropic and charitable work, who would you be most likely to vote for?') But there are a lot of ways to guide respondents to the answer you want without them even realizing they have been guided. When a candidate or media outlet releases the horse-race question without releasing the exact number and phrasing of the questions used, be very suspicious.
3) What is the history of the pollster. This is a seeming elementary question that few bother to ever ask. Every pollster has a history - and checking that history would give one a clue how reliable their poll is. Among media polls in Illinois the Chicago Tribune Poll is consistently the worst. It always regurgitates whatever conventional wisdom is and never picks up on a brewing upset. It is so wildly wrong so regularly most professional politicians utterly ignore it as a source of useful information (though we're glad to tout it when conventional wisdom says our candidate is leading). The two most reliable Illinois media polls over the past decade have been the Copley Poll and the Mason-Dixon Poll. Other outlets have their ups and downs.
Among national media polls, Zogby was doing great stuff in the late '90s and at the turn of the millenium. They must have dramatically changed their methodology, though, because for the last four or five years they have been as useless as a Tribune Poll. One outlet I'll be watching closely is Rasmussen. They got all 50 states right in the 2004 presidential election.
4) People don't level with pollsters. In this case, you need to watch for routine behaviors that don't match up with reality. For example, black candidates in non-urban districts almost always poll 3-8 points higher than they actually perform on election day. There is a similar disparity for women candidates. From the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s women candidates actually outperformed men candidates just based on gender on election day. Since then, with the exception of left-leaning districts, women candidates poll better in most districts than they perform. A certain number of people like to be politically correct when talking to pollsters. A candidate needs to correct for that. A good way to check suspect information is to occasionally sit alone in a popular and busy coffee shop at breakfast. Listen to the conversations around you. People level with their friends over coffee. Hear what people say to each other candidly and take it into account.
5) Take care in interpretation. On this one I will give one final example. Every so often we hear charges of racism directed at lending institutions based on turndown rates. Without more information, turndown rates are meaningless in determining whether institutional racism is in play. If you want one meaningful statistic that would answer that question, look at default rates on existing loans. If any group, with a large enough sample size, has a statistically significant higher default rate, it strongly indicates that group is being held to looser standards in the application process. Often, a statistic, even if accurate, does not mean what a candidate or media outlet wants it to mean.
A pollster who tells you what you want to hear can be very tempting, but it is almost always a mistake. For a candidate, it prevents you from doing what you need to do to correct genuine problem areas - because you don't know those problem areas exist. For a media outlet, ultimately you will pay a price in credibility. In a campaign I don't want happy information or unhappy information; I want accurate information so I can act appropriately and develop a strategy that meshes with the facts on the ground rather than some dreamy blue-skies assessment.
Remember that scene from "Animal House" where Stratton (Tim Matheson) is trying to console Dorfman (Stephen Furst), who foolishly let the gang use his brother's car for a road trip, only to see it damaged?
"Hey, you f***** up! You trusted us!"
That's Gov. Rod Blagojevich's message to anyone stupid enough to believe him:
Facing lawsuits from fired prison officials who say Gov. Rod Blagojevich broke his pledge to keep good employees, lawyers for the state offered a surprising defense: His promises were "classic political puffery."
In a political year, the premise that Blagojevich made promises he didn't intend to keep could be troublesome for the governor to explain. But the puffery defense proved to be a sound legal strategy.
A federal appellate court agreed with the administration's lawyers who argued in court filings that the governor's comments were not binding.
The argument arose in response to lawsuits filed by several ousted former wardens and assistant wardens. They claimed they lost their jobs because of politics in the governor's personnel decisions or because they criticized decisions they said threatened prison safety.
Ok, I've exceeded my post quota for the week and you wouldn't see much of me fora few a days, but I couldn't let this pass.
Obama is sounding like Kerry's I voted for the funds for war and then I voted against them comment now. The problem for Democrats is they can't figure out what they're about and say so!
Please Senator Obama, start making the better case and consider Rove may very will be right when he said Democrats are fine patriots, but just have got it deeply, profoundly and consistently wrong.
Sen. Barack Obama said he would vote Monday to filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, but he conceded the effort would be futile and criticized Democrats for failing to persuade Americans to take notice of the court's changing ideological face."Cross Posted at Bill Baar's West Side Read more...
The Democrats have to do a much better job in making their case on these issues," Obama (D-Ill.) said Sunday on ABC News' "This Week." "These last-minute efforts--using procedural maneuvers inside the Beltway--I think has been the wrong way of going about it."
Despite his criticism, Obama announced his intention to support the maneuver designed to block--or delay--Alito's confirmation this week. The movement, which was launched by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), appeared to lack the 41 senators needed to be successful.
From a Brady Press Release,
The poll of 600 likely Republican primary voters, conducted Thursday night by veteran pollsters McKeon & Associates of Joliet, showed Brady with 13 percent of the Republican primary vote. Others were Judy Baar Topinka with 29 percent, Jim Oberweis with 17 percent and Ron Gidwitz with 11 percent. Thirty percent were still undecided.I wish they'd give us the margin of error with these polls. Read more...
[***]
The results of the poll reinforce a Zogby poll earlier this month that showed Brady within 10 points of Rod Blagojevich, 46-36. Topinka trailed the Governor 40- 39, Oberweis 48-37, and Gidwitz 46-34.
Cross posted on Marathon Pundit.
My representative in the House is Jan Schakowsky of Evanston, IL, pictured above. Earlier today, Jan was probably at the Democratic Party of Evanston's slatemaking session. But rather pondering just who is the most qualified to gain the local party's endorsement for Cook County Water Reclamation District Commissioner, this Robert Novak column in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times probably dominated her thoughts.
From that column:
House Republicans, wounded by lobbyist scandals, have called on the House Ethics Committee to investigate more than 10 Democratic members headed by Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Nydia Velazquez of New York.
Schakowsky's husband, consumer advocate Robert Creamer, has been indicted in a check-kiting scheme. (My note: Last summer Creamer pleaded guilty to related charges and is awaiting sentencing.) The Republicans contend that because she signed tax returns with him, that she should be investigated by the ethics committee. Velazquez is accused of violating House ethics guidelines by using her congressional office to endorse Judge Margarita Lopez Torres as Brooklyn Surrogate Court judge.
Oberweis sign along St Charles Road in Lombard. I saw two more for Roskam but there was too much traffic to stop and take pictures.
Numerous Lindsey Scott signs in Glen Ellyn and Wheaton. These were along Geneva Road. I didn't see any signs for Cegelis or Duckworth.
A Zaruba sign along Geneva Road.
I wish Samantha Powers at Senate Foreign Affairs were telling Senator Obama to join Senator Santorum and express the solidarity of the People of Illinois with their struggle. It's our struggle too,
In a letter dated, January 6, 2006, Santorum requested from the U.S. Secretary of State to intervene on behalf of the arrested Tehran's Bus drivers and the repressed Iranian People.And here's Hoffa's letter expressing the Teamster's Solidarity,
Slamming the Islamic regime for the persistent human rights abuses and the brutal attack of the strikers, the Pennsylvanian Senator stated in part of his letter: "I ask that you and other senior leaders of the US Government make a concerted effort to reach out to groups of individuals, such as unions and students, to let them know the People of America stand with them in their fight for greater freedoms and liberties".
Dear President Ahmadinejad:Read more...
On behalf of the 1.4 million men and women of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, I write to denounce the arrest of fourteen members of the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sandikaye Kargarane Sherkate Vahed Autobus Raniehn Tehran Va Hoomeh).
A recent union meeting was disrupted by plainclothes members of the Ansar Hezbollah who badly beat up many union members. Your government took no action against the aggressors.
On December 22, agents from the Office of the Prosecutor arrested and detained at least fourteen members of the union. These arrests clearly violate international labor standards regarding freedom of association and freedom of expression. They also contradict your campaign pledges to encourage justice and assist working people in your country.
We call upon your government to immediately release the union leaders and members and negotiate in good faith with the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, whose members have not had a wage increase in over four years. The Union has a forty year history of supporting its members and efficient urban transport in Tehran; they fully deserve respect from all governmental authorities in Iran.
Sincerely,
James P. Hoffa
General President
I've never been held at gun point by a geek from the National Security Agency.
I have been held at gun point by police from Chicago, Berwyn, and Oak Park.
That was back before I looked like a geek myself and the standard practice in the near West Burbs and Galewood was to take any male teen on the streets after midnight and stretch us over the hood for a pat-down.
So I worry more about abuse from Local cops then Federal cops. I tell my kid if you get pulled over, keep your hands on the steering wheel... don't move fast. Cops --with good reason-- can be jumpy and if not well trained might shoot before they think.
And then stories like this in today's Chicago Sun Times just confirm you don't want to be the wrong looking guy, in the wrong place, at the wrong time in Illinois,
Rollins, a former special education student who had no criminal record, was 17 when he was convicted.I heard Sen Durbin talk about Gitmo. I'd really like to hear him talk about Illinois.
He repeatedly told police, "I'm innocent," until they "hit him around a couple times" and he agreed to confess, Fioretti said.
At the press conference, Rollins said police used "scare tactics" and "put their hands on me" and "kept hittin' me" until "finally I asked them what happened. He [a detective] told me everything" to say in a confession, and Rollins signed a document written by an assistant state's attorney, he said.
"I was scared to death," he said. "I didn't want to go through it."
In prison, other inmates identified him as someone who'd raped an elderly woman, which led him to be treated more harshly than others, he said.
He said he'd "try to hold my dignity, my pride" during that time, though he admits to times he'd ask himself, "Did I do this?"
Since we're talking about the definition of marriage today on Illinois Review, we thought it might be a good time to point out a special emphasis on the Cook County Clerk's Office website -- an announcement you may have missed a few weeks ago: Cook County's first same-sex couple to register their partnership with Cook County in 2006.
Drew McLeod and David DeBoer registered their same-sex domestic partnership on January 5. The two live in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood with their daughter.
And guess what?
To honor the occasion, the two received a night's stay at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, dinner at Caro Mio's and tickets to a Steppenwolf Theatre production.
Drew and David are the 775th same sex couple registered with Cook County since October 2003.
NOTE: The registry is not available to unmarried couples of the opposite sex.
Link: Cook County Clerk's Office News.
Freshman Congressman Dan Lipinski got a huge break last Fall. He represents a district stocked with ambitious politicians from effective ward organizations who could have challenged his shaky hold on the Congressional seat he was bequeathed by his father. State Reps Kevin Joyce, Jim Brosnahan, and Dan Burke; Aldermen Tom Murphy and Jim Balcer; and former State Rep Tom Dart, were all eyed as potential challengers -- and each one of them would have been favored against the Lil' Lipper. But for various reasons, (Bill Lipinski calling in favors, a reluctance to commute to D.C., better electoral opportunities, etc.) all of the potential "name" candidates passed on the race. By mid October, it was clear no one of any consequence would take on Lipinski. John Sullivan, a unknown assistant state's attorney with no political organization, was the only candidate circulating petitions.
You'd think Lipinski would just leave well enough alone, campaign hard, beat Sullivan, and claim the legitimacy he was denied (deservedly,) two years ago when he inherited his seat. Instead, his Dad's fading political organization is again engaged in a clumsy effort to pull a fast one on the voters.
Had Lipinski just rolled up his sleeves and actually earned a real victory, he would probably be well on his way to Congressman-for-life status. Instead, two years from now he will again have to face the charge that he has yet to win a legit election.
Bill Lipinski and his operatives might think they're doing Dan a favor by greasing the electoral skids to avoid the inconvenience of an actual campaign, but what they're really doing is telling the political world that they don't think the kid is strong enough to win an election on his own.
Read more...
As the prosecution is on the verge of resting their case in chief in the trial of former Governor George Ryan, Eric Zorn gives his prediction that Ryan will not take the stand in his own defense.
Opinion is split among those seated in the large (put not often crowded) media gallery at the George Ryan trial whether the former governor will testify in his own defense.
The panelists discussing the trial last night on WTTW Ch. 11's "Chicago Tonight" sounded sure, to varying degrees, that Ryan would take the stand as his lawyer, Dan Webb, has all but promised.
But other observers, me included, think Ryan is too touchy to do well on the stand; too blustery, and, like nearly every politician, too unaccustomed to not being in control of the room. He'd do fine under direct examination from his own attorneys, but he'd likely lose his cool under days and days of tough cross examination from the prosecution.
So what do you think? Should Ryan testify? What does the jury think if he doesn't? Try to keep it decent.
Levois has a great post on the new Wal-Mart store over in Evergreen Park,
It's My Mind: Chicagoans flock to Wal-Mart jobs: "You know back in 2004 there was a debate about letting Wal-Mart open a couple of locations in the city. One was in the Austin neighborhood the other would have been on 83rd Street near Simeon High School. The council rejected the one on 83rd but they gave the go ahead on the location in Austin."Please go read the rest! He keeps a nice blog.
A letter to the Editor found in today's Daily Herald,
Our Illinois veterans homes are in need of health care staff. The state (Gov. Rod Blagojevich) needs to release the funds for staffing the empty beds in all the Illinois facilities. We have close to 500 or more honorably discharged veterans waiting to be admitted. Some veterans are told the wait could be between 8 months to 2 years. This wait is no way to treat our veterans. The state has the funds — it just needs to allocate them differently. I know everyone wants their piece of the pie, but these individuals deserve the whole thing.And a little follow up to confirm Mr Hurst's numbers. This from the Chicago Tribune back in July,
Robert Hurst
Sugar Grove
Q. I'm a disabled veteran. Are there nursing homes in Illinois for veterans?Anyone know if Gov Blagojevich hired those 25 nurses?
A. Illinois has four nursing homes for veterans, located in LaSalle, Manteno, Anna and Quincy. You can apply at each home for a spot. But you should be prepared to wait. For example, 409 people are on the waiting list for a place in the veterans' home in LaSalle. Currently, 147 people are on the waiting list for a spot at the Manteno facility, according to a spokesperson at the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs in Springfield.
Why the long list? Nursing homes for veterans are a good deal. Veterans in Illinois pay $929 a month for care, a fraction of the cost of a private nursing home. Ironically, even though the homes have big waiting lists, they also have vacancies. Funds have not been available to fully staff the buildings, though the Veterans' Affairs Department spokesperson said there are plans this year to add 25 nurses so the vacant beds can be filled.
Originally posted in Peoria Pundit.
Ya gotta love the Journal Star. Really. The newspaper has spent months ignoring how their beloved "Congressman Ray" has been raking in cash from lobbyists and in one case them pay for a trip to France.
I've spent that time begging for someone from the local media to call LaHood on his Nixon-style non-denial denials.
The Journal Star's national political reporter finally got around to addressing the issue:
LaHood said he supports extending a ban on lobbying by former members of Congress and their staffers from one to two years and increasing enforcement of lobbying disclosure rules. While he's taken trips funded by private groups and found them beneficial, LaHood said he would support a ban on such trips if it's included in the House bill. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Plano, supports a ban on privately paid trips.
Last night's debate did not change my mind about who I will vote for for governor; I would have had to have it made up for that to happen. I have already changed it six or seven times since this whole business began late last winter. Most of my closest friends in politics have done the same. For people who do this stuff full-time that is nearly unheard of - and that's why this is the most volatile race in recent memory. Less than two months away from election nobody is scoring any big points. It's as if we were going into the 12th inning of a 0-0 tie. One big play could win it.
Certainly, each campaign has its own spin on how things are going, some which bear remarkably little relation to reality.
I hear routinely from people near Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka that she is so far ahead of everyone else that the rest of the field is hopelessly tilting at windmills. Some are generously trying to help me keep from making a fool of myself. Ahhh, what's the fun in life if you can't make a fool of yourself on occasion? And besides, I've heard that a hundred times in different campaigns - about half the time I'm right and everyone else is wrong and half the time I'm wrong and everyone else is right. I can live with that. (A commenter recently suggested a drinking game in which players would take a drink every time I said I in a post. Warning: for those who are playing, do not drive past this point).
At last night's debate Topinka boasted the most experience and seemed the least informed. Missing, too, was her usual high-octane enthusiasm. Truth be told, she looked downright grim. It does strike me as strategically sound that Topinka waited until the last minute to get into the race, trying to effectively shorten the cycle and to avoid talking about specific issues. She does not match up well with the primary electorate, a fact that has been partly masked by holding a non-ideological down-ballot office. The longer and more closely she is scrutinized the clearer that becomes, so effectively shortening the season makes sense.
But if one is going to sell the notion that she is head and shoulders above the field, she needs in her rare public forums to sound at least as knowledgable as the people she purports to be head and shoulders above. But she is helped by the fact that Ed Eisendrath's challenge in the Democratic Primary to Gov. Rod Blagojevich is looking more and more like a non-starter. Topinka has always needed Democratic crossovers to ensure victory.
Businessman Jim Oberweis projected confidence and humor. He long ago solidified the support of the hard base. But that base alone only accounts for about 25% of primary voters - and Oberweis had often solidified their support in ways that scared others off his campaign. He went a long way last night to reassuring them he will not be a divisive scold.
Oberweis tries to sell the notion that this is a two-person race between him and Topinka. If he stays disciplined and cheery, that might become true. But past missteps have made people wary of him. A major blunder or a public blowup - or even a true but red-faced, angry tirade could knock him out of the race. He has to campaign as both an authentic reformer and a uniter. Still, though I have written about the 'corruption tax' that Oberweis so frequently spoke about last night, I doubt it is the $1 billion he estimated it to be and I don't think he can pay for everything with it.
People who watched the debate saw what has made State Sen. Bill Brady so tantalizing to so many in the GOP this cycle. More than any other candidate he has a Reaganesque charm and cheery nature. I have described him before as a rookie pitcher with a blazing fastball and a curve that will buckle your knees - but no control. You drool to watch him when he's at his best and hope that he will turn out to be Sandy Koufax rather than Rick Ankiel (if you don't know who Ankiel was, that's the point). But whatever you eventually expect from him, few who have watched him for a year or more think he's ready for the bigs. The reality is his campaign operation is thin, which makes it very difficult to project his cheery message in the field. And for his disciplined sunniness last night, earlier in the day he had launched into Oberweis at the City Club of Chicago with hammer and tong. While some who were there saw some amusement value in seeing Operweis on the receiving, rather than giving, end of an intemperate attack, it is the sort of wildness I'm speaking of.
Businessman Ron Gidwitz undoubtely lost on style points (no bon mots or witty rejoinders) but he knocked it out of the park on substance. Far more than anyone else on stage he had specific, credible plans for the problems he addressed. He spoke more in the language of the boardroom than in ways designed to effectively convey some complex concepts to a general audience, but he struck me as having the best grasp of specifics and how to translate it into effective policy. It struck me that when Topinka said we need a grown-up to be governor, I thought of Gidwitz.
I can think of credible scenarios by which any of these candidates could win the nomination. Topinka certainly has a lead, but it is not nearly as big as she thinks it is. Oberweis is coming on and has the best chance of any of his races to come away with the nomination, but his chances are more precarious than he imagines them to be - and he isn't yet as close as he thinks he is. He needs to run almost mistake-free as the race heats up.
Brady is beginning to make a pretty good case that he is a big part of the future of the GOP, but he needs several big events to break his way in order to be competitive this time.
I'm beginning to think Gidwitz might be the tortoise in this race. Certainly, he doesn't hit any home runs. But he doesn't strike out or hit into double plays either. In a race in which no candidate is running away with things, small ball might be just the thing that wins. The White Sox did it just a few months back.
Unlike Lincoln, I never would have considered Brady to be a dark horse candidate. He alone has the right stuff to go toe-to-toe with the Governor for the whole eight rounds between Primary and General Election Day, and this fight could break out even earlier. He's got t.v. charm, fundraising potential, a lock on downstate, and most importantly: he knows how to stay on message.
The beauty about Topinka and Oberweis is that you don't even have to engage them. The more they talk, the more worried people get about their leadership. Without Democrats propping her up, Topinka couldn't even get elected mayor. And I mean that with a small 'm'.
And Oberweis? You can't help but picturing him wanting to round up all of the immigrants in a football stadium and take them out. Which nickname do you like better: "Abominable Milkman" or "Pinochet"?
The danger for Brady is he might run right into the arms of the wingnuts, or as I like to say, "the tentacly embrace of the Flying Spaghetti Monster." After all, the powerbrokers know that if they want to have a functional modern economy (so they can get richer), people are just going to have to accept some planetary truths: the earth isn't flat, it rotates around the sun (and not the other year around), and our planet isn't celebrating the 5,970th anniversary of its 30th Birthday. Oh yeah: it won't last forever even if we do take care of it, but it will last longer.
When uncertain, it is the natural instinct of the Republican to veer right, just as it is the Democrat's to veer left. But as Sweetness himself always proved, it takes courage to run it up the Middle. We'll soon find out what Brady's made of.
P.S. Before people bet bent out of shape over the wingnuts comment, I just learn there's such a thing as a Moonbat. So, lighten up.
Crossposted on Marathon Pundit and Pajamas Media.
Earlier this month, Chicago's DePaul University, pressured by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), agreed to drop its bizarre "propaganda ban" that the administration used as an attempt to silence DePaul College Republicans last fall. Controversial University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill, in a paid appearance, spoke at DePaul, and the College Republicans faced several school administration roadblocks as they tried to protest that event.
FIRE's interim president, Greg Lukianoff, stated earlier this month on the Hannity & Colmes show that in terms of free speech issues, DePaul was "a basketcase."
Still, with its dropping of the "propaganda ban," it looked like DePaul might finally be turning a new leaf.
Not so.
The latest edition of the DePaul campus newspaper, The DePaulia, just came online. It reports on the "affirmative action bake sale" organized by the DePaul Conservative Alliance.
A few other campus conservative groups have had similar "sales," organized as a humorous protest to college affirmative action policies. The DePaul sale listed prices for brownies and cookies, with white males paying the most for each treat, minorities paying less.
The DePaul Conservative Alliance bake sale lasted about 45 minutes. According to the DePaulia article, students in support of affirmative action started yelling at the DCA members and in the words of Michael O'Shea, a member of the conservative group, "It got a little more out of hand than I would have liked." Tempers were raised, words were exchanged, but that was about it. Greg MacVarish, Dean of Students for DePaul's Division of Student of Affairs, closed shop on the DCA bake sale once the argument broke out.
But that wasn't enough for DePaul. Denise Mattson of the DePaul public affairs department, had this to say:
DePaul permits student organizations to share political views. The expression of those views must take place in a civil, tolerant and respectful manner. Mattson added that although DePaul accepts the opinions and views of all its students, the area DCA chose to conduct its rally was inappropriate. The main hallway in the Student Center is not the proper area for the debate. We need to make sure that there is an environment for that speech that is safe for everyone.
This had nothing to do with religion. It had nothing to do with ethnicity. My side is that it has everything to do with free speech.
We emphatically reject that this is at all a matter of academic freedom. For DePaul, it was about his conduct, not his content.
DePaul Conservative Alliance stirs up the student body with a questionable approach on affirmative action
I live blogged it over at my site.
Brady takes it in my opinion. He looked good, sounded good, made the most sense, had specifics on Illinois's Medicaid program; and I liked his closing on being the best candidate to defeat Blagojevich.
JBT tried but she didn't have the kind of confidence and command of some facts like Brady.
So, tell me where I get it wrong.
Crossposted at Marathon Pundit.
This Hill cartoon is on Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's campaign web site--right on top as I write this post. The Illinois Democrat, my representative in Congress, joins other liberals criticizing those corrupt Republicans.
Meanwhile in Evanston, her husband, Democratic activist Robert Creamer(not the baseball author) awaits sentencing for bank fraud and tax violations. Creamer drew the attention of federal authorities after a tax kiting scheme was discovered while Creamer was running the Illinois Public Action Council, a consumer advocacy group. While those airborne checks were being circulated, Schakowsky was serving on the board of directors of IPAC.
Jan Schakowsky has not been implicated in any wrongdoing in regards to her husband's financial misdeeds.
Creamer was politically active in his own right, serving as a high-paid campaign consultant for Democrats Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and Rock Island Congressman Lane Evans, among others.
Since the mainstream media hasn't jumped on Jan's hypocrisy, it's up to this citizen-journalist to flash the yellow card here.
It would seem to be the greatest irony of abortion, that the foremost tool feminists say will facilitate women's equality with men is actually the foremost weapon used to kill them.
The crisis of female feticide is growing to such an extent in Third World countries that by 2020 there will be more unmarried Chinese men than the total population of females in Taiwan and South Korea combined.
Yet the National Organzation for Women and Planned Parenthood are silent.
That's because there's money to be made by harvesting eggs from aborted girls.
That's the upside.
Researchers note that one way the Chinese government has dealt with male-female disparities in the past was to send the testosterone-laden, aggressive, single men off to foreign wars that the government created to give them something to do.
That's the downside.
This morning, Rich Miller (with a hat-tip to Archpundit) posted some more numbers from the St. Louis Dispatch/KMOV-TV poll pitting Governor Blagojevich against prospective GOP nominees Judy Baar Topinka, Jim Oberweis, and Ron Gidwtiz. This poll reveals some important facts (I hesitate to use “poll” and “facts” anywhere near each other, but for lack of a better word…..) about the “electability gap” between Ms. Topinka and her next closest rival, Mr. Oberweis (Incidentally, my spell check wanted to make this into a “delectability gap,” which might be a whole different contest altogether). Specifically, the two things that jump out at me are the gap between “independent” support of Topinka and Oberweis, and the difference in Dem support of Blagojevich depending on who his GOP opponent is.
Both Topkina and Oberweis receive support from only 5% of Dems, so crossovers may not be the strength her supporters claim it may be. However, they both receive almost the same percentage of support from Republican voters. So all the talk of the "base" (whatever that means in Illinois) staying home in November depending on what happens in March may be a little overstated. The real difference between Oberweis and Topinka seems to be their support among independents. The Governor only enjoys a 5% (45-40) lead over Topinka in this category, but his lead increases to 33% when Oberweis is the hypothetical GOP nominee (the gap between Blagojevich and Gidwitz among independents is even greater, but perhaps less relevant as his profile is still largely unknown or ignored by most voters, despite all his advertising efforts to date). Illinois is undeniably a state where Democrats enjoy a solid numerical majority over Republicans, so if the GOP nominee cannot be competitive among independents and convince a large enough portion of Dem voters that (for whatever reason) it isn't worth either voting for the Dem nominee or against the GOP nominee, then the race is really over before it begins and all the talk of crossovers or “base” mobilization become akin to debating the arrangement of the Titanic’s deck chairs.
As noted above, crossovers will probably not be a significant factor according to the poll. However, there is a 7-10% difference in Dem support for the Governor depending on who his opponent is. The lack of any other high profile/competitive race on the ticket may mean that some Democrats may stay home on Election Day if they aren't particularly wild about Blagojevich or don't find the GOP nominee too objectionable. This poll shows that a significant portion of those potentially apathetic Dem voters are more enthusiastic about (and perhaps more likely to come our and vote for) the Governor if the nominee is Oberweis or Gidwitz rather than Topinka.
Some of the more vocal Republican pundits are certainly exaggerating when they say there is no significant or salient difference between Blagojevich and Topinka – and Republican voters clearly see that. But Democrat and independent voters clearly see a difference between Topinka and Oberweis (and Gidwitz) – a difference that could give us four more years of “no more business as usual.”
Update – Of course, this poll analysis does not consider Brady, because the poll unfortunately did not. Brady has undoubtedly gotten at least a little boost from his performance at the Chamber debate two weeks ago (unless the blogosphere really is nothing more than an echo-chamber of insider buzz that doesn’t reflect the political realities in the field, that is). It is difficult to figure out how much of the apparent independent & Dem dislike for Oberweis is based on his personality and how much is based on his ideology. Brady is an unabashed conservative, and I love him for that. But will a majority of voters in this decidedly blue state feel the same way? It’s a tough call. And one that I think depends on who he can emulate better: Romney or Reagan. If he can establish himself as more than another blow-dryed lightweight like our current Governor, and a conservative who doesn’t scare the be-Jesus (so to speak) out of liberals and moderates, then he has a chance. But he’ll need to define himself thusly very soon, or I’d be inclined to stick with the conclusions listed above.
Also posted at the Grand Old Partisanship Blog
Sometimes candidates come up with ideas that you've never heard of. Take a look at these ideas 8th congressional district Republican Ken Arnold has proposed (found under "Creative Solutions"):
1- Exploration of Space, suggesting following example of Massachusettes Bay Company of 1629 and Homestead Act of 1862. Finance space exploration privately. Form a multi-national firm that would become completely private in 75 years with some shares allocated to 3rd World Countries.
2- A causeway across Lake Michigan, e.g., 48 miles from Evanston to Michigan City. Inspired by the causeway across the Chesapeake Bay from Virginia to Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Rt. 1 to Key West. It would have “several man made islands, tunnels, and overhead bridges” and be designed to transport vehicular and rail traffic, natural gas and electricity. Arnold argues that the area south of Lake Michigan is highly vulnerable to terrorist sabotage.
3- Extension of Route 53 using a privately operated tollway with bonds guaranteed by the Feds. After a 30-year payback, it would become a freeway.
4- High-Speed Rail Linking Five Airports--Milwaukee, O'Hare, Midway, Gary and South Bend. Most right-of-way is alreay in the public domain. Public construction, but private operation. May be no need for Peotone.
5- Attacking Highway Construction Waste Using the construction, re-construction and still needed widening of Rt. 22 as an example of wasted money and drivers’ time, he proposes that Federal aid not be allowed more than once every 10 years on a given road. Arnold argues this would force state and local governments to plan ahead of, rather than behind, traffic needs. Under such a requirement, Rt. 22 would now be 4-lanes, as I think it should be, rather than narrowing to 2-lanes through Lincolnshire. Would provide “spine transplants” to local officials fearing NIMBY’s, Arnold says.
Other 8th congressional district stuff (including mailings) at McHenry County Blog, as well as questionnaires from special interest groups and newspapers.
While I thumped my chest about the great Google, they stabbed me in the back.
Google is right to fight the Justice Department to defend our Bill of Rights.
But to gain more customers, Google cut a deal with the Chinese communists and agreed to censor its search results in the land of the Giant Panda.
Google’s new motto: Do no evil, except if we can gain access to 1.3 billion customers. Unless Google reverses its course, I will never use Google again. And for now, I'll search with my mamma.
Peter Roskam's website says that the D.C. Republican fundraising syndicate's crown prince has raised more than a million dollars for the 6th District campaign.
Really? Strong grassroots support?Roskam FEC Report Highlights"These fundraising numbers reflect the strong grassroots support that Peter Roskam has generated in his campaign for Congress. Republicans are united and energized behind this campaign and our fundraising reinforces our momentum," said Ryan McLaughlin, Roskam's campaign manager.· Total Individual Donors - 2,402
· Individual Donors who contributed less than $200 – 1,493
· Online Contributions - $130,000
· No personal loans/contributions from the candidate
I'm tired of dragging this out with one idea a day so here are the last four suggestions to plugging the loop-holes in the state's criminal justice system when dealing with DUI offenders and victims.
David Bernstein reviewed Martin Redish's book, The Logic of Persecution, for the Northwestern Law Review over at The Volokh Conspiracy.
Bernstein lists a few things he never knew about Amercian Communism including this below about Hollywood --although it was well known to everyone else in the anti-Stalinist left.
During the "Red Decade" of the 1930s, Hollywood Communists ran their own blacklist againist their political enemies. Because the studio bosses didn't support this blacklist, it wasn't as effective as the 1950s blacklist of Communists, but it seriously harmed careers nevertheless.I think that's the major reason why Chicago's James T. Farrell had to wait until 1960 to see Studs Lonigan made into a film. Read more...
Mayor Willey's Elburn Web Log has some posts with plenty of pictures of Metra's opening of the new extension to Elburn.
From the looks of it the Station hasn't been built yet, but Mayor Willey had drawings of it earlier. It remined me of the old Chicago Aurora & Elgin station over at Ardmore in Villa Park.
Speaker Hastert and State Senator Lauzen both attended yesterday's opening. Now please figure out how to open the line all the way to Dekalb and restore the fine Depot there so my kids don't have to hop a bus to get to the train for the loop.
Speaker Hastert
Illinois Senator Chris Lauzen and Mayor Willey.
In today's Dispatch/Argus:
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has released his proposed construction budget and there is no funding included for a high-speed rail project in the Quad-Cities.Hard to imagine Sen. Jacobs prematurely jumping in to try to take credit for anything and everything, eh? But it seems that perhaps this news lets a little hot air out of his balloon.
Last Wednesday, Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said he expected the construction budget to include $20 million for the creation of a passenger rail line between Rock Island and Geneseo, with the goal of someday connecting to Chicago.
But when the governor released his proposed budget late last week, it made no mention of the project.
Matt Vanover, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said Monday that's because, "there's nothing in the budget for high-speed rail in the Quad-Cities."
The project isn't IDOT's top high-speed rail priority and Mr. Vanover said the department was not aware that a formal request has yet been made at the federal level, a step that would have to come first before the state could follow through with matching funds.
It may not be on high on IDOT's radar, but it is on the priority list for the Senate Democratic Caucus, and Sen. Jacobs says he's still confident it will make the cut.
He said he will fight during negotiations this spring to see that the money for high-speed rail makes it into the final capital budget approved by lawmakers.
In fact, if the final capital budget doesn't include money for the high-speed rail project or money for the Western Illinois University Quad-Cities campus, Sen. Jacobs said he will not vote for it.
"If the governor's interested in my vote, he's going to work with me," he said.
The governor's plan does include $29 million for an expansion of John Deere Road and $12 million for a school in Silvis.
[Cross-posted at WurfWhile.com.]
Rich Miller reports that SEIU has decided not to endorse in the Democratic Primary for Illinois State Treasurer. While I don't know a ton about the race - I'm guessing this isn't good news for the slated Democrat, downstate candidate Paul Mangieri - and it's at least mildly positive news for his opponent, Alexi Giannoulias. Giannoulias has a lot of crucial Chicago backing that unions would help Mangieri get. Commenter ndpotus at Capitol Fax points out Barack Obama got the SEIU endorsement in the U.S. Senate Primary (he also got AFSCME and IFT), when most unions endorsed Dan Hynes. It may be SEIU stayed out of the treasurer's primary because Barack Obama, along with a number of Chicago area politicians, have endorsed Alexi. Obama has acknowledged his gratitude towards Alexi Giannoulias, who was an early Democratic Primary supporter of Barack's U.S. Senate campaign.
Alexi was at the Kos Naperville Democrats fundraiser yesterday, circulating well through the crowd and came across quite personable. While I don't know Paul at all - I can say Mangieri's definitely losing the website battle with his retro, single page website. Alexi has a respectable web presence - and a better website name. [Update - I can't get to Mangieri's website tonight - maybe they're putting something real up.]
If enough unions don't back Paul, and enough Chicago Democratic officials back Alexi, it's going to be tough for Paul to win, slate or no slate.
Once again, I've been remiss in meeting my blogging goals. I have just been really busy trying to get a variety of things done, but I think I'm almost there. The worst part is that there's been tons of stuff worth commenting on:
Crossposted on Marathon Pundit.
Ronald Reagan's son Michael is coming to northern Illinois to visit Eureka College,
the alma mater of the late president, the AP reports tonight.
While in Illinois, Michael, a conservative talk radio host, hopes to visit his father's birthplace in tiny Tampico, as well as the Gipper's boyhood home in Dixon.
Dixon is just north of Interstate 88, the recently renamed Ronald Reagan Tollway. Yes, it would be better if it wasn't a toll road. Still, if you're driving on that interstate, visit Dixon. Tampico is not too far away either, it's about 15 miles south of I-88.
That's me in the photo in front of the Reagan Boyhood Home on Hennepin Street in Dixon.
Ronald Reagan was the only president born in Illinois.
I called Senator Obama's Office today to see if Samantha Powers still worked for him.
They said yes.
Senator Obama's hiring of Powers was pretty noteworthy and I'm not sure what she's really produced for him.
The Chicago Defender wrote back in July 2005 after an interview with the Senator Obama,
Obama said he is troubled that the situation in the Sudan has been moved “off the radar screen” by other stories such as the bombings in London the last two weeks.Anyone know what she's up too, please comment.
"The fact of the matter is we still have a major humanitarian crisis there, though the wholesale slaughter that had been taking place has diminished," he said.
Obama said he met with Anne Patterson, acting U.S. representative to the United Nations, as well as the ambassadors to Sudan and China. "I told them the killing, which started in 2003, has to stop," he said.
Obama is a co-sponsor of a Senate bill to make sure the United States allocates "the millions of dollars needed to help these African union countries, like Rwanda and South Africa, airlift and supply the troops they've sent in to provide help to assistance to the people in Darfur camps.”
This week, he has also hired Samantha Power to advise him on foreign policy, especially as it pertains to genocide. In 2003, she won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction for the book, “A Problem from Hell: American in the Age of Genocide.”
Levois over at It's My Mind blogged on Advocate Health Care slashing services at West Side's Bethany hospital. Citing a Crain's Chicago Business article he noted,
Bethany would close its emergency room next month and phase out other services over the next few months under a plan that needs to be approved by state officials, said Tony Mitchell, Advocate’s vice-president of communications and government relations.I saw Forest Claypool on TV a few days ago fighting Advocate's plan because of the pressure it will put on Cook County Hospital; which, as Claypool notes ,is run none too well itself with some Duff family style sham minority-women owned front companies,
By March, the 125-bed hospital would become a long-term specialty facility serving patients recuperating for an average of 25 days. The hospital would also shut its detox, intensive care and psychiatry programs, reducing total number of beds to 85.
Claypool said there is much to debate regarding the success of Stroger Hospital. He pointed out the hospital is plagued with days-long waits for simple services such as dispensing of medicines, and months-long waits for specialists. The hospital is managed by a top-heavy bureaucracy that is removed by several layers from the critical service of administering front-line patient care. And only two days ago, the United States District Attorney indicted the Siemens company and several individuals for a fraud scheme that cheated the taxpayers and, perhaps more importantly, thwarted the process of allowing qualified minority and woman-owned vendors an equal chance at county business.Maybe the solution to Cook County's Health Care system is an All Kids style program with bad out-reach and hope to save money because the beneficaries won't understand they can use it. Read more...
Today's Weekly Standard has a good essay by Wesley J. Smith on The Democrats' New Litmus Test, Tom Vilsack is running for president--and toward human cloning.
Smith writes about Vilsak's flip on the issue in his State of the State address and how it's become a litmus test issue for the Democrats.
Not exactly an Illinois story but this has been popular on Illinoize, and I like Iowa anyways.
Smith concludes, WE HAVE SEEN this kind of enforced political lockstep before in the Democrat party. While there are many pro-life Democrats at the local and state levels, to make it on the national stage, Democrats must become pro-choice.
Time will tell whether becoming known as "the Human Cloning party," will help or hurt the Democrats. But there seems little doubt that advocacy by its most prominent members on behalf of cloning as a medical treatment to date has been rife with factual falsehoods and reckless hype. Remember when Ron Reagan told the Democratic National Convention that cloning would permit each of us to each have a "self repair kit" waiting for use at our local hospitals? And when Senator John Edwards outrageously claimed in 2004 that a vote for John Kerry would allow paralyzed people to get out of their wheelchairs and walk? Vilsack's lies are merely the latest addition to this sorry list.
Continuing from my previous posts about needed changes in Illinois' criminal laws (Shovel Attack Criminal Reforms - Part 2"), here's the third proposal:
As I grow older, I realize the true brilliance of Sherwood Schwartz, the father of the Brady Bunch.
Yes, we have learned that Mr. Brady was interested only in Sam the butcher's links, and Carol wanted to slip into Greg's groovy attic bedroom, but the TV Bradys were good, decent parents, who allowed their children to fall on their faces and learn from their mistakes.
Every episode portrayed a Brady kid with a problem--Mr. and Mrs. Brady, while offering food, shelter and love, told the kids it was their responsibility to find a solution. Maybe the Bradys could help some of today's "my great kid in a plastic bubble" parents; as Mom always said, don't play ball in the house.
So, to support Goggle’s First Amendment fight against the man, I wanted to share an important public service it now offers: on demand Brady Bunch, 24/7.
I am partial to every episode without Oliver; and I really enjoy when Marsha proves her mettle and joins Greg's scout troop.
What is your favorite episode? And does any character remind you of an Illinois politician?
SPRINGFIELD (ap) -- With many months to go before the election, it's time to see what the people think (or if they think) about the candidates. Just a couple of days ago, Gov. Rod Blagojevich beat gubernatorial primary candidate Judy Baar Topinka in a poll measuring which person is more "favorable."
Intrigued by these early returns, The Daley Show decided to join in the fun and interviewed 800 likely Illinois voters at dive bars around the state. The poll, conducted by the non-profit international research organization FACT 1999, has an error margin of 39.5 percentage points. The voters were asked to comment on the governor's race, as well as other important political stories. Following are the results:
Can you name a Republican candidate for governor other than Topinka?
88% No
10% Who's Topinka? A Russian?
2% Yes
Which candidate would you prefer to party with, Blagojevich or Topinka?
32% Topinka
7% Blagojevich
61% Um, I'm rearranging my sock drawer that night
Which candidate would you vote off the island?
61% Topinka
31% Blagojevich
8% The homosexual. One of 'em is gay, right?
Which statewide issue is most important to you?
16% Avoiding the drama of time-zone changes
11% The next nominee for the Illinois Supreme Court
5% Coal mine safety
4% Illegal immigrants working at ice cream shops
64% I don't have issues, OK man?
Do you support the governor's proposal for keno to pay for schools?
37% Yes
33% I thought that's what the lottery was for
30% Only if they use the machines to teach kids about probabilities
How do you feel about all this talk of airport expansion?
45% I'm afraid of flying. Aren't we still in code orange on the terror alert?
40% We should expand Gary Chicago
3% We should build in Peotone
1% We should bring back Meigs Field!
1% We should bring back Hooters Air!
Did Barack Obama make a mistake in promising on "Meet the Press" Sunday that he would finish his six-year term as senator and not run for president or vice president?
82% Yes
18% No ... wait, I don't get the question
Would you be upset if Obama broke that promise and ran anyway?
99% No
1% Undecided
Who should Obama choose as his running mate?
89% It doesn't matter
10% Anyone but Blagojevich
1% Any female other than Hillary
What is Mayor Daley's rationale for making a bid for the Olympics?
53% Something about getting better transportation
40% Something about another NFL team
7% Something about all these hired truckers that need something to do
How much would it take to get you to vote for our candidate?
72% One month's gas bill
22% $100 spread out over two years
6% Ah, just tell me who the winner is already
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