GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - March 11, 2008

ABC7
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD BUT NOT SURPRISING: The Combine directs ABC7 to use the Oberweis loss to promote Democrat candidates in the 6th, 10th, 11th, and 18th Congressional Districts
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6011291
(THE ARTICLE: Foster's victory makes other Dems hopeful Democrats in Illinois are hoping to reclaim four more congressional seats from Republicans in November. They're encouraged by Bill Foster's upset victory over Republican Jim Oberweis in Saturday's special election to replace former speaker Dennis Hastert. The new targets are seats held by Jerry Weller and Ray LaHood, who are retiring, and seats now held by Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam, who won narrow victories last time and are locked in tough re-election battles. "Democrats represent the party that wants to change Washington and change the set of policies coming from Washington. I'd rather be a Democrat going to this election than a Republican who has defended the status quo and defended the course abroad and at home for George Bush," said Rep. Rahm Emmanuel , (D) Chicago. Illinois now has 10 Democratic congressman and nine Republicans. A spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee says Congressman Emmanuel is doing wishful thinking and that special election results do not represent what the electorate will look like on Election Day.)

CBS2
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Outrageously, the Combine directs CBS2 to a) trumpet Bill Clinton, Dan Crane, Mel Reynolds, Jack Ryan, Gus Savage, and Eliot Spitzer sex/divorce problems and b) continue to cover up the Bill Foster divorce problem
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/eliot.spitzer.sex.2.674313.html
(THE ARTICLE: N.Y. Governor Not Alone In Downfall By Sex Scandal - Jay Levine The country is feeling shockwaves Monday night after a political earthquake in New York. There is pressure now for New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to step aside after he was named as a client of an international prostitution ring. CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports Spitzer was a rising star in Democratic politics, a squeaky clean former prosecutor, honored by Chicago's Better Government Association. "What it gets down to is reckless behavior," said Jay Stewart of the BGA. "In this case infidelity but reckless behavior combined with a sense of entitlement and arrogance." Chicagoan David Axelrod, who worked for Spitzer, told CBS he was "shocked." But it was another of Axelrod's clients, who set the standard for sexual misbehavior in the White House -- former President Bill Clinton. And Barack Obama might not be where he is today without Republican Jack Ryan's demise for forcing ex-wife Jerry Ryan to go to sex clubs in Paris. Successive South Side congressmen Gus Savage and Mel Reynolds lost elections after sex scandals -- Savage, for unwanted advances on a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire; Reynolds, for sex with an under-age campaign worker. Another Illinois congressman, Dan Crane, was voted out of office in 1984 after admitting to having sex with a 17-year-old female congressional page. Longtime Cook County Board President George Dunne's final term was marked by being accused of a jobs-for-sex scandal involving four younger women. Dunne chose to step down rather than run for re-election. Elliot Spitzer probably won't have that choice. "I feel terrible for Eliot and his family, but let's put this in perspective -- it's a man and a prostitute," said Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz. "In most parts of the world this wouldn't even be a story." But for Spitzer and those who preceded him, the reality is it does matter. "A few politicians have survived it but nine times out of 10, you're done," Stewart said. Another Chicago connection to the Spitzer scandal -- he is reportedly Client Number 9 in the criminal complaint. Client Number 10, whose name we don't know yet, allegedly arranged for another call girl from the same service to fly to Chicago for a 28 hour tryst just last week.)

ILLINOIS REVIEW
-- Claims "ridiculously false," Lauzen says
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2008/03/claims-ridiculo.html
(THE ARTICLE: Senator Chris Lauzen, who lost to Jim Oberweis in the 14th CD Republican primary last month, refutes charges made on Illinois Review by commenters here that he and his wife Sarah encouraged Republicans to vote for Saturday's 14th CD special election winner, Democrat Bill Foster. "I don't read these blogs often, but I did Saturday night," Lauzen said. "A charge like that is false, ridiculously false." More discussion on this national story can be found at: Open Thread: What happened in the 14th CD?)
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Dan Proft comments on the Oberweis loss
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2008/03/oberweis-defeat.html#more
(THE COMMENTARY: Oberweis Defeat a Victory for Change? Bill Foster's victory over Jim Oberweis in Saturday's special election is evidence of the clamor for change in the countryside? Perhaps. I can understers' rejection of Oberweis, a candidate who has turned in more stale, lackluster, straight-to-video performances than Matthew McConaughey over the past six years. But for those discontented Illinoisans who sought to express their desire for change by voting for Foster, what they did instead was to support the status quo they seek to reject. Foster will serve as nothing more than a vestigial head on the Democrat Scylla that controls Illinois. The other five heads, the ones that matter are: Rod Blagojevich, Michael Madigan, Emil Jones, Richard Daley and Todd Stroger. This is the Homerian monster that must be slain in order that the grievances of ordinary Illinoisans may be remedied. It is those five heads that collectively control more than $70 billion worth of government largesse and more than 170,000 jobs in Illinois. It is the institutions contained within these numbers that have the preponderant impact on your income and your lives. Illinois' problems will not be solved from Washington, regardless of who populates our congressional delegation or who occupies the White House. Confiscatory, business-devouring tax policies, poor schools, transit system meltdowns, unpaid bills, crumbling infrastructure, crushing debt--all of what has more than 2/3rds of Illinoisans saying that the state is on the wrong track--is properly laid on top of those five heads that wear the crowns. Another purposeless head named Dick Durbin did his best to cleverly divert voters' attention away from this unpleasant reality saying of the Foster victory, "It tells me that voters are ready for a change. They want new leadership in Washington." And, of course, who knows more about change than the number two man in the U.S. Senate, a 25-year congressional incumbent? Since Durbin is up for re-election in November perhaps change should include his departure. While Beltway insiders may spin Foster's victory as one for the change insurgents, it is in fact most clearly a win for the establishment that maintains command control of Illinois. Regardless of what ultimately happens in November, the Oberweis loss then is much less a harbinger of the future for the nation than it is an indicator of the present in Illinois.)

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Zorn wants Cross to replace Oberweis
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/03/over-weis.html
(THE ARTICLE: Over-weis? - Eric Zorn Far be it from me to offer advice to the Republican party, but it's pretty clear that GOP bigwigs need to figure out a way to get dairy magnate Jim Oberweis -- a.k.a. "The Milk Dud" now known as "Jim 0-fer-four" to step aside for the November election. Voters don't seem to like him much -- he's now lost twice in U.S. Senate primaries, once in a gubernatorial primary and once (Saturday) in a special election for the U.S. House. We could analyze why all day -- his opportunistic shifts of position, his weakness for harsh campaigning, the rich guy's start-at-the-top sense of political entitlement -- but the results are telling and they don't bode well for his scheduled rematch in November with victorious Democrat Bill Foster in the west suburban 14th U.S. Congressional District. He'll poison the airwaves with millions of dollars in strident attacks against Foster who will, again, respond in kind; but this time Foster will have at least a short track record of his own in the House to show voters that he's hardly the crazed, free-spending liberal Oberweis made him out to be. And he'll lose again, because that's what he does. A solution? Persuade him to step aside in favor of Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, 49, of Oswego. Cross (left) is a moderate Republican who is generally respected in Springfield; he was a political protege (and former high school history student) of retired U.S. House Speaker Dennie Hastert, whose poorly-timed resignation from the 14th District seat precipitated this current crisis for the Republicans. (See JoinCross.com) He was on the top of most lists of likely replacements when rumors of Hastert's resignation began swirling a year ago, but he never entered the special primary race that Oberweis won Feb 5. UPDATE -- Reporter Mike Moen of WROK-AM 1440 in Rockford asked Cross about this possibility at a news conference Monday afternoon. Click here to listen to Cross' notably unemphatic demurral: I’m the House Republican leader, I’ve got a lot to do here. I want to hold all the seats I have up and maybe pick up a couple of seats, so that’s where my focus is right now. Right now I’m focused on being the House Republican leader and I don’t believe the opportunity will arise. While we wait to see what happens, we can enjoy this video (via ArchPundit) of Oberweis mocking Foster's sometimes halting speech patterns at a TV debate taping before Saturday's election: (VIDEO) If anyone has a video link to the very strange scene Saturday night when Oberweis sang "Happy Birthday to You" to his wife at the defeat party, I'll be glad to post it.)

PUBLIC AFFAIRS
-- Go ahead Eric Zorn, make my day: Trundle out the heavy artillery - Jeff Berkowitz
http://jeffberkowitz.blogspot.com/2008/03/go-ahead-eric-zorn-make-my-day-trundle.html
(THE COMMENTARY: Eric Zorn, father of blogging in Chicago and Chicago Tribune columnist and blogger has grown tired of Jim Oberweis and suggests he commit political suicide. Follow the lead of Jack Ryan, so to speak, albeit without the sex clubs. Far be it from me to offer advice to the Republican party, but it's pretty clear that GOP bigwigs need to figure out a way to get dairy magnate Jim Oberweis -- a.k.a. "The Milk Dud" now known as "Jim 0-fer-four" to step aside for the November election. [Emphasis supplied] Read here For starters, who are the state GOP bigwigs? Nationally, who are the bigwigs, in terms of controlling Illinois politics and pols? Those are good question. Or, as the lawyers might object, those questions assume facts not in existence. National Republican Committeeman from Illinois Bob Kjellander("KJ")? When he is not busy worrying about whether his apparent designation as individual K in a federal public corruption plea complaint has implications for his own possible problems with the Feds, Kjellander is hoping nobody will complain too much if he stays involved in helping to plan the National Republican Party convention later this year in Minneapolis. That kind of title-- Social Reputlican planner, at large, for the wealthy-- might keep KJ rolling in the dough, or so he hopes. Not such a hot bigwig is he. Ask Zorn’s colleague, John Kass. State GOP chairman Andy McKenna, Jr.? Why would he have any control over anything? The state GOP did little, if anything, to assist Oberweis in the March 8, 2008. special election. McKenna has nothing to withhold. No resources, no ideas, no victories of his own, nada. When he ran in the U. S. Senate Republican Primary in 2004, Oberweis came in second and McKenna came in fourth in a seven-candidate field. McKenna garnered 14%, spending 4.5 million dollars in the effort (including 2.5 million dollars of his own). The NRCC donated 1.2 million to the Obeweis effort for the special election because they knew a loss would be spun by the mainstream media as another leading indicator of things to come in the fall across the entire Congress. But, come fall, the NRCC, with fewer resources than the DCCC, will be focusing on protecting its incumbents, and Oberweis certainly isn’t one of them. So, either way, Oberweis can expect little or nothing from the NRCC and the national bigwigs residing in Illinois. State Minority House Leader Tom Cross? Tom has done virtually nothing to expand his numbers in the House in his five years, or so, on the job. Cross help elect Oberweis? Cross could put pressure on Oberweis. That’s a laugh. Downstate Senate minority leader Frank Watson? Watson lost five seats in 2006, spending ten days in Italy a month before the election. What kind of pressure could he put on Oberweis to resign his nomination? Zero. Jim Edgar, an influential big wig? Edgar last won a race in 1994. Other than WTTW, one of Chicago’s public TV stations, nobody would consider Edgar a bigwig anymore. Judy Baar Topinka, who lost for Governor to Rod Blagojevich, 49 to 40, in 2006 in an idealess campaign that was under funded and underperformed by Topinka. Now she seems to fill up her life and guest panels by making fairly regular visits to WTTW’s Chicago Tonight and Bruce Dupont’s Beyond the Beltway. Yet, Topinka has nobody calling her a bigwig and rightly so. Even If Zorn could somehow convince Oberweis the above were bigwigs, why would Oberweis listen to them? None of the above has anything to withhold since none of them has anything to give. They bring little or no prestige, status or resources to the table. Having lost essentially a race that became a referendum on George Bush, with his opponent, Bill Foster, getting an assist from a bitter Republican Primary opponent, Senator Chris Lauzen and a bigger assist from the so called conservative Republican Chicago Tribune [See here], Oberweis is ready for Round two. Bill Pascoe, the main honcho running the Oberweis campaign told this reporter last night when Pascoe was asked if Oberweis might withdraw from the race: Oberweis intends to run and win. He is in it to win it. Life can always change, but it doesn’t sound like Jim Oberweis is going to “cut and run.” No Jack Ryan is he. Jack always wondered if he had the right mettle for politics. That's not a concern for Oberweis. Further, why should Oberweis quit the race? Oberweis won the right to run twice this year in the 14th CD. [Indeed, John Laesch, one of Foster's primary opponents, has called for a discovery recount, as he disputes whether Foster has the right to run in November, 2008.] In his first 14th CD general election, Jim Oberweis lost by six points. Now, Team Oberweis will no doubt assess the results, figure out why they lost and set about trying to correct the deficiencies. If Foster had lost, he would do the same. The fact that Foster has not run for the Senate and Governor before and that Oberweis has run for those positions and lost really has little to do with the decision to run in November. Does Zorn know whether Lauzen’s bitterness was a factor in Oberweis’ loss? Does Zorn know whether that can be modified or overcome? Does Zorn know whether the Tribune’s endorsement of Foster and subsequent bashing of Oberweis was a factor? Can the Tribune be persuaded to change its position? Will Foster’s voting record be as positive for Foster as Zorn suggests? Or, will it be as problematic for Foster as Dold suggested in the Tribune endorsement session? [See here]. When Foster tries, again, to tie Oberweis to Bush, will Oberweis respond by tying himself to McCain? Can he do it? Will that work with independents? We don’t know any of those answers. Not yet. That’s why we play the game, as Democratic Party strategist and direct mail and message guru Pete Giangreco reminds us, from time to time. Zorn says, implicitly, one doesn’t have to play the game. Just follow Zorn's instincts and predictions. Would Tom Cross, as Zorn suggests, be a good choice for the 14th CD Republicans? His economic conservative credentials? Talk to media pundit Dan Proft who has labeled Tom Cross Speaker Mike Madigan’s whip. His conservative national security credentials? No real evidence of that. His cultural conservative credentials? Not a chance. Indeed, the one thing that the Lauzen and Oberweis supporters would most likely agree on would be that Tom Cross should not represent the 14th CD. So, go ahead, Eric. Get the Republican bigwigs to pay a visit to Oberweis. Trundle out the heavy artillery. All the oldies but goodies: Edgar, Topinka and Kjellander. Maybe KJ has some of his $809, 000 Illinois Combine fee left to offer Jim to get out. When the oldies don’t work, trot out McKenna, Watson and Cross and they can document how each has improved shareholder value for the State GOP in the last three, four or five years, as the case may be. When they fail to make that case, then Zorn can argue on behalf of Cross how he would energize the 14th CD. When that fails, trot out Pat Widder and Bruce Dold from the Tribune editorial page and they can argue how they are thrilled that Foster won because his ads were so responsible, truthful and fair; his readiness to debate Oberweis was so impressive and his transparency and responsibility were so overwhelming—unlike that bad guy, Jim Oberweis, the embodiment of evil who continues to have the audacity to run for office without the approval of the Chicago Tribune. Last, Eric, get the Tribune to offer its 14th CD endorsement session on DVD. Most likely, Team Oberweis would buy them, distribute them to each 14th CD resident and let each voter make his own decision regarding Oberweis, Foster. and the Tribune endorsement. Now, that would be transparency. Go ahead, Eric, make my day.)

BEACON NEWS
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Michael Kenyon, Bill Pascoe, a "Republican leader," and Denny Wiggins comment on the Oberweis loss
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/835763,2_1_AU11_14THDIST_S1.article
(THE ARTICLE: Republicans ponder THEIR lost election Foster put on fast track even without official election results Foster put on fast track even without official election results - Andre Salles Saturday's special election has left area Republicans stunned, and some of them are directing their ire at Jim Oberweis and his campaign. Democrat Bill Foster defeated Oberweis by roughly 5,000 votes Saturday to become the new congressman in the 14th District. That seat has only been held by a Democrat once, immediately after Watergate, and has been in the hands of retired Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert for the past 21 years. Bill Foster was elected to Congress on Saturday, but he's not yet Rep. Bill Foster. However, campaign staffers expect he'll be sworn in very soon. The clerk of the U.S. House will set the date for Foster's swearing in, but not before that office gets a vote total from the State Board of Elections, according to Adam Holmes, manager of operations. The State Board needs to collect unofficial results from the nine jurisdictions in the 14th District -- eight counties and the city of Aurora -- before compiling unofficial results for the House clerk. But sources close to the Foster campaign said Monday that those results have been forwarded, and Foster could be sworn in as early as today. Holmes said Monday that unofficial results should be enough to schedule Foster's swearing in. Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham had been leading the charge before the State Board to accept those unofficial results, and had been working to gather them from the various election authorities quickly. Official results likely will not be available until next month, however. Local jurisdictions have until April 5 to finish their canvasses, and the State Board has a deadline of April 12 to certify official results. Those dates were set by a federal judge after local election authorities filed suit to set a special election schedule. Until Foster is sworn in, the 14th District will be without representation in the House. The office of the former congressman, Denny Hastert, closed on Saturday. The 14th District has long been considered a Republican stronghold. So how did Foster, a scientist and businessman from Geneva, muster enough votes to win? His campaign staffers believe that voters are hungry for change, and an endorsement by Illinois' own political rock star, Sen. Barack Obama, certainly didn't hurt the cause. But prominent area Republicans think the difference might have had more to do with Republicans not turning up at the polls -- or voting for Foster, if they did come out to vote. That, combined with low turnout overall (roughly 20 percent of registered voters cast ballots) turned the tide for Foster, some are saying. Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe said Monday that it is too early to accurately assess how the election slipped away. He said he would need to see numbers telling him who voted, and where. "One of two things is true," Pascoe said. "Either we had a problem with our message, or a problem with organization." Kane County GOP Chairman Michael Kenyon said a Saturday election might have kept people away, but he also was critical of the campaigns both candidates ran. He suggested that there was too much negative campaigning on both sides, and too many automated calls to people's homes. "I got called by Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Foster, Denny Hastert, the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee), and Jim Oberweis himself," Kenyon said. "I told them all I voted the first day of early voting." But Kenyon added that the intensely negative primary election between Oberweis and State Sen. Chris Lauzen might have convinced some Republicans to stay home. After being defeated, Lauzen declined to endorse Oberweis, holding out for an apology for what he saw as an unfair attempt to damage his reputation. Kenyon said that might have made a difference, but chastised Lauzen for his decision. And political blogs this weekend filled up with comments criticizing Lauzen for not uniting the party when he had the chance. "That was a bad choice on Lauzen's part," Kenyon said. "People never forget." Lauzen could not be reached for comment Monday, but his former campaign staffer (and former Kane GOP chairman) Denny Wiggins said that the negative campaigning of the primary election was certainly a factor in Saturday's result. "People were pretty turned off," Wiggins said. "Lauzen supporters were disappointed, and either didn't vote, or voted the wrong way." There are other Republicans, however, who blame Oberweis for the loss, citing his previous attempts at public office -- he ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2002 and 2004, and for governor in 2006. Some have called him an unlikable candidate, and one high-ranking Republican operative went so far as to suggest Oberweis step aside. "Jim Oberweis needs to either get out of the race or come up with a new strategy and a new direction if he has any hope of running in November," said the Republican leader, who asked not to be identified. Some have speculated that the Republican Party could ask Oberweis to step down as the nominee in November, although that would be up to Oberweis. Pascoe said that no such conversations have happened to his knowledge. "Jim is looking forward to winning in November," he said. Wiggins opined that Oberweis "won't step aside, and it doesn't matter what the party or anyone else says." But he is concerned about the Obama factor -- if Obama is the Democratic nominee for president, that makes an uphill climb even harder for Illinois Republicans. Additionally, the Democrats now hold the edge in the 14th District, since their candidate will be the one in office come November. "Foster's the incumbent now," Wiggins said. "That makes it tougher.")

DAILY HERALD
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH COLOR OBERWEIS PHOTO: Steve Brown, Dan Cronin, Dallas Ingemunson, Mark Kirk, Bill Pascoe, Peter Roskam, Denny Wiggins, and the anti-conservative Daily Herald and Democrat National Committee comment on the Oberweis loss
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=151059
(THE ARTICLE: Second thoughts after loss in Dist. 14 - Leslie Hague and John Patterson The news went from bad to worse for Jim Oberweis Saturday night. Yes, he'd lost the special election for the 14th Congressional District seat. But defeats -- even slim ones -- in his county, Kane; in his supporter Denny Hastert's county, Kendall; and the traditionally Republican DuPage were immediate fodder for Democrats predicting a growing blue coup. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called the 5-percentage-point win by Bill Foster "a stunning rejection of the Bush administration, its Republican allies and presidential nominee John McCain." Steve Brown, spokesman for Michael Madigan, state Democratic Party chairman, said the vote was "a reaffirmation of what's been going on here for several years." Republicans downplayed Foster's win, attributing it to poor voter turnout or an uninspiring candidate. "I think it would be an overstatement to say this means Democrats can be dancing in the streets," said DuPage County Republican Party Chairman Dan Cronin. He said he hoped to see more Republican voters motivated to get to the polls in November. "I think there may have been people who took this for granted," he said. Two people who likely aren't taking their November re-election bids for granted are GOP congressmen Mark Kirk of Highland Park and Peter Roskam of Wheaton. Both narrowly beat their respective Democratic rivals in 2006. Kirk again faces Dan Seals in the 10th District in November; Roskam takes on his second Iraq War veteran -- this time Jill Morgenthaler -- in the 6th. "Every situation is going to be competitive," Roskam said. "There's no question that my race is going to be competitive. Mark Kirk's race is going to be competitive. (Eighth District Rep.) Melissa Bean's race is going to be competitive. The idea of having a competitive general election isn't a surprise to anyone." Kirk also cited the relatively small turnout in the Oberweis-Foster race, noting he expected three times the turnout in his race in November. "People in my district are much more interested in what's happening in their district and the nation than happenings in Aurora, Illinois," Kirk said. Because of the rarity of the special election, the Oberweis campaign gets the chance to regroup for another shot, for a full 2-year term, in November. "Obviously, we need to do something differently," said Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe. "We're going through that analysis right now." That includes looking into how many Republican voters got out to vote on Saturday, he said. The Oberweis campaign's polls had the two candidates in a "dead heat" going into Saturday, he said, underscoring the argument that getting voters to the polls might have been an issue for Republicans. Former Kendall GOP Chairman Dallas Ingemunson said low voter turnout -- 22 percent of registered voters overall -- hurt Republicans. "There seemed to be a lot of voter apathy on our part," he said. He also wondered if an aggressive campaign, particularly multiple robo-calls from Oberweis' campaign in the days before the election, turned voters off. "Jim made a mistake with all those," he said. Others wondered if people were motivated to vote against Oberweis or stay home after a particularly negative battle against both primary opponent Chris Lauzen and Foster. Former Kane County Republican Chairman Denny Wiggins, who worked on Lauzen's campaign, said voters put too much emphasis on personality. "I believe that people are looking at the person, instead of what the person stands for," he said. Wiggins said at least some Lauzen supporters didn't vote on Saturday, just a month after the special primary election. He said he thinks that by the November election, those wounds will have healed. "It's better to have a Republican in that seat than a Democrat," he said.)
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The anti-conservative Daily Herald editorializes on the Oberweis loss
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=150963&src=
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The anti-conservative Burt Constable comments on the Oberweis loss
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=150938
-- Kirk wants to resurrect mortgage aid program - Eric Peterson
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=151014&src=1
-- 2,175 DuPage County election judges waiting on primary paychecks - Jake Griffin
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=150994&src=2
-- VERY SAD: DEMOCRATS AND RINOS OVERJOYED: Wheaton eyes sales tax hike - James Fuller
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=151106&src=2

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
-- SNEED: Sneed hears GOP presidential hopeful John McCain, who expects to raise $700,000 at his fund-raiser Friday night at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, has been quietly meeting with former White House strategist Karl Rove . . . and meeting with Dubya's former White House Communication's Director Dan Bartlett. Translation: President Bush has been getting his crew on board the McCain express.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/835455,CST-NWS-SNEED11.article

POLITICO
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Josh Kraushaar comments on the Oberweis loss
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/8951.html

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Chuck Sweeny comments on the Oberweis loss
http://www.rrstar.com/elections/opinions/x1993296965

HUMAN EVENTS
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Dan Proft comments on the Oberweis loss
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25412
(THE COMMENTARY: Oberweis Defeat a Victory for Change? - Dan Proft Democrat Bill Foster’s victory over Republican Jim Oberweis in Saturday’s special election in Illinois is evidence of the clamor for change in the countryside? Perhaps. Are exurban Chicagoans disgusted with Washington? Yes, they are. But there were some uniquely local factors that were more decisive. This was Oberweis’ fourth run for high office since 2002. Over the past six years, he has turned in more stale, lackluster, straight-to-video performances than Matthew McConaughey. The dairy magnate’s gaffe-filled campaigns have demonstrated one thing clearly: he has exponentially more personal wealth than good sense. He burst onto the scene in 2002 running for the U.S. Senate by comparing pro-lifers to the Taliban. Oberweis was endorsed by then House Speaker Dennis Hastert in that campaign, as he was in the congressional race just concluded. He lost the primary. In 2004, he ran for U.S. Senate again and egregiously overplayed the anti-illegal immigration sentiment, even among GOP primary voters, with a now infamous ad that would have made 18th century Know Nothings blush. He was also fined by the FEC coming out of that cycle for a thinly veiled attempt to run television ads paid for by his dairy to benefit his campaign. He lost the primary. In 2006, he ran for Governor and was in the ethical soup once again for using fake newspaper headlines attributed to real newspapers in his television ads. He also got whacked during that cycle for allegedly and hypocritically hiring illegal aliens to clean some of his dairy stores, a charge that re-appeared in the election concluded on Saturday. He lost the primary. Subsequently, he ran ill-fated, intraparty campaigns for both state party chairman and county chairman in his home county. He withdrew from both contests when it was clear he could not win. In the 2008 race to succeed Hastert, Oberweis ran a bitter primary against 14-year incumbent State Senator Chris Lauzen. He won the primary but engendered lingering vitriol from Lauzen and his supporters. Lauzen refused to endorse Oberweis—admittedly this reflects poorly on Lauzen as well. As such, some conservatives inclined to be less than enthusiastic about Oberweis to begin with became outright hostile. This translated, at least in part, to the underwhelming GOP turnout on Saturday. Additionally, Oberweis mucked it up again in the waning days of this latest campaign by taking a quote from Foster grossly out of context in a television ad he ran. Oberweis was properly excoriated by the Chicago Tribune among others who have seen his act before. So consider this candidate Oberweis in a state in which every constitutional officer is a Democrat, the two legislative leaders are Democrats, and the two U.S. Senators are Democrats. And consider this candidate Oberweis in a district, admittedly GOP leaning, that the third most powerful man in the world, Speaker Hastert, a 20-year incumbent, won only 60-40 two years ago against a no-name Democrat with 1/17th of the funds Hastert had at his disposal (and thus could not afford retail media buys). In spite of the Obama ads and the dominant dogma of change, this congressional race between the blunder-prone Oberweis and the excruciatingly humorless (wait until he gets to Washington, you’ll see what I mean) Bill Foster was a decidedly local matter. Senator Dick Durbin did his best to nationalize the race and cleverly divert voters’ attention away from this inconvenient reality saying of the Foster victory, "It tells me that voters are ready for a change. They want new leadership in Washington.” And, of course, who knows more about change than the number two man in the U.S. Senate, a 25-year congressional incumbent? Since Durbin is up for re-election in November perhaps change should include his departure. While Beltway insiders may spin Foster’s victory as one for the change insurgents, it is in fact most clearly a win for the Democrat establishment that has had increasing command control of Illinois over the past decade. Regardless of what ultimately happens in November, the Oberweis loss then is much less a harbinger of the future for the nation than it is an indicator of the present in Illinois.)

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Michael Barone comments on the Oberweis lost
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2008/3/10/illinois-election-very-bad-news-for-gop.html

WASHINGTON TIMES
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The Washington Times comments on the Oberweis loss
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080311/EDITORIAL/91242179/1013

WALL STREET JOURNAL
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The Wall Street Journal, an organization that promotes amnesty, that promotes more guest worker programs, that promotes more mass immigration, that promotes lowering the "cost of labor," and that demonizes Americans as being "Internet screechers," comments on the Oberweis lost
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120519518964925781.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: John Fund comments on the Oberweis lost
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120511425577623511.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: John Fund comments on the Oberweis lost
www.wsj.com
(THE COMMENTARY: The stunning loss of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's Illinois seat in a special election has Republicans wondering what went wrong. Certainly, national trends and the prickly nature of defeated GOP nominee Jim Oberweis played a role. But Illinois Republicans, who have not won a major statewide race in a decade, should look in the mirror. Support for Republican candidates in the "collar" counties around Chicago has been declining for a generation. Not helping has been a rash of Republicans caught up in the corruption that seems to be endemic to Illinois politics. Certainly, Democrats bear the bulk of the blame for the state's "corruption tax" (estimated by some at $1 billion in padded contracts and ghost employees). But Republicans lost a great deal of credibility when George Ryan, the last GOP governor, went to prison for accepting bribes. Several GOP figures are also participants in the Rezko scandal, in which Barack Obama's top fundraiser is currently standing trial over a political shakedown scheme. No wonder, as one conservative activist put it, "the hapless and hopeless GOP cannot get traction." Republicans haven't given up on taking the Hastert seat back this fall, given the district's conservative leaning (President Bush won 55% of its votes in 2004). But the campaign of Mr. Oberweis, who will again carry the GOP banner in November against now-incumbent Democrat Bill Foster, will have to be retooled. Mr. Oberweis needlessly created enemies with the slashing campaign he waged to win the GOP nomination for the special election, earning a condemnation from the Chicago Tribune for a campaign style the paper called "consistently nasty, smug, condescending and dishonest." Look for Mr. Oberweis to get a makeover as former Speaker Hastert urges him to become more soft-spoken with voters and less confrontational with his fellow Republicans. Even so, Republicans will have an uphill fight taking back the seat this fall, especially if Illinois native Barack Obama is heading the Democratic presidential ticket.)

NATIONAL REVIEW
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: David Freddoso and Doug Ibendahl comment on the Oberweis loss
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NjU2NjRkYjg1ZmVjZDM0NTRkNWMzZTJlYjRiOGIzZmQ

SUN HERALD
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Richard Viguerie comments on the Oberweis loss
http://www.sunherald.com/447/story/423362.html

CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Roy Bunt and Karen Hanretty comment on the Oberweis loss
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002684593

DEMOCRAT NATIONAL COMMITTEE
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The anti-conservative Democrat National Committee comments on the Oberweis loss
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-10-2008/0004771088&EDATE=

TOM ROESER
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Tom Roeser comments on the Oberweis loss
http://www.tomroeser.com/blogs/blogview.asp?blogID=24473

NAPERVILLE SUN
-- DuPage County Election Commission draws criticism for public relations strategist Illinois Ballot Integrity Project calls Dan Curry a 'right-wing operative' - Paige Winfield
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/835368,6_1_NA11_CURRY_S1.article

DAILY SOUTHTOWN
-- Governor screws up, state pays - Rich Miller
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/miller/834530,031008miller.article

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
-- Sauerberg sweetens health pot with rebate idea - Kartikay Mehrotra
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/03/11/news/doc47d6120db58e7185601816.txt

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
-- Sauerberg speaks out on health-care system - AP
http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/26707.asp

JOLIET HERALD NEWS
-- Washington Democrats looking into Will County Republicans - Stewart Warren
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/835042,JO10_GOPFOIA_WEB.article

DAILY JOURNAL
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Daily Journal promotes: "In the event of a vacancy, we think the nomination should go to the next person on the ballot who was the second-leading vote-getter."
http://www.daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=415980

CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: 43% of white evangelical Christians in Ohio voted Democratic in primary - Because the Democrat Party platform is vehemently anti-Christian, if you vote for a Democrat, you are shouting to the world that you really are not a Christian
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1205224373165420.xml&coll=2