Pregame Show

1. While there have been a lot of strange election-related happenings going on in the last week, this one sticks out:

Peter Garza, the Republican candidate for Cook County sheriff, picked up an endorsement Sunday from a Democratic stalwart, the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

In a statement, Jackson pointed to Garza's accomplishments as an investigator in the state's attorney's office, including investigations that led to arrests of a child sex offender and three people for environmental crimes.

Garza, 47, will face Democrat Tom Dart, Sheriff Michael Sheahan's chief of staff, Tuesday. Sheahan, who is retiring, endorses Dart, 44.

In full disclosure, Tom Dart is a friend and former colleague. That aside, I also think that he will be a tremendous Sheriff. And while I'm sure that there is a back story here, I'm not sure what it is, or why the Reverend would want to do this just two days before the election. What a business.

2. As an informal observation, if you want to get a sense of what is happening in the County Board President race tomorrow, you might be well-served to keep an eye on some of the west side wards. There has often been tension between south side and west side African-American leaders, and it will be 'interesting' to see what Stroger's performance looks like on the west side tomorrow. If for, whatever reason, he does not rack up south side-esque numbers on the west side, he may be in for a long night.

3. We will handily pick up the one state Constitutional office that we do not presently occupy.

4. Bean, Duckworth, Seals - we get 2 out of 3.

5. You have to hand it to the Tribune, when they want to make a strong editorial statement, they don't mess around.

6. Judging from the weather predictions around the state, I don't see the weather being much of a factor tomorrow. It's going to be about as warm of a day as we get for General Elections, and other than some rain in Southern Illinois (which likely hurts Topinka), I'm seeing no Tom Skilling impact tomorrow.

7. To the extent that they have been paying any attention to it, this has been a mentally draining election cycle for the general public. Even as a public official, my mind is numb from the shear volume and vapid content of political ads. Most of these ads make the Geico lizard and Man Law commercials seem like PBS content by comparison. (You have to love those Man Law ads by the way)

8. In all sincerity, and even though he never responded to my letter, my baseball cap gets tipped to my opponent for running a credible campaign.

To read, or post, comments, visit Open House

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GOP Push for Scheurer

I finally got my hands on two mailings made by the Illinois Republican Party that must be the ones driving the Melissa Bean supporters nuts.

I have no idea which one came first, but I thought you might find them of interest.

Oh, yes, before I start, let me tell you that Bill Clinton has been calling Democrats in the 8th congressional district urging them to vote for Bean. President George Bush is calling those who have voted in Republican primaries urging a David McSweeney vote. Not being in the 8th district, I only got a call from Laura Bush asking me to vote for Judy Baar Topinka.

The first 8th district mailing has a picture of Congresswoman Bean waving. These words are written in a circle:

DON’T KEEP GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES

At the bottom right above the address section is

If you believe in ANYTHING…she’s not the candidate for you.

The other side of the large post card has a traffic sign at the bottom pointing both ways.

On the left is an attractive is a photograph of Bill Scheurer. Here’s the text:

HEAD LEFT…

Bill Scheurer
If you want to pull out of Iraq…he’s your man.

Bill Scheurer wants to end the War in Iraq immediately…

Scheurer wants to pull out our troops as soon as possible…And he wants to “restore Constitutional liberties.”

The positions are footnoted from his web site, as of 9/13/06, but the end quote mark is missing.

On the right is a photo of David McSweeney at a desk. Here are the words underneath:

BE RIGHT

David McSweeney…Let’s finish the mission and bring our troops home safely.

David McSweeney believes that we should support our troops 100%…And provide the best equipment availability for our military.

McSweeney wants to help the Iraqi government stabilize
and take control.

At the bottom under the sign pointing left and right, it says,

E LE C T David McSweeney as Our Congressman.

The second piece is more complex.

The first three panels are about aviation safety.

"Plane. Wrong."

That's what the first page says. A jet is between the two words, which are positioned above its wings.

The same photo of Bean waving is used on the second page. It is obviously doctored to make her look fuzzy.

"If you believe in ANYTHING...she's not the candidate for you," is the headline on the second page.

Page 3 talks abouit how "Bean voted to cut funding for aviation security."

Opening up the second panel (third page) and a smiling Bill Scheurer is looking at you with the headline:

Bill Scheurer…
If you want to withdraw from Iraq immediately…he’s your man.

Immediately below is a repeat of the message above:

Bill Scheurer wants to end the War in Iraq immediately…Scheurer wants to pull out our troops as soon as possible…And he wants to “restore Constitutional liberties.”

McSweeney appears below, also with the same message:

BE RIGHT

David McSweeney…Let’s finish the mission and bring our troops home safely.

David McSweeney believes that we should support our troops 100%…And provide the best equipment availability for our military.

McSweeney wants to help the Iraqi government stabilize
and take control.

And, you can catch up on what Scheurer is doing today, plus what Democrats are doing to win county board seats at McHenry County Blog.

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It's official: Topinka deserves to lose

If there was one lingering doubt about whether I was wrong to support Rich Whitney instead of Judy Baar Topinka for governor, all questions were answered by what I heard her say tonight at an appearance in Bloomington/Normal Springfield, namely that Rob Blagojevich has perhaps spent more time at Wrigley Field than at the State Capitol:

"Maybe he ought to run for manager of the Cubs. They're a bunch of losers too and they need the help."

And she was booed. At her own rally.

How absolutely symbolic of her clueless campaign. I mean, exactly how many votes did she think she'd pick up by saying that?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I fully expect to read tomorrow that she also made a crack about the Bears losing to the Miami Dolphins, then topped it all off with a few dead baby jokes.

Cross posted to Peoria Pundit.

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It's all Rovian

Gerard Baker writing in The Austrialian.

There is compelling evidence now that John Kerry is a kind of Manchurian Candidate of Democratic politics.

It seems entirely possible that at some point in his career he was seized by a youthful Karl Rove, brainwashed and programmed to kill off, at crucial moments in American history, the Democratic Party's political prospects.

[***]

The party's leaders, such as Nancy Pelosi, who will become Speaker of the house, is among the most left-wing of house Democrats. On economics, the party has abandoned Clintonian pragmatism for naked populism.

The glimpse of Democratic leadership afforded by Kerry's intervention probably came too late to deprive the party of a majority in at least one and possibly both houses of Congress next week. But as Democrats prepare the celebrations, most know their problems are just beginning

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Beachwood Election Guide To Throwing The Bums Out And Smashing The Machine

Dear Beachwood:

I'm completely stumped on a few races.

I really want to send the Republicans in Congress a message, but it looks like all of the local races involve sending the Democrats a message. I'm torn. Voting Republican actually makes my skin crawl, although I've done it a few times in the past in extraordinary cases.

I've met Judy Baar Topinka a dozen times, but I just can't get myself to vote for her. I won't vote for Blago (didn't last time either . . . I abstained, although I do like Pat Quinn. Should I vote for indictment? I'm leaning Green Party here, even though I know he can't win.

As for Cook County Board . . . I can't and won't vote for Stroger . . . but a Republican? Is there a third choice? I'm leaning toward abstaining.

My congressman is Mark Kirk, who is a decent man (I've met him many times), but he voted for the Iraq War. I'm voting for Seals.

I can see why so many people don't bother voting . . . and it's not because we're uneducated about politics. It's because the more we learn, the less we want to vote.

Aaargh. Help us.

- Stumped and Torn

Dear Stumped and Torn:

Help is here.

Indeed, the elections this year are all about sending messages . . . or more like, sending the same message but to members of both parties: We've had enough. Don't shy away from voting against candidates with glee this year, instead of voting for candidates. Consider it a first step toward reclaiming our democracy.

Governor: Rich Whitney. If the frickin' Rockford Register Star had the guts to endorse the man, why can't you? He's polled as high as 15 percent in recent days despite operating in a virtual media blackout. He's right on the issues and every indication is that he's honest. Nobody owns him. And you know what? There's no reason to think he'd be anything but a fine governor - unlike his two opponents. Sure, the General Assembly would stiff him at every turn. What else is new? That's just one more reason why you should vote against tyrannical House Speaker Michael Madigan if you live in his district. Vote for the stooge he put up as his "competition." It's time to say you've had enough. Go Green.

Lt. Gov: You don't get to vote separately for this office, but it is worth keeping in mind that Judy Baar Topinka's running mate comes out of the infamous DuPage County criminal injustice machine. Pat Quinn becomes governor if/when Rod Blagojevich gets indicted/convicted. Whitney's running mate, Julie Samuels, is, as far as we know, the least compromised.

Secretary of State: Vote Rutherford (Republican) or Karen Young (Green). Jesse White might be popular, and he might employ a troupe of tumblers as the greatest name-recognition gimmick the state has seen, but he's still a Machine Hack who sees nothing wrong with tripling his daughter's salary, among a series of hiring scandals that have marked his tenure.

Attorney General: Lisa Madigan might be Michael Madigan's daughter, and the way she rode her father's strong-arm tactics into the office is indefensible, but she's done a relatively decent and honest job and might even make a fine governor or U.S. senator one day - if she would only tell her dad to cool it. My suggestion: Skip this race. Madigan will win in a walk. You will be on record as having voted neither for nor against her. So you kind of send her a message, but you don't turn her out of office.

Treasurer: Vote Radogno or Schlorff. Radogno appears to be a relatively solid, respected legislator. I don't know that this office is particularly sensitive to political ideology. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias supposedly has a batch of new ideas for the job, but how many new ideas are we looking for in a state treasurer? Barack Obama endorsed Giannoulias because Giannoulias gave him a ton of money, which tells you something about Obama. Giannoulias appears to be an arrogant, careless, overly amibitious, rich 30-year-old who has never seemed to adequately address the questionable loans given out by his bank.

Comptroller: Dan Hynes is in much the same spot as Lisa Madigan; both ascended to state office in large part due to their political families, but both have performed admirably in office. Like Madigan, Hynes is a potential future governor (and unlike Madigan, already a failed U.S. senate candidate). Hynes has been candid about the state's finances - in particular contrast to the sitting governor. I see no reason not to vote for him.

Cook County Board President: If Tony Peraica becomes the accidental county board president by virtue of the Democratic Machine's shenanigans, then so be it. The Machine must be destroyed; it is immune to reform. Don't be fooled: There is nothing to fear from a President Peraica. Not voting in this race is not an option (unless you don't live in Cook County, though maybe even then). Todd Stroger and his puppetmasters (Richard M. Daley, Barack Obama, Dick Durbin, Bill Beavers) must be stopped. A Todd Stroger victory would be the ultimate insult. Don't let it happen. Please. I beg you.

Sixth Congressional District: I don't live in this district, but if I did I would consider not voting. I can't stand Tammy Duckworth - she is a Dick Durbin/Rahm Emanuel creation who has nothing unique to say about Iraq despite her service there. If she hadn't lost her legs, she wouldn't be a candidate. If she had lost her legs and had something worthwhile to say about the war, like, say, Ron Kovic, she'd be a fine candidate. But that's not the case. Christine Cegelis got screwed. Meanwhile, Peter Roskam doesn't deserve the job if only because of the poor judgement shown in using a photo of himself in a Speedo in one of his television ads. What is he thinking? If you're a Dem, write in Cegelis. If you're a Repub, write in yourself. If you're independent, write in Stufflebeam, even though he doesn't live in the district. Neither does Duckworth.

Eighth Congressional District: I don't live in this district either (I live in the Fourth), but I can't stand Melissa Bean or David McSweeney. Vote your party and go home and throw up.

Other House Races By District:

* First: Bobby Rush is in bed with the telecoms. Send him a message.
* Second: Jesse Jackson Jr. is the smartest of the bunch. Send Daley a message.
* Third: Dan Lipinski is quite possibly even more disgusting than Todd Stroger. You know what to do.
* Fourth: I have mixed feelings about Luis Gutierrez, but he's been on fire this year on immigration and City Hall corruption. See Jackson.
* Fifth: My impression is that Rahm Emanuel is one of the most cynical, power-hungry politicians on the planet.
* Seventh: Danny Davis seems like a decent - if sometimes misguided - sort. Don't vote.
* Ninth: I don't have a fix on Jan Schakowsky, but I doubt she deserves your vote.
* Tenth: Mark Kirk is a smart guy who would have a brighter future as a national leader if moderate Republicans were more in vogue. I haven't followed Dan Seals's campaign, but up to now he hasn't gotten much support from Emanuel, who has the keys to the party's cash, so that's in Seals's favor. Vote your party. Or your conscience. Either way.
* Eleventh: Jerry Weller is a walking, talking, sitting conflict-of-interest. You know what to do.
* Twelfth: I have no idea who incumbent Jerry Costello is.
* Thirteenth: Judy Biggert is a captive of corporate interests, as far as I can tell. Doesn't Corporate America own enough public officials?
* Fourteenth: House Speaker Dennis Hastert is a greedy dick who thinks anyone who is against tyranny at home is soft on terrorism. Or at least pretends to think that. He has gotten a free ride long enough. Send him home.
* Fifteenth: I have no idea who incumbent Timothy Johnson is.
* Sixteenth and Seventeenth: You know, I just don't care. Really.
* Eighteenth: Ray LaHood is Hastert's mouthpiece - and not a very good one. Send him a message.
* Nineteenth: John Shimkus was in charge of the congressional page program. If anyone should pay, it's him.

Cook County Board of Review: Brendan Houlihan.

Judges: Judges, people. Find out who to vote against.

These views represent me and me only; I will not foist upon you the illusion that an editorial board has come to these conclusions after considered reasoning and study, as the daily papers try to do, instead of telling you that in the end the publisher comes into the room and rips up all the work that has gone before him in order to satisfy personal and business agendas which readers are never let in on, making endorsements one of the most fundamentally dishonest things newspapers do.

Cross-posted at The Beachwood Reporter.

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Rich Whitney and Daniel DeLeon

I belonged the Socialist Pary of Frank Zeidler back in College in the 1970s. I left, or sort of fell out of it, when I graduated in 1976.

Rich Whitney belonged to he much older -but still existing- Socialist Labor Party founded by Daniel DeLeon back in 1877 . The Socialist Party and IWW eclipsed the SLP in the first decade of the 20th century.

Yet it lingered on. It was a fixture on the new left in the 60s and 70s when elderly members and younger converts like Whitney would show up with copies of The People. The SLP's current National Secretary, Robert Bills, writes to Illinois Times of Whitney's eighteen year history with the SLP.

PARTY OUT OF BOUNDS
There are two types of lies: lies of commission and lies of omission. Green Party gubernatorial candidate Richard Whitney told little green lies of both types when Terry Martin of the Illinois Channel asked him two direct questions during a recently televised interview: “What is your history? What party have you identified with over your adult life?”

To these questions Whitney replied: “I’ve always been independent-minded. I’ve never been a member of the Democratic or Republican parties. . . . I actually have been a Green for over 10 years now, because I helped found . . . our local in 1996 . . . . I’ve been always very much involved in third-party kind of politics in trying to get us out of this stranglehold of the two party system.” (Watch the video at http://www.whitneyforgov.org)

Fact is that the 51-year-old candidate and 10-year veteran of the Green Party belonged to the Socialist Labor Party for 18 years, from 1975 until 1993. There’s nothing wrong with being a Socialist, at least I don’t think so. There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind about being a Socialist. However, there is something wrong about a candidate asking for your trust while concealing the truth when asked: “What is your history? What party have you identified with over your adult life?”

Green and yellow really do go together.

Robert Bills
National secretary
Socialist Labor Party of America

I've changed my mind on Socialism but I'm proud to have known Frank Zeidler and grateful for the brief time I spent with the SP. So I'm not Yellow about having been Red.

In fact, Bush's ownership society ideas seem awfully close to the pension fund socialism comrades like Whitney and I argued about back in the 1970s. So maybe I'm still one.

PS Let me add a link to the Illinois Channel where you can find the interview with Whitney.

I'd be awfully curious to know Julie Samual's political past too.

xp Bill Baar's West Side

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"Jesus Saves. TASERS Kill."

When I first heard of the police of Jerseyville having killed a disturbed teen named Roger Holyfield with a TASER stun gun earlier this week, my thoughts went to the McHenry death of a man after local police used a "non-lethal" method to subdue him.

Saturday, the Chicago Tribune ran a front page story on the “5 foot-7, 130-pound” youth whose main office seems to have been carrying a Bible and a cell phone, screaming, “I want Jesus,” and not following police instructions after a person called the Jerseyville, Illinois, police. State Police soon arrived.

The teen was handcuffed and shocked twice with the TASER.

Holyfield was scheduled to be baptized the next day.

The Tribune writes “one of his friends at the funeral wrote in orange on a black Dodge truck,”

Jesus saves.
Tasers kill.

The original story in the Belleville News-Democrat said,

Police officers responded around 8:56 p.m. Saturday to the 600 block of South State Street to find a man holding a Bible and a cordless phone yelling, "I want Jesus!" The subject was later identified as Holyfield.

Officers attempted to speak to Holyfield, but he became combative toward officers and would not respond to verbal commands, police said.

Holyfield was warned several times to stop being combative or risk being Tasered, police said. Even after the device was initially used, Holyfield continued to be combative and rolled around, dislodging the Taser probes. Holyfield continued to resist officers and the Taser was deployed a second time. Holyfield then physically pulled the probes out, police said.

The Belleville paper cites an Associated Press story that says

Tasers have been either cited as a contributing factor or the cause of death in more than 180 people since 1986.

You can find out what the Democrats are doing locally on McHenry County Blog.

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Thinking of Going Green on Tuesday? Think Again

An Open Letter To Fellow Illinois Environmentalists

We will have three choices for Governor when we go into the voting booth on Tuesday. We all know, however, that when all is said and done Tuesday night, either Rod Blagojevich or Judy Barr Topinka will have been elected Governor of Illinois for the next four years.

I agree with much of the platform of the Illinois Green Party, and as a fellow environmentalist, I’m sure you do too. I also believe that our best hope for enacting these policies and programs is to vote for Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday.

As environmentalists, we have to ask ourselves, who would we rather have leading our state, as we face continuing assaults on our environmental laws in Washington, and as we face major decisions of our own about energy policy, clean air, clean water, and natural areas protection?

Rod Blagojevich is the first Illinois Governor ever to stand up to the owners of Illinois’ coal plants, some of the heaviest hitters in Illinois politics, and force them to clean up their act. Cleaning up old, dirty coal plants has been at the top of the agenda for the Illinois environmental community for decades, but Blagojevich was the first Governor to act on these concerns. On November 2nd, the Illinois Pollution Control Board approved his proposal to cut 90% of coal plant mercury by 2009 – much deeper and faster cuts than proposed by President Bush. Blagojevich stood up to another powerful lobby, hospital owners, and ordered them to shut down the 11 hospital waste incinerators in the state spewing dioxin, mercury, and other toxins into our air. Eight of them are now closed, and the remaining three are expected to close soon.

Blagojevich is the first Illinois Governor to aggressively promote wind power. His energy plan calls for 10% of our electricity to come from wind by 2015. He has committed to powering the state’s buildings in Springfield entirely by wind energy. His energy plan also includes $100 million to promote “cellulosic” ethanol development, and new programs to conserve energy.

Our rivers and streams are cleaner today than four years ago, thanks to Blagojevich’s requirement that all new wastewater plants include phosphorus controls. Clean water advocates have sought action on nutrient pollution for many years from Illinois EPA, but Blagojevich was the first Governor to act on the clear evidence that nutrient overload is choking many of our state’s waters. Blagojevich continues efforts to reform the Facility Planning Area process to protect high quality streams from poorly planned development. He is moving to address Illinois’ longstanding lack of any program to regulate water withdrawals, to make sure we have enough clean water for drinking and for wildlife.

If it were not for Rod Blagojevich’s vetoes of bills to let dirtbikes and four-wheelers into our state parks, they undoubtedly would be roaring through some of our parks today. When the Bush Administration proposed logging and selling off parts of our Shawnee National Forest, Blagojevich objected, and those threats never materialized. Blagojevich supported efforts to pass the Illinois Wetland Protection Act, and is committed to working to fill the wetland protection gap left by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Finally, Blagojevich is the first Illinois Governor, and first Midwest Governor, to commit to serious action to confront global warming. He has signed a binding commitment to reduce state government’s emissions of greenhouse gases by 6% by 2010, and launched an effort to develop a greenhouse gas regulatory program for the state. The cap and trade program recently adopted by California is being studied closely as a possible model for Illinois.

To be sure, environmentalists have had their differences with the Blagojevich administration. We have opposed new pulverized coal plants that the administration has supported, and we will continue to do so. Blagojevich is not the first Illinois Governor to champion the Illinois coal industry, and he will not be the last. We are encouraged that the Governor’s energy plan does not include any plans for further pulverized coal plants, but instead focuses coal development resources on promoting gasified coal plants, which are far cleaner than pulverized plants, and at least have the potential to capture their carbon emissions. The Green Party platform promotes the same policies.

There is no question that the state’s budget problems have had an impact on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources ability to carry out its mission. It is important to note, however, that these problems began with significant losses during the Ryan administration due to early retirement, and while they did worsen during the beginning of the Blagojevich administration, they have also begun to improve, thanks to increasing appropriations and staffing levels in recent budgets. We are confident that this trend will continue, and that the IDNR will continue to build strength as the state’s fiscal health improves.

Blagojevich is the only Illinois Governor ever endorsed by the Sierra Club. I certainly agree with the majority of the Green Party platform, but it is also clear that of the three candidates in this race, none has come close the record of environmental achievement of Governor Blagojevich.

Historically in Illinois, state government’s goal in protecting the environment has too often been to do the minimum to comply with the law. While bureaucratic cultures do not change overnight, more and more Illinois is asking “What’s the best we can do?” instead of “What’s the least we can do?” This is the beginning of a remarkable change for Illinois, particularly set against the backdrop of what is happening to the environmental protection framework of our federal government.

As Illinois environmentalists, and as citizens of the planet, we need that trend to continue. We need to reward innovation and initiative when it comes to the major energy and environmental policy questions of our time. We cannot afford to revert to an era where we did the minimum Washington asked of us, especially now.

Rod Blagojevich’s environmental accomplishments have earned him the support of this green voter. I urge you to consider the record, be proud of the fact that your state is becoming a national leader on the environment, and reward this initiative with your vote on Tuesday.

Jack Darin

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Cong. Schakowsky's husband Creamer released from prison

Robert B. Creamer, admitted check-kiter and husband of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, was released from federal custody yesterday.

Creamer pleaded guilty to fraud and served five months at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was while he was executive director of the Illinois Public Action Council that Creamer kited the checks. Although she was not implicated in her husband's scheme, Schakowsky was a member of the IPAC board of directors while the financial shenanigans were taking place.

Just as what happened when Creamer surrendered himself to authorities in June, the mainstream media has ignored his release from the hoosegow.

Schakowsky, a liberal Democrat, represents me in Congress. I'll be voting for the Republican candidate, Michael P.
Shannon.

To comment on this post or others, please visit Marathon Pundit.

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Manzullo Makes 6th Mailing

I should have been posting them all, but, suffice is to say, Don Manzullo is using the money he has accumulated over the years to try to retain his 16th congressional district seat.

He is running against Democrat Dick Auman who probably has a better ground game than Manzullo. The congressman is apparently trying to counter with the carpet bombing of mailboxes.

Manzullo still has a sign presence in the district that stretches back to his original victory in 1992. In fact, on a trip to Wisconsin in early October, the only sign I saw was one for Manzullo on Route 14 in Harvard north of the cow.

Democratic Party challenger Dick Auman has enough signs in Crystal Lake to allow me to remember how to spell his name.

The wild card, which must be driving Manzullo nuts, even if I’ve never heard of a write-in candidate winning a congressional race, is retired General John Borling.

He must be preparing to run as independent on the ballot in 2008.

Borling is making lots of noise and putting up lots of signs on rights-of-way in the Rockford area, while making no perceptible impact in McHenry County, which contains, what, a quarter of the district’s vote.

= = = = =
Candidate photos are from their web sites. Road side signs from a trip to Rockford.

Posted with a a lot more localized political stories on McHenry County Blog, the blog that doesn't shut down on weekends. Find out what the Dems are doing locally.

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Bollywood Friday - Fighting Disco Dancer!

Who needs "Fighting Dems" when we could have a Fighting Disco Dancer? Somebody vet this guy for office.


p.s. Bollywood is silliness. This is important.

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Blagojevich-Topinka-Whitney and Bean-Scheurer-McSweeney races show the need for ranked ballots

There are three high-profile three-way races in Illinois. Both of them show what an antiquated election system we still use and the need to modernize our elections to allow for ranked ballots.

In one of the most hotly-contested congressional races in the country, incumbent Melissa Bean (D) is challenged by David McSweeney (R) and Bill Scheurer (M). Scheurer is running on a progressive platform and is thus a threat to the Bean campaign much more than the McSweeney campaign. Bean looks like the likely victor and is running on a DLC Democratic record (embrace most of the Bush tax cut and free trade agenda) with the implied calculation that her affluent northwest suburban district likes economic policies that benefit higher incomes. For voters who don't like the Bush tax cuts or corporate-backed free trade policies or the Iraqi occupation, it's a tough pill to swallow: vote for the guy with the platform you agree with and risk electing the guy you really don't agree with or vote for the woman who is with you about half the time and send the message that it's OK to embrace most of the Bush economic agenda.

[UPDATE: Scheurer is also pro-life, so there's a potential pull from GOP base voters as well. Thanks Skeeter]

Most progressives are sucking it up in order to elect a Democratic majority, but imagine the consternation if McSweeney wins and the margin of victory is half of the Scheurer vote.

This is all because we don't have a runoff election to ensure the winner earns a majority of the vote. And because we don't have a runoff, the majority of voters can split the vote (in this case between Bean and Scheurer) allowing a candidate to get elected that the majority of voters rejected (in this hypothetical, McSweeney). That's dumb. But it happens a lot.

The solution is to have a runoff election, like most municipalities do. A better solution is to hold an instant runoff election.

On Tuesday, Oakland, Minneapolis and Pierce County (WA) will all vote to implement instant runoff voting. I think they will all win. They would join San Francisco, Burlington VT, Ireland and Australia by using instant runoff voting.

Here are the campaign websites (with a particular link to the neat flash demonstrations of IRV on each site if they have one -- they are worth checking out).

Oakland
Minneapolis
Fun flash demonstration on how IRV works called Elect-A-Date
Pierce County, WA
Their flash demonstration

Ranked ballots with instant runoff voting is a little more resonant, perhaps, in the gubernatorial race where both the Blagojevich and Topinka campaigns believe the Green Party's Rich Whitney's campaign is pulling away their voters. Rich Miller is making the point that all eyes for the last four days of the campaign should be on the 10-15% of the electorate that are now (pollsters say) planning to vote for Whitney to see which way they will break as it becomes clear that Whitney won't win.

The trouble is, lots of voters would like to vote for a 6% income tax in exchange for more money for schools and a lower property tax as well as send a message for cleaner government, but do have a preference between Topinka and Blagojevich.

Our stupid voting system doesn't allow that to happen. So the major parties actively discourage third party candidates from getting on the ballot which is a major draw of resources for everyone (as an election lawyer, I might benefit from that, but it is a waste).

If Whitney gets more than 5% of the vote, and he almost certainly will, this problem will get a lot worse, because then the Green Party will become an established party in Illinois and thus get access to the ballot by filing for a Green Party primary election. That will likely create lots of three-way races in 2008.

The demand for a modern voting system like instant runoff voting is growing in Illinois. And while I'm a proud Democratic Party member, I also believe we're better off with a multi-party system and three or four candidates on the ballot instead of one or two.

I'm curious what others think about our election system now given three candidates on the ballot and whether we ought to hold a runoff or instant runoff in the future.

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