tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86321692011-06-11T12:22:13.005-05:00But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people... if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK)michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.comBlogger3961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1163987907836782742006-11-19T19:56:00.000-06:002006-11-19T19:58:27.840-06:00

In his update to Johnathan's "Examining the DCCC v. Netroots Meme" Chris laments:Did any grassroots and movement candidates lose in the House once they got out of the primary? Makes you wonder how Christine Cegelis would have done in IL-06.As anyone who's read this blog since the primary is aware, I was a big proponent of Christine Cegelis' campaign and a big detractor of Duckworth's. How

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1163987693902929632006-11-19T19:53:00.000-06:002006-11-19T19:54:53.903-06:00

So-Called Austin Mayor sums up:As someone who's candidate "came close" in the primary, let me assure you that "close" doesn't count for squat. Close or not, the Republican candidate still won the damn election. Had Christine been unopposed by Dems Inc. in the primary, the worst case scenario, the absolute worst case scenario, would place us exactly where we are today -- with right-wing, extremist

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1157407787442779992006-09-04T17:07:00.000-05:002006-09-04T17:09:47.506-05:00

The last couple of days on the blogs I've noted that finally people are starting to pay attention to Dan Seals' campaign for  Illinois' 10th District (like bored's post at SbC), even if Dear Rahm isn't paying attention. That's probably because the guy is like the Energizer Bunny, showing up everywhere. Here he is at Buffalo Grove's Labor Day Parade:Here's how you too can help Dan out. From NTDO:

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1155912544873654602006-08-18T09:48:00.000-05:002006-08-18T09:49:04.890-05:00

First the Dems on getting out of Iraq;Among Democrats, comparable levels of support for bringing the troops home are found among liberal Democrats (62%) and among those who consider themselves moderate or conservative (66%). And among both groups, bringing the troops home is more likely to mean a gradual withdrawal (45% among moderate and conservative Democrats, 42% among liberal Democrats)

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1155865957568781342006-08-17T20:52:00.000-05:002006-08-17T20:52:37.586-05:00

Have you seen those commercials featuring ComEd CEO Fred Clark telling us how much he and ComEd care about it's customers, as they are about to significantly raise rates? I keep seeing these commercials repeatedly each night. I'd guess I see them 2-3 times a night, and I'm not a heavy TV viewer.So here's my question: What does an ad campaign with this much air time cost? And, guessing that it's

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1155860698041955402006-08-17T19:13:00.000-05:002006-08-17T19:25:46.586-05:00

You have to wonder what universe the bobbleheads live in that it's taken them nearly six years to come to the conclusion that those of us in the realty based community came to years ago:Yes, you read that right. That's "Is Bush an Idiot" on the screen of Scarborough Country. Joe Scarborough, right-wing former US Representative who thinks the right is great, is finally asking if Bush is an Idiot.

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1155596987792755532006-08-14T18:06:00.000-05:002006-08-14T18:09:47.816-05:00

Lamont was a test case. His race tested what Democratic activists like myself have been saying for some time: Holding Bush accountable for the Iraq war is a major issue Democrats can run on in 2006. Now Connecticut is a little bluer than say IL-06. But I don't care. Democrats who stand up and say in no uncertain terms that the Iraq war was wrong, Bush is lying about it, and he needs to be held

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1153604976452717362006-07-22T16:47:00.000-05:002006-07-22T16:49:36.463-05:00

Yes, I know my posting has been sparse for a while. But I'm rehabbing and have to stay off the computer. At least after an hour and a half in the MRI tube I now know I don't need surgery. But will have to work out for a number of months before I can sit or type for any length of time.So I'll pop in from time to time, but posting will be light.

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1140833995345397422006-02-24T20:16:00.000-06:002006-02-24T20:19:55.360-06:00

I didn't quit blogging if you are wondering. Just been busy and started posting on SoapBlox Chicago mostly. Once Jeff and the gang at SbC gave me front page status, I thought that rather than maintain a separate blog for myself and constantly cross-post, I would just blog on favorite Illinois blog.SoapBlox Chicago is taking off and due to the wide variety of writers and the wonderful format of

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1139612013906752662006-02-10T16:52:00.000-06:002006-02-10T16:53:33.920-06:00

I was out running some errands last night; had to get my wife a birthday present so she wouldn't feel neglected. No guilt there. As I was driving on my way to get said birthday present, I come to a four-way stop at a busy intersection. On one corner of the intersection I see a house with a bunch of signs for the Republican candidate for IL-06 in the yard. Two or three signs lined both sides of

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1139107931428226422006-02-04T20:17:00.000-06:002006-02-04T21:08:13.220-06:00

Today, my friend who volunteers driving Christine was sick with the flu, so I was asked last minute to drive Christine to her first two events of the day. The first, a "Conversations with Christine" on healthcare in the morning, then a "Coffee with Christine" after lunch. I've written about the first event at Christine's blog. I've written about Coffees before. The part of the day where I learned

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1138849565161626782006-02-01T21:05:00.000-06:002006-02-01T21:06:05.186-06:00

Christine has a post up on her blog regarding changes in her staff this week:This is how I feel about Pat Mogge. He was there at the beginning for me. He fought along side me, encouraged me, supported me, and as my campaign manager helped me build a campaign from the ground up. I will always view him fondly as I would one of my own sons.But as the saying goes, nothing is constant but change, and

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1138761275703661192006-01-31T20:11:00.000-06:002006-01-31T21:07:56.080-06:00

I tried to post a comment on Rick's blog to no avail. So here's my comment to his post on IL-06 fundraising numbers...Rick, I'm really disappointed in this post.How exactly does this help get Democrats elected in November or contribute to this race? Christine's put the infrastructure in place to get her message out. She won't be carpet bombing the district with media and mail, but instead will

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1138681492192090402006-01-30T22:21:00.000-06:002006-01-30T22:24:52.206-06:00

I missed the York Township Democrats candidate forum yesterday held in Villa Park. There is only so many times I can hear the candidates say the same answers to the same questions. But again, I picked the wrong one to miss as there seem to have been some good questions on deeper issues.One of the most eye opening ones, in my opinion, was the questions directed at the candidates regarding depleted

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1138330195051724622006-01-26T20:22:00.000-06:002006-01-26T21:56:57.420-06:00

That's it. I've had it. Last Sunday I sat at a candidate forum in Lombard and watched Tammy Duckworth answer a question, given to all the candidates but obviously directed at her, that asked where the candidate's fundraising was coming from and how residents would know that they weren't beholden to any outside big-donor interests. She answered forcefully, if not a bit defensively, that no one got

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1138144664621606392006-01-24T16:57:00.000-06:002006-01-26T20:50:10.526-06:00

In Part I, we went along to the latest in a string of "Coffee with Christine" events, where ordinary Americans became engaged again in their democracy. You can read Part 1.In Part 2, we went to the Brat House, and enjoyed a campaign event reminiscent of the pre-television age when candidates actually interacted directly with the voters. You can read Part 2 here.In Part 3, we get to meet the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1138072231048346012006-01-23T21:09:00.000-06:002006-01-23T21:10:31.066-06:00

From Big Dog in the comments on my Driving Christine: Part II post:Here's a constructive suggestion: Since the biggest hit your Candidate has ever taken was on the issue of fundraising, how about concentrating your posts on dispelling that 'myth',assuming it is one?Below I'll quickly post some information taken from the constructive critism:I'm not going to go off and say fundraising isn't an

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137940999639722522006-01-22T08:25:00.000-06:002006-01-22T09:59:05.346-06:00

In Part I, I wrote about the latest in a string of "Coffee with Christine" events, where ordinary Americans became engaged again in their democracy. You can read about that here.In this "Driving Christine," I'll write about what I thought was going to be the typical fundraising dinner for Cegelis. Instead the event seemed more like I had traveled back in time to an era when people got together at

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137903706508694212006-01-21T21:28:00.000-06:002006-01-21T22:21:46.613-06:00

A friend of mine is a volunteer for the Cegelis campaign helping to coordinate campaign events and often driving Christine to them. But this weekend she was out of town and asked me to drive Christine. So today and tomorrow I have the privilege of taking Christine Cegelis to all her events for the weekend. I'll blog about the events and any other conversation I can over the next few days.For Part

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137729824059103902006-01-19T21:51:00.000-06:002006-01-19T22:10:46.726-06:00

Tonight the Elk Grove township Dems had their candidate forum. My friend who attended the event reports that this forum was much more low key and informal an affair than Addison's earlier in the week. The moderator asked the questions with Scott and Cegelis taking turns to answer. Everyone was smiling, friendly, yet asking serious questions. Nothing new in the issues area, but good substance and

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137642532551462382006-01-18T21:34:00.000-06:002006-01-18T22:13:06.110-06:00

From Jeff Berkowitz' blog, we learn of the upcoming broadcast:"Public Affairs," with Democratic 6th CD Primary Candidates IT Consultant and 2004 6th CD Democratic Nominee Christine Cegelis [D-Rolling Meadows] and Wheaton College Professor Lindy Scott [D-Wheaton] is airing this week in 34 Chicago metro suburbs on Comcast Cable[...]Christine Cegelis and Professor Lindy Scott, 6th CD Democratic

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137472504958898532006-01-16T22:11:00.000-06:002006-01-16T22:44:29.250-06:00

From Austin Mayor's first hand account we learn of another suspicious poll in the works:Tonight I received a robocall from the DCCC-funded 6th District campaign regarding the Democratic primary. The first question asked whether I was in the military or a military veteran. Press "1" for "yes." And the second question was, "Who would you vote for if the primary was held today?"The machine then

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137435348921053832006-01-16T11:36:00.000-06:002006-01-16T12:15:49.026-06:00

What a weekend for the Cegelis campaign! The past weekend showed that people are starting to see Christine Cegelis for the candidate she is. With a major endorsement, two exciting campaign events, the senior most woman in Congress singing Christine's praises, an interview with Walter Jacobson on Fox Chicago, and a wonderful post by Stephen Yellin, the weekend showed the excitement the Cegelis

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137289499098575082006-01-14T19:06:00.000-06:002006-01-14T20:34:22.493-06:00

Today I spent the afternoon at the International Association of Machinists Union Hall in the north-east part of IL-06. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), the senior-most Democratic woman in Congress with a record of supporting labor issues, was there to attend a "Conversation with Christine" on job creation and labor issues. All I have to say about Congresswoman Kaptur is wow! I think she is the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137191148050126382006-01-13T16:19:00.000-06:002006-01-13T16:49:46.196-06:00

So the Progressive Democrats of America endorsed Cegelis. And this is surprising how? A national progressive organization backed a candidate consistently on the record supporting progressive issues. I'm shocked. I'm surprised. I'm stunned. I'm not.From the PDA website:Christine Cegelis is a progressive to be admired. She speaks eloquently of her opposition to the Iraq occupation, and of the need

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137119785330094402006-01-12T19:28:00.000-06:002006-01-12T21:02:24.336-06:00

So the AFL-CIO endorsed Duckworth. And this is surprising how? The biggest Democratic machine backing union backed the Chicago machine candidate. I'm shocked. I'm surprised. I'm stunned. I'm not. What does surprise me is that the AFL-CIO is endorsing the only candidate who hasn't been a member of a union, let alone been an active proponent of labor politically, but instead backed a candidate who

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1137034518336545132006-01-11T20:47:00.000-06:002006-01-11T20:55:18.350-06:00

Christine Cegelis will be interviewed on Fox Chicago Perspective hosted by Walter Jacobson & Jack Conaty. The show will be LIVE from 8-9am on Fox Chicago. Can you believe I just linked to Fox?Last Sunday, Christine taped a show with Jeff Berkowitz, the host of Chicagoland's premier local-access political talk show 'Public Affairs.' The show should air in the near future and I'll provide the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1136845698307349122006-01-09T16:03:00.000-06:002006-01-09T17:07:15.723-06:00

Yesterday, Mark Brown in the Sun Times had some coverage of Duckworth's reach out and touch the media campaign from her press conference on that current buring topic, the Alternative Minimum Tax. Funny thing is, even though the AMT was the topic that warranted the coverage (of two reporters), here's the thrust of the article:Duckworth, not the complaining type, did mention one little problem she

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1136686125295789412006-01-07T19:45:00.000-06:002006-01-07T20:08:45.343-06:00

This past Thursday candidates for IL-06 spent some time at the York Township Democratic Organization meeting. York Township covers a large part of the district and YTDO was less than outgoing in it's reception to Duckworth entering the IL-06 race, having spent the better part of the last two years supporting regular attendee Christine Cegelis. So what kind of impression did she make on members:

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1136416539727371282006-01-05T16:15:00.000-06:002006-01-05T16:30:31.563-06:00

I'm a big believer in the potential of blogs. So I noticed the lack of a blog back when Duckworth's campaign launched her website. But I thought, it's just a quickie website to go along with her well orchestrated campaign roll out. Well, nearly a month later there's still no blog and I'm not the only one who's noticed:The most interest in campaign blogging among Illinois candidates is in the 6th

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1136327508496713062006-01-03T16:06:00.000-06:002006-01-03T16:31:48.570-06:00

One of the biggest complaints leveled against Duckworth's entry into IL-06 hasn't been directed against her, but at the DCCC. It's no longer open for debate that the DCCC is involving itself under Emanuel's direction to an unprecidented extent in backing Duckworth. But the move by the DCCC to back "electable" candidates in favor of local candidates like Cegelis does have a history. And it's not a

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135917151024308252005-12-29T22:14:00.000-06:002005-12-29T22:32:31.066-06:00

If you've been reading for the past year, you've probably noticed by now that I've become a bit focused on the race for IL-06. I guess when the national party decides to take interest and undermine the local candidate, I get a bit perturbed. But who wouldn't, except Rahm Emanuel. First, Chris Bowers of MyDD declared IL-06 the primary to focus on. Now Austin Mayor's contribution to Eric Zorn's

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135614489197347212005-12-26T09:50:00.000-06:002005-12-26T10:32:59.613-06:00

To anyone paying attention, the method of Duckworth's entry into the IL-06 race is pretty obvious and Rahm's reason for touting her as a strong candidate pretty transparent. From Dennis Byrne's column in today's Chicago Tribune:Speaking of being bought by the insider crowd, we come to Tammy Duckworth. She has entered the Democratic west suburban 6th District congressional race as a protege of

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135390769151153822005-12-23T20:07:00.000-06:002005-12-23T20:19:29.163-06:00

Ya, I'm on vacation and all that... Chris Bowers at MyDD outlines why the DCCC's decision to support Duckworth is a bad idea:I think that the DCCC supporting Duckworth against Cegalis is a truly horrendous move on their part, and I honestly believe that in response the netroots should fight back by supporting Cegalis in the primary in any way possible. I have three basic reasons why I think the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135305435144182142005-12-22T20:36:00.000-06:002005-12-22T20:37:15.156-06:00

Get the hell off the blog and go spend some time with your family. What the hell is wrong with you damn blog addicts?

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135266203058319112005-12-22T09:21:00.000-06:002005-12-22T09:43:23.153-06:00

The other day, Lynn Sweet had an article on Emanuel's arm twisting on the Sensenbrenner immigration bill:Friday, the House approved an immigration bill by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) that most Democrats regarded as anti-immigrant and needlessly punitive. It is unlikely to survive in the Senate. The measure was approved 239-182, with 36 Democrats voting with the GOP majority."As painful as

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135205021282385202005-12-21T15:53:00.000-06:002005-12-21T16:56:24.796-06:00

I was never much found of math class. But I remember the part about ratios, and that if you have a smaller number to start with the ratio can be manipulated as a smaller number will be affected more considerably than a large number - especially when fixed costs are involved. This method of statistical manipulation seems to me the basis of the circular argument I keep hearing about Cegelis' burn

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135117751025689722005-12-20T16:17:00.000-06:002005-12-20T16:30:07.030-06:00

This is rich. Take a glimpse into the mind of an angry Republican:That the reason why [Duckworth] (and other Iraq veterans) are running as Democrats, is because the Republican veterans re-enlisted. But, of course no one is lending an ear to the brave people who go back in because they believe in protecting our country. Have you heard any stories about the people who go back to fight? Of course

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1135047040785733532005-12-19T20:29:00.000-06:002005-12-19T20:50:40.823-06:00

Duh. From The Hill:Local Democrats warn that, despite Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth’s popularity in Washington, she is likely to face an uphill battle in winning her party’s nomination to run for the seat now held by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.).[...]Alycia Fitz, a DuPage County Democratic official who coordinates election observers, said Cegelis has a “very loyal following.”What’s more, Fitz said

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134935645148980212005-12-18T12:52:00.000-06:002005-12-18T21:44:08.256-06:00

Tammy Duckworth has announced, and the carefully orchestrated roll out of her campaign began this week. As part of that roll out, a media blitz with interviews of Duckworth were all over the papers. Here in IL-06, the Daily Herald had a Q&A interview with her. While it was obvious Duckworth has been media coached, it was equally obvious that she has a set list of talking points. Talking points

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134771675887104912005-12-16T16:07:00.000-06:002005-12-16T16:21:15.926-06:00

Lynn Sweet in today's Sun Times sums up Duckworth's entry into the race for IL-06 (emphasis mine):With a campaign totally packaged by some of the nation's leading Democratic strategists in Washington and Illinois, wounded Iraq war vet Tammy Duckworth will announce a Democratic congressional primary bid Sunday. [...] The Duckworth campaign is entirely orchestrated by a team of political

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134710539202835342005-12-15T23:22:00.000-06:002005-12-15T23:28:37.293-06:00

Inspired by Rick Klau catching the DCCC astroturphing in blog in favor of Duckworth, I though should examine my own a bit before they figure out to go to Starbuck and post their astoturf. It seems that a certain congress critter is a reader now:Search results for: 143.231.249.#OrgName: Information Systems, U.S. House of Representatives OrgID: ISUHRAddress: 2nd and D St SWCity: WashingtonStateProv

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134684349630010382005-12-15T15:45:00.000-06:002005-12-15T17:01:29.886-06:00

What's it going to take to get the Blogosphere to realize that Duckworth's campaign is being run by Emanuel and the Beltway Boys from DCCC headquarters in DC? From Rick Klau's tins:And then there was this comment left earlier today by “Lisa”, who says she lives in Melissa Bean’s district and lays out why she thinks Duckworth is the right candidate. Interestingly, the IP address associated with

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134599111745193222005-12-14T16:14:00.000-06:002005-12-14T16:39:06.486-06:00

Over at Capitol Fax, Rich had a post up yesterday afternoon about the media coverage Duckworth was getting in the Daily Herald. What caught my attention was a couple of the comments to the post. First was this comment by 'inish' which I shortened for brevity:A servicemember may not run for political office. It is a directive of the Dept. of Defense 1344.10Until Duckworth has been discharged, she

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134526583962067702005-12-13T20:07:00.000-06:002005-12-13T20:27:33.356-06:00

Sorry for the quick two posts in a row on this, but I thought an interesting comparison of media approach to Duckworth's entry into the IL-06 primary came to light today. Here's a comparison from today's news on how this can be slanted. First, from The Daily Herald:Iraq war vet seeks release to run for CongressA hot first day of filing for state legislative racesIraq war veteran Ladda “Tammy”

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134524339161515472005-12-13T19:35:00.000-06:002005-12-13T19:41:22.496-06:00

If you watched the news tonight, there was actually some pretty fair coverage of the local race in IL-06 on ABC 7 News at 5:00, of course stressing Tammy Duckworth's 'war hero' narrative:A war hero wounded while fighting in Iraq may run for the seat that will soon be vacated by Congressman Henry Hyde (R). Illinois Democrats want Major Tammy Duckworth to enter the race. She cannot announce her

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134426269971284042005-12-12T16:15:00.000-06:002005-12-12T16:31:23.906-06:00

Roskam may have more money, but he's got fewer signatures. From the Cegelis campaign:Today my campaign filed 3,817 signatures in Springfield, making me an official candidate in the race to take back District 6. Each and every one of those signatures is a show of support from the residents of our community. I want to thank all of you who signed on to my candidacy, and I want to thank my valued

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134337373365091082005-12-11T15:00:00.000-06:002005-12-18T23:02:40.713-06:00

Update 12/18/05: From Archpundit:She moved to Dekalb 15 years ago and then has been in Hoffman Estates for three years.This really bothers me. I had given her at least 10 years in the area, but it's only the last three?! Residency is an issue./UpdateI've now seen several comments in the Blogosphere and quotes from local sources that emphasize Duckworth's lack of residency in IL-06 as an issue. I

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134170466220213722005-12-09T17:02:00.000-06:002005-12-09T17:23:07.813-06:00

Over at Rick Klau's blog, he reflects on the blowback towards the Duckworth campaign by Democratic Township organizations in DuPage:I want to see Christine win in the primary, and beat Roskam. But the way to get her there is not to remove potential competitors. It’s to win by attracting a higher percentage of the vote than any competitors, and by outraising her competition. Shutting down

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133923530514321222005-12-08T19:47:00.000-06:002005-12-08T20:01:56.366-06:00

I owe my political awareness to Howard Dean. Because of him I started blogging, volunteering and donating to Democrats. Dean's rallying cry in the 2004 campaign was "You have the power." The more I learned about the Republicans in control of our government, the more I wanted to use this power to help elect Democrats.This is why I started supporting a local candidate running for Congress in my

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1134084530120653622005-12-08T17:22:00.000-06:002005-12-08T17:28:50.136-06:00

One of the key reasons many Democrats in IL-06 were empowered by Cegelis was her position on the Iraq war. Cegelis was against the war before it was popular to take this position; back when Republicans called such positions crazy and unpatriotic. Yet Cegelis stood for something that was politically risky at the time, giving Democrats a campaign to rally around.Take such a clear position on the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133834334234228312005-12-05T19:32:00.000-06:002005-12-05T19:58:54.236-06:00

One of the biggest knocks on Bush and his Iraq strategy is that he is disconnected from the reality on the ground in Iraq. The same can be said of Emanuel and the DCCC when it comes to the race for IL-06. They keep pushing their conventional wisdom for this race, which might as well be called "The Plan for Victory in IL-06":First, Democrat Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran, nearly won a House

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133751440808053102005-12-04T20:41:00.000-06:002005-12-04T21:58:06.506-06:00

This past Thursday, local bloggers held a conference call with Christine Cegelis. Below are some of the notes I took from the call typed while listening to the conversation between the candidate and bloggers on the line. I've summarized the 35-minute conversation for this post, and tried to group the responses by topic:On the President's Plan for Iraq:Cegelis was disappointed, as were we, in the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133375549627418172005-11-30T12:18:00.000-06:002005-11-30T12:51:42.640-06:00

If you've been reading my posts lately, you know I'm more than a bit upset by the DCCC's pushing Tammy Duckworth into the IL-06 race. My distress has little to do with Ms. Duckworth herself, even though she is a complete political novice who doesn't live and the distict and hasn't spent much time in her adult life in the district. No, my issue is the the idiotic idea that the DCCC can nationalize

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133288010833645572005-11-29T12:01:00.000-06:002005-11-29T12:41:53.066-06:00

I'm not the only one who finds it really strange that Emanuel and the DCCC are not supporting Cegelis. From today's Sun Times courtesy of Dick Simpson:Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) should quit playing games and support Christine Cegelis for Congress.[...] As Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet reported, Emanuel courted Army Major "Tammy" Duckworth to run as the Democratic candidate. He cynically

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133220080201526782005-11-28T16:44:00.000-06:002005-11-28T19:10:23.163-06:00

Here's a story for you: One driver works his way up to the Big Race by racing dirt tracks, fixing up his own cars, begging, borrowing and co-opting money for his racing team. He had a surprising showing in his first major outing, even though he was a last minute entry and had almost no national sponsors. He's a good driver and learned a lot from his experience in the dirt track, and has gotten to

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133125464880717772005-11-27T14:52:00.000-06:002005-11-27T17:15:08.216-06:00

So the DCCC's new line is to play in the Republican frame of "Democrats are weak on defense" by running Iraq vets in house races. As we've heard, Army Maj. Ladda “Tammy” Duckworth has been recruited by Rahm Emmanuel, head of the DCCC to undermine the Cegelis campaign. But Ms. Duckworth has not declared that she will run yet. But you'd never know this by media she is "randomly" getting all of a

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133120088118058432005-11-27T13:28:00.000-06:002005-11-27T13:34:48.163-06:00

It's not even safe to be a Congressman in Iraq these days:NEW YORK The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph was apparently the first newspaper to carry news today that a military vehicle carrying U.S. politicians overturned on the way to the Baghdad airport on Saturday and injured two members of Congress.The source was a Georgia congressman unhurt in the accident, Rep. Jim Marshall.[...]The accident reminded

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133113322244592512005-11-27T11:00:00.000-06:002005-11-27T11:42:05.726-06:00

If you've been reading the blogs this holiday weekend, you've probably seen that in the absence of any riveting news like we've been treated to lately, the Blogosphere has gone metapalooza. Armando must have gotten happy drunk and announced "the new Armando." People pissed off at dKos for a variety of reasons are flocking to BooMan Tribune and bashing dKos. BooMan then gets frustrated that many

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1133063587102661692005-11-26T21:41:00.000-06:002005-11-26T21:53:07.113-06:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Why aren't there a slew of Democratic Senators, Representatives, party officials and pundits lined up 10 deep on every Sunday bobble head show screaming "what was not a lie?" If a Democratic administration had done one-tenth the transgressions the Bush administration has Republicans would be so besides themselves with outrage that there would be two of

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132980495295716442005-11-25T22:00:00.000-06:002005-11-25T22:48:15.383-06:00

You've got to love someone so craven that they lie as easily as they breath. Oh, excuse me. They intentionally measure their words, shade the true facts to their perspective, smile at the camera, and do their best to mislead. Millions of sheep too busy or too self absorbed or too comfortable with what Fox News tells them are all too willing to sit there, grab their beer, and go "yup, a yup, a yup

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132963818849099452005-11-25T17:58:00.000-06:002005-11-25T18:10:18.863-06:00

Does anyone wonder why cable news shows generally have poor ratings and are only watched by channel surfers and boring political junkies like myself? Rhetorical question, but it just never ceases to amaze me the depth of depravity these idiot bobble head shows will go to. Case in point, Lou Dobbs tonight and the poll pushed by the fill in host:LOU DOBBS TONIGHT QUICKVOTEWould you knock someone to

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132849993114176952005-11-24T10:30:00.000-06:002005-11-24T10:33:13.116-06:00

This is too funny:Schmidt calls Bush Coward after President Pardons TurkeyEWM- (November 22, 2005) Freshman Representative “Mean” Jean Schmidt (R-OH) stood on the floor of the House of Representatives today and called President Bush a coward for pardoning the White House Thanksgiving turkey.“A real man would choke that bird with his bare hands. Cowards pardon and run, real men never do,” said

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132849415461280812005-11-24T10:22:00.000-06:002005-11-24T10:23:35.473-06:00

"Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings -- let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals -- and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world."John F. Kennedy1963 Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132800463567478252005-11-23T20:21:00.000-06:002005-11-23T20:47:43.610-06:00

Many people who read this blog or my posts elsewhere in the Blogosphere often jump to the conclusion that because I have a blog named "Damn Liberals" I'm a far left Liberal on the fringe of the party. I'm not. I definitely lean left, but I'm closer to the center than any hard core card carrying liberal would probably like. Just as Howard Dean sparked my political awareness, I'd probably say I'm

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132777623038233432005-11-23T12:56:00.000-06:002005-11-23T14:29:57.856-06:00

So over at Hotline they posted the numbers for all the campaign committee for both parties through the end of the Third Quarter. Some interesting figures:The RNC has raised almost twice that of the DNC ($88.5M to $47.6M)The RNC has more than a 5 to 1 advantage in cash on hand over the DNC ($34.3M to $6.1M)The RNC's burn rate (79.3%) is nearly 14% less than that of the DNC (93.2%).So looking at

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132723276544187902005-11-22T23:06:00.000-06:002005-11-22T23:21:16.596-06:00

Yesterday, I noted that Democrats needed to define what victory in Iraq was, and provide a reason to get outta Dodge:...Democrats must provide a positive plan, an achievable goal, a meaningful yardstick, a viable alternative that provides a reason to end the mistake Bush and the Republicans took us into.Senator Obama must have been reading my mind (or my blog). Here's what he had to say today at

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132717180542136122005-11-22T21:32:00.000-06:002005-11-22T21:39:40.556-06:00

So the other day on the floor of the House, Jean Schmidt hid behind an "email" from one of her constituents and called Rep. Murtha, a decorated ex-Marine, a coward:...A few minutes ago I received a call from Col Danny Bubp, Ohio representative from the 88th District in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message, "Stay the course." He also asked me to send Congressman

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132635036340164752005-11-21T22:28:00.000-06:002005-11-21T23:10:44.483-06:00

How do we get out of Iraq? I think this is what Dems need to focus on. "Cut and run" is now part of the lexicon just as is "up or down vote." So just saying the US should withdraw is not reason enough. The real question is how to we achieve a goal in the near term that allows up to withdraw?Call them what you will: milestones, benchmarks, timetables, Iraqi government capabilities. It doesn't

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132509503320384892005-11-20T11:55:00.000-06:002005-11-20T11:58:23.340-06:00

The following is from dKos, and describes the "real war where people are dying" that Murtha spoke of. This is tragic:This summer I posted about a young Army Lt. my wife and I met at a wedding. He was headed to Iraq within the week. As an ex-grunt, I struck up a conversation with him. I mostly just wanted to tell him to keep his head down, but the conversation evolved...[...]About three weeks

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132509025642530552005-11-20T11:40:00.000-06:002005-11-20T11:50:26.246-06:00

This guy is a class act. From Meet the Press today (emphasis mine):REP. MURTHA: Well, I tell you, Cheney's a friend of mine. We work very closely together. He was a good secretary of Defense, but he's wrong. They should have fired people. The president should be furious with this--the people that work for him giving him bad intelligence. We spend more on intelligence than any country in the world

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132428660446483662005-11-19T13:21:00.000-06:002005-11-19T13:49:01.726-06:00

With sinking poll numbers for Bush and the Republicans, and the dissatisfaction with the Conservative Republican agenda they represent, it seems some Republicans aren't content to let a hard core Conservative Republican like Roskam represent their party in the IL-06 race:A real estate developer and Glen Ellyn School District 41 board president said Friday he is taking steps to challenge state Sen

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132422472124914702005-11-19T10:15:00.000-06:002005-11-19T12:20:11.643-06:00

The latest Survey/USA poll out has Bush's approval rating at 37% with a record high 60% disapproval rate. But what I found interesting was looking at the internals of the poll specific to Illinois. Based on my un-professional interpretation, contrary to Conventional Wisdom, the direction Democratic candidates should be moving seems pretty clear - and it isn't to a conservative pro-war

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132366568111092562005-11-18T19:56:00.000-06:002005-11-18T20:18:45.556-06:00

In case you missed, as I did originally, the Republicans in control of Congress decided in their infinite wisdom to take Congressman Mutha's resolution and alter it a bit. Essentially, they changed it to be a total withdrawal of troop immediately - essentially a cut and run position. Then they tried to claim it was Murtha's amendment and that the Democrats were advocating the cut and run position

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132281190275254482005-11-17T19:27:00.000-06:002005-11-17T20:40:09.693-06:00

It seems that Rahm Emanuel, in his zeal to aggressively recruit a "stronger" candidate for IL-06, has garnered some attention for his efforts. Seems some Democrats aren't happy that he's trying, as Lynn Sweet put it, to undermine the Cegelis campaign. From The Hill:Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), aggressively courting strong Democratic House candidates, is facing an awkward situation back home.[...]

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132195615452558952005-11-16T20:41:00.000-06:002005-11-16T20:47:05.953-06:00

But at least we're on the offensive, right?BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Five U.S. Marines were killed in Iraq on Wednesday during a firefight near the Syrian border in Ubaydi, the military said.Sixteen insurgents were also killed in the fighting, part of Operation Steel Curtain, a U.S.-Iraqi military offensive aimed at clearing insurgents out of towns in northwestern Iraq.The announcement brought the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132192561171057802005-11-16T19:51:00.000-06:002005-11-16T19:56:23.613-06:00

This photo was sent in by one of my damn blog readers:I've noted several times on this blog that if Bush were a Republican he would have been impeached by now. But instead, Clinton's lying about a blow job was worth impeachment, but Bush's lying us into a war is just hunky dory with the Republicans. Hat tip to Shelia for the image.

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1132108645629751212005-11-15T19:57:00.000-06:002005-11-15T21:14:21.906-06:00

I thought my wife was kidding me when she told me about a children's book that taught kids about the evils of those Liberals hiding under the bed. I really should stop being surprised at the lengths the Republican Right will go to demonize anyone they disagree with:This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131997126170960512005-11-14T13:23:00.000-06:002005-11-14T13:42:52.563-06:00

Lynn Sweet has an article today in the Sun Times today in which she asks Iraq War vet and DCCC recruit, Tammy Duckworth, what her take on the Iraq war is from a veteran's perspective:It's unclear what Duckworth would say about the Iraq war. When I asked her, she would not declare the war right or wrong: "There is good and bad in everything."That sure is inspiring. A nice middle of the road

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131921557582163892005-11-13T15:20:00.000-06:002005-11-13T18:26:45.980-06:00

So this week we heard how the DCCC is recruiting another candidate for IL-06 because they are dissatisfied with current Democratic front runner Christine Cegelis. The key complaint being leveled against Cegelis is that she's not raising enough money. For example, from Archpundit:Saying it will be a grass roots campaign is fine, but an under funded campaign without media isn't going to win in a

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131826865258445202005-11-12T14:20:00.000-06:002005-11-12T14:28:18.670-06:00

In Paul Rosenburg's diary "How To Run The Table In 2006--And Beyond," Paul proposes some excellent suggestions on how Democrats can focus the country's attention on the problems caused by Bush and the Republican party, and present the Democratic Party as the party of needed change leading to the realignment Chris has spoken of.While Paul's suggestions are great, I'm not a Democratic Party staffer

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131819905254346692005-11-12T12:19:00.000-06:002005-11-12T12:26:12.423-06:00

I'm so tired of hearing how Liberals hate America. It's not the left that is warning of God's retribution for a town's voting out their school board. It's not the left that is advocating terrorist attacks on San Fransico:O'REILLY: Hey, you know, if you want to ban military recruiting, fine, but I'm not going to give you another nickel of federal money. You know, if I'm the president of the United

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131742016996977032005-11-11T13:30:00.000-06:002005-11-11T16:58:10.270-06:00

With rumors and unofficial DCCC talk of injured Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth entering the race for IL-06, there has been quite a bit of ruffled feathers online by Cegelis supporters. The core complaint seems to be focused on whether Cegelis should get a "free ride" in the primary, having "earned" the nomination by virtue of her name recognition in district, volunteer base in district and past

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131737173746006442005-11-11T13:10:00.000-06:002005-11-11T13:26:13.800-06:00

Bush is upset over criticism of the Iraq war? Revisionist history at work, he says:(CNN) -- President Bush Friday accused critics of the Iraq war of distorting the events that led to the U.S. invasion, saying Democrats viewed the same intelligence and came to similar conclusions."While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131685340199326782005-11-10T22:55:00.000-06:002005-11-10T23:02:20.213-06:00

Vote against the American Talaban and God will damn you to hell. Honest. Rev. Pat Roberts tells us so:"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, "The 700 Club.""And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131676214192886662005-11-10T19:41:00.000-06:002005-11-10T20:32:04.953-06:00

I you haven't heard, it looks like there will be a trio in the Democratic primary for IL-06. From The Hill:Democrats are urgently seeking an alternative candidate to Christine Cegelis (D) in Illinois’s 6th District, as worries mount that Cegelis doesn’t have the money to beat state Sen. Peter Roskam (R) in 2006.Time is of the essence, Democrats said. Dec. 19 is the filing deadline for the March

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131508772287909322005-11-08T21:56:00.000-06:002005-11-08T21:59:32.290-06:00

DuPage DFI leader Hiram Wurf is looking for helpers:We're trying to gather signatures for candidates (Bill Reedy, Debra Shore, Kim Savage and possibly others) and the Illinois Healthcare Referendum this weekend, Saturday and Sunday.Contact Hiram if you're interested.

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131508212183699272005-11-08T21:40:00.000-06:002005-11-08T21:50:12.196-06:00

Hey all you Democrats who refused to call Bush on his lies, were afraid to stand up for traditional Democratic values, and even stood with the President: Here's what's coming:St. Paul voters punished Mayor Randy Kelly on Tuesday for standing with President Bush a year ago, denying the Democrat a second term in Minnesota's capital city.Former City Council member Chris Coleman, also a Democrat,

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131498008491398152005-11-08T18:46:00.000-06:002005-11-08T19:05:36.340-06:00

You know you've already thought it. I did. Every blog has. Hell, half the nation has I'd bet. So don't try and stop the thought. Just indulge your inner parinoia:"Even if Libby or Rove or anyone gets convicted in the Plamegate scandal, they'll never spend a minute in jail as Bush will pardon them."There. Doesn't that feel better. You're not a nut case after all. So what's a damn liberal to do

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131415625702398352005-11-07T19:49:00.000-06:002005-11-07T20:07:05.716-06:00

I think I've figured out the Bush administration's core operating model: Good Cop, Bad Cop. Bush is the lovable idiot who tells you what you want to hear, then you both go have a beer:PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) -- President Bush vigorously defended U.S. interrogation practices in the war on terror Monday and lobbied against a congressional drive to outlaw torture."There's an enemy that lurks and

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131336037450563062005-11-06T21:54:00.000-06:002005-11-06T22:02:43.813-06:00

In light of the Vice President of the United States lobbying for CIA exemptions that would allow torture, words fail me. So here's a picture:They say a picture is worth 1000 words. I think this one is worth more.

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131169027719784312005-11-04T23:22:00.000-06:002005-11-04T23:37:07.733-06:00

Funny, but this AP story hasn't shown up in the liberal American MSM. Not so in the rest of the world. From the Toronto Star:WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney made an unusual personal appeal to Republican senators this week to allow CIA exemptions to a proposed ban on the torture of terror suspects in U.S. custody, according to participants in a closed-door session.Cheney told his

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131079147043979262005-11-03T22:37:00.000-06:002005-11-03T22:39:07.056-06:00

Archpundit says there may be a third in IL-06:The Sixth District Democratic Primary recently lost Peter O'Malley, but look for it to be a three way race in the next couple weeks with another candidate jumping in the race. As of now, I understand the candidate is a woman, and have few other details--though I'm working on it.Let me add that the following is *speculation* on my part--the timing is

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131077609928671612005-11-03T22:10:00.000-06:002005-11-03T22:13:29.940-06:00

So where are candidates for Illinois District 6 getting their money for their Congressional runs? Hiram has the goods:Almost half (49%) of Peter Roskam's itemized donations are $1,000 or above. By comparison, more than half (52%) of Christine Cegelis' itemized donations for the same time period were $300 and under. [Lindy Scott has relatively recently entered the race and doesn't yet report any

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1131065580042402222005-11-03T18:39:00.000-06:002005-11-03T18:53:00.086-06:00

What, didn't you know that those damn Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, the White House and most of the Judiciary (and of course the MSM)? After all, Democrats set the agenda in Washington, chair the important committees, and wrote the Constitution. Could I get any more ridiculous? Maybe not, but DeLay seems to think the Democrats are to blame for... everything:WASHINGTON -

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1130988662205398622005-11-02T21:18:00.000-06:002005-11-02T21:31:02.250-06:00

You know, abortion is one of those issues that there will be no winning on. If you are "anti-abortion" then the other side is "pro-abortion" which, of course, is ridiculous. If you are "pro-choice" then the other side wants to impose their beliefs on you, degrade your rights, and interfere with the doctor/patient relationship. There is no middle ground for either side here.But it is the related

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1130983100842339562005-11-02T19:39:00.000-06:002005-11-02T20:31:05.906-06:00

You know, 9-11 can solve anything for Bush and the Republicans. Case in point: when you think of secret prisons in secret locations where prisoners naturally are held in secret with no outside contact with anyone - family, lawyers, human rights organizations, etc - do you think of America or the former Soviet Union? Call me crazy, but when you're talking about people disappearing and given no

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1130897888962189212005-11-01T19:53:00.000-06:002005-11-01T20:18:09.046-06:00

So House Minority Leader Harry Read pulled off a great political move today, invoking Senate Rule 21, effectively shutting down the Senate to force the Republicans into investigating the manipulation of intelligence that Bush and the Republicans used to take the US into war. An investigation that the 9-11 Commission recommended nearly 18 months ago. An investigation that Senator Roberts, the

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1130815584237701462005-10-31T21:06:00.000-06:002005-10-31T21:26:24.303-06:00

So Bush, in typical form, down under the weight of falling poll numbers and a scandal in the White House following a disastrous week in which he had to withdraw his nomination for the Supreme Court, has done what he always does. He caved to his Conservative Christian (read American Talaban) base. He latest nominee to the Supreme Court, Samuel Alito, is just what every Wingnut would wet themselves

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632169.post-1130727296688411612005-10-30T20:21:00.000-06:002005-10-30T20:59:56.936-06:00

What do you get when Republicans control both houses of Congress, the White House, a good chunk of the judiciary? First, you get no plan:The US government had "no comprehensive policy or regulatory guidelines" in place for staffing the management of postwar Iraq, according to the top government watchdog overseeing the country's reconstruction.[...]The lack of planning has plagued reconstruction

michael in chicagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12702171272129581092noreply@blogger.com0