Call It A Comeback
I’m forgetting about relationships right and left. I need an updated version of Boss where Royko introduces the family relationships in a parody of the Bible. Traditionally, Obama or Moseley-Braun would be the likely recipients of Emil Jones, new State Senate President, but in a twist, he has a 30 year relationship with Thomas Hynes.
Lynn Sweet reports that Schakowsky is not going to run for Fitzgerald’s Senate seat in 2004.
I don’t find this particularly surprising. She is far more influential in liberal circles outside of Illinois than in it. She is bright and smart, but also has no machine support and is primarily alligned with the Goo-Goo factions that produce such candidates as Dawn Clark-Netsch. If you don’t know who DCN is, this is my point. If you do, you understand. Being alligned with the angels isn’t that useful unless those are the ballot stuffing angels. Without significant organizational support she would have run into the buzz saws of the Democratic competing machines. To run that down:
Obama-Jackson and Jackson Jr
Hull–presumably G-Rod and Dick Mell and probably Guitierrez
Hynes–well, Hynes and probably Daley, though noise has been made that Daley may support Hull. Go down for an explanation of why this is unlikely
Moseley-Braun-independent, but significant African-American voting blocks…but see Obama
Chico–tried for Hispanics, now twisting in the wind.
Pappas–has own operation in Cook and wide ties.
It is always fun to be ahead of the curve and declare what the next big scandal will be. In Illinois it is a bit hard since the current scandal is going to take up so much air time, who knows if anything else will get attention. However, after 26 years in the Governor’s office, the Republicans will be losing control of the Corrections Department and it stinks. A few days ago I mentioned the real problems and some conspiracy theories that you can take for what they are worth.
Carol Marin today points out the Corrections Department is in for a shake-up that is long overdue. It is pretty well understood that when that bureaucracy is opened up to some light, some very bad things will become known. If not overshadowed by the Ryan trial, we may finally finish the investigation into how Richard Speck could have had cocaine and female hormones–oh, and a video camera to boot.
The Chicago Tribune sounds my favorite alarm bell, Detroit is about to get its ass handed to it by foreign competitors on fuel-efficiency.
How effective is Patrick Fitzgerald in changing how business is done in Illinois Government? He not only is nailing terrorists, but he is keeping the clubby world of the Combine jumping. As I mentioned the other day, subpoenas have been issued to Ryan’s staff keeping them from destroying documents.
The importance of this is Ryan has kept Fawell on the payroll and given his estranged wife a paid position in state government. Additionally, it appears Jim Ryan jumped into the investigation without knowing it. When he began to push the Governor on a couple of real estate deals, the feds check in with him to see what his intentions were. The Trib’s Editorial page takes GRyan to task for his hypocrisy on the issue as well.
The good news is that on Monday, the taxpayers of Illinois will stop paying Scott Fawell’s salary. G-Rod’s spokesman said that may be the very first thing the new Governor will do.
Continuing with the theme of moral complexity, Eric Zorn addresses whether George Ryan is sincere about death penalty reform. It has always been my position that Ryan is sincere about it. He is far more sincere than G-Rod and more than Jim Ryan was, though JRyan did seem to understand there was a problem. What George Ryan has done with the death penalty moratorium is wonderful. My constant carping on the man is due to his inability to apply those same moral principles to his other behavior. I can understand he has done a great thing at the same time understand he is responsible for undermining the public trust.
The Tribune also reports that he is leaning towards some sort of clemency before leaving office next week. Let me make it clear that I am an absolute opponent of the state taking a life outside of defending another’s individual life. I think commutation would be the right thing to do in a vacuum. As life is often morally complex, I cannot support such a move now. If a mass commutation is made I believe death penalty reform in Illinois will die for a generation or more and as such a greater harm will come of such a move. While I hope we can continue to work towards abolition, mass commutation, in my opinion, will produce a backlash and destroy the good work already done.
John Kass telepathically steals my line this morning when he says
As he spoke, I hoped he’d soon experience multicultural diversity up close and personal in the federal pen.
I had tried to make a line like that work and it kept coming out as some weird allusion to prison rape. Rape isn’t funny so I didn’t do it. Kass worked it out just fine. Hence, Kass is paid for his writing.
What is more interesting is that Kass was there. I think it is safe to assume Patrick Fitzgerald or someone in the US Attorney’s office tipped him off. Kudos to them. While I am always suspicious of prosecutorial leaks to reporters, it is entirely fitting in this case where the reporter can relay the delusional mind of Hale and his supporters.
The news story includes Hale’s background as a likely terrorist.
I’ve written about Hale before in the context of terrorism and the sniper shootings last fall. I still believe it is true that all too often many in the blogosphere try and tie every violent act to Islamist terrorism. My belief is that tendency is due to people not wanting to accept the inhumanity present in even some good ‘ole average Americans. And that is what Hale is except for his raving hatred. He grew up on the border of working and middle class in the very respectable town of East Peoria. Other than being a huge crod and a racist, he wouldn’t stand out a bit. Having grown up near there, I would hate to think all Central Illinoisans would be painted with same brush as he is just as I would hate for all Muslims to face the same stereotypes. While there are cultural problems in Islamic countries that drive violence, we are different in degree, not in nature.
Via Atrios:
The infamous Matt Hale has been arrested according to WEEK. My recent comments on Hale are below.
I bet he is wishing he was in Wyoming now, doesn’t he?
For the World Church of the Creator’s paricularly warped version of the dispute with Judge Lefkow visit their warped site. It is a harsh site, but I think of it like turning the light on cockroaches.
Hale will now be able to explain himself and his views in federal prison. I suppose this kills any chance at getting that law license, doesn’t it?
Up DATE: Here is the Trib Story which is more complete.
PLA certainly aren’t crackpots so don’t get the wrong idea, but they take on crackpots over soy diesel. Since I commented twice in the comments section take a look there as well. I won’t repeat it here unless there is more interest.
Over at the Political State Report, an excellent note on Jim Saxton being given a chairmanship of the Armed Services subcommittee overseeing terrorism instead of House Resources. Saxton is strong on the environment, not perfect, but strong. The point of term limits for committee chairmanship is to open them up to new ideas–something the Resources Committee absolutely needs. The environment has been one of two major issues for Saxton over the years and he spends upwards of 40% of his time on such issues–but apparently ideological purity beat out actual reform.
Saxton would have been especially friendly to my pet cause and ‘radical idea’ that the users of federal land should pay market rates for the use of public lands instead of being subsidized. What a loopy idea.
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