Call It A Comeback
Osmond emphasized the need for party unity, because U.S. Congressman Phil Crane [R-Wauconda] ?is in trouble.? Osmond stated that Crane?s fall opponent is campaigning aggressively and that a poor showing in the U.S. Senate campaign could hurt Crane who appears next on the ballot.
Ummm..how this became serious, I’m not sure, but we know who to thank….
In addition to Rauschenberger, the second-place finisher in the Republican primary, millionaire dairy owner James Oberweis, submitted his name as a potential candidate. Andrea Grubb Barthwell, deputy drug czar in the Bush administration, and former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka have also been mentioned as a possible Ryan replacement.
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., smiled when asked his reaction to Rauschenberger’s announcement Thursday and said: “Ditka, Ditka.” Hastert wouldn’t comment on the possibility of a Ditka candidacy. A message left for Ditka at his restaurant wasn’t immediately returned.
Dillard said Thursday that the Republican State Central Committee members hadn’t discussed the possibility of a Ditka campaign, but he said it wouldn’t be far-fetched.
“Coach Ditka is an icon in Illinois and would send a very good message to working class and regular people throughout Illinois that if they are his fans and fans of his values, the Republican Party is where they belong,” Dillard said. “Coach Ditka would be able to attract the Reagan Democrats.”
I refuse to ridicule this as ridiculous because at this point nothing is unimaginable.
From what I’m hearing there is scuttlebutt out there and there are calls being made about Ditka between here and DC.
The danger of such a deal is twofold. The first is that Ditka spontaneously combusts with the press. The second is that he runs a Jesse Ventura like campaign actually incorporating new voters. The problem is that the reason Ventura won was because no one thought he would–Obama’s campaign wouldn’t make that mistake.
Draft Ditka is updating the developments if I miss any…
Mark Kirk is showing himself to the suburbanite that he is by confusing SNL skits. Hasn’t this guy ever been down to the Billy Goat? Sheeesh….
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., smiled when asked his reaction to Rauschenberger’s announcement Thursday and said: “Ditka, Ditka.”
Ah hell, let’s do another one today. Will be posted this afternoon.
Steve Rauschenberger looked at Obama’s warchest, the dissarray in the GOP and a thankless task of running from way behind and apparently decided he isn’t that good of soldier. Hastert was backing him as were Syverson and Dillard making his selection if he decided to go–almost a certainty.
In the announcement he took a shot at the Blagorgeous increasing speculation that he might make the 2006 Gubernatorial race pitting himself against fellow fab 5 Legislator and social conservative darling Patrick O’Malley.
Despite all this, Dillard is still pushing for Rauschenberger.
New advertiser—Christine Cegelis joins us to the left and she is challenging Henry Hyde and his exorbitant staff. Go take a look.
It’s Illinois day over at the Stakeholder with stupid Republican tricks (not all inclusive of Republicans) taking center stage. They cover the impending nuptuals of Jerry Weller to Genocidal Dictator’s daughter Zury Rios Sosa .
Rios Montt’s attempted comeback was aided by his daughter who runs his party in the Guatemalan Assembly. Worse, she was part of his campaign when he said the following:
Days later, after General R?os Montt’s warning that he could not contain the anger of his supporters, thousands of people travelled to the capital in vehicles reportedly belonging to or hired by the FRG to protest against the ruling. Paramilitaries and rioters armed with machetes and clubs brought the centre of Guatemala City to a standstill in what came to be known as “Black Thursday”. General R?os Montt and the FRG denied any responsibility for the riots.
In August of 2003, indigenous opponents of Rios Montt were harassed by armed men. This fits with the pattern during Rios Montt’s term as President when indigenous Mayans were slaughtered in the thousands others have just disappeared. Somewhere around 600 villages were destroyed.
Rios Montt is the worst kind of monster. He attacked campesinos for no other reason than they were inconveniently in the way. One of my guides when I was in Nicaragua was married to a Guatemalan who had been abducted and tortured and had several people close to him disappeared.
The Pantagraph reports that the Weller office is dismissing this being a problem
“This is like any other couple,” Lovelace said. “One may be from one political arena, another from another political arena. That’s all it is.”
“As Congressman Weller says, ‘Love knows no boundaries.’ So, it’s beyond politics,” Lovelace added.
Beyond politics except that Weller sits on International Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. So he can’t be unfamiliar with Rios Montt’s record of brutality nor his future wife’s complicity in those affairs. And how can he live with it? There is both a conflict of interest and a conflict of morality.
Even the Bush administration threatened sanctions if Rios Montt had won in 2003.
Weller’s problems will come later, but the DCCC has a post about how the Republicans are steering money to endangered incumbents. The question is how does Crane even become an endangered incumbent?
At this point he isn’t even pulling in PAC money and the national party has to coordinate it for him. How checked out is that?
Livestock shows aren’t that interesting folks and certainly don’t need this kind of subsidy. If you want to subsidize some, do it for the 4-H.
What a sense of humor in relation to appointing his Mother-in-Law to the Illinois Arts Council
“It’s a new generation of ward bosses,” the governor quipped in a visit with The State Journal-Register’s editorial board before the new fiscal year began. “They’re a little bit more cultured. At least their spouses are.”
“You got that on the record,” he added. “Go ahead. There goes the budget.”
Hah, hah, hah. Do they make grants? Do you see the problem now?
But, doesn’t naming a family member to a prestigious state board sound like the old way of doing business, which Blagojevich likes to say he is changing?
“My feeling is, if you’re qualified, you’re interested and you’re willing to serve the public, it shouldn’t preclude you if you are in the political process or you know somebody in politics or in government,” Blagojevich said.
I’d hate to tell him this, but that’s very much like what former GOP Gov. JIM THOMPSON said when justifying the use of patronage to help his own party.
Yeah, except Thompson was hypocritical about it–he just did it and that was that. There was a certain honesty to it.
Asks the State Journal Register to Jack Franks? Well, avoid hard press questions about the Health Facilities Planning Board most likely!
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