2006

New Zogby Polling in IL-6

ArchPundit November 1, 2006 No Comments

Duckworth 54%
Roskam 40%

This is the only poll showing any kind of lead like this, so take it with that in mind. And remember to get out there and work.

n Illinois’ 6th District, which encompasses the western suburbs of Chicago and is now represented by outgoing Republican Henry Hyde, Democrat Tammy Duckworth, an Iraqi War veteran and double amputee, has moved from 5% ahead of Republican Peter Roskam to 14% ahead. This district is right next door to the Chicago district represented by Rahm Emanuel, the Clinton-era White House advisor who is now in charge of the Democratic efforts to take control of the House of Representatives. The Democratic surge in this district holds one more irony for Emanuel, who witnessed the impeachment of his former boss led by a team of Republicans – one of whom was Hyde.

These are phone polls, not the online polls that no one trusts

The polls were taken between Oct. 24 and Oct. 29 in 15 of the most competitive House districts across the country. The surveys of at least 500 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Good News Cubed

ArchPundit November 1, 2006 No Comments

Scott Altman of Lincoln will be flying the shuttle again and they are definitely repairing the Hubble to have it last until 2013. It’s been a great resource to astronomers and has performed admirably. My Dad was on the ground crew that got it ready for flight. He worked on the heating/cooling system which was especially sensitive on the Hubble because of its sensitivity to humidity.

Whitney Interview

ArchPundit November 1, 2006 No Comments

At the Chicagoist

And the Rockford Register-Star endorses him.

It’s a serious editorial. Some might poo-poo it, but it makes a fairly strong point about the problem of reforming a system that protects incumbents more than the taxpayers. Don’t count me on the bandwagon, but it’s hardly a quixotic choice.

The Best Congressman The 11th District Ever Had

ArchPundit November 1, 2006 No Comments

An oldie, but a goodie brought back by a Tribune story that covers the issue today

Ed Markey (MA-07)

I’m not kidding either. While El Geraldo has been tramping around the world getting married to genocidal dicator’s daughters, it appears he’s been letting things slip around the District.

Exelon is seeking a renewal from the NRC for Dresden II and III reactors near Morris. In 2004 the Radiation Public Health Project pointed out evidence that Grundy County had seen increases in the incidence of child cancer rates in the mid to late 1990s and several people in the community approached their legislative leaders for help. The Tribune reported on the issue in a brief article in January of 2004.

Constituents approached Weller about the issue in an attempt to figure out the cause of the increases and try to determine if Exelon was at fault. Weller and staff ignored them.

So they kept trying to find help and it turns out Ed Markey of Massachusetts helped them out with a series of inquiries to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I’m trying to get ahold of his correspondence now, but Weller was absent.

The story turns more problematic today when we now know that Exelon had several tritium leaks that were never reported to state authorities and only informally reported to the NRC. The information we have now from Exelon indicates the tritium in the groundwater isn’t at unsafe levels though it is above typical levels for the area, but the information surrounding the tritium leaks is scarce.

These sorts of cases are very difficult to sort out–environmental exposure to cancer causing agents is fraught with difficulties. I’d say it is safe to say there isn’t enough evidence to determine the cause of the increased incidence in childhood cancers for the period, but it sure would be nice to have had someone looking into it–especially since Exelon wasn’t being forthecoming to the public. However, given the elevated incidence was known two years ago and constituents were asking for help, where was Jerry?

And why the hell did Ed Markey, a Congressman from Massachusetts have to go to bat for Jerry Weller’s constituents?

But don’t worry, now that it’s a big deal, Jerry’s on the scene. He’s now demanding action from Exelon to pay for the costs from the leaks.

Two years later after it made the news. Not only that, but Obama was ahead of him on the issue after he found out about it–and he wasn’t even in office in 2004. More later–I’m working on getting the Markey correspondence.

Here was the Markey correspondence

Markey is known for his work on some issues and was the guy who took the lead pointing out the President’s genius move of abbrogating the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty by sharing nuclear technology with a non-signatory country — India.

Pollster Embeds

ArchPundit November 1, 2006 No Comments

Just a Thought

ArchPundit October 31, 2006 No Comments

Do George Bush and his allies really have any standing to call someone out for fumbling a sentence?

“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they’re crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.

I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.

The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor.

Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they’re afraid to debate real men. And this time it won’t work because we’re going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”

UPDATE: Slight grammatical fix.

From Comments-the Obama event in Collinsville

ArchPundit October 31, 2006 No Comments

Attention Democrats!!! Please join Senator Obama at a rally for Judge Bruce Stewart, Sunday November 5, at Electricians Local 309 in Collinsville.

Senator Obama will arrive at 3:45 and the rally will go until approximately 4:30. If you are interested in attending you are encouraged to arrive early, doors will open at 2:30 PM. Seats will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.

Live music will be provided by Dave Hylla’s Good Times Band and other musicians from the Democratic family, along with free refreshments (this is not a fundraiser). Please try to attend and show your support for Judge Stewart as we have one last push for him before election day.

IBEW Local 309 is located at 2000 Mall Street Collinsville, IL 62234, just off Rt. 157.

If you have any questions about this event please call Robert Stephan, with Senator Obama, at 618-616-8476 or Randy Harris, with Judge Stewart, at 618-558-9047.

Just Making it Up

ArchPundit October 31, 2006 No Comments

From the Radogno Campaign

Lemont, IL-State Sen. Christine Radogno, Republican nominee for Illinois treasurer, today called television ads run by her Democratic opponent Alexi Giannoulias false distortions designed to deflect attention from his refusal to explain loans his bank made to crime figures and asked that he provide proof of his sources or remove his ad from the airwaves.

In a negative ad released yesterday by the Giannoulias campaign, it claims Radogno voted to raise telecom and utility rates by 22 percent and cites a Chicago Sun Times story from Oct. 23. A search on the Sun-Times website found no stories with the words Radogno and utility rates. Nowhere in the only news story on October 23rd that discusses utilities does Radogno’s name appear nor does the story mention a vote by the General Assembly, said Radogno.

“This is simply a desperate distortion by Alexi Giannoulias,” said Radogno. “He is again attempting to deflect attention from the fact that he has refused to answer questions about his involvement in loans he and his family’s bank made to organized crime figures. It’s no coincidence that he chose to run this negative ad at the same time new polls show this race is a dead heat.”

“He has spent millions of dollars and now he’s desperate,” said Radogno. “He’s now resorting to using made up material in television ads. The source he cites never even mentions my name or any specific vote taken by the Senate. This is just fantasy designed to turn people’s attention away from the fact that his own party chairman won’t support him and has asked him to explain his connections to organized crime.”

Democratic State Party Chairman Michael J. Madigan has asked Giannoulias to explain his alleged connections to Mob figures. Giannoulias and his family run Broadway Bank in Chicago have made tens of millions of dollars in loans to organized crime figures including Michael Giorango, a convicted bookmaker and ringleader of a nationwide prostitution enterprise.

“Giannoulias’ distortions are designed to make people forget that he approved these inexcusable loans to convicted felons,” said Radogno. “He hopes he can make people forget about that for one more week so he can buy a Constitutional Office with campaign money from Broadway Bank.” Giannoulias has received millions in campaign contributions from his family and from customers at Broadway Bank, according to state election records.

“This is no smear campaign,” said Radogno. “This is about getting to the truth that he has refused time and again to address. This is about being honest and open with the voters. In my 10 years in the Senate and eight years as a village trustee, I’ve always told the truth to the public. Alexi Giannoulias should try being truthful with the voters instead of openly distorting my unblemished record in cheap attack ads.”

“I ask that Mr. Giannoulias provide my campaign and the media the article in the Sun Times on October 23rd that states I voted for a utility rate increase. If he can not provide this article, I want this ad pulled from the airwaves. I have been in campaigns where votes are taken out of context but never has an opponent just made up a source from the media,” said Radogno.

I checked out Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe too. Nada. It appears to be a straight up lie.

I did a search for the last 10 years and Radogno and utility or utilities. Nada relevant. Electric–no better. 10 articles, but none related to electric utilities. Telephone-nada. Telecom nada. Now, perhaps there is some record I don’t know of in the General Assembly, but if the campaign cites it, I should be able to find it in the cite.