June 2008

The Cheap Shot At Halvorson

ArchPundit June 10, 2008 14 Comments

I’d like to blame Ozinga for it, but this was a cheap shot by Jackson–this kind of thing doesn’t go out without your boss’s approval.

The Illinois Senate quietly approved a bill this spring that would have steered the proposed third airport down a path of pay-to-play politics – and certain doom.

I know, because Antoin “Tony” Rezko attempted to lead Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. down that same path two years ago – a proposal Jackson flatly rejected.

Pay-to-play was the pathway laid out in Senate Bill 2063, sponsored by state Sen. Debbie Halvorson. That bill would have codified what Rezko essentially proposed to Jackson, ALNAC and its developers (SNC-Lavalin and LCOR), which was to create an airport board comprised of appointed – not elected – commissioners.

These non-elected insiders would have enormous powers to control the project – including eminent domain, condemnation, taxation, and contracts galore – yet they’d stand accountable to no one.

What Bryant doesn’t mention is that the purpose of the appointed commissioners was to give Will County Board President (currently Larry Walsh) control over the board with 4 of the seven being appointed by him. 1 would be appointed by the Governor. It’s great that Tony Rezko wanted to turn it into another cash cow, but that has nothing to do with this legislation and would only give the Governor one appointment.

This is Democrat on Democrat bloodletting and it’s bull by Jackson.

Worse, Jackson was willing to give the Governor the appointments in 2006:

During the construction phase, the Board will be comprised of one appointee each from University Park, Park Forest, South Holland, Calumet Park and Elk Grove Village, plus four appointees by the Governor from Will County home-rule communities.

*After Opening Day, Elk Grove Village departs and is replaced by a Governor’s appointment from the Kankakee County home-rule communities.

Bryant is lying his butt off for his boss.  Attacking Halvorson for wanting to have Will County control an airport in Will County is a bit bizarre.

The Legislation

Today’s Tosser: Fist Jabbing Terrorism Concerns

ArchPundit June 10, 2008 0 Comment

I swear our discourse cannot become any stupider.

Laugh at the terrorists if you will, but it’s all a plan to subvert marriage:

From Too Much Awesome

I am reliably informed this refers to a different kind of fist jab.

No word if Petey has found his ring yet or not.

The Obama Effect

ArchPundit June 10, 2008 1 Comment

On Congressional Races—Charlie Cook reclassified several races when Obama took the nomination:

Changes made about a week ago. Shays and Kirk are the obvious ones where Obama pulls out voters in their district and they are likely to get knocked off.

CA-04                     OPEN (Doolittle)      Solid Republican to Likely Republican

CO-04                     Marilyn Musgrave   Lean Republican to Toss Up

CT-04                     Chris Shays               Lean Republican to Toss Up

IL-10                       Mark Kirk                 Lean Republican to Toss Up

NM-02                    OPEN (Pearce)         Likely Republican to Lean Republican

NY-29                     Randy Kuhl               Lean Republican to Toss Up

NC-08                     Robin Hayes              Lean Republican to Toss Up

OH-01                     Steve Chabot             Lean Republican to Toss Up

VA-02                     Thelma Drake           Likely Republican to Lean Republican

WA-08                    Dave Reichert           Lean Republican to Toss Up

Not Just Sorta Wrong

ArchPundit June 10, 2008 0 Comment

Mark Kirk is just wrong….Josh has more of the Wheeling Republican Township Meeting and Mark Kirk making shit up.

Let’s first take Kirk’s claim that “15 million” of the 47 million uninsured Americans are illegal immigrants. His assumption seems to be that all undocumented immigrants currently residing in the country lack health care. To the contrary, a study (PDF) recently released by the National Institute for Health Care Management put the number of uninsured illegal immigrants at approximately 5.6 million. If the Kirk campaign wants to send over materials supporting their “15 million” claim, I’d be more than happy to post their response.

Secondly, we have Kirk’s assertion no one under the poverty line “lack[s] healthcare in America.” This is just blatantly false. A 2007 report by the Kaiser Foundation found that 36 percent (or 16.7 million) of the non-elderly uninsured have incomes below the poverty level. So why aren’t these folks covered by Medicaid? Because you must either be disabled, pregnant, or have dependents to be eligible for the program — a fact lost on Kirk, apparently.

As they say, read the whole thing. Mark Kirk is dangerously ignorant of the US Health Care system.

Here’s a Kaiser Foundation breakdown on who lacks healthcare amongst the non-elderly (Pie charts are evil, but it gets the point across):

Apparently Dan Seals was Supposed to Have Vapors

ArchPundit June 10, 2008 2 Comments

Shockingly, the Dan Rostenkowski gives Dan Seals an envelope is pretty much a non-story.

Let’s run down what happens. In a class on government, Dan Rostenkowski visits the class–Rosty being former chair of the House Ways and Means Committee understands Congress better than 99% of Congress even.  He gives an envelope unsolicited to Dan Seals.  Seals is nice and takes the envelope, finds out later it’s a contribution from Rostenkowski and politely returns the donation.

What else was he supposed to do?  Have vapors and throw a tantrum? He is no Frank Burns.

Randy Blaser picks up the real story:

So why is the GOP focusing their attacks on a couple of non-issues, like Seals’ causing a traffic jam with his gasoline purchase stunt, and this evil classroom envelope passing? I guess when you’re responsible for a tanking economy and a war built on deceit, what else have you got?

How is that working out for the GOP?

I’m somewhat baffled by the attacks or should I say ‘attack’ on Dan’s credentials to be teaching such a class:

Dan returned to the United States to continue his education by pursuing a master’s degree in international economics and Japan studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Upon completing his master’s degree, SAIS nominated Dan for-and he won-the prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship. Dan served as an Aide to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and as an Economics Fellow in the U.S. Senate. Dan tracked exports of U.S. technology to foreign markets at the Department of Commerce, and worked on tax, budget, economic development and international trade issues in the Senate. After completing his fellowship, Dan returned home to pursue an M.B.A. at the University of Chicago. Dan began work as a manager at Sprint and then as Director of Marketing at GE Capital. Currently, Dan is a business consultant and adjunct professor at Northwestern University. Dan and his wife Mia have been married for 10 years and live in Wilmette with their three daughters.

The Presidential Management Fellowship is a highly competitive Fellowship and quite impressive.

The overall background isn’t much different than this guy:

Representative Kirk graduated from New Trier High School and attended the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico before earning a B.A. from Cornell. He holds a Masters Degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown.

Oh, and the people who have donated to Mark Kirk who he accepted donations from:

FEC records show Kirk received financial support from Americans for a Republican Majority, a PAC formed by Tom DeLay. As reports of misconduct surfaced against DeLay in 2004, Kirk returned all monies received from ARMPAC immediately.

Mark Kirk received a donation from Congressman Bob Ney, who pled guilty to bribery. Kirk refunded the Ney contribution in the 2nd quarter of 2006.

Kirk received funds from American Prosperity PAC, which was controlled by Republican Duke Cunningham, who pled guilty to federal charges. Kirk refunded the Cunningham contribution and contributions from all parties affiliated with the case when news of wrongdoing first became public.

Kirk accepted contributions from Tony Rezko, ^[8] who is currently facing federal charges of attempted extortion, money laundering, and fraud.

REZKO! REZKO! REZKO! I have vapors!

The Best of the Internets Strikes Again

ArchPundit June 9, 2008 0 Comment

Hillaryis44 author in 2006:

�Good news for Dems right? Now Sherrod has a clear path to the coronation�er�nomination. Well it�s been less than 24 hours since Hackett announced the end of his campaign and all hell has broken loose. The base is literally fracturing around us. It is very unclear whether there is enough duct tape and glue to patch it back together in time to make a competitive run at Republican Mike DeWine�s seat. The fault lines run deep in the Ohio Democratic base�much deeper than the establishment thought. Progressive, energetic, and loyal Democratic activists are literally closing up shop or switching their party status as I type this. The national media is stunned that the Ohio Democratic Party and the Democratic Party leadership in Congress would literally destroy the political career of one of its newest, freshest, and most energizing faces.�

Hillaryis44 2008:

Obama will either concede now or in November.

Obama won’t win Democrats he needs to win (like the Democrats on this very website). In state after state many Democrats clearly state they will either NOT vote, vote for the unacceptable John McCain, or write in Hillary’s name. That Democrats, many who have never voted for a Republican or nightmared about voting for a Republican, to say they will vote for a Republican is shocking and foreshadows doom for the Democratic? Party in November – if Superdelegates actually vote for Rezko/Ayres/Pfleger/Wright/Farrakhan’s friend – Obama.

Hillary supporters will not vote for Obama on any ticket. Last night, at the Hillary rally, the shouts were Denver, Denver – not tears nor surrender.

No tears nor surrender came from the voters of South Dakota either. No matter how much Big Media insisted Obama was the nominee the people voted for Hillary. Big Media cannot force feed Obama to “bitter” small town America.

It appears overwrought drama is Alex Rodriguez’s specialty in life.

Today:

Democratic Latinos, White Working Class voters, and women, will not come home in NOvember. Women will NOt vote for race-baiting, gay-bashing, women-hating Barack Obama in NOvember:

Barack Obama at last has won the endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton, the woman who came closer to the Democratic presidential nomination than any other. Now he has to win over her millions of female supporters.

Women have been sent to “the back of the bus” again, says Mary Jane Coughlin, 46, a Long Island copywriter who says she will write in Clinton’s name in November rather than vote for Obama. “We work twice as hard to get half as far.”

Four years ago, women made up more than half the electorate. Democrat John Kerry edged out President Bush among women, 51%-48%, according to surveys of voters as they left polling places.

We Democrats are not coming home in NOvember. Some Democrats will vote for another candidate. Some Democrats will write-in Hillary. Some Democrats will take a cue from Obama and vote “Present” – in other words no vote in the presidential race.

The real wonder is how long will he continue.  It’s great parody even if by accident.

It’s Not Hard to Diagnose the Clinton Campaign’s Fundamental Problem

ArchPundit June 9, 2008 0 Comment

They ran one of the finest campaigns of the 20th Century while Obama’s campaign ran the best campaign of the 21st Century so far. 

One of the most untold stories is Joe Rospars creating a strategy that allowed Obama supporters to self-organize and create communities under the umbrella of the official campaign web site.  The odd thing is that while Peter Daou’s focus would have been different for Hillary’s campaign, they didn’t let him do anything creative until after she was losing.  Two of the most talented web people in progressive politics were on opposing sides–one was utilized, one was not until it was too late. 

One of the under-written stories of this campaign is the lack of access to Obama. But because access to Clinton was even harder to come by, it never became an issue.

Openness to the media might have gone a long way to thaw some of those negative stereotypes.

Clinton supporters may read that last statement and say, “Aha! See, there is your evidence of anti-Clinton bias!”

My favorite picture of campaign was of Lynn Sweet doing her job

BTW, Josh Did a Great Job on Chicago Tonight

ArchPundit June 9, 2008 2 Comments

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One minor criticism, calling Mike Madigan outspoken is perhaps the worst description ever….