Hynes Running for Governor
ArchPundit
He pulls the trigger and good for him.
August 2009
Hannity Attacks Giannoulias
Who knew, Hannity sounds kind of like a Madigan worker…
Alexi responded over at Daily Kos
My favorite is:
Rod Blagojevich
Everyone in Illinois knows that I was never close to Blagojevich. He endorsed my primary opponent when I ran for treasurer in 2006. In fact, I was a major critic of Blagojevich and I was one of the first Democrats to call for him to resign. I instituted the strictest ethics rules in state government, ending pay-to-play in my office and I’m the first Senate candidate in Illinois who does not take money from any corporate PACs or federal lobbyists.
Within a few weeks after being sworn in, I was one of the first Democrats to oppose Blagojevich’s gross receipts tax on businesses, and I strongly criticized him for failing to sign the ban on “pay to play” contributions from state contractors. Finally, I said he was dead wrong to think he could appoint anyone to Barack Obama’s senate seat.
Fritchey might have as much standing as Alexi to being the Anti-Blagojevich, but Alexi is close behind. Arguing Alexi is somehow part of the Chicago Machine politics is absurd given Madigan did everything he could to stop him and essentially supported Radogno in the general election.
The rest is the usual stuff. Broadway Bank loaned money to people who weren’t so great, but everything about the specific loans was legal and above board. With Bright Start, he was a relatively new State Treasurer who actually figured out the problem before several other states.
Yes, it sucks, but the state was defrauded by the company and the state is attempting to recoup that money now.
Calling Loons Loons
Awesome—Durbin calls the loons exactly what they are–loons.
“It is a small fringe group,” Schumer told the Huffington Post, “and if we let a small group of people who want to monopolize the conversation and not listen to the facts win, you may as well hang it up.”
“These town hall meetings have been orchestrated by the tea baggers and the birthers to just be a free-for-alls, make a lot of noise, go on YouTube and show discord,” said Durbin. “I mean that is what they are determined to do. But that is not going to accomplish what we need to accomplish: real health care reform.”
Showing up and disagreeing is perfectly reasonable, but the stated point is to disrupt the events.
Kirk’s Not So Good Summer
Senate Guru covers Mark Kirk’s summer and despite an effective kick-off, it’s not been good to him:
And there you have the story of Mark Kirk and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Summer: personally undermining the U.S. economy; getting a divorce of which a wingnut primary opponent will doggedly investigate the sordid details; massively flubbing his Senate campaign roll-out in headline-making, embarrassing fashion; and possibly violating military regulations. And that’s just June and July. I wonder what Republican Mark Kirk has in store for us in August.
Republican Mark Kirk has two advantages as a Senate candidate: his existing House campaign bankroll and his undeserved reputation as a moderate. Both “advantages” have begun to fall by the wayside this summer, as well. Though Kirk’s bankroll, as of the end of June, just barely topped $1 million, Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias‘ campaign account has broken $1.65 million. So Kirk’s money advantage is gone. Also, the DSCC has begun working to evaporate Kirk’s faux-moderate image with a pair of informative and entertaining web videos:
Now, in fairness, Andy Martin’s bizarre rantings about the marriage stuff is complete BS. SG should have left that out.
And now he claims there are only 8 million truly uninsured people in the US. Dandy. Oh, and let’s not forget his fine townhall that essentially led him to flip flopping on the climate change bill.
Only 8 Million Uninsured
Seriously–for as good as he is at staging events, he’s turning into Sarah Palin.
The Kaiser Foundation tracks the non-elderly uninsured population in Illinois as 15% of the non-elderly population which means about 1.7 million uninsured and another 1.6 million or so on public insurance already. By Mark Kirk’s claim then there are over 1.4 million or so undocumented immigrants and those who can afford or don’t want insurance.
How stupid is Mark Kirk? Really, he seems to get a pass for ridiculous statements such as his comments in China, but what it’s really shaping up to be is that Mark Kirk doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.
Proof Positive: I Was Born In Mombassa Kenya
You see, my official birth certificate from Will County is not actually a birth certificate, but a Certificate of Live Birth!
Drag Queens Against Obama
WTF…
I believe one line (and it’s hard to tell) was “who cares what Ann Coulter thinks, she’s not an Israeli”