2010

Where to Begin

ArchPundit July 28, 2010 No Comments

Hysterical

Dear Larry,
I thought you would be interested in a copy of a new book by one of Chicago’s most tactful politicians.
Just in time for this year’s election season, we are releasing spirited Illinois State Senator Rickey “Hollywood” Hendon’s new book—BACKSTABBERS: THE REALITY OF POLITICS—that covers the nuts and bolts of political campaigns. As a 14-time election winner, he has an extensive insider’s perspective when he writes about the election process and how to organize and manage a successful campaign in his easy to follow book. It includes an introduction by N’DIGO founder Harmene Hartman.

A press release for the book is below. Review copies are available, as is Rickey Hendon for interviews.

Best regards,
—

ACADEMY CHICAGO PUBLISHERS
363 West Erie Street, Chicago, IL 60654
www.academychicago.com
On Facebook and Twitter too!

SPIRITED ILL. STATE SENATOR RICKEY “HOLLYWOOD” HENDON REVEALS HIS PROVEN TIPS TO WINNING ELECTIONS

14-time election winner pulls no punches in his new book on how to organize and manage a successful political campaign

BACKSTABBERS: The Reality of Politics
Introduction by Hermene Hartman
July 2010 • Paper • 200pp. • $16.95 • 978-0-89733-602-4

Rickey Hendon is the illustrious Democratic state senator from Illinois’ fifth senatorial district—located on the west side of Chicago—who has served as assistant majority leader in that chamber for the last ten years. As a professional politician, political consultant and active campaign manager for numerous political contests, Hendon brings his considerable insider’s perspective to bear in this lively and informative book just in time for election season.

In Backstabbers, Hendon teaches the nuts and bolts of all aspects of political campaigns. It is the ultimate political handbook for winning elections; written by someone who practices what he preaches. Hendon has been an elected official since 1988 and has won an astounding 14 elections over his extensive career.

Hendon describes the petition process—getting on the ballot while knocking your opponent off—and details the different strategies for not only beating out the competition, but destroying it. He is a winner because of his people skills, his dedicated organization and his remarkable ability to motivate voters, and his book is sure to be a valuable resource to fans of politics and future politicians alike.

Senator RICKEY HENDON lives in Chicago and is the author of Black Enough/White Enough: The Obama Dilemma. He has also spent time as a film producer and actor.

Fun with Google and Wikipedia

ArchPundit July 28, 2010 No Comments

Google Phyllis Schlafly

Read Description:

Phyllis Schlafly – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hat tip Illinois Reason commenter Dan L

Why So Little on Blagojevich?

ArchPundit July 28, 2010 No Comments

Everyone is over analyzing the case.  The Feds have him nailed on most of these counts so thoroughly the press is primarily trying to create a story by talking about different potential weaknesses in the case.  There simply aren’t any weaknesses for most of the charges.  The guilt is so clearly established by both tape and testimony that I just don’t have much to say.

One of my favorites is when he told the FBI that he had a firewall between government and fund raising.  The only defense to that is that it was such a completely absurd statement no one would believe him.  Unfortunately for Blagojevich and fortunately for the citizens of Illinois, that’s not a real defense.

The rest of the defense boils down to Blagojevich was too incompetent to pull off most of his schemes.  Again, not a real defense though it is accurate.  He’s going to prison for a long, long time.  Just as I said in 2006.

Bill Brady’s Wikipedia Page

ArchPundit July 28, 2010 No Comments

I’m rather amused, though I don’t know exactly what to think of this:

(Right click view image to read if it’s too small for you)

s

It could be:

A) A joke

B) a campaign staffer

C) Actually one of the kids just trying to be helpful

C actually gives me a fair amount of sympathy.   Kids watching their parents get savaged in politics is one of those things I understand.  Regardless, it’s still funny.

Rasmussen 43 Giannoualias 41 Kirk

ArchPundit July 28, 2010 No Comments

From Rasmussen

The Illinois Senate race remains very close.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Illinois finds Democrat Alexi Giannoulias with 43% support to Republican Mark Kirk’s 41%. Six percent (6%) prefer some other candidate, and 10% are undecided.

Both men have been battling ethics questions for weeks. Thirty-one percent (31%) of Illinois voters now rate Giannoulias as less ethical than most politicians, and 21% say the same of Kirk.

Voters tend to grade politicians on a curve and most Illinois voters still say both men are at least as ethical as most politicians. For Giannoulias, 52% hold that view including eight percent (8%) who say the Democrat is more ethical than most of his political peers.

For Kirk, the numbers are only slightly better. Sixty percent (60%) say his ethics are at least as good as most politicians while 10% view him as more ethical.

Earlier this month, Giannoulias, the state’s current treasurer, led Kirk, a U.S. congressman, 40% to 39%.

Barring Kirk getting a right wing challenger he’s down to his base support and probably can’t fall anymore.  So the fall battle is set with 20% of the voters up fro grabs.  Alexi is going to have to step up findraising to ensure Kirk can’t be the one to solely define Alexi in paid media, but there is still a month before the typical voters pay any attention.

Daily Dolt: IL GOP

ArchPundit July 28, 2010 No Comments

Because lying by the Kirk Campaign wasn’t enough:

For Immediate Release – July 28, 2010

Contact 312-201-9000 info@ilgop.org

Mob Banker Giannoulias Silent on Radical Left-Wing Ties

Does Giannoulias believe President Bush allowed 9/11 to happen?

Does Giannoulias support the legalization of marijuana?

Does Giannoulias stand with J Street against Israel?

Last week, Alexi Giannoulias flew to Las Vegas to speak to the Netroots Nation, a radical left-wing group of bloggers.  Giannoulias announced on his Facebook page that he would be “leading the Illinois Caucus” at the Netroots Nation.  The Netroots website showed Giannoulias confirmed to attend the conference’s candidate event as well.

But as of today, Alexi remains silent on why he would associate with such a far-left wing group – and whether he stands with some of his fellow presenters at the conference.

Does Alexi Giannoulias believe President Bush allowed 9/11 to happen?

The conference agenda included a “conversation” with 9/11 “truther” Van Jones who resigned his post as “Green Jobs Czar” last year after news reports revealed he had signed a petition accusing former President Bush of allowing September 11^th to occur.  Columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote, “You can’t sign a petition demanding not one but four investigations of the charge that the Bush administration deliberately allowed Sept. 11, 2001 — i.e., collaborated in the worst massacre ever perpetrated on American soil — and be permitted in polite society, let alone have a high-level job in the White House.”

No, and neither does Van Jones as I discussed yesterday.  Van Jones not only immediately rejected the notion that Bush was responsible for 9-11 upon the petition with his name attached was brought forward, the kooks at 911truth.org can’t produce any evidence he signed, or for that matter, a couple other people who insist they never signed or agreed to any such statement.  Netroots Nation doesn’t tolerate truthers and Daily Kos banned them years ago-Netroots Nation started out as Yearly Kos hence the relevance.

You can argue over the petition all you want, but Van Jones has made it abundantly clear he doesn’t agree with it, so why is the Illinois GOP trying to raise it as an issue?

Does Alexi Giannoulias support the legalization of marijuana?

A second panel, “Marijuana Policy and Politics,” was scheduled to discuss how the left-wing can make marijuana legalization a mainstream political

issue.

Alexi is against legalization, though to be fair, it’s largely a mainstream issue now.  However, because a panel exists at a conference doesn’t mean everyone who attends agrees with the point.

For example, Mark Kirk caucuses with the Republican Party many of who advocate the privatization of Social Security.  Does that make Mark Kirk a right wing radical?

Does Alexi Giannoulias stand with J Street against Israel?

A third panel, “Israel Palestine Caucus,” was scheduled to be presented by J-Street staff members Isaac Luria and Amy Spitalnick.  J-Street is a controversial group known for its harsh criticism of Israel.  Earlier this year, Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz said, “I reject J Street because it spends more time criticizing Israel than supporting it.  They shouldn’t call themselves pro-Israel.”

On this one Alexi probably is closer to the AIPAC position, but let’s make it clear, J Street isn’t anti-Israel.  It’s just more moderate than AIPAC.  J Street argues for a 2 State Solution with permanent borders–the same position as that crazy nutjob George Bush.  J Street also thinks that attacking Iran and starting another war in between our two current wars might just be a bad idea, but does support a multilateral effort to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons.

Lying Liars Mark Kirk Edition

ArchPundit July 27, 2010 No Comments

Another panel, “Israel Palestine Caucus,” was scheduled to be presented by J-Street staff members Isaac Luria and Amy Spitalnick.  J-Street is a controversial group known for its harsh criticism of Israel.  Earlier this year, Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz said, “I reject J Street because it spends more time criticizing Israel than supporting it.  They shouldn’t call themselves pro-Israel.”

Of course, Van Jones isn’t a truther.

I UNDERSTAND how Shirley Sherrod, the Agriculture Department official who was forced to resign last week, must have felt.

Last year I, too, resigned from an administration job, after I uttered some ill-chosen words about the Republican Party and was accused — falsely — of signing my name to a petition being passed around by 9/11 conspiracy theorists. Partisan Web sites and pundits pounced, and I, too, saw my name go from obscurity to national infamy within hours.

Our situations aren’t exactly the same. Ms. Sherrod’s comments, in which she, a black woman, appeared to admit to racial discrimination against a white couple, were taken far out of context, while I truly did use a vulgarity.

But the way we were treated is strikingly similar, and it reveals a lot about the venal nature of Washington politics in the Internet era. In my case, the media rushed to judgment so quickly that I was never able to make clear that the group put my name on its Web site without my permission. The group finally admitted that it never had my signature, but by then it was too late.

Just can’t stop lying.

Of course, not every position at the conference is held by many who attend or even most.  Truthers were banned from Daily Kos years ago and Netroots Nation certainly doesn’t tolerate them either.

Another lie, another day.  It’s a hell of a streak for Mark Kirk.

It’s Such a Simple Question

ArchPundit July 26, 2010 No Comments

How can voters trust your word….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5w9HYaw8XA[/youtube]

I’m still baffled why he doesn’t try and be human instead of talking around this.  His response from the article was this:

Pressed on the timing of the rescue, Kirk told the Tribune the magazine reporter must have made a mistake. Informed the interview was recorded, Kirk then said he did not watch the sunset but denied embellishing his story.

At some point you just have to admit you screwed up — people are far more forgiving of that then trying to talk your way out of it. 

DGA on Brady’s Economic Views

ArchPundit July 26, 2010 No Comments

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIxhtjp6xhA[/youtube]

Biko, ohoohh Biko…

ArchPundit July 26, 2010 No Comments

What a moron:

My family immigrated to America in the same year that South African police murdered Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko. The racist regime that destroyed him viewed him as a threat because of his simple credo: “I write what I like.” Biko understood that freedom of thought and expression were the greatest weapons against tyranny.

Last week, my opponent, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), called on me to denounce Andrew Breitbart and to end any further association with his website, BigGovernment.com.

Her attack was typical of a corrupt Washington elite that believes it is entitled to tell people what to say and where to say it. It was that kind of behavior that convinced me to run against Schakowsky to begin with, after she collaborated with paid organizers in shutting down questions from constituents at her town hall meeting last August.

Actually, the attack is to point out you are writing at a place that just trashed an innocent woman using a selectively edited video.  The question is why would you want to publish there?