ArchPundit

Suing Bloggers

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 2 Comments

Somehow this slipped through the cracks, but Carl is being sued for defamation.

Details here

Someone threatening to sue a blogger is nothing new, someone actually bothering with doing it is.

Most of the suit is bogus. Bill Welch’s privacy is largely a non-issue given his brother is a public official. That his brother voted on his hiring is bizarre in itself and pretty much opens all the rest to public scrutiny. Further, reporting on public records isn’t a violation of privacy.

The only issue that appears legally debatable is whether Carl’s letter to Chris Welch’s boss crosses the line. One would have to see the whole letter, but there is broad latitude depending on how the letter was written if it was seeking information as a member of the press.

Finally, and perhaps Carl can point it out, where is the word liar used by Carl towards either Welch brother? Given it’s in a quote, I’d think it would be verbatim, but then again the bogus privacy argument tends to make me think this wasn’t the work of a genius.

All bloggers should remember being sued is pretty easy. You migh have the law on your side, but it’s an expensive thing to make sure stays on your side–and make sure you have personal liability insurance. To those who threaten to sue me, yes I do and plenty of it. I have since before I started the blog. Bring it on.

Of Good Blog Ads

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 No Comments

Christine Cegelis’ ads are cracking me up and using the medium quite well.

As always visit all of the sponsors–I’m happy to endorse every one of the ads currently up as worth visiting (I’m neutral for now in the 6th CD primary (and owe one candidate a call), but funny ads get noticed).

Claypool Sightings

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 No Comments

John Fritchey has a poll up for the County President race and Jeff Berkowitz (not the one outed today–google it, I’m not linking) has an interview with Claypool on Public Affairs.

Just to Push the Blogosphere Thing

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 No Comments

Ahem, any sitting or former Governor’s have a standing invitation to call.

Giangreco and Curry don’t count–not that I don’t appreciate them commenting.

(Okay, so anyone is welcome to call the voice mail–number is on the left and is working last I checked)

GOP Republican Gubernatorial Nomination Cattle Call Comment Period

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 1 Comment

It’s back. I figure it’s time to start up–last time was too early, but now we have regular news to run this as a weekly feature.

So drop your comments down below or in e-mail and I’ll be placing the competitors in my own personal opinionated order–I do take your comments into consideration though.

Obviously Brady is doing better than I expected, but what other surprises are there?

Was Syverson at Either of These?

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 2 Comments

First, for those not familiar with it, GOPILLINOIS is a site run by Dave Diersen, a Republican activist from Wheaton. The site collects some of the more important articles related to state politics–especially Republican politics in Illinois. Rich Miller has pointed it out before. It was originally done in an e-mail, but he now posts each day on the web site and it’s a great resource. Dave is way to the other end of political spectrum from me, but it’s an invaluable resource. I don’t link to it enough–though there is a permalink on the left. He does some commentary as well and has linked to ArchPundit from time to time which I appreciate.

The above is to assuage my guilt over not linking enough and then making fun of one of the events he’s been promoting.

Judge Roy Moore made a visit to Illinois with stops in Wheaton and Rockford

From Dierson’s Summary:

About 350 heard an outstanding address by former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore at the Wheaton Evangelical Free Church in Wheaton Saturday evening, September 24. Sadly, it appeared that the neither the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, Wheaton Sun, nor the Wheaton Leader assigned any of their reporters to cover this major news event. Speakers included Sandy Rios and Senator Peter Roskam and attendees included Senator Bill Brady, Eileen Byrne, Paul Caprio, State Representative Randy Hultgren, Peter Labarbera, David McSweeney, Frank Penn, Scott Thomas, Dr. Eric Wallace, and Jon Zahm.

I have to agree with Dierson that it’s odd no one covered that several important candidates and political operatives were in attendance at a talk by Roy Moore. Roskam spoke with Moore–does he approve of Moore? And where does he break with Moore?

Moore is the guy who flaunted orders from superior courts to remove his 10 Commandments monument on state grounds. It wasn’t just that he disagreed with a Superior Court, he flouted the ruling and was eventually tossed from the Court from an ethics complaint initiated by Bill Pryor, a very conservative Attorney General who Bush then nominated to the Court of Appeals.

There are some real serious questions people need to have answers about from those who are seeking office at the rally and whether they support Roy Moore’s challenge to the inegrity of the US Judicial System. Unfortunately, no one asked them that day.

To the Republican who think Moore’s great: Didn’t we learn anything from Alan Keyes?

CORRECTED: Called Dave John and misspelled the last name.

You Mean Normal People Don’t Care About Politics?

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 No Comments

Who knew if you read the blogs? Eric Krol let’s everyone know what the average person actually cares about.
Yeah, one of my pet issues is the utter misunderstanding of many activists when it comes to the average person’s interest in their pet causes. Generally, they don’t give a damn. What do they care about? The weather.

TV isn?t getting off any easier ? I stopped counting the would-be jurors who ?watch TV news only to get the weather.?

The lack of knowledge about recent political events astounded me, not because I labor under any delusion that most of the public awaits every political story with bated breath, but because among a large pool of average people, the ignorance was almost universal. Jury selection also probably just reaffirms Chapter 1 in the political consultants? standard play book: you can win simply by running a flurry of negative TV ads, taking few solid positions and making even fewer promises. Few are paying attention, apparently.

Another day, I’ll defend rational ignorance–at least to a degree, but when political advocates, supporters and junkies get into a discussion of the minutia of a policy or of strategy describing how some specific item will turn an election, they miss that for the most part, most voters know nothing of the event. They have lives, most of us don’t.

Krol’s column is excellent and makes several great observations including the willingness of most people to serve on a jury out of civic responsibility–something most cynical observers of the political world view as little more than a nuisance to our pontificating.

Hat tip Rich again

Please Put the Cronies Where They Can Do No (Serious) Harm

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 2 Comments

Rich Miller and IlliniPundit asked all sorts of good questions concerning the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

What’s telling is that after Katrina with many emergency management issues being discussed, Burke wasn’t front and center, Michael Chamness was the key contact. Aaron Chambers interviewed him for an article on evacuations.

Who was Chamness? A Ryan loyalist who has testified in the license for bribes scandal. Before that, he was a newspaper reporter–sorry guys, I love a lot of you, but I don’t want you in charge of my evacuation (just as you shouldn’t want me in charge of yours).

I’ll give a pass to Ryan on this simply because many didn’t take it so seriously before 9-11. Now there is no excuse.

Meeks?

ArchPundit September 26, 2005 No Comments

That’s intriguing.

The thing about a Meeks candidacy is how it alters the landscape regarding black voters. The assumption, pre-big scandals (when hasn’t there been a little scandal in Chicago) was that part of the reason Daley was invulnerable was a weird position he staked out where he occupied a middle space ideologically. The white ethnics weren’t always happy–especially in the police department, but there is no way to run and win from that side of the electorate. African-Americans voted more and more for Daley giving him a majority of his votes last cycle. Daley accomplished this by targeting African-American ministers in faith based initiatives aimed at their neighborhoods. He had picked off most Latinos in previous elections.

Meeks obviously has the clout with African-American ministers to make inroads relatively easily. He can use the rallying cry from the corruption with minority contracts going to mysteriously pale men.

Leaving the swing vote of Latinos to fight over in the election. The problem here for Meeks is that he would likely have Gutierrez or another Latino jump to hope to split the difference. This far out, it’s hard to imagine that Daley wouldn’t win because he’d be able to hold on to enough of the African-American and Latino vote to go with his base.

The problem for him comes if there is a fourth credible candidate who can take white voters other than lakefront liberals (who are now dispersed throughout the city). I just don’t see that other white candidate emerging. Meeks is an improvement over Jackson Jr. who by my take would simply be another guy with different friends to put into patronage positions, but probably couldn’t run the city very well.

The question then comes down to does Daley want to fight for another term given all the work and time it would take.

My answer: It’s Hizzoner’s city.

Hat Tip To Rich