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National Journals Political Insiders Poll

ArchPundit April 25, 2008 No Comments

The press is in some alternate world that makes it sound like Clinton has a serious chance at the nomination. Funny enough, Democratic and Republican party insiders are far more realistic (subscription required)

Q: Who is most likely to capture the Democratic presidential nomination?

Democrats (88 votes)

                        Now             3/8/08
Hillary Rodham Clinton  17 percent      46 percent
Barack Obama            82 percent      53 percent

Neither (volunteered)    1 percent       1 percent

Republicans (89 votes)

                        Now             3/8/08
Hillary Rodham Clinton  17 percent      50 percent
Barack Obama            80 percent      46 percent
Neither (volunteered)    3 percent       4 percent

On electability:

Q: Which Democratic presidential candidate would do better against John McCain in November?

Democrats (88 votes)

Hillary Rodham Clinton  45 percent
Barack Obama            50 percent
Both (volunteered)       5 percent

Republicans (89 votes)

Hillary Rodham Clinton 55 percent

Barack Obama 42 percent

Both (volunteered) 3 percent

The Democratic group has 88 members meaning about 15 think Clinton will win. Of those in the group there are members of both campaigns, but to give you an idea of where the 15 come from, Terry McCauliffe, Harold Ickes, Mike Henry, Tony Podesta, Bruce Reed, Doug Sosnick, Steve Richetti, Gerald McEntee, Mame Reilly, JoDee Winterhof, Bonnie Campbell, and Laura Hartigan are all included and that’s just from skimming the list. If you aren’t familiar with them they are Clinton employees, Hillraisers, or close allies. IOW, from a list of 88 people, 15 think Clinton can win and just a cursory look shows 12 who are a part of the campaign. No one, and probably even some in the campaign, thinks she can win the nomination.

More Homeland Security Incompetence

ArchPundit April 25, 2008 No Comments

Here for 50 years and the bureaucracy cannot finish her paperwork in a year.

Via Illinois Coaltion for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Progress Illinois 

According to Chicago Public Radio, CIS received a record 1.4 million naturalization applications nationwide last year, many of which arrived before fees rose dramatically in August. In fact, the agency saw a 350 percent increase in applications in June and July 2007 over the same period the previous year. Given the glut, many of the applications are still awaiting approval. But not in Chicago, says the Chicago District Director Marilou Cabrera, who addressed the crowd. She claims Chicago’s office had no backlogs and processing is averaging eight-and-half months when the applications aren’t complex.

Two elderly immigrants with personal experience disagreed. One of the women, who has lived in the country for 50 years and would like to ensure her citizenship so she can cast a ballot in the 2008 elections, says she’s been waiting since July to hear a final verdict.

Things I Missed

ArchPundit April 24, 2008 No Comments

Eugene Pincham passed while I was busy with that pesky day job.  How sad

The 25th Anniversary of Lee Elia’s Meltdown

ArchPundit April 24, 2008 No Comments

Article:

“We get in there, Elia sees us, and he says: ‘Hi fellas, come on in,’ ” recalled Les Grobstein. “He seemed very calm.”

Grobstein, the omnipresent Chicago radio reporter with a memory to rival “Rain Man”, said he and three writers—the Tribune’s Robert Markus, the Sun-Times’ Joel Bierig and the Daily Herald’s Don Friske—were there for the start of the interview.

Grobstein said he asked the question that sent Elia into a rage: “Tough way to lose a game, huh?”

Elia told the Tribune’s Fred Mitchell the tipping point actually came when a Los Angeles reporter asked about how Cubs fans were reacting to the team’s 5-14 start.

Whatever the case, the crowd around Elia grew quickly.

David Schuster, now a WSCR-AM 670 reporter then working for Sportsphone, put his microphone near Elia but looked the other way.

“I had to turn my back to him so I wouldn’t laugh,” Schuster said. “I was thinking: What am I going to do with this tape? How am I going to edit it?”

Giangreco and his cameraman joined the festivities just in time to hear Elia say: “85 percent of the [bleeping] world is working; the other 15 come out here.”

“Les and I are looking at each other like: This is gold!” recalled Giangreco, now WLS-Ch. 7’s top sports anchor. “At the end of the rant, we both said in unison: ‘Thanks, Lee.’ And we ran out of there.”

For those who don’t remember, it’s NSFW, but damn funny.

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