This may be a regional thread, but for those aware of the Illinois gubernatorial campaign …
We got two real stinkers in the major parties and a Green candidate who actually comes off as intelligent moderate honest and realistic. And who is up to 9% in the most recent Trib poll (today’s paper). He’d get more I think, if he had a budget and people considered him seriously. He’s got my vote if just to send a message that this negative campaigning has got to stop.
Any thoughts?
I’m genuinely tempted to vote Green, although it will just be a protest vote. Governor Blago is as corrupt as they come, and Judy Barr Topinka is a long-time member of the George Ryan wing of the Republican Party. Blago is going to win this easily, primarily because the state Republican Party in Illinois is still in tatters. (Remember the Jack Ryan/Alan Keyes debacle in '04?)
It did make for some mighty entertaining television, in any case. Maria Pappas was pretty amusing to watch in panel interviews, too, for that matter. You sure can’t say Illinois politics are boring.
My Republican boss and Democrat self were discussing the possibility of voting Green. For me it’s not just a protest against Gov B; most governors in Illinois, be they Democrat or Republican, tend to be in Richie Daley’s hip pocket and I resent that arrogant SOB has that much power over people who can’t even vote against him. Greens seem to be pretty sure of themselves, too, so maybe they’d know how to tell Richie to stuff it.
What was scary during the primary, though, was that Topinka came across as a good fifty IQ points smarter than her opponents, as well as not nearly so evil. Imagine if Oberweis had won! (FTR: Everybody I know who knows Jim Oberweis thinks he’s the salt of the earth, but as my daughter said, “I still wouldn’t vote for him.”)
I don’t know what your friends’ idea of “salt of the earth” is, but mine sure doesn’t include people who engage in anti-immigrant, borderline racist campaign rhetoric. Frankly, ever since that debacle I have boycotted his company, no matter how good the ice cream is. Give me Ben & Jerry’s any day.
I’m sorry, but I didn’t see anything remotely racist about that article. Did I miss something, or is it just his anti-immigration that gets him labled as such?
Yeah, it was Oberweis’ love of imaginary statistics that showed him to be the dolt he is. When he ran for senate he quoted the same phony numbers, reportedly against the recommendations of his campaign people. “Jim, those numbers are bogus and people will think you’re an idiot if you keep blabbing about them.” But out here in Hyde and Hastert Land liberals find they have to separate people from their politics in order to have anybody left to talk to at lunch.
And some of the people I know who know and like him are every bit as doltish.
I’ll be voting for Gov. B. - I think the race will be closer than expected and I’d prefer him to Topinka. I’m not really a fan of his, but we’ve had worse governors.
Can you elaborate on this? I don’t recall many governors being in “Richie Daley’s hip pocket.” Blago and Daley get along fairly well, though I doubt they’re best buddies. Daley got along fairly well with Ryan, though they had their differences. IMO, that relationship was a testament to Daley’s skills as a politician. There was certainly no love lost between Daley and Edgar.
Also, what power does Daley have over people who can’t vote against him? Honest question, I’m trying to figure out which direction you’re coming from.
That article probably isn’t the best example of what I’m talking about; it was just the first one I found. There were much more flagrant examples during the race - the TV ads made me want to puke. He did a lot of scaremongering about the Evil Brown People coming to take away American jobs. Even if you want a restructuring of the immigration enforcement system, there are much less inflammatory ways to go about supporting that.
Yup, saw those commercials. Won’t go to Oberwies for ice cream no more. They made the Willie Horton ads look tasteful.
I don’t like Blago or Topinka. But the one ad that really makes me wonder…it’s the one where they’re trying to make Topinka look like she’s anti-military personnel. They say she doesn’t care about them and the clip they use is her saying, “You know…you need to do more than attend funerals.”
How is that anti-military personnel? Do you think any of those people would give a shit if a bunch of strangers attend a funeral if they were getting other things that are more meaningful?
But…I digress. I’m not sure who I’m voting for yet. I’m going to look into other names, because these two annoy the bejeezus out of me.
I’m mostly coming from the direction of not wanting to turn northwest suburban Chicagoland into the O’Hare Megaplex. By “in Daley’s hip pocket” I suppose I meant “never ordered Daley’s arrest and summary execution.” :eek: IOW, I may have overstated. But Mayor Daley runs roughshod over those suburbanites who disagree with him and the stronger the dislike between him and the governor the better the balance of power and the happier I am, so the alternative to voting Green may be to write in Edgar’s name. I think there’s still time for the campaign to get traction. 
I figured that was your beef with the guy, just wanted to make sure. 
While I’m sympathetic with the NW 'burbs regarding O’Hare, one of my biggest irritations with Blago is that he hasn’t quashed the third airport plan. I suppose we’ll have to agree to disagree on this.
My apologies for the hijack.
And please, no more Edgar administrations.
I’m going to vote GREEN
in Wisconsins Governor race.
:D
By coincidence, I was just reading the webite for the Green candidate this afternoon. I’m slightly torn with what I suspect is the usual quandry when voting for 3rd party candidates – I’d potentially rather see Rich Whitney in office than Blagojevich but I’d certainly rather see Blagojevich in office than Topinka. If I voted for Whitney and then Topinka, by some stroke of fate, won then I don’t know how I’d forgive myself.
I’m not actually sold on Rich Whitney anyway. But the hypothetical is still there.
If you really feel that Blagojevich is much better than Topinka would be, then you should vote for him rather than risk feeling like you voted for Nader in Florida. Me? I don’t find her so reprehensible. Bush she aint. She did a fine job as Comptroller. She’s fairly moderate and despite the negative ads, I believe her to be a straight shooter. (Okay, I don’t like her pro-gun positions.) The only positive I see to Blagojevich is AllKids. Meanwhile the big issue in this state is education funding and only Whitney talks sense here.
I’ll probably vote for Topinka, too. I’ve never felt a need to split my ballot in a gov/lt gov race so I don’t recall if the tickets are still separated on the ballot. I’d much rather vote for Pat Quinn than Joe Birkett; hell, as a Dupage County resident I’d rather vote for Satan.