By Steve Rhodes
“Democrats literally mapped out their victories in Illinois congressional races this year, winning most of the big prizes in districts that had been redrawn to squeeze out Republicans or throw them into Democrat-friendly territory,” AP reports.
“The party picked up four congressional seats, including three held by GOP freshmen, Tuesday night as President Barack Obama scored an easy home-state victory en route to re-election.”
What was described by one top Republican strategist as a “bloodbath” includes veto-proof Democratic majorities in both the state Senate and state House. Democrats, of course, already control the governorship, as well as Cook County government and Chicago government. A Chicagoan is also in the White House – along with his Chicago cronies.
Memo to Democrats: You unmistakably wear the jacket in these parts.
There’s no one else left to blame. It’s your government.
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President Obama, too, now owns his record fully. Republicans might still control the House, but that’s life in America. You have now inherited your first term, not George W. Bush’s last term. If only we could identify an agenda going forward.
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Back to the General Assembly:
“Democrats were poised to win up to 40 seats in the 59-member Senate, boosting their 35-24 margin, according to [senate president John] Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon,” the Tribune reports. “Cullerton said voters recognized Democrats are willing to ‘take on tough issues’ and rejected a conservative tilt in the state’s Republicans.
“House Democrats were in range of boosting their 64-54 majority to 71 seats, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, adding the party has been willing to ‘confront the state’s problems year after year.'”
Right. Illinois voters are absolutely thrilled with how effectively tough Democrats confront the issues. If you believe that, I’ve got a voter registration list to sell you.
“Illinois undergoes a realignment of districts after each census to adjust to changes in population, but the real exercise is over who can draw legislative districts to best help their political party,” the Tribune notes.
“Democrats led by Madigan, who doubles as party chairman, had the rare opportunity to rewrite the map with little trouble because they control both legislative chambers and the governor’s office.
“The result was that more than a dozen sitting Republicans were pitted against each other, forcing primary showdowns, leading some lawmakers to retire and causing some Republicans to fight Democrats this fall in unfamiliar territory.”
Democracy!
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Voters were equally as impressed with Derrick Smith’s ability to face tough issues, such as his indictment and pending federal trial.
“Smith declared victory in the West Side race that pitted him against lawyer Lance Tyson, who was selected to run as an independent by some of the same Democratic leaders who helped Smith win the March primary one week after his arrest,” the Tribune reports.
“[W]ith 98 percent of precincts reporting, Smith had 63 percent to 37 percent for Tyson in the battle to regain his seat.”
Thank you for playing, Lance! Did you have fun?
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Jesse Jackson Jr. addresses supporters at his victory party.
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“Fresh from a narrow election night victory, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Brim was in court early Wednesday – on the other side of the bench as her misdemeanor battery case plays out in court,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Brim won a little more the 60 percent of yes votes to win re-election despite a highly publicized tussle in March with a sheriff’s deputy at the downtown Daley Center court complex.”
“In that case she allegedly shoved an officer, threw a set of keys near a security checkpoint and was subsequently arrested. Nearly a dozen bar groups gave her a thumbs down in the run-up to the election.”
Brim is a mentally unstable disaster whose problems go far beyond tussling with a sheriff’s deputy.
“[Brim] is faulted for inconsistent rulings, hostility toward litigants and attorneys and inadequate knowledge of the law,” the Tribune editorial board wrote – in 2000.
But Democrats – including one of Governing’s public officials of the year – get the judges they want; our is not to wonder why.
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“During his campaign, Walsh portrayed himself as ‘Public Enemy No. 1’ to Democrats,” the Sun-Times reports.
“And he slammed Duckworth for being the beneficiary of a brazen political deal allegedly brokered by presidential adviser David Axelrod, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Walsh claimed they targeted him in a remap that pushed him out of his old congressional district and placed him into a heavily Democratic district – an assertion Duckworth blithely dismissed as ‘lies.'”
Whose being naive now, Tammy?
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I think Bill Foster beat Judy Biggert, but for all I know this headline is from the primary.
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Strange places some Americans – including Chicagoans – vote.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on November 7, 2012