By Steve Rhodes
“The first major debate in the Illinois governor’s race was a brutal verbal battle that at times sounded as though the candidates were trying out for a Wizard of Oz revival as they jousted over who’s best to fix the state’s shambolic finances,” Ray Long writes for the Tribune.
“Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn accused Republican challenger Bill Brady of not having ‘a heart’ for suggested widespread budget cuts. And Brady implied that Quinn doesn’t have a brain for following a road of ‘tax, spend and borrow.’
“Behind all of the heated rhetoric shone a light that illustrated clear differences between the two major-party governor candidates on education, taxes and corruption. The forum Wednesday at the private Union League Club of Chicago represented the first exchange open to reporters before the Nov. 2 election.”
Here was the most important part, though, in the second-to-last paragraph:
“The debate excluded independent candidate Scott Lee Cohen, Libertarian hopeful Lex Green and Green Party contender Rich Whitney, who protested his exclusion along with about 20 supporters.”
Wouldn’t it have been nice to hear what they had to say? To watch them challenge Quinn and Brady from their own perspectives? To broaden the voters’ choices?
After all, we’ve heard all we need from Quinn and Brady. Now they’re just putting on little plays.
Another Chicago Coinkydink*
“Mariyana Spyropoulos lost a race for commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District two years ago, but she is running again Nov. 2 as an incumbent – thanks to Gov. Pat Quinn,” the Tribune reports.
“The Democratic governor used his appointment power to make Spyropoulos a commissioner when he filled a vacancy for the $50,000-a-year position.
“Five months later, her father gave Quinn’s struggling campaign a $25,000 donation right before the governor’s narrow primary election victory. Theodor Spyropoulos gave another $25,000 after the primary, and his daughter has donated $1,000.
“Quinn has received political contributions connected to at least 77 of the people he has chosen for state task forces, agencies, boards or commissions since he became governor in January 2009, according to a Tribune review of public records. At least 20 of the donations from the appointees, their families or their businesses came within two months of the appointment.
“The governor told the Tribune he does not give any consideration to campaign donations when he makes an appointment: ‘I never have, never will.'”
Yes, well, we know how it works. It’s an insiders’ game. “Consideration” is inherent.
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Check out item No. 16 at They Tried To Buy The Primaries.
* I stole this term from Rich Miller but I’m pretty sure he didn’t coin it.
Liars’ Club
So Mark Kirk is a liar and Alexi Giannoulias is a liar. Is LeAlan Jones telling the truth? Because if he is, why wouldn’t you vote for him?
If you believe in change, integrity and the presence of an African-American in the U.S. Senate, shouldn’t Jones be your candidate? I’m just wondering.
Real World Newsbreak
Meanwhile, the Illinois poverty rate rose 24 percent from 1999 to 2009. Huh, right under the media’s nose. Oh well, I guess they were too busy writing about school reform
*
“Cabrini-Green Reduced To One Last Building.”
Out of sight . . .
Business Bill
“Brady Says He’ll Run Illinois ‘Like A Business.'”
He’ll lay a bunch of us off?
Make us pay for more of our health care?
Ask the government for a bailout?
Danks Dynasty
“Given that Emily Danks was, as she says, ‘out of the womb, onto the baseball bleachers,’ one would have thought she would play competitive softball – or at least pickup games with her older brothers,” the Columbus Dispatch writes.
“They would be John Danks, a 25-year-old starting pitcher for the Chicago White Sox; and Jordan Danks, a 24-year-old center-field prospect for the same team.
“But, while growing up in Round Rock, Texas, Emily Danks was the girlie girl – wearing dresses and hair bows, taking ballet and piano lessons – and she wasn’t crazy about that infield dirt.
“‘I’ve never held a bat in my life,’ she said. ‘I was playing Barbies and dress-up.’
“Danks protested when her parents signed her up for eighth-grade volleyball but quickly found the sport fun. And nearing her 6-foot-1-inch height, she was good at it, too.
“A 19-year-old Ohio State sophomore, Danks is an outside hitter on the women’s volleyball team and a starter in 26 games last season. Going into the Buckeyes’ first Big Ten home games against Michigan and Michigan State this weekend, she is the team’s second-leading scorer.”
Trivial Pursuit
New fun facts about Katy Perry, Kanye West, Chuck D, Keith Richards, Ozzy Osbourne and more!
From Today’s Inbox
Steve,
I represent the Commercial Finance Association (www.cfa.com) the nonprofit trade group for the asset-based lending/factoring industries. We are holding our Annual Convention in Chicago this October, and our keynote is former President George W. Bush.
Due to security and other restrictions, we do not anticipate that he will be open to one-on-one interviews and most likely will not want media photographers in attendance. However, I can offer you or a member of your editorial team complimentary media credentials to the Convention, providing access to his keynote delivery, which will be limited to attendees of the Convention only.
President Bush’s remarks will take place Thursday, October 21 at 8:30 a.m. More information can be found at https://www.cfa.com/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=CFA&WebKey=b5ed60f5-125c-4b1d-aa4f-7a7bc8d3e488
We suspect there will be a lot of media interest in attending, given the opportunity to hear the former President speak in a more “closed” environment. With that in mind, we are first inviting more high profile media and will keep the number of media credentials we offer to a minimum.
If this is of interest to you, I can provide you with media credentials.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with further questions.
Best,
Kathryn Stuart Lee
Account Coordinator
S&A Cherokee
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Insure prompt service.
Posted on September 30, 2010