Treasurer Dan Rutherford delivered a forceful, even believable defense of himself last week during a suburban press conference hours after he was hit with a federal lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and coerced campaign work. Rutherford made a strong case that at least some of the accusations are untrue. There were some holes in his argument, […]
Politics
Posted inOpinion
Rodney Davis warns of disaster
13th District congressman Rodney Davis. PHOTO COURTESY US GOVERNMENT Usually, when I read Mad-Hatteresque pronouncements from members of the Republican caucus of the U.S. House, I am reminded of the works of Lewis Carroll. Reading the remarks by 13th District congressman Rodney Davis during his recent campaign announcement tour, I thought instead of James Fenimore […]
Posted inOpinion
Fixing the wrong problem
“Throw the bums out!” I say. Ah, if only we knew who the bums are. Bruce Rauner thinks he knows – they are public sector unions, public school systems and the politicians who enable them. To bring about the Millennium in Illinois, Rauner is circulating petitions to put on the ballot a constitutional amendment authorizing […]
Posted inNews
Mike Bell of Edinburg wants Scherer’s House seat
Mike Bell of Edinburg has a lot on his plate. He’s on the boards of both the Edinburg and Christian County economic development groups, co-chairman of a highway expansion project on Illinois Route 29, and vice president of the Edinburg school board, among many other roles. Now, Bell wants to fulfill a dream that began […]
Posted inOpinion
Southern pride
“The people of Southern Illinois will be extremely pleased with who my running mate is,” said State Sen. Kirk Dillard when he announced who would run with him as he campaigns for the governorship in the Republican primary. She is Rep. Jil Tracy of Quincy, who was born in Carbondale, lived in Anna, and took […]
Posted inOpinion
In defense of the politician
For years now, Illinoisans dismayed by their elected officials’ failure to clean up the messes they made on the voters’ behalf could console themselves with the thought, “Well, it could be worse.” And it was, in California. Its state government confirms the truth of the old saying that California is just like the rest of […]
Posted inOpinion
Crowdsourcing presidential choice
Remember Election Night? All those colored maps on TV, intended to make clear what a jumble of numbers could not. But the maps, unlike the numbers, did not add up. Such massive swaths of red on the map, such a massive pile of blue electoral votes in the graphs. How could the Democrat have won, […]
Posted inOpinion
A way forward for local Democrats
Election night was a mixed bag for local Democrats as nearly a hundred activists, many who worked on local races, filled Floyd’s Thirst Parlor to await vote returns. The mood was festive and optimistic, but as the night advanced without a presidential winner declared, nervousness lingered. Sporadic cheers erupted as the projected winners of high-profile […]
Posted inOpinion
The perils of premature morality
A lot of people, I suppose, thought that George McGovern had died a long time ago when they heard in October that he had passed away. Some of them could even have put a date on his demise – election night 1972, when he lost his presidential campaign to the incumbent Richard Nixon in a […]
Posted inOpinion
Democrats get their Statehouse chance
The Republican legislative hegemony in Springfield is in peril. For the first time in almost 20 years, Springfield seems poised to help elect at least one – maybe even two – Democrats to represent the city in the Illinois General Assembly. On Nov. 6, voters in the near north and southeast area of Springfield will […]
Posted inOpinion
Campaign committees dodge money cap law
One way of getting around the state’s new campaign contribution caps is by forming a lot of different campaign committees. State law forbids people from forming more than one committee (except for independent expenditures, political parties and state legislative leaders), but nothing in the law prevents “friends” and allies from forming their own committees to […]
Posted inOpinion
Mud and money
CORRECTION (10/04/12): An earlier version of this article indicated Republican Congressional candidate Rodney Davis fully supports the budget plan created by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. That is incorrect. While Davis has said he likes parts of the Ryan budget plan, he does not support it in its entirety. We apologize for the mischaracterization. David […]
