bridget in the sixth

Here To Stay

2010-11-24T06:11:00.002-06:00

It's been almost a year since I last posted on my woefully neglected blog. So much has changed since my last post. So much has changed since I began this blog!

I've given some thought to purposefully abandoning this blog and starting a new one. Reasons for doing so include:

I no longer live in Illinois' Sixth Congressional District.
IL-06 will soon cease to exist as we know it due to redistricting.
Seemed like a good idea at the time to base it on IL-06, but that didn't happen much
People I respect tell me I need to tone it down for the sake of my business (ha!)
There are many viewpoints I've expressed here that I don't believe anymore. I've grown.

But, since I started this blog primarily to entertain myself, I shall continue to do that here. I might start a new blog soon, but this one is here to stay. I've never cared much about what people say, so why should I start now? Seems silly.

So on with it. Surely there's plenty of Bollywood material out there from the past year!!!

Bollywood Holidays - "Jingle Bells"

2009-12-22T09:05:00.001-06:00

I just found this gem on YouTube.

"Quinn Stories" - Campaign videos I'll actually watch!

2009-12-18T11:52:00.008-06:00

Rich Miller over at The Capitol Fax Blog has been talking about Pat Quinn's excellently produced web videos for months now. I've been so busy with work and life that I haven't had much of a chance to look them over. Thankfully, I've been added to the "Quinn Stories" email list and therefore reminded to check them out.

I'm seriously impressed! Humanizing stories and testimonials that illustrate the character, personality, and positions of a politician make a huge difference to voters who otherwise don't give politics more than 5 minutes a week of their time. It's a monumental struggle to capture the electorate's attention span beyond that 5 minute mark! It requires expert targeting, ingenuity, and a lot of innovative thinking (if your campaign doesn't plan to spend trillions of dollars on pricey media buys, anyway).

No matter where you stand on the race for Governor of Illinois, it's hard to deny that David Rosen over at the Quinn Campaign has done a great job on these web videos. Keep up the great work!

Roskam Votes Against Unemployment Extension

2009-09-23T20:20:00.003-05:00

Millions of unemployed Americans will be breathing a sigh of relief this week. The House just voted overwhelmingly to extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks to people in 27 states where unemployment rates top 8.5%, among them Illinois.

The roll call is here.

ILLINOIS

Democrats — Bean, Y; Costello, Y; Davis, Y; Foster, Y; Gutierrez, X; Halvorson, Y; Hare, Y; Jackson, X; Lipinski, Y; Quigley, Y; Rush, X; Schakowsky, Y.

Republicans — Biggert, Y; Johnson, Y; Kirk, X; Manzullo, Y; Roskam, NO; Schock, Y; Shimkus, Y.

NOTICE ANYTHING UNUSUAL?? Yeah, me neither! Yet again, Creepy Pete Roskam votes against the interests of his district. Not only that, he is the ONLY member of the IL GOP House delegation to vote against it. If you check out the link, you'll also notice that some of the most conservative members of the House voted FOR the extension. Among them the ENTIRE Indiana GOP delegation and the infamous anti-immigrant crusader, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin.

I'm from that neighborhood. I've spent the better part of my 31 years in that neighborhood. I know an awful lot of people there and A LOT of them are out of work and in a very tough spot.

SHAME on you, Pete Roskam. You've really outdone yourself this time.

Hat tip to Adam Doster over at Progress Illinois.

Who will challenge Creepy Pete in IL-06?

2009-09-01T17:24:00.004-05:00

So petitions have started and apparently there isn't a Democrat yet running in IL-06. Jill Morgenthaler has told me said she needs significant support from DC in order to run. I'm assuming that means she needs significant support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as well as other Democratic and progressive-leaning PAC's and institutions.

In other words, these fools better not leave her hanging if she decides to take on ol' Creepy again. Last time around, it was pretty apparent that she didn't get the kind of resources and institutional support allocated to Tammy Duckworth's campaign in 2006. She was largely left to fend for herself as a first time candidate. It went as well as could be expected, even in the year of President Barack Obama. A badly planned and executed campaign will turn out badly, almost without question.

So far as I can tell, Jill Morgenthaler is our best bet to beat Creepy Pete. I'm hoping she runs.

Treat Your Mama Right

2009-05-10T20:46:00.001-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and all the mothers out there!

Congressman Quigley!

2009-04-09T08:31:00.002-05:00

A few days late, but what the heck...

¡ CONGRATULATIONS !
CONGRESSMAN QUIGLEY

Love,
Rosána Pulído

Contribution Limits in IL? Maybe...

2009-04-08T15:08:00.005-05:00

I consider myself pretty fortunate to be represented by Senator Heather Steans. In addition to credibly moving progressive issues in Senate, she's asserted herself as a non-nonsense voice for reform in IL government. And, as we're all too aware, Illinois government certainly has it's share of nonsense.

Of particular note is that Senator Steans is the chief cosponsor of SB1768 which would enact campaign contribution limits in IL.

Currently, Illinois is the the wild west of campaign finance, with very little restrictions on who can give and how much. According to current law, a single person, a corporation, or a political action committee can bankroll a political campaign to the tune of endless millions of dollars. The only requirement is that contributions over $150 must be reported to the Illinois State Board of Elections. I'm sure I don't need to illustrate the problems this creates.

Next week, along with State Rep. Harry Osterman, Senator Steans will be hosting a town hall meeting on ethics reform at Loyola University.

It's a Golden Opportunity... For Reform
A town hall meeting on ethics

Host: State Senator Heather Steans, State Representative Harry Osterman, and Loyola University

Date: Thursday, April 16th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Location: Mundelein Center at Loyola University (1020 W. Sheridan Ave)

Featured Speakers
* Scott Turow, Best-selling author, current member and first chair
of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission
* Cindi Canary, Executive Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform

Join State Representative Harry Osterman and Senator Heather Steans
for a discussion on ethics reform in Illinois and learn what you can
do to get involved in passing ethics reform legislation in Illinois.

Co-sponsoring organizations include: Northside Democracy for America, Independent Voters of Illinois - Independent Precinct Organization, Jane Addams Senior Caucus, League of Women Voters Chicago, Citizen Action/Illinois, Loyola University, Emanuel Congregation, Rogers Park Community Council, Edgewater Community Council, Loyola Inside Government, Loyola College Democrats, AARP, Alderman Joseph Moore, and more

Congressman Quigley and Rosána Pulído

2009-03-05T22:35:00.003-06:00

As if you haven't heard already, Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley won the special election Democratic primary to replace Rahm Emanuel for the 5th CD.

Everybody's favorite Minutemen spokeswoman, Rosána Pulído, won the Republican primary.

Say it with me, folks:

"roh-SAH-nuh - poo-LEE-doh"

And remember to roll that "r". She really loves that.

5th CD Forum Fun

2009-02-03T12:06:00.004-06:00

On Sunday, I briefly went to the 5th CD Forum sponsored by Northside DFA, DePaul Democrats, and WCPT Chicago's Progressive Talk Radio. I say "briefly" because I had to leave almost right away. My friend had been parking the car and by the time she came in they were over capacity and wouldn't let her in! There was tremendous turnout! And on Superbowl Sunday to boot. Amazing. Northside DFA did a ton of promotion for the event and I'm sure the other groups did as well.

The general consensus seems to be that the large number of candidates hindered the amount of information being presented. I'm all for only inviting only the viable candidates, but I suppose that wouldn't be very democratic, would it? Northside DFA is a lot more fair than I am! ;)

Mike Fourcher has a recap of the frum on Mechanics here.
You can download a podcast of the event here.

I hear there's going to be YouTube video of the forum, but I haven't found it yet.

While I'm at it...I love Edith Piaf, too

2009-01-02T16:05:00.004-06:00

Singing "Milord" on an American TV show, first with the translation. This song is my cellphone's ringtone at the moment, so it's always on my mind. Edith Piaf sparkled. If you haven't seen "La Vie en Rose" yet, you absolutely must.

And the Granolaheads shall inherit the earth...

2009-01-02T15:47:00.004-06:00

I love this song by Michael Franti and Spearhead, "Say Hey - I Love You". It's my morning get-up-to-it jam at the moment.

I also love this one by Franti, "Have a Little Faith in Me".

What can I say? I'm renewing my love for all things hippie, love, granolahead at the moment. The world needs more of this business, as I've become keenly aware recently.

One Love,

Bridget

Updates

2008-12-28T14:27:00.002-06:00

Several self-proclaimed "fans" of my blog have recently called me out on my lack of updates. One suggested I make it my New Year's resolution to update more frequently. So I shall, interesting content or not!

So I've been off of work for 10 straight days at this point and won't be back until January 5th. I have tons of time on my hands, most of my friends seem to be out of town, and I just don't care about making big plans. I fooled around with the idea of joining friends skiing in Wisconsin, but I think I'll wait until early February to plan a ski trip. I've been cooking, working on art projects, hanging out with the peeps who are in town and, of course, catching up on the latest garbage reality TV. Last night I went to a ska show at the Metro, bringing back many fond memories!

My newest favorite reality shows are "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and "Rob and Big". The Housewives are the most materialistic, petty, hilarious women on TV. Trainwrecks to the core. Rob and Big are two best friends with an English bulldog named Meaty and a mini horse named Minnie. They drive the horse around in their SUV, which seems like it would smell. Rob is a pro skateboarder and Big is a record producer.

We're all waiting to see what happens with Governor Blago. Note that the video I posted of my friend's kid was several weeks before Blago's arrest! Prophetic!

Eartha Kitt has passed

2008-12-26T15:22:00.001-06:00

Eartha Kitt has passed away from colon cancer. What a shame. She was wonderful.

Stupid Kiddie Political Tricks

2008-11-26T15:24:00.001-06:00

My friend Steve's adorable son, Ian, tells us about Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich.

Blue Colorado!

2008-11-07T15:39:00.002-06:00

Working on the election with the AFL-CIO in Colorado was a ton of fun! We worked our behinds off and won the state for Obama AND brand new Senator Mark Udall. We were able to defeat 2 out of the three ballot amendments we were working against, effectively saving Colorado from becoming a "right to work (for less)" state.

Like all campaigns, I made some great friends and I'll miss hanging out with them. I have plans to visit DC for the inauguration and stay with them, which is definitely something to look forward to!

I'm in Denver until Sunday, staying with family and seeing the sights. I've quickly figured out that "the sights" are few and far between in Colorado once Rocky Mountain National Park and ski resorts are weeded out. I suppose I could go to a mega-church and bask in the insanity, but I think I'll pass. At this point, I just want to hang out with the family and stare at the wall.

One of the most remarkable things about Denver is the sunshine. I have been here nearly three weeks and it's not been cloudy more than once or twice. No wonder people are unbelievably nice to each other here! They're drunk with happy sunshine.

I'll be glad to be home on Sunday. At the top of my to-do list is finding a new place. The Clubhouse has lost it's quaintness and is now just claustrophobic. Especially since I have decided to adopt a KITTY!!!!! I've been on Petfinder.org like it's porn. I have my eye on several beautiful, blue kittens. I just can't quit the magical blue kitties.

Off to Denver

2008-10-18T23:38:00.002-05:00

As if this blog wasn't dead enough lately, I will be going to Denver for the next two weeks on behalf of my union. I'll be working with the AFL-CIO's Labor 2008 political operation to elect Barack and Mark Udall as well as defeat 3 anti-labor ballot referenda. I'm super excited, but a little sad that I'll be missing a fabulous Bollywood themed Halloween bash. I so, SO was looking forward to getting decked out in a sari and bindi with jingly jewelry. *sigh* These things just don't happen very often.

I'll also be missing my usual election night party circuit with my bestest political hack buddies and the company of a new friend. Chicago is the place to be on e-day.

Nevertheless, I am super excited to be in a swing state! That's where all the action is and I am nothing if not all about action. And scandal. Though I don't know if we want scandal in CO this year.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

Free Eggs to a Good Womb!

2008-10-14T15:08:00.003-05:00

As a friend recently remarked, this video displays nicely a "right-wing douche" Peter Roskam is. Way to go, Colonel Morgenthaler! I'm a fan of this one.

Creepy Pete Roskam sliming it up again

2008-09-29T15:21:00.002-05:00

Apparently, Rep. Peter Roskam has been making the claim that Jill Morgenthaler is tied to Tony Rezko. I hadn't heard about this until today when I received a statement from Jill's campaign. So, for the record, here it is:

"Despite repeated attempts by the Roskam campaign to link Tony Rezko to Jill Morgenthaler, Morgenthaler has NEVER met, spoken with, taken money from or in any way dealt with Tony Rezko.

Roskam and the Illinois Republican Party are engaging in the kind of dirty, dishonest campaigning that has made so many Americans skeptical of the political process. Rather than defending his voting record, Roskam is trying to distract the voters of the 6th District with blatant lies and is trying to sully Jill Morgenthaler’s honorable career of service to our nation and our state."

Captain Tollway

2008-08-21T08:26:00.003-05:00

And the prize for lamest superhero in the state of Illinois goes to...

CAPTAIN TOLLWAY.

Barack Rickrolling

2008-08-15T10:47:00.001-05:00

Never gonna give you up...

Illinois Review Unknowingly Promotes LGBT McCain Event

2008-08-08T21:15:00.001-05:00

Oops! Hahahaha.

The Return of Bollywood Friday

2008-08-08T09:36:00.002-05:00

That's what I have planned for the weekend. How about you?

Rep. Roskam, get your mind out of the gutter!

2008-07-13T11:20:00.003-05:00

Once again, I have seemingly abandoned by blog. So let's get back in gear.

*****************************************
IL-06 Democratic congressional candidate Jill Morgenthaler has made some positive changes to her campaign over the past few months and seems to be picking up steam. A sharp new campaign manager and a very decent fund-raising consultant are among several new hires charged with turning IL-06 blue.

My absolute favorite coverage of this race lately has been Morgenthaler's common sense response to Peter Roskam's cosponsorship of the so-called "Military Honor and Decency Act". Why does it not surprise me that Roskam is spending his time thinking about VERY PARTICULAR "indecencies" and not fixing REAL problems that affect people in IL-06? From the Suntimes article:

The bill is very explicit in defining what it considers nudity: "human genitals, pubic area, anus, anal cleft, or any part of the female breast below a horizontal line across the top of the areola with less than an opaque covering but does not include the exposure of the cleavage of the female breast exhibited by a dress, blouse, bathing suit, or other apparel."

GROSS!!! Rep. Roskam, WHY is this on your radar? I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that my eyebrows to go through the roof when I see ultra-conservative, religious Republicans spending so much time thinking about "indecent" sex issues. We all know the typical conclusion of that particular situation. Tap, tap, tapping my foot in a wide stance over here.

My only wish is that Morgenthaler touch on the fact that "Military Honor and Decency" should reflect our government treating the military in an honorable and decent manner, perhaps by strengthening veterans' benefits. Roskam has left himself wide open in this department, so I hope Morgenthaler seizes the opportunity.

Help Eradicate Multiple Sclerosis

2008-04-20T13:57:00.004-05:00

I just found out that a friend of mine was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Erin, her husband Josh and their whole family are wonderful people. My heart goes out to all of them.

Her sister Megan has decided to do more than just feel sad about her sister's diagnosis. She is going to be participating in a walk to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. If you know someone who has been affected by this horrible disease, if you never want to see another person afflicted with it or if you simply care about what I care about, go to Megan's page and donate a few bucks for her walk. Add six cents for me.

Update: She only needs $125 more to reach her goal of raising $1000. If 10 people kick in $12.50, she'll have done it.

Update: She did it and more! Megan has raised $1, 230, $230 over her original goal of $1000. She has a new goal of $2000. I think she'll do it.

River East Arts Center Reception, April 20th

2008-04-15T14:13:00.002-05:00

My sister, Jillian, would really like to turn some folks out for her upcoming event at work. She works at the River East Arts Center, which I hear is pretty cool (I don't know that firsthand because I haven't been there yet). But Jillian is cool and kind of a hipster, unlike myself. So go to her event if you're in town. Its on a Sunday, so I will likely go as well.

"So Jillian, what is this REAC of which you speak? I love me some free events!"

Well, since you asked, REAC is The River East Art Center - the place where I spend most of my time. It's a multi-use arts facility incorporating professional fine art galleries, resident artist studios, and an art school. Plus, the place is huge and gorgeous and sophisticated.

I know you people - you never get invited to places like this, so take the opportunity!

We are having a reception on Sunday, April 20, and showcasing the work of our resident artists in conjunction with a ticketed event happening at the same time for ARTEahora. If you want to buy tickets for Aldo and Tom's thingy, they're $60.

OUR EVENT IS FREE!

Details:
435 E.

Illinois (by Navy Pier)
6:00 - 9:00pm
Free admission, food, booze

If all that didn't grab your attention: my mother will be volunteering for us that night. If you don't know about my mother, you better ask somebody. Naturally, I will be there as well.

For additional info, hit me up with a message or send a text to my cell. Check ya later, bitches.

Kisses,
J-Killa

Katie the Obama Kid says...

2008-04-12T19:01:00.002-05:00

This little girl is so completely adorable! It's not hard to tell that she's been paying attention to politics lately. What a doll.

Equal Marriage for All

2008-04-03T13:28:00.008-05:00

For as long as I can remember, I have been a strong supporter of equal marriage rights for people of every sexual orientation. I've always had gay people in my life and I've never considered them any different than myself or anyone else.

All parents keep funny little stories about their kids growing up and mine are no exception. One of their favorites is when, at the age of 4, I came up to them and asked what "gay" meant. Being the progressive people that they are, my parents wanted to make damn sure that they explained this in an enlightened way.

So they started in on explaining homosexuality to me and they quickly noticed that I looked very confused. As they were going on about how sometimes men love men and sometimes women love women, I interrupted them. I said, "I know about that! I want to know about "Don we now our gay apparel". D'OH!

My parents were incredibly amused that I knew all about homosexuality and that it was far easier to explain that to me than what my Christmas carol meant. We constantly hear from conservative America about how they don't want to have to explain these things to their kids, yet to kids it's the easiest thing in the world to understand. Gay marriage is even easier for kids to understand, as marriage and kids is the obvious progression of life in their little minds.

So why the hell can't adults seem to wrap their heads around this idea?

Well, some can. In fact, plenty of Illinoisans can and they're setting out to do something about the inequality of marriage in our state. I'm among them. I believe that, if you love somebody, you should be able to marry them. Period. It's not anybody else's business. If you don't like gay marriage, don't have one!

Recently, a group formed on the online networking site, Facebook, supporting the idea of civil unions in Illinois. Over 8,000 people joined in a very short period of time. Several people I have worked with in the past are working on taking advantage of this. They're created the website Civil Unions Illinois to organize the obvious groundswell of support for civil unions in IL. Go over there and sign up.

State Representative Greg Harris is the chief sponsor in the House of legislation supporting civil unions in IL, House Bill 1826. State Senator Heather Steans is the chief sponsor of the legislation in the Senate.

Hillary's blanking Obama

2008-04-01T12:57:00.002-05:00

If you're familiar with the Sarah Silverman business of "F**king Matt Damon", you'll get a kick out of this. All is jest, Hillary fans. Don't get on my case!

DuPage Dems new website

2008-03-31T20:19:00.003-05:00

As most people know by now, the DuPage Democrats have elected new officers on the promise of change. The DuPage Democratic Party had improved somewhat under Rob Bisceglie's short reign as chairman, but apparently not enough to convince people that things were going in the right direction.

So Bob Peickert of Operation Turn DuPage Blue was elected Chairman of the party at the county convention in early March. I've been somewhat disconnected from local party activities due to work obligations, so I haven't said too much about it.

BUT, I just received a very polished new email newsletter from the new DuPage Democrats and I am impressed! The new email newsletter and website were designed by my good friend and fabulous graphic designer, Michael Cousineau.

All I really need to say is this:

Check this out with its cheesy flash animation and obvious stock photos.

Now check THIS out. Sweet! For the first time, we have a much better website that the DuPage GOP! Nice job folks.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-03-20T18:54:00.002-05:00

I think I have a post last year called the exact same thing. Anyway, today I am 30 years old! Whoohoo for another decade logged. I don't look old and I certainly don't feel old, so 30 is fine by me. Here's Marilyn's version to JFK.

Obama's statement on Rev. Wright

2008-03-15T20:28:00.004-05:00

Obama categorically rejects, denounces and disagrees with some of the more radical statements that Rev. Jeremiah Wright has made.

Rev. Wright sure hasn't made life easy for Obama since he decided to run for President. I wonder if that's conscious or not. His daughter is running Rev. Al Sharpton's organization in Chicago now, which might be why he's turned up the rhetoric on race. I don't really see what the big deal is, but I guess it could be a bit much for whitebread America.

Me'Shell Norris from NPR was on Meet the Press today and she made the exact point that I've been thinking. She said that it's a much broader statement than most people realize to condemn Rev. Wright for the statements he makes in his sermons. Most black churches preach very similar ideas and it only shows how out of touch people are if they don't realize that.

Congressman Foster in the House!

2008-03-09T18:47:00.005-05:00

I haven't been posting much here because I've been busy helping out with Bill Foster's victorious run for Congress in IL-14. When I have posted, it's been at Prairie State Blue, where there's more people to talk to. Also, Georgia10 from DKos frontpaged one of my posts from PSB here. There's also a lot more bandwidth being chomped up over at PSB, so you may have trouble with the site.

I've posted over there how proud I am of Illinois Democrats coming together to get Bill elected, but it's definitely worth mentioning again. People from every corner of the state and every campaign organization or club came out to pound the pavement and make calls, including our very own Democratic candidate in IL-06, Jill Morgenthaler. This victory truly does belong to every last one of us who yearn for change in our government and won't settle for less.

Last night, after the polls closed, I spent several hours at the Aurora Election Commission watching the returns unfold with everyone's favorite Republican blogger, OneMan, who is a very cool guy. He was crushed over Oberweis' miserable defeat. I gloated for a bit but, being me, felt kind of bad for OneMan after a while (that's him in the photo).

Santos=Obama?

2008-03-04T00:10:00.001-06:00

Ohh, this is interesting.

Tina Fey on Hillary

2008-02-24T18:05:00.001-06:00

This is so damn funny. Listen to Tina Fey go on about Hillary being a bitch and how that's a good thing.

Andrew Bird fundraiser for Barack Obama in Chicago

2008-02-22T19:51:00.003-06:00

My friend and coworker, Anders, has been working on putting together a local fundraiser for Barack. You know that song called "Fake Palindromes" that's playing on my pink player on the side bar? That's Andrew Bird and that's who is playing at the fundraiser. Here are the details:

With a clean sweep in Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin, Hawaii, strong momentum is building for the Obama campaign -- and I'm pleased to invite you to both celebrate and contribute to this movement next Thursday, Feb. 28, with a special night of music at the Hideout.

Who: ANDREW BIRD & DIANOGAH, playing separately and together
Where: The Hideout
When: 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb 28
Why: To benefit Obama for America
How: $100 donation via https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/chicago22808

Bonus: All in attendance will receive an exclusive, ultra-limited-edition, hand-screened poster by Kathleen Judge.

Ode to Obie

2008-02-22T19:39:00.004-06:00

Jim Oberweis is a Republican running for Congress this November. Many people say that Jim Oberweis is a "perennial candidate", meaning Jim Oberweis has run for every office available to Jim Oberweis in any given year. Jim Oberweis is widely known in IL for his dairy business, Oberweis Dairy. Jim Oberweis has been very hateful towards the immigrant population in the past and Jim Oberweis also used a cleaning service that used undocumented immigrants. Jim Oberweis once made a very funny commercial when he ran for Governor where he flew over Soldier Field and made some comments about immigrants. Jim Oberweis is a millionaire who Denny Hastert hates less than Chris Lauzen. Jim Oberweis got Hastert's endorsement in the primary. Most people don't like Jim Oberweis and think he's stark raving mad.

Here is an original song about Jim Oberweis:

Oh, Jim Oberweis! How I abhor Jim Oberweis! Jim Oberweis makes my skin crawl, oh yeah! Jim Oberweis, Oberweis, Oberweis!

Jim Oberweis

Obama Baby

2008-02-04T08:06:00.000-06:00

"You know what they say..politicians are like diapers. If they're full of shit, change em'".

Ok, so I have to hand it to G.I. Jill

2008-01-28T18:47:00.000-06:00

Apparently, G.I. Jill reads my blog and didn't like what she was reading. So she decided to reach out and give me a call. She was cordial and seemed like she genuinely wanted to do her best to connect with the community.

After our conversation, I came to the conclusion that at least part of her problems have stemmed from some inefficient behavior on the part of her staff. Having never run for office before, I can appreciate that Jill doesn't know what to expect. However, there are a few things that are required of every office.

Number one on that list is to return phone and email messages. Always. Her staff has not been doing that.

Also, it is important to take advantage of the help offered to you by members of certain large organizations that have the potential to boost a candidate's campaign. This includes contacting the people you're told to contact and returning endorsement questionnaires promptly.

Hopefully Jill has some conversation with her staff about acting in a professional manner.

Vote for Adina!!!

2008-01-28T13:08:00.000-06:00

My good friend Barb's feline friend, Adina, is one of the finalists for the Red Eye's "Most Beautiful Cat" competition. Please go vote for Adina!!

http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-beautifulcat12,0,2606181.story

DCCC "Rapid Response" Txt Msg for State of the Union

2008-01-28T12:31:00.001-06:00

I have been very impressed with the way the DCCC communicates and engages people over the internet since Chris Van Hollen has taken over. They are looking much more like Howard Dean style DNC than Rahm Emanuel style DCCC.

They have someone assigned to netroots outreach, Brandon English, who we correspond with regularly. He posts updates on our lists, emails us directly about district issues, and is all-around very accessible. He took it upon himself to list district-specific blogs on the DCCC website which has increased my hits.

So, overall, I am very impressed with these changes. I don't think I would have believed it if someone told me it would be like this a few years ago.

Another thing that the DCCC is doing right is to engage folks with technology in a fun way.

George W. Bush's very last state of the union address is tonight. You can sign up here to get "rapid response" text messages informing you every time GWB lies! This is so fun and unlike the DCCC of yesteryear, that's for sure.

UPDATE:

To prove my point that the DCCC is more engaged than they've ever been, I received this email from Brandon English a few hours after I posted this:

Hey Bridget,

Thanks for the pat on the back in your blog post today. It’s always great to know when your work is appreciated and positive feedback like this makes it easier for us to push the boundaries the next time we come up with a fun idea. Hope all is well and let me know if I can ever be of help to you or your readers.

Enjoy the speech!

Brandon

Barack does Letterman's Top 10

2008-01-26T22:57:00.000-06:00

Pretty funny. VP Oprah, *shudder*.

G.I. Jill who?

2008-01-23T21:12:00.001-06:00

David over at Rubber Stamp Roskam has it dead on about Jill Morgenthaler's "campaign". I've been called on three separate occasions to volunteer and I'd really like to know why I should. They have yet to catch me unoccupied or I would ask them what they think about that. Or why any self-respecting, halfway intelligent human being should try to elect someone she knows so little about.

I don't particularly care what G.I. Jill has said in private meetings about her stances on the issues. I don't trust anything from politicians until it's a matter of public record for which their feet can be held to the fire. I know that G.I. Jill doesn't care about promoting a living wage in this country because she's too worried about "small businesses going out of business". As someone who works in the labor movement, I can't say I was too thrilled with that idea.

Outsiders who swoop into my neighborhood expecting to represent me need to realize that having a "D" behind their names isn't enough. They need to reach out and connect with the community and actually build a base. Especially in DuPage, their base is all they have to depend upon. I am not Jill Morgenthaler's base, nor do I currently see any reason to join that club.

Saturday Elections

2008-01-16T08:20:00.001-06:00

Haha, I was so thrilled to see Mr. 50-something-Orange-Ken-Doll win the GOP nomination in Michigan. Really, it doesn't get better than Mitt on that side.

Nevada and South Carolina are both on Saturday. For the first time ever, Nevada will be instituting the ass-backwards caucus system, while South Carolina will have a more democratic primary. I read some garbage on CNN.com about African-American voters spurned Barack in Michigan. I'm not really sure how they could possibly quantify that considering he wasn't on the ballot! Leave it to CNN to make wild assumptions.

Saturday should be interesting, at any rate.

I have a very apolitical friend coming to stay with me from out of town on Saturday (dammit). Someone whom I adore, but who bitches constantly about all the "politics crap". I'm thinking she is just going to have to deal with it for a few hours before we go paint the town red at a series of silly nightclubs.

Huck's the Puppet's Favorite

2008-01-06T23:01:00.000-06:00

Huck-UH-BEE! Elmo and Rosita break it down on healthy living with Governor Mike Huckabee. At least I got my prediction for the GOP win in Iowa right.

My predictions for New Hampshire are that Huckabee and Obama take it again.

There are too many independents voting in the Democratic primary this year for McCain to pull through. The only ones left to vote for the GOP candidate are the die hard right wingers.

Those independents and some Republicans voting in the Dem primary are going to vote for Barack. He has a tremendous appeal across party lines, probably due to the fact that he sounds kind of reasonable when he talks. It makes people feel all warm and fuzzy or something.

I'm starting to get the impression that it won't be all over after New Hampshire. Maybe Illinois' vote will count after all.

Iowa Caucuses

2008-01-03T13:15:00.000-06:00

I've been super busy for the past month and haven't had much time to update. I'll get on it soon enough.

For today, the day of the Iowa caucuses, I predict that John Edwards comes in first with Barack Obama a close second. On the GOP side, Huckabee will come in first with McCain a close second.

For what it's worth!

Stan Jagla on his battery conviction

2007-12-19T07:15:00.001-06:00

To the anonymous commenter from yesterday:

This is what I meant when I said that Stan Jagla has plenty of his own dirt.

Jagla Talks About Battery Case

Let the Circus Begin

2007-12-18T06:57:00.000-06:00

James Fuller of he Daily Herald reports today that IL-06 congressional candidate Stan Jagla will most likely stay on the ballot for the Feb. 5th primary. The final hearing with the Illinois Board of Elections is set for Friday.

Like everything about this race thus far, this misstep by the Morgenthaler campaign will prove to provide endless entertainment in the press. Stan, as nutty as he is, will hold nothing back and will become a Polish-American Alan Keyes of sorts. He'll rake Col. Jill Morgenthaler through the mud every chance he gets and he'll do it so humorously that the press won't be able to resist writing about it. The Daily Herald reports that Stan is gearing up to do just that:

"With the race on, Jagla pledged Monday to come after his Democratic competitor, Army Reserve Col. Jill Morgenthaler, with guns blazing.
Jagla said he believes the Morgenthaler campaign was behind Flynn's petition challenge.

Morgenthaler's campaign staff claims Flynn as a supporter, but has said Flynn is not working directly for the campaign.

"I'm going to be much more aggressive," Jagla said. "This pointless petition challenge showed me that being polite with these people doesn't pay."

This, my friends, is one of the reasons why trying to kick your opponent off the ballot is a stupid idea. Aside from being contrary to democracy, there's always a chance that it won't happen and that your opponent will quickly morph into a PR problem that will cost you money, time, and dirty laundry aired all over the place. For Col. Jill Morgenthaler, I suppose it's a good thing that Stan Jagla has plenty of dirty laundry of his own.

Barack O Bollywood!

2007-12-15T16:51:00.001-06:00

This clip proves once again that Bollywood is appropriate in all circumstances. Witness "Barack O'Bollywood", Bollywood's homage to the B-man himself.

Bill Foster files for the special

2007-12-10T07:12:00.000-06:00

Bill Foster will file 1,832 signatures this morning for the special election in IL-14. They like to point out that's after a week with two ice storms and 8 inches of snow. I like to point out that it's a perfectly sufficient number to avoid a challenge.

I think they needed 870 or so, so 1,832 pads their total nicely and they were still able to do other stuff the past week.

I was out helping the Foster campaign in IL-14 yesterday. I was struck by a few things.

Something I had wondered about with the Foster campaign early on was whether or not they would be able to expand their base and their volunteer pool sufficiently. As I read through their volunteer board on the wall of the office yesterday, I really got it that they are doing the right things to diversify their support. I suspected they were doing all the right things before and I had no reason to think otherwise, but yesterday seriously cemented it in my brain.

Like every campaign should, they started out building upon Bill's personal and professional relationships for financial and volunteer support. One of the things that I look for in candidates is whether or not the candidate's former colleagues like and respect him or her enough to invest time and money in the campaign. Bill certainly passed that test with flying colors! How many candidates can you think of who have world class scientists (and their families) writing checks AND pounding the pavement for them?!

The Foster Scientific Brigade have continued to be out in full effect for Bill and the campaign has managed to recruit many new, enthusiastic supporters form very diverse communities! I've met college kids from Aurora University and Northern Illinois University. I saw several of the Fox Valley Forge strikers and their families. Teachers from Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and Elgin. Nurses from DeKalb, Aurora, and Oswego. At least two Kane County Board members and several other elected officials and their families. And, perhaps most importantly, many people who I know from firsthand experience who have the ability to influence large chunks of the voting bloc.

Couple this with the fact that Bill has raised the most money of any Democratic or Republican candidate (aside from his personal contribution) and has picked up some very impressive endorsements and things are looking pretty good for the Foster campaign. I'm pretty happy with their progress thus far.

Bombin'

2007-12-09T23:06:00.001-06:00

Bob Latta
Bob Latta
Bob Latta

Stan Jagla survives ballot challenge?

2007-11-30T08:41:00.000-06:00

According to a scoop Hiram got from Bob Peickert of Operation Turn DuPage Blue, Stan Jagla has survived the challenge to his petitions from Robert Flynn of Lombard and his attorney Matt Flamm of the Palatine Democratic Organization.

There's still time for Robert Flynn and Matt Flamm to challenge the findings of the Illinois State Board of Elections. Apparently it will all be worked out by Dec. 6th.

CNET reminisces about Hyde's abortion website ban

2007-11-30T08:35:00.000-06:00

This morning I saw this gem, from CNET of all places, at the top of my Google News homepage:

Politician who banned abortion-related Web sites dies

You know, I was trying to be nice about Henry Hyde's death. But everyone else is making it sooooo hard!!

Henry Hyde, dead at 83

2007-11-29T13:58:00.000-06:00

So former Congressman Henry Hyde passed away today. He hadn't looked well for several years, so frankly I'm surprised it took this long.

Jill Morgenthaler sent this statement out:

"I was saddened to hear about Henry Hyde's passing. My heart goes out to his family. Our prayers are with them. Congressman Hyde was a patriot who stood up for what he believed was right, and dedicated his life to public service. As a fellow veteran I salute his long service to his country and to Illinois."

Hehe, bolding all mine. Because what Henry Hyde believed was right was not always right in my book. But, rather than ruminate over Henry Hyde's many policy and personal blunders, I'm going to say something nice about the guy.

When I was younger, I worked in a local restaurant. Henry Hyde came in and sat in my section. He was exceptionally nice and polite and he left me a very generous tip.

So that's it. Henry Hyde was a very decent restaurant customer and once treated me kindly when I served him his food.

Larry Bodine's fundraiser for Jill Morgenthaler

2007-11-28T00:07:00.000-06:00

Larry is a cool guy and he asked me to post this. So here it is.

Meet The Candidate Fundraiser and Reception for
JILL MORGENTHALER for Congress

When: Friday December 14, 2007 - 7 to 9 PM
Where: Larry Bodine's House at 691 Wingate Road, Glen Ellyn

All DuPage Democratic candidates and Precinct Committeemen are especially invited.
The requested donation is $20.

We’ll have plenty of coffee, cookies, snacks and Democrats.

Yours,
Larry Bodine
Democratic Committeeman
Precinct 45
691 Wingate Road
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
630.942.0977
LarryBodine@Comcast.net

Bill Foster's first TV ad

2007-11-27T15:37:00.000-06:00

Bill Foster's first TV ad went on the air today. Yesterday Hastert officially announced his retirement, so a special election will be happening in IL-14 in the near future.

I like the ad. I think it portrays Bill just as he is: smart, plainspoken, and with a hell of a resume to run on.

I'm excited! Every political geek loves a special election.

Even Tony Peraica gets it...

2007-11-25T21:15:00.001-06:00

I'm not a big fan of Tony Peraica, but I have to say that I am impressed that he had the cajones to do his own damn petition challenge against the other Republican running for Cook County States Attorney.

I wish more political candidates would show some integrity and conviction and stand behind their actions. Really, what is the problem, people? Do you mean to tell me that the guy who drunkenly stormed David Orr's office last year alleging election corruption (DAVID ORR of all people!) has more PR common sense than the former top military PR professional? I find that very hard to believe, but apparently that's the case.

Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to another year of kuh-raaayyyy-zeee Toh-NEE Puh-RYE-kuh. Whoohoo! Keep me entertained, Tony, bay-bee!

Let's be clear: this is REALLY stupid

2007-11-18T07:53:00.000-06:00

The Daily Herald published an article about the Jagla petition challenge yesterday. They managed to make all parties involved seem like complete morons. I'm beginning to think they aren't so far off the mark.

Where in the world do I begin with this? The quotes are the funniest:

"I had an agreement with G.I. Jill that we're not going to do stupid things like that," Jagla said.

"I guess they figured they'd better spend $1,000 to get rid of me than $1 million later," Jagla added. "If Flynn is doing the challenge for G.I. Jill, then she just buried herself. Is she stupid or what?"

Morgenthaler's spokesman Charles Blumenthal said Flynn is a supporter but wasn't pushed to file the objection.

"We haven't worked with him at all, not even for this," Blumenthal said. "We do agree that a citizen has every right to challenge a petition."

Blumenthal said there was never an agreement with Jagla to refrain from petition challenges in the race.

"Let's be clear, Jill has never spoken to Stan Jagla one day in her life," Blumenthal said.

People, GIVE ME A BREAK, ALREADY! Of course Jill Morgenthaler is behind the petition challenge, if only due to the fact that she doesn't stop it. By not coming out against it or asking that her supporters stop it, she is, by default the one responsible. She is also within her rights to challenge Stan's petitions. So why in the world is her organization denying any involvement?

Let's be clear, I hate all this shadowy, sneaky, and transparent B.S. from people who apparently think they're smarter than the rest of us. Stand behind your actions, people.

Just say it! "Yes, I am challenging Stan Jagla's petitions. I don't believe all of his signatures are valid." What is the problem with that? Why does someone else have to be put up to do it? Because we're all too stupid to do Google searches and find out that these people are directly involved with Jill Morgenthaler and one of the people who recruited her, Rep. Melissa Bean?

Again, GIVE ME A BREAK. Really, you can do better than that.

And don't even get me started about Stan's comments and Blumenthal's response. Oy. I don't know which is more ridiculous; that Stan thinks it will take $1 million to get rid of him or Charles Blumenthal's ridiculously defensive, serious statement in response. Does Stan really merit that? No.

UGH.

Curiouser and curiouser...

2007-11-16T15:15:00.000-06:00

So the Daily Herald printed a blurb today about Stan Jagla's petitions being challenged. They called Robert Flynn of Lombard and found that Mr. Flynn was referring all questions to his attorney, Matt Flamm. What they didn't say is that Matt Flamm is not just an attorney. He is also politically active in local Democratic organizations and campaigns.

Matt Flamm is on the "executive board" of the Palatine Township Democrats and is quite a fan of Rep. Melissa Bean.

Stan Jagla's petitions challenged

2007-11-14T07:55:00.000-06:00

The candidate filing deadline has passed and those who will be on the ballot are, for the most part, set. The possible exceptions are those candidates whose petitions are being challenged as invalid by a third party. Among those unlucky few is 6th District Democratic candidate for Congress, Stan Jagla.

Robert Allen Flynn of Lombard, IL has filed a challenge to Stan's petitions according to the Illinois State Board of Elections website. The person who requested a copy of Stan's petitions is attorney and local Springfield politician Sam Cahnman.

Generally, I am not a fan of this tactic of limiting competition in elections. Granted, if there is serious fraud involved, a candidate deserves be to kicked off the ballot. But usually that isn't the case and it's simply a matter of trivial technicalities manipulated by a talented legal mind meant to cause the other guy to spend money and time to defend his position.

It's usually a cheap shot and contrary to democracy. We'll see how it pans out.

Video Explanations of the Writers' Guild Strike

2007-11-14T07:30:00.000-06:00

Check out one of Daniel Biss' Brotherhood 2.0, "Nerdfighter" buddies giving a simple explanation of the Writers' Guild's beef with TV execs.

A video from United Hollywood that illustrates how hypocritical, greedy, and disingenuous network execs are acting at the bargaining table:

The Politics of Division

2007-11-12T13:35:00.001-06:00

As I have stated in the past, I am not at all happy with the divisions that have been created and perpetuated by certain people active in Democratic politics in DuPage County. For those of us living in the reality-based community, we realize that the pool of committed activists in DuPage County is rather shallow. There just aren't enough of us involved and organized to get things done. Working together is essential and putting our differences aside must happen if we are to win elections in the future.

A good example of the meaningless division perpetuated by some of these people is the recent message on Operation Turn DuPage Blue's blog from Bob Peickert. In it, Bob asserts that Rob Bisceglie is guilty of taking all the credit for the increase in Democratic precinct committeemen in DuPage and discounting the efforts of OTDB and the township organizations. His claim is based upon this phrase sent out in a press release by the DuPage Democratic Party:

"Robert Bisceglie, Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County, today announced that THEIR [emphasis added by Bob] campaign to recruit precinct committeemen more than doubled last year's numbers."

You see, Bob Peickert refuses to participate in the DuPage Democratic Organization for which he wants to be Chairman. He does not come to meetings and he does not get involved. It is certainly Bob's prerogative to choose not to participate. However, I think it's ridiculous for him to be making any sort of assertion about Rob's motivations when he has chosen to check out.

Because Bob is not engaged with the DuPage Democratic Organization, he may not realize that Rob Bisceglie always speaks in terms of ALL Democrats in DuPage County. He has, on several occasions that I personally witnessed, congratulated OTDB as well as the township organizations for all of their hard work as DuPage Democrats. For myself and others who respect the hard work of ALL Democratic activists in DuPage, we appreciate this very much.

Childishly harping on language to prove a nonexistent point does nothing for anyone, least of all Bob and those committed to OTDB. It just makes it look like his motivations are primarily based upon creating division that we absolutely do not need!

My wish is that Bob Peickert chooses to act more positively in the future. I, for one, would like to know more about why he feels that he is better for the job of county Chairman. All I hear is meaningless, self-congratulating bravado and trashing of Rob Bisceglie when I really want to know the facts.

In Bob Peickert's own words:

"Apparently some now see this as a competitive exercise rather than a cooperative one. When someone speaks of "reaching out" to other Democrats and organizations, the words are meaningless unless one can attach an action or actions that support that claim or promise. When personal interests override the interests of the party, we won't get very far as an organization."

Let's hope Bob Peickert heeds his own very pertinent advice and chooses to get involved with the DuPage Democratic Organization he seeks to represent and stand with the people he seeks to lead. If he has a lot to offer, why in the world would he not show up?

Daniel Biss' fake-out last-minute $ push

2007-11-12T12:27:00.000-06:00

Daniel Biss has a great idea for a pretend last-minute fundraising push. Instead of an eleventh hour "hey, look over here!" like everyone other candidate, he's pushing for a last-minute filing deadline now. Good idea, right? Good for those of us who become inundated with these things come filing time, good for Daniel because he won't have to fight the masses of Democratic candidates for the last piece of a donor's pie, and good for those Democratic candidates who do want to wade through the masses and compete for last-minute cash.

See? Daniel is just chock full of innovative ideas that work for everyone. He'll be a great state representative.

So the goal is to raise $5000 by Monday, November 19th. As of yet, I have been an absolutely TERRIBLE fundraiser for Daniel, so I'm going to be pushing as much as I can this week.

Starting with now. Make me look a little more competent and donate a few bucks to Daniel's incredible, grassroots campaign.

Barack Obama at Jefferson Jackson Dinner

2007-11-11T10:59:00.000-06:00

Barack Obama gave a great speech at the Jefferson Jackson dinner, too.

John Edwards tells it like it is

2007-11-11T00:12:00.000-06:00

Wow. John Edwards gives an incredibly moving and authentic speech at the Jefferson Jackson dinner in Iowa. He said everything that needed to be said and he said it with passion and authority. The part where he talks about battling large corporations as an attorney is great.

"...but I didn't just go into that courtroom. I went in there and I BEAT them, and BEAT them, and BEAT them time after time."

Love it! He's framing his experience as a trial lawyer perfectly with his message of taking on Corporate America's influence on government. Trippi is the man.

Ellen DeGeneres is a scab

2007-11-10T20:01:00.000-06:00

I read the other day that Ellen DeGeneres had taken it upon herself to cross the Writers Guild picket lines and write her own material for her show. Mind you, all of the other major talk show hosts have been standing with the Writers Guild and running reruns. Jay Leno has even been buying donuts for the strikers and there are rumors that John Stewart is paying his striking staff out of his own pocket.

Richard over at Union Review has a good post up about Ellen "Scab" DeGeneres. Tell Ellen what you think about her behavior here.

G.I. Jill Morgenthaler Roundup

2007-10-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

MAINSTREAM MEDIA COVERAGE
*************************************
Col. Morgenthaler's campaign plays a weird game of "will she or won't she" after having already announced that she will to local Democratic activists and party leaders. This leaves those of us in the trenches scratching out heads, then shrugging our shoulders, then thinking "whatever, at least someone seemingly credible is running". Perhaps we're thrown for a bit of a loop due to how a last minute candidacy was handled the last time around. None of us knew until she was in, while this time we knew Jill was in before she was. I think that may have been the appearance the Morgenthaler campaign was going for, anyway.

***

Without much fanfare, Col. Jill Morgenthaler officially announced last week that she will be running in IL-06. She called Rich Miller on Wednesday, Oct. 24th to break the news.

***

The next day, the Chicago Tribune apparently ran the "official" announcement of Col. Morgenthaler's decision to run in IL-06. Morgenthaler states that she believes "health care, the war and immigration are the most important issues to voters in the 6th District". I wonder what she plans to do with the "one of these things is not like the other" issue of immigration. Still wondering.

***

On Oct. 26th, Todd Wessell of the Des Plaines Journal gets pissy because the Morgenthaler campaign does not return his calls. Wessell makes the claim that Col. Morgenthaler will "have to" move into the district should she beat Roskam. I'm just taking a wild guess here, but perhaps Wessell's failure to do basic fact-checking is exactly why they didn't call him back.

BLOG COVERAGE
***********************
Kevin Robinson of the Chicagoist calls Col. Morgenthaler a "DINO" (Democrat in name only), trashing her positions as the IL head of Homeland Security and Army spokeswoman for the Abu Ghraib scandal.

***

James Lambert on Talking Points Memo gets into the game of criticizing Col. Morgenthaler's roll of Army spokeswoman during the Abu Ghraib scandal.

***

An anonymous blogger on Daily Kos calling him or herself "redstar" posts a rather knee-jerk diary making assumptions about Col. Morgenthaler's stance on torture due to her duties as spokeswoman for the Army during the Abu Ghraib scandal.

***

Local blogger, and Democratic activist "Michael in Chicago" has been busy effectively illustrating Creepy Pete Roskam's side of the fence on Prairie State Blue. There's no doubt in my mind that Michael's superior writing style and effective analysis will serve to further draw out the contrast between ol' Creepy and GI Jill. Keep it up!!

***

Committed, IL-06, ultra-progressive activist Gary Kleppe posts his surprisingly measured concerns about Col. Morgenthaler's background on Prairie State Blue. Gary rarely minces words is sometimes a little too extreme for my taste. I was glad to see that he framed his very valid concerns as a question rather than as a conclusion.

That's all I have for now. Stay tuned.

I'll take the nail file/barf combo with a side of pointy comb

2007-10-23T00:14:00.000-05:00

Speaking of nutjob, extremist gun lobbies, I found this fantastic video on the Illinois State Rifle Association's website:

The rockin', circa 1985, guitar-themed elevator music. The fab, 100 pound, no-nonsense, lady with a gun and a mean lisp. Sticking a nail file down your throat to barf when someone attacks you. This shit rules!!

Hello Kitty is NOT down with AK-47's

2007-10-22T23:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think I need a big hefty dose of skepticism dropped into my world. I can't believe I fell for the old Hello Kitty AK-47 bit. I mean, it's the oldest trick in the book, right? It's not like powerful gun lobbies are fighting for children under 10 years old to have the right to own guns, right? Why, that would be a very crazy alternate universe indeed! Doh!

"Hello Bridget,

I am looking into this case but I believe this site is a hoax.
The bottom of the website says the goods are a parody. Plus, when you try to purchase the item, you actually end up at an Amazon store site selling a book titled
"A Theory of Parody: The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms".

I will look into this further. But thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please rest assured that Sanrio would never manufacture a Hello Kitty rifle.

Sincerely,
Yumi N. Suemori
Intellectual Property Specialist
Sanrio, Inc."

Whew! LMAO.

Hello Kitty AK-47

2007-10-20T14:47:00.000-05:00

This does NOT cause me to appreciate guns any more than I currently do (which is that I DON'T if you've been following along). I wonder if the folks at GlamGuns.com received proper licensing rights from Sanrio to create this piece of garbage. I have sent emails to several Sanrio executives in order to find out. My guess is that Sanrio had no knowledge of this company's exploitation of Hello Kitty. I hope they are as equally disgusted as I am with this idea and have these cute little instruments of death pulled off the market immediately.

Rep. Creepy Pete Roskam debunked on SCHIP

2007-10-19T15:25:00.000-05:00

Michael over at Prairie State Blue has and excellent post up about Creepy Pete Roskam's latest spin cycle on SCHIP funding. Michael defers to Senator Pat Roberts' (R-Kansas) understanding of the facts to debunk Creepy Pete's blatant lies. Considering that Senator Roberts is a member of the Senate finance committee that actually wrote the SCHIP bill, one would think he knows a little bit more about this than ol' Creepy.

Roskam Peddles Falsehoods on SCHIP at Prairie State Blue

Jill Morgenthaler is in.

2007-10-14T23:34:00.001-05:00

Hiram has the scoop on Jill Morgenthaler, who recently announced that she will be challenging Creepy Pete(TM- 2006-SCAM) Roskam in IL-06.

Thank effing GOD we have someone who appears to be quite credible to challenge Creepy Pete. It's about damn time.

John Cusack the Blogger

2007-10-11T07:55:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I was out with friends in town for the Daily Kos convention at a cheesy River North bar & grill joint. We saw John Cusack sitting at the bar. I wondered where he stood politically, mainly related to whether or not he would think we were cool if we talked to him. Thinking that he most definitely would not, we erred on the side of discretion and privacy and left him alone.

With fighting corporate greed eating up the bulk of my time, finding out about John Cusack's political leanings has not been a priority. So I was pleasantly surprised when I read the Huffington Post email newsletter this morning.

John Cusack has been writing a series of blog posts on the Huffington Post based upon Naomi Klein's book, The Shock Doctrine. He even interviewed Naomi on video. It's all very well done and I recommend checking it out.

So it turns out John Cusack is kind of a blogger himself, albeit on the rather elite Huffington Post. Now I'm thinking he might of thought we were cool.

IL-06 has a credible candidate...

2007-10-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

...stay tuned.

Bill Foster 3rd quarter fundraising report

2007-10-03T07:55:00.000-05:00

IL-14 Congressional candidate Bill Foster has released third quarter fundraising results, leading the Democratic pack with $408,000 composed of individual donations by 680 donors coupled with $200,000 personally matched by Foster.

Nearly 80% of Foster's donors are first-time political donors and are scientists like Bill.

"There are many people in the scientific community that are familiar with my career and my ability to change things and succeed at what I do," Foster said. "These people understand that someone with a background like mine is what's needed to bring change to Washington."

Foster primary challengers John Laesch and Jotham Stein were "not prepared to release financial statements".The Daily Herald got the scoop.

Burmese Bloggers

2007-10-01T21:44:00.000-05:00

Check out ko htike's prosaic collection blog and Burmese Bloggers Without Borders. There's some seriously disturbing material on both, including video footage of the junta shooting at the crowds and photos of dead, tortured monks, so don't bother if you can't handle that sort of thing.

Congressman Phil Hare endorses Bill Foster

2007-09-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

Today, Congressman Phil Hare (D-Rock Island)endorsed Bill Foster's candidacy for Congress in IL-14.

In addition to Alexi Giannoulias' endorsement, I noticed at the Aurora Dems picnic last week that many community leaders are also supporting Bill. These are people who consistently influence decent sized chunks of the Democratic voting block because of their year-round commitment to servicing the community. I was pleasantly surprised to see more than a few of these extremely effective people sporting Bill Foster stickers.

IL-14 is shaping up to be very exciting this year!

GO GIRL

2007-09-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

Hillary isn't my favorite by any means, but I really love how she consistently throws out the "strong independent woman" zingers.

Daniel Biss Kickoff Video

2007-09-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

Daniel Biss supporter Greg Glennie put together a much better video recap of Daniel's kickoff event. Check it out!

Jilly's Devil Page: America's Next Top (Cult) Model

2007-09-23T12:26:00.000-05:00

If you haven't yet checked out Jillian's blog (my crazy sister), you really should. Her latest post is based upon the premise that "America's Next Top Model is a picture perfect example of cult indoctrination practices".

Or perhaps her story of stalking Lynda Carter under the el tracks is more up your alley.

Truly fascinating crap!

So if you're in the mood for something far wittier and far more evil than my blog, check out Jillian's Devil Page.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY): "Too many mosques"

2007-09-19T21:21:00.000-05:00

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) doesn't even blink an eye when he tells The Politico "there are too many mosques in this country". After being asked a question about protecting civil liberties, no less! Stunning.

Durbin speaks in Wheeling

2007-09-18T01:10:00.000-05:00

YOU GO, Durbin!! My favorite Senator speaks in Wheeling about Iraq war funding, healthcare, college loan debt, and winning in 'O8. Why can't all of our Senators be so eloquent, earnest, progressive and authentic? I swear, I am becoming a Durbin cultist.

Note to Lee Goodman: enable embedding of your videos!!!

Rob Bisceglie sets the record straight

2007-09-17T23:29:00.000-05:00

First, a little background...

Several days ago, my friend Michael (aka "michael in chicago") wrote a post on Prairie State Blue regarding Gayl Ferraro's recent resignation as Chair of the DuPage Democratic Party, her subsequent endorsement of current Vice Chair Rob Bisceglie to take her place, and the special election for the seat that will take place very soon.

Tinged with animosity and falsehoods about Rob, the post was incredibly misleading, though I doubt intentionally so. I believe that Michael was not hearing both sides of the story and making assumptions based upon the information he was receiving from people he trusts. That's it in a very tiny nutshell. Go here to read the bulk of it and the subsequent rants that follow.

Two days later, Michael wrote a slightly less venomous post brilliantly titled "Isn't that special (Election!)" where he questioned the process of holding a special election and Rob's motives.

I asked Rob Bisceglie to prepare a response to these accusations. I enclosed his response within this post on Prairie State Blue, and I have posted it below as well. One can only hope that people will calm down and act civilized for the sake of our party. It's not as if the DuPage Dems can afford to be divided!

I've worked hard as a DuPage Democrat, as a Vice Chair of a Township, as a candidate and now as Vice Chair of the County Democratic organization. I've worked hard - but I've been encouraged by the hard work I see around me from ever greater numbers of DuPage Democrats.

Members of Operation: Turn DuPage Blue have been an important part of our growth - their efforts further a progressive voice throughout our County. The work being done by Democrats in the townships and the county, as well as O:TDB, is necessary and vital. We're growing - and it makes the hard work worthwhile!

Our work, however, hasn't been without growing pains, and at times misunderstandings. I find myself disagreeing with a recent posting's explanation of events leading up to my own announcement of candidacy and Gayl's letter of resignation - and I think I owe it to everyone to set the record straight.

At my suggestion in early August, Bob Peickert and I sat down for breakfast. We discussed the possibility of members of the DuPage County Democrats and OTDB convening and making plans to further our multitude of shared goals in the following months. I left the meeting feeling optimistic about working together.

Just a few days later, Bob Peickert very publicly announced his candidacy for County Chair. He did so without informing me of his intentions, as was his right. He also quite publicly announced he was asking me to be his running mate, but without informing me of any of this at the breakfast, and in fact only informing me through a letter I received the day following his public "unity" proposal. If he was sincere about his offer, I believe he would have contacted me directly with his proposal before making a public statement including my name.

Despite Bob's failure to reach out to me in what I consider a sincere manner, I still agreed to speak with him about his proposal. In doing so, I asked him who else would be involved in leading the organization and if he could describe his plans to me. He refused to name a single name and made a blanket statement about wanting to elect Democrats. When I said we all want to elect Democrats and asked him for additional information about his plans (to find out if we could work together), he refused to provide even one detail. I must admit that I ended the conversation both disappointed and feeling that his offer was a political move that placed me in an awkward position - to reject it would seem to make me to blame for dividing the Party. That, unfortunately, came to pass.

I strongly wish to work together with Operation: Turn DuPage Blue. In fact, in an e-mail to Bob after hearing of his announcement, I suggested to him three ways we could begin working together immediately to further our joint aims: participation by Bob in Democratic Party meetings, especially at the County level; strong attendance at a Bloomingdale/Wayne Township fundraiser; and mutual effort focused on the County Golf Outing. Bob declined those ideas immediately without offering any other concrete joint projects for the two of us to consider.

There is no doubt Bob has his reasons for running against me, and he feels they are legitimate. I welcome the exchange of ideas and perspectives. In fact, I would like to offer to debate Bob in the coming weeks. I do not claim infallibility. I believe I can learn from others. But I also believe that the right thing for me to do - what I owe myself and what I owe fellow Democrats - is to stand up and explain my position and the logic I used to come to my conclusions. I have nothing to hide. We are at a critical juncture as a Party, and our decisions matter. I hope Bob will accept my offer of a debate before the special election.

In recent months, I have watched, with frustration, public acrimony between DuPage Democrats, some members of OTDB and others members of the Democratic Party of DuPage County. Words coming from both sides have crossed the boundaries of civility, and I do not support them.

While recognizing certain successes across the years, particularly in these last months, I understand our pent-up frustration with the failure of the DuPage County Democrats to secure electoral victories. Like many volunteers, on both sides, I am working hard to fix this. I want to win - I want to win badly - and I want an organization that has the same hunger and dedication. DuPage Democrats deserve an organization that wins. In the few months since I was elected Vice-Chair of our organization, I have been working in a few specific areas:

1. Fundraising: It is outrageous that in a County of approximately one million people the DuPage County Democrats has never raised more than $75,000 in any given year. To change that dynamic, I have been hard at work encouraging and organizing joint County-Township fundraisers. As well, I have led in the organization of our first annual Golf Outing, which is being held on September 28th.

2. Candidate Recruitment: Our most fundamental aim is to elect candidates to public office. To be successful, our candidates must be credible and experienced. We need a farm team - and it's hard work to get one going. While we develop a farm team we also need to find high-quality candidates - which is even tougher. I have been leading the drive to find good candidates in 2008, as I was specifically requested to do so by members of our Party. Some of our candidates have already announced; some have not. But, I am confident we will have the best slate of candidates in memory.

3. Precinct Committeeperson Recruitment: Many people have correctly identified one of our most pressing needs as recruiting precinct committeemen. For years, I too have been disappointed by our inadequate recruitment. PCs are vital to a coherent, successful Party structure, and we have been working hard to increase our numbers. No doubt in part due to expected competition between Bob Peickert and myself for Chair of the Party, and the hard work that comes with that, I believe we will easily have a record number of committeemen in 2008. We will not stop until every precinct in the County has a committeeman.

In addition to the three aforementioned points, I am painfully aware of many other things that must be done. Most of us are volunteers; none of us have unlimited time. However, that is no excuse. We must do what it takes to win!

I want to move away from the divisive rhetoric that has been plaguing us. We have many crucial questions that must be answered in the coming months - and I believe we all share the same goals. Let's talk about them - and then let's achieve them.

I'm ready to move forward - and with your support we will!

Sincerely,

Rob Bisceglie
Democratic Party of DuPage County

Rob Bisceglie running for DuPage Dems Chair

2007-09-10T15:34:00.000-05:00

Sweet! I'm very happy to hear that this is set in stone. I think Bob Peickert is a great guy, but I believe Rob Bisceglie has a very unique skill set that will enable him to serve extremely effectively as Chairman of the DuPage Democrats. He's got my vote!

Dear fellow Democrats,

It is with great personal excitement that I announce my candidacy for Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County. Running alongside me will be a slate of smart, dedicated and experienced candidates - including Chris Hotchkin for First Vice-Chair and Bob Jeffers for Treasurer. Laura Fletcher and Gene Tenner have also agreed to join our team, as Union Liaison and Communications Director respectively.

As township chairs, committeemen and dedicated local Democrats, you have earned the right to know about my candidacy first. Your dedication to the Democratic Party and to the election of local candidates is inspirational! I greatly look forward to continuing to work with you to build our Party and to elect Democrats throughout the DuPage County.

In the coming weeks and months, I plan to visit every township to discuss my qualifications and vision for our Party, and if at all possible, to speak personally with each and every one of you to earn your vote for the March 2008 Chair election. In the meantime, if you wish to contact me for any reason, please feel free to e-mail me at rbisceglie@sbcglobal.net or call me at 630-229-4108. I would love to hear from you and to discuss my plans for our Party.

Warmest regards,

Rob Bisceglie

1st Vice Chair, DuPage Democratic Party

Laesch bitter over Giannoulias' Foster endorsement

2007-09-10T15:15:00.000-05:00

In response to Alexi Giannoulias' endorsement of Bill Foster for Congress in IL-14, John Laesch displayed his bitterness by trashing a fellow Democrat and popular elected official. He had this to say about our Treasurer in the Kane County Chronicle:

"Laesch shrugged off Giannoulias’ endorsement, calling him “just a wealthy guy who bought himself an office.”

“I don’t think it’s a big endorsement of any kind,” he said."

Keep on telling yourself that, John.

Giannoulias endorses Bill Foster in IL-14

2007-09-09T12:26:00.000-05:00

I just received the following press release from Bill Foster's campaign for Congress in IL-14. Treasurer Giannoulias has done an excellent job proving his credibility and effectiveness since being elected and has earned the respect of many Democrats statewide. His endorsement will undoubtedly provide a boost to Foster's campaign.

IL-14: Treasurer Giannoulias Endorses Democrat Bill Foster for Congress

Foster Best Candidate to Bring About Positive Change

Chicago, IL – Today Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias endorsed businessman and scientist Bill Foster for Congress to replace retiring former Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL-14).

"Bill Foster is a successful businessman and scientist who has a track record of making positive change happen," said Giannoulias.

"There is nothing more important in this election than making sure we get strong Democrats who can fix the broken ways of Washington. Bill has been crystal clear that he wants the troops home from Iraq, and he just doesn't talk about it, he's shown the commitment to elect strong Democrats.

"If you're concerned about ending the war, restoring fiscal sanity, and a more constructive approach on healthcare, Bill is your candidate," he concluded.

Foster was deeply appreciative of earning the support of the newly elected Treasurer who has been extraordinarily successful in bringing a fresh approach to government in Illinois.

"I'm thrilled to have earned the support of a new kind of leader like Treasurer Giannoulias. On issue after issue, he's taken a fresh approach to government and met with tremendous success already. By revitalizing programs like Bright Start and innovating with programs like Green Reward, he has proven thata new generation of leadership is what is needed to make government a force for positive change," said Foster.

"The change Treasurer Giannoulias has brought to Springfield is exactly the kind of change voters want in Washington and as a businessman and scientist, that is what I will do." Foster concluded.

A different point of view of IL-06 in '06

2007-09-06T23:39:00.000-05:00

In this Truthout article, Kevin Spidel makes some rather off-base comments about our fine district and the dynamics of the '06 primary race for Congress. While I agree that the political situation in my neighborhood could and should have been handled differently, I don't think that it serves us well to rewrite history or embellish the facts. To do so is disingenuous and I'm not having any of that.

So here is my response to Kevin. This will undoubtedly be an unpopular post among several circles of people that I consider friends and whose opinions I respect greatly. Hopefully they will respect my honest point of view and not judge me because of it.

Dear Kevin,
You’re pretty off base in your analysis of this race and the dynamics of the district.

The reason that IL-06 was in play was mainly because of a steady change in demographics, not because Christine “built a machine” and set the infrastructure in place to beat a Republican. Sure, Christine’s campaign was better organized than in previous years and the results were better. But I firmly believe that any marginally organized candidate would have performed similarly in 2004.

You might spend some time checking out the numbers of Chicago Democrats, younger families, single women and immigrants who have filtered into our neighborhoods in recent years. Pssst…they’re not Republicans!

It is true that Christine didn’t raise enough money. She didn’t raise enough the first time she ran and she didn’t meet base fundraising goals before Tammy entered the race. It’s a shame that candidates must spend so much time raising money, but that is just the way it is right now. Yes, Christine worked hard, but there’s no denying that she didn’t raise enough money and it was spent unwisely for the vast majority of her time running for office. You have said so yourself.

On what are you basing your assertion that Rahm Emanuel was looking to court candidates who would serve his interests in Congress? That seems like some rather bold speculation masquerading as fact. It is true that Rahm looked for candidates based on the political ideologies favored by the voters in the district. I believe his only motivation there was that he believed they were more likely to win if they reflected the interests of the electorate. I don’t think that alone is a good way to assess a candidate’s credibility, but I think it makes sense to consider it.

Rahm didn’t want Christine Cegelis to be the nominee because he thought she was a bad candidate. He thought she was a poor fundraiser, a terrible public speaker, too liberal for the district and not willing to follow the DCCC’s plan to win. That is the only reason that I have ever heard from credible sources involved in the decision to run Tammy Duckworth. We all know that Rahm forced the ‘06 targeted candidates to be exceptionally disciplined and uniform in message and to meet regular fundraising goals. He didn’t think she would do that, so he looked for someone else to run. I don’t think it was right for party leadership to involve themselves so heavily in a primary and to expend so many resources doing it. But I don’t think there was some big conspiracy theory involved, either.

And lastly, your claim that Christine was loved so much is very incorrect. There were many people out there who felt the same way about Christine as Rahm Emanuel did. I would hear complaints about her all the time. There was a core group of activist volunteers who were really excited about her, but she would have been the nominee if that feeling was as pervasive as you are suggesting it was.

I agree that the way party leadership went about this race was all wrong. Christine is a phenomenal person and worked very hard when she ran (and after and to this day, even). She would have been a tremendously effective congresswoman and a reliable progressive vote. The results of the primary might have been different if the playing field had been equal. But let’s be honest and realistic in our assessments of the facts.

Chunk o' Daniel Biss' kickoff speech

2007-08-26T01:28:00.000-05:00

DuPage activist Seth Arkin (of "L" is for Blago fame) was also at Daniel Biss' campaign kickoff and caught Daniel's speech on video. He uploaded a chunk of it on YouTube. Here it is:

If you're as excited about Daniel running as I am or you just want to help a sister out with her poor fundraising efforts thus far, throw Daniel a couple bucks for his campaign.

DuPage Duo Free Speech Defense Action

2007-08-25T13:11:00.000-05:00

My friend Michael over at Prairie State Blue has a post up about the "DuPage Duo", Sarah Hartfield and Jeff Zurawski, the DuPage peace activists who have been treated so unbelievably unfairly by the legal system here. Michael is on top of it, so here it is:

I case you haven't heard about this, here's some info from shredhead at dKos on the DuPage Duo that dared to exercise free speech in Republican controlled DuPage County:

In early May, Jeff and Sarah put up a banner that read IMPEACH Bush & Cheney - Liars! and an upside down American flag from an overpass in unincorporated DuPage County over Illinois I 355.  A state trooper arrived, recognized their message & their right to spread their message, but suggested they look into laws regarding signs, and asked them to remove the banner.  They complied.

As they were removing the banner, three DuPage Sheriff Police arrived, apparently one of these a veteran and upset with the situation. Allegedly he threatened the pair (that he'd see the state's attorney & hoped to see them again.)  They were allowed to leave.

Three weeks later, Jeff was arrested at his home, and released on bail. The charge (if found guilty) could lead to 3 months in the county jail.

At the court, two additional charges were added, and they were told that if they pled guilty to the first charge, the others (which could each add a year's imprisonment) would be dropped.

Jeff and Sarah refused. Their jury trial begins October 15.

That's right, exercise free speech and you may be asked to take down your sign due to existing signage laws. Comply immediately and willingly and you may still be arrested three weeks later on trumped up charges because you've upset the DuPage Sheriff who doesn't agree with your views and has direct access to the Republican State's Attorney.

So here's a couple actions you can take:

Action 1:

On October 11 at 12 noon, there will be a protest held in front of State's Attorney Joe Birkett's office located at 503 N. County Farm Road Wheaton, IL 60187

Action 2:

Take the time to contact the State's attorney:

Email: Joe Birkett

fax (630) 407-8151

phone (630) 407-8000.

Suggested talking points included:

-Urge support of the first amendment

-Dropping all charges against Jeff Zurawski and Sarah Hartfield.

For more information regarding supporting Jeff and Sarah, their legal defense fund needs, or how to contact them directly, see this post.

Update 8-25-07

From the Naperville Sun a while back. Even they get that this is politically motivated ~~persecution~~ prosecution:

While we agree that it is illegal to put something in view from a highway that can be a distraction to drivers, we would argue that distracting billboards and, indeed, traffic signs are placed legally all the time along highways and that these are no more or less distracting than the duo's illegal banner.

We also suspect that had the banner read "Support Bush and Cheney" instead of "Impeach Bush and Cheney - LIARS" the situation would have been viewed a little differently.

[...]

Frankly, we think this should have ended when Zurawski and Hartfield folded their banner and went to leave at the request of the trooper.

While we don't agree with the two's political views, we support their right to have them and think the action taken by the DuPage County state's attorney's office, in particular the upgrading of the charges, is overkill.

Sweet! BP lets up, finally!

2007-08-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

From Durbin and Rahm's Protect Our Lake email list:

Dear Bridget,

In just a few weeks, you and more than 50,000 other concerned citizens stood up for the Great Lakes by signing our online petition, telling BP to stop their plans to dump more toxic chemicals into Lake Michigan.

Clearly, BP heard your message.

On Thursday, CEO Bob Malone announced that BP was reversing its decision to increase dumping in Lake Michigan. This is a watershed moment for the Great Lakes and for all of us who have fought to protect and preserve Lake Michigan.

Thanks so much for helping us stop BP's plan to increase dumping in the Great Lakes!

Truth be told, when we launched our radio ads early this month -- urging listeners to sign our "Protect Our Lake" petition -- we never expected such a tremendous response. We've truly been overwhelmed by the response from you and 50,000 more people who share our concern for Lake Michigan.

In addition to supplying over 30 million Americans with drinking water, the Great Lakes feed rivers that flow throughout the continent and eventually to the sea. BP's plans to expand dumping into Lake Michigan affected us all, which is why so many of us took action and spoke out.

Increasing America's refining capacity to cost-effectively produce oil and gas is critical to keeping fuel costs low -- as is increasing our efforts to seek alternative energy sources that diminish our country's reliance on foreign oil.

But BP finally figured out what we had said all along -- economic development and protecting our environment can go hand in hand.

There is still more work to be done. The duty remains in our hands to ensure BP fulfills their promise. We must continue to fight to not just protect the Lakes, but also to improve their environmental health. While we keep working with our colleagues in Washington to restore the Great Lakes we need you to continue to join us in our fight.

Today we saw that real change is possible, and the agent of change was you. Thank you for your dedication to making sure that our Lakes are protected for future generations.

Sincerely,

Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator

Rahm Emanuel
Member of Congress

That was pretty quick. Now I'm wondering if Durbin and Rahm knew the CEO was going to do this. Cynical as always, I suppose.

Rep. Beth "Hypocrite" Coulson on the attack

2007-08-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

Hypocritical State Rep. Beth "Hypocrite" Coulson (R-17th) has attempted to come down on her opponent, Daniel Biss, for utilizing ActBlue to raise funds. She claims that ActBlue is "exactly the kind of PAC we've tried to address in ethics reform".

Yeah, you read that right. She really is talking about ActBlue, which is simply an affordable and simple tool for Democrats to use as a credit card processor. The difference is that it allows anyone to create a free account and raise money for whomever she chooses. It *GASP* allows everyday folks to get involved in the political process in a different way. Wouldn't want that!

When someone uses ActBlue for a federal race, each contributor through ActBlue is listed as an individual donor. Because of IL election law being the way it is, ActBlue must function as a state PAC. Since the individual donors are not automatically listed, Daniel has taken it upon himself to list them on his website.

I'm going to join Larry in throwing down the gauntlet on Beth Coulson's PAC money. Rep. Coulson, R-17th (soon to mean "retired"), care to practice what you preach and list all of the donors to the special interest groups that fund your campaign? I'm sure they'd give them to you if you asked.

Or how about the corporate interests that are listed as "individual donors" such as Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. of San Diego, CA or Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Ridgefield, CT?

Rep. Coulson, do you REALLY want to open up this can of worms?

More from Rob at Illinois Reason here.

Durbin & Rahm Challenging BP

2007-08-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

Senator Dick Durbin and Rep. Rahm Emanuel have launched a campaign to pressure BP to nix their incredibly irresponsible plan to dump 54% more ammonia and 34% more solid waste into Lake Michigan. They have a meeting with the CEO, Bob Malone, on September 4th where they plan to hand over a petition signed by folks like myself. And you, if you are so inclined to participate in saving our already mucky lake from further nastiness.

Durbin and Rahm are running a radio ad that I heard on WBBM 780AM this evening during rush hour. Here it for yourself here. It's pretty damn good!

Both Durbin and Rahm are up for reelection this year but are both very, very safe. I love that they are using their massive campaign coffers to challenge BP to walk their talk on environmental issues.

Daniel Biss kicks it off!

2007-08-19T21:31:00.001-05:00

Hmm, I am not sure if "kicks it off" is something that normal human beings say. Anyway...

Today my good friend Luis and I joined Northside DFA for Daniel Biss' kickoff rally and petition canvass. Daniel is the Democratic candidate for 17th District State Rep.

With the place packed to the rafters, Daniel was given rousing endorsements by Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Debra Shore, Rep. Lou Lang, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

I have to admit that I was wondering what kind of turnout Daniel would get given the torrential downpours earlier in the day. Luckily, it didn't seem to deter a soul! I suppose that's how it goes when people consider a candidate truly "one of their own".

Daniel has been working towards the same goals as so many of us for years now.
He truly is one of ours.
I am proud and excited to support his run for state rep. and I'm looking forward to contributing to his big WIN in November '08!

The Ultimate Nutcracker

2007-08-17T23:15:00.000-05:00

I must have this. Never mind that I don't really eat nuts with shells. I'm sure I could find something to do with a Hillary Nutcracker.

Chocolate RAAAIIIIINNNN

2007-08-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

I'm obsessed with this guy. Go Tay Zonday!

My car is being a bitch

2007-08-11T14:58:00.000-05:00

UGH, I hate having to repair my car. It is the worst feeling in the world when one's car starts to reach the point where regular repairs become the norm. The PT Loser has always had its quirks, but now it's starting to cost me some serious cash.

I will get a car from work in 8.5 months, so I'm hoping the PTL hold out that long. If that wasn't the case, I'd drop PTL like a bad habit and get one of the only marginally cute vehicles on the UAW-made list. I only like cars that look like jelly beans or elf hearses, have a hatchback, and come in a cute color, so my options are limited.

Thankfully, I have a good friend who is a fabulous mechanic to look after PTL for the next 8.5 months. This makes it a little less stressful and slightly less expensive.

So if you have a car that's being a bitch like I do, call Jeremiah, the best mechanic in Bloomingdale. And he won't rip you off.

Jeremiah Liddle
(630) 306-3151

Showing some discretion

2007-08-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

With the upcoming AFL-CIO Presidential debate just days away, people are buzzing about what is or is not appropriate behavior at the event. The AFL-CIO has not endorsed and isn't expected to do so anytime soon. Because of that, the AFL-CIO members, for whom this event is being held, have been asked to show some discretion and not campaign for any particular candidate at the event.

Union endorsements are handled in a particular, organized fashion by their members. Knowledgeable political candidates are aware of this and show respect towards the members by honoring their processes.

Given that, one has to wonder why IL-14 House candidate John Laesch finds it an appropriate thing to do to spend his and his volunteers' time at the debate fleecing union members who have not endorsed him for political donations.

In a comment entry he posted on the Daily Kos blog, John describes how he plans to do just that at the AFL-CIO debate on August 7th:

"Hey, I have tickets to the Aug. 7th Presidential debate (hosted by the AFL-CIO) if you want to come out and canvass for Laesch.

We are going to be looking for small $25 contributions from union members - I am a Union Carpenter and they should be supportive of our candidacy.

Call the office 630.385.8568 if you want to come... this afternoon we are distributing petitions for ballot access.

Cheers,
jdl"

Democratic Congressional Candidate (IL CD 14) www.john08.com We The People - It Says It All!
by John Laesch on Sun Aug 05, 2007 at 07:40:59 AM PDT

One would think that John Laesch, as a union member, former campaign staffer, and failed congressional candidate, would be well aware of the endorsement processes that unions employ. I suspect he is and is simply choosing to disrespect the process.

Obama the Musical

2007-07-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is probably not new, but it's completely adorable nonetheless.

"L" is for Blago

2007-07-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

Fellow DuPage activist Seth Arkin of Operation Turn DuPage Blue saw Blago at the Cubs game the other day. His reaction is quite appropriate, though he claims he was just saying that the Cubs are #1. Uh huh.

Carole Pankau kan't wright reel good

2007-07-12T23:41:00.000-05:00

Sen. Carole Pankau decided to take it upon herself to add me to her email list without my consent. I have no idea where she got my email, unless she reads my blog. And if she reads my blog, she would know that I have publicly mocked her on more than one occasion. So who knows why she would want to put me on her email list.

At any rate, I'm quite glad she did because she has renewed my enthusiasm for mocking her by providing me with the opportunity to correct her grammar and critique her embarrassing writing skills. This business is hilarious! I especially enjoy her vivid imagery of the chair and table setup. Riveting!

Thought you might find this interesting . . .
[haha, I bet!]

July 12, 2007

“So…… Carole…… what’s happening in Special Session ["special session" should not be capitalized!]?”

“Do we have a budget yet?” These are the questions you’ve been asking me.

The quick answers: Nothing and No.

Last Saturday when all members were invited to the governor's mansion for a negotiation session, it was almost surreal. In the ballroom of the mansion was a large square table that 30 to 40 members [were] seated around with four rows of chairs set up on the side.

If you look closely at the enclosed picture, that’s me on the far left.

The Governor was 30 minutes late for the meeting. He began the proceedings by squaring off against Speaker Madigan, calling him a right-wing conservative. Speaker Madigan responded by suggesting that nothing is gained by calling people names and that the Governor should tone down the rhetoric. To which the Governor responded that he will say anything he wants to. And then it went down hill ["downhill" is one word!] from there. Yesterday's negotiations was ["were", not "was"!!!] more civil but still absolutely nothing was accomplished.

The Governor just doesn’t get it!

Please share this with your friends and colleagues, and if they are interested, they can send their names and e-mail addresses to Michael, my aide in Bloomingdale, at carole@pankau.org. Government works best when we all work together.

Keep em' coming, Carole! Bet you're sorry you took it upon yourself to spam me, huh?