A hard rain's gonna fall.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, GOPers, it tolls for thee.

Awesome, I love to watch the Republican party bleed. They spent 20% of their resources trying to retain the seat, and they lost it. I hope that loss simmers, then after the seasoning and oil is spread on it, throw that loss upside down to simmer some more.

What's even better is that Mr. Foster was endorsed by Barack Obama in his final week, and that ended up helping Foster to some extent. How much, remains to be seen, of course, but this can be what happens when you have moderates defecting to the Obama camp, especially in the birthplace of Reagan.

This is bad news (maybe) for Obama. The Repubs are going to freak out sensing Obama coattails a mile long. This will be extra motivation to pull every dirty trick in the book and then some. But, they are also likely to overreach. Obama has used this successfully against Clinton. Let's hope he can use the Repub panic to deliver filibuster proof margins in November.

Do you think they accept the political landscape as it is and go down easy or.........

And what's even funnier: That $1.2 mil they spent represented almost a third of the NRCC's cash on hand. BWA HA HA HA HA HA!

Just got off the phone with my mom, who lives in the 14th. She and my dad voted for Foster. You can't imagine how much that freaked my sister and me out given our mom's voting history. mr. shortstop and I welcomed Mom to the Dark Side and explained how the satanic rituals, nightly flag burnings and Gro-Lite basement pot gardens work. She wasn't all that amused until I told her she never had to shave her legs again and promised to send her "We Shall Overcome" for her ringtone.

You know, winning "Dennis Hastert's seat" just doesn't sound all that appealing to me.

Don't forget to tell her that she never has to wear that enamel flag pin - ever - again!

Do you think if Hillary, rather than Obama, had aired an ad for him, he still would have won? Nope. Hopefully the remaining undecided superdelegates will keep will take notice of this victory and think about how Hillary at the top of ticket would effect other tight down ticket races.

Senator Obama campaigned for Bill Foster in this traditionally Republican (since 1974) district. Senator Clinton did not. I hope the other superdelegates, particularly the ones who face re-election in November, are paying attention.

What y'all need to understand is y'all will get blasted with my sawed off if you jawed off.

Senator Obama campaigned for Bill Foster in this traditionally Republican (since 1974) district. Senator Clinton did not. I hope the other superdelegates, particularly the ones who face re-election in November, are paying attention.

To be fair to Clinton, I doubt she would have helped him much. And while coattail arguments are fair (and I do think Obama's would be longer than Clinton's), this is Illinois, and Obama is a golden boy here right now. We're very enthusiastic about him. And I imagine Clinton would have a bigger effect helping out a NY state congressional nominee.

This was Obama's turf, and I'm glad he helped Foster. But I don't think that reflects poorly on Clinton.

Hastert's seat was especially vulnerable because he was behind the Mark Foley scandal (knowingly harboring a pedophile in Congress) and because he was a Bush rubber stamp. Yes, I realize that he wasn't running again, but that kind of betrayal of trust and ethics is going to create greater backlash than mere membership in the Republican party itself.

Sure, this could be the year that Democrats win the White House and get get wide enough majorities in the House and Senate to actually get stuff done. Could be, but probably won't be thanks to insatiable ego and selfishness of the Clintons. Obama and Clinton could spend another $100 million each (or more) battling this out to the convention. That's money that would be much better spent attacking McCain than beating up on one another.

And because it's almost mathematically impossible for Hillary to win a majority of regular delegates, she's sticking around for the hopes of either destroying Obama so thoroughly as to win 65%+ margins here on out, or to win the nomination through more controversial means (super delegates or a with Michigan and Florida).

Chances are still good that she will fail, but in the process she will almost certainly damage Obama's image and create a huge rift in the party. Hillary is 2008's Nader.

But it's no surprise, something similar happened before under Bill Clinton's watch: not only were the House and Senate majorities lost, but also governorships and state assemblies fell to the Republicans (not to mention a complete and total decay of the Democratic party's national infrastructure). The Clintons always have a winning strategy for themselves, but it usually worked out at the expense of the Democratic party and other candidates like Al Gore.

It's fairly clear now that Bush supporters aren't an anomaly. Democrats have them too - they're called Hillary supporters. They are perfectly content backing someone who will say or do anything to win, including smearing and attacking fellow Democrats while PRAISING Republican opponents in the process. How absolutely unforgivably sickening. But Bush/Clinton supporters almost certainly believe the ends justify the means - meaning they don't really have any steady guiding principles beyond winning. Who wants to bet that the lobbyists who have Hillary in their pocket will make sure that Hillary-Care ends up being every bit as expensive as no more beneficial to the average American than Bush's prescription benefit bill?

Of course the seat of a pedophile-protector fell NOW. November is still a long way away. If Hillary gets the nod, a lot of Republicans and Independents who might have stayed home or even voted Democratic will likely turn out in droves to vote against Hillary.

While Hillary and Obama appear close when looking at national surveys, it becomes much more apparent that Hillary is at a far greater disadvantage when those numbers are broken down state by state. Obama simply puts far more states into play as possible wins, or ties, than Hillary (who puts far more solidly into McCain's camp).

But hey, isn't Barack HUSSEIN Obama a Muslim with no experience, who only wins in "insignificant" states, who plagiarizes speeches and refuses to pledge allegiance to the flag? And aren't all of his followers Prius-driving, latte-drinking, Birkenstock-wearing, crazy or non-serious fad-following cult-members (or worse, stupid minorities)? At least, you couldn't be blamed for having that impression if you listen to the Clinton campaign.

Is that the image of the Democratic party you believe in? Is that the kind of politics and behavior you want to see more of? Because the nation is certainly going to get a lot more of that if Hillary becomes the poster girl for the Democratic party.

john mccain ain't smart enough to be nervous

be sure to mention to Mom how safe Volvo's are

can't help with the birkenstocks though

liberals are doomed to be footwear fashion victims apparently

and enjoy the latte ...

mr. shortstop and I welcomed Mom to the Dark Side and explained how the satanic rituals, nightly flag burnings and Gro-Lite basement pot gardens work. She wasn't all that amused until I told her she never had to shave her legs again and promised to send her "We Shall Overcome" for her ringtone.

God that was funny.

Augustus, you know I love Obama, but Hillkenstein has every reason to stay in the race. Although Obama outsmarted her strategically it's still very close, and as everybody knows Hillary has lifetime experience and has crossed the threshold just like her pal John McCain so yes she can.

Meanwhile Bill Foster is a physicist. Science is back!

There's a lot going on here to digest when a seat like this flips, among them demographics. Foster won in the suburbs of Chicago (Aurora) and that's pretty significant for November where Democrats are poised to do better in suburbs overall. A repeat of 2006 may just be in the cards now.

I've heard reports that Obama did more than endorse and run an ad for Foster. He also contacted his supporters and got them hooked up to make phone calls and canvass for Foster. Obama's real efforts demonstrate his political savvy and impact.

Once Foster is sworn in, he qualifies as a superdelegate and, of course, he will be an Obama superdelegate.

So with Rush Holt and now Foster, the House Democratic Physicists' Caucus now has two members. It's a good day for science.

I agree that the unspoken message of the NRCC comment is that "we are praying that Clinton somehow manages to win the nomination, and, in doing so, manages to alienate the many new voters who have become involved in democratic politics this year, while being the catalyst who will do what no other Democratic candidate could do as well--unite the splintering factions of the Republican party." I live in Illinois and I did some GOTV neighborhood walking for Foster's campaign (after earlier supporting his more progressive opponent, John Laesch, who lost in a very close primary). I think it is probably true to say that Obama's ad and support did help Foster a great deal. I agree that a comparable ad by Hillary might actually have hurt (Oberweis used her image, along with that of Ted Kennedy, in one of his negative mail pieces). But, remember that we are talking about Illinois, a state where Obama's influence goes a long way. It's not as clear that his "coattails" will be as long in other areas of the country, although, for reasons mentioned above, I am becoming convinced he'll give us a better chance in November. I still think Edwards would have been the best all around general election candidate. But that's water under the bridge. So congratulations to Bill Foster, and to Barack Obama on the convincing Wyoming win.

Nay, Clinton will be a push over - too much baggage, no vision or rhetoric.

I live in Indiana and the Midwest economy sucks. Michigan and Ohio will be voting for change this year. Illinois was much bluer already. IL will not even be in play. Indiana could be a close call. The Dean 50 state strategy will force Republicans to defend instead of concentrating their resources.

The economy under Bush 1 sucked. The economy under Bush 2 has sucked. At some point the voters internalize the linkage and vote their pocketbooks.

Here's the really funny thing:

This was a special election to fill Hastert's unexpired term. Foster and Oberweis will go at it again come November. So that means the GOP will have to grin and bear it as Obie continues to campaign (as a loser) from now until then. Unless they can somehow persuade Obie to step down in favor of some other candidate.

But that has pitfalls, too. Obie has an ego as big as all outdoors and so won't go softly into that good night. Second, they got nothin' when it comes to another candidate. Obie's challenger in the primary, State Sen. Chris Lauzen is a nut. After a previous campaign when a challenger questioned his credentials as a certified public accountant, Lauzen attempted to legally change his name to Christopher Lauzen CPA. The judge obviously thought he'd lost his mind and denied the request. But the Chicago Trib has never let Lauzen forget it. And if anything, Lauzen is even farther to the right than Obie.

So those of us here in the 14h District are laying in the popcorn for a highly entertaining upcoming election season.

Let's give credit where credit is due. The Republican candidate, Jim Oberweis is a rich ultra-conservative, but he has run, self-funded,unsuccessfully several times for various offices; he's plainly not well liked here.

Now if we can just knock off Mitch McConnell.

Way to go Dr. Foster.

Meanwhile Bill Foster is a physicist. Science is back!

We're going to need it. It is problem solving time, and there are a hell of a lot more problems to solve after the GOP worked the country over with their faith-based incompetence. Independents and moderate Republicans are paying attention this time around. A vote for more idiocy could mean your own personal (health) and financial ruin.

Now they must be sure Foster stays on point...in the mean time, read em' and weep wing-nuts.

This election is proof that the winds of change are sweeping through America. Most of us are absolutely fed up with George Bush and his presidency. He's brought us war, recession, a weak currency, and he does nothing about the healthcare crisis.

Even mid-America has had enough. If the GOP can't win Dennis Hastert's seat they are in a real jam. There are dozens of other house races around this country that are far more competitive than this one was expected to be for the democrats.

Its too early to predict victory for the dems, but this is a most ominous sign indeed for the GOP and John McCain.

One down. How many more to go???

RAM's 9:54 post is an excellent analysis of the situation in the 14th. Good entertainment coming.

Newly minted flaming liberal Mom Shortstop is already threatening to take out a restraining order against Oberweis for his unrelenting phone calls, BTW.

Laesch asked on Friday for a primary recount, BTW. Think that will go anywhere?

Time for those 50+ super delegates who are now willing to back Barack to Come Out, Stand Up and Be Counted Now before HRC does further damage to her party!

I went to my Democratic Senate District convention over the weekend and there were five times as many people there, as attended in 2004!

Democrats are energized and THEY ARE PISSED!!!

The one thing Bush has accomplished is to get Democrats active again. I think the GOP is going to get steamrolled like we haven't seen in decades....

We should also count my congressman Jerry McNerney as a member of the congressional science club. I know an math PhD is NOT the same as a physicist degree, but its close enough for me.

We need all the help we can get to overturn the damage done by the Republican war on science.

Hillary should be nervous about this result, too. I know the Illinois 14th very well, and it's relective of much of the Midwest. These voters are pretty well-educated, conservative-at-heart straight shooters who absolutely loathe Hillary Clinton. (Don't blame me. I'm just tellin' it.) They are McCain voters. They can be, as we just saw, Obama voters. It has something to do with his basic decency and their aversion to slimy politics. He can win this district. Hillary will drive people to the polls, too --- buzz cuts on fire, pitchforks in hand.

oops, i meant "reflective" in that first sentence.

Bill Foster is my congressman now. yeee-HAH!

Some of the victory was due to Oberweis--rich grandson who wants to buy him an elected office. (Oberweis dairy makes the best egg nog on the face of the earth: it's an institution with signs all through the area on farms saying 'We proudly supply milk to the Oberweis dairy"--but that's not Jim's doing. Chris Lauzen, the amiable faceless establishment candidate, would have done much better against Foster. The same impulse that makes people Republican makes them despise Oberweis. He won't do any better in November.

But things have changed: demographic shifts (more Hispanics)--but mainly times are bad and getting worse. The Republicans 'He'll raise your raxes!" and "pro-life!" and "immigrants!" and people aren't buying. Right before the election gas went up 20¢ a gallon. That probably did more than Obama's endorsement.

People are hurting, and scared--and the Republicans are not even hearing them, while the Democrats are saying this is what we're going to do about it.

It's going to be savage.

Obama supported Foster! And Foster supported Obama.
Obama-man must be saying something.

Viva Obama!

Give me Obama or Nader or I will suffer death from the slings and arrows of Clinton or McCain!

I have come to the conclusion that Obama has to go to Pennsylvania after Mississippi and camp out. If he can come close in Pennsylvania Hillary is out. He doesn't have to win, just come close. In the meantime he needs to show he can effectively counter punch. The only reason Clinton is still in the race is the perception that Obama is a little soft. His job is to prove he has some steel.

The road is tougher for Clinton. Right now she is widely perceived as being a divisive personality. Her kitchen sink candidacy has enhanced that view.

She needs to prove that she can help the party, not just herself. She has to give Republicans reason not to hate her and independents reason not to dislike her. She draws from a pretty intense but narrow base. In a year where the Democrats have a chance for a landslide she has to prove she can help make that landslide happen.

Those super delegates are all pols. They are all interested in expanding the Democratic congressional majority. They want to win back state houses and state legislatures. They are going to break for the candidate that can help prove they can build that majority.

I think this Illinois election should be a marker for the Party brass. This could be the biggest Democratic year in decades. The party needs to put up the candidate that has the longest coattail.

THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR HILLARY!!!

Worried Senator is very worried!

....Is that the image of the Democratic party you believe in? Is that the kind of politics and behavior you want to see more of? ....Augustus at 4:23 AM

.... so yes she can....Lucy at 8:01 AM

Mitch McConnell is below the 50% mark in Kentucky but still is considered to be in a good position.

but Hillkenstein has every reason to stay in the race.

Only if your goal is to elect McCain.

*

"Now if we can just knock off Mitch McConnell."

In order to function without Mitch McConnell the Senate would need to be fitted with a colostomy bag.

His being a physicist is the coolest thing of all.
(A Democratic triumph is the main course, naturally.)

Shortstop: "...welcomed Mom to the Dark Side and explained how the satanic rituals, nightly flag burnings and Gro-Lite basement pot gardens work. She wasn't all that amused until I told her she never had to shave her legs again and promised to send her "We Shall Overcome" for her ringtone."

OMG. Your mom is my mom's twin separated at birth!!! I still remember my mom ranting over some hemp growth discovered in Will County--only a few miles from where I grew up on the property of a clueless aged woman's farmland. She was convinced that there was some clandestine horde of "long haired hippy freaks" ala Manson tilling the rich Illinois soil by the dark of the moon to bring ruin to decency. She never believed it when it was discovered it was left over industrial grade hemp growing wild from some guy's farm operation who grew it for the federal government for WW2 Navy rope or some such non-hippy activity. I always blamed her mindset on the toxicity of permanent wave solution seepage into the cranium. Well, that and her brand of religion.

Thanks for the really good laugh this morning.

ON the local PA front: Some really good press for Obama this weekend on the opening of his office in Bethlehem, PA and the positive community feedback. Seems like all you hear about Clinton here thus far are sound bytes from the the machine folks. Interesting. We are braced for the onslaught of being "Iowa on steroids". Frankly, given Monsanto's product saturation in Iowa and PA's large Amish and organic community, I don't think we could be any more full of growth hormone than the good folks of Iowa. But, alas, I pick nits.

Correction: (Grammar faux pas royale) The hemp was on the property of the clueless old woman, I didn't grow up there. (I grew up on the property of a youngish clueless woman...) Sheesh. And you'd think with an extra hour of sleep last night and all,...

Since we got on the subject of hemp, I wish to remind readers that hemp oil makes a great biodiesel, with few of the issues making corn so horrible for the same purpose (also horrible for HFCS, but it's those goddamn Iowa caucuses that are mostly to blame.)

PS check out www.hempcar.org

I'm not a Hillary fan but to slam Clinton for not campaigning for Foster is a bit weak. I mean Obama is from the same state. If this had been going on in New York, I imagine she would have helped out. If she was in McCain's position having already clinched the nomination she may well have done also.

Foster may have benefited from comic book fans who remember all the good deeds he did in the 1970s as Black Goliath.

I'd really like to know what Hil's record is as far as lending support to other New York Democrats - I haven't lived in the state for a while & haven't followed things that closely. I know I was recently reading someone who thought she fell short in that regard, but I don't know who & I can't find the evidence now. I'm not trying to troll with vague information, honest - I'd really like to find out how to answer the question!

At some point, you should learn that an endless recitation of Republican charges favor of your candidate is not an endearing tactic.

"... (McCain) will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002." -- Hillary Clinton, 03/01/08

"I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." -- Hillary Clinton, 03/03/08

Noted without comment.

Hillary should worry. Foster showed how you beat someone that offers nothing but negative attacks, like Hillary does.

Obama not only had ads for Foster, he sent in his troops, as did MoveOn.

And Foster was estatic when Obama started helping him. And just as estatic when McCain helped Oberweis.

And where was Hillary? Schlepping around talking about how her and Sinbad destroyed the Nazi's in the middle east.

junebug: "... (McCain) will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002." -- Hillary Clinton, 03/01/08

"I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." -- Hillary Clinton, 03/03/08

Noted without comment.

You forgot this:

"And I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold. I believe that I’ve done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you’ll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy." -- Hillary Clinton, 3/06/08

Aw, groundhog, that was funny, but I gotta defend Mom a little bit here: She's not a religious nut (just the opposite) or a paranoid who looks for DFHs under the bed. She still calls herself a Republican, but hasn't voted for a Republican president in 20 years. She voted for Obama in the primary and will back him in the general.

She has, however, always voted for Denny and his GOP predecessors for her Congressional reps. We were just teasing her about crossing over the Red River locally as well as nationally. She was all, "Oh, you kids. So I voted for a Democrat this time--big deal. Have your fun!"

You forgot this...

Admittedly, it's tough to keep up.

Sounds like you have a great mom. Great sense of that midwestern self deprecating humor.

Mine has provided great comic relief in our family for years only she isn't quite aware of it.

I have come to believe that the term "religious nut" is a redundancy.

But then my mom sent me packing under duress to Bob Jones at the tender age of 17. The only thing that keep me sane while there during my short stay in solitary was,...you guessed it, my friend,... that great self deprecating midwestern humor.

From Bob Jones girl at 17 to ass-kicking Democrat convert by 47. I observe, read and cheer y'all on but I don't engage myself in the fray. When they say democracy ain't free, boy, they aren't kiddin'. (Called sh** on the GOP once and had to check if the boys clawed out my eyes.) So, I am a curious and amused spectator in my garden gloves trying hard not to break a nail (sarcasm). But, darlin', I am a vicious bitch in the voting booth.

Keep up the good fight.

Obama draws more non-Democratic and upper income voters. Mike at 1:10 p.m.

This statement certainly correlates with what I am hearing and reading. The writer of a letter to the editor in our local newspaper yesterday, who is an admitted Libertarian, said that he was voting for Obama. Because, he explained:

If you want failed FDR/Johnson/Carter liberal policies to continue (and want to pay a lot more taxes), you support Hillary Clinton.

I guess he wants to get rid of those nasty programs like Social Security and Medicare.

I grew up in Denny Hastert's district. And it's not all that conservative. I suppose its that weird Illinois republican thing: it's high tax, good to great public schools, pro small business and traditional downtowns, public utilities in almost all those towns, very progressive in terms of restricting development and pro historic preservation.

The largest city, Aurora, has a large minority population, including latinos and heavily democratic (it's an old union town). It's the end of the Silicon Prairie -- with Fermilab and major science research being done around there, so lots of educated people.

The GOP opponent, James Oberweiss, is and was a nut. He was absolutely the wrong candidate. But he has a ton of money and bought his primary win. If the primary had gone to Kevin Burns (the centrist Republican mayor (a nonpartisan role, there is no party affiliations listed when running in many midwest small towns, of Geneva, IL -- my hometown) the district would have stayed in Republican hands.

Burns has been a great mayor and a long time supporter of public schools, public utilities, historic preservation and fighting chain stores to preserve the unique character in the tri-cities of Geneva, St. Charles and Batavia. He had a lot of support from the mayors and city council people of all those towns.

The district was always pretty much in the middle (it's no Dupage county, which the GOP machine has controlled for decades) and with new immigrants, new residents, and a younger population, the kind of nut that Oberweiss is would not stand a chance. (He'll keep running when ever there's an election, because he's got the money and the ego and he won't learn.)

In reality, although Hastert was out-gunned by Rove and the Bush White House -- he wasn't considered all that conservative when I was a child in the 1980s. I don't think he ever had an opinion about anything, frankly.

Dailykos noted some interesting details:

"Democrat Bill Foster has won the special election in IL-14, and by a stunning margin. This is a red district. Former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert represented this district since 1987, winning reelection by huge margins. This district includes the city of Dixon, which is the birthplace of Ronald Reagan. This is a district that President Bush won twice, and in 2004 he received 56% of the vote. The NRCC poured over $1 million here to hold onto this seat -- nearly a third of its cash on hand."

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha

A blow to the Republican psyche and let's not forget McCain was campaigning for Jim Oberweis....

The best part of this win (other than having another Democrat in the House) is that it may well suppress GOP donations and enthusiasm. And that effect can carry all the way up and down the ticket in November.

I heard something funny at breakfast:

Hard to believe you could lose something as big as Hastert’s seat.

While this is absolutely great news, I really can't say that I'm all that surprised. The Republican strongholds in the greater Chicagoland 'burbs have been slowly but surely trending Democratic for quite some time now.

The best indication of that was when the Democrats finally seized control of the governor's office and state legislature in 2002 due to the suburban shift; the tipping point was probably several major "pay to play" corruption scandals involving Gov. George Ryan and several key GOP state legislative leaders.

(Ironically, this red-to-blue shift in the political winds is what also enabled the now-notorious Tony Rezko to set up his own "pay to play" branch office in Springfield, much to Illinois Democrats' current chagrin and despair.)

Further, 18-term GOP Congressman Phil Crane was ousted by Melissa Bean in 2004. In November, I expect Dan Seal to finally break through in IL-10, as well.

@Donald from Hawaii:

There's nothing ironic about it. Politics in Illinois is ALWAYS corrupt. It doesn't matter who is in office, there is a political machine of old time cronies there waiting to profit. The machine always wins.

(I'm not being too cynical about it. I think Illinois politics works pretty well. Generally. I think that it's very much a purple state, people expect a lot from their government. And public services are strong -- schools, utilities, what have you. But it's like New York (or a dictatorship) in that cronyism and old time machine politics always wins. It's how the game is played. It's what people expect. West Coasters have a tradition of progressivism going back a 100 years, Illinoisans just expect things to get done. Any kind of high minded ethics be damned.)

To shortstop on March 9, 2008 at 11:01 AM

Sorry for late reply; had a big do to go to or my wife would have been very unhappy.

I don't think the Laesch recount is going to do anything to overturn the primary result. If it did, however, it would probably be bad for the Dems because it's a recount of the primary for the general election in November. If Laesch wins, that means Foster would be knocked off the ballot come November. Since yesterday, he's the Dem incumbent. It would give Obie a second wind, but I think Laesch would probably beat him as badly as Foster did. But who knows. It would certainly throw a monkey wrench into the campaign process.

I can't help feeling, especially after talking with some GOPers (moderate, local official variety) this afternoon that while they'd LOVE Obie to voluntarily take himself off the November ballot, he's going to stay on. The concensus seemed to be that Burns, the Geneva mayor who dropped out, would have given Foster a much better run. But Burns is a classic moderate Republican and so is unacceptable to the wingnuts who are gaining more and more power locally.

Well, I am gonna call several congressional offices tomorrow. Because this means that it's OPEN SEASON on REPUKELISCUM office holders. I'm calling IL-19, IL-10 and IL-14. We IL Dems stand a good chance of turning some of these. Especially IL-10. If Obama is on the ballot in Nov, IL-10 will go Dem.

This thread fascinates me. Thanks for the input, RAM and Inaudible Nonsense (and congrats to groundhog for overcoming large odds!). Inaudible Nonsense, I would note that while Aurora and the TCs aren't all that conservative, when you move west toward the Mississippi the 14th gets quite red, which skews the overall numbers despite most of the population being in the eastern end of the district.

OT, I had never noticed before how much the district looks like a...well, blame Atrios for comically bringing that to my attention.

I admit it's hard for me to take Kevin Burns seriously as a Congressional candidate, as I clearly recall regularly watching his brother Brian beating him to a pulp in their Notre Dame shrine of a family room over some real or imagined infraction of bathroom etiquette.

I really doubt Laesch will prevail, either. But what a fascinating couple of elections to watch.

@shortstop: True on all accounts (I'm surprised how well Kevin Burns has been as mayor, but he has.) And Red is a lot different now than it was in the 1980s. Bible thumpers didn't really show their faces in midwest back then. Sure people went to church. But they were small, protestant affairs from mainstream denominations. If you lived in the tri-cities, a lot went to Catholic churches, too, of course.

Megachurches were just a new theory at that point (and the ones that were starting were seen as a little too hippie-like, with rock music and video screens and stuff).

Hastert had his office in Batavia, he knew what side his bread was buttered on and it wasn't in Dixon. Oberweiss is from Aurora (I assume) but while I got his milk delivered as a kid and enjoyed his ice cream very much so, I feel quite dirty about both.

I had forgotten, though, how far West that district runs. It almost makes it to Iowa. I guess I have a view of Iowa and Illinois rural culture that's more moderate and less Kansas. But it's been 15 years since I lived in Geneva and while I still have Chicagoland family and rural Iowa family, perhaps I'm not as in touch with the way things have changed.

How is oulling dirty tricks a compassionate thing Bush Lover?

Makes them, I think, look like hypocrites.

*pulling

while I got his milk delivered as a kid and enjoyed his ice cream very much so, I feel quite dirty about both.

LOL--line of the day.

But it's been 15 years since I lived in Geneva and while I still have Chicagoland family and rural Iowa family, perhaps I'm not as in touch with the way things have changed.

It's been longer than that for me, but with parents, sibling and friends still in various parts of the district, I manage to spend a fair amount of time out there and talk to a lot of people. It really has changed. But while it's bluing in the east, it's not true purple yet--which is why we can really celebrate this election!

Christopher Inaudible and Shortstop:

re Your comments concerning bible thumpers not showing their faces in the midwest back in the day (80s?) and the new concept megachurches being seen as "hippy-ish".

You have to understand that in the day bible thumpers weren't like they are today. In the 80s they were in the midst of change--the entire movement. It is not just the change over in that district but the face of fundies/evangelicals has changed over that time period in the entire country.

My fundy-ish family was more like Mennonite than hand waving Jesus freaks. THey were a combo of different denominations, my mom coming from a Swedish Baptist background with a very strict (humorless Swedes) situation. But, most of mine were plain jane, good folks--religious no-nonsense Auntie Em, if you will.

Frankly not terribly different than some of my friend's families who were starchy Lutherans. My mom was especially hyper because that was kind of her own trip and ** unlike** most churchy folks around us, she was kind of a political junkie type. That was NOT typical of fundyish types back in my day. (Pre-Moral Majority)

They all thought politics was dirty and that it would make them dirty if they got involved. Prescient, no? I guess they could be right about something.

Anyway, another thing is that the face of BJU changed too. Pre moral majority and the entire christian academy movement, most of their students were midwesterners--loads of kids from Michigan--who were public school kids with very conservative parents. The entire deal with race and even their deal with Catholicism was totally off anyones radar screen and being a northern kid getting sent to the south to school that was something not in the equation. And was very jarring to learn about.

I remember hearing Ian Paisley speak one time on campus and everyone I knew just sat there and thought "Good grief, who IS this clown?" Most of us had never heard that kind of brimstone and bile before. Honestly.

It tended to be Wheaton College for the working class churchy kids. So, there is a large class issue thing with that entire divide. So when people beat on BoJo'ers it is reminiscent of the richer kids at church who maybe got to go someplace like Wheaton or Calvin College for those with a calvinist streak. If you didn't have any money and had strict parents,...well,...

But then one of my really good friends growing up was Catholic and her parents inflicted her with their version of the chastity belt of the mind at a convent school. Not a lot of difference to the kid. Any way you sliced it, I believe we all felt like we were cattle getting prodded.

Oh well. Bible thumpers are much changed in the past 50 years. Don't make the mistake of seeing them as a static entity. I don't think nuns whack kids with rulers anymore either. And I doubt my kid would have ever heard his playmates tell him he was going to burn in Hell because he didn't go to CCD class.

Maybe we all have progressed? I surely hope.

"Back off man, I'm a scientist"
Foster, er.... Venkman

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No one is reporting that most of the time when Ralph Nader runs for President, he has a new book coming out, and these books are mostly published by HarperCollins, a publishing company owned by Rupert Murdoch. Nader's latest book, Seventeen Traditions, is published by HarperCollins, and Rupert Murdoch. Could this be a possible political payback for draining away votes from the Democrats ? This is easy to check out, but no one is doing the checking and reporting.

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YES, I CAN! YES, I CAN! YES, I CAN!

You gotta lotta nerve, Augustus, I said to myself as I surveyed the length of your first post. You really expect me to read all that? Then I did and found it much wiser and more entertaining than anything heard on CNBC this week. Thanks.

I am glad the Republicans are finding it hard to stand on their own two feet but all you can Thank Ole George and his partner in crime Cheney for this with all their past lies catching up with them and the Republican party not to mention the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and if you want this to continue then go ahead and vote for the Republican HotHeaded WarHawk McCain, it will just show how stupid American citizens really are.

I spent my childhood summers on my Chicago grandmother's country place near Dundee + remember well her puzzlement at JFK's 1960 victory: "How can a Democrat win? I don't know any."

I guess it sounds better to libs to refer to Foster as a scientist rather than as a multi-millionaire businessman, but he is in truth a retired scientist and currently a multi-millionaire businessman.

His opponent, Jim Oberweis, is known for his strong anti-illegal alien position, a quixotic position running in a state like Mexinois where corrupt pro-illegals like Durbin, Obama, and Blago rule the roost, and illegal aliens are referred to as "new Americans" and line up at welcoming centers to receive their maternity care and obstetrics for the Democratic Voter Breeding Program (Anchor baby program), mortgage assistance, welfare, and so forth.

shortstop & Inaudible Nonsense-- I grew up in McHenry County, but lived in DeKalb County from about 1996 to 2002. What I remember about Illinois politics: my brother got his first job out of high school by registering as a Republican. My sister was encouraged by her bosses to appear as an extra in Republican T.V. ads they were making, and to sign her name to letters to the editor (that she didn't write) advocating their Republican candidates. Conservatives got their robust economic development and rampant suburban sprawl, but ironically, the people now living in all these new developments transformed the political character of northern Illinois.
Northern Illinois has been shifting toward the Democrats in fits and starts over the past 15 or so years. The population in northern Illinois has become so much more diverse, and the cultural landscape has changed accordingly, but the Republicans were troubled by scandals and in-fighting at various levels, and this also helped move things to the left.

Luther: "...His opponent, Jim Oberweis, is known for his strong anti-illegal alien position, a quixotic position running in a state like Mexinois where corrupt pro-illegals like Durbin, Obama, and Blago rule the roost, and illegal aliens are referred to as "new Americans" and line up at welcoming centers to receive their maternity care and obstetrics for the Democratic Voter Breeding Program (Anchor baby program), mortgage assistance, welfare, and so forth..."

Yeah, I know how the Illinois suburbanites have suffered against the onslaught of all the 'illegal aliens.' Someone got my sister's order all wrong at McDonalds!

Senator Clinton is Illinois-born, and did indeed play a part in the IL-14 election.

Jim Oberweis used her picture in some of his campaign literature. Looks like the good Senator can't even scare the Republicans to the polls in large numbers any more. This fact is probably what's worrying the RNC the most -- money is replaceable, fear is precious.

Oh come on, McCain is FAR too busy being over the threshold of the ONLY two people fit to be Commander and Chief.

Or at least according to Hillary he is - so McCain can possibly be worried, or at least, not as worried as Obama should be, right?

Got to hand it to Hillary - she knows how to properly stoke Repug ass (is that how she deals with the Right-Wing machine?) - and isn't that the change we all wanted?

Jeebus.