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Bringing It All Back Home
“Some of us really care about our communities, and that’s not what’s being promoted. You know, the biggest challenge that I’ve had since the beginning of this campaign is the perception that a rapper can’t be nothing more than an ignorant nigger.”
Posted on November 12, 2010
By Rob Farley and Michael Grabell
This story was co-reported by PolitiFact and ProPublica.
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“One of the interesting things about the Recovery Act was most of the projects came in under budget, faster than expected, because there’s just not a lot of work there.”
– Barack Obama on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010 in a 60 Minutes interview
President Barack Obama says the time is ripe for immediate investment in infrastructure projects such as highways and bridges. With the nation recovering from a recession, interest rates are low, competition among contractors for work is intense and the cost of building materials are low.
As evidence, Obama pointed to the government’s experience with the economic stimulus package, saying that taxpayers have gotten pretty good bang for their buck.
“One of the interesting things about the Recovery Act was most of the projects came in under budget, faster than expected, because there’s just not a lot of work there,” Obama said in an interview on 60 Minutes on Nov. 7, 2010. “I mean, there are construction crews all across the country that are dying for work. And companies that are willing to take a very small profit in order to get work done. And so for us to say now’s the time for us to rebuild this country and equip ourselves for the 21st Century. That’s something that could make a real difference.”
In the fall campaign, Republicans assailed the stimulus as wasteful spending, but now Obama is citing it as a example of efficiency. And so Politifact decided to collaborate with ProPublica to see if Obama was right that “most” of the projects funded by the stimulus came in “under budget” and “faster than expected.”
Posted on November 11, 2010
By The Beachwood Secret Donors Affairs Desk
1. Thank you, Supreme Court.
Posted on November 10, 2010
By 7-Eleven
7-Eleven Slurpee Trucks Bringing FREE “Purple to the People” Slurpee Drink to Chicago, IL
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What: 7-Eleven deployed five Slurpee Trucks from Dallas headed for Capitol Hill and the trucks are stopping along the way to bring the American people the “Purple to the People” exclusive Slurpee drink FREE.
Why: In the wake of President Barack Obama’s statement that Slurpee is a “very delicious drink,” 7-Eleven and Slurpee are going to bring Slurpee drinks to our nation’s capitol and our nation’s people along the way.
Where: 3407 N. Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60645.
When: Tuesday, November 9 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Posted on November 9, 2010
By The Beachwood Democracy Affairs Desk
First, the press release. Then, highlights from the lawsuit.
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The Illinois Green Party and candidates Rich Whitney and LeAlan Jones filed suit in federal court against public television station WTTW, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Public Broadcasting Service and President and CEO of WTTW Daniel J. Schmidt. Gubernatorial candidate Whitney and Senatorial candidate Jones were both excluded from debates which occurred on WTTW this week. This happened despite the Illinois Green Party being one of only three legally established political parties in the state. Furthermore, Whitney received over 360,000 votes in the 2006 gubernatorial election.
The complaint alleges that WTTW, PBS and the CPB violated their 501(c)(3) status by conducting debates that had the effect of participating in, or intervening in a political campaign “on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” These debates plainly had the effect of supporting the Democratic and Republican candidates, who alone were provided with a forum to propagate their views, to the exclusion of the two ballot-qualified Green Party candidates. The suit also charges these three corporate defendants with having violated the Federal Communications Act, including its Equal Time provisions pertaining to political candidates, by sponsoring a debate that gave the Democratic and Republican candidates more time than their Green Party challengers.
Posted on November 5, 2010
By Steve Rhodes
Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones received 115,623 votes (3.2 percent); about 30,000 more than Alexi Giannoulias needed to overcome Mark Kirk.
Libertarian Party candidate Mike Labno, however, received 85,607 votes (2.4 percent); enough to have carried Kirk to victory if neither Jones nor Labno were in the race and those voting Green voted Democratic and those voting Libertarian voted Republican.
Of course, that wouldn’t have necessarily happened. If Jones wasn’t in the race, for example, I simply wouldn’t have voted. Alexi would not have gotten my vote.
The real question is, why didn’t those 1,668,690 voters who went for Giannoulias vote for Jones?
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Republicans took two state offices from Democrats: Treasurer and comptroller.
Significance? Now we have to read four more years of Sneedlings from the irrepressible Judy Baar Topinka and wonder if Dan Rutherford will run for governor in four years.
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Dick Durbin must be counting his lucky stars he wasn’t up for re-election this time around, given the environment and the way he mishandled the Roland Burris seating. Durbin won’t face voters until 2014.
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Beachwood contributor Tim Willette sends in this gem:
“Illinois voters didn’t appear overly enthusiastic about either Senate candidate, but Republican Mark Kirk triumphed with help from independents, men and people worried about the economy, an exit poll showed,” AP reports.
In other words, everyone! Is anyone not worried about the economy?
Says Tim: “Ha ha – like writing ‘Kirk received crucial support from people who fear death.'”
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Me: “Ha! At Filter with Mike Luce, just read this to him. He says ‘Ideological women not worried about the economy, however, went the other way.'”
Tim: “You’re in luck – both of them just tweeted that they’re also at Filter at this very moment. Check the table by the window.”
Posted on November 4, 2010
By Steve Rhodes
If all you want is a reliable vote, why not Roland Burris? Or, as I’ve written elsewhere, a trained seal? We could pay the seal less.
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Tony Peraica denies he was destroying a campaign sign of his opponent, but what if he was? Is that any different than pretending you don’t know that your cronies are doing it? That’s not to absolve Peraica if he’s guilty; it’s to say he isn’t any guiltier than the rest of ’em.
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My favorite part from the Sun-Times’s account:
“The chief also noted that Peraica was dressed head to toe in black for his night-time mission.”
(Peraica says he was dressed in jeans, white tennis shoes and a gray pullover. But I hope he was really in all black.)
Posted on November 2, 2010
By The Beachwood Election Desk
For entertainment purposes only. And voting.
GOVERNOR
Like George W. Bush after 9/11 and Barack Obama after his election in 2008, Pat Quinn has squandered an unusually awesome opportunity to unite citizens for positive change. Instead, his fluke ascension to the state’s top job exposed him as an inept bumbler incapable of holding such high office. Democrats nominated the wrong person and now want to stick us with him for another four years. And if his term is somehow cut short, we’ll be left with one-term Carbondale city councilmember Sheila Simon. How irresponsible of Pat Quinn, who picked Simon after voters chose Scott Lee Cohen.
Posted on November 2, 2010
By Nancy Simon
Election Day is upon us.
Yet, despite the untold efforts – e.g., early voting, mailers, advertisements to guide citizens to the polls – in all likelihood, countless people will chose not to exercise this hard earned freedom.
In light of the unending complaints about those in office and disgust with the state of our public affairs, it seems astonishing that only 50% of the good folk of Illinois are expected to cast their vote on Election Day.
Granted it is not a presidential election but it is one with the potential to greatly impact Illinois.
So in light of the Land of Lincoln’s desperate need of repair and all the ballyhooing about the importance of showing up, why then such a mediocre anticipated voter turn-out, you ask?
Diverse and creative, the reasons, as to why close to half of Illinois’ nine million eligible voters will abstain include:
Posted on November 2, 2010
