March 16, 2004
ILLINOIS WILL BE ASSIMILATED:
State Sen. Obama wins Democratic Senate primary in Ill.; millionaire Ryan wins on GOP side (MIKE ROBINSON, March 16, 2004, Associated Press)
State Sen. Barack Obama, a former civil rights lawyer seeking to become just the third black U.S. senator in a century, easily won the Democratic primary Tuesday, setting up a November contest that is key to the party's bid to regain control of the closely divided Senate.Posted by Orrin Judd at March 16, 2004 11:12 PMMillionaire Jack Ryan defeated a crowded field to capture the Republican nomination. With 70 percent of the votes counted, Ryan had 130,713 votes, or 36 percent. Dairy owner Jim Oberweis had 87,007 votes, or 24 percent, and state Sen. Steve Rauchenberger had 76,187 votes, or 21 percent.
Never punch your wife in the shin will be the lesson we all take from this primary election result...
Posted by: John at March 16, 2004 11:52 PMSecond lesson, marry any Borg who looks like Seven of Nine...
Posted by: MG at March 17, 2004 7:43 AMHow much money has Barack Obama made in the course of his life? Is he a half-millionaire? A quarter?
Posted by: OldHat at March 17, 2004 9:04 AMI live in Downers Grove, IL. Obama is actually a really impressive candidate who seems fairly reasonable for a Dem. Much better than Dick Durbin, the worst senator east of Barbara Boxer.
Posted by: rds at March 17, 2004 9:26 AMBetter start looking deeper on Obama.
Posted by: Sandy P. at March 17, 2004 10:03 AMHey, I'm in Darien!
Posted by: Sandy P. at March 17, 2004 10:03 AMI just read that Jack Ryan got divorced. Was that before or after he went to Colombia and those Irish terrorists tried to kill him? More importantly, has Tom Clancy endorsed his candidacy?
Posted by: HT at March 17, 2004 11:00 AMOJ,
Would that it were so. Check this out
http://www.suntimes.com/elections/results/
Democrats pulled over 1,000,000 ballots. Repubicans just under or over 6,000,000
Obama got more votes than all the Rs combined.
It will be a miracle to keep this seat, and that's coming from some one who REALLY wants Ryan to win.
After Nov, IL will be known as the safest Dem State in the country.
Posted by: BB at March 17, 2004 11:29 AMAs much as I'd like to disagree with BB, and agree with OJ, I can't. George Ryan did his best to pollute the public's opinion of the GOP, and for that alone I hope he goes to jail for the license-for-bribes deal. Illinois has never been a GOP strength -- it is worse now.
I live in DuPage County, one of the strongest GOP counties in the country, and outside of DuPage and a few others, Jack Ryan will be swimming upstream all the way. I sincerely hope he wins, but I won't be placing any large wagers on it. And I agree with rds above about Durbin, I cannot stand the guy.
And Sandy P, you and I frequent all the same blogs, I see your comments all over the place. Quit copying me, will ya?! ;-) I'm in Wheaton.
My wife and I crossed over (Illinois has an open primary) and voted for Obama. That will not happen in the general election. I understand from the election analysis that Ryan ran well from north to south but that Obama ran third in the southern parts. Maybe it will all depend on turnout.
Posted by: Rick T. at March 17, 2004 1:34 PMIf you're looking for dirt on Obama: (1) He used to smoke crack and pot, although he claims he quit when was 20, and (2) Just read the man's class syllabi at the University of Chicago. Even apart from the head-spinning legalese, normal people should know enough not to trust him.
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/teaching.html
Example: VOTING RIGHTS & THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. 42001. This course examines the history of voting rights law in the United States, as well as the broader issues surrounding various systems of representative democracy: How should the courts balance the demands of majority rule with the desire to protect minority voices? Does the Voting Rights Act, as amended, promote minority voices, or simply segregate them from the larger political discourse? Are there alternative models, such as cumulative voting, that would better serve majority and minority alike? Do systems of more “direct democracy”—such as ballot initiatives and referenda—empower voters or undermine a more thoughtful deliberative process? And does voting even matter in a complex, modern society where campaigns are dominated by money and issues are framed by lobbyists? The student’s grade is based on a substantial paper. This seminar may be taken for fulfillment of the Substantial Writing Requirement. Winter (3).
Posted by: Random Lawyer at March 17, 2004 3:35 PMDoes this weblog have any readers who don't live in Illinois, besides Mr. Eager?
As noted, Ryan has the problem of having the last name of "Ryan". That's bad ju-ju around these parts. He's also got those sealed divorce papers, which are particularly sensitive in this election.
And remember, we elected Carol Mosley Braun to the US Senate, and soon George Ryan will put us back in the lead for most former governor felons.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at March 17, 2004 5:15 PMI cannot see Daley working very hard for a black Democrat from Hyde Park against a Guy named Ryan.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at March 17, 2004 6:30 PMOldHat:
It's not so much what one makes, as it is what one keeps.
Bjorn Borg, MC Hammer, and Mike Tyson all made impressive amounts of money, and they're all broke now.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at March 18, 2004 6:40 AMFirst Janeway's Husband loses the Ohio Governor race, now 7 of 9's ex is swimming upstream against a minority candidate in a largely Democratic state... Voyager not only killed the Star Trek Legacy, it's Hell on politicians.
Posted by: MarkD at March 18, 2004 8:35 PM