tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709087743016851805.post1473576876190958997..comments2023-12-14T21:13:46.857-06:00Comments on Tom Roeser's Blog: How Topinka Could Have Had the Election Iced by NowJake Parrillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11195261008177966339noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709087743016851805.post-3049830741209099482006-03-11T10:04:23.000-06:002006-03-11T10:04:23.000-06:00MR: "Illinois is almost never the first stat...MR: "Illinois is almost never the first state to experiment with new ideas."<br><br>What? Shoe boxes as lock boxes; exchanging cash gifts at holiday parties; building airports without operations...<br><br>I'd recommend that the current and/or future governor consider withholding Illinois National Guardsmen then commercialize marijuana. Might as well make indictments noteworthy.Bob in PFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709087743016851805.post-45385320092877449982006-03-11T06:26:08.000-06:002006-03-11T06:26:08.000-06:00of the Conspiracy Theorizing. But if he has indee...of the Conspiracy Theorizing. But if he has indeed been doing what the article suggests, what does that say about Tom's thesis?<br><br>Perhaps Tom should rewrite this article and retitled it 'How Rauschenberger Could Have Had the Election Iced by Now'.Bobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709087743016851805.post-30962296000683023532006-03-11T05:03:11.000-06:002006-03-11T05:03:11.000-06:00I was negligent in my previous comment to point ou...I was negligent in my previous comment to point out that State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger has been a hopeful exception to the general rule of state isolationism in Illinois. Not only is he the current president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, but he has also attended many meetings of the American Legislative Exchange Council over the last ten years and events of the United States Internet Council. The time he has spent at these national conferences in my view has served his colleagues and constituents well by enabling him to offer new ideas in Springfield that would not otherwise get exposure.Mark Rhoadsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709087743016851805.post-41841679735708351362006-03-11T04:30:46.000-06:002006-03-11T04:30:46.000-06:00Tom makes good points about how a candidate should...Tom makes good points about how a candidate should ideally prepare to run for governor, or U.S. senator for that matter. Those two statewide races receive a level of publicity and scrutiny that is unlike other statewide offices and that is proper. Tom points out that policy advisers can pick up best practices and good ideas at meetings of the Republican Governors Association, and, he adds, the "National State Legislative Association." While there is no such group with that particular name, he might be referring to either the Natioal Conference of State Legislatures (www.ncsl.org) or the more conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (www.alec.org). I was a founder of the latter group in 1973 and I agree with Tom's main point that the best preparation for any candidate for governor is many years of study of issues that migrate across state lines.<br>Illinois has not been a trend-setting state in the state public policy arena for at least thirty-five years since the stroke of Sen. W. Russell Arrington, the Republican leader of the State Senate from Evanston. Illinois is almost never the first state to experiment with new ideas. That is not necessarily bad, it just means that Illinois candidates looking for innovation and new ideas need to be aware of what is going on in other states.<br>I am often surprised at how few officials or even staff members from Illinois attend these national conferences. If there is such a thing as isolationism at the state level, that seems to be part of the Illinois political culture and it is a flaw that short-changes Illinois citizens.Mark Rhoadsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3709087743016851805.post-4923748066054248272006-03-10T12:30:53.000-06:002006-03-10T12:30:53.000-06:00the Combine Conspiracy Theory as articulated by Ra...the Combine Conspiracy Theory as articulated by Rauschenberger & Diersen who state that Judy has carefully planned this 2004 when she talked Peter Fitzgerald into moving to Virginia, dumped Jack Ryan, rejected Jim Oberweis, brought in Alan Keyes, had Jim Edgar hold a tearful press conference last fall, and then anounced her grand entrance late last October. According to these guys, she's done all this and more. And frankly, if she did do all that, and has had some minor slips during the campaign, her batting average would still way up there.<br><br>But Tom, I'm with you. I don't buy the all the conspiracy stuff. But I would differ on this point- Oberweis and Gidwitz are still pouring millions into negative ads against her, which means that A) she is still in the lead, or B) she is not in the lead but Oberweis and Gidwitz persist in stupidly wasting their millions shooting at a dead duck. Well, maybe I shouldn't say stupidly, because they may be doing it intentionally.<br><br>Some have said there is a personal motive at work. If this is true, then they are stupidly wasting precious millions that they need in the fall to take on Rod- unless their objective is not to win in the fall, in which case we're in for a Keyes outcome all over again.Bobnoreply@blogger.com