Personal Asides:

The Gidwitz-Moore Debate Was Content-Filled…Hear Me, Rudy? You’re Perfect, Now Change!…Censure Durbin Signatures Hit 2,000…This Blog Will Begin Teaching Evening Course in Politics at Roosevelt U after Labor Day…Thanks and Congratulations to Teri O’Brien of WLS.

Gidwitz vs. Moore.

This Blog supposes it should be flattered that Fox-32 decided to feature the very two proponents on Big Box early Sunday morning who had been announced for its “Political Shootout” at 8 p.m.—but it is not. The announcement of the two for WLS-AM had been made early in the week. Certainly any other debate could have featured two other participants…or, if Joe Moore were essential since he was the main author, an opponent could well have been any of the other aldermen, such as Isaac Carothers (29th), Carrie Austin (34th) Tom Tunney (44th) or Bernie Stone (50th). We don’t have a lock-hold on the two Fox decided to feature, but, frankly, the gesture appeared as an effort to trump us and looked tacky.

But there is no doubt that the WLS-AM debate was more substantive since it successfully avoided the you-did, I didn’t type of shout fest in favor of a thorough airing of well-researched arguments. Frankly, this Blog never heard Gidwitz better nor, it must be said, Moore more adroit in making his—even if to this Blog, specious—case.

Rudy.

Originally when I wrote that Rudy Giuliani would be an ideal candidate for president, I said that there would have to be some discernible “give” on social issues to enable him to build a coalition. Since then, I’ve checked around with people close to him and find that while there’s a healthy debate going on inside, the liberals are winning. Which means that while the world won’t end for him if this Blog switches its support, it will definitely switch its support by the end of this week to Newt Gingrich about whom there is no ideological or philosophical doubt whatsoever.

Censure Durbin.

Jim Leahy tells me that signatures calling for the censure of Richard Durbin have reached 2,000 in number. If you haven’t signed up, why not do it?

“Influencing the System” at Roosevelt.

Here’s some information that comes as a kind of “Heads Up” with more info coming shortly.

This Blog will begin another session as Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at Roosevelt University the first Thursday after Labor Day. The two-hour stints will begin at 6 p.m. and will go to 8 p.m. with a short break midway for the emotional comfort of the host. It will be held at the architecturally brilliant main Roosevelt campus which was designed as the Auditorium hotel and theatre by Louis Sullivan, on Michigan avenue. This is the course that has been taught at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, the Wharton School of Finance, Loyola University, DePaul University, the University of Illinois-Chicago as well as in bits and pieces at St. John’s College, Oxford (twice), Phillips Exeter and under the auspices of the Woodrow Wilson International Fellowship, Princeton, N. J.

The course is known informally as “Influencing the System” but at Roosevelt it will have another, more academic designation which will be accompanied by an official course number. Hold on until we give it to you later before you apply.

Guest presenters will represent the nine constituencies of public life: executive, legislative, bureaucracy, grassroots movements, regulatory agencies, business, media, courts and political parties…and will be subject to the same diligent scrutiny and aggressive questioning from the host that he follows on the WLS radio program. Of course as a colleague you’ll spend the two-hours weekly with this host and will be invited to grill the presenters as well. It should be fun to get to know as many of the readers of this Blog as who want to participate. This course is not free but will be offered for a modest (relatively) tuition and for authorized Roosevelt students will amount to three credit hours. Those who will be in it for academic credit will be judged partially on the quality of the questions they ask…which means nobody dozes while “Influencing the System” is taught. If you like the radio show, visualize it as featuring only one guest at a time (probably two per evening) who makes a short presentation and then undergoes excruciating examination. We will try to have as guests at least one prominent Congressmen, a prominent state lawmaker, some journalists…well, you get the idea.

However don’t expect that we will have the same luck with guest speakers we had when it was last offered…when, for instance, Donald Rumsfeld appeared just two weeks prior to being named secretary of defense. But other equally as provocative guests will be on hand reflecting local, state and national experiences. Those who attend as regular participants can ask any questions they wish. For further information, watch this space. Until registration material is placed on this Blog, your questions can be answered either at Readers Comments or at thomasfroeser@sbcglobal.net . Remember you don’t sign up now…but soon.

Teri O’Brien.

Thanks go to Teri O’Brien who very kindly praised this Blog on her popular WLS program and whom we deeply admire. We saw Teri at the recent Family Pac cruise. She has become one of the most influential commentators in the conservative movement: attractive, witty and informed, her mind honed to a fine point from her legal experience…which is why we gave her (*****) and extend congratulations for so articulately representing the conservative position on Sundays.