Personal Asides: Terry Brunner Joins My Off-the-Record Roosevelt U Class Faculty This Thursday Night with Becky Carroll, Gov. Blagojevich’s Top Aide for 2nd …Todd Stroger and Maureen Murphy on WLS Sunday Night…Wha? Topinka Only Has 48% of the GOP Vote...Who is George W. Bush’s Candidate in 2008?
Terry Brunner: Reformers as an Interest Group.
Former BGA director Terry Brunner will be guest lecturer at my Roosevelt U class Thursday, September 14 for the first hour, at 6 p.m., outlining how an originally staid 501(c)(3) civic group became a model for political reform. Brunner is a former top federal prosecutor and key member of Attorney General Bobby Kennedy’s anti-corruption task force. He was a state prosecutor in Wisconsin before joining the Justice Department. As director of the BGA for many years (where I served as a long-time board member) he brought the venerable organization to full prominence as a grassroots movement for political reform in Chicago, which still goes on. Under Brunner, BGA became one of the leading pressure groups for reform in the nation…starting as a prod to the late Richard J. Daley (where the BGA actually ran a decoy bar and grill which was frequented by inspectors on the take).
Democrat Brunner is one of the most effective reform leaders in the state. He was first to target the secretary of state’s office under George Ryan and is a forthright critic of the bipartisan political “Combine” of Daley Democrats and Thompson-Edgar-Ryan Republicans who swing heavy with lobbying no matter what governor is in po//wer. Brunner will speak and answer questions in the first hour. Brunner now heads the Airport Integrity Project which is examining the contracts and pressuring the Daley administration is making to expand O’Hare.
There will be no overlap or joint appearances in presentations…Brunner talking about reform interest groups to be followed by…
Becky Carroll: The Role of Governor in Illinois.
The second hour will be devoted to Becky Carroll, the bright young expert on budget and policy for Governor Rod Blagojevich who was identified by the Chicago “Sun-Times” as being one of the city’s 30 under 30: thirty leaders under age 30. Becky’s job is communications on the budget and state priorities but as a featured panelist on my radio program she has stopped veteran Republican lawmakers in their tracks with superb arguments, brilliant forensic talents and bright reposts.
A north sider, she went to public schools and is a graduate of Loyola. and earned her spurs working in aldermanic campaigns before becoming a key operative for Mayor Richard M. Daley. She is a campaign veteran, having served in the Gore-for-President, Tom Tunney for Alderman, John Schmidt for Governor, the Dawn Clark Netsch for Governor, the congressional campaign of Rod Blagojevich and as one of Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s leading strategists. But she is far more than a political operative: she is compassionate about issues, is a passionate Democrat, knows state governmental policy from start to finish and is exceedingly astute.
Becky is known to feel that much of the media is slamming Rod Blagojevich for things that they have winked at and continue to wink at when done by others—a view I partially share, frankly. For example, when Pat Quinn ran against George Ryan for secretary of state, the media were unconcerned about Ryan’s fund-raising because he was front-and-center on issues such as traffic safety and DUI in which the media was supportive. All I know is you don’t sell Becky Carroll short because she knows her stuff and the issues…as a number of wounded Republican lawmakers who attempted to debate her can testify.
Both presentations together with questions and answers are off-the-record and are protected by the sacrosanct academia Code of Silence.
Todd Stroger and Maureen Murphy.
My WLS-AM radio show will feature Alderman Todd Stroger, Democratic nominee for president of the Cook county Board and Republican Maureen Murphy, member of the Cook county Board of Appeals. Todd Stroger is a former state Rep and son of John Stroger who was chosen by the Democratic Central Committee after the serious stroke suffered by his father forced the elder Stroger to vacate the ticket.
Maureen Murphy is a former state Representative, was chairman of the important state Revenue Committee and served as chair of the Cook county Republican party.
Topinka Has Only 48% of GOP Vote.
The “Tribune”-WGN poll of gubernatorial candidates, Republican Judy Baar Topinka only has 48% GOP approval which would put her in the Alan Keyes category (Keyes with 52% GOP approval) as one of the worst Republican candidates to run for state office in Illinois history. Two things must be stated: approval is not the same as a vote for…and the “Tribune” poll is famous for overshooting Republican votes, the tally shaded just a tad to please the polls sponsors. The most egregious overshoot was in August, 1998 in behalf of George Ryan where the count had Ryan leading Democrat Glenn Poshard 52 to 34 with an abnormally heavy number of black voters backing Ryan (which didn’t happen). The Ryan-Poshard contest was very close. Green Party candidate Rich Whitney gets 6%, “other” 1%...the “Tribune’s” lofty way of non-recognizing Constitutional Party write-in Randy Stufflebeam…and undecided 15%.
Who the Bush People Want in `08.
A highly-placed Washington, D. C. source told me yesterday that the George W. Bush people do have a personal, under-the-table favorite in the 2008 presidential sweepstakes. It is Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney who is making waves and raising much money wherever he goes. Romney is a good “hold” position for those Bush-people who want to back Gov. Jeb Bush for the nomination in 2012. You think the Mormon religion is a bummer from the standpoint of polygamy? After all, his great-grandfather had five wives; and two great-great-grandfathers had ten each. But the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (to which Romney belongs) disavowed polygamy in 1890. Now consider this: of the likely Republican candidates running, here is the wife total: John McCain (2); Rudy Giuliani (3); Newt Gingrich (3) and George Allen (2). Only Romney has had the same wife.
Some might argue that most Americans are fine with polygamy, as long as it is sequential rather than cumulative.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the times demand a clarification in terminology: There ar two forms of polygamy: 1) Polygyny (in which a husband has more than one wife); and 2) Polyandry (in which a wife has more than one husband).
The Mormons once condoned (and Muslims still condone) polygyny. However, the fact that Mormonism never condoned polyandry is doubtless much more offensive to modern feminist sensibilities than any past approval of polygyny.
Now that the subject has been raised, in case there is any doubt about how far along the polygamy movement has come on the American left, please refer first to this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=330
and then to this link:
http://www.beyondmarriage.org/
Hence, we do, indeed, have reasons to fear (or anticipate) the re-emergence of polygamy - but the candidacy of Mitt Romney is not one of them.
There is, however, one question of protocol that remains unanswered: If a polygynist were ever to be elected president, would all of his wives be first ladies, or would there be a second lady, a third lady, etc. . . ?
To answer WPD, we would have to legalize the definition of "main squeeze" The main squeeze would be first lady, the slightly older one would be second lady, and on and on.
ReplyDeleteThink of the Secret Service expenditures involved with that one...
The LDS church did NOT disavow polygamy in 1890. The First Manifesto was not followed by the leaders of the LDS church. Polygamous marriages continued to be sanctioned until around 1910.
ReplyDeleteDivorced/remarried Republicans weaken their case for the moral high ground against Democrats who fool around on their spouses. I can understand McCain with his postwar stress getting divorced but Rudy and Newt married three times? Please.
ReplyDeleteGood note on the Wife-count!
ReplyDeleteHere's the irony. Fat-boy-Bill has only one wife too. I'd take McCain over that any day---- most any day.
As a general nobody, I like Newt or Condi for Pres. Newt would be perfect, but he tends to be a bit cerebral which could hurt on the campaign. Condi would carry on the GWB legacy in the WOT, and be a good candidate against Hilary.
As for Judy Baar, I think she needs to define herself as more of a conservative than an an accomplished bureaucrat(sp?).
We know she's qualified, now we need to know she will move the sticks closer to our goal lines on defining national issues. The problem about is that any issue which would mobilize the base would weaken her effectiveness once she gets in office.
I think the discussion of polygamy and Romney's Mormon faith is not very relevant to the possibility of him securing the 2008 nomination. Granted, polygamy is usually the first thing people associate with Mormons, but since the church stopped the practice well over a hundred years ago, I don't think most people are going to get hung up on a candidate's faith. The Republican base typically only cares about where the candidate stands on a few key issues. Romney is the solid conservative candidate whose values and record line up better with not only the central issues of evangelical Christians in the party, but also the fiscal conseratives and business community. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney has been leading the nation in confronting gay marriage, stem cell research, and abortion. In addition, when he entered office the state had a budget deficit of three billion dollars but has since seen a budget surples without raising taxes. Romney also guided a landmark universal health care program through the Democratic legislature and has been receiving rave reviews for his leadership on the Big Dig fiasco. Romney has a proven record as an executive and the fact that as a conservative he got elected in the most liberal state in the union says something about his ability to appeal to voters. As it stands right now, McCain and Romney are the leading candidates for the nomination, although Guiliani and Gingrich are making moves in that direction. McCain is the frontrunner right now, but then so was Howard Dean in 2004. McCain, in contrast to Romney, has bucked the party trend and often ignored the party line on abortion, immigration, campaign finance reform, taxes, and stem cells. People may say that maverick streak is McCain's signature appeal, but there are plenty of people in the Republican party who aren't that fond of John McCain. For that group, Romney may turn out to be the most appealing, viable candidate who can unite the entire party behind him. The talk in the media is that Romney's Mormon faith will hurt him, but if your average voter likes the candidate they tend not to care what church they belong to, even among evangelicals. And the simiple fact is that Romney is by far and away the most telegenic and charismatic of the entire Republican 2008 field. His campaign would be interesting to watch, particularly if McCain falters along the line. As it is, if Romney runs and does decently in the primaries, much as John Edwards did, he's pretty much a lock for the vice presidential nomination if McCain or Guiliani emerge the victor. Of course, Condi Rice may be urged as a vice-presidential candidate but that may be too close an association with the current administration. At any rate, Romney is a rising star in the party and is currently the only rival to John McCain. Things could get extremely interesting if Guiliani and Newt jump in, but right now they're way behind on fundraising and organization. It would be wrong to dismiss Romney out of hand simiply because of the church he belongs to.
ReplyDeleteI think the discussion of polygamy and Romney's Mormon faith is not very relevant to the possibility of him securing the 2008 nomination. Granted, polygamy is usually the first thing people associate with Mormons, but since the church stopped the practice well over a hundred years ago, I don't think most people are going to get hung up on a candidate's faith. The Republican base typically only cares about where the candidate stands on a few key issues. Romney is the solid conservative candidate whose values and record line up better with not only the central issues of evangelical Christians in the party, but also the fiscal conseratives and business community. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney has been leading the nation in confronting gay marriage, stem cell research, and abortion. In addition, when he entered office the state had a budget deficit of three billion dollars but has since seen a budget surples without raising taxes. Romney also guided a landmark universal health care program through the Democratic legislature and has been receiving rave reviews for his leadership on the Big Dig fiasco. Romney has a proven record as an executive and the fact that as a conservative he got elected in the most liberal state in the union says something about his ability to appeal to voters. As it stands right now, McCain and Romney are the leading candidates for the nomination, although Guiliani and Gingrich are making moves in that direction. McCain is the frontrunner right now, but then so was Howard Dean in 2004. McCain, in contrast to Romney, has bucked the party trend and often ignored the party line on abortion, immigration, campaign finance reform, taxes, and stem cells. People may say that maverick streak is McCain's signature appeal, but there are plenty of people in the Republican party who aren't that fond of John McCain. For that group, Romney may turn out to be the most appealing, viable candidate who can unite the entire party behind him. The talk in the media is that Romney's Mormon faith will hurt him, but if your average voter likes the candidate they tend not to care what church they belong to, even among evangelicals. And the simiple fact is that Romney is by far and away the most telegenic and charismatic of the entire Republican 2008 field. His campaign would be interesting to watch, particularly if McCain falters along the line. As it is, if Romney runs and does decently in the primaries, much as John Edwards did, he's pretty much a lock for the vice presidential nomination if McCain or Guiliani emerge the victor. Of course, Condi Rice may be urged as a vice-presidential candidate but that may be too close an association with the current administration. At any rate, Romney is a rising star in the party and is currently the only rival to John McCain. Things could get extremely interesting if Guiliani and Newt jump in, but right now they're way behind on fundraising and organization. It would be wrong to dismiss Romney out of hand simiply because of the church he belongs to.
ReplyDeleteI think polygamy and Romney's Mormon faith are not very relevant to the possibility of him securing the 2008 nomination. Granted, polygamy is usually the first thing people associate with Mormons, but since the church stopped the practice well over a hundred years ago, I don't think most people are going to get hung up on a candidate's faith. The Republican base typically only cares about where the candidate stands on a few key issues. Romney is the solid conservative candidate whose values and record line up better with not only the central issues of evangelical Christians in the party, but also the fiscal conseratives and business community. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney has been leading the nation in confronting gay marriage, stem cell research, and abortion. In addition, when he entered office the state had a budget deficit of three billion dollars but has since seen a budget surples without raising taxes. Romney also guided a landmark universal health care program through the Democratic legislature and has been receiving rave reviews for his leadership on the Big Dig fiasco. Romney has a proven record as an executive and the fact that as a conservative he got elected in the most liberal state in the union says something about his ability to appeal to voters. As it stands right now, McCain and Romney are the leading candidates for the nomination, although Guiliani and Gingrich are making moves in that direction. McCain is the frontrunner right now, but then so was Howard Dean in 2004. McCain, in contrast to Romney, has bucked the party trend and often ignored the party line on abortion, immigration, campaign finance reform, taxes, and stem cells. People may say that maverick streak is McCain's signature appeal, but there are plenty of people in the Republican party who aren't that fond of John McCain. For that group, Romney may turn out to be the most appealing, viable candidate who can unite the entire party behind him. The talk in the media is that Romney's Mormon faith will hurt him, but if your average voter likes the candidate they tend not to care what church they belong to, even among evangelicals. And the simiple fact is that Romney is by far and away the most telegenic and charismatic of the entire Republican 2008 field. His campaign would be interesting to watch, particularly if McCain falters along the line. As it is, if Romney runs and does decently in the primaries, much as John Edwards did, he's pretty much a lock for the vice presidential nomination if McCain or Guiliani emerge the victor. Of course, Condi Rice may be urged as a vice-presidential candidate but that may be too close an association with the current administration. At any rate, Romney is a rising star in the party and is currently the only rival to John McCain. Things could get extremely interesting if Guiliani and Newt jump in, but right now they're way behind on fundraising and organization. It would be wrong to dismiss Romney out of hand simiply because of the church he belongs to.
ReplyDelete