Senator Ditka?
Posted on 07/10/2004 11:04:45 PM PDT by ambrose
Ditka among GOP names for Illinois Senate seat
By MAURA KELLY LANNAN
The Associated Press
7/10/2004, 8:38 p.m. CT
CHICAGO (AP) — Former New Orleans Saints coach Mike Ditka is being considered as a Republican candidate to replace Jack Ryan in the race for the U.S. Senate in Illinois.
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The other name making the rounds a day after state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger declined to run include Andrea Grubb Barthwell, the Bush administration's former deputy drug czar who resigned Friday to explore the possibility of a candidacy.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert smiled Friday when asked what Illinois Republicans are looking for in a candidate.
"Somebody that can win," Hastert said. "Raise money and win, that's the key."
Barthwell, a physician from the Chicago suburb of River Forest, had been deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy since 2002, focusing on reducing demand for drugs.
Federal law barred her from seeking the Republican nomination while she worked for the government, so Barthwell said she resigned so she could legally discuss the possibility with state GOP leaders.
She said she received no assurances that she would be chosen or that Ryan would file the papers to formally remove his name from the ballot, which he has yet to do.
"I'm interested, I want to be considered and I will make myself available to those who make that decision, but I am not assuming that I will be the candidate and I am not assuming that once I get all the information that I need, that I would want to run in this particular race," Barthwell told The Associated Press.
Financial backing from the party is one big issue, she said. Another is just how much support the candidate would get from the national party.
A message left for Ditka Friday with his publicist was not returned. He has yet to publicly say if he was even interested.
Ditka was a tight end and coached the Chicago Bears for 16 years and the Saints for three years.
Republican officials are asking supporters to 'Draft da Coach' and a www.DraftDitka.com Web site was created to persuade Ditka to run.
Ryan, the millionaire investment banker-turned-teacher who won Republican primary in March, said two weeks ago that he was dropping out of the race because the release of embarrassing sex club allegations in his now-public divorce records would detract from the issues.
Republicans have struggled to come up with a candidate who could take over with just four months to campaign and raise money before the election.
The Illinois Republican State Central Committee, which will choose the nominee, has said it hopes to name a candidate by next week. That person would go up against Democrat Barack Obama, a state senator who has gained national attention and strong financial backing in his bid to replace retiring Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.
"It's not that we can't find anybody. We want to get the right fit, but we're up against a timeline that isn't conducive to raising the kind of money you need to compete," said state Sen. Kirk Dillard, a member of the Republican State Central Committee.
"I don't want to sugarcoat stuff. This is a problem. It's not an insurmountable problem," he said.
Many of the people who have expressed interest in the nomination have limited support among party leaders, and others with the name recognition or money to be strong candidates have turned the party down.
"The State Party is moving forward on the vetting process, and we are confident that we will have a strong candidate soon. With his record so far out of the mainstream, Barack Obama is beatable," Illinois GOP chairwoman Judy Baar Topinka said in a statement. She said Barthwell "seems like an attractive candidate."
"I've heard nothing but good things about her," Dillard said.
But Barthwell is also an unknown in Illinois politics, even to many party leaders.
"Who? Don't know her," Hastert said when asked about her Friday.
Barthwell, a native of Michigan, moved to Chicago in 1980 after graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School. A specialist in addiction medicine, she has served as president of the Illinois Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. She also was a founding member of the Chicago Area AIDS Task Force and hosted a weekly local cable show on AIDS.
Federal drug czar John Walters praised Barthwell in a statement after her resignation.
"Her passion for protecting the health of all Americans has been inspiring. We wish her well," he said.
If Barthwell were chosen to face off against Obama, it would be the first time in history that two black candidates battled as the parties' nominees for a U.S. Senate seat.
The public attention to a race between two black candidates would help offset her lack of campaign funds, Dillard said.
Another possible GOP candidate is businessman James Oberweis, who finished second in the primary but alienated many with his attacks on illegal immigrants.
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Only three people have a chance of keeping this seat in the GOP Column:
Big Jim Thopson
Jim Edgar
and
Mike Ditka...
I think Senator Ditka would establish some iron-clad rules in the senate, and likely call some folks fools to their face. He might scare alot of these guys...even little Teddy might shrink back into his cave for a while. And the best part about Mike...he explains thing in four sentences...the situation, the challenge, the solution. Senator Hillery would cringe when Mike walks in...he might even go up and pinch her on the butt.
He could also appeal to the union thug voters.
This really seems like a no-brainer to me. For Ditka, he'd never see an easier shot than this. just a quick four month campaign...
I like it. If Ryan is out, bring in Ditka!
Interesting!
A Bear we can cheer for
Though, you have to wonder.
Who would win in a race between Ditka and Barry Sanders?
The Northwest Herald had an editorial about celebrities running for office a few days ago. What the editorial missed is that, except for Jesse Ventura, all the people it mentioned were white males Republicans. Maybe they were successful in campaigns because their celebrity meant they didn't have to depend on the elite white liberal media supporting them.
"Senator Hillery might cringe when Ditka walks in....he might even go up and pinch her on the butt."
Oh, what a horrible thought;pinching THAT butt. He surely couldn't miss it though. It'd be like hitting the BROAD side of a barn.
So much for "of the people, by the people and for the people".
Typical idiot reporter. Nothing about Ditka leading the Bears to it's first Super Bowl victory.
Not even Ditka will get a fair shake from the li(e)beral media.
This could get very interesting.
See also "Favored Ryan stand-in steps aside instead [immigration reformer Jim Oberweis needs help]"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1168393/posts
I don't think Illinois voters need the media to be reminded of that fact.
Or of the New Orleans Saints connection either. But that didn't stop this reporterette from mentioning New Orleans.
Read this great Ditka humor while you're at it!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1170583/posts
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