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Illinois Democrats Pressure (Lieutenant Governor) Nominee (Scott Lee Cohen)
Wall Street Journal ^ | February 6, 2010 | Douglas Belkin and David Kesmodel

Posted on 02/06/2010 9:31:43 AM PST by reaganaut1

CHICAGO—Illinois Democrats still reeling from last year's corruption scandal around former Gov. Rod Blagojevich pressured their new nominee for lieutenant governor on Friday to step aside as more embarrassing revelations about his past emerged.

Scott Lee Cohen, a pawnbroker and political neophyte who pumped $2 million into his campaign, has been responding to charges of domestic abuse, steroid use and adultery since he won the primary for lieutenant governor on Tuesday. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who won his own primary by less than 1% and is slated to share a ticket with Mr. Cohen, has called on him to withdraw. So have Illinois Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and the party's nominee for an open U.S. Senate seat, Alex Giannoulias.

"The harsh reality is, his campaign is going nowhere and I hope he understands that," Mr. Durbin said. "The nature of his problems disqualifies him from a race for public office."

But the Democratic Party has no legal means to remove Mr. Cohen from the ticket, and the candidate himself has insisted he won the race fairly and has been open about his past. "I have no intention of stepping down or stepping aside," he said in a statement.

The controversy stems from Mr. Cohen's October 2005 arrest on domestic-battery charges. Police alleged he slammed his girlfriend's head into a wall and held a knife to her throat. Mr. Cohen denies the allegations. The charges were dismissed when his girlfriend didn't show up in court, he said in a statement. The girlfriend couldn't be reached for comment Friday.

Several months before Mr. Cohen met her, that woman had pleaded guilty to a charge of prostitution, he acknowledged during an interview with WTTW television in Chicago Thursday.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: 2010; 2010elections; democrats; scottleecohen

1 posted on 02/06/2010 9:31:43 AM PST by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1

If I were Cohen, I’d say..”Look, I spent $ 2 mill of my OWN money on the race..you want me to withdraw.fine!!..right me a check..”


2 posted on 02/06/2010 9:35:23 AM PST by ken5050 (Save the Earth..It's the only planet with chocolate!!!)
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To: reaganaut1

What do you tell a hooker with two black eyes?

Anyway, if the Dem candidate for U.S. Senate, Alexis Giannoulious, the mob lending banker can still run, why can’t this Cohen guy run?

I doubt Cohen will give up easy. He knows he will probably never have another shot for a big payday like this. If he does quit, people should see who paid him off and how high up it goes. These Dems have no issue overriding the voters (no matter how crappy the candidate).


3 posted on 02/06/2010 9:38:23 AM PST by coaltrain
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To: reaganaut1

Illinois democratic Party has failed again in the processing of checking on the candidates prior to the nomination and election process. There is a serious problem in Illinois, Cohen Obama whom else has problems from Illinois. The good people of illinois need to say enough and discard the democratic party entirely. Corruptocrats seem to be the staus quo throughout Illinois political structure. both the republicans and Rats have some serious complications within its hierarchy.


4 posted on 02/06/2010 9:38:28 AM PST by hondact200 (hondact200 No to Socialism - Michigan destroyed by Progressive Liberal Populism)
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To: reaganaut1

The Chicago papers are going nuts with multiple front page stories everyday. They’re doing their damnedest to drive Cohen off the ticket as soon as possible so it doesn’t hurt the weak kneed Quinn’s chances to remain as governor. The amazing thing is the Dems’ senate candidate,as the head loan officer of his family’s bank, loaned close to 14 million bucks to a crime syndicate figure nicknamed Jaws who was into prostitution. Plus his family took 71 million bucks in dividends from their bank which is in danger of going under. Amazingly, no one is calling for him to step aside.


5 posted on 02/06/2010 9:40:16 AM PST by Krankor (nO)
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To: reaganaut1

Let them focus on this slimy creature. That leaves Gianoulis out there for the republicans to beat!


6 posted on 02/06/2010 9:40:49 AM PST by Carley (Are you better off now than one year ago? HELL NO!!!!!)
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To: reaganaut1

They’re going nuts alright because they know there’s not a damn thing they can do about this, and he’s got them by the short hairs.

In IL, the Gov and Lt. Gov. have to run separately at the primary. No one thought this guy could win, so no one even did the research - if they had, they’d have learned that he went public with all this way back in early 2009. They just screwed up and now are frantic as to what to do to avoid having this guy kill Pat Quinn’s chances of keeping the Governorship.

After the primary, the Gov. and Lt. Gov. are required by state law to run as a team. So Cohen doesn’t need to campaign or a damn thing. He won by a much bigger margin than idiot Quinn did, so he’s on the ballot for November even if he doesn’t go do one single debate or put up one campaign sign.

Pat Quinn will now be running on the same ticket as Cohen, whether he likes it or not. The D party can write him off and put all their emphasis and money behind Quinn, but if Quinn wins, Cohen wins too. In other words: they’re screwed - until they buy him off.

He spent $2M on his campaign, you just know the D party will find a way to pay his campaign debt and make him go away.

Then what? I don’t know how the Lt. Gov. spot would be filled, but if the Party gets to choose, what happens to the will of the people?


7 posted on 02/06/2010 9:42:54 AM PST by bigbob
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To: bigbob

I hope he asks them for his money back...that would be even funnier. These Democrats are becoming Obamacidal


8 posted on 02/06/2010 9:48:15 AM PST by screaminsunshine
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To: bigbob

How long will it be before the Rats are claiming Cohen is a Republican trojan horse?


9 posted on 02/06/2010 9:48:42 AM PST by Charlemagne on the Fox
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To: ken5050

10 posted on 02/06/2010 9:54:11 AM PST by tflabo (Restore the Republic)
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To: reaganaut1
If he drops out the IL republicans should force a new primary for Lt Gov, and make the RATS pay 100% of the cost!

With any luck the state has open primaries so every republican can vote again and pick someone even worse for the RAT ticket!

11 posted on 02/06/2010 9:58:39 AM PST by Beagle8U (Free Republic -- One stop shopping ....... It's the Conservative Super WalMart for news .)
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