Senate candidate too good to be true

Chicago Tribune ^ | 10-12-03 | Rick Pearson

[TheRightGuy]

If Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chirinjeev Kathuria makes it to the March primary ballot, the one vote he may not be able to count on is his own.

The 38-year-old Oak Brook business promoter isn't registered to vote. According to election officials in DuPage County, where he grew up and still lives with his parents, he never has been.

... snip ...

Conservatives take notice

Yet much of that seems to have escaped the notice of leading Republicans and many leading media outlets, who have uncritically embraced his tales of achievement and innovation.

"He's someone whose being a candidate is important to the Republican Party," said Grover Norquist, a prominent conservative activist and an architect of the Bush administration tax cuts. "He's from the subcontinent and he's ... been a successful businessman."

... snip

[TheRightGuy]

Excellent analysis, once again.

[BillyBoy]

The first tier list of candidates for me (and most conservatives I think) has always been Kathuria, Rauschenburger, and Ryan, in that order. The others aren't on my rader screen (McKenna is a snooze-fest, Oberweis keeps flip-flopping, Borling is pro-choice, etc.) but I would vote for them in the general election. There aren't any RINO candidates running, but a few are argueably moderate conservatives.

I've been favoring Kathuria over Raushy since he's better on immigration (Rauschy's a great guy 95% of the time, but he supports the kooky blanket amnesty stuff for illegals) They couldn't play the race card against Kathuria (son of immigrants) and say he's xenophobic or anything and I think that scares them. He was excepted to be a big assest to the primary with crossover minority votes and his endorsement would probably help in the general.

I still think he'll recover from this. I talked to his campaign manager and he says there will be a press conference on Tuesday to refute EVERYTHING in the article except Dr. K.'s poor record of voting in elections. They are so confident that the article is filled with distorts that they are suing for slander. Can't say I blame them.

[TheRightGuy]

McKenna is a snooze-fest

I think I really managed to scare the poor guy last week when he showed up at our Maine Twp. GOP meeting. In the pre-meeting schmooze-around he gathered with a few us, started talking about his stance on the issues, and tried to corral each of us for a commitment to vote for him.

I told him didn't care about the issues and that I just wanted someone who would step up to the plate, show a little a little brass, and promise to go to DC and kick some RAT ass. I told him, with my voice rising ever higher, that I wanted someone who would swagger down the hallway of the Senate office building and spit into the doorway of Tom Daschle's office.

By this time, poor Andy was a back-peddling in 3rd gear trying to get away from me. I think I may have awakened him!

[TheRightGuy]

I talked to his campaign manager and he says there will be a press conference on Tuesday to refute EVERYTHING

Just caught abc7 6:oo news. Kathuria slammed Trib in interview and vows not to drop out! Abc7 reports a $100,000,000 lawsuit will be filed against Trib tomorrow for libel and defamation of character.

Woohoo! The sh!t gits thicker!

[NormalGuy]

TRG
I agree its Jack Ryan or Rauschenberger. Of all canidates, Rauschie would do the best job for us in DC.

CL
I've had many 5 min chats with Jack Ryan over 3 years. He has always been consistent with clear position. That we may not like his opinion is no reason to say he is spineless.

Eg, his #1 issue is education choice. But he is careful to not box himself in on exactly what he would and would not support or oppose in an education choice bill. He is enough of a realist to recognize that as a freshie, he won't be able to get everything he wants. He will have to compromise his "perfect" bill to get "something".

But Rauschie is a better player to get more for our side than Ryan. He doesn't have personal wealth. But most downstate organizations will back Rauschie. In spintree's Schaumburg, Rep Paul Froehlich is backing Ryan. But Rauschie will do very well there.

TRG
Is the airport still an issue to motivate voters? That is a clear Rauschie vs McKenna choice, leaving Jack to pick up voters who don't care about the airport as much as other things.

[BillyBoy]

Apparently, the only thing in the article that is in any way "factual" is Dr. K's poor record of voting. Other than that, it's full of wild exaggerations, misleading claims, and outright false characther attacks.

They wouldn't sue if weren't sure this stuff can be refuted with documented evidence.

Even Dr. K's primary OPPONENTS like Rauschy and Borling have gone on record to support him. That says alot when your opponents will vouch for you. It's simply a way to discredit all minorities who fight for a conservative message and entice other minorities to vote Republican.

Pearson destoryed Poshard in '98 with his garbage and now he's going after Dr. K. I wouldn't be surprised if Jack Ryan is next. If he keeps this up, he might because the Steve Neal of the Tribune.

[TheRightGuy]

Is the airport still an issue to motivate voters? That is a clear Rauschie vs McKenna choice, leaving Jack to pick up voters who don't care about the airport as much as other things.

With City of Chicago broke, airlines in general still tanking, and UAL bleeding in bankruptcy coupled with at least some progress on Peotone, it is not the burning vote-changing issue it was 2 years. Even still it does smolder and could reignite at the drop of a hat.

BTW...Rauschie has sewn up endorsements from damn near every (R) in the legislature, upstate and downstate, including Rosemary Mulligan!

[ought-six]

"Remember, Tribune Companies also own the LA Times that produced hit pieces on Ahnold."

Yeah, but the Tribune is not the Democratic hit man that the LA Times is, although many of their published opinion pieces are Democratic wet dreams (like its position on gun control, for example, which is taken straight out of the Sarah Brady handbook).

[ought-six]

"I just don't like seeing that Ryan name again."

Yeah, George did unfathomable damage to the Illinois GOP. There is no doubt in my mind that if Ryan were still governor, and Illinois had a recall statute, he'd go the way of Gray Davis.

[chicagolady]

""CL
I've had many 5 min chats with Jack Ryan over 3 years. He has always been consistent with clear position. That we may not like his opinion is no reason to say he is spineless.""

NORMAL GUY.........................

To bad you have not had time to read your favorite News Paper, Forget about the statement I made about SPINELESS JELLYFISH!
Let's Read what OTHER"S have to say about Jack Ryan...

Jack is not a great speaker but has potential and sometimes slurs his words, also I have some doubts about this whole inner city and education thing, there are some facts that do not fit and it does not have the ring of sincerity. Proft certainly exagerated Jack's appeal.

I have to agree Borling looked real good. Looked and talked like a senator, not some some candidate pandering to special interests. Too bad Raushy wasn't there. Borling and Obama were the clear winners followed by Oberweiss. Real disappointed in Ryan especially his closing spiel.

I'm glad folks saw the same debate that I did. Anyone who watched the fiasco last night could never vote for Jack Ryan. I was absolutely shocked to see how non-prepared he was. I was expecting so much more. And when Nancy Skinner cleans your clock in the face-off, I think that says a lot.

I agree Ryan was pathetic and his closing speech was embarrassing. All the republican candidates need lots of help with how they project themselves to voters or the democrats will have an easy time come november. In fact, their primary will be a more contested race than whoever they face in November on the republican side.

I agree with other postings Ryan, was unprepared he gave some very "vague" anwsers, did not respond direct to some questions. Ryan looked uncomfortable not only on the debate but at several recent speaking engagements

I'm leaning pretty heavily towards McKenna. He and Borling seem like the only guys in this race that believe something other than that they ought to be a senator. Ryan ought to be carrying a vanity mirror with him all the time because that is his message. To figure out Oberweiss 'sincerely' held positions, you need to make sure to check whether they are the sincerely held positions of last time around or this time around. I'm sure he'll have a brand-spanking new set of sincerely held positions all set to roll out next time around - at least after he's talked to his pollsters. I don't know that Raushenberger wants to keep bragging about being the point man on the budget during the Ryan years. That just makes experience look like stupidity hardened into habiT

Jack's closing speech was close to bizarre. Maybe Rush gave him some painkillers right now. right now.

What do people think of Jack's commercials.

Jack will still win the primary if he spends the money on TV commercials. But he should get a public speaking coach


BETTER DO YOUR HOMEWORK

[chicagolady]

"I am so sad TRG, I use to think you were your own man and valued your own ideas"
IDEAS
IDEAS
NOT IDEALS


"Dan Proft, who worked for O'Malley's last campaign, has joined the Ryan camp. To me, that's significant."

"Dan Proft, who worked for O'Malley's last campaign, has joined the Ryan camp. To me, that's significant."

No , it seems like you care more about what others think...Well in that case who is O'Malley backing?
IT Ain't Ryan!!

[TheRightGuy]

No , it seems like you care more about what others think...Well in that case who is O'Malley backing?

I learn a lot by paying attention to what other people think. And further, by paying attention to what they DO, you can learn even more.

O'Malley is keeping mum as who he suuports. When asked directly, he answered (tongue in cheek) that none of the candidates had sought his support.

Yes I do find it significant that Proft, O'Malley's right hand man, is now working for Ryan. And yes, I think it's even more interesting that Proft is holding roundtable meetings to sell Ryan to the conservative base. And yes, once again, I think it's especially interesting that the first of these meetings was held at O'Malley's family-owned country club in Palos.

IT Ain't Ryan!!

Don't be too sure of that.

[TheRightGuy]

I'm leaning pretty heavily towards McKenna. He and Borling seem like the only guys in this race that believe something other than that they ought to be a senator

I have met persoanlly with Andy McKenna on two occasions and find him to be a nice guy but totally clueless politically. Gen'ral Borling has defined himself as THE Pro-Choice candidate in the field.

In post #10 on this thread, you were cheering for Oberweis. Even he would be far superior to Borling or McKenna.

[BillyBoy]

Kathuria strikes back at Tribune