Posted on 03/19/2006 12:01:25 AM PST by RWR8189
At the end of a political campaign it's not uncommon for a candidate to grasp at straws, but Jim Oberweis literally proposed drawing straws to decide who should stay in the race for the Republican nomination for governor, two of his rivals said Saturday.
On the Democratic side, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) extended his feud with his son-in-law, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, by featuring primary challenger Edwin Eisendrath at a bingo game of senior citizens in the ward. But Mell stopped short of a formal endorsement.
As the GOP candidates for governor fanned out across the state on the final weekend of the campaign, contenders Bill Brady and Ron Gidwitz said Oberweis early last week proposed a game of chance to decide which of the three should stay in the race with front-runner Judy Baar Topinka. Brady and Gidwitz said the odds were heavily stacked in Oberweis' favor.
"He wanted 10 straws and Brady and I each would have one straw," Gidwitz said Saturday, before the Elmhurst St. Patrick's Day Parade. He said Oberweis wanted 10 straws "because he's the leader and because neither one of us is, in his mind, in contention."
Gidwitz, a Chicago businessman, called the request "absurd" but said Oberweis was "totally serious" about it. Brady, a state senator from Bloomington and, like Oberweis, a conservative, said he received a similar request to draw straws.
"He said, `If God wanted you to be the candidate, it wouldn't matter how many straws you have,'." Brady recalled Oberweis saying. "I said, `Jim, I'm not interested.' It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. The people of Illinois need to decide who the nominee should be, not straws."
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
At least he is trying something.
Rich Daley is a better conservative then Topinka.
Chairman Mao was a better conservative than Tooooopinkovna.
Margaret Sanger was a better conservative than Toooopinkovna.
PETA, Planned Barrenhood, GLAAD, NAMBLA, etc., Attila the Hun, are better conservatives than Toooooopinkovna.
Ummmmm, Judy Bore Tooooopinkovna is the prototype suburban leftist bimbo to and from Hell.
Vote for Oberweis. Slaughter worthless Tooooopinkovna's despicable political career, render her crooked friends devoid of taxpayer cash, her lifestyle leftist base without a venue for the next social freaks' parade, and may she ever be the poster child for what happens to her ilk when they trespass on the GOP.
If, as reported on FR, McSweeney actually primaried Phil Crane (much less, viciously primaried Crane which is sort of an amoral/immoral equivalent of primarying Henry Hyde) that should be dispositive. Nominate Kathy Salvi as THE conservative candidate in that race. Drive Melissa Bean back to the origin and destination of the suburban bimbos from and to, etc.
Sandy Wegman for Lieutenant Governor for her courageous advertising campaign smacking Toooooopinkovna up side the head and for being an outspoken pro-lifer and social conservative.
Bill Brady may have a right to run but he also has a right to withdraw and support Oberweis. God grant him the wisdom to recognize his responsibility NOT to assist the crooked social leftist wingfeather of the GOP by diluting the conservative base.
Senator Brady, the perfect is the enemy of the very good, assuming that you are perfect which is debatable. That you are being used by our collective enemies is not debatable and that you are NOT pumping YOUR OWN MONEY into your hopeless race suggests that you are serving an interest (Kjellander???? Lyin' Ryan???? Edgar???? Thompson????? Richie Daley and his Machinecrats who want a reliable and buyable fallback if Blago is indicted in mid-campaign????) other than Illinois, its Republicans, its conservatives. Senator Brady, you are not ready for prime time. Get out.
However, I take umbrage with your comparison of Judas Barr Topinkavich with Attila The Hun.
He at least, had some morals.
:-)
AND you are right, I just imagined Mr. the Hun's probable response to stumbling (with his horde in tow, tanned rested and ready) on Machineland's annual alternative lifestyle fest featuring lavender queens, crossdressers, transsexuals, twelvesomes including household pets, ummmmm, dog "lovers", and, of course, Tooooopinkovna (unless JBT is actually male, she is an "ovna" and not an "avich" although she certainly IS something that sounds like "avich", two somethings actually).
Mr. the Hun would NOT BE AMUSED. In fact, he would be downright crabby.
By Ms Madigan?
We can dream!
Jim Oberweis has gone through so many different political metamorphisies that he stands for nothing at all except winning elections. And he's not even any good at that. Judy Topinka is an uber-RINO, a Lincoln Chafee in drag. Bill Brady is a non-entity. That rich guy who has Steven Rauchenberger as a running mate is an empty suit. And Rauchenburger himself forfeited a lot of conservative respect by being his running mate.
Even the GOP in New Jersey looks good compared to their counterpart in Illinois.
What a sorry state of affairs.
I agree, if Brady stepped down now I would completely support him in his next run. As it is, I'm not so sure.
Oh my freakin gosh. Ya know, Mr. Oberwies can get out and endorse Brady too. This runs both ways. You can't honestly say that after all the stunts Mr. Oberweis has pulled you think the swing voters will go his way.
And let's say that Mr. Brady bows out. Do you really feel that his voters will go Brady's way this late in the race? HECK NO! They might even break for Topinka seeing her as the lesser of two evils (I definitely wouldn't vote Topinka, but some would and have.) and electability.
You guys are as dillusional as the dems who want to Impeach Bush.
when was the last time a good conservative won state wide office in IL?
Brady barely shows in polls.
Oberweis is clearly ahead of Brady.
That makes Brady the spoiler.
Further, Oberweis can finance his campaign and Brady apparently is of lower name ID and lesser financial capability.
Brady, on the evidence, CANNOT win the primary. Your choices are: Tooooopinkovna or Oberweis. If you throw in Gidwitz, that does nothing to eliminate Oberweis as the only choice who is conservative and CAN win.
We are not "dillusional" or even delusional.
You want to recheck your second paragraph which seems to be confused in its meaning.
Therefore, it does NOT work two ways.
If Toooooopinkovna is nominated, Brady has a lot of 'splaining' to do before he seeks office and consevative votes because he sure looks like Kjellander's hush puppie.
Who are you guys supporting for Lt. Gov?
SANDY WEGMAN
JOE BIRKETT
LAWRENCE L. BRUCKNER
STEVEN J. RAUSCHENBERGER
Uh you're right. It should read:
"Do you think voters will go Oberweis' way" sorry thank you for pointing that out.
I think the best thing to do is let the voters decide.
If Brady beats Oberweis, then isn't he the spoiler?
A sorry state of affairs, indeed. I'm voting for Oberweis, mainly in the hope that he can defeat Topinka. If he wins, I will pray daily that he doesn't shoot himself in the foot by doing or saying something goofy. His handlers need to keep him on a very straigh path. If he doesn't win, well, Illinois will have the worst choice for governor in my memory. In most elections, at least one of the candidates could claim some kind of merit; but this time, sheesh!
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