So the red fox of Illinois now wants to run the hen house. How does the argument go again? Someone from the Chicago media corps spouts it at least once a day. It goes like this: Illinois has now become such a "blue" state, only a Democrat can win statewide. The only hope Illinois...
Ibendahl on Politics
Sell-Out Joe (Part 2)
Kjellander wasn't "elected" to anything. He was muscled in by a rigged-up kangaroo court, overseen by other members of the Topinka campaign team. Topinka-backer Kirk Dillard Chaired the Nominating Committee at the State Convention. The 19-person committee was stacked with handpicked members, many of whom had unbelievable conflicts of interest favoring Kjellander. The member...
Sell-Out Joe (Part 1)
Anyone who hasn't yet read the book should treat themselves this Holiday Season to 1776, by Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough. 1776 is a riveting account of the Revolutionary War in the year of the Declaration of Independence. The historical novel centers on General Washington and his Herculean efforts to recruit and then...
Topinka’s rollout beyond Orwellian
Uninitiated school kids reading Orwell's classic metaphor about the Russian Revolution may sometimes feel it is exaggerated or hard to relate to. But for an even more surreal education into the expert use of political double-speak as a tool, and the ability of power to corrupt - look no further than today's Illinois Republican...
Blagojevich’s trash is Topinka’s Treasure
Judy Baar Topinka and her mentor George Ryan long-ago abandoned the Republican base, and the alienation is largely mutual. Among real Republicans, any reminder of either brings the sort of uncomfortable conversations one might experience at Thanksgiving Dinner when excuses are made as to why the black sheep of the family isn't present. Republicans...