On August 28th, volunteers from all over the nation got together to knock on doors on behalf of Democratic candidates. Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois' Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat once held by Barack Obama, came to Chicago Heights to talk to its volunteers before heading out the door.
Newsflash: voters are angry. Democrats will try to knock on 200,000 doors tomorrow and I'm betting some of them will be surprised.
I got a glimpse of that today. I was out running errands in my "League of Conservation Voters" shirt -- which almost everyone misreads as "League of Conservative Voters" -- and the check-out lady asks me, "so who do you vote for?"
Now I have to say that I was taken aback. I mean, I don't usually have checkers try to engage me in political discussions and I almost never know what shirt I'm wearing (guy, so who cares what clothes I have on -- I figure I'm lucky when they "match"). But after a momentary pause, I say, "I'm voting Democrat."
Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, taking his cues from Karl Rove, wants everyone to know that "people are concerned" about his Democratic opponent, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. One of these "concerns" that people are supposed to have is over Alexi's fund-raising prowess.
You see, Alexi only raised $1.2 million to Kirk's $2.2 million in this quarter. Kirk, of course, has benefitted greatly from his support from Wall Street firms and Big Banks, which he voted to bail out in the fall of 2008. And they are certainly rewarding Kirk for his support for the big banks.
Alexi, though, has taken a different tack. His ethical guidelines prevent him from taking money from corporate PACs, like those who have contributed more than 2 million dollars to Mark Kirk. Alexi is running to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, not Wall Street. Kirk has already proven he'll sell his vote to the highest bidder (which rarely includes Illinois).
Now the Club for Growth, the powerful, well-funded conservative group, is ripping into Kirk for his sudden indecision, and making it clear that they expect him to live up to his promise.
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Illinois finds Alexi Giannoulias leading Mark Kirk in Illinois' Senate race, 42% to 34%. Kirk bests the other two candidates, topping Cheryle Jackson, 38% to 36%, and edging David Hoffman, 37% to 36%.
Statement from Tom Bowen, campaign manager for U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias: "The only candidate who is funding his campaign with bank money is David Hoffman. His holdings in JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup were protected by the very TARP money and system Hoffman rails against. Now Hoffman has put $500,000 of that money into his campaign. Bailout dollars saved Hoffman's investments and now he's using that money to fund his campaign."
So, if the whole banking system were destroyed, Alexi would have been able to fund his campaign? Where is the logic in this. And by the way - are banks really what Alexi wants to draw attention to right now?
I have been a fairly strong Alexi supporter, who is seriously rethinking this position. My first exposure to David Hoffman at the NDFA meeting was underwhelming, but I thought he was really strong at the IVI-IPO session. I disagree with him on several important issues, which is troubling - but I am equally troubled by the fact that Alexi (or his campaign) appears to be unwilling to commit to debates (Hoffman has asked for five state-wide), didn't attend a downstate forum (all the others did), and is not bothering to respond to groups like IVI-IPO's requests to participate in their endorsement process. What I like about IVI-IPO's endorsement process is that I now know which of Hoffman's positions I disagree with and whether I can live with them - I can't say the same about Alexi.
Use this thread to comment on the race. In the poll below you can vote for as many candidates as you feel you want. If you could give a sincere recommendation to vote for any of the four, you can vote for all four. I included Roland Burris because he did make a statement that he might re-enter the race.
Greg Hinz is reporting that the Urban League's Cheryle Jackson has formed a Senate exploratory committee. Per Hinz, Jackson, 44, will make her decision "within a couple of months." Meanwhile the Urban League will host its national convention in Chicago.
Alexi Giannoulias is taking a step onto the "Great Orange Satan" , starting a national grassroots organizing campaign for a Senate run...
Illinoisans deserve a Senator who will honor the seat formerly held by President Obama. They deserve what every American deserves--a representative worthy of their vote, one free from the taint of political insiders and kingmakers and one who shares their vision for true change and real progress.
I believe that the choice of who will represent Illinois is too important to be left in the hands of the DC insiders. Both the President and the people of Illinois will need a progressive advocate as the Senate fights for health care, as it seeks to end two wars, and as it enacts policies that benefit America's families.
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So, I've set a goal for my campaign: 5,000 grassroots volunteers signed up on website. If you believe that the person elected to President Obama's seat should wage a campaign he would be proud of, then join us today.
I also look forward to coming back in the next week or so and talking with members of the community about an example of an issue where Washington is failing us -- bankruptcy reform.
My father was a staunch Republican, but growing up he loved to watch both the Democratic and Republican conventions. Every four years my brothers and I would sit around the living room watching all of the convention coverage on TV. Last night I kept thinking about my dad and I could feel him with me on one of the most thrilling nights I've ever been a part of.
Sunday was a travel day, and I made it into Denver mid-afternoon. The airport is well away from the city, so it's a bit of a drive to get to the Pepsi Center and the Illinois delegation hotel. But right before you turn off the expressway to head downtown looming large in the foreground is Invesco Field. It is just enormous. You can already start to visualize the magnitude of the historic moment that Thursday will bring.
But before we get ahead of ourselves there's going to be quite a bit excitement at the Pepsi Center. Tonight's featured speaker is Michelle Obama. One of the most wonderful developments of this campaign has been the way that the country has come to embrace Michelle as a role model. She is someone I have known for many years and it's been amazing to watch as Americans have come to see in her the special qualities that we in Illinois were already aware of, she's a hardworking, devoted mother who worked her way through the best schools in the country and put that education to use by serving her community. She is a role model and a leader and I couldn't think of a better featured speaker to open the convention. In a year when women have made their voices heard like never before it's exciting to see our party feature great Americans like Hillary Clinton, Tammy Duckworth and Michelle Obama. I can't wait to share that experience with my mother tonight.
I am also blessed to be able to address the convention tonight. Yesterday I went straight from the airport to the convention center for rehearsal. I had already provided the DNC with my speech and they had it loaded into the teleprompter so that we could rehearse. We were able to fine tune it a little bit from the podium and I'm pretty excited about how it turned out. I should be speaking tonight between 6:30pm and 7:00pm central time.
This morning started early when we went over to the Pepsi Center for some media interviews for the morning shows. Today will be a busy day, but tomorrow afternoon I plan to set aside some time to take a walk through the Big Tent. I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new friends, so please take a minute to say hello.
I'll check back in tomorrow morning and give you a full recap of today's exciting events.
First I want to thank the great people at Prairie State Blue for allowing me to share my thoughts with you on what will be a historic week for our country and a special moment for my friend and mentor Barack Obama.
I'll be leaving in a few hours to head to Denver for a week that I am really looking forward to, but it has already been an eventful weekend. Things got started on a humid night in Southern Illinois on Friday when I joined other proud Democrats all across the region at the opening of the DuQuoin State Fair.
Later that night we made our way to Springfield and awoke to find that Barack had chosen Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate. Joe Biden is exactly the kind of pick that will energize the campaign. He brings a can-do spirit and know-how that will be necessary to turn change into a reality. But possibly more importantly, at a time when ordinary Americans are struggling all across the country, Joe Biden is someone who has faced the kind of adversity that would test any man's resolve. Who better than Joe Biden to show Americans that extraordinary things are possible even in the most challenging of times. This week we will have an opportunity to show the country what a great American Joe Biden is.
I just received the following press release from Bill Foster's campaign for Congress in IL-14.
Treasurer Giannoulias has done an excellent job proving his credibility and effectiveness since being elected and has earned the respect of many Democrats statewide. His endorsement will undoubtedly provide a boost to Foster's campaign.
