campaigns are about strategy but they are also about the terrain upon which they operate. it?s important to understand the context of a campaign, or the decisive influences that generally determine its outcome. lee atwater, borrowing heavily from sun tzu, argued that five things generally determine the outcome of a campaign:
1. The Candidate
2. Money
3. The (mostly political) Environment or Structural Situation
4. The Local Climate
5. Consultants/Organization
these factors are not in any order. each campaign is different, and the decisive element will be different from campaign to campaign.
Only in the surreal realm of Illinois politics could red and blue combine to produce green.
The blue party candidate, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has danced as fast as he can on the campaign trail in a vain attempt to stay ahead of allegations of personal corruption and fiscal irresponsibility.
The red party's pick, Republican state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, has conducted a negative and unfocused campaign that doesn't inspire confidence she could lead the state. Her main qualification is having a lower indictment potential than the incumbent.
There is a choice, and this Editorial Board is making it by endorsing Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate, for Illinois governor.
The Rockford Register Star endorsement of the Green Party candidate Rich Whitney for governor of Illinois is not a call for the politics of Ralph Nader rather it's a call for better options.
Crossposted from Bridget in the Sixth (so excuse the reference to "over at SbC").
Over at SoapBlox Chicago, there are a several folks who insist on promoting Rich Whitney, the little known Green Party candidate for Illinois Governor. After some looking around on his site, I had some questions about his stance on choice issues. I emailed the campaign a week ago and never received a response. Whitney backers at SbC pointed to his statements on Project Votesmart regarding this issue, which seem fine. But after the following business, I think I know what he is trying to do by masking his stance on choice. Weirdly, he is pandering to conservatives.
Jim Anderson of the Illinois Radio Network has told candidate for Illinois governor Rich Whitney that he will not be allowed to join the Oct. 2 debate with Gov. Blagojevich and Treasurer Topinka. The reasons cited by Anderson were manifold.
1) In 2002, Jim Ryan said that Libertarian candidate Cal Skinner couldn’t win and therefore doesn’t have to be responsible for anything he says.
2) He didn’t want to “surprise” Topinka and Blagojevich
3) He had to do what network affiliates want
All of these reasons amount to absolute nonsense. But, okay, let’s take Mr. Anderson on his word. Here are my point-by-point questions:
1) Why was Alan Keyes allowed to debate in 2004? Talk about a guy who had no chance of winning and took no responsibility for what he said. Whitney is an excellent speaker and I’m sure a skilled debater. Keyes is just a nut job. Yet...
2) How is this a surprise? This isn’t China, folks. We do live in a democracy where open debate is supposedly encouraged. Topinka has already said that she would debate Whitney. And Blagojevich has had his million dollar flunkies try to kick Whitney off the ballot (unsuccessfully) so we know that he is aware of the possibility that Whitney may end up in the debates. Would it really be all that surprising?
3) Whitney says at least one affiliate said they would like to see him in the debate. Have the others explicitly said they DON’T want him in the debate?
One way you can help ensure Illinois voters get the best information, not cheap, half-assed information, this coming election is to contact your local newspapers, radio stations and TV stations, and tell them you want to see more Whitney coverage. Tell them you want to see Whitney debate.
*** CHICAGO PRIDE PARADE THIS SUNDAY *** is our biggest single petitioning event. We are literally looking to have over 100 people, many of them petitioning from "inside the parade", many petitioning before the parade begins, some sign and banner holding, some petitioning during the parade from within the crowd... basically, we need every last person who can make it out.
Meeks was considering a run because he was disappointed with Governor Blagojevich's school funding, but after being briefed on Blago's new unreleased plan, the Reverend said, "I'm saying I'm off the ballot. Forget it."
The chief of staff for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday revealed that the governor has fired two top personnel aides. Blagojevich also turned over to federal prosecutors evidence that the pair illegally manipulated hiring procedures affecting dozens of job applicants. CBS 2 Mike Flannery
State Sen. James Meeks stopped short Thursday of saying he will run for governor, but he said he would unveil a third-party slate of candidates for statewide office May 20.
Meeks stepping into the race for Governor of Illinois could make this race a very exciting nail biter. Most importantly it could also mean a real shot for Governor by Green Party Candidate Rich Whitney.
A Meeks run would draw votes away from both incumbent Gov. Blago and Republican candidate Topinka. Meeks would take black votes away from Blago and white theocraticvoters away from Topinka. Leaving the opening for Green Party's Whitney to turn Illinois green and offer voters a real choice for Governor in November.
Green Party Candidate for Governor, Rich Whitney, will be the guest speaker at Thurday's (May 11) meeting of STAND. The meeting wil be held at 7PM at the Peotone American Legion Hall at 109 E. North St. There will also be an update on recent activities about the proposed Peotone airport.
Several factors have created a climate of corruption and political disengagement in Illinois that the Green Party seeks to challenge.
This is one of the few states that imposes no limits on campaign contributions. According to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR), statewide candidates now get most of their funds from fewer than 5% of their contributors. This means that a small group of large corporations and wealthy individuals has far more impact on government than the majority of the population. The Green Party does not accept contributions from corporations. Illinois is also one of the most difficult states in the nation for third party participation in the political process. The state requires a “new” party to collect 25,000 signatures from registered voters in a 90-day period, just to be able to appear on the statewide ballot. Once a party achieves that, they must go on to collect 5% of the vote to become an “established” party statewide. The petitioning period begins in March 2006.
The Illinois Green Party and its candidates will be aggressively seeking volunteers, and contributions from individuals, to fuel their efforts to get on the ballot in June.
Brief biographies of the candidates are below.
RICH WHITNEY (Governor), a civil-rights attorney from Carbondale, previously served as the party’s candidate for State Representative in the 115th District in 2002 and 2004. Whitney said, “The people of Illinois deserve better alternatives than a choice between two corporate parties, between Rod Blagojevich and the candidate of the party that has given us George Ryan and George Bush.”
JULIE SAMUELS (Lt. Governor), a longtime community organizer in Oak Park, a western suburb of Chicago, ran for State Representative in the 8th District in 2002 and 2004. She currently is Community Outreach Coordinator for the Openlands Project, and previously was an organizer on solid waste and toxic issues for Citizens for a Better Environment, and a coordinator for the Affordable Budget Coalition (ABC), dedicated to securing affordable utility service for low-income people.
DAVID BLACK (Attorney General), is an attorney in the Rockford area. He is a member of Rockford Peace and Justice Action Committee, Rockford Urban Ministries, Northern Illinois Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Sierra Club. He holds an M.A., Ph.D. (Political Science) from the University of Michigan and J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. He is Treasurer of the Winnebago Boone Green Party and Secretary of the Illinois Green Party.
DAN RODRIGUEZ-SCHLORFF (Treasurer), a 25-year-old Filipino-American, has been exploring the worlds of investment and entrepreneurship since his days as a paper boy. A former Republican, he is active in faith-based and gay rights movements, performs in classical music groups, and is Membership Steward for the Illinois Green Party and on the Finance Committee of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS).
KAREN YOUNG (Secretary of State) has a professional background in commercial radio and is the founder of the media activist group, Media Democracy Chicago. She is active in North Side (Chicago) and Chicago Area Greens, has served on the Coordinating Committee, and is media coordinator for ILGP.
ALICIA SNYDER (Comptroller) is a mother of two, special education teacher, and active in organizations including the NEA, Jefferson County United Way, and People Against Violent Environments (PAVE). She lives in Centralia, and is co-chair of the South Central Illinois Green Party and co-chair of the Illinois Green Party.
“The people of Illinois deserve better than a choice between two corporate parties” For the first time, the Illinois Green Party is fielding a full slate of candidates for statewide office. “We believe that everyone in Illinois should have the chance to vote for someone that reflects his or her values. If you believe in grassroots democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom, and nonviolence, the Green Party offers you a chance to see your values reflected in your state’s government,” said Phil Huckelberry, state party co-chair.
The six candidates are a diverse group representing different parts of the state. They are:
Rich Whitney for Governor
Julie Samuels for Lt. Governor
David Black for Attorney General
Dan Rodriguez-Schlorff for Treasurer
Karen Young for Secretary of State
Alicia Snyder for Comptroller
Several factors have created a climate of corruption and political disengagement in Illinois that the Green Party seeks to challenge. This is one of the few states that imposes no limits on campaign contributions. According to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR), statewide candidates now get most of their funds from fewer than 5% of their contributors. This means that a small group of large corporations and wealthy individuals has far more impact on government than the majority of the population. The Green Party does not accept contributions from corporations. Illinois is also one of the most difficult states in the nation for third party participation in the political process. The state requires a “new” party to collect 25,000 signatures from registered voters in a 90-day period, just to be able to appear on the statewide ballot. Once a party achieves that, they must go on to collect 5% of the vote to become an “established” party statewide. The petitioning period begins in March 2006.
The Illinois Green Party and its candidates will be aggressively seeking volunteers, and contributions from individuals, to fuel their efforts to get on the ballot in June.
