EDITOR’S NOTE:  This will be the lead post through 9/18.  Drop down to read the latest posts. 

McPundit, Kathy Michael, interviews Phil Kerpen.  (see full interview in the following post)

Mr.  Kerpen is vice president for policy at Americans for Prosperity, as well as a Fox Forum contributor on FoxNews.com, and chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition.

Mr. Kerpen is also one of the 9/18 Right Nation guest speakers. 

Here’s the link to his site: http://www.philkerpen.com/

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SEPTEMBER 18-HOFFMAN ESTATES-SEARS CENTRE

FEATURED EVENING SPEAKER:  GLENN BECK

GUEST SPEAKERS: 

SPECIAL  ILLINOIS GUESTS:  Congressman Aaron Schock, Candidate for Governor Bill Brady, and more.  Link here for ticket details. 

McPundit Publisher Kathy Michael has been selected to participate in the Right Nation 2010 conference this month in Chicago. “McP” was selected by Right Nation as one of 10 outstanding Conservative blog sites in Illinois.  Kathy will be blogging live from the conference center on September 18th and will have access to many of the conservative speakers scheduled to appear.

The Chicago Tribune/WGN TV poll is the latest to release numbers  in the white-hot Illinois Senate race between Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, and Democrat opponent, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

This poll has the race dead even, each with very low numbers; 34% apiece.

This is a race where  the Green Party and the Libertarian Party will come into play.  Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones came in with 6%, and Libertarian candidate Mike Labno had 3%.

The poll found Giannoulias hanging on despite controversies that left 28 percent of voters with an unfavorable opinion of him and 22 percent who viewed him favorably. But there were serious areas of concern for his growth prospects.

Giannoulias trailed Kirk, 34 percent to 23 percent, among voters who call themselves independent and not aligned with a political party. He also was viewed unfavorably by 36 percent of those self-identified independent voters. And while two-thirds of voters who said they were Democrats backed Giannoulias, Kirk had the support of nearly three-fourths of voters who said they were Republicans.

Giannoulias had an overwhelming edge over Kirk among African-American voters, 58 percent to 3 percent, with 26 percent undecided, providing one avenue to gain support. But collar-county voters gave Kirk a 44 percent to 34 percent edge in support, while downstate voters backed the Republican 41 percent to 25 percent over the Democrat.

The poll also found potential trouble spots for Kirk, suggesting he has failed to make a favorable impression on key Republican voting blocs in a campaign that began last year and kept rolling through the early February primary.

Nearly four in 10 collar-county voters still had no opinion on whether to view Kirk favorably or unfavorably, despite near universal name recognition. A similar share of conservative voters, 36 percent, have no opinion on whether they like the GOP candidate, and one in five are undecided in the Senate contest. That could leave an opening for the Libertarian candidate to pick up support.

I can do slash and burn. I can do sarcasm on steroids. I can do, equally well, the tweed coat, high-backed leather chair pseudo-intellectual discourse (although it’s usually more boring). I can do pop culture, from Lady Ga-Ga to Project Runway to Jersey Shores. You want legal, I got legal (though it’s boring as hell). I can do philosophy-theology with the best of them. I am thinking about a “Kirk Watch” section so we can document that creep’s malfeasance following his election. Bear in mind I am not a Republican, don’t necessarily care for the Republicans, other than as a tool for conservatives to use for their amusement, and certainly won’t advocate for them unless it serves some other, noble purpose. Nor will I pretend to be a liberal. I am too used to being rational to do that.

McLean County Pundit will be undergoing changes soon, and the key to entertainment is to give the people what they want. So, what do you want?

I will accept “Go away and never come back,” as well. We aim to please.

            “Governor Quinn, I’d like you to meet Guido, our loan specialist.”

            “Hello, Guido, uh… glad to meet you.”

            “Youse too.  My friend says you need to borrow $9.6 billion.  We may be able to work sump’n out, but what you got for collateral?”

            “Well, the State has all kinds of property all over the state; it’s worth a lot more than that.”

            “You think I’m some kinda chumbalone?  You can’t do nuttin’ wit it.  Blago tried to hock the Thompson Center in Chicago and the state’s mouthpiece said he couldn’t do it.  What you got that makes money; what about parking meters?”

            “The State doesn’t have any; the biggest parking meter system is in Chicago, and Daley already mortgaged those.”

            “OK-how about the lottery?  Give us 30% off the top, tax free.”  

            “But that money is earmarked for education.  Besides, I can’t make it tax free; the IRS wouldn’t allow it.”

            “Hey, we don’t get our money, I’ll show you a real earmark-2 of ‘em. You trying to tell me that Rezko’s buddy in the White House can’t work a deal?  What about Geithner and those other guys?”

            “Well, they ultimately had to pay up.”

            “Then use some health insurance money.”

            “What are you talking about? What health insurance money?”

            “Ain’t the feds supposed to give the state some more o’ dat stimulus money dey got lyin’around? The state can pay it to us as insurance for your continued good health.  Your kneecaps alone ought to be worth a billion.  My cousin, Rocco’s been doin’ our books for a while now; he’ll tell you how to do it. “I’ll have him call you about it.”

            “Sure thing.  Glad to meet you, Mr….uh”

            “Guido.  An’ another thing, I don’t like what’s happenin’ to this state”

            “How do you mean?”

            “I mean, I’m gettin’ worried about all these Irish guys all over the place.  Either you or that other Irish guy is gonna be governor, you got another one running Chicago, and then you got two Madigans down in  Springfield.  Geez, even the feds got one running the U.S. Attorney’s office. Outside o’ that Greek guy who’s leaving, I don’t know if I can trust any of you guys.  Ya’ gotta have trust, know what I mean?”

            “Sure.”

Larry Sabato, author of the Crystal Ball and head of University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, released his election predictions today, and for this normally cautious analyst, it’s called by some, a “prediction shocker”.

Sabato’s predictions say the GOP will win the House, may get a 50-50 split in the Senate, and will pick up eight new governor seats.

So how about Illinois?  Sabato should have made it nine new governor seats, Republican Bill Brady is going to win this one in Illinois going away.  While he didn’t count Illinois in the eight, he did put it in the “have an edge” column with Oregon.

For the Illinois U.S. Senate seat, Sabato has this one as a “toss-up” between Republican Congressman Mark Kirk who enhanced his military resume, and troubled Democrat and friend of President Obama’s, Alexi Giannoulias, whose failed bank loaned money to mobsters, and as Illinois State Treasurer, his Bright Start College Savings Programs has lost millions.

This one’s for Obama’s former Senate seat, and a must win for Democrats.

Here’s the link to Sabato’s Crystal Ball report.

I have a confession to make to my fellow conservatives: I like John McCain.  Now, before all of you go into apoplectic fits, or start talking of banishing me from the conservative movement, or calling me a CINO, let me add that I’m only confessing to liking him, not agreeing with everything he’s done.  At times, he’s driven me nuts, and probably will again before his political career is over.   That having been said, let me say that there are three things for we should be grateful to John McCain.

 First, and oldest, is his military service to his country.  I’ve liked McCain and respected him ever since I saw a feature on him on Biography prior to the 2000 campaign.  His service during the Vietnam War was awe-inspiring by any measure.  It’s all detailed in his moving book Faith of My Fathers, in which he very modestly chronicled his experiences. Reading it, I asked myself frequently (and with a lot of uncertainty) if I would have held up half as well as he did.  I invite anyone who hasn’t read it to do so, and ask himself or herself the same question.  Some of his accounts of patriotism and individual heroism will move you to tears.  Through it all, McCain consistently understates his own heroism and compares himself unfavorably to fellow POWs.  In my scale of values, his service in Vietnam is such a heavy entry in the plus column that it takes a LOT of minuses to outweigh it.

Second, many of us were rightly upset, although not surprised, that President Obama, in his Oval Office speech on Iraq, didn’t give any credit to President Bush for the Surge that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.  That would have required much more magnanimity than he possesses.  Although that shortcoming was mentioned very frequently on that right-wing, Tea Party-infested, Republican-mouthpiece news agency that I watch known as Fox News, only once did any of the analysts acknowledge that the Surge wasn’t George W. Bush’s brilliant idea; he decided on it only after several persons, led by John McCain, convinced him that only a massive increase in the number of troops and a new strategy could turn things around in Iraq.  I take nothing away from Bush; his courage and unwavering commitment to win in Iraq were heroic and decisive.  But the idea was McCain’s and he endured plenty of criticism himself, from fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, while making his case to Bush.  Whether there would have been a surge without McCain is questionable.

Finally, it was John McCain who rescued from probable perpetual near-anonymity the ultimate outsider (you can’t get much more outside D.C. than Wasilla, Alaska), Sarah Palin.  Picking her as his running mate gave her a national platform, and politics haven’t been the same since.  There has never been, in my memory, a politician who has regularly, routinely, persistently and effortlessly driven liberals crazy as Sarah Palin.  Charles Krauthammer coined the term “Bush Derangement Syndrome” to characterize the liberal reaction to George W. Bush.  Everything he said about W’s effect on liberals is even truer of Palin’s; it’s like BDS on steroids.  It is not clear what Palin’s ultimate role in the conservative movement will be: kingmaker, spokesperson, or candidate.  Her plain-spoken, common sense approach, her values, and her popularity have electrified politics, energized the conservative base of the Republican Party and raised untold millions in political contributions.  But the Palin phenomenon started when John McCain introduced her to the Party and the nation just a little over 2 years ago.  It is only fitting that she was instrumental in McCain’s primary win this year. We owe him for Sarah Palin.

             Having said all that, let me anticipate and deflect the criticism of those who will accuse me of taking a Pollyanna-ish approach and putting on blinders to McCain’s faults.  I frankly expect that, should the Republicans take over the Senate, John McCain will drive conservatives crazy by trying to do things on a bi-partisan basis with Democrats (who never attempted bi-partisanship on any serious matter during this entire Congress).  I will probably be pulling my hair out at some of the things he does.  But at this point, I think the thing to do is remember the three things we owe him for, and let McCain be McCain.

UPDATE 9/2/10

Organizing some notes, here are some things I jotted down from these meetings yesterday:

MCLEAN COUNTY BOARD FINANCE COMMITTEE

From the Health Department comments:  “Schools and districts operate under limited permits, including raw foods. . . have to abide by all the guidelines.  Leroy and others have been operating outside of those guidelines all along. . . using the wrong permits. . . . special events have to be not more than twice a year. . . “

When I caught up with HD Director, Walt Howe, he indicated things are being worked out so that Leroy schools will be able to have their football cook-outs at each game.  I guess my thought is this could have been worked out before the controversy began, if can be worked out now.

Interesting words used by McLean County Recorder Lee Newcom when asking the Finance Committee for funds for software that were apparently in the Recorder’s funds but have been moved over the years to the General Fund to pay for a salary in the Supervisor of Assessor’s office.  Now Recorder Newcom needs these funds which have been spent down to zero.   His phrase regarding the moving of these funds. . . “slight of hand.” Ouch.  I think I heard some gnashing of teeth, not sure.

MCLEAN COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

$79,000 IDOT grant approved for bike-path study which later was stated as “feasibility study”

“Study traffic flow on Main Street and will require more than the $79,000″

“Will require a consultant”

“It’s a Transportation plan. . . regarding transportation.”

“Bicycle lanes on Main Street. . . . no commitment. . . “

“Would a walk-way be considered at Dairy Queen. . . yes. . . “

“This study will work off the already approved  Main Street Corridor Plan. . . “

I’ m so confused and still concerned about the traffic flow “negotiations” regarding the Main Street Corridor.

ANOTHER TOPIC AT RPC MEETING-School District Budgets hurting

Jay Reece:  Unit 5 Board Member-Building decline is having a HUGE impact on school districts, “significant building declines in McLean County”  District 87 RPC representative, Joseph Butcher, agreed

“State Farm assessment on their properties is being negotiated and a settlement is expected soon.”

Both school reps, Unit 5 and District 87, indicated their schools have increased in population; and this is in part because of the economy.  Parents who had their children in Parochial schools, private schools, are cutting their household budgets, and sending the kids to the less expensive public schools.

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I had dueling meetings today;  McLean County Board Finance Committee Meeting where the Health Department officials talked about the recent “talk” around the county of the  controversial shutting down of LeRoy schools’ football “cookout” events.

From the conversation, I take it the County has taken a lot of calls about this issue and thus the presence of the Health Department officials today.

I had no idea Finance Committee meetings could be so interesting.

There was another whole interesting discussion between Recorder Lee Newcom and the Finance Committee regarding funds from his office used for General Fund (Payroll?), and Newcom needs that money for software for his office and now there’s not enough money in his account for what he needs for his office because these funds have been moved to the General Fund to pay for a salary in the Supervisor of Assessors office, whew!  Well, let’s see if the Pantagraph WJBC reporter there today provides more details.

I dashed out of that meeting to get to the  Regional Planning Commission  (RCP) meeting going on at the same time and during that meeting, facilitated by RPC Director Paul Russell, with the actual meeting led by RCP Chairman ISU’s IWU’s Carl Teichman; where they were discussing the MAIN STREET BIKE PATH STUDY.

They passed unanimously, approval to move on an IDOT grant study on bike paths , utilizing a $79,000 IDOT grant, but the total feasibility study, “will cost more” than $79.000.

I don’t know how much, or where that money will come from, though when I asked, Mr. Russell felt additional monies would come from IDOT.  They have extra money?  Lucky them.

A consultant will be hired (another consultant?) to study (another study?) the Main Street Corridor Plan, bike paths, “and more” including traffic round-abouts.  . . and, oh my head is spinning.  More tomorrow.  Mr. Russell indicated to me that this all involved “transportation”.  I don’t know what that means.  I’m very confused trying to follow five “plans”.

I may have missed something during the Regional Planning Commission meeting, so if anyone has further information, please feel free to comment.  I know you’re out there. (smile)

I guess there have been discussions with IDOT all along regarding traffic patterns and the Main Street Corridor; I just haven’t asked the right questions.

I have asked:  Has the City of Bloomington been talking with IDOT, answer from City leaders;  ”no”.

I have asked:  Has the Town of Normal been in talks with IDOT regarding Main Street traffic change of patterns, answer from more than one council person, “no”.

Has Regional Planning Commission  been talking  with IDOT regarding traffic patterns on Main Street?  Apparently, “yes”; as they have a $79,000 grant for the bike path study down Main Street “and more.”  RP Commissioners passed unanimously to proceed with the study, no questions asked about future funding; how much and who’s paying.  It was a “bike study”.  When I asked Mr. Russell for more details, he was more than accommodating and always the professional; and indicated the study was “for more than bike path study, and involved the consultant’s input about the “feasibility”  in conjunction with the Main Street Corridor Plan.”

I don’t know exactly what all this means.  But, I’ll find out.

From WJBC’s Forum-David Stanczak

            Several years ago, a guy in western Illinois was calling the area Forgotonia.  If the State of Illinois doesn’t get serious about its financial situation, the whole place may get renamed Deadbeatonia.  We’ve been heading in that direction for years.  In 2003, Blago borrowed $10 billion to cover unfunded pension liabilities, money the State obligated itself to pay without bothering to set anything aside. More recently, from last September through July of this year, the State has borrowed $9.6 billion for capital improvements. 

            We all know, from personal experience or anecdotally, what happens when you max out your charge card, make only minimum payments and make a late payment-they jack up your interest rate-for starters.  The same thing happens to governments.  The bond market is our charge card.  Bond rating agencies make their money by rendering opinions as to the creditworthiness of the issuing agencies.  Prior to the most recent bond sale, the state’s credit rating was lowered.  That means that the state has to pay more in interest to offset bond buyers’ heightened concerns about the state’s solvency.  Only last month, Illinois made it onto a list of governmental bodies most likely to default on loans.  With an estimated 1 in 4 chance of default, Illinois is right up there with Venezuela, Greece, Portugal and Pakistan.

            The result of our deteriorating credit rating is that, compared to the cost of issuing the same $9.6 billion without the downgrade, we will pay an additional $551 million in interest over the term of the loan.  That money will not build any structures, repair any bridges, maintain any property or pay anyone’s salary. If it weren’t being paid in interest, it could have been used for any of those, or a host of other, purposes.  That half a billion, with a B, is down a rathole, with nothing, and I mean nothing, to show for it.  That’s not quite right, we’ve still got our credit card-for now.

            The only thing preventing me from asking how it could possibly get any worse is that I’m afraid I’d get an answer.

            This is your fellow deadbeat, David Stanczak, on WJBC’s Forum.

EDITOR’S UPDATE:  TERRORIST SHOT DEAD-says he was “awakened” by Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth

I add this to DK’s post because in my past conversations with my rabid Liberal friends, they are quick to tell me that people like Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and others are inciting the “crazies” who may go out and harm someone.  Sadly, what this incident should point out to Liberals, is that a disturbed person is just that; and they are just looking for any catalyst to set them off, and sometimes, they don’t even need that.  McPundit

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On TV now.

This guy has a manifesto.
Read it here.

It looks like Nancy Pelosi could have written it.

Oh, and sorry for the redundancy in the title.

(Photo Credit: Sarah-Palin.org)

She’s ba-aack. And liberals everywhere hide under their beds. I read Palin’s excellent book, Going Rogue, and was convinced after that reading that she would indeed run for the Presidency, either in 2012 or after, but sometime. My thought then and now is it will be in 2012, especially now that Obama is crippled and may not even finish his first term and the Republican Party is otherwise leaderless. This marks baby-step one. Stay tuned!

Sarah Palin’s plans mark change in posture toward Iowa

Sarah Palin’s scheduled political trip to Iowa this month marks a shift from near silence in the leadoff presidential nominating state to the kind of outreach common among White House prospects.

Palin’s plan to headline the Iowa Republican Party’s annual fall fundraiser on Sept. 17 is solely to help raise money for the state party’s candidates, the former Alaska governor’s aides said.

And one trip to Iowa is a long way from a successful campaign for the state’s 2012 presidential caucuses, still 18 months away, Iowa party insiders said.

But Palin’s recent overtures to Iowa reveal a change in posture that puts her in a position — like other 2012 presidential prospects already laying campaign groundwork in Iowa — to build goodwill and relationships with influential activists, state Republican officials said. . . . .

Desmoines Register