Murkowski concedes Alaska GOP Senate Race

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Sen. Lisa Murkowski was booted from office in the Republican primary Tuesday by a little-known conservative lawyer in arguably the biggest political upset of the year.

Joe Miller, backed by Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express, became the latest newcomer to the national political stage to take down an incumbent in 2010 amid deep dissatisfaction with the Washington establishment.

Miller’s win was a major victory for the tea party movement and marked the first time it had defeated a sitting senator in a primary. Tea partiers had knocked off Utah Sen. Bob Bennett at a state convention in May. Embolden tea partiers have now set their sights on Delaware where they are backing Christine O’Donnell against the more moderate Rep. Mike Castle in the GOP Senate primary. Murkowski is the third senator to lose this year, along with Bennett and Arlen Specter, D-Pa.

SOURCE

Earthquake DOES NOT hit La Grange, Illinois

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

 

Jackson, Cindy and Lily Henning on the way to school where Lily is a first-grader.  They all got jolted today by La Grange’s “non-earthquake”.

___________________________________________________________

Cindy Henning (who happens to be my daughter) “broke” the earthquake story in La Grange, Illinois today.  Cindy and her family live in La Grange and she tweeted the story which was picked up by Chicago media.

It wasn’t an earthquake in La Grange, as first report by various media outlets but blasting at a local quarry.  This report from the Trib/Local:

Illinois Elections: So Who’s on the Ballot?

Most engaged voters, while they may disagree on political viewpoints, have a lot of respect for citizens who have the desire and fortitude to run for office.  The rights of Americans to do so, is of course Democracy at its best.  The rules on how you get on the ballot, are set well in advance. 

The Libertarian Party and Constitution Party knew the rules of engagement before embarking on this arduous journey and yet spent a lot of time crying about the injustice of the rules,  after their signatures were submitted for approval, and then challenged. . . all part of the process.

Candidates needed 25,000 valid signatures.  The Libertarian Party got the required valid signatures, the Constitution Party did not.  If you don’t like the rules of engagement however, you should fight that before the game starts, rather than crying foul later.  And, you can always fight the gray areas of “the rules”; sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t.  Frustrating?  Yes.  Expensive?  Yes.  Such is life in politics.

“If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.”  

The Libertarian Party did their homework, and their legwork, and made it on the ballot.  (with their share of crying throughout the process of the signature review)

Last week, the Illinois State Board of Elections finalized November 2 ballot.  The Libertarian Party slate of candidates made it, the Constitution Party did not.

That decision hasn’t deterred the Constitution Party who is still battling last week’s decision, and hopes for a reversal by the Illinois State Board of Elections. 

Now, with the Libertarians on board, the speculation begins on if they will have an impact on the Governor and US Senate outcomes.  No offense to these fine candidates, but no one expects them to win, although it’s a strange election year to be sure.  So, they will or may end up being spoilers.  But for which Party?  Some speculate that Libertarian candidate Labno will hurt Kirk, but Green Party candidate Jones will hurt Giannoulias.

For Governor, Libertarian candidate Green, could take away votes from Brady and Green Party candidate Whitney from Quinn.

ILLINOIS STATE-WIDE CANDIDATES CURRENTLY CERTIFIED BY SBOE

FOR GOVERNOR

Republican Bill Brady

Democrat Pat Quinn

 Green Party  Rich Whitney

Libertarian Lex Green

Independent  Scott Lee Cohen

UNITED STATES SENATE

Republican Mark Kirk

Democrat Alexi Giannoulias

Green Party LeAlan Jones

Libertarian Party Mike Labno

Form-Based Code = More Government Control

OPINION PAGE

Editor’s Note:  Form-based code are three little words that have, in the last 4-5 years, crept into the vernacular of cities around the nation, including Bloomington/Normal and other neighboring cities’ zoning plans.  Here are two  links for you to click on and read with your morning coffee, along with this Opinion on the form-based code.  The two links provided below are particularly interesting reading.  The second link is a more personal look at conversations in a college town and their differing views on FBC.

If you have an Opinion you would like to submit for consideration, please do so to mcpundit@mccopundit.com  There is a 300 word minimum.

The Facade of New Urbanism

Form-based Codes Debate Hits Email

By Donny Herrin

It is  more than coincidental that every city in the United States that has fallen victim to a form-based code type of revitalization plan resulting in  smart or sustainability-oriented re-zoning codes, all required  identical plans and methods to achieve  identical solutions for a city’s ills.  Just to name a popular few:  to cure economic stagnation,  to enhance appearance through identical beautification models and methods supposedly desired by the citizens at large, to spur growth, and oddly through a strategy that admittedly fundamentally deters growth and expansion, and to draw people from their own cities to ours, which in perspective  seems diametrically in opposition with the inherent  objectives of sustainability.

All include the suggestion to finance every project by citizen taxpayers, projects and plans that were all conceived and promoted by a core group of city officials, planning carte blanche granted to outside planners all with identical backgrounds, educations and interests, and not the result  free market competition,  market forces, natural growth tendencies, and while having ignored the individuality, rights, and interest of the local citizens. Giving that analysis cogent consideration, can it really be safe to presume that every city suffers from identical problems, that all cities require the same strategy, and that the only successful strategy for a city’s future should be designed by  planners foreign to a city and all having identical social plans and environmental models?   Hardly; and far from smart.  The fingerprint of collusion is present.

 Form-Based Code, Smart Growth, Sustainability.  Call it what you will.  There is only so much in a name. Each includes and implements major components of structural mandates, environmental revitalization, walkability, pedestrian and bicycle friendly, etc., and each abridge personal property rights.  That all adds up to one thing: government control.

I fail to be able to account that much to even extreme coincidence. Rather, it has nothing less than the appearance of government agenda and is nothing less than social engineering.

 Donny Herrin

Independent Securities Trader

Investment Advisor

Kathy Michael Political Report

EVENT UPDATE:  9:30 p.m.

Added to the event list: 

Congressional candidate Adam Kinzinger will be in Gridley on Thursday, September 2^nd as he continues to travel throughout the farming communities in the 11th Congressional district, with his hands-on approach in meeting one-on-one with farmers and ag leaders.  Adam understands the importance of agriculture to this nation and he’ll take the message of the farming communities to Washington.

After touring the agribusinesses and visiting with those involved in the fertilizer and grain industry, he’ll attend a meet and greet at the Gridley Community Center from 4:30-5:30, which is open to everyone.  There is no cost to attend, but contributions to Adam’s campaign will be welcomed.

THE HOTTEST LOCAL GOP NEWS?

 GIULIANI COMING TO BLOOMINGTON FOR BILL BRADY

Click on the link above and it will provide you with the details for the Giuliani/Brady event which is September 13-noon-Doubletree Hotel

 Kindly put these additional local GOP events on your calendar. 

They all need our support!

SEPTEMBER 9      Kinzinger Event

STL-Bloomington  5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception

Adam Kinzinger for U.S. Congress, 11th District

$75/person  Sponsorships available

630.833.7722  juliakucan@winningsystemsinc.net

SEPTEMBER 13     Brady/Giuliani Event

Bill Brady for Governor event-Guest Speaker, former NY Governor & candidate for President of the United States

Rudy Giuliani

Noon-Doubletree Hotel-Bloomington

(See link at top of page for details)

SEPTEMBER 20    Susan Schafer event

The Den Golf Course-Bloomington  

5:00-7:00 p.m. 

Meet County Board District 9 Candidate Susan Schafer

Susan is running for office for the first time.  We need a fiscally conservative, hard-working, accessible representative for our taxpayers and our tax-dollars in this District!

Appetizers, cash bar, donations accepted

For more information or to send Susan a donation, contact

rszn4s@yahoo.com   www.susanschaferforcountyboard.com 

SEPTEMBER 20     GOP Breakfast event

McLean County GOP Breakfast

7:00 a.m. – Doubletree Hotel-Bloomington

$7.00/person Speaker TBA

John W. Parrott, Jr. Chairman 309-663-6323 www.mcleangop.org 

SEPTEMBER 23       Rep. Keith Sommer event

Brookside Farms-Bloomington 

5:30-7:30 p.m.

Retired Senators John Maitland and Harber Hall honor

State Rep. Keith Sommer, and

 celebrate Senator Hall’s 90th birthday 

$50/person; $75/couple 309.275.1904 brooksidefarms@aol.com 

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 ILLINOIS GOP-COUNTING CHICKENS?

 For Illinois Republicans, this week’s campaign news has remained fairly constant.  There’s a positive, palpable feel throughout the GOP that victory is around the corner; however, poll numbers still show tight races, and nothing can nor should be taken for granted by the almost giddy GOP voters, with 64 days until Election Day.  Last week Governor Quinn’s Chief of Staff resigned with hints of a scandal.  Add to this, Quinn has raised the salaries of 235 staff members and along with that raised the ire of taxpayers; his PR firm quit, and he fired his Inspector General.  Link here for the many articles about this race.

 The addition of the Libertarian and Green Party candidates to the ballot may hurt Brady in the race for Governor and Kirk might actually be helped in the US Senate race.  The State Board of Elections has just finalized the November 2 ballot.  There will now be 5 candidates for Governor and 4 for US Senate.

Personal observation:  If the GOP doesn’t beat Governor Quinn. . . . the Illinois GOP will be DOA.

Some are already positioning themselves for Senator Bill Brady’s seat.  Should Senator Brady win the Governor’s race in November, there will be an appointment to fill his Senate seat.  The appointment is made by a weighted vote from Brady’s district.  CORRECTION:  McLean County, whose GOP Chairman is John Parrott, has just less than 50% of the weighted vote; and will rely on other votes from the other County Chairmen in this district to complete the appointment process.

A similar scenario sets up for Senator Dan Rutherford’s Senate seat, should Rutherford be elected Illinois State Treasurer.  In Rutherford’s district, Livingston County will have the majority a large portion of the weighted vote in this 53rd Senate district.  Livingston County’s new GOP Chairman is John McGlasson. 

 The old saying, “counting chickens before they’re hatched” comes to mind; but so does this one, “he who hesitates is lost.”

 THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR

 Rasmussen, as of 8/23, has Brady with “a modest lead”; Brady has 46% with 37% for Quinn.  Two weeks ago this poll had Brady 48% and Quinn at 35%.

 THE RACE FOR U.S. SENATE

 Rasmussen, as of 8/25, has Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, former banker now IL State Treasurer,  with a two point lead over Republican Congressman Mark Kirk; 42%-40%.  A statistical tie, these numbers aren’t good for either candidate.  Giannoulias, old friend to President Obama and whose United State’s Senate seat the Democrats will be nationally embarrassed to lose, has turned out to be a flawed candidate.  His family bank failed, he lost millions for parents in the Bright Start College Savings Program while Illinois State Treasurer, and at age 34, has been tagged with the responsibility, along with his family, of loaning money to mobsters.

 Congressman Mark Kirk who many believe should have a bigger lead over the troubled Giannoulias, has had his own campaign problems with enhancing his military resume.  The next poll numbers will tell whether this talk is dissipating.  Of greatest positive impact to the Kirk campaign, he has raised a lot more money.  At the end of the last quarter, Kirk had $3.9 million in the bank, comparied to $1 millions in the bank for Giannoulias.

 THE RACE FOR STATE TREASURER/COMPTROLLER

 Senator Dan Rutherford and former Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, candidates for State Treasurer and State Comptroller respectively, have a great idea getting good media coverage for these two lesser-watched, state-wide offices.  They propose combining offices and project by doing so, would save taxpayers $12 million annually.  They have completed a state-wide media blitz and taxpayers should like this idea; and remember it at the polls.

 THE RACE FOR CONGRESS-11TH DISTRICT-KINZINGER VS. HALVORSON

 While behind in the money race, Adam Kinzinger leads everywhere else.  All polling data has Kinzinger in the lead anywhere from single to double digits, that’s the good news.  The other news is that this race is considered “too close to call”.  Back to the good news, pollsters had this in the Halvorson/Democrat win column, but last week both The Cook Political Report and The Rothenburg Political Report moved this race from leaning Democrat, to toss-up.

 The wheels have been coming off the Halvorson campaign as well.  Last week she fired her Campaign Manager.

 As Rothenberg says:

“Halvorson finds herself in deeper trouble than expected,” the Rothenberg report said. “The state political environment is increasingly toxic for Democrats.”

This race looks good for Kinzinger as of today, but is by no means in the bag for the GOP.

 MCLEAN COUNTY PUNDIT, ONE OF 10 ‘POPULAR’ ILLINOIS BLOGGERS INVITED TO COVER RIGHT NATION EVENT

 I’m proud to announce McLean County Pundit is one of 10 Illinois bloggers invited to participate and cover the Right Nation event, to be held September 18 at the Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates, IL; with Guest Speaker for the evening, Glenn Beck. I’ll be live-blogging, and hope to provide video coverage.

Announced participants for Right Nation 2010 include conservative icon Glenn Beck, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, economic experts Stephen Moore and John Fund, conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, Congressman Aaron Schock, and Tea Party leader Herman Cain.

Waiting on Mr. Obama

. . . and other Sunday headlines

The NY Times, considered a friend to the left, has a tough Sunday Editorial for President Obama:

If President Obama has a big economic initiative up his sleeve, as he hinted recently, now would be a good time to let the rest of us in on it.

. . . Mr. Obama and his economic team had clearly hoped for an economic rebound in time for the midterm elections. They are not going to get it. . .

What Can Be Done to Cure the Economy? – Peter Goodman, New York Times
A Terrible & Vacuous Crisis of Leadership – Conrad Black, National Review
The Recovery Act Worked – Michael Cassidy, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Social Woes in Black and White – George Will, Washington Post
Obama Can’t Talk About American Tolerance? – Toby Harnden, Telegraph
It’s Too Early to Count Out Obama – Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer
Big Government, Big Business & Big Labor – Warren Meyer, Forbes
Why We Need a Second Stimulus – Laura Tyson, New York Times
California’s Gift of Shame – Tim Cavanaugh, Reason
Huge Throng Crowds Nat’l Mall for Beck Rally – Erika Bolstad, McClatchy
Progressives Need a Palin of Our Own – Holmes & Traister, New York Times
The European Union is Dying – Charles Kupchan, Washington Post
Kim Jong Il’s Shadowy Trip to China – Bill Powell, Time
Hatching Bigger Government – Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune
Katrina: a Man-Made Disaster – Errol Louis, New York Daily News
Is Wall Street in for a Long Funk? – Roger Lowenstein, NY Times Magazine
Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered, Broke – Irwin Stelzer, Weekly Standard

Editorials

New Orleans After Katrina – Los Angeles Times
Rejecting Obama’s Agenda: Looming Electoral Catastrophe – Union Leader
Carter: Breaching the Wall With North Korea – Boston Globe
Washington State Can’t Afford Deluxe Worker Benefits – Seattle Times

SOURCE

The talk after Beck

Love him or hate him, (there doesn’t seem to be any middle-ground here),  you have to admit that was a phenomenum Saturday, with estimates from 300,000 to 650,000 people coming to Washington D.C. to Glenn Beck.

 MSBC: 

Klein calls Beck , “hysterical. . . crazy person. . .  Rupert Murdoch puppet. . . ”

Chris Matthews:  “Apocalyptic talk by Glenn Beck”

Washington

• Beck Calls for National Revival
• Sharpton: ‘Reclaim the Dream’
• Palin: We Must “Restore America And Restore Her Honor”
• Van Hollen: Dems Will Keep House
• For Republicans, an ‘80 Deja Vu?

SOURCE

Normal Annual Corn Festival Draws Good Crowd

As usual, a big crowd comes out for the Normal, Illinois Corn and Blues Festival.  It was even more fascinating to watch the people wading through the water at the new “Uptown Normal’s round-about”.  Or as some call it, the lawsuit waiting to happen.

One commenter on my Facebook entry calls it, “the largest toilet in Normal”.

And Normal, (some of you), please, don’t talk to us about the fast traffic down Main Street and the need to slow it down.  Your  round-about is a circular race-track.  Had to dodge a fast-moving pick-up truck today just to cross over to the Children’s Museum.

There are goldfish in this part of Normal's round-about; this little girl is going in to fetch them!

A stroll down the concrete stream in uptown Normal.

Taking a walk with the family, in the Normal round-about

My fears of an injury aside at the wading pool in uptown Normal, it was a beautiful day and a great event as usual in Normal.

And, why is this legal in Normal but illegal in LeRoy?  (see photo below) More on this down the road, but I think the McLean County Health Department over-reaching on community rights  need to be addressed sooner rather than later.  

Glenn Beck takes on Washington D.C.

A BBC photo

Link here for photos and speeches  

Already I hear from some of my not Glenn Beck fans, “tell me you don’t listen to that nutball?”  These friends of mine are also big St. Louis Cardinal fans.

 Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols were there.

One of the touching moments of the rally put together by Glenn Beck was Tony La Russa introducing Albert Pujols who received an award for his service off the field towards his fellow man.

By all accounts, Glenn Beck in Washington D.C. calling for “a national revival” was a huge success. Crowd number estimates ranged from 300,000 by NBC to 500,000 by attendees.  Either number is an impressive number of people who turned out in Washington to hear Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and many others.

I wonder why people like Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) feel the need to push the crowd numbers.  It reduces my respect for these types.  Bachmann put the crowd at one million plus when she addressed a crowd at the Washington Monument.

From the LA Times:

Conservative radio and television commentator Glenn Beck urged thousands of supporters gathered Saturday on the National Mall to renew their faith both in God and the nation because the country faces a choice of whether to “advance or perish.”

Set at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial on a sun-drenched afternoon, Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally was heavily religious and not overtly political. Speaker after speaker praised the nation’s military, its Founding Fathers and Lincoln.

Note:  LA Times was quick to note, the crowd was large, the speakers were diverse, but the “crowd was largely white.” 

The speaker list was diverse, including African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans; Jews and Christians; clergymen, military veterans and sports stars, including Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. The crowd, however, was overwhelmingly white.

Rudy Giuliani Coming to Bloomington for Bill Brady

Bill Brady’s campaign still has its mo-jo working.

Bill Brady with last month's VIP fundraising guest, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush

Former Presidential candidate and NY Governor Rudy Giuliani will be stumping for Illinois GOP candidate for Governor Bill Brady.  He’ll be in town Monday, September 13, noon at the Doubletree Hotel, 10 Brickyard Drive, Bloomington.

Want to attend for $100?  jen@bradyforillinois.com or 217.691.0502