[lbo-talk] Illinois as model for Democratic agenda

[andie nachgeborenen]

He might. His figures are way down, people voted out
Ryan because they were sick of corruption and cronyism
and Rod seems to offer little better in that
department.  The GOP has a finally found a credible
and so far as as anyone knows, clean candidate, Judy
Barr Topinka, the state treasurer.

Recent results

 Illinois Governor: Topinka (R) Leads Blagojevich (D) 
Survey of 500 Likely Voters

January 25, 2006

Election 2006

      February 7, 2006--State Treasurer Judy Baar
Topinka (R) leads Governor Rod Blagojevich in an early
look at the 2006 campaign for Governor of Illinois.

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey shows Topinka with
48% of the vote while the incumbent Governor attracts
37%.

Blagojevich does better against two other potential
challengers. Blagojevich is tied with Ron Gidwitz at
40%. The Governor holds a very slight lead over Jim
Oberweis, 43% to 39%.

None of the candidates are viewed favorably by 50% or
more of Illinois voters. Blagojevich and Topinka have
far higher name recognition than the other candidates.

Topinka is viewed favorably by 46% of voters and
unfavorably by 30%. For Blagojevich, it's 40%
favorable and 49% unfavorable. For Gidwitz and
Oberweis, a plurality don't know enough about them to
have an opinion.

As Nathan has insisted, Rod's record is not bad,
ethics problems aside. Here are some recent reforms. 

http://ads.qctimes.com/articles/2006/01/16/news/state/doc43cb36e2c32ea510403271.txt

But contrary to Nathan's blowing off the
ethics/criminality stuff, this may be precisely this
that brings Rod down. 

http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/features/2003nov/ethics.html

Also, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the
problem is that a lot of the reforms we like are not
that popular in Illinois, though interestingly enough
the SLPD reports that Rod's "no tax increase" mantra
is not a big sell, people are willing to pay for what
they want, including better education funding and a
balanced budget:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/9AE876C011B48EB0862570FD00230470?OpenDocument

and he is thought to neglect downstate in favor of
Chicago.  He chose to live up here rather than move to
Springfield, which may have been a strategic mistake.

--- John Lacny <jlacny at earthlink.net> wrote:


> Isn't it that the major issue with Blagojevich is
> the likelihood that he
> will lose the next election?
> 
> 
> - - - - - - - - - - 
> John Lacny
> http://www.johnlacny.com
> 
> Tell no lies, claim no easy victories
> 
> ___________________________________
>
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> 

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