Comments on: So Goes Illinois, So (Likely) Goes the Nation

By: renminbi

renminbi — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:02:29 +0000

Your average voter has neither good character nor much knowledge of how things work,so how on God’s green earth is he going to pick leaders who are wise and honorable? Let’s rephrase this.Your average voter has sterling character and is quite sensible,but being sensible is rationally ignorant. Therefore he ends up electing schmucks to rule him. Quite clearly electoral politics doesn’t work,does it?

By: DJF

DJF — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:36:45 +0000

The political situation in Illinois sounds quite a bit like the political situation in NY. In NY, too, the GOP is imploding, for similar reasons, although it still holds onto control of the state senate by one vote.

Don’t be confused by Bloomberg, the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent mayor of NYC and a probable candidate for the governorship (as a Republican again). Bloomberg’s on-again/off-again affiliation with the Republicans has nothing to do with ideology, and reflects only his calculation that he can’t buy the Democratic nomination for a given office in a given year. He is indistinguishable from what you describe as the don’t-kill-the-golden-goose Democrats, although he is probably a more emphatic advocate of leftwing positions on social issues than most Democratic politicians.

By: MD

MD — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:45:59 +0000

Yeah, I pretty much second all of that. Illinois is a depressing state for right of center types.

Oh, and the Olympics! Does Daley actually think we can compete with that beautiful opening ceremony (come on, it is a competition, a bragging rights contest, that’s why they do it!) and, if so, where are we to find the money? I’d rather spend it on roads and stuff (although Millineum Park is beautiful), but, what do I know?

By: fred lapides

fred lapides — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:04:21 +0000

things are bad. Ok. What is to be done?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:19:01 +0000

Spot-on about Illinois. I hope you’re wrong about the parallels between Illinois and the rest of the country.

By: Dan from Madison

Dan from Madison — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:42:55 +0000

If you think you are in debt now, wait until you get the 2016 Games. I will be writing a post on this soon.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:43:38 +0000

Thanks for reminding me what a depressing state this is to live in. The Alan Keyes 20% Watch was my favorite sideshow at the 2004 election party I attended.