63 thoughts on “Open Thread on Election Results”

  1. Money and negative attacks buy votes… that will be the message from this election. With the exception of Meg Whitman (who shouldn’t have even have been a candidate) and a couple others, the candidate spending the most on mud slinging attack ads won.
    Luckily, Sharon Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Carl Paladino and others got defeated.

    With any luck the tea Party candidates that WERE elected, will distance themselves from the establishment Republicans that bought them their elections.

    Locally… Yea!! Smith and Montelongo are out, Unes and Gordon win. It is embarrassing that Schock gets 75% of the vote in central Illinois. Just embarrassing.
    Kirk (what a lightweight) wins and Brady loses???

    This is clearly a psychotic schizophrenic anti-incumbent vote. Quinn holds on to his seat because he technically wasn’t the incumbent… he was finishing Blago’s term. And yet… good party boy incumbents like Aaron Schock gets re-elected.

  2. If it was all about who ran the most negative adds, the dems would have held many more seats. How about the Smith/Unes race? Overall I think the message was clear, the population as a whole does not want the government to run their lives. The population as a whole is wise enough to not trust the government to take care of them. I work for a living, I do not look to washington to provide it for me. I think most Americans would agree with that statement.

  3. An hour after elections closed Montelongo’s ad was still running on tv. I think we are in for an interesting term. There were some upsets that are going to cost us and some that are going to benefit us. We’ll just have to wait and see what shakes out in the long run.

  5. I’m curious to see what happens with the Congressional District redistricting next month… rumors are that Illinois is predicted to lose a seat in the House due to national population shifts to the Sunbelt.

    Here’s to hoping that we take this time to take care of some of the most gerrymandered districts in the country, the Illinois 17th and the Illinois 4th. Seriously, go check out the goofy maps of those districts.

  6. Congressional Redistricting won’t start until the new General Assembly is sworn in. I agree, Illinois will lose 1 seat…I just hope they put together a map that makes more sense than the one they concocted in 2000.

    As far as negative ads…some politicians will claim that they worked, and can’t wait for next election to sling the smelly manure again. Maybe someone will sponsor a bill to prohibit that type of ad. NOT!

  7. I’m curious to see what happens to the jillion dollars Schock raised and did not spend. I didn’t see a single TV ad of his; just him appearing in a Unes ad.

  8. Paul,

    I am sure Schock spent at least half a jillion dollars on campaign posters, etc! At least these will now go into cold storage until next election…?

  9. Ben, having needed a lawyer in the past and having dropped the $150 plus per hour to pay for one, I would argue its all bad. Need one or not, need the government or not, its all bad. I do not want lawyers or the government in my life.

  10. Nothing will get done at the national level. The GOP will go after Obama like they did with Clinton. Nothing will get done for the people. Not one job will be created. It will be a horse and pony show from here on out. As for Schock, there are a lot of rich farmers out there that love their government subsidies and those little towns that criss cross his district are full of gun toting, bible loving flag waving Republicans who firmly believe that this country doesn’t deserve a black President. It would be interesting to see the breakdown of votes for Schock. Locally, the Judgeship is kept in the family, we won’t hear from Gordon for another two years, and the rich will get richer and the middle class will slowly disappear. I guess you can wait for your trickle down tax breaks from the wealthy but it didn’t work when Bush enacted them and it won’t work now. For those that say; “I want the government out of my life.”, then I hope you return your SS check and burn your Medi-Care card. If the Republicans get their way, they will both be useless anyway.

  11. Emtronics, i would gladly let the government keep my future SS check if they would be so kind as to stop taking 15% of my check each month. Beyond that I agree with you that nothing will get done. The republicans talk about cutting taxes and balancing the budget but typically are only willing to cut taxes. Both parties seem more than willing to borrow and spend. As for the worst sign of where the country is going, the announcement today that the fed will print up to 2 trillion in new cash to buy up bonds, out of control inflation here we come.

  13. The GOP never managed to pick off Lane Evans, who served the 17th Congressional District from 1983 to 2007. Successor Phil Hare went down after two terms, however, even in a district gerrymandered to keep a Dem in office. This may be why he lost to Bobby Shilling:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2iiirr5KI8

  14. “the population as a whole”
    I am so tired of that and “the people” have spoken

    The population as a whole re-elected incumbents (Mike Smith exception noted). I think pictures of that whale looking like Jabba the Hutt in the state house didn’t help him any.

    How do explain Pelosi and Reid getting re-elected?

    Fox viewers (mostly white, protestant rural and uneducated) voted for Big Corporations and Big Banks.

    Can’t wait for the realization that the options are now NOTHING or back to George Bush and either way… total economic collapse.

  15. “Nothing will get done at the national level. The GOP will go after Obama like they did with Clinton.”

    And like you and your ilk incessantly hammered Bush.

  16. Is Obama still going to blame Bush or will he finally realize that maybe it is him that is the problem. I doubt that his ego would allow it. Maybe the new Congress won’t be like Pelosi and say DUMB things like “we have to pass the bill before we know what’s in it” The socialists lost this election. The people didn’t like what they saw and if the Republicans don’t govern differently then they will pay the price next time.

  17. Charlie, your comment on Smith’s weight was uncalled for. Must you be unkind? I suppose you are absolutely perfect!!

  18. Nontimendum,

    That you are a Republican comes as absolutely no surprise to me. It’s not that your a Republican that bothers me… it’s that you sound like the worst kind of Republican…

    Point of Order,

    Same to you. I stopped reading and posting on the Journal Star op-eds because of the mindless rantings of ‘Aaron Schock wannabes,’ just like you….. As for saying “dumb things”… I think George Bush still holds the world’s record. Wasn’t he a Republican?

  20. Who runs Obama?

    Rich Wall Street Financiers…Surprise!

    George Soros is after all not some poor chap from the south side.

  21. You obviously know nothing about George Soros.

    And Wall Street Reform and and Credit reform are ONLY because of Obama… Health Care reform, perhaps the greatest single legislative act since The Civil Rights Act of 1964 or Social Security is ONLY because the Republicans were out of power.

    WAKE UP.

    25 tax reductions in the first year and 1/2 and all the Republicans can talk about is tax cuts for the upper 1% of the population… elimination of inheritance taxes for the upper 1% of the population… subsidies for the upper 1% of the population…

    WAKE UP.

    Why don’t the Republicans like Cap and Trade? Because they don’t like government interfering in things like… the cost of pollution (The only reason their are blue skies in Peoria is because of the EPA… have you forgotten what it was like in the 60s here?

    These are The Republicans:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/04/the-chairmen-new-house-le_n_778731.html

  22. Paul/NV: Schock stated most of the money he raised was spent helping other candidates (you can argue whether or not this is ethical/legal/legitimate until the cows come home — both sides do it ad nauseum).

    Sterling/Dennis: if the next redistricting cycle is anything like the last, downstate IL will lose two seats. After 2000, IL lost one seat, but Chicago/Cook Co. gained one, therefore all areas outside of the northeast corner were down two reps. And since there’s not much change in the IL legislative leadership (Madigan was re-elected for the 21st time, serving as Speaker 26 of the last 28 years), there’s little likelihood of the maps being fairly redrawn. And before someone accuses me of being a partisan hack, I despise it when either major party does this; there’s no reason (other than incumbency protection) for candidates to choose their voters. (Mike Unes even remarked about this point this morning in WMBD: the township of Bartonville is represented by multiple state reps.)

    Here’s a link to see IL’s congressional boundaries:
    http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=IL

    And one to IL’s legislative district boundaries (you’ll have to click on the appropriate map to see the best detail. Note the creatively drawn 91st district):
    http://www.illinoisatlas.com/illinois/political/political.htm

    Contrast these maps to Iowa:
    http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=IA

  23. Read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. You are a raider Charlie, stealing from others is always easier than building anything yourself.

    Who is John Galt?

  24. I try to stay in touch with many issues, but someone please enlighten me on who George Soros is? Thanks!

  25. “You are a raider Charlie, stealing from others is always easier than building anything yourself. ”

    Thank you for exposing the fallacious arguments of the industrial elites.

    Who built the railroads, bob? The rich tycoons that profited from them or laborers who were exploited and buried where they died building a fortune that was “stolen” from them by Vanderbilt, Durant, Ames, Gould, Sage and others…
    Wasn’t it Jay Gould who boasted he could hire half of the striking rail workers to kill the other half?

    You seem to accept the notion that those who get paid millions and billions actually EARN it, and those that get minimum wage deserve nothing more.

  26. Oh, as to who is John Galt…
    he was a 18th century Scottish novelist appointed to several British political posts in Canada.

    Oh did you mean this as a reference to Rand’s book?
    Rand’s own notes indicate that she expected the character to have “[n]o progression” and “no inner conflict” because he was “integrated (indivisible) and perfect.”
    After the publication of Atlas Shrugged, Rand fell into a “deep depression” and chided herself for not being more like her ideal man, remarking “John Galt wouldn’t feel this, he would know how to handle this. I don’t know.”
    # Rand, Ayn (1997). David Harriman. ed. Journals of Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton. p. 512. ISBN 0-525-94370-6.
    # Mrs. Logic by Sam Anderson, a review of Ayn Rand and the World She Made for New York magazine, October 18, 2009

    I don’t bother with Ayn Rand’s philosophy because it is purile.

    I wonder if you ever wonder why Rand used that particular Scottish novelist’s famous name?

  27. I never believed Randian philosophy was the same as libertarianism. I just want less government in my life tomorrow than today. That’s not the same as hating government or wanting to turn everything over to corporate supermen.

    And don’t believe for a moment that some right-wingers who claim to be “libertarian an heart” know anything about libertarianism, except they like the idea of lower taxes.

  29. Thanks Billy that more or less sums it up. The bottom line is that if what the government had to sell was nearly as great as Charlie would have us believe we would be given the choice. If social security is so wonderful why not give me the choice to opt out for a provider of my choice. If Obama really has such a great medical policy to sell, then sell it to me. Give me the choice between it and any other policy I might choose. That is what America used to be about. The simple freedom to choose. Your view Charlie seems to be an America where we no longer have the choice. Government insurance may be great or awful, in the end we will be stuck with it either way.

  30. Actually, I favor Obama’s health care reform over the solutions offered by the GOP. I have more freedom now than the wonderful, beautiful system in place in which i take whatever crappy insurance my employer offers.

  31. “If social security is so wonderful why not give me the choice to opt out for a provider of my choice.”
    Social Security isn’t FOR you. It is not an investment plan. It is for SOCIETY. For those who can’t invest and save up for retirement.

    The same with health care… the reason single payer lost was because the private insurance companies can’t compete with government single payer. So, YES, what the government has to offer is better than the private sector.

    Why don’t we have private armies and private highways?

  32. Charlie: I have to agree with your on this. Social Security was NOT invented to be a retirement plan. It was invested to be a safety net for those who otherwise could not afford to invest their own money because they are poor. Of course, everyone pays in and everyone gets a benefit based on what they pay. This is why I do not really favor means testing for these benefits.

    Can you imagine what would happen if all these people who think they are too smart for social security’s meager return were to suddenly lose all their cash right before retirement. Of course they would want a government hand out.

    Anyone who wants to take some of their money and invest in the stock market or in bonds can already do so.

  33. Charlie and Billy Dennis–both of you are making sense to me on several fronts (Obama, Ayn Rand, tea party health care, social security, etc.) As for SS, I guess that’s why it’s called “social” security.

  34. Of course you agree Sharon, you are the biggest supporter of expensive, failing, public schools of anyone on this site. So long as the teachers union gets it share who really cares if the kids can read?

    As for you Charlie, I do not, nor have I ever owed federal income tax. With children and a few other deductions I skate by under the limits. Thus maybe you will want to skip the rich guy label. I simply do not believe that I have any right to the rewards of my neighbors hard work.

  35. My goodness, Bob, I don’t know who you are, so I don’t know what label to put on your views. Obviously, you don’t really know me either, but evidently you think you do–at least, you know my name.
    This probably doesn’t go on this post, but I just stumbled on this announcement on the Whittier website:

    Peoria Public Schools
    Friday, November 05, 2010 – 11:00 AM
    BOE – NOTICE of Possible Quorum
    NOTICE IS HERBY GIVEN THAT A MAJORITY OF A QUORUM OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION HAVE BEEN INVITED TO AND MAY ATTEND A MEETING WHERE SCHOOL DISTRICT #150 SUPERINTENDENT, DR. GRENITA LATHAN, WILL DISCUSS HER VISION FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2010, AT 11:00 A.M. AT CITY HALL, ROOM 404, 419 FULTON STREET, PEORIA, ILLINOIS.
    NO OFFICAL ACTION WILL BE TAKEN BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AT THIS EVENT.

  37. [Portion of comment deleted by blog owner]

    bob… “I do not, nor have I ever owed federal income tax. ”

    You mean on April 15th? As a citizen you pay Federal Taxes on nearly a daily basis.
    Do you really need a list of them?

  39. Hey non! You said: “And like you and your ilk incessantly hammered Bush.”

    Naw, if we really hammered Bush, like the GOP is going to hammer Obama now, then Bush would be on trial for war crimes and so would his buddies. Bush got off easy and got out of town.

  43. CJ – isn’t this filth against your T.O.S.? I thought I left this shit behind in Junior High School. No wonder the blogs get such a bad rap. These people need to get a life.

  45. Comments about Aaron Schock’s campaign, election, and service in Congress are welcome. Comments and speculation about Schock’s sexual orientation are not welcome.

  47. Hey….?

    All I was doing was pointing out how weird the comment by ‘Eunuch by choice’ was…?

    I mean EUNUCH BY CHOICE…? Where did that even come from?

    Geez…….

  48. Seriously, I will say this.

    ‘Terms of Service,’

    So you thought you left this “shit” behind in Junior High? How long have you been out of Junior High? “Shit” is a bad word. Grow up.

    District 150,

    Don’t get all goody-goody on us now…

    You people know that all is fair in love, war, & politics. We have all you Bible-Thumping, Republican Conservatives out there preaching against the EVIL LIBERAL MENACE! If Shock’s ‘orientation’ isn’t an issue now, it will be soon enough.

    I could care less what Schock does on his own time, but I’ll be damned if some ultra-Right Winger is going to curse the liberal menace, and preach to ME about God, family values, anti-abortion, the UNGODLINESS of gay marriage, etc, etc.

    Of course we all know OBAMA is a Muslim. At least there is that.

  49. By the way…..

    If my last comment is edited in anyway, I will post ALL of my comments on Diane Vespa’s PEORIA ROCKS from now on!

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