Wait-Tuite laste minute contributions

2 comments November 1st, 2008 09:52pm Chuck Sweeny

In the 69th Illinois House race, state Rep. Ron Wait, R-Belvidere, these contributions were reported on Oct. 30:

And his opponent, Greg Tuite, a Democrat from Rockford, reported:

Christiansen still collecting the dough

Add comment November 1st, 2008 09:49pm Chuck Sweeny

Although Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen faces an opponent (Paul Gorski) who hasn’t even raised enough money to file a campaing report  with the Illinois State Board of Electiosn — the threshold is $3,000 — Scott continues to collect oodles of cash:

Late contributions to the state’s attorney race in Winn. Co.

Add comment November 1st, 2008 09:44pm Chuck Sweeny

Here are some last-minute contributions to the Joe Bruscato campaign for Winnebago County state’s attorney:

And here are some being made to the Chuck Prorok for state’s attorney campaign:

The Aunt Surprise

Add comment November 1st, 2008 09:30pm Chuck Sweeny

Apparently the “October Surprise” isn’t to be an attack on Iran. It seems that the surprise has to do with an aunt of Obama who is in the U.S. illegally, (Obama claims not to be aware of that ); the inundation of the airwaves with hundreds of commercials featuring Jeremiah Wright, etc., and charges that Obama is not an American citizen.

Will it work? Stay tuned.

It’s almost over ….

Add comment October 30th, 2008 08:53am Chuck Sweeny

 It’s almost over. The world-changing (add your hype here) election of 2008 is already underway, what with early-voting allowing people to go vote and turn off all the media coverage, campaign commercials, throw away the handouts.

Who will win? Polls are still showing Obama with a lead, although it’s been shrinking, as I told you it would.

The outcome, as I see it, depends on these factors:

* What the  undecided voters do on Nov. 4. If the undecideds, perhaps 8 percent of voters,  break for McCain — and the McCain campaign believes they will — it could be enough to put McCain in the White House. However, the Pew Center’s Andy Kohut says undecideds probably won’t save the day for McCain.

* What the “protest” vote does. Will Bob Barr on the right and Ralph Nader on the left, take significant numbers of votes away from McCain and Obama to make the difference in key states?

* Whose voters turn out. Will the huge Obama campaign, with thousands of paid staffers and tens of thousands more volunteers, get out its voters on election day in record numbers? Having had experience in a Chicago-based state campaign, (for Mike Bakalis in 1970, for college credit at the University of Illinois at Chicago) I recognize the Obama campaign. It’s Elections 101; identify your voters and make sure you get them to the polls. This is tedious, not glamorous at all, but it works. It’ll be interesting to see if the Obamacrats can make this kind of ground campaign work nationwide. If they can, he wins.

* Whose voters turn out , Part 2. McCain, who has not made a positive case for himself, has relied on a negative campaign based on raising the fear level about Obama. This is aided by surrogates through viral e-mails, by the all day, all night Mainstream Conservative Media, which owns AM radio, Fox News and the right wing portion of the blogosphere. McCain has no ground army of volunteers anywhere near Obama’s huge forces, but older Republicans are much more reliable voters than Democrats. We’ll see whether McCain-Palin can scrare ‘em to the polls in high enough numbers to beat Obama’s precinct army.

* Will the vaunted “youth vote” finally show up? Every four years they’ve talked a great game, but they don’t bother to turn up on Election Day.

On Election night, we’ll know whether we’re in for a long evening in front of the TV by what happens in key, eastern states like Virginia, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Don’t hold your breath expecting Florida to come in early — they’re still learning to count. If Obama wins thekey,  early eastern states, especially Virginia and Pennsylvania, he’s probably got the election. If it’s a mixed bag, or very close, put on some coffee.

Tuite, Wait race in 69th Illinois House race: KaChing, KaChing, KaChing

1 comment October 30th, 2008 12:50am Chuck Sweeny

In the 69th Illinois House race, Democrat Greg Tuite is raking in the greenbacks. Here are the latest reports from the state Board of Elections. When you see a $10,000 donatin from I.P.A.C.E., that’s the political action committee of the Illinois Education Association, one of the two, big teachers unions in the state:

Here are some more Tuite contributions:

And here are more:

On Oct. 23, Tuite’s campaign reported these donations:

And here’s a whopper:

Ron Wait, the incumbent Republican facing Tuite, is really raking in the dough as Illinois Republicans try to save him. All these donations were reported to the state on Oct. 28:

And here are some more late breaking Wait donations:

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Christiansen cash register: Ring, ring, ring, ring.

1 comment October 30th, 2008 12:36am Chuck Sweeny

In the Winnebago County Board chairman’s race, Chairman Scott Christiansen, a Republican, is raking in the cash despite the fact that his Democratic opponent Paul Gorski, a County Board member, has still not even raised the $3,000 required to file a report with the state board of elections.

Here are late-breaking contributions to Christiansen’s  campaign, reported Oct. 28:

And these were reported on Oct. 24:

And on Oct. 21, these contributions were reported by Christiansen:

Late cash flowing into campaigns for Prorok, Bruscato

Add comment October 30th, 2008 12:29am Chuck Sweeny

Some big, last minute cash is flowing into Chuck Prorok’s campaign for Winnebago County state’s attorney. Campaign disclosure reports of contributions over $500 show these contributions made to the Republican on Oct. 27:

And this one from Oct. 24:

Meanwhile, late breaking contributions to Democratic candidate Joe Bruscato include:

and

Obama-McCain race now a tie — I think McCain has the advantage

4 comments October 28th, 2008 08:15pm Chuck Sweeny

John McCain is, as I predicted, closing the gap fast and I now think the race between him and Obama is dead even. The Gallup Poll shows it 49-47 for Obama, which is a tie.

What’s working? The argument that Obama will raise your taxes and give your money to welfare bums. The argument that Obama is a dangerous leftwinger whose agenda is anti-American.

Question is, will this have enough of an effect to turn a poorly run McCain campaign around just enough to put McCain in the White House?

I now think that it can..

Rockford wants a store manager for school superintendent

Add comment October 28th, 2008 08:09pm Chuck Sweeny

So, a consultant has analyzed the data from a community survey and decided Rockford’s creaking, under-performing school system requires a superintendent who is a collaborator, a communicator, who wants to stay here a long time..

Translation: Rockford wants a store manager.  They want ART JOHNSON.

How about a bold EDUCATOR who is dedicated to raising our abysmal student achievement, curbing truancy and working with other stakeholders, including the mayor, county board chairman, chamber of commerce?

 Oooooh, now that would be risky, especially to the troika of Hernandez, Katz and Hoffman, (not necessarily in that order)  who run the show — and I presume would like to continue running it.