Free Republic

On Dec. 27th, the Chicago Tribune sternly scolded our Illinois political class saying that we need “reform” in Illinois. The Trib announced that with all the past corruption they’d had “enough.” And they promised to launch a “pre-primary push to elect better” politicians. Well, who could disagree with that? Illinois has one of the most corrupt, most indebted, least transparent, most inbred political scene in the country. It is fife with corruption on both sides of the political divide and we are ripe for change. So, yes, we all can agree with the Chicago Tribune that we need to clean...

Tomorrow is primary day in Illinois and there are three races to watch. The first, and biggest, is the GOP primary for Governor which has essentially boiled down to a two person race between moderate Judy Baar Topinka and conservative Jim Oberweis.Topinka is the only Republican currently holding statewide office (Treasurer) which demonstrates her appeal in a state where the GOP has basically been reduced to a smoldering heap of ruins. However, Topinka's longevity also has a downside; she has ties to the lowly-regarded Illinois political establishment and she served with former Governor George Ryan - who sits awaiting...

By Kevin McCullough (kmc@wyll.com) Opinions are coming in -- McCullough calls Illinois the "Vermont of the Midwest." OPINION -- Somewhere in the faint distance, I could hear voices calling my name. The fog that had settled into my brain had sucked all the life out of my concentration. For the past two hours, I had been sitting glued to the returns of our local Illinois races. "Kevin, hey Kevin, yo Kev," the voice cut through the fog that seemed to fill the space I was in. It was the voice of Steve Binder, the campaign Press Secretary for Illinois Candidate...