Sites to Behold

You heard it here first. The Internets are taking Lake County by storm. It was only yesterday it seems, that no one in the County had a computer. If anyone did, they were not online. And of the few that were online, they were dialing into AOL or Juno. Well those bygone days are a thing of the past! Nowadays your neighbor is fiber-wired into an OC3 hook-up for FWDing the kitten & polar bear jpegs to the grandkids.

Some forward thinking political minds see this as an opportunity to turn Lake County's sudden inter-connectivity into election-day votes. At least, that's the gist of this Daily Herald story from a couple of weeks ago ...

a year after Obama's historic election, candidates across the country - and throughout the Chicago suburbs - are using his high-tech model as a blueprint for their own political bids.
Candidates flock to social media to connect, influence

The Herald profiles State Senate hopeful Suzi Schmidt as one candidate seeking to leverage all the new media into political advantage. As Schmidt explains her web presence ...

There are a lot of ways to campaign, and this is just another mechanism.

The Herald story posts an image of Schmidt and her website:

Of course winning a election is not simply a matter of throwing together a website, count 3-2-1, and then good times! According to the Herald ...

"You can't just take a boilerplate (Web site) and run with it," said Bruce Newman, a DePaul University professor who specializes in political marketing and advertising. "It has to be integrated into the whole (mission) of the campaign."

The Herald fails to mention anything about boilerplate blogs, of which your LakeCountyEye will assume requires no explanation. But boilerplate websites are not hard to find either. For instance, local politician Suzi Schmidt has a webpage for her State Senate campaign ...

www.suzischmidt.com

And Schmidt's webpage is nearly indistinguishable from fellow State Senate candidate Dale Righter's webpage ...

www.righterforillinois.com

As fine an example of boilerplatedness as anyone could hope to see, in your LakeCountyEye's opinion. Now your LakeCountyEye does not know for sure who churned that particular generic page for Schmidt, but has a hunch it was someone working in the basement/recroom of the Illinois Republican State Senate Campaign Committee ...

www.ilsenategop.com

Well, your LakeCountyEye has more than just a hunch. A quick WHOIS on all three websites ...

www.suzischmidt.com
www.righterforillinois.com
www.ilsenategop.com

reveals the identity of their registrant:

Registrant:
Republican State Senate Campaign Committee
PO Box 3422
Springfield, Illinois 62708
United States

A heads-up to LakeCountyEye operatives -- suggestions on how Schmidt might improve her website can be forwarded to ...

Administrative Contact:
Cudney, Ryan rcudney@ilsenategop.com
Republican State Senate Campaign Committee
PO Box 3422
Springfield, Illinois 62708
United States
(217) 787-7550

Technical Contact:
Cudney, Ryan rcudney@ilsenategop.com
Republican State Senate Campaign Committee
PO Box 3422
Springfield, Illinois 62708
United States
(217) 787-7550

And as a bonus, your LakeCountyEye found another webpage registered to the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee ...

www.davidluechtefeld.com

Website coming soon. So true, so true.

This glimpse at an actual boilerplate webpage in incubation is a rare opportunity to observe how websites like these slowly emerge from the EtherNets and into our basement/recrooms. Kind of like gazing through the heavens at proto-galaxies in formation ...

... through the Hubble telescope.

F Words

Howard Dean is notorious for once telling FoxNews ...

I am tired of coming to the South and fighting elections on guns, God and gays.
Transcript: Howard Dean on 'FOX News Sunday'

If Dean were ever to set foot in Lake County¹, he would not find himself fighting the three Gs. He would be up against the three Fs:

Female, Famous & Funded

That seems to be the local political mantra, at least when it comes to the GOP. Your LakeCountyEye has noticed that every GOP recruiter parachuted into Lake County brings a checklist with three checkboxes at the top:

Female?
Famous?
Funded?

This well documented behavior typically occurs in situations where there is ...

1. An open or Democratically held seat
2. In a moderate or Republican-leaning district
3. Where the GOP has no one in the batting circle except wealthy middle-aged businessmen
4. More specifically, businessmen with little political experience but plenty of uber-right-wing 'tude

As everyone knows this is a sure-fire formula for disaster-at-the-polls².

So more often than not, the cooler heads that prevail are heard saying,

Criminy, we need to get a real candidate in there!

Which is about when a recruiter³ arrives with checklist and marching orders: Find a candidate who is a woman (female), with name recognition (famous), and can raise money (funded).

This is what happened last year in the 10th Congressional District. Some relevant details can be skimmed from this Chicago Tribune story ...

10th Congressional District election: GOP state Rep. Elizabeth Coulson wins endorsement from former U.S. Rep. John Porter
Also running in the Feb. 2 Republican primary are Kenilworth business owner Robert Dold, Highland Park pediatrician Arie Friedman, Winnetka business owner Richard Green and Lake Forest commodities and options trader Paul Hamann.

Meanwhile, over in Representative District 59, the prospective field was so weak they settled on someone who had already signed her opponent's nominating petition. The Daily Herald has the fallout of these 11th hour maneuverings ...

Hebda off ballot in state House District 59 race
Two other Republicans - attorney Dan Sugrue and business owner Mohan Manian, both of Green Oaks - also are on the ballot.

Finally, in the 8th Congressional District they've dropped all pretense. The Daily Herald reports how one candidate makes a virtue of necessity ...

Rodriguez says gender matters in GOP race
Six Republicans are seeking the party's nomination in the 8th District. They are: [Maria] Rodriguez; [Joe] Walsh, of Winnetka; Dirk Beveridge of Barrington; John Dawson of Barrington; Chris Geissler of Barrington; and Greg Jacobs of Mundelein.

Elizabeth Coulson, Cynthia Hebda and Maria Rodriguez all entered their contests late. In contrast to their primary opponents, gender-wise, the three are roses among thorns. All three are public office holders with at least a minimum of political experience. Presumably each has the necessaries to raise enough money to be competitive.

The LakeCountyEye magic crystal ball predicts that Coulson & Rodriguez will easily win their primaries. Hebda will win her primary if she is on the ballot. And has a reasonable chance of winning even if she is thrown off the ballot.

But local party rank-and-file support for each of the three, not surprisingly, is tepid at best. Most precinct committeemen do not want some outside power-broker deciding who should be on their ballot. So if Coulson or Rodriguez or Hebda expects to win in November, she will have to dance with the one who brung her.

---

¹Ha ha were you caught napping? Howard Dean was in Lake County last Halloween:

Tenth Dems Fundraiser hosting Gov. Howard Dean

Howard Dean Talks to the Illinois Tenth Congressional District Democrats

LakeCountyEye operatives are requested to make up their own Howard Dean/Halloween limerick here.

²Ha ha napping again? Not always a disaster:

Elect Dan Duffy

Ditto, btw, for Dan Duffy limericks.

³Surname: Criminy

Reality PayCheck

Who can forget (or remember) Patti Blagojevich's star appearance last year on reality show, I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here? Not to be outdone, Blagojevich's better (or worse) half, Rod Blagojevich, is scheduled to appear on Celebrity Apprentice -- the current incarnation of Donald Trump's Apprentice reality series. The Daily Herald has the details ...

Blagojevich competing on 'Celebrity Apprentice'

Your LakeCountyEye expects nothing less than to see Blagojevich and Trump in the cross-hairs, along with some hair-knuckled fisticuffs from the two media-savvy showmen.

There are enough reality shows presently on the air that it's been estimated that contestants now outnumber viewers. Your LakeCountyEye was skeptical on first seeing that factoid, however a check of the local listings did little to belie this unexpected statistic. Emboldened by our ex-Governor, a slew of Lake County luminaries have queued up to appear this season on the reality TeeVees. Your LakeCountyEye has tweeted up a few for the record:

• Hoping to seal his heterosexual bona fides,
  Mark Kirk will appear on ...
  Queer Eye for the Straight Guy



• Payback for losing his Senate parking place while being filmed by a red-light-cam,
  Dan Duffy will appear on ...
  Pimp My Ride



• She bargained the State's Attorney down from a criminal indictment to a promise to cover costs. Now let's talk about that ridiculous $2000 computer repair bill:
  Avon Township ex-Supervisor Shirley Christian will appear on ...
  Let's Make a Deal



• A gang of four who refused to refuse a $1500 pay raise.
  Diana Hewitt, Mary Ross Cunningham, Audrey Nixon, Angelo Kyle will appear on ...
  Who wants to be a Millionaire?



• The inspiration behind the Buffalo Grove recall ordinance,
  Lisa Stone will appear on ...
  Fire Me ... Please



• Counting the days before the Republicans re-take the Congress:
  Dirk Beveridge, Beth Coulson, John Dawson, Bob Dold, Arie Friedman, Chris Geissler, Dick Green, Paul Hamann, Greg Jacobs, Maria Rodriguez, Joe Walsh will compete for a winner-take-all appearance on ...
  Flip That House



• Never say never.
  Terry Link will appear on ...
  The Casino



• How to top last year's stunt of spending a week in your own jail? Easy, this time throw away the key.
  Mark Curran will appear on ...
  Jail Break



• Former Mark Kirk Deputy District Director & Kirk surroundee,
  Aaron Lawlor will appear on ...
  American High



• A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
  Your LakeCountyEye will appear on ...
  Unsolved Mysteries

Your LakeCountyEye is ready for the close-up, Mr DeMille.

99% Perspiration and 1% Inspiration

Despite a competitive 10th Congressional primary, political ground zero at TeamAmerica's blog has lately been Senate candidate Mark Kirk. Kirk and his wife Kimberly Vertolli divorced last year. Vertolli posted some comments today on TeamAmerica. (TeamAmerica vouched for the identity of the poster.) Vertolli's comments are spirited appeals in support of her ex-husband. One statement confides that Kirk is ...

"100% heterosexual"
Looking Ahead in 2010

Just for the record, in politics the magic number is 50 percent plus 1.

Back Pedaling

WØØt it's 2010! And not a minute too soon. Whether the new year is called Two Thousand and Ten or Twenty Aught Ten, your LakeCountyEye did manage to make it out of bed before the first sunset of the new decade. This is the time of year that Internet bloggers make their predictions. Fearing no new-year ritual, no matter how corny, your LakeCountyEye is eager to engage in some shoot-from-the-hip palmistry if for nothing other than a lack of anything better to write about.

Of course accurately foretelling what the next decade will hold is not as easy as it sounds. The secret is to know in advance what sort of name the decade will be called. Were the new decade called -- just for example -- the roaring twenties, then it is quite easy to guess what will unfold the next ten years. But given a decade with a name like the psychedelic sixties, a much different fate awaits. Likewise for a decade called something like the gay nineties -- which happens to be where your LakeCountyEye's money is going.

If Andy Martin's new radio ad is any sign of things to come, prepare yourself for the gay teens ...

Lake County Illinois Republican leader Ray True says [Mark] Kirk has surrounded himself with homosexuals.
Transcript from the Political Ad

Internet Powerhouse® Andy Martin is entwined in a mano-a-mano struggle with Mark Kirk for the Republican US Senate nomination. Raymond True, honcho of the Republican Assembly of Lake County, however has back pedaled himself from Martin's ad -- telling the Chicago Tribune he did not say mean things about Mark Kirk ...

"I never said Mark was a homosexual and there's no evidence to that fact," True said in a telephone interview.
Rep. Mark Kirk's sexual orientation questioned in GOP opponent's ad

True was being truthful. Technically he did not call Kirk a homosexual. What True said was ...

It's more or less an open secret in Lake County that Mark [Kirk] has surrounded himself with people that have I guess they call it now a special orientation but we all know what that means.
Should we sell out our principles for Obama-lite Republicans?

Despite True's protestation, Martin's ad is still pretty close to what True actually did say.

Your LakeCountyEye is nothing if not an aficionado of finely parsed weasel words. So if there is a loophole big enough for True to wriggle through, it has to be the phrase special orientation.

Let's admit that Kirk does in fact surround himself with people of a special orientation. But, contra True, not everyone knows what that phrase -- special orientation -- means. At least not your LakeCountyEye. It is not obvious that special orientation means homosexual. Especially not after consulting the Googels -- which delivers a variety of special orientation hits. A random sampling:

"10:00AM Advance At Work Special Orientation (by appt)"
Workforce QUEENS Career Center

Here a special orientation is being held for job seekers.

"Special Orientation Control of the Thrust Vector in Optimization Problems of Rocket Dynamics"
Russian Academy of Science: MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica

Something to do with the special orientation of rocket scientists?

"To specify a special orientation of an aperture, slit, aperture pair, etc."
Space Telescope Science Institute

Telescopes need special orientation too!

"Special orientation for cross-institutional students"
University of Queensland

It's anyone's guess what the Ozzies are ever talking about.

"No special orientation other than the fruit lying flat was required."
An algorithm for distinguishing apples from bananas

It is good to know that fruit do not require any special orientation.

"you can attend a special orientation designed for GLBT tourists"
Gay Paris in Summertime

This one speaks for itself.

As is plainly evident, the phrase special orientation is some coded buzzword that can mean just about anything to anyone. For all your LakeCountyEye knows, Raymond True has a special orientation for sticking his foot in his mouth. We all know what that means.

Gaysaying

If Internet Powerhouse® Andy Martin makes a habit of outing his political opponents he runs a risk of becoming known as Internet Outhouse® Andy Martin. The Illinois Republican Senate candidate is airing radio ads that drop the G-bomb on his Senate opponent Mark Kirk. The ads, which have played on WBBM/780 ...

Political Ad Questions Republican's Sexual Orientation

Transcript from the Political Ad

call attention to long standing rumors that Mark Kirk is gay. The NewsSun reported the story as news ...

Gay attack ad targets Kirk's Senate run

The Daily Herald ...

GOP slams ad questioning Kirk's sexual orientation

noticed the story as well.

Your LakeCountyEye assumes the goal of the ad is to make it so there is one less elephant in the room. With a primary election a short five weeks away, Martin's radio spot is an 11th hour attempt to buttress his campaign -- one that would now be perceived as going down if it had ever gotten up in the first place.

Full disclosure: Andy Martin, the GOP's gift to Internet satire, has bagged the coveted LakeCountyEye Senate endorsement.

My Favorite Martin

No question, Martin's ad is a cheap shot. Whether or not the rumors are true, your LakeCountyEye will not speculate. Kirk is deserving of an even break, particularly during the holidays.

So, in an effort to clear the air and to be fair & balanced, your LakeCountyEye has compiled 10 people, places and things that are much more gay than Mark Kirk:

1. Tom Cruise


2. Boughs of Holly


3. A French Horn


4. Voting for Cap and Trade


5. A Roll of Two Dollar Bills


6. Aaron Schock (R/IL-18)


7. Tangelo (citrus fruit)


8. Tangelo (given name)


9. Submarine Duty


10. Alexi Giannoulias

Your LakeCountyEye needs to don some gay apparel. Today is the day your LakeCountyEye starts the new gig selling shoes at Abercrombie & Fitch.

Top 12 Days of Xmas

This holiday season saw a break in tradition at the LakeCountyEye compound. What has typically been the sound of raccoons nesting under the LakeCountyEye veranda, this year turned out to be carollers spreading their seasonal cheer. Your LakeCountyEye holstered the LakeCountyEye AK-47 (FOID #53177187714) and welcomed the carolers, many of whom turned out to be elected officeholders and party principals. (Some anticipated pay raises never materialized this year, so the caroller's cup was sweetened with a generous portion of your LakeCountyEye's finest 4th of July parade candy.) Had not the LakeCountyEye cell-phone camera already been on assignment, streaming the live video feed at the neighborhood Cash America, a YouTube of the festivities would have been forthcoming.

Making a virtue of necessity, this will be strictly an oldskool flashback. The highlights of a lively LakeCountyEye holiday eve:

Eighth Congressional District candidate, Maria Rodriguez, sang Paul Simon's The 53rd Street Bypass Song ...

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last

Dan Seals, hoping a third time's the charm in the Tenth Congressional District, performed Len Barry's 60s-era bubblegum number, 1-2-3 ...

It's easy (it's so easy)
Like taking candy from a baby

Linda Pedersen, JoAnn Osmond's legislative aide, chose the Van Heusen/Cahn torch standard, Call Me, Irresponsible ...

Call me irresponsible - call me unreliable
Throw in undependable too

Mark Kirk, aspiring for a promotion to the national stage -- from Congress to Senate -- trumpeted his national security street-cred with the Village People's In the Navy ...

In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is rumored to be the next Lake County State's Attorney. Curran, a former Democrat and current Republican, rendered, well, the Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go ...

If I go there will be trouble
Si me voi - va ver peligro
And if I stay it will be double
Si me quedo es doble

Terry Link, who helped remove the second hand smoke from the restaurants and the second guessing from traffic light enforcement, is now candidate for Springfield second banana. Link reached all the way back to the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921 for Second Hand Rose (From Second Avenue) ...

Even my pajamas when I don them
Have somebody else's initials on them

Finally, everyone including your LakeCountyEye joined together for a merrie olde holiday heirloom ...

On the last day of Christmas, my true love sent to me ...


Twelve Duffies harrumphing


Eleven video-poker payouts


Ten boards a-sleeping


Nine Ant's simoleons


Eight mayors a-bilking


Seven Bobs a-bungeeing


Six Genesees in-layaway


Five golden things


Four Couvalling bards


3/10 Dems


Two tort reforms


And a goldfish in a ballot box!

Merry Festivus to all & to all a good night!

Seeing Red

How many put off their holiday shopping to the last minute? Your LakeCountyEye is no exception. However that last minute has ticked down to the last few seconds. The roads are no more crowded than usual, but this year there are red light cameras at every intersection all the way to the Dollar General. It should be no surprise to learn that your LakeCountyEye is texting this post while sitting at a red light.

Rudolph's red nose saved Christmas one year -- but that was before Santa had to match wits with the ubiquitous red light camera. The Daily Herald did a series earlier this year examining the sleazy confluence of corporate profit, traffic regulation and municipal revenue ...

Red-light camera company more than just a vendor

The winners are the municipalities that collect the fines. Plus contractors like RedSpeed Illinois who get their a percentage. Other winners would be the auto & health insurance providers -- fewer accident claims. Losers are, well everyone knows who loses here. Some groups have organized to fight back, like ...

BanRedCams.com

Your LakeCountyEye, a proponent of peace on earth & good-will to men, believes it is better to get even than get mad. Here are 10 holiday suggestions on how to beat those furshlugginer red light cameras:

1. Take the EL.


2. Drive through in reverse.
   YouTube


3. Give the wheel to Willard Helander.
   Speeding ticket not the first for Helander


4. Heelys!


5. 1. Buy shares of RedSpeed.
   2. Blow a few red lights.
   3. Pay the fines.
   4. Sell the stock.
   5. Retire early.


6. Two words: Warp Drive


7. Red light cams are unconstitutional: Send your citations to Dan Duffy.
   Lawmakers reject speed cams in school, hospital zones


8. No one wants a police state: Send your citations to Mark Curran.
   Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran Adds Support to Effort to BanRedCams


9. All else fails: Send your citations to Terry Link.
   Proposed law would impose $100 fines on speed-camera evidence


10. Just stop at the light, A.J.

Green light, gotta run, big sale on Dippy Birds!

Q the Eye/12.20.09

Dearest Soul LakeCountyEye,

I am the Governor at a considerable large County Board (USA). I have a business proposal in the tune of $1.575 (One Thousand and Five Hundred and Seventy and Five United States Dollar only). These large monies are my personally authorized Pay Raise that shall relinquish to the Treasury. After the successful transfer; may I count on you Re-Election Vote for Perpetuity? May I continue Apportion and Award large County Businesses? May I count on you for Yardsign? Should you be interested, So we can commence all arrangements? And I will Give you more information on how we would handle This project. Please treat this business with utmost Confidentiality and send me the Following information's bellow to enable us commence immediately: (1) Full names: (2) Private phone number: (3) Current residential address: (4) Occupational: (5) Age and Sex: Best Regards.

Su Zisc Hmidt, Chairman-of-the-Board

Dear Leggo My Lagos,

If your LakeCountyEye took up every offer given for a free lunch, your LakeCountyEye would be known as the LakeCountySilo. But your LakeCountyEye is appreciative of a good scam. Speaking as one grifter to another -- bunko-a-bunko -- there are lots of other pigeons out there waiting to be served up with a salary stuffing. This is reflected in the local media which seems to be in full-throated favor of your proposal to swap some dollars (USA) for some easy votes (REP).

Three Musketeers
NewsSun

19 Lake Co. board members refuse raises
Daily Herald

Keep phishing, and a LakeCountyEye good-luck on your endeavors. If you can't make it in Lake County, you're in the wrong line of work.

If you are an elected official, or a previously elected official, or just a private citizen under indictment, send your political questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

Flip Flop in the 8th Republican Primary

The Eye's gaze fell upon the an article in today's Herald where 8th District hopeful Republican Long Grove Mayor Maria Rodriquez suddenly discovered the "53" Kool-aid and supports it. Although a few months ago she was "adamantly opposed" to extending Route 53.

Long Grove and Kildeer have been the main obstacles to Route 53, along with former State Senator Bill Peterson who lived steps from the proposed alignment and steps from Maria's mansion as well.

Now after seeing the results of the countywide referendum on the 53 bypass where 95% of all precincts in the county voted yes (except for the ones in Long Grove and oddly one in Shields township along the lakefront), Maria realizes that she needs to change her tune. I am sure her polling told her the same thing as well.

It also amuses us that the change of position (i.e. Flip Flop) comes a few days before Christmas on a Friday, the classic news dump hoping you, the newspapers and opponents did not notice.

The Eye realizes that politics trumps principle these days and we applaud Maria for finally seeing the route 53 light. However one can only guess how the "I was against it before I was for it" attitude will play out with the voters.

Melissa Bean Discussed on Bill Moyers' Journal

Going-Through-the-Motion's Eleven

Your LakeCountyEye's popular Top 10 Lists have taken the Interwebs by storm. Soon to be ex-10th District Congressman Mark Kirk must have caught the virus, because his Senate Campaign has issued one of their own:
Top 11 Worst Spending Projects
of the 111th Congress

LakeCountyEye operatives far & wide, a friendly word of advice: when compiling an Internet Top 10 List, stop at 10. A Top 11 List will have some people thinking outloud just how gay is that supposed to be? Just sayin!

Here is Congressman Kirk's list, itemized and with cross tabs:

1. $1.9 million for a water taxi to Pleasure Beach, Conn.
2. $3.8 million for an urban art trail in Rochester, N.Y.
3. $3.1 million for upgrades to an 88-year-old canal boat museum in New York
4. $3 million for bicycle racks in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown area
5. $1.5 million for a streetscape project around a Detroit casino
6. $578,000 to fight homelessness in Union, N.Y., a town that reportedly has no homeless people
7. $550,000 for a skateboard park in Pawtucket, R.I.
8. $500,000 for fish food for Missouri fish farmers
9. $400,000 to renovate a vacant building in Jal, N.M.
10. $380,350 to encourage West Virginia landowners to grow ginseng and shiitake mushrooms
11. $90,000 for a shared kitchen for food service entrepreneurs

Another LakeCountyEye rule-of-thumb: when embarking upon an Internet Top 10 List, do your due diligence. If the best thing you got going on your list are some DC Bike Racks, you're going to leave the impression that you've given up trying. If you decide to honor the Internet Top 10 List with your efforts, please do not phone it in.

Fret not, 10th Congressional District foes of government largess. One doesn't need to be a NASA cost-overrun specialist to assemble a decent Top 10 List of Gummint Pork Projects. When the gauntlet is thrown, your LakeCountyEye, like a dog with an old rag, doesn't know how let go. A deep-web search through www.thomas.gov is all it takes, and -- waa laa -- here are your LakeCountyEye's Top 10 Worst Government Spending Projects:

1) Universal Wealth Insurance for Wall Street Banks

2) Agriculture Subsidies for Chia Pet Farms

3) Guantanamo-Disney

4) Emergency Federal Seed Money for ACORN

5) 30,000 New Troops for the War on Christmas

6) South Miami Beach Holocaust Denier Museum

7) High Speed Illegal Immigrant Bullet Train

8) Condoms for Al-Qaeda

9) Offshore Nuclear Power

10) The Iraq War

LakeCountyEye operatives far & wide, feel free to use these in your next video!

I'm Chevy Chase

Who remembers H1N1? Anyone who does gets to go to the front of the vaccination line. Your LakeCountyEye remembers quite well the old swine flu, being unable to forget this headline from October ...

Bean cancels talk on flu after daughter gets it

The complete dope is pretty much encapsulated in the Trib's lede ...

Exposed to the swine flu virus after her teenage daughter was stricken, Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) canceled a visit Monday to a Hoffman Estates junior high school where she planned to discuss how to avoid the bug.

If there was any doubt that Melissa Bean had gone viral, doubt it no longer.

Here is the 2006 Bean campaign ad that sealed the deal between her and her voters:

I'm Melissa Bean

An effective ad can be expected to spread like, well, a virus, and this one spread all the way to Arizona. There the Congressional candidate is Scottsdale Republican, Eric Wnuck:

I'm Eric Wnuck

The Arizona Republic covered the video, making the story a case of plagiarism vs campaign free speech.

GOP House hopeful accused of copying ad

Plagiarism? Free speech? Either way, Bean should be flattered.

Your LakeCountyEye is nothing if not a student of the latest trends. Expect to see, throughout the upcoming campaign season, any or all of the following ads on the teevee:

• I'm Dirk Beveridge
• I'm John Dawson
• I'm Jonathan Farnick
• I'm Chris Geissler
• I'm Greg Jacobs
• I'm Maria Rodriguez
• I'm Bill Scheurer
• I'm Joe Walsh

Take it from Eric Wnuck. They've already started plagiarizing him:

I'm Eric Wnuck Parody

Everything else being equal, your LakeCountyEye is Spartacus.

Segue to Sugrue

It's unanimous. Dan Sugrue, Republican candidate for District 59 State Representative, has been endorsed by both the Vernon Township Republicans. And the Vernon Township Democrats.

At an endorsement session, according to the NewsSun, Vernon Township Republican committeemen voted to back Sugrue over two primary opponents, Cynthia Hebda and Mohan Manian.

Vernon Township Republican endorsements

While Sugrue does not have the Vernon Township Democrat's formal endorsement, he does enjoy their informal blessing. Vernon Dem chair, Steven Rosenzweig, has challenged the ballot eligibility of Cynthia Hebda.

ROSENZWEIG V HEBDA

Hebda was recruited by her party leadership to challenge Sugrue in the primary. Her gender and tenure as a Vernon Hills trustee lead many to think she would be the stronger candidate. Hebda also enjoys the backing of local party heavyweights like Ed Sullivan Jr. Sugrue, on the other hand, ran against Kathy Ryg in 2008 and shambled home with 37.5% of the vote.

If Rosenzweig's petition challenge against Hebda is successful then Sugrue is expected to win the primary. It is widely believed that Sugrue is not 100% unelectable and would easily dispatch Mohan Manian, were they to go at it mano-a-mano.

Dan Sugrue owes a debt of gratitude to the political operatives on both sides of the aisle in Vernon Township. Your LakeCountyEye recommends that Sugrue return the favor and lobby to get Rep District 59 redistricted to be completely within the boundaries of Vernon Township. Some time before Nov 2010.

Chew-the-Fat Tuesday!

It used to be that Springfield legislators were in session only 6 months of the year. Now it seems like the Thanksgiving/New Year's break is the only free time remaining for our legislators. Naturally your LakeCoutyEye wonders how they make use of this interval. An informative e-mail sent by one LakeCountyEye operative:



The operative, high within the ranks of the grammar-police, notes there are far too many apostrophes in ...

Senator Dan Duffy Announces Talk 2 Me Tuesday's!

Your LakeCountyEye suspects there are too many exclamation points as well.

Other noticeable faux pas's include:

After the legislature reconvenes in February, Senator Duffy will continue his policy of meeting anyone who would like to see him.

If the Illinois General Assembly website is to be believed, the Senate will be convening on January 12, 2010 ...

Illinois General Assembly
Possibly Sen Duffy anticipates being delayed by the expanse of red-light cameras between Lake County and Springfield?

Finally, Duffy's gnomic message ...

If you are unable to read this, click here

was obviously not intended for any of the sharp-eyed LakeCountyEye operatives. Being no less than your LakeCountyEye, your LakeCountyEye is able to read it quite clearly. But one defining trait of your LakeCountyEye is an implacable curiosity. Any not-so-sharp-eyed op who is unable to read Duffy's message, is asked to please click and send your intel back to ...

LakeCountyEye@gmail.com

A terrific prize awaits the first to respond: some face time with a local Senator.
Identity of Senator to be announced at a later date.

Sente from Pillar to Post

Fresh minted State Representative Carol Sente has been quite active lately. The News Hound at the NewsSun took notice ...

She's everywhere, she's everywhere

characterizing Sente as a white tornado. (Someone must've tipped off the News Hound that Sente is pretty good with a kitchen mop.)

A quick review of the LakeCountyEye archives show that within the past couple of months Sente has hosted/sponsored no less than ...

• 2 legislative office open houses
• 2 townhalls
• a health care roundtable
• 2 coffees (according to sources, caffeinated)
• a retirement center Q & A
• a clothing drive
• 6 advisory committees
• a good neighbor award

All of this suggests one thing to your LakeCountyEye: her handlers are working Sente like a rented mule. Alarmed, your LakeCountyEye contacted Sente's office. Apparently they have never seen this blog, because her scheduler was happy to disclose Sente's appointment calendar. For Sente watchers from all four corners of the globe, here is the peripatetic new Rep's upcoming itinerary:

1) In Oslo, per Obama's request. To to pick up a Peace Prize.

2) Convening a citizen advisory committee on what additional citizen advisory committees need to be convened.

3) Hosting a seminar on how to beat the red light cameras. 9am Sharp.

4) Throwing an election fundraiser at JoAnn Osmond's legislative office.

5) Composting unsightly Elliott Hartstein yardsigns.

6) Periodically to be holding her breath to reduce CO₂ levels.

7) Mr Madigan's towncar. Springfield JiffyLube. 'Nuff said.

8) Sente will be making a list. Checking it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty or nice.

9) Pledging to return all legislative pay raises between now and the year 2050.

10) Signing some paperwork for Terry Link.

And then tomorrow morning, Sente plans to be ... well your LakeCountyEye needs a nap. Watch for a future post.

Q the Eye/12.04.09

Dear LakeCountyEye,

How does someone get on the ballot in the Eighth Congressional District, where we need a real Democrat? I personally went out and collected my minimum 890 petition signatures. Or was it 876? OK, let's say eight and change. But now a rubberstamp panel of election judges ruled I can't be on the ballot because of some legal technicality. Isn't that unconstitutional? Don't the voters deserve a choice?

Far-Flung Off the Ballot

Dear Fahrvergnügen,

Your LakeCountyEye shares in your outrage towards that ruling. Everyone should be entitled to their 15 minutes of fame whether they deserve any or not.

About your lament that the Eighth District voters deserve a choice: the latest numbers indicate there are 7 or 8 or 9 -- let's say an even dozen -- Republicans hoping to challenge Melissa Bean from the right. (No mean feat.) Also Bill & Randi Scheurer have been running from the left as a tag-team against Bean. It's Bill's turn at the plate, who is running as a Green this time. Now, in a typical Congressional race expect to see (1) an incumbent running against (2) no one else. Your LakeCountyEye thinks the voters in the Eighth already have more choices than they can deal with.

Of course, petition challenges seem to be the norm for the Eighth District. In 2007 there were two Democrats running against Bean -- Randi Scheurer and some other forgotten chumbolone candidate. The chumbolone filed only about 95% of the minimum required petition signatures -- sort of like he was asking to be tossed off the ballot. Still, one didn't need to be a Karl Rove to have advised Scheurer to just ignore the petition shortfall. Scheurer had no reasonable chance of beating Bean. In fact, no one expected Bean to even campaign or show up at the sponsored debates. But with at least some breathing chumbolone to debate against, Scheurer would have gotten her opportunity to take the podium, air her issues, talk to the press, etc.

Long story short, however, Scheurer not only had the opponent thrown off the ballot, she filed the challenge personally.

SCHEURER V FARNICK
Illinois State Board of Elections

(Ordinarily campaigns get some willing accomplice to do this sort of dirty work.)

Zion man files objection to Bean challenger
NewsSun

With no one to debate with, Scheurer predictably was not invited to be a debate participant. And on top of that she had a potential Democratic ally pee-ohed at her. Your LakeCountyEye is still scratching the LakeCountyEye noggin over that play.

Anyways, fast forward to 2009 and the chumbolone is back with 100% of the required signatures. (Give or take a handful.) Randi Scheurer is sitting this election out. And it's up to Bean this time to dispatch a willing accomplice to get her competitor thrown off the ballot.

And quicker than you can say deja vu, it's like he was asking to be tossed off the ballot all over again: "The only thing I can think of (is) I lost a sheet."

Bean challenger removed from ballot
Pioneer Press

... while playing to the press like he was sucker punched. All over again: "I always felt whoever wanted to run should be able to run."

So how does someone get on the ballot in the Eighth District? Just run as a Green next time, Grasshopper. As a Green, you'll only need to get five signatures to qualify, ten max. (Do fifteen to be safe.) And who knows, next time it may be you filing the papers in 2011 to get Randi Scheurer knocked off the ballot.

If you are an elected official, or a previously elected official, or just a private citizen under indictment, send your political questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

Double Identity?

The hot potato that was the ethics complaint filed against Lake County Commissioner Linda Pedersen seems to have cooled off like a bowl of instant potatoes in the back of the fridge. As reported here recently ...

Judgement Calls?
Call In To Question

Pedersen was accused by the Democrats of using her position as legislative aide for State Representative JoAnn Osmond to engage in political fundraising. So it shouldn't be a total surprise that while searching for a late night snack, your LakeCountyEye would stumble on some more hot grist for the rumor mill.

When grist goes thru the LakeCountyEye's mill it is ground to nothing, and in this case ground zero happens to be -- 976 Hillside, Antioch -- Rep Osmond's legislative office.

That's because it looks to your LakeCountyEye that more than just legislation was being conducted under the roof there.

It's no secret any more that there are webcams watching all of us, and beaming pictures back to The Google. The webcam they got pointed at the 976 Hillside that is Osmond's legislative address shows a modest office that to the untrained eye could well have been a non-descript insurance agency.


Google Map

Now, politics is like gumshoeing -- it's a safe bet things are seldom as they seem. The Illinois State Board of Elections has it's own search engine at ...

http://www.elections.state.il.us/

which had originally been developed for a UNIVAC platform. Not to brag but your LakeCountyEye knows no fear when it comes to antiquated hardware. Looking up 976 Hillside on the ISBE website reveals some interesting details about the day to day operation there.

That non-descript office at 976 Hillside in Antioch has been a roof over a heterogeneous assortment of candidates, committees, charities, business interests, including ...

• Antioch Township Republican Club
• Churchill, Robert W.
• Churchill, Citz For
• Citizens for JoAnn Osmond
• Citizens for JoAnn D. Osmond
• Citizens for Osmond
• Citizens to Elect JoAnn Osmond
• Committee To Re-Elect Barbara E. Richardson
• Elect Judge Ray McKoski
• Osmond, Citz For
• Rep, Beat the
• Campaign for Rep JoAnn Osmond
• Churchill, Bob
• Churchill for Congress
• CITIZENS FOR ROBERT CHURCHILL
• Friends of JoAnn Osmond
• Lake County Republican Central Committee
• Osmond, Citizens for JoAnn
• Citz To Retain Drew, Geiger & Scott
• Comm To Elect Robert C Wilton
• Comm to Re-elect Barbara Richardson Coroner of Lake County
• ... and many others.

Your LakeCountyEye can now go on record as being in total awe. This address has seen more action than a Las Vegas subprime condo!

Long story short, the clueless Lake County Democrats have taken a dim view of these hijinx and one of their cohorts on the ground filed another ethics complaint -- this time against JoAnn Osmond. Your LakeCountyEye had been wondering when this other gumshoe was gonna fall.

Like a hot potato.

Pot Luck Run Amuck

With the holiday season in official full-bore gear, your LakeCountyEye decided to pull out all the stops this year and throw a pot-luck feast. The LakeCountyEye compound was given its spring cleaning and local movers & shakers from far and wide were invited to bring their favorite holiday dish. Your LakeCountyEye's guests brought a wide assortment of potent beverage & tasty fare. A good time was had by all -- fisticuffs were largely contained to the LakeCountyEye cigar cellar.

Of course not everyone attended. Some of you had prior commitments, others could not decipher the map to the LakeCountyEye compound → while the rest let's face it did not make it to the final list. (You know who you are.) For all the no-shows wondering what you missed, our LakeCountyEye social secretary was kind enough to reveal the seating programme. It is reproduced for your culinary enjoyment:

This Way to the Egress

Guest	Title / Description	Dish
Jack Franks	State Representative Proponent of frontier justice	Impeach Cobbler
Maria Rodriguez	Candidate for 8th Congressional District Long Grove Mayor	Wax Bean
Elliott Hartstein	Buffalo Grove Mayor Candidate for State Representative	Stone Ground Grits
Willard Helander	Lake County Clerk Goldfish watchdog	ACORN Squash
Richard Mayers Dan Kairis	Candidate for 10th Congressional District Candidate for 14th Congressional District	Tossed Greens
Suzi Schmidt	Candidate for Illinois Senate Overpaid Lake County Board Chair	Celery, Cut
Dan Venturi	Lake County Republican Chairman Suzi Schmidt's social secretary	Scapegoat Cheese
Terry Link	Candidate for Lieutenant Governor Illinois Senator Lake County Democratic Chairman	Second Banana Loaf
TeamAmerica10th	Team America World Police	Turkey B/log
Bill Scheurer	Perennial Third Party Candidate Anti-war activist	Whirled Peas
Libby Collins	Shock Jock	Overheated Tripe
Mark Kirk	Candidate for US Senate For Cap & Trade before he was against it	Fudge Waffles
Mark Curran	Lake County Sheriff For the Democrats before he was against them	Flaky Turnovers
Your LakeCountyEye	Another pajama-clad blogger	Hot Air Baloney

There are plenty of leftovers, drop by the LakeCountyEye compound any time!
See the map above for directions.

Talking Turkey

The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching while the bird is topic #1 around the LakeCountyEye dinner table. No not that bird. 2009 Mount Prospect Mayoral hopeful and current 10th Congressional District candidate Patricia Bird, who is thick in the hustings.

According to the Daily Herald, Bird on three separate occasions officially dropped out of the 10th District race. Only to reverse each decision soon afterwards. A source in the Bird campaign has told your LakeCountyEye this is part of a long-range campaign strategy. Your LakeCountyEye has obtained some internal Bird campaign plans, which have been faithfully reproduced ...

Plan A	Plan B

These are currently being analyzed by the eraserheads down in the LakeCountyEye Cryptography Dept. If someone has any insight into the significance of these glyphs please contact ...

LakeCountyEye@gmail.com

A fabulous award awaits.

Apparently someone does know what these mean because Lake County Republican boss, Dan Venturi, wasted no time in throwing Pat Bird under the campaign bus:

"She should drop out," said Dan Venturi, leader of the Lake County Republican Party. "I think she wants to run and not be bothered (with campaigning), which is offensive."
Bird still in race for Kirk's Congressional seat, but will she stay?

Bird is generally perceived as a threat to frontrunner Elizabeth Coulson. Not that Bird has any chance of outpolling Coulson in the voting booth. But the nightmare scenario foresees Bird siphoning away enough votes from the same-gendered Coulson to give a surprise primary victory to one of her other 5, less estrogenized, challengers. Thus Illinois Republican Party generalissimos are taking measures to ensure a 10th District nomination is not (tea)bagged by a fringe candidate. The Daily Herald reported Coulson was the only 10th District candidate on an invitation list to meet with GOP Chairman Michael Steele today.

Coulson was one of about a dozen Republicans who met with Steele while he was in the area for private fundraisers. The meeting was organized by Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady, who invited GOP leaders from the state House and Senate. Coulson was invited by House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego, who has endorsed her 10th District primary bid.
Coulson gets invite to RNC meeting

No one's looking for a repeat of the NY/23 SNAFU in IL/10!

Now, your LakeCountyEye has little desire to ruffle any feathers in the upcoming 10th Congressional turkey-shoot. But if you just happen to be advising Beth Coulson, you could do worse than send someone over in advance, next time, to make sure that Michael Steele isn't wearing a wire ...

Michael Steele	Plan A?

Word up!

Remember the Gitmo

President Barack Obama is making good on his campaign promise to shut down the Guantanamo prison. Still unanswered is the fate of the prisoners there. Perhaps as part of a deal to send some pork dollars back to Obama's home state, the feds have been eyeing the Correctional Center in Thomson Illinois as a new home for the prisoners.

The political fallout thus far has been mostly partisan. Some state and local pols, including Tom Cross, Mark Kirk, Don Manzullo and others are drawing a line in the sand. Your LakeCountyEye suspects they hope to make Gitmo into their Alamo.

Of course there are pros and cons to any issue, not just those as controversial as Guantanamo prisoners being shuttled to the Thomson Correctional Center. Your LakeCountyEye has contacted and interviewed dozens of state and local leaders on both sides of the question. In this post your LakeContyEye will examine some of the objections. Herewith are the ten most frequently mentioned reasons why relocating the Gitmo prisoners to Illinois is a bad idea:

1) No empty prison cells left for Illinois Governors.

2) We don't need government meddling in our prison system.

3) These are really really mean people.
YouTube

4) Oldskool: Lake Michigan • Newskool: Lake Gitmo
YouTube

5) Frequent electric-chair traffic likely to bring down Cordova nuclear power plant.
Pantagraph

6) Throw a bunch of dark skinned young males into jail because they don't behave like you or me? Whoa slow down that's way too radical!

7) The Northern Illinois Water Board will have to change its name.

8) Not enough 7-Eleven stores nearby to support an adequate prison work-release program.

9) Only Nazis/Socialists send their enemies to concentration camps.

10) The James R Thompson Center already houses its share of government freeloaders.

In case anyone asks, your LakeCountyEye will be hiding under the bed.

Call In To Question

It's a truism in politics anywhere: they don't get you for the crime, they get you for the cover-up. The latest salvo of denials and rationalizations surrounding Lake County Board Chair Suzi Schmidt's fundraiser is making a crater deep enough that your LakeCountyEye wonders if anyone will be climbing out.

To recap, Lake County Board Chair Suzi Schmidt held a fundraiser on Thursday. A press release had 847-838-6200 as the RSVP number & County Board Member Linda Pedersen as the person to contact. As a matter of fact, 847-838-6200 is the official number to JoAnn Osmond's legislative office and Pedersen is Osmond's legislative aide.

This was followed by a not unexpected volley of accusations & efforts at damage control. The phone number and Pedersen's name were scrubbed off a calendar of events at the Lake County Republican Federation. Then an ethics complaint was filed against Pedersen by Lake County Democratic Party factotum, Nancy Shepherdson.

On Wednesday, Osmond told the NewsSun that her ...

office is located in a building that she owns. Osmond said she also owns the phones and doesn't accept any state money for the running of her office.

By Friday, Osmond was telling the Daily Herald that ...

Lake County Republican Party Chairman Dan Venturi included the number in an e-mail blast about the event. "He should have used the campaign phone number but in any case, the state does not pay for my office phone. I do"

Pedersen was echoing these remarks ...

"I am not running Suzi Schmidt's fundraiser," Pedersen said Thursday. "And the phone number was never intended to be used for people to RSVP."

It goes without saying that the first rule of damage control is get your story straight. You're less likely to be believed if everyone is saying something different. However, your LakeCountyEye perceives two distinct story-lines being pitched to the public:

1. Using 847-838-6200 on the RSVP was an isolated mistake.
2. And besides, public funds were not spent on Schmidt's fundraiser.

Now, while surfing The Google for this story, your LakeCountyEye noticed that the Lake County Republican Central Committee hosts a Golf Outing/fundraiser every year. In 2005 the contact person appears to have been been JoAnn Osmond's legislative aide, Linda Pedersen ... at 847-838-6200.

Republican Assembly of Lake County, Apr-Jun 2005, p.16

Your LakeCountyEye also noticed that Lake County Clerk Willard Helander holds regular fundraisers as well. The apparent contact for Helander's funder in 2005 would have been JoAnn Osmond ... at, you guessed it, 847-838-6200.

Republican Assembly of Lake County, Jan-Mar 2005, p.12

The second rule of damage control is when deciding on a story, stick with the one that best matches up with the facts. Pictures are worth 10,000 words. Your LakeCountyEye recommends sticking with story-line #2:

No harm no foul -- public funds were not spent to promote Suzi Schmidt's fundraiser.

This one is more Google-resistant than story-line #1.

Judgement Calls?

Your LakeCountyEye broke the story here on Tuesday ...

Telephone Swag

with a follow-up on Wednesday ...

Coverup Uncovered

It can be reported today that your LakeCountyEye's perseverance has not been wasted. The telephone game being played by Suzi Schmidt & JoAnn Osmond & Linda Peterson is a comedy gift that just keeps on giving.

For those just dialing in, Lake County Board Chair Suzi Schmidt held a fundraiser yesterday. The press release for the event listed 847-838-6200 as the RSVP number and County Board Member Linda Pedersen as the contact person. It turns out that 847-838-6200 is the official number to JoAnn Osmond's legislative office. And Pedersen is Osmond's legislative aide.

The Daily Herald has the latest 411 ...

Ethics complaint filed against Lake County's Linda Pedersen

Hopefully the busdriver isn't texting or driving while distracted by a cellphone because there are some passengers to be found under the bus ...

Pedersen said she isn't the organizer of the event and said the phone number was published by mistake. "I am not running Suzi Schmidt's fundraiser," Pedersen said Thursday. "And the phone number was never intended to be used for people to RSVP."

Osmond said Lake County Republican Party Chairman Dan Venturi included the number in an e-mail blast about the event. "He should have used the campaign phone number but in any case, the state does not pay for my office phone. I do," she said Thursday.

The next thing your LakeCountyEye expects to hear is that Active Killdisk was used by mistake to send out Schmidt's fundraiser press release.