Not a big surprise, but when the well-monied Machine candidates win, and a rebel loses, it’s always a disappointment.
Robin Kelly won the Special Election to replace Jesse Jackson, Jr. by a wide margin.
In other words, no real political change, another down the line Democratic party loyalist who will make absolutely no difference for the lives of people in the district.
Anne Leary of Backyard Conservative in Illinois summed it up pretty well.
#IL02 looks like another Chicago corruptocrat headed to DC. More Illinoisans will doubtless vote with their feet.Silver lining, lose # dist
— Anne Leary (@backyardconserv) April 10, 2013
Our own Anne was at Paul McKinley headquarters tonight, and wrote down these quotes from his speech:
“Today we are saying we have not been defeated. We have won. We have opened a door that nobody can shut”
“those who live in the shadow of the machine, we are putting you on notice. Every candidate of the machine, we will run someone against you. The machine doesn’t get a break no more.”
Anne also witnessed some abominable behavior by Mike Flannery, the local reporter who has had it out for McKinley since day one. She’ll have more on that tomorrow.
Any regrets here for trying to help McKinley?
No. We do what we can, particularly when the Republican establishment runs away from someone with the guts to take on the Chicago Machine and its media sycophants.
Maybe this never was a winnable race, but it always was a race worth fighting.
Update 4-10-2013 — Bloomberg buys a congressional seat, with Republican and media help
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Comments
Dang. I was really looking forward to seeing this guy in DC. He’d push the Democrats and the Republicans. Hope he continues to push against that corruption in Chicago. Amazing that people keep sending the same brand of corruption to lead them and get the same crappy results. Same in Detroit. Sad, really.
No surprise indeed w/ ultra low turnout, a Machine-a$$-kissing media and Kelly not saying anything in an low info era produced the desired results. Sadly, most of IL02 couldn’t care less and unfortunately they’ll get what they deserve.
On the bright side, given the absolutely disgraceful history of this seat, there is a strong probability that Kelly will end up getting caught doing something illegal. And maybe next time around the local GOP will find a spine.
Thanks to you guys for covering this race since very few others bothered.
Illustrating Chicago’s Murders, Homicides, Violence and Idiocy at heyjackass.com
You saved me from saying it myself. Two thumbs up.
Paul McKinley fought the good fight, and did what he could. The outcome was pretty much rigged from the start. As I’ve said before, I wasn’t worried about the people who voted for McKinley, just worried about where those votes ended up. (The trash can at city hall? Buried somewhere with Jimmy Hoffa? Buried next to the dead voting democrats in the local cemetery? Only God and the machine know for sure.)
When an electorate has been dumbed down beyond salvation it is better to go to greener pastures. Other than hitting rock bottom no minds will be changed. The lure of free stuff is a powerful pursuant.
I surely do not expect any sort of Republican/conservative resurgence in the Chicago area in my lifetime…
Margaret Thatcher said famously, “Socialism’s main flaw is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
In terms of liberty, sometimes you run out of other people’s greener pastures to which to move. We’ll need to make a stand at some point or there will be no where else to move. Sadly, IL02 is not that pasture.
Because they’re so very comfie on their plantation, where the folks just have to be told what to do, and they’ll get their fixins.
I’m frankly tired of trying to fight their battles for them.
McKinley is a cut above. Hope he carves out a righteous future for himself and others, in spite of the tremendous inertia (sometimes called Evil) that has planted itself against him and his ilk.
I still think the TEA Parties should aim to take over the Democratic Party as well as the Republican party. The Democratic Party is more vulnerable than they would have you think, which is why they keep shouting that the TEA Parties are the “extreme right wing of the Republican Party” when we all know the TEA Parties were designed to be a centrist coalition of people who agree on fiscal cleanliness, regardless of their social positions.