20 Dec 2004

Illinois Governor Plays It Safe with Video-Game Attack

By Rich Miller
It was probably no accident that Governor Rod Blagojevich chose a Naperville school last week to unveil his proposal to criminalize the sale or rental of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors. If he had used an impoverished inner-city school as a backdrop, the assembled parents might have asked him about the real-life violence that their children face every day.
14 Dec 2004

Speaker Madigan No Longer the Teachers' Pet

By Administrator
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is widely believed to be the teachers' unions' best friend. Madigan passed the "temporary" income-tax surcharge years ago, which earmarked half of the new money for schools.
07 Dec 2004

Get Ready for the 2006 Illinois Campaign

By Rich Miller
The dust isn't even settled yet from the 2004 campaign, but candidates are already lining up for the 2006 race. You and I might be sick of campaign news, but to these people the game is just beginning. Joe Birkett, the DuPage County state's attorney who narrowly lost the 2002 attorney general's race to Democrat Lisa Madigan, sent a letter to Republican leaders late last month telling them he is looking forward to being on the statewide ticket.
30 Nov 2004

Is the Illinois Legislature Gearing Up for a January Surprise?

By Rich Miller
After the Republicans lost complete control of the state legislature in the 1996 election, they rushed through several bills the following January, before handing the House gavel back to the Democrats. The state Constitution requires a three-fifths majority to pass any bills with immediate effective dates after May 31.
23 Nov 2004

Illinois Governor Wants to Leave Few Fingerprints

By Rich Miller
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is becoming way too predictable. Twice now, the governor has told a legislator that he's for a gaming-expansion deal, then his staff denies that the governor said any such thing.
16 Nov 2004

Personality, Not Politics, Led to Candidates' Downfalls

By Administrator
Ten years ago, just before the 1994 Republican landslide, I thought that state Senator Patrick Welch (D-Peru) was in big, big trouble. The Republicans launched an expensive campaign against him, and they had a pretty good candidate.
09 Nov 2004

Who's to Blame for Sorry Illinois GOP?

By Administrator
It's understandable if Illinois Republicans feel a little panicky right now. Their party's U.S. Senate candidate, Alan Keyes, was wiped out in the biggest Senate landslide in Illinois history. And they were stunned when longtime Congressman Phil Crane lost his seat to a Democrat.
02 Nov 2004

Coalition of Female Legislators Fractures Under Election Pressure

By Rich Miller
Women House members from both parties have stuck together like glue for the past few years, uniting to form the bipartisan Conference of Women Legislators (COWL). The group has become a powerful force at the Statehouse, successfully pushing several woman-friendly bills and budget items.
26 Oct 2004

Obama Comes Out Swinging in Second U.S. Senate Debate

By Rich Miller
Since most of you probably had higher priorities last Thursday night than catching the debate between Barack Obama and Alan Keyes (such as watching the St. Louis Cardinals win the National League pennant), I figured I'd do my civic duty and tell you what I saw.
19 Oct 2004

Desperate Democrats Throw Mud in Supreme-Court Race

By Rich Miller
This is an election. It is not a meeting of a Sunday School class," Illinois State Bar Association President Ole Bly Pace told the Associated Press this week. Pace was referring to the Fifth District Supreme Court race as he made what could be the political understatement of the year.

Pages

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?) 

* indicates required

View previous campaigns.

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.