It's Open Hunting for Votes

The election season is upon us in Illinois and other parts of the country. You see the candidates lined up throughout the state often in towns that they previously didn't know existed.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today's candidate du jour is a Mr. O. He comes to us from some suburb of Chicago and he is asking for your support. Of course, there is nothing that he won't offer you, the voters, but there is very little that he can promise. Now that Governor Rod "The Reformer" Blagojevich has received the legal license that it is unnecessary to follow through on campaign promises I won't dismiss good employees on the back of the budget or the proximity of those words, he let go a number of prison guards and wardens. Their primary offense... none that could be justified, though it seems that most of them had sinned against the Governor... they were Republicans.

But back to the candidates at hand for the upcoming primary: all of the Republicans appear to be running on the Anybody but Blagojevich campaign. Judy Barr Topinka, who is the Republican frontrunner, unfortunately, is the most like the current governor. So, given the choice between the two, I would predict that most Illinoisans will choose to stay the course rather than switch to Ms. Barr-Topinka.

I'm guessing that before all is said and done that state Senator Bill Brady of Bloomington (talk about your alliteration) may emerge as the viable option to Mr. Blagojevich. He appears to be right-center with politainment appeal. He projects wit and charm. Women find him easier on the eyes than his opponents. He has state-level experience and doesn't seem to aspire to higher office (some sites have mentioned that Blagojevich for President T-Shirts are now available!).

No matter which candidate makes it through the primary, it will be difficult to unseat the epitome of "Politainment" governors, who has a campaign war chest that is probably about the size of most towns budgets, if not more. And as we all know by now... yes, elections can be bought with large amounts of advertising, campaign appearances, news exposure, and promises to big donors. We'll find out soon enough.