I might have a candidate that I can support

http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=554042

Greg is a shocker, but I like his viewpoints (at least more than the others). Cheers to Greg.

Operation: Bobby, not Barry

Local liberals and union mafioso types have a pretty good strategy going into the 2012 elections: Blame Bobby, not Barry.

If jobs aren't being created locally, it's not Obama's fault - it's Schilling's fault. Never mind the fact that the left controls all branches of local and state government - plus the Senate and the Presidency. The reason we're in a depression is because of one member out of 435 that makes up one-half of one third of our government.

Or so the left shouts with foam in their mouths.

These claims will easily be refuted by Schilling and shifted on to the big guy in the White House.

We need a reasonable candidate who can come up with some reasonable positions and statements. Not just blame a congressman for things that can be easily blamed on our state and local dems that control everyone.

Bipolar

Am I the only one going crazy on this dem primary?

One minute i like a candidate, the other I can't stand them.

Can we get a good candidate so I can stop feeling bipolar?

Terronez

Before I endorse any of these guys in the primary I want to know their involvement with this creep. Their party produced scumbags like him, Leibovitz and Hare.

They need reform in themselves.

Seriously reconsidering

my support for Reyes. He first seemed like a Hispanic Lane Evans. But the more I hear from him, the less I like.

A statement on his website attacks Schilling for something he never said. Then to make it worse, the issue he attacks him on is a proposal to show your ID in order to vote. what's wrong with that idea?

You need an ID to buy booze. Why should you not have it to cast a vote that carries consequences for all citizens across the country?

How is asking someone to prove who they are discriminatory? this isn't immigration, it's voting.

I might have to get behind Boland.

Holy Schmoly

Wow. On here less than 3 weeks and we've already surpassed 5,000 hits.

h/t MY FREAKING SELF!

A lot of interest in these posts.

Go ahead. Hate me.

Mike Jacobs rumor

A little birdie told me yesterday that Mike Jacobs was seriously considering the run for Congress.

She also told me some (unconfirmed) comments that he had made about the other candidates. To be nice I won't put what I heard. Let's just say that Mike said that none of them were quite up to the par to actually beat Schilling.

Having heard other stories about Mike, I can confirm that he can be two-faced and say one thing to one person, and another to another.

But if the rumors are true, I could probably support either him, reyes or bolander. There can only be one --- however.

So time will tell.

Albracht raises $10,000

Good job. I don't know how I feel about Mike. But out-raising the previous challenger's entire war chest is impressive.

Eric Reyes for Congress?

I know I ragged on his website a little while back, but I just reread the dispatch article that was written about him.

I'm pretty impressed and he is currently my choice for Congress in the Democrat primary. He's young, articulate, decent looking and down to earth.

I think he's also brave because he's tackling illegal immigration right out of the gate. That shows balls.

He could be the next Lane Evans. Come to think of it, they have a lot in common - lawyers, not political and young.

My wife's grandmother is mexican. She would be so proud of me.

Open Letter to Mark Schwiebert

Dear Mark--

Thanks for everything you have done to help the city of Rock Island. You are truly a great man who has inspired people like myself to get involved and make a difference. It sure is sad to see you not run for Congress. However, I am extremely excited about the opportunities and work that you will be able to do in regard to ending global warming.

I am confident that after your long and effective stint as mayor of a city that has averaged some of the highest crime rates, highest unemployment, and lowest home values across the country, that you will truly be effective in stopping and reducing greatly the amounts of CO2 in the air.

I am also confident that you would not have been able to get as much done to stop global warming as a sitting member of Congress, as you could being a retired mayor and family attorney. Clearly the real legislative power is not found in the halls of Congress, but in the halls of retirement.

Lastly, I would commend you on the courage that you have shown throughout your career. Your valiant efforts to defend Rock Island from "evil-doing" would-be mayors such as David Kimbell have proven themselves over time. When faced with true adversity, you stood your ground and fought. For this I praise you.

I would encourage you to stay valiant. Keep striving for greatness in being the best family-law attorney in Rock Island County. Keep fighting for rights derived from boards that affect our daily lives in more ways that one. Please, never lose that fighting spirit. It would be a horrible tragedy if you were to lose it.

Sincerely,

QC Pundit

P.S. This entire letter was satire, if you couldn't tell. If you translate it from satire it roughly translates to, "Are you stupid? This was your race and your chance to make a huge difference on the issues that you (and I) care about."

Boland's Non-Announcement Announcement

I can't believe that I forgot to write about this.

Yesterday, former state rep., Mike Boland announced that he would be announcing shortly about whether he would be running or not.

How annoying, egotistical and ridiculous.

Make the decision. Get in or get out. Don't play games with the press and the public. We're not a toy that you can just pull out and play with when you want to.

He also had some absurd quote about how high his name recognition is, since he was a state wide candidate. Reality check. Someone needs a high dose of self-awareness.

Also Cheri Callahan-Bustos announced today. She slammed career politicians and said that her focus would be on jobs and "reshoring" -- bringing back those lost jobs. Sounds good to me. We'll see what she brings to the table in the primary.

Not much out of Koehler. He's probably focused on being a state senator right now or some sorry excuse.

And absolutely nothing out of George Gaulrapp.

WTF?

Is this guy shitting me?

What type of website is this? Are you running for Congress or trying to recruit more people needing legal help?

Problems with Medicare

As I've mentioned before, I view myself as an independent. I like investing in research, green energy and infrastructure. But I also don't like high taxes, heavy regulation and too much government. I don't support the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya. But I support having strong homeland security. Pro-life and pro-gay marriage. See what I mean?

I swear that some days it's the side of the bed that I wake up on that determines who I am going to support.

Which brings me to my problems with Medicare. I'm not to put my head in the sand. We all know that there are many problems with our entitlement system -- especially Medicare. Report after report has shown that Medicare is going to go bankrupt shortly. The most recent report from the CBO saying it will be bankrupt by 2021. That's 5 years sooner than what they were reporting 2 years ago. The problem is accelerating -- especially with so many being out of work for so long.

Marco Rubio -- even though he is a neo con and supports the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya -- made some excellent points. His medicare address on YouTube

In it he lays out 3 points that must be addressed for Medicare reform:

1. Any proposed solution should fix the solvency of Medicare and not just delay it's bankruptcy.
2. Any proposed solution should not affect those who are very close to retirement and have no ability to adapt.
3. Any proposed solution should not adversely affect the economy and put more out of work.

I don't see anything wrong with these three points.

I will admit that I don't know the plan that the Republicans have proposed. All that I have heard is that it will cost seniors more for their health care --- well no shit. It's going to cost them a hell of a lot more if it goes insolvent.

The Republicans have been trumpeting that the proposed changes won't effect anyone 55 or older. Okay...are you suggesting that current seniors don't care about the next generations? Explain your plan and how it will change benefits for future generations.

I think 2 things about this right now:

1. Democrats need to quit being political with this and propose a solution that will fix Medicare and not ignore the problem.

2. Republicans need to start communicating their plan better. Explain your plan to us. Explain it well. If we like it, you'll get reelected. If we don't...well.

Both parties need to get my grandmother and parents out of the political games and make sure that they are taken care of and not thrown under the bus.

Nothing to write about

Friends--

if there is one thing that I will promise, it's that I won't write posts on nonsense or issues that aren't important.

So I'm not going to write about Porter McNeil dropping out of the race. Why? Because he's the one guy who never stood a chance in either the primary or the general election. Porter is everything that is wrong with politics. The typical hack that works some campaigns, gets a cozy job working for a state office, then comes back home to take the seat that is theirs.

Guys like this should get a state job and stay there.

Good riddance Porter. No one even knew you came.

Mark Schwiebert

Has anyone heard about his status in the race? Is he running or not?

If he's running, good for him. He's the candidate with the most credibility, intellect, ability and compassion. The general wouldn't be a problem for him.

The recent QC Times story on him leaves it out there as if he might be backing out.

For the sake of the Quad Cities and getting a good candidate, I surely hope not.

I know that many of my republican friends would support him and the democrat base would be there as well.

It would be a shame for Mark to not try to carry on with his legacy. Mayor is just such a small picture compared to Congress.

Schilling townhall today

So I went to the Schilling town hall in Aledo today. A friend passed me an email from the democrat party chair asking members to go and ask about Amtrak.

I just went to get a feel of where Schilling is standing on this budget mess we have and hear his defense of the ryan plan.

From what Schilling was saying sounded like it wouldn't be that bad.

The only problem is that I couldn't hear a damn thing he said because some preppy, feminine kid up front kept interrupting him and trying to steal the show.

A couple guys in the room asked him about the stimulus bill and if he thought it was all a waste. I'm surprised he didn't say yes. Just yesterday, the former federal reserve chairman said that the $787 billion stimulus didn't do much stimulating at all

Some would suggest that the $787 billion gave some people work. Fair enough. But was a few jobs worth adding on trillions in additional debt? (after interest payments)

Seems pretty unfair to me.

Can't wait till the next town hall. If that kid shows up again, I hope someone tells him to shut up.

What the heck?!?

What is the point of this letter?

Okay, so I get that QC Federation of Labor got caught doing a letter campaign. The Dispatch ran an editorial calling them out on it a few weeks back.

What I don't get, is why they would come out and admit to not personally writing each letter and then claim that it wasn't a phony campaign.

1. Don't piss on our legs and tell us it's raining. It was a bogus campaign -- leave it at that.

2. Learn how to stop digging when you are in a hole.

What a joke. Brett Utz just humiliated himself and the entire labor federation. I'm sure Jerry Messer is a proud papa.

(BTW, no love for Messer. He comes across as abrasive, rude and full of talking points and empty of substance.)

Speak of the devil!

From the QCTimes, Illinois’ 17th District field taking shape

East Moline Alderman Cheri Bustos said she will file candidacy and organizational papers today with the Federal Election Commission and plans to make a formal announcement on July 13. She had planned a  June 30 announcement, but said she wanted to avoid clashing with the Fourth of July holiday.

AND

Two Democrats have formally declared bids for the office. State Sen. Dave Koehler of Peoria and Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp have announced they’ll run. Gaulrapp just did so over the weekend.

PLUS -- Boland is in and Schwiebert is making an announcement next week about whether he will run.

This is what I'm talking about.

Bustos: Smart, personable, reasonable, attractive -- good candidate

Schwiebert: Smart, well-liked, well-known, pragmatic -- good candidate

Boland: Personable, well-liked, well-spoken, state wide candidate -- good candidate

Koehler: Strong labor, well liked, nice, well-spoken -- good candidate

Gaulrapp: Independent leaning, blue collar -- okay candidate (to be fair I need to learn more)

This is going to be an excellent primary. I've listed off the perceptions that each candidate gives off. This primary will allow the voters to select the one that can best communicate and implement their ideas to the general public.

Voters in the 17th are much more lucky this go around than how when Hare was selected.

I think the Quad Cities will be well served if any of these candidates --- gop or dem --- end up winning.

Let's be fair

We all know the primary practices of the past. Democrat party chairman sits down in room with the selected one and "the others." He tells them that they must back out of the race and in exchange they will get cozy jobs or the promise of being groomed for another office.

This is the same practice that led to our wonderful former congressman hare.

It's a joke.

None of these candidates for IL-17 should take any of the deals. If they are being offered a deal it's only because they have a shot at winning the primary and we all know that they have an even bigger shot at taking IL-17 back for the Dems.

I could lay out a case for everyone of these candidates to win -- including George Gaulrapp from Freeport! It's going to be a 100% free for all, unless these guys are all spineless -- in that case, they never should have been in the race from the beginning.

If the deal is worked out, that says a lot about the chosen one. Their strength as a candidate, their self confidence etc.

Sorry but if you can't convey your thoughts and win over your own party in a primary, then how are you going to reach independents and left leaning gopers.

We don't need a chosen candidate, we need a good candidate. The only way to ensure a good candidate that is supported by the base is to have a competitive primary. Plain and simple.

I hope that democracy doesn't fail again.

I almost forgot!

We'll also be covering letters to the editor! It seems that neither the Dispatch or Times does a lot of fact checking in their letters to the editor section, so we'll do it for them.

Did you see this letter?

Please, Rep. Schilling, provide to the print media a list of companies who have left Illinois since Jan. 1 due to "over-regulation and taxes that are too high."

This writer, James Oppedahl from Rock Island, gives an odd demand to Bobby Schilling and his staff. He goes on to demand that Schilling should use his staff to look all of this information up. I don't really want my tax dollars being wasted on some weirdo commie who is too afraid/lazy to do his own research.

All Schilling has to do is point out the fact that over 750,000 people left the state of Illinois since 2001. We're obviously not getting something right. And with all of the bogus laws coming out of Springfield, I think it's pretty clear. But whatever.

Another letter, from a Eugene Mattecheck of Moline, brings up very valid points against Democrats who blame Bobby Schilling for the economy and lack of jobs in the area. He says:

A third letter complained Mr. Schilling hasn't created jobs. On June 23rd The Dispatch/Argus reported that local unemployment fell to 6.6 percent. It was 12.1 percent in January of 2010 when Bobby Schilling took office.

 Well you see the problem there. Bobby took office in 2011 -- so he can't take credit for the drop. BUT even if the economy was improving, how disingenuous would it be for him to take credit for a recovery after only 6 months in office? I don't think Schilling is that full of shit.

Besides that, Mattecheck brings up valid points. A lot of the democrats in Rock Island have been festering over Schilling's win last November. Get over it. Stop bringing up invalid points like, "Where's Bobby Schilling hiding..." It makes no sense when the guy is the damn paper every day with another town hall or public meeting. My guess is that it's hurting your party with independent leaning voters like myself.

Will do more analysis later.

Oh and I will publish articles and letters to the editor. Send them to qcpundit [at] gmail [dot] com

My history and a brief overview

My dad used to always say, "How do you know when a politician is lying? When his lips are moving." He didn't really like politics that much. I don't think he was a regular voter.

My mom was a Reagan democrat, but voted for Clinton and Gore.

My uncle ran for office 3x and lost.

My grandpa was a new deal democrat.

That being said, I obviously have democrat tendencies but I will fully admit that I voted for Bobby Schilling over Phil Hare. It wasn't much of a choice. Phil was rude and sucked at being a congressman. The way he got in still rubs me the wrong way about QC politics.

But anyways. That's over and there's a new race for congress. We'll see how Schilling does. I didn't like his vote on Amtrak, but that's not the most important issue.

Right now we have Sen. Dave Koehler,  Mayor Mark Schwiebert, Cheri Bustos, Porter McNeil, George Gaulrapp, Mike Boland and .... am I missing anyone? It's a crowded field. Mostly because Schilling's district was made more democrat and Obama will be on the ballot.

We also have a race for state senate as well. I like Mike Jacobs and know his family. I think it's funny to hear people call him "slugger" I don't know much about his opponent Bill Albracht - a vietnam veteran I think...

State Rep? Who cares. That should be a pretty uneventful race in both the 71 and 72 district. If Verschoore wins/loses...guess what? Nothing changes. If Morthland wins/loses...guess what? Nothing changes.

Rock Island County board is currently 21 democrats to 4 republicans. Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

I will be covering the candidates for these races above. Things they say, places they go, etc etc.

Email me with any tips.

It's time.

The Quad Cities is lacking something.

I'm not talking pizza. I'm not talking ice cream. I'm not talking tacos. I'm sure as heck not talking about Reubens.

We lack a decent political blog that covers things in an unbiased and humorous way.

So this little red headed guy from Moline, IL has decided to create one.

Over the next year I will be writing my thoughts about the different political news in the Quad Cities. We will be covering local, state, and federal races.

It should make for a good time. Hope you like it.