Illinois Primary Debate: Discussion

[JHBowden]

Today there was a five-way debate between Gery Chico, Barack Obama, Dan Hynes, Blair Hull, and Maria Pappas.

The debate was sharp, though the moderator Phil Ponce was very feisty and impatient. I left the debate feeling better about Gery Chico, about the same with Obama and Hynes, and worse about Pappas and Hull.

Chico stood out to me when he said he was the only candidate to support gay-marriage, not just civil unions. Chico made it a point that he'll stand up and to the fair thing, even if polling data may not be blowing a favorable way. I appreciated this, and his stock rose a lot in my book.

Dan Hynes also did a good job, though I was curious about his comments about health care. Hynes went straight for some kind of caps as the solution for solving the lawsuit problem while insurance companies were not the central part of his answer. Though Hynes will have an easier time downstate and beats the other candidates in electability, I don't want to send the Senate a Feinstein. Hynes's support for the 87 bill a few months ago troubled me too.

Obama was pretty much consistent with the manner in which he has presented himself in the past. Obama's presentation was informed and articulate, but the message was not a focused as some of the other candidates and lacked clarity. Nevertheless, I respect Obama's intelligence and know for certain he wouldn't be a Republican hack if he won the election. Given his Muslim name, he hasn't convinced me he has a 100% chance of winning.

Hull downright annoyed me. Hull seems like he is buying the election, and his gratuitous attacks on other candidates pissed me off. When added to his wife-beater problem, I'm not thrilled about this guy, though I would support him against the Republican.

Pappas didn't seem up to snuff tonight. While she seems to have experience, she didn't manifest it clearly and appeared incompetent.

Right now, Hynes is my choice, with Obama with a very close second followed by Chico in a very close third. A recent poll has Obama at 22%, Hynes at 20%, Hull at 15%, and Pappas with 14%. 23% (included myself) are undecided.

What are your thoughts?

[jmaier]

1. It's Obama

then Hynes for me. Chico would be okay. I'm disinterested int Hull and Pappas.

In terms of the general, you know Obama is going to take a huge vote in greater Chicago area; Hynes will do better south of 70. I wonder which is more important to win?

[GreenArrow]

2. only one thought

Obama's name is too similar to Osama--he won't win.

[ShaneGR]

3. Only two of those have a chance in the General

Hynes and Hull. The rest will get slaughtered. Particularly Obama, who's got about ZERO chance to get elected to the Senate with a kiss of death name like Obama.

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. Hynes is a political hack.

His father is the 19th Ward Chicago boss -- he'd be in Daley's pocket, and Daley gets on so well with *.

Hull -- uh, the wife beater? He who never bothered to register to vote until 1995? And didn't vote until 2000? Did you read the Tribune's condemnation of Hull last Sunday? Or its glowing endorsement of Obama? Blew me away, the Tribune heaping that much praise on a progressive.

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. Wife beater Hull?

I don't think he has a chance since the release of the information about him beating his wife. He won't get my vote and I'm sure it won't sit well with most female voters.

[Nailzberg]

20. Oh, give the wife-beater crap a rest.

I think this is one of the best fields I've seen in a long time. I'd love to have any of these candidates elected. I've been very impressed with Chico, Obama, and Hull. Maria Pappas is a very intelligent woman and would do a fine job. Hynes doesn't impress me much personally, but he'd toe the Democratic line, which is better than having Jack Ryan around for six years.

I think the candidates are raising excellent issues and would gladly vote for any of them in November.

But I'm sick of the Democratic party being the party that can't choose a nominee without throwing mud at everyone else.

I'm sick of people thinking that ex parte allegations made in a divorce case should be taken as fact. The judge in the case has issued a statement, Nancy Skinner has issued a statement, Brenda Sexton's best friend at the time issued a statement, and Chico and Pappas echoed those sentiments tonight during the debate.
Support whichever candidate you want, but the only people still calling Hull a wife beater are Eric Zorn and Mike Flannery, who've have personal connections to other candidates.
If we keep up this style of politics, the swing vote downstate is going to go to Jack Ryan. This state is not as solidly democratic as those in Cook County would like to believe. The majority of votes downstate is democratic-leaning independents; conservative on women's health, conservative on guns, and spiteful of Chicago politics. It's a very hard vote to get when you have a party more focused at destroying it's own than it is on the GOP's destruction of our economy.

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. It's not true?

Has his ex wife denied it? Has SHE said it isn't true? If not, "I" believe HER. Has she denied it?

[in_cog_ni_to]

23. This is an honest question and

I would REALLY like to know if Hull's ex wife has come out to PUBLICLY deny she was beaten by her ex husband. Does anyone know?

[JHBowden]

24. Probably not.

The wife filed something like an order of restraint against him. The divorce was pretty nasty; Hull may have made some threatening comments to his ex-wife. Supposedly they both are friendly now.

[greatauntoftriplets]

27. Two orders of protection.

Apparently he threatened to kill her, kicked her in the shins and generally called her every name in the book.

They ARE friendly now, although I suppose she got a handsome settlement out of it.

[Nailzberg]

30. According to the divorce papers, she kicked him three times prior

to him hitting her in the shin with his hand.

Neither party has denied this happening. But I think in the full context of it, it is unfair to call him an abuser. The prosecutor decided to drop all charges, and the judge expunged it from his record. The orders of protection were dropped three days after a settlement was reached.

This was an ugly divorce, but the characterizations of Blair Hull as a wife-beater are simply unfair.

I wish we could put the issues at the forefront of this race. There's no one better at destroying Democrats, than their own party. We do not need to stoop to this level, and we will never present a united front against the GOP so long as we do stoop to these types of attacks against our own.

[kanrok]

4. I Love Obama

He clearly has the best background. Having said that I can live with Hynes or Chico as well. I CANNOT abide Hull. He's creepy and the wife-beater stuff turned me off totally. Dems take this seat back.

[Bombtrack]

5. It's really backward thinking to believe that Obama's name would hurt

more than help him. For every idiot scared off by his NAME(the vast majority of whom aren't voting for dem senators anyway), there will be 2 or 3 soccer moms or non-voting minorities who vote for him because of it.

[Beaker]

26. you're not from illinois, are you?

on what do you base your prediction that: "...there will be 2 or 3 soccer moms or non-voting minorities who vote for him because of it(his name, Obama)..."

I plan on voting for Obama, but not because of his name...HOWEVER- there are A LOT more ignorant rascist rednecks in this state than you seem to want to give us credit for.

[never cry wolf]

6. I missed the debate

But FWIW, I LOVE Obama. Endorsed by both the Trib and the Sun-Times. 1st minority president of the Harvard Law Review, Constitutional Law professor at U of Chicago. Many feel he is a rising star and may be the best candidate for the 1st minority President opf the US.

BTW: I am not sure his name is muslim as much as Kenyan. His dad was from Kenya, his white mom from Kansas. I found this interesting from the Herald's Burt Constable:

The casual voter hears the name Barack Obama, and decides it sounds a bit like Iraq Osama. If I were his campaign manager, I would add an R to his first name to make it "Barrack," as in the lodging for soldiers, such as those brave, patriotic Americans who won World War II.

Then I would add a simple apostrophe to his last name. By going with "O'Bama," the Harvard-educated, Christian husband and father could garner the Irish vote, and appeal to transplanted southerners.


http://www.obamaforillinois.com/artman/publish/

on edit: he's christian and a natural born US citizen.

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. Steve, I love the confusion with the Irish name.

That should do well in Illinois on the eve of St. Paddy's. Speaking which, hope to see you Sunday!

:toast: :hi:

[never cry wolf]

9. I hope to make it as well

Proles' made quite a convincing, tho brief, argument.

Let's start a campaign to Barak to add that apostrophe!!

[greatauntoftriplets]

11. I thought she did a great job of trying to convince you.

My Far North Side neighborhood's lawn signs are all pro-Obama. Haven't been home long enough to get one myself, but the ward committeman who lives half a block away has one himself. That is a good indication that I live in a very progressive neighborhood. :)

[stevebreeze]

10. what's in a name? hell we elected Blagojevich!!!

We need this seat back Obama is the most progressive candidate. Chico would be Daley's guy and Hines would be run by daddy. Also note that Obama was an early opponent of the war in Iraq, while Hynes was initially a supporter of it.


:kick:

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. Yes, re natural born US citizen.

Honolulu, Hawaii, the lucky dog.

[madrchsod]

13. hull is finished

obama may play in the chicago area but out here in the cornfields, i don`t know if he has enough time to get known to the voters. hynes is more recognized across the state so he may have a better chance to take on the republicans. out here it`s JACK ryan,only the republicans can run another canidate named ryan....

[greatauntoftriplets]

14. Not Jim, not George...

but still a Republican.

[in_cog_ni_to]

16. 2 Obama votes here. n/t

[greatauntoftriplets]

17. And you're downstate, right?

Hello from Chicago.

[in_cog_ni_to]

19. 60 miles South of Chicago.

I'm in Bourbonnais. Hi! :hi:

[NewJerseyDem]

18. Obama is a Kenyan name

His father was born in Kenya so it isn't an Arab name even if it sounds like that to some. I doubt that his name will be a problem in the general name. It certainly will be less of a problem than the Ryan name that his likely opponent will have. My guess is that Obama will win, as I hope he does, and I think he will win in the general considering how liberal the state of Illinois has become in recen years.

[ButterflyBlood]

22. Obama is the man!

he'd be such an awesome senator! he's articulate, intelligent and I can see him driving the Freepers crazy because he's better than them! I wouldn't worry about his name at all, there is no worse name for any candidate in Illinois than Ryan.

[dansolo]

25. That and his smirk is kinda creepy

Ryan always has that obviously fake smile plastered on his face all the time. Creeps me out, big time.

[Guaranteed]

28. I think we should go with Obama.

25% of IL voters are black, which already gives him a great advantage.

On top of that, he's someone I have faith in. You can see his sincerity in his policies.

[chiburb]

29. Obama, Ryan lead Senate races

Front page headline in today's Sun-Times...

Snip, followed by my humble opinion:

Barack Obama has pulled ahead of M. Blair Hull in the Democratic bid for U.S. Senate, while on the Republican side, Jack Ryan has widened his lead, according to a new poll.

While recent news coverage of Hull has centered on claims by his ex-wife that Hull hit her when they were married, some 46 percent of likely Democratic voters polled had not heard of his contentious divorce.

The poll of 1,500 likely voters, by the Chicago Sun-Times' sister paper, the Daily Southtown, put Obama, a state senator from Hyde Park, in the driver's seat with 28 percent, followed by Hull, an Old Town trader, at 23 percent and Illinois comptroller Dan Hynes, of North Center at 22 percent.

A similar Southtown poll two weeks ago, had Hull leading Obama 27 percent to 17 percent.

My thoughts:

Obama is CLEARLY the most intelligent and progressive candidate in the Dem field. Hull is supporting Skinner and Joyce Washington to siphon votes from Obama, Chico used to be Daley's chief of staff and is siphoning votes from Obama,and Obama is now LEADING in the polls. Hynes IS a political hack, supported by Madigan (and Daley?), Hull is Hull, Pappas is a lightweight (tho useful in keeping some votes from Hynes).
Can Obama win the GE? Yep... he's gonna ride Kerry's coattails to the Capital building, and be a viable Presidential candidate in 2012!