IL-02 special election thread

[Benj]

The first special election of the new Congress! JJJ is resigning following his diagnosis with bipolar disorder this summer.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/11/21/report-jesse-jackson-jr-resigning-from-congress/

Safe D, obviously. Only question is who the Democratic nominee will be. Will be interesting to see if Debbie Halvorson tries again.

[Benj]

Victory for America!

You've been duped by Bloomy's Super PAC campaign too? Lame.

I'm no lefty, but I dunno how any Democrat could vote for Halverson. Pandering to Fox News and the NRA.

Spite. Kelly only won on Super PAC funds.

Normally I'd feel the same, but in this case I'll make an exception. The NRA is usually such an omnipotent juggernaut that can roll over even the most hallowed of American interests, including first responders, teachers, doctors, the chamber of commerce, and families of schoolchildren. Even a Super PAC is an underdog when going up against it.

The NRA didn't fund this race (indeed, if they had it would have backfired). And Halvorson correctly pointed out that this race is about more than gun control, but Kelly wanted to make it a single-issue campaign and Bloomy made it so.

Yeah, Halvorson was bankrolled by her buddies in the Will County GOP.

Regardless, I don't see what you're upset about. Other than gun control, there are zero ideological differences between the candidates. (Also, IMO gun control and Bloomberg were
probably irrelevant to the result. It was all race. Kelly + Beale v. Halvorson was pretty much exactly JJJ v. Halvorson last year. But Kelly is a thousand times better than JJJ.)

[Benj]

Victory for America!

You've been duped by Bloomy's Super PAC campaign too? Lame.

I'm no lefty, but I dunno how any Democrat could vote for Halverson. Pandering to Fox News and the NRA.

Spite. Kelly only won on Super PAC funds.

Normally I'd feel the same, but in this case I'll make an exception. The NRA is usually such an omnipotent juggernaut that can roll over even the most hallowed of American interests, including first responders, teachers, doctors, the chamber of commerce, and families of schoolchildren. Even a Super PAC is an underdog when going up against it.

The NRA didn't fund this race (indeed, if they had it would have backfired). And Halvorson correctly pointed out that this race is about more than gun control, but Kelly wanted to make it a single-issue campaign and Bloomy made it so.

Chicago has a ton of issues, from corruption to poverty, to jobs, to education.. and all Kelly did was harp on the gun issue, because puppet master Bloomberg said so, this isn't a good sign, she is already bought off

No, Kelly "harped" on it because it was a clear line distinguishing her from Halvorson, and Halvorson's views were deeply unpopular in the district. Other issues had few differences between the candidates--of course neither candidate was going to spend much time talking about them. Halvorson didn't make any effort to talk about anything else, either.

Frankly, Halvorson did this to herself. She was hardly entitled to this seat, as you and Snowstalker somehow seem to believe.