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That's what Poshard wants, too? This is crazy. He is WAY out of line.
Unfortunately, if it has the Poshard seal of approval, SO Il may listen.
SAD!
Prosecutors accuse people. But the words mean nothing. What matters is evidence.
This smells fishy. What does Novak gain? Is Topinka involved???
I am sure Poshard (like the rest of us) is wishing Novak would just disappear.
Glenn was a good man. If only there were more like him, being a Democrat would mean something.
Plenty of blame to go around. Ultimately, I blame the ignorance of voters for electing George Ryan, who always was a crook. Voters got fooled before and if these polls are any indication, they're about to be fooled again.
I didnt see a record of it with the state board of elections.
BTW, Blago did not screw Poshard. Poshard screwed Poshard by pissing off the city liberals. Pro-Gun. Anti-Gay. Pro-Life. Enough said.
This is a tremendous disservice to Poshard if it is not true. It makes him look like he is a lackey who sold out.
The question is will Glenn Poshard publicly rebuke Novak or even worse will we see 30 second spots featuring Poshard touting the governor's record in response to the media attention this ad is sure to garner? We know the Governor's people are shameless but is it true they have turned Poshard?
It was campaign manager Josh Silberman who really lost it for Poshard.
But what he's been saying about hospital practices, their tax exempt status and the Blago's fingerprints on this are all dead-on accurate.
Further, even Rod's former Inspector General found blatant disregard for the law with regard to his administration. Instead of dealing with it appropriately, it appears his administration caused a well-qualified IG with integrity to leave.
Amen.
It is not about Democrat v. Republican. When we have a Governor named as Public Official A, we all lose. This pattern of behavior needs to stop.
How many convictions does it take to break corruption?
Ashur Odishoo
Candidate
State Representative 11th District
So, no one can argue the voters are ignorant of the charges, haven't heard the claims, don't know the Governor's office is being investigated.
But, despite all this wall-to-wall coverage of all things bad about the Governor (and the ignoring of all things good about the Governor), Topinka is at 37% now.
She has not gotten above 40% since April 2006.
And the election is in six weeks.
Judy Baar Topinka - joining Bob Kustra and Lolita Diedrickson in the IL GOP Political Footnote Club.
The people after Wendler are a group of left-wing crackpots who think someone repeating what they've written once before is not only plagiarism, but outward signs of corruption. I haven't seen any direct evidence of Poshard going after Wendler.
Poshard did earn three degrees from SIU, served as a high-level administrator, then later on the board of trustees, as well as that 10-year stint in Congress.
University presidents don't teach classes. They don't even deal much with the internal workings of the college. What they do have to do is deal with the politicians in Springfield.
Poshard can handle that. You always suck up to the man with the money. If Topinka wins they'll be dancing the polka together in no time.
As to the ad, $30,000 can buy a lot of radio down here, not to mention the free press coverage it will generate.
I couldn't play it for some reason, but the message seems simple and straight forward. As others have said, the Poshard name will resonate, especially this week as attention is focused on his official inauguration as college president - the first such ceremony in almost 60 years.
Novak's a hired gun. He behaves much like a lawyer does (yes, even playing nasty at times in order to win), except that he works the court of public opinion rather than in a courtroom.
Read the blog. Regardless of personal opinions, the style is EFFECTIVE. Ridicule works. And besides, the issues written about on the blog have bipartisan support, from Republican Chuck Grassley to Democrat Lisa Madigan. Pay attention to the info, because the press is totally on the issue.
As for Blago getting donations from the Illinois Hospital Association, why does he need to rake in more money for an already overfilled campaign war chest? He's got money to burn, and then some. Something's definitely up with Blago, in my opinion.
Check the facts. Everyone is mad at the hospitals. Here's the list: Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, the IRS, multiple AG's all around the nation, including our own Lisa Madigan, the uninsured who have been price-gouged and then sent through the collections ringer first before they finally managed to figure out that perhaps they could have applied for financial assistance (hospitals, in the past, were rather hush-hush about advertising that, even though they ARE supposed to be charities, right?), trial lawyers, unions and their corporate campaigns, community groups who have investigated the billing and collections practices, and for sure the Illinois taxpayers ought to be really ticked off at all of the alleged Medicare fraud allegations that keep getting settled out of court, just so they don't have to admit guilt. ALL of these groups with different interests are ALL on the hospitals? Go to Trent Stamp's Charity Navigator website sometime and read his take on the hospitals sometime, too!
Maybe people with ties to insurance have to worry about deductibles and so forth, and so they still have a personal consumer interest in what the hospitals are up to. Heck, even if you were in the insurance biz, wouldn't you still have a say in the matter if you knew all the games the hospitals played? They have been accused of "upcoding" to get higher reimbursements, so maybe the insurance companies see all the bills and know that some billings may be bogusly inflated on purpose, but they have to pay them, so a lot of stuff slips through.
Regardless of ties to insurance folks, if that's the case, pay attention to the message. These hospitals are in a heap of trouble for some highly questionable behavior. And guess what else? YOU'RE subsidizing it! I'm not subsidizing this baloney with this Medicare fraud stuff. Let them pay their taxes already.
If Joe uses rather unorthodox means of playing politics to get a message out, then gosh, I can't imagine anyone better to poke the contempt at these hospitals. They drive poor people into medical bankruptcy and then write it off as a loss when they can't collect any more money, once they've garnished wages, or slapped a lien on something, like a home. Shame on them.
Nitpick away. I don't care who is doing it.
He also wouldn't have thrown the weight of the University behind "Saluki Way", a controversial Wendler plan to build a new football stadium and academic buildings, reforming the face of SIU.
I'm not saying Wendler's job is safe, but I am saying that there's no such 'order' from Blago to Poshard to get rid of WVW.
Now, on to the Novak thing.
Who the hell is Joe Novak? I think that's the reaction of the majority of southern Illinoisans. Only politicos recognize that name, and most of those younger than 30 would have a tough time placing it. So I think that really diminishes this ad's value.
And let's not forget that there are a lot of pictures going around this morning of Poshard handing Blagojevich an SIU jersey at the Amtrak thing yesterday, so that pretty much nullifies any claim that Poshard hates the Gov, at least in the public eye.
Pass.
first, siu (and most other state universities) have been dumping grounds for former top gop staff from the thompson, edgar and ryan admins. god forbid that a dem should become pres of a universty and take away one of their coveted jobs, let alone a position that's been in his lifelong backyard.
second, mike lawrence has not been silenced. he's been writing columns consistently every month - and I know how revered this guy is among the media, but he was edgar's chief of staff. so, no one can say he doesn't carry some of his own biases.
third, poshard is his own man. i'm sure some of you are deathly afraid that he'll come out to help the gov given his immense popularity. so, stop tying to make poshard suddenly look like a koolaid drinker. if he supports blago,you hve to give this respected public servant the benefit of the doubt that he'll do things on his terms.
You liked her when she wasn't swinging back after getting hammered by Rod and HIS ads all summer? Surely you jest.
Those last two ads were the best. Short, sweet, and sarcastic. Just what my sentiments are when driving past the toll plaza and seeing that--that--you know...Rod's name all over the toll plaza. I can't stand that anymore.
She'd be wise to keep running something super-short, super-not-sweet, and always a new one until election day. And mention the Sister Claudette appointment, too. This Gov could be a security risk if he doesn't check out his people carefully before appointing them to panels. Louis Farrakhan ties? Egads. He has ties to global dictators, because he once went on his little global hate tour to visit with the worst of 'em. Even wanted to bring some money back as a (cough) gift (wonder whatever for).
Swing away, Judy. Rod's goin' down.
To "Crow"'s comments above are absolutely right.
More and more people are taking notice of hospital practices and the obscene profits that hospitals and thier top executives make. And I'm referring to so-called NOT-FOR-PROFIT hospitals, and more often than not, these are religiously based hospitals.
It is insane to screw over your OWN people. I mean, for God's sake, read Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" sometime. In battle, you are supposed to keep your army well fed. Your own people are your soldiers in the battlefield of corporate competition, too! Don't screw THEM over, too. That's insane.
Yes, keep an eye on this industry and all of the legal woes and investigations. I think the heat is only going to get turned way up, so follow the news. And read Novak's blog, too! I think he should redo the radio ad before it hits Chicago and tone it a tad so it doesn't just sound like an angry guy who is ticked off (it'll turn off some female voters, I think), but if it works downstate, then good. It isn't like they love Rod. He won't even LIVE in Springfield.