Why I'm Supporting This Gay Chicago Democrat

It's Primary Election Day in Illinois. In the state's 7th State Senate District, two Democrats are facing off today. One is a wealthy, corrupt, Machine-backed who currently holds the seat. Her name is Heather Steans, and she bought her way into office during the 2008 special election by means of years of contributing a total of more than $200,000 to Rod Blagojevich and other corrupt party hacks. Steans' challenger two years ago, Suzanne Elder, had no real organization and insignificant amounts of money, and was not able to get her message out. Elder would not have been a good senator anyway. Although she may have been sincere about wanting to end corruption, she would have done nothing to curb the insane tax-and-spend mentality of Springfield. Cue Jim Madigan (he's not related to those Madigans, thank you). Madigan is an openly gay attorney (Barack Obama was one of his law professors), and he is a social liberal. He gained some fame and much experience working to promote gay-related causes in Illinois. Let me pause here for a moment to say that I have no issue with Madigan's sexuality - or anybody else's, for that matter. I've been wrongly called homophobic in the past. I am not. I have political differences with most of my gay friends (yes, I have few of those), but I have never disliked anybody just because they were gay. That's not what being a conservate is about. So, why would I - a conservative blogger and former Assistant Media Director of the American Conservative Union - be supportive of Jim Madigan? The answer is not that complicated: I support Madigan in the Democrat primary election because he is far and away the better choice over corruptocrat Heather Steans. We'll see what happens after today. There is only one Republican running in today's 7th District State Senate primary, and that's Adam Robinson. Being unopposed, it's a certainty that Robinson will be the opponent of either Madigan or Steans on February 3. Madigan brings basic Democrat values to his campaign (most of which I am opposed to), and is the best choice for Democrat voters who are sick of being told how to vote by the Machine. He's got the great courage to go up against that establishment of corruption and to call them out on it (see this video). It's a rarity in politics today, particularly amongst Illinois Democrats, for a candidate to not just pay lip service to reform but to actually want it. When I interviewed Madigan for a series of videos, he spent two hours with me in conversation. He impressed me as a person of immense intelligence and sharp memory. He is very likable, with a sense of humor that allows him to laugh at himself. Both Robinson the Republican and Madigan the Democrat are social liberals. Both favor "marriage equality" for gay people, but both favor lower sales taxes and are generally far more sane fiscally than the Democrat Machine that Steans represents. Steans is a do nothing senator who gets her name attached to bills and takes credit for "hard work." Steans has enabled Blagojevich in the past, then turned on him only out of political necessity and self-preservation. I believe that neither Madigan nor Robinson would have acted that shamefully. Looking at the big picture, Robinson and Madigan are very similar on many key issues. Madigan is not a single-issue candidate, and emphatically says that while gay rights issues are important to him, there "is so much more on the table" that needs to be dealt with, including the lowering of sales taxes. Let's get back to Madigan, however. Robinson is a story for later. Madigan's bio tells us that he "grew up in an Irish Catholic family as the eldest of three boys in a small rustbelt town called Niles, Ohio. Jim’s father ran the local AMVETS organization. Jim’s mother babysat children in the family home for extra money." Madigan holds on to the small town values of family, hard work and respect for others. Contrast that to the self-important, entitled, higher-than-thou attitude of wealthy Heather Steans. While Madigan gave two years of his life to pro-bono work, Steans brags about hosting a couple of ineffectual "public safety" meetings over the past two years. Steans boasts about starting "positive loitering" groups in the rough Uptown neighborhood, and falsely claims that this has made some areas "crime free." Yesterday, Feb.1, a 15-year old boy took a bullet in the arm as he walked to school in Uptown. Gang warfare, meanwhile, has continued unabated during all of Steans' term thus far, and there is no indication that her "efforts" have curbed it. That said, I support Jim Madigan because Steans simply must be tossed out. He is not merely the better candidate (Steans has dodged forums and hasn't really hit the streets), Madigan is also the better person. More honest, not corrupt, genuinely caring about the people. Could Madigan defeat Robinson in the general election in November? Who can say? Robinson is also very bright and just as articulate as Madigan. Both seem like rational men, and are in the same age group. It would be a fascinating contest to watch. To repeat myself, all three people - Steans, Robinson, Madigan - are rather similar on social legislation issues. (To be fair to Madigan, he brings geniune concern to them, as opposed to Steans' opportunistic approach.) It's the fiscal policies that set Steans' apart from Madigan. Steans equals more of the same disastrous policies that have put Illinois billions of dollars into the red. Madigan would actively work to reverse that. Yes Madigan is, overall, a liberal. But as a conservative, I look at him this way: He is not just the lesser of two evils in the Democrat primary. He is also the better of two human beings. One can only choose from the choices presented to him. Conservatives in Chicago know this all too well, and it is our duty to support palatable Democrats when that's all we are offered. The alternative is to allow the Machine to keep on winning, and that doesn't help Republicans or Democrats. RELATED: Lake Effect News - Heather Steans was handpicked by former 7th District State Senator Carol Ronen to fill her seat after she resigned mid-term in October 2007. Since she first announced her candidacy for Ronen’s seat in 2007, two major issues have haunted her. One of those major issues is the accusation that “the fix was in” when she suddenly emerged as the heir apparent to Carol Ronen’s seat, just days after Ronen announced her intention to resign before the November filing deadline for state candidates. The other major issue involves the major amounts of cash that she and husband Leo Smith contributed to Rod Blagojevich’s campaign fund for years. Steans has sidestepped or avoided questions about that, and the press has essentially given her what seems to be a pass on the issue. Full Article... Videos of Jim Madigan Owning Heather Steans Heather Steans Gets New Contribution from Health Insurance Company Sen. Heather Steans Lied on Her Resume 48 Reasons to Oppose Heather Steans Blogger Ejected From Bitter Victory Party Heather Steans' Husband Goes Nuts in a Gay Bar TOTAL NON-RECALL: IL SENATE SAYS "SCREW YOU" Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Madigan Crushing Steans in 7th District CNB Poll

The voting is craaaa-zy in our exclusive poll of 7th District Illinois State Senate seat support. We opened the poll on July 17, and incumbent Heather Steans was ahead every day until Monday, July 27 when challenger Jim Madigan suddenly pulled ahead. But on Tuesday, Steans was ahead once again - but not for long. This evening, Madigan is way, way, waaaaay ahead. Steans and her husband have donated over a million bucks to a number of Illinois politicians over the past 12 years or so, including around $200,000 to Rod Blagojevich. As of 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, Madigan has 77 percent of our poll voters, versus a puny 14 percent for Steans. (Has Madigan rallied his supporters to click over to Chicago News Bench?) VOTE IN THE CNB POLL NOW.... RELATED: Forty-Eighth Ward Follies - Chicago Reader Updated - Steans-Madigan Poll Numbers Changing Fast - Chicago News Bench Steans Faces New Competition for 7th Dist IL State Senate Seat - Chicago News Bench Greg Harris Endorses Heather Steans in 7th Senate District Race - David Ormsby Sen. Heather Steans, Money Whore - Chicago News Bench Senator Heather Steans, For The Children - Chuck Cowdery Blog See Heather Carry Water For The Machine - Chuck Cowdery Blog Steans Ejects Citizen Journalist From Victory Party - Chicago News Bench Leave a Comment See Our Online Store We're on Twitter

Updated - Steans-Madigan Poll Numbers Changing Fast

UPDATE: It's now 12:30 p.m. on July 28, and Heather Steans has pulled ahead of Jim Magidan - again. Our poll now shows Steans with 41 percent to Madigan with 34 percent. This will undoubtedly change again, so keep watching the poll. The original post: Monday, July 27, 11:00 p.m. - Incumbent Heather Steans lags behind openly gay challenger Jim Madigan for the first time in a poll by Chicago News Bench. They are running to be the Democrat nominee in the February 2, 2010 Democrat primary for the 7th District Illinois State Senate seat. The Results So Far: At 11:00 p.m. on July 27, 35% of respondents said they would vote for Steans, 38% said they would vote for Madigan, and 23% said they would vote for Elder (if she ran again). "Other" had a response of 4%. There is an error margin, but we don't know what the heck it is and freely admit that the poll is not scientific. Nevertheless, it's fun to watch. It's also fun to vote in it. The CNB poll began on July 17. The poll asks who people will vote for in the primary: Heather Steans, Jim Madigan, or Suzanne Elder. Elder was defeated by Steans (rhymes with "stains") in a special election in February, 2008 to replace outgoing State Senator Carol Ronen. Although Elder is not a declared candidate, some people would like to see her run again. Illinois state senators serve a two-year term. Windy City Times, a gay-oriented paper in Chicago, noted the already-tense feeling of the race for the 7th District. Reported the Times: When asked what spurred him to run, Madigan responded, "For me, it’s the need to have legislators who will exercise independent judgment; who will challenge the party bosses and leaders in this state when it’s appropriate; and who will side with the individual voters rather than paying special attention to campaign contributors. I think [ Heather ] is a decent person, but I think the reality is that if she had not given [ former Gov. ] Rod Blagojevich $170,000, she would not have had that seat open up for her."( Steans, when notified of Madigan’s remark, responded, "Jim’s statement is based on faulty facts...." (Source) Ironically, Steans's retort was correct. Madigan said that Steans gave Rod Blagojevich "$170.000," but in fact it was much closer to $200,000. Also See: Steans Faces New Competition for 7th Dist IL State Senate Seat - Chicago News Bench Greg Harris Endorses Heather Steans in 7th Senate District Race - David Ormsby Sen. Heather Steans, Money Whore - Chicago News Bench Senator Heather Steans, For The Children - Chuck Cowdery Blog See Heather Carry Water For The Machine - Chuck Cowdery Blog Steans Ejects Citizen Journalist From Victory Party - Chicago News Bench Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Poll: Do You Support Jim Madigan or Heather Steans?

Who will you vote for in the 7th District Illinois State Senate seat? Will you support incumbent Heather Steans? Or will you vote for challenger Jim Madigan be able to unseat her? Take the poll here and let everyone know who has more support in the 7th District. Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Poll for Illinois 7th District State Senate

Seems like "election season" never ends in Illinois. Somewhere, always, there's an election going on. 2010 is just around the corner (we're more than halfway through 2009 already) and the campaigning is about to kick into high gear. One of the more interesting races promises to be, again, for the Illinois 7th District state senate seat. Fasten your seat belts, and answer our little poll (below). The "choices": Heather Steans (D) is the incumbent. She was supported by the Machine and was a big financial supporter of Rod Blagojevich (remember him?). Jim Madigan (D) is the declared challenger. He's a gay activist and attorney. Suzanne Elder (D) has not declared herself to be a candidate, but some of those who still remember her hope she will run again. She was defeated by Steans in 2008. Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Steans Faces New Competition for 7th Dist IL State Senate Seat

Heather Steans won that election, and now serves in the Illinois State Senate. 2008 Challenger Suzanne Elder lobbed serious charges against Steans in back then (see video below). Steans will faces another challenger in February 2010. Equality Illinois Interim Executive Director Jim Madigan plans to run for her State Senate. He would be wise to consult with Suzanne Elder, who is still fond of telling people that Steans got into office in a less than ethical manner (to put it politely). With the backing of thousands of activist homosexuals, Madigan will surely do better against Steans than did Elder. Whether he can actually beat Steans, who is backed by the corrupt local Democrat Machine and its scummiest players, remains to be seen.

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When Agreeing Is Disagreeable

Suzanne Elder wrote something very important about agreement and unanimity among legislators. She had Illinois legislators in mind, but Elder's thoughts on the subject could apply to any body of elected representatives in the U.S., whether at the municipal, county or state level. On June 25, she wrote one of the most thoughtful and concisely stated pieces I've ever read anywhere. Elder's post was published at Prairie State Blue (emphasis added): More than half of the bills passed by the Illinois state legislature are agreed-to bills, meaning the final bill is acceptable to all parties, which certainly evinces the art of negotiation and compromise but can also mean that the final product has been made transformed into something worthless using the very same skills. I spoke with several state legislators yesterday about House Bill 7, the campaign reform bill that’s now awaiting the Governor’s signature. They all shared my sense of its inadequacies and echoed the lament of other legislators whose comments I have read: “It could be better but it’s better than nothing” and “This moment won’t come again.” They are cowardly, brainless hacks. Too often, as in the case of H.B.7, legislation is hurried through, rushed to passage, with those lawmakers voting on it often not having read the entire bill. Somehow, "bipartisan" has become a hot buzz word over that past decade. It's so desirable, this publicly fashionable need by our elected representatives to be seen by the voters as more than willing to get along and cooperate with the other side. Here's a shocking truth for you, folks: "bipartisan" is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, I would say that it often is not. Elder thinks so too, apparently, although she expressed it more politely than I will here. She commented, "Doesn’t that sound defeatist? It did to me." There are times, of course, when we want opposing political parties to agree to not disagree over matters such as urgent emergencies or imminent national security threats. But when it comes to decisions about spending your tax dollars and the forcible ways to take those dollars from you, I want the men or women that I voted for to be as contentious and disagreeable with "the other side" as they possibly can be, stopping short of physical violence. In other words, I want my elected officials to fight for me, not to compromise away our freedoms, our money, our futures. I want elected representatives to stand for principles, and be willing to fight for them, public opinion polls be damned, bipartisanship be damned. Too often, those "representatives" stand for nothing but their own re-election. Shamefully, too many voters fall for the comprising bipartisan cooperation defeatist posturing of those spineless, gutless, rudderless politicians. Elder noted that some of the legislators said that the lame, final version of H.B.7 could have been better "but it’s better than nothing" and that “This moment won’t come again.” These statements, made by legislators, are absurd. They are also untrue. Think about it. "It's better than nothing" is not always true. If it was, George Washington and his friends would have reached a nice, agreeable compromise with the King of England. Ben Franklin might have explained Washington's decision as good, because although complete freedom would have been desirable, the nice hypothetical compromise was better than no agreement. Today, in 2009, Americans would still be paying taxes to England. Or would we? "This moment won't come again" is also not necessarily true. To say so with absolute accuracy would require a flawless ability to see into the future, and that there is only one possible future. Nobody has that ability, and there in an infinite number of possible futures for each of us. It is laughable and dishonest for any legislator to say that it will never again be possible to pass a campaign reform bill. Somebody should ask those folks what they mean by that, and why it will never again be possible to pass additional campaign reform laws, or to amend current ones. Those who said that "this moment won't come again" are either morons with no ability to think critically, or are cynical liars. (If you think of a third possibility, please let me know what it is.) Elder wraps up her brilliant little post with this: In the realm of politics and government, I think there are two general tendencies; one is toward competition and the other toward cooperation. I value both but recognize that either tendency set past the standard deviations imperils the quality of our politics and the welfare of our state. We have been awfully quiet and agreeable and we are about to head off a cliff. She's right. Cooperation is generally desirable, but sometimes it can go too far. Had President Ronald Reagan been overly eager to cooperate with the old Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall would probably still be standing and we'd still call Russia the "USSR." Neville Chamberlain was eager to talk with, and reach a compromise with, Adolf Hitler. That was less than helpful, as Hitler laughed it off and went about his business without regard to Chamberlain. While less dramatic, it is no less true that too much cooperation and bipartisanship among legislators sells us all up the river, whether the issue at hand is property taxes, gun ownership, parking fines or speed laws. If we, as Americans, truly value complete bipartisanship and full cooperation among our elected representatives, then let us just forego future elections. Let's just stop wasting time and pretending and get rid of the two-party system, in favor of a single homogenous smiley-faced oh-so-agreeable council of rulers. It worked for Hitler, Stalin and Mao, didn't it? RELATED: The Coming Myth of a "Bipartisan" Health Care Compromise - getliberty.org About Suzanne Elder - Windy City Times Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Suzanne Elder: "Toss Them To The Curb"

Pros and Cons of Illinois Constitutional Convention

Tomorrow is Election Day in the USA. We will vote for the next president, but there is much more on everyone's ballot. Here in Illinois, for example, the people will be voting on whether or not to hold a constitutional convention ("con-con"), which is meant to tweak and fine tune that document. For the first time in 20 years, this November 4th, Illinois voters will get a chance to vote "YES" to call for a new Constitutional Convention for Illinois. Of course, some people want a convention and some don't. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich currently has a popularity rating lower than that of George W. Bush, and is currently under the microscope of federal investigators (can you say "Rezko"?). The state has been compared to Louisiana in terms of systemic corruption. Among other possibilities, a constitutional convention would give the people the opportunity to add - or reject - a provision for recalling corrupt or inept elected officials. RELATED: Constitutional Convention for Illinois Theory and Reality in Constitution Debate Have You Read the Illinois Constitution?

Portraits of Heroism

Suzanne Elder writes a touching piece about students who painted portraits of soldiers who died to keep them safe and secure here at home. Read "Portraits of loss" by Suzanne in this week's News-Star. (Note: There were no portaits of beheaded infidels, homosexuals who were stoned to death, or women who were killed for loving the wrong person featured at this exhibit.) RELATED: D-Day: Crisis On Omaha Two Iranian-backed Terrorist Leaders Surrender In Iraq Jury acquits another Haditha Marine - Verdict eliminates charges filed after Murtha accusations Liberals Will Now Have to Change Their Tune on Iraq 3 Jun 2008 Because now even the French see the success: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Sunday that the security situation in Iraq was improving and reaffirmed France's willingness to help rebuild the war-ravaged country.

A Real Choice For Democrats

Elder and Smith on Heather Steans

(Updated, Dec. 19, 2009) What did they say in February 2008 about Heather Steans? Back then, Steans was hand picked by the Democrat Machine to replace Carol Ronen in the 7th District State Senate race. Interviewed in this video are Suzanne Elder, who ran unsuccessfully against Steans, and Jeff Smith, who is currently running for State Representative in the 18th District. Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Where is Suzanne Elder's Media Staff?

Elder talks a good game, and I've no reason to question her sincerity. But she calls herself a Democrat - a progressive Democrat - and she says she's running against the Machine. So be it. We'll have to take her word for it, cross our fingers, and believe that Ms. Elder will truly be a breath of fresh air. Meantime, her campaign staff seems to be asleep at the wheel. A Google News Search for "Suzanne Elder" turns up - nothing. No hits. Nada. Zip. Craig Gernhardt at The Broken Heart has done more on his blog than Elder has in terms of getting media coverage. Ms. Elder needs to send a stern memo to her media people. (Does she even have media people?)