Month-In-Review

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Here's the summary post from Eric Zorn. Thanks again, Mr. Zorn!

Eric Zorn, who blogs and writes for the Chicago Tribune, has graciously asked me to participate is this month's edition of his Month-In-Review.  Every month, he asks a handful of Illinois bloggers to submit responses to pre-selected categories of questions and post them on our own blogs.  Mr. Zorn then compiles our responses, links to them, and offers his own opinions as well.

Here are my responses:

MOST SIGNIFICANT STORY OF THE MONTH:

Governor Blagojevich is the “Official A” named in the federal plea deal by Chicago lawyer Joseph Cari, a former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee. Cari and the Feds didn’t need to include the allegations about Blagojevich and his “fundraising strategy,” but they did – leading many to speculate about bigger targets in the investigation.

WINNER OF THE MONTH:

Pork lovers, both Federal and State. The level of spending and fiscal irresponsibility has passed beyond troubling and is now absolutely absurd. In Illinois, the Governor steals from state pensions to pay for a bit of good press, and the Feds – supposedly controlled by conservatives – wants to throw billions at a corrupt, incompetent state and local system that will have to dream up new ways to waste it and steal it.

LOSER OF THE MONTH:

Illinois Democrats, who are now forced to unite behind a candidate for Governor that over half of them don’t really like all that much. Currently, I think there are at least four potential GOP candidates who would beat Blagojevich: Edgar, Topinka, Rauschenberger and Brady. Right now, my forecast is that Edgar would cruise to victory, with the other three winning narrowly.

And, as a bonus, at this point, Blagojevich’s polling numbers are bad enough and durable enough that, as the Governor’s race is at the top of the ballot, he could do some severe collateral damage to the rest of the Democratic ticket. It will be interesting to watch the other Democratic candidates, especially those Downstate, work so hard to distance themselves from Blagojevich.

MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY:

The role that race played in the inaccurate media-fed hysteria immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Why is it OK to talk about race and racism when it makes Republicans look bad, but not when it makes the media look bad?

MOST OVER-REPORTED STORY:

Jim Edgar. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but do we really need daily, breathless updates about whether he’s in or out? If he’s in, great, let’s deal with it then. If he’s out, great, let’s deal with it then. He’s not even running yet and I’m already bored with him.

Runner-Up: Cindy Sheehan. The way the media has been trumpeting her as if she’s not being funded, used, and promoting by the worst of the American left is just the latest example of how desperately the MSM will seize on any story, no matter how inconsequential or misleading, to attempt to embarrass President Bush.

Second Runner-Up: Gas prices. They’re still lower than they were in the seventies in real terms. And the problem isn’t with consumption; it’s with over-regulation and the lack of exploration and new refineries.

STORY TO WATCH IN THE UPCOMING MONTH:

Jim Edgar’s pending announcement (I know, I’m still tired of it, too) and US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s never-ending quest to jail our past Governor, our current Governor, and the Mayor of our largest city.