There are multiple candidates for the IL primary this election cycle.  The Democrats have stopped calling me, because I don't give over the phone. I don't know this candidate, so I was curious.  Why am I being called?

I used my trusty friend Google.  There are already 3 candidates for the Democratic primary.  Tomorrow there will be 4 candidates in the Democratic primary in IL-14.  The article is in error about one candidate; Linda Chapa Lavia has announced (LOUD) that she will run.

How do these things go together?  

In the last 24 hours:

1. 11 Republicans met with the shrub to say their districts & the next presidency were going to be defeated by Democrats.  The shrub was not trusted by the public & needed a new spokesman on the war progress.  The meeting was leaked by Republicans and just in time for the nightly news.

2. Cheney goes to Iraq to tell the parliament no vacation.

3. Rumors: Blue Dog Democrats are going to vote with Republicans on the war spending bill

4. Pentagon announces 35,000 troops to be deployed in September and they are borrowing money from the next fiscal year to pay for the Occupation.

UPDATED to include links

Last night after a day of defending the Democratic Leaders, I was unthinkingly engaging a troll.  One point he or she made was that all politicians were scum.  I responded as follows:

I cannot afford the luxury of cynicism.

Last night my husband and I attended the Moveon.org sponsored viewing of "The Ground Truth."  It's a documentary about the soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghan wars.  It was a roomful of people who are involved in Democracy for America and/or Moveon.org.  

The documentary is powerful.  If you haven't seen it, it's available through regular movie outlets. (Barnes and Noble is blue.)  The movie takes you through the making of a soldier, to the war action, and finally readjusting to home (when you get home).  It's eloquent and mind-numbing at the same time.  These are personal stories woven in with actual news footage.   It's an hour and 18 minutes.  

Joe Vosicky is running for an open representative senate seat in Illinois.  The votes are still being counted with a 300 vote difference out of 27,000 votes.  He is a grassroots candidate and could probably use some support.  
Although Illinois is a "blue" state nationally, we are really a purple state with the Democrats controlling Chicago and the close suburbs and the Repugs controlling downstate and the collar counties.  The Repugs are in disarray with the country club variety versus the right-wing religious variety.  This seat would be a great pick up for populists.

A new organization has shown up in Illinois called "Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity" except it's asking for people to call the government and ask for deregulation and price hikes.  Their reason is that we will have an energy crunch just like California.  It's a business lobby.

more below the fold...

A new organization has shown up in Illinois called "Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity" except it's asking for people to call the government and ask for deregulation and price hikes.  Their reason is that we will have an energy crunch just like California.  It's a business lobby.

more below the fold...