![_Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh Has Another "Insert Foot In Mouth" Moment [UPDATED]](http://chicagoist.com/assets_c/2012/06/2011_6_1_joe_walsh-thumb-250x250-718222.png)
President Obama and VP Joe Biden have already made the local rounds in support of U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias so the next logical step is a helping hand from the First Lady, Michelle Obama. Lynn Sweet reports that Michelle will be back in town on October 13 to help raise some cash for Alexi as well as Rep. Debbie Halvorson, Rep. Bill Foster and Dan Seals. It'll be the first stop for the First Lady who plans to do her first bit of campaigning since the 2008 election. According to Sweet, Michelle's schedule features "nine events in seven cities in six states," quite the whirlwind trip.
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In case you somehow missed it, today's bailout failure pushed the Dow to its biggest drop ever. Also, Lynn Sweet has a list of how Illinois' reps voted today. Seven Dems and two Republicans voted yes, four Dems and five Republicans voted no, and Jerry Weller (R), was the only member of the entire house that did not cast a vote.
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Results tagged “lynnsweet”
Alexi To Get Support From First Lady
Pres. Obama Takes On Oil Spill In First Oval Office Address
Last night, President Obama made the first Oval Office address of his presidency, using the speech to discuss the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as well as the ongoing recovery efforts along the coast (read a full transcript here). Calling the spill "the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced," Obama claimed that within two to three weeks, a cap could be in place that would contain as much as 90 percent of the oil gushing into the Gulf. He also discussed the "recklessness" of BP and talked of a compensation fund provided by BP but controlled by a third party. Obama also used the speech as a platform for energy reform, pushing for less dependence on oil. Following the speech, BP issued a statement, saying, "We share the president's goal of shutting off the well as quickly as possible, cleaning up the oil and mitigating the impact on the people and environment of the Gulf Coast. We look forward to meeting with President Obama tomorrow for a constructive discussion about how best to achieve these mutual goals."
Kirk Loses Greens and Face Nationally
It’s been a rough week for Mark Kirk. He lost his green group support and more military misremember-ments surfaced, elevating his national profile in a way he might not prefer. In recent elections, Kirk had been one of the few Republican candidates who could claim strong support from environmentalists. But that ended this week as the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters announced that they would not support him in the race to fill Illinois’ empty Senate seat. Oil policy and a flip-flop on his energy bill vote earlier in the year are at the heart of the groups’ decision to pull their support. Tony Massaro of the League of Conservation Voters told Lynn Sweet at the Sun-Times, "He was one of the people down on the floor of the House chanting 'Drill, Baby, Drill!' in August, 2008."
Obama Green Lights Thomson-Gitmo Deal
An announcement will be made later today that President Obama has given the go-ahead for the federal government to purchase the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Illinois to hold federal inmates and some detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. Gov. Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will be in Washington, D.C. today to meet with officials over details of the acquisition. Both have supported the move which they claim could create over 3,500 jobs. The Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet, who indicated over the weekend this move was coming, reports:
Robert Novak Dead At 78
Sun-Times colleague Lynn Sweet is reporting that columnist/pundit Robert Novak has lost his battle with brain cancer and passed away early this morning at the age of 78. Novak, a Joliet native, had been with the Sun-Times since 1966. Novak’s wife, Geraldine, told Sweet, “He was someone who loved being a journalist, love journalism and loved his country and loved his family."
Kirk Teases Us On Election
Lynn Sweet reports that U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk's office is saying he's running for a state-wide office...but tsk tsk, they won't tell us which state office until his formal announcement on Monday. Of course, we can look past this little tease and know almost for certain that it's going to be for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Roland Burris. With state GOP head Andy McKenna yielding the right of way to Kirk on this office, it seems a pretty sure thing we'll be reading about "Kirk For Senate" come Monday afternoon.
Sweet: Lisa Madigan Running for...Attorney General
In a surprise move, it seems state Attorney General Lisa Madigan will not be running for either the U.S. Senate or Illinois Governor come next year, according to Sun-Times political analyst Lynn Sweet. Instead, Madigan will look to stay put by running again for Attorney General.
Extra, Extra
- Lynn Sweet reports that President Obama is creating a new White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport, a move that officials hope might help out Chicago's 2016 bid.
- David Hernandez, the investor with the Chicagosportswebio ordeal who is accused of running a Ponzi scheme, has gone missing according to authorities.
- TOC brings us news of a scheduled reunion among the riot police who were involved in both the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the 1969 Days of Rage.
The First 100: Tracking Obama's Promises
President Obama has been in office 100 days. What has he done? What hasn't he done? With all the talk of the economic stimulus package, it's easy to over look other promises he's kept (stem cell research, closing Guantanamo) and ones he hasn't yet (income taxes for seniors). The Sun-Times Lynn Sweet has a helpful chart that breaks down what promises The South Side President has kept and which ones he hasn't after his first 100 days.
Quinn to Lynn: I'm In!
In an interview with the Sun-Times's Lynn Sweet on Tuesday, Governor Pat Quinn affirmed that he'll run for re-election in 2010. "I have no reason not to run," Quinn said. "I think I am doing a good job today. I anticipate I will continue to do that. Stabilizing the ship of Illinois is vitally necessary. I think even in the first three-and-a-half weeks we've done a decent job of turning a page in an unhappy chapter in the state's history," he told her.
The Burris Appointment: What Next?
It's the morning after and we're still somewhat shocked at the chutzpah of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. With all the protest from Congressional Democrats, will Roland Burris ever be seated as a U.S. Senator? As we pointed out yesterday, officials across the spectrum are chiming in to denounce the appointment, including President-Elect Barack Obama, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, and State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. So what happens next?
Obama Meets the Press
For the first time since being elected, Sen. Barack Obama addressed the press on economic issues from a downtown Chicago hotel this afternoon and then took questions from reporters for a short time. Obama was quick to make sure he didn't step on the toes of the current administration, saying:
The United States has only one government and one President, and until January 20th of next year, that government is the current Administration. I have spoken to President Bush, and I appreciate his commitment to ensuring that his economic policy team keeps us fully informed as developments unfold.He then outlined his economic concerns that will be facing the Obamistration. Following the statement, he fielded a few questions from reporters, nothing particularly hard-hitting, though he did seem to make an instant celebrity of the Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet who discussed with the President-Elect an injury she sustained at Obamapalooza. Check out the entire conference after the jump. And if that's not enough Obama for you, WTTW is replaying the Bob Sirott interview with Obama from 2004 tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Extra, Extra
Novakula Fades Into Sunrise
Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet reports that Robert Novak has announced his immediate retirement in the wake of his brain tumor diagnosis, which Novak says is "dire."
Hoping for Change?
While Lynn Sweet live blogs Barack Obama's World Tour from O-Force One, we're saving up our pennies for a nifty Dare to Hope shirt!
"I'll Be Mayor for Twenty Years!"
Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the death of Harold Washington. The Chicago of 1983 was very different from the Chicago of 2007: factories were shutting down, and white middle-class homeowners were leaving the city in droves, taking their property taxes and urban stability with them. An alarming upswing in crime and drugs, coupled with escalating racial tensions left many Chicagoans nervous about the future. Richard J. Daley had been dead for seven years, and...
This Just In: Obama Did Drugs in High School
File this one under "Color Us Surprised": Obama was interested in girls, drank alcohol and experimented with drugs in high school. Obama made a campaign stop at a study hall in Manchester New Hampshire yesterday and answered students' questions. Prior to meeting with the students, Obama unveiled an $18 billion plan that would expand public education from pre-school through 12th grade. He also criticized No Child Left Behind. To their credit, the high schoolers had...
Obama '84
The internets are in a tizzy with with a new ad making the rounds on YouTube. Our gal in the trenches, Lynn Sweet, called it "riveting", and Matt Drudge helped blow it up even further after San Francisco Chronicle writer Carla Marinucci blogged about it. In fact, it seems that everyone has weighed in on this piece of viral political film-making, including the irrepressible Tucker Carlson, who referred to Hillary as "castrating" (ouch!) Even...
Hump Day Political News Roundup
Well, another week has descended upon the city by the lake, and the politicians, like the rest of us, are frolicking in this wonderful spring weather like cowboys at the beach. Let's take all the newsy tidbits that came across our desk this week and rustle them up, like the spring cattle they want to be. Who knows? Maybe one of these stories will fatten up into a vitriol-filled post we can use as a...
Hump Day Political News Roundup
All kinds of nonsense has happened politically, so lets take a look back at the week so far: In case you live in a cave and missed the biggest news story so far this week, the FBI arrested 20th Ward Alderman Arenda Troutman on charges that she took bribes. “Well, the thing is, most alderman, most politicians are hos.” Lynn Sweet continues to think she's a blogger. We like her better when she dishes on...
Hump Day Political News Roundup
Howdy little doggies, the Roundup got in late yesterday as our wagontrain kept crashing. But not to worry, we're here with the best of the rest this week. Let's all snuggle up around the Firefox while yer Uncle Chicagoist tells y'all a story! Lynn Sweet is practically a political blogger, hopping on whatever Obama bandwagon is coming along at the moment. Flogging Obama's "drug use" is sure to be something that the bottom-feeder columnists will...
Obamarama
The Chicagoist offices were abuzz yesterday with the petition that Illinois' senior senator, Dick Durbin e-mailed to his supporters, urging Barack Obama to run for President in 2008. Although Durbin's press secretary was unavailable for comment when we contacted his office, CBS 2 scored an interview with Durbin, and he pretty much denied any coordination with Obama & Co. on this, claiming "I didn't tell him in advance I was gonna do it." Obama's press...
Annie Leibovitz Focuses on Obama
It’s official. Barack Obama is a rock star. The senator has already won a Grammy, but he’ll soon have something possibly even more coveted – a portrait by Annie Leibovitz. Leibovitz will photograph Obama for a Men’s Vogue piece due out in October, about the same time his new book, “The Audacity of Hope,” will hit shelves. If you don’t recognize Leibovitz’s name, and we’re not sure how you couldn’t, you’ve probably seen her celebrity...
Topinka Drops A Bomb On Blagojevich
It's less than two years until the 2006 gubernatorial elections, and the playing field is beginning to shape up for the big race. Already we know two facts: Republican Illinois Treasurer Judy Barr Topinka is going to run, and Governor Rod Blagojevich is going to have a buckets of money to spend. It all came to light in the Lynn Sweet's Sun Times column today when Sweet published the results of a poll Topinka conducted....
And Then There Were 23...And Jackson Jr. Stirs The Pot for 2007
Because Chicagoist takes its job of repeating what is already printed in the newspapers very seriously, we thought it was important to mention last Friday's big news of six new people indicted in the Hired Truck Scandal. The charges are more of the same, shaking down trucking company owners for bribes. Probably the most interesting news is that one, there are so many people people charged -- twenty-three -- and two, that Don Tomczak, the...
Inauguration Hype In DC; Democrats Contemplate Canadian Citizenship
There's a whole lotta hoopla starting in our nation's capital today. There's gala balls, parades, a big speech, and probably at least one or two beer bashes. Our compadres in Washington, DCist, have the whole coverage, but here's the meager Illinois angle: Basically, Chicago Democrats have all come home, or gone elsewhere. Chicagoist has spotted a number of Chicago Congressmen in Chicago this week, and we've heard stories of more than a few elected Illinois...
Ryan Watch: Day Three
Erstwhile Beleaguered Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Jack Ryan didn't resign last night, in fact he held a press conference where he came out swinging. When asked about numerous GOP leaders turning their backs on him, including the Cook County Republican Party, Ryan said, "If former Governor Edgar and speaker Hastert say, Jack, we'd like you to get out of the race, what do you do? I am in the race to win in November and...
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