Tuesdays with Paulie 05/16/06

The Chicago Machine...Scared
The news for Blago just gets worse

The next few weeks and months will get very interesting in the city of Chicago as well as the state of Illinois. Federal Prosecutors are crawling up the rectum of city hall and the Blagojevich administration investigating hiring practices involving both the city of Chicago and the Governors office.

Governor Blagojevich may get a big blow this upcoming weekend when State Senator James Meeks announces his intention to run as an Independent candidate for governor. Meeks, who is pastor of Salem Baptist Church, has strong ties to the African American community as well as to social conservatives. Meeks platform will be to raise taxes and earmark the funds for Chicago Public Schools. He also is adamantly pro-life and anti-gay rights.

As an African American with strong community ties, he can take a huge percentage of black votes from Cook County devastating Blagojevich. It is believed that he can pick up some GOP support, since Topinka is a social moderate who does not support a constitutional ban on gay marriage and is pro-choice. Meeks is famous for his anti-white sermons in church and desire to raise taxes, which will limit his appeal to even the most religious conservatives. It is also believed that Meeks wants to be mayor of Chicago and will use the governors race as an organizational tool for 2007. Stay tuned it will get good.

Maybe we share the same brain

Not many people know that my favorite book is Think a Second Time by Dennis Prager. The book was given to me by a great Libertarian friend of mine, Tom Hanley, who I traveled with in February of 1996 to work for Steve Forbes during the Iowa caucus. Prager is not just a brilliant political thinker, but his philosophical perspective on life and Judaism is enlightening.

The reason I bring Prager up is earlier today, Shannon asked me if I read his column in Jewish World Review? I hadn't since I had not been home all morning near my computer (I need a laptop). When I told her I hadn't she told me that we share the same brain. Prager's column today discusses Jews who aid those who hate Jews. I touched the subject the other day when I discussed Noam Chomsky. Like Prager, I also am critical of Jews who despise Israel and or support groups that murder Jews. Today's column is a must read. It serves as a reminder that there are Jews who defend and support those who would take their right to life away.

Paulie