Boland comment about lieutenant governorship gets his haters frothing
A curious piece in the D/A a couple days ago mentioned the fact that State Rep. Mike Boland has said he might consider a run for lieutenant governor should current LG Pat Quinn decide to move on to other things, which it's widely suspected he will.
For publically musing about such a scenario, Boland has given his legion of freakish haters another chance to froth at the mouth with typical misspellings, fractured grammar, use of ALL CAPS, and dripping with mean-spiritedness as usuual, as evidenced by the comments the piece attracted.
The Jacobs faction has been driven half mad by frustration at their inability to drive a stake through Boland's heart and his Rasputin-like refusal to simply die and go away despite having everything including the kitchen sink thrown at him.
This time around they're pinning hopes on Jerry Lack, and braying incessantly about how Lack has former boss Lane Evan's endorsement, as well as those of a few other local Dem honchos. Apparently they feel that this annointment is all that's needed, as if it's been decreed by God himself that the people of this land must therefore vote Lack.
It's admittedly baffling as to why in the world Boland would ever discuss even hypothetical ambitions for higher office when he's facing a tough primary.
As illustrious commenter "Yellow Dog Democrat" opined in comments on a post mentioning this matter at Capitol Fax, "Why, WHY would you launch rumors that you are planning on seeking statewide office when you are in the middle of a primary campaign and expected to face a stiff General Election challenge once again?
Madigan’s staff must’ve choked on their coffee when they read that one."
posted by The Inside Dope @ 1/16/2008
8 comments
8 Comments:
Normally I too would have dismissed Lack's candidacy as just another attempt by the machine to "get Boland". However, what caught my attention the most is Rep. Pat Verschoore's endorsement of Lack. Why? I mean here you have a fellow Democrat and one of Speaker Madigan's loyal House members endorsing a challenger over fellow Rep. Boland. And Verschoore has a reputation of being a nice, decent man. Normally a fellow rep. would just stay out of it and let Boland fight his own battles. But he endorsed Jerry Lack. What does that tell you about MIke Boland and his reputation among colleagues??
Nico,
You raise a very interesting question. Perhaps someone with a little knowledge of the situation might inform us just why the situation has shaped up the way it has.
It certainly seems that Boland's welcome has begun to wear thin, and perhaps some see it as inevitable that he'll succumb to Lack?
At any rate, he's going down swinging. But he may end up wishing he'd have pulled the trigger and tried for one of the various other offices he's indicated interest in.
It certainly seems clear that he's trying to get out of the spot he's in, and that's likely because he's feeling the heat and knows it's about time to get out of the kitchen.
Mike will win.
Verschoore thinks that Boland is an incompetent stooge that has no backbone, has nothing to offer the people other than feel good legislation. Changing light bulbs is the biggest bill that Boland has passed in thirty years.
Mike only cares about his getting elected and collecting a second state pension.
Verschoore thinks that if people had to work with Boland they would vote against him also.
Well Mike is very resilient and he has a tendency to keep coming back and hitting. And he has successfully fended off a number of challengers in primaries over the years and some tough General Elections as well. So his strength as a vote-getter cannot be denied.
The question is whether Madigan will bail out Boland again. Maybe Madigan is tired of sending money and resources to defend what should be a safe Democratic seat. The fact that Verschoore has endorsed Jerry Lack might suggest that Madigan has backed away from Boland and that it is safe to do so. Because Democratic state reps don't sneeze without asking Speaker Madigan if it is okay.
Mike has come a long way and he has had a good ride when you consider that it is a "machine" county and that MIke's reputation has always been that of a gadfly and an outsider. If he is voted out in 2008 he would have nothing to lose by taking his case to the people as he always does and he could run statewide.
Is this Boland this incompetent as he seems?
Pat Verschoore's endorsement of Mr. Lack probably has more to do with the fact that Pat is firmly entrenched in the Jacob's camp and could do nothing else but follow their lead. Which in itself is a sad commentary. Breaking the Jacob's hold on Rock Island County politics is key to opening the doors and windows of smokey backroom Chicago style politics for this area and letting in some fresh air.
Nico,
That's what I've always admired about Boland, the fact that he's managed to win elections and stay in office for quite a while, all while the usual suspects have done all that they could, both above and below board, to cut him off at the knees.
This arouses my natural instinct to defend the underdog against those who gain position by virtue of machine organization, simply outspending due to having the most money, money gotten mainly by virtue of being willing and eager to cozy up to corporate interests in exchange for campaign cash, or simple nepotism.
It doesn't appear that Boland has relied on any of those things to get where he is.
He's often grasped at straws to come up with issues and bills to sponsor on some kind of goofy things, but he's hung in there.
And more importantly, there really hasn't been anyone who could be expected to do any better to challenge him.
It's precarious to be so reliant on the help of Madigan, and Boland certainly is. As you note, a lot will hinge on whether Madigan decides to go to bat for Boland once again.
Make no mistake, the Speaker is backing Mike Boland again. That itself isn't exceptional, it's what the Speaker usually does for incumbents.
The reason we've been able to defy the odds all these years is the services we provide the people Mike represents. It's a cliche that is used all too often, but in the case of Boland's office it's true.
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