Breaking news! USS candidate Jack Ryan (R-IL) to withdraw from race

[Padraig18]

A formal statement later today.

http://www.wlsam.com

[Walt Starr]

1. FUCK!

Now Obama could end up with REAL competition.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!

[SoCalDem]

4. not necessarily.. Perhaps the people of Illinois have finally

figured out that the repubes they have been electing are a bunch of scumbags.. It's not just this guy.. There has been a steady procession of them.

[lovedems]

11. Agreed. As an Illinoisian, the repubs in this state SUCK!

Hastert, LaHood, George Ryan, Jim Thompson, Jack Ryan. Those are the ones off the top of my head.

NO MORE ILLINOIS REPUBLICANS!

[gauguin57]

12. hey ... watch your language ...

who do you think you are, Dick Cheney?! lol!

[BurtWorm]

22. That made me laugh!

:toast:

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. Glad he's out but

worried about who will be in. I don't think Edgar will do it. Barr-Topinka...maybe.

[Walt Starr]

3. If Oberweis screams loud enough, he could force them into it

and Oberweis is the racist xenophobe.

[Norquist Nemesis]

8. Oberweis is more than that

He's big prick maximum. He's got the money though. I think Barr-Topinka would give be the toughest for Obama to fight.

I forget who was 2nd behind Ryan. Was that Oberweis?

[Killarney]

5. Shit. I really wanted him to stay in and give Barack a landslide.

[wndycty]

6. Dupe

You are a moderator but I like mine better, we posted at the exact same time. . .its up to you wish one to lock (grin). However it might make sense to keep em both open!

[Blue-Jay]

7. Crap. I was hoping that he'd tough it out.

Oh well... Let's see who they come up with.

[SoCalDem]

10. Bet ya he says he...."Needs to spend more time with his family"

:)

[Blue-Jay]

16. Yeah. He'll blame his son again, I'm sure.

/now watch this drive

[Southsideirish]

9. Drat - I said by 3:00 he'd be out - off by 3 hrs.! n/t

[Padraig18]

13. WLS has a reporter outside campaign headquarters.

A formal statement is expected soon.

[MissB]

14. Good.

Not terribly shocking.

[LuminousX]

15. Oberweiss will be chosen

I think Topinka is aiming for Governorship.

[Padraig18]

18. Corrine Wood would be formidable.

Moderate, pro-choice, pretty (hey-- it matters), etc. .

[LuminousX]

19. I strongly agree, but they won't do it

that is actually one of the reasons why IL GOP are in shambles, they are stuck in their ruts.

[Padraig18]

20. True.

Their civil war continues...

[wndycty]

17. Be sure to start googling all of the potential replacements

Oberweis, Gidwitz, et al.

[Raskolnik]

21. I think Rauschenburger would be a challenge.

I am actually concerned about a Rauschenburger candidacy. He's really the opposite (at least in the Republican spectrum) of Ryan: he's got a public service record, he works well with the Republican organization, and he was coming on strong at the end of the primaries. I think if the primaries had been held a month later, he most likely would have won. Unlike Ryan, he has the experience to not look like a fool when debating Obama.


We need to redouble our efforts for Obama. I don't want to just win this thing, I want to humiliate the Republicans even more.

[wndycty]

23. Just start googling. . .look at his votes, look at his positions. . .

. . .remember whomever the GOP chooses is going to be controversial because this person is appointed, not nominated. . .there is a huge difference.

[Raskolnik]

24. I absolutely agree that his record is quite conservative...

...but I think that he would be much more able to articulate his positions and run an effective campaign against the progressive Obama. Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe that Obama will beat whomever the GOP trots out, but I don't think this kind of turmoil in a campaign really benefits the clear frontrunner.

A lot can happen between now and November, and I was perfectly content to be going against a boob like Ryan. God forbid, but a significant threat to national security could throw the race up in the air.

Anyway, I guess its all just whistling in the dark until the GOP actually decides who they want to run.