Bloom Township Dem Committeeman Race Heats Up

If you're a Democrat living in Bloom Township, you probably received a very official looking piece of mail entitled "Voter Alert." While the voter alert was faked, voters in Bloom should have been alerted to one of the more interested contested primaries this cycle.

It sits at the bottom of the ticket. A place where fewer voters wander, after the long list of judges that one is supposed to vote for. If a voter chooses to vote on the computer (which most voters do), then you have to at least pass through the Democratic committeeman race. Voters who choose a paper ballot may ignore it altogether.

I'd like to argue that voters shouldn't ignore this race, but I won't (I won't suggest that you do ignore it, either). Because, well -- like that Facebook designation -- it's complicated.

You see, incumbent Democratic Committeeman Terry Matthews is running against challenger Joe Faso on the message that he (Matthews) is the "Real Democrat" in the race. You can see Faso's primary voting record here. There is no question about that. The Vote Builder logarithm characterizes Matthews as "Leaning Democrats," while it characterizes Faso as "Leaning Republicans." I've talked to Matthews about this race, and he said (basically) that I should support him because Faso is exactly the kind of Republican-turned-Democrat (Faso voted in the last Democratic primary, like all the other TJ Somer Republicans, to support Somer in his race for judge) of whom I've been critical. And he's right.

Except that it's complicated.

Because Matthews has made backing Republicans-turned-Democrats into a pattern that I (at least) can't ignore. Matthews appointed Republican-turned-Democrat Anthony DeLuca to George Scully's state representative seat (80th ILGA District). DeLuca voted in the same Republican primaries that Faso did (in 3/16/04 and 3/19/02), as well as in 2000 and 1998.

And Matthews has been the major promoter Republican-turned-Democrat TJ Somer in his race for judge. Somer was the former President of the Republican Party in Bloom Township (I've incorrectly said previously that he was the Republican committeeman), but Somer has admitted in the press that he has to be a Democrat to win a seat on the bench.

Somer voted in the Republican primary in 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000 and 1998.

But Matthews support of Republican-turned-Democrat TJ Somer is so great that, according to neighboring Democratic committeeman Tim Bradford, Matthews made a deal that he would support Democrat Toi Hutchinson for state senator in the vacant 40th District (Debbie Halvorson's former state senate seat) if Bradford would help slate Republican-turned-Democrat TJ Somer in the upcoming 15th subcircuit judicial race. Matthews is not just supporting Republican stalwarts in Bloom Township, he's getting other Democratic committeeman to do the same.

Politics is all about give and take, but it's hard to see how Democrats get stronger when their choice is between a Republican-turned-Democrat (like TJ Somer, Anthony DeLuca or Joe Faso) and a Democrat who goes out of his way to see that Republicans-turned-Democrats are placed into Democratic seats at every available opportunity. (Matthews couldn't have appointed a Republican-turned-Democrat to Debbie Halvorson's seat because there were other Democratic committeemen who had votes, too.)

So what's a Democrat to do in Bloom Township? Hard to say. This is, I am told repeatedly, not about Bloom Township but about the Chicago Heights mayoral race in 2011. And that's a shame. Because the Barack Obama campaign mobilized thousands of Democrats to work in the last election, and they must be disappointed with the performance of their local Democratic party (and the barroom brawl it's currently engaged in). "How can I vote for Faso," one newly activated Democrat asked me. (I just listened.) Another new Democratic activist admitted that she'd probably vote for Faso in the race given her disappointment with Matthews' appointment of Republican-turned-Democrat Anthony DeLuca, but it didn't sound like she would like it. Why should Democrats be holding their nose to vote for Democrats in the age of Barack Obama?

The unions have been asking that very question. In fact, the reason that Joe Faso (Republican-turned-Democrat) is in the race is apparently because he was recruited by the trade union officials to run against Matthews. The local unions have coalesced sufficiently around their choice that they convinced the Chicago Federation of Labor to endorse Joe Faso in this race. As far as I know, this is the only instance where the Chicago Fed has endorsed a non-incumbent in a party race.

Why have the unions turned against the "Real Democrat" to a Republican-turned-Democrat? This is less clear, but the anger is real. The unions in the South Suburbs had been the backbone of Democratic politics through the years when Republicans ruled Bloom Township. But when Democrats in Bloom got a little power -- and the ability to appoint a state senator and state representative, as well as slate the subcircuit judicial races is a little bit of power -- the locals felt ignored. There is a natural temptation to think that local Democratic politics is starting to resemble local Republican politics -- dictatorial, secretative, elitist. So again, one asks: Why should Democrats be holding their nose to vote for Democrats in the age of Barack Obama?

We are better than that. And we have better (and more loyal) Democrats than that. We really do...

Lisa Madigan Speaks to Team Obama in Flossmoor

On Tuesday, January 19th, Lisa Madigan spoke to "Team Obama" (now Team HOPE) at the Flossmoor Station about her work as Illinois' Attorney General. She is introduced by freshman state Senator Toi Hutchinson of Olympia Fields.

Lisa talked about her efforts to help solve the mortgage foreclosure crisis and her work with women's and children's issues. Then she took questions from the audience.

This video is 37:22 long. It can be downloaded by clicking here.

Team Obama was formed from the grassroots volunteers who were mobilized on behalf of Barack Obama's presidential campaign out of the South Suburbs and have chosen to "stay together and stay involved." Its meetings are open to the public and held on the second Tuesdays of the month at the Flossmoor Station Restaurant. The group does not make endorsements and encourages participation in the political process as participants see fit.

Deborah Sims threatens taxpayers: "We've got to get that penny back"

We've been given fair warning. If Deborah Sims is re-elected, she will vote to raise our taxes (again) here in Cook County. "I think that penny -- we need to figure out how to get it back," she told the League of Women Voters candidate forum in Flossmoor on Wednesday night. "We've got to get that penny back." Despite the observation from Sims' opponent, Sheila Chalmers-Currin, that we "pay the highest sales tax in America," the current County Commissioner for the 5th district was completely unmoved. The increase of the penny sales tax was justified, and Sims made it very clear where she stood.

With Todd Stroger and raising our taxes.

Supporters of Deborah Sims passed out the flyer that Todd Stroger has been using to explain why the County's increase in our sales taxes shouldn't be a cause for alarm. Like Todd Stroger, Sims boasts that Cook County is "in good shape," one of the few governmental entities in the country that is completely unaffected by the worst recession most residents have ever seen. But the reason that Cook County can "afford" to pay for Deborah Sims' expensive Cadillac or her chauffeur or Stroger's relatives or contracts that go not to the lowest but the highest bidders (who just so happen to be political backers of Todd Stroger and Deborah Sims) is because Stroger and Sims raised Cook County taxes to a level that allowed excessive spending for their personal benefit.

But we aren't overtaxed, Sims told us. Nope, the County's portion of your tax bill is miniscle and more than justified. So much so that she pledged to add another penny to it!

"We've got to get that penny back," Sims told the crowded room in Flossmoor.

Sims' opponent couldn't have disagreed more with her intention of raising our taxes again. "We are taxed enough," Sheila Chalmers-Currin said last night. She noted that Sims' comments were a "perfect example of being out of touch with your constituents."

"This tax is too much," she concluded.

Wherein one of Deborah Sims' employees interrupted Chalmers-Currin, and was publicly admonished by the League of Women Voters' moderator.

Given additional time, Sheila Chalmers-Currin observed that "We can't afford four more years of the same." The back of the crowd erupted in applause.

Jones-Scully-Somer's Alliance breaks up CFL Block

Word on the street is that the "east end" deal that slated Linzey Jones, George Scully and T.J. Somer threatens the benefits that the Chicago Federation of Labor brings to the table in their own endorsement of Linzey Jones, George Scully and John Griffin in the 15th sub-circuit judge races. As I mentioned previously, the Chicago Fed expects its endorsees to support the other CFL-endorsed candidates -- and certainly not to actively oppose them.

But that was before the local Republican committee, Families United for Effective Leadership, started mailing to voters on behalf of Jones, Scully and Somer. F.U.E.L. is Somer's local campaign committee, started in 1998, and used to promote his favored candidates while he was the Bloom Township Republican committeeman.

The longtime Republican PAC paid $30,501.80 to The Public Response Group for the joint mailings. Word is that labor committees and labor supporters have expressed outrage to the Chicago Fed about the new mailing. How, people in the South Suburbs continue to ask, can anyone support the controversial former Republican committeeman T.J. Somer as a Democratic nominee for judge? As Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made clear, there are dramatic differences between Republican and Democratic judicial philosophies and how people are treated from the bench.

The Chicago Fed apparently has had enough. The benefit of the Fed's endorsement was not simply a line-item on one's endorsement mailing, but its ability to mail on its own dime to union members and labor supporters (through the America Works program). The Chicago Fed could expect endorsees not to oppose one another simply because the Fed's mail program would ask that union supporters vote for all the CFL-endorsed candidates. As a result of the recent Republican mailer, the Fed appears likely to drop Jones and Scully from their GOTV efforts, in its mail program, robocalls and canvassing program. Today, the Chicago Federation of Labor pulled their listing of Jones and Scully off their website.

John Griffin -- having kept his word to support the other CFL-endorsed candidates -- will continue to be promoted by the Chicago Fed's campaign communications. He, alone, remains listed on the CFL endorsement list.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Marred by Hate Crime in Flossmoor

A neighbor discovered this note on the front door here in Flossmoor:

Jesus wasn't a nigger

The homeowner was, of course, horrified. This hate crime was reported to the Flossmoor Police, and presumably to the Cook County Commission on Human Rights and the FBI (and other federal agencies).

But while I am interested in the criminal issue here, I am more outraged from the flawed moral and biblical assumptions behind it. Because the note was wrong. The perpetrator of this crime would undoubtedly have considered Jesus a nigger, if he knew the real (historical) Jesus. There's no question about it.

I assume that our perp relies on modern western art or his own racial prejudice for his depiction of Jesus' appearance. But there is ample evidence to refute our innate desire to picture Jesus in our own likeness. In fact, "the earliest depictions of Jews, which date from the 3rd Century, are - as far as can be determined - dark-skinned." Much like the depiction published by Popular Mechanics in a Christmas past.

As New Testament scholar Dr. Mark Goodacre put it:

There is absolutely no evidence as to what Jesus looked like. The artistic depictions down the ages have total and complete variation, which indicates that nobody did a portrait of Jesus or wrote down a description, it's all been forgotten....

In contemporary parlance I think the safest thing is to talk about Jesus as "a man of colour."

"And Jesus probably did have some African links. The Gospel of Matthew describes the family's flight to Egypt [Matt 2:13-15], "where, presumably, his appearance did not make him stand out." But "it is important to realize that in Old Testament times Egyptians were black, not Arab. Arabs first conquered Egypt when Moslems invaded Egypt shortly after the death of Mohammed," in 639 or 640 AD.

Jacob, son of Isaac, led his family into Egypt to be with his son Joseph, who had risen to prominence in Pharaoh's court. [Gen 46] Eventually, the

Israelites went into captivity in Egypt and during the 400 years the Israelites were in captivity in Egypt they and their descendants intermarried with non-Israelites. (The Israelites were in Egypt 430 years, 400 in captivity.) The group of over 600,000 men plus women and children that left Egypt under Moses was a "mixed multitude". Ethnically, their ancestors were a combination of Hamitic Egyptians and Semitic Israelites. Although the Bible lays out Jesus' ancestors through Shem, it does not mention that His ancestors would have had Hamitic blood from this intermixing, e.g. on their mothers' sides.

That Joseph and Mary could hide their young child from a powerful King actively looking for them testifies to their ability to blend in. But only Herod felt threatened by the newborn Christ child. Outside of the moment of his birth, the rest of the world seemed not to have noticed him. In fact, his humble beginnings -- even his flight from the land of his birth -- speak to a niggardly existence.

Jesus lived in poverty, even when the family moved to Nazareth in "Galil hagoim—Galilee of the strangers." He had neither wealth nor influence, and he was far from the center of both in his land. He was born in another person's stable (which, according to numerous scholars and commentators, could have been a cave in one of Bethlehem's hillsides.); he rode another man's donkey on his final journey and he was buried in another man's grave as a final resting place.

Our perp in here in Flossmoor wouldn't recognize the King of kings had he met him:

His hair and beard would have been black, curly and bushy – untrimmed in obedience to the command in the Law. [Leviticus 19:27] The Bible says He was not physically attractive. [Isaiah 53:2] Beauty, in God’s eyes, comes from within. [1 Peter 3:3-4]

But, God’s thoughts are the opposite of man’s thoughts. [Isaiah 55:8-9]

A nigger, if you will.

But the fact that one could historically and theologically describe Jesus Christ in such a way does not excuse the thoughtless and racist act of someone right here in Flossmoor. In fact, we should all be horrified by this note left on one of our neighbor's door. Not only is this not in the Spirit of Christmas, no matter how you define it, it is also not in the spirit of the community that we've built here in Flossmoor. Racial intolerance (as well as theological ignorance) is not welcome here. The fact that Flossmoor will be a part of the FBI's statistics on hate crimes for 2009 is a mark against us all, a black eye for our community, a despicable act that shames us all.

We are fortunate to live here. 2009 has been a great year for our little village. I'm saddened to hear that it may end on this sour note...

Team Obama Serves

A group of volunteers from Team Obama (Team HOPE in the New Year) participated in the Respond Now Christmas "store" for the less fortunate among us. We had a great time, thanks to Sheena Patton, our intrepid leader!

Judge John Griffin Explains Judicial Elections

On Tuesday, December 8th, Cook County Judge John Griffin spoke to "Team Obama" (now Team HOPE) at the Flossmoor Station about the process by which we choose judges in Illinois.

This video is 16:15 long.

Team Obama was formed from the grassroots volunteers who were mobilized on behalf of Barack Obama's presidential campaign out of the South Suburbs and have chosen to "stay together and stay involved." It's meetings are open to the public. The group does not make endorsements and encourages participation in the political process as participants see fit.

Dorothy Brown Before Team Obama

On Tuesday, December 8th, Circuit Cook Clerk Dorothy Brown spoke to "Team Obama" (now Team HOPE) at the Flossmoor Station about her campaign for Cook County Board President.

Dorothy talked about her four point improvement plan for county government and took questions from the audience.

This video is 37:27 long. It can be downloaded by clicking here.

Team Obama was formed from the grassroots volunteers who were mobilized on behalf of Barack Obama's presidential campaign out of the South Suburbs and have chosen to "stay together and stay involved." It's meetings are open to the public. The group does not make endorsements and encourages participation in the political process as participants see fit.

Dan Hynes Speaks to December Meeting in Flossmoor

On a blistery December 8th, the state Comptroller Dan Hynes came down to the South Suburbs of Cook County to talk to a packed room for "Team Obama" (now Team HOPE) at the Flossmoor Station about his campaign for Governor.

Dan started off about his experience with Barack Obama, from the 2004 Senate campaign to the presidential campaign, including observations on his first trip to Iowa as a surrogate speaker. From there he launched into a detailed explanation of the fiscal crisis that faces Illinois, as well as other problems that face the state. Hynes then answers questions from the audience.

This video is 42:22 long. It can be downloaded by clicking here.

Team Obama was formed from the grassroots volunteers who were mobilized on behalf of Barack Obama's presidential campaign out of the South Suburbs and have chosen to "stay together and stay involved." It's meetings are open to the public. The group does not make endorsements and encourages participation in the political process as participants see fit.