Scott Lee Cohen is out as Lt. Gov. candidate for the Democrats.   Cohen made the announcement late Sunday after meeting with House Speaker, and IL Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan. 

One would assume that the Democrats would now chose the person who came in second in the Lt. Gov. primary race.  One would be wrong.  The entire Democratic statewide slate is from CHICAGO!  Madigan is now trying to figure out how to bring "diversity" to the ticket by using this opening to insert a "downstate" candidate on the ticket..........no doubt someone from South Chicago.

We may be seeing the "Brady effect" here.  People are tired of Illinois being run by the Chicago politicians.   Brady successfully tapped into that anger with his victory in the Republican primary.  Madigan is taking note.


It's the woes of Chicago and the state that are starting to fill the headlines.  From school's not receiving state money, to the graft and corruption that is Chicago, voters are getting their fill of inept leadership and incumbent politics.  My brother recently sent out a piece on the problems surrounding McPier.  McPier is the organization (politically appointed) that runs the Navy Pier and McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. 

McCormick Place hosts a wide variety of national and international trade shows each year.  Slowly, but surely, over the past 10 years, a large number of these conventions have simply moved to other destinations.  Namely Orlando and Las Vegas.  The reason for the departure?  Unions have driven up the costs of holding a convention in Chicago to astronomical numbers.  In fact, here's a first hand account, from a vendor, who exhibited in Chicago.  It's frightening.....

Frankly, I’ve been surprised that the convention exodus from LACE w:st="on">ChicagoLACE> didn’t begin years ago.>>

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The last time we exhibited in a 20’ x 40’ booth at the NRA Show, the Electrical cost alone was $18k for a 4 day show.  There was nothing special or unique about our electrical requirements.  A single 120V 15A hookup costs $500+.  It’s just disgraceful.>>

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In the Chicago Tribune, they reported that it costs $40,000 a day to have a Union Steward on site during show days, apparently, a union requirement.  Absolutely unacceptable.>>

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They’ve gotten away with it for years because Orlando and Vegas didn’t have enough convention space and there wasn’t much choice.  But in the last 5 years, McPier has real competition, priced sensibly, along with the right-to-work state benefits of FL and NV.  I think many convention people like coming to LACE w:st="on">ChicagoLACE> (only April – October).  But, when they hear about the above and see rip offs like being charged $125 for a case of soda plus a $350 minimum delivery fee to the booth at show time, that has a lasting and permanent impression on people’s minds.  “We like LACE w:st="on">ChicagoLACE> but don’t like being ripped off.”>>

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>My opinion is that even if McPier could get the union to cooperate and become competitive (which is very unlikely) that this race is already over.  Their high fixed costs for debt service of the latest improvements to McCormick Place will result in bankruptcy.  For a while, the City that Works got away with murder.  Those days are over and corruption and payoffs to cronies is over…because there simply isn’t any more money to siphon off.