Primarily

Some people were surprised at the outcome of yesterday's primary voting.

That surprises me. Because nearly every issue was pretty clear a couple weeks before the election.

Did anyone but a dreamer expect Eisendrath to knock off Blago? The fact that Eisendrath carried Champaign County, I think, was as close to a surprise as I could find. I imagine it was just like me, when Dems pulled the curtain closed and looked at the ballot, they just couldn't, just wouldn't, they were just a little too uncomfortable voting for someone who still needs directions to 'Downstate' after 3 years in office (I almost typed 3 years in Springfield. Ha!)

Did anyone but a blind loyalist expect JudyBT to lose? Really? Why? The big question mark in this primary was the vocal push by state ultraconservatives for Brady or Giddy or even Obie. The problem with that constant vocalization is that the conservative wingnuts may be vocal, but they aren't as numerous as they would imagine. Think about it folks: If the only people you hang around with are right-wing redstate wannabee nutcases, sooner or later you begin to assume that the whole state is composed of right-wing redstate wannabee nutcases. You forget the slapdown the nutcases took a couple years ago with Alan Keyes. Ultra-conservative politics really isn't all that popular with the average Illinois Republican right now. With you and your little band, sure. But it's not a movement in ascension right now. Sorry. Maybe JBT is a little too 'liberal' for some GOPs. But it looks like the other candidates may have been a bit too conservative for the party as a whole. You can argue that the 'conservatives' got more combined votes than Judy. (Was Obie a conservative, or just a real rich nutjob?) But Judy still won. She got the MOST votes. There's a similar argument that other Republicans were afraid of Judy because of her association with George Ryan. So votes not for Judy weren't 'conservative' votes but anti-Ryan corruption votes. Still, more Repubs voted for JBT than anyone else. And you can't argue with that.

If Republicans hope to regain the governorship, they need one candidate that can appeal to more than the fringe right. Is Topinka that candidate? Can't say yet. But there wasn't another candidate to fill those shoes in the race.

Why didn't Brady do better? He's too bland, too conservative, too whitebread and too downstate at this moment. He had little money and not much else to separate himself from the field. He was just another little-known conservative. What WAS his message again? Missed it.

Anyone really surprised at the failure of the Champaign school bond issue? That plan had more holes than a wiffle ball. Come back with a plan that makes sense, a plan with some real thought and a plan that doesn't promise a whole lot more spending in the near future and you MAY have a chance. But don't bet your retirement on it. School district voters showed right now they're pissed. And they don't necessarily trust their 'leaders.'

The closest thing to a surprise was in the county board's District 9 race, where 4 candidates finished in a near dead-heat. Right now, the incumbent Demo-publicans are looking like winners. But it won't be over until Shelden finishes cooking the books in a couple days. Or weeks.

Finally, an aside to those whiners who wanted to vote for some Republicans and some Democrats. This was NOT an election. It was a political primary. It is the way political parties select the candidates for the election. Democrats, for some strange reason, want Democrats to select their Democratic candidates. And Republicans want Republicans to select their Republican candidates, for some strange reason. Go figure. In some places, they do it with caucuses. Others vote. But don't be fooled. This is a political function of the parties, not a general election. Sorry, that comes in November.

Which, given the political climate in this state, can't come too soon for me. Politics in Illinois ain't beanbag. (Unless they've changed the beanbag stuffing lately.)

And so it goes.