I attended this candidate's forum last Sunday thinking that I'd see one the progressives I'd been reading about on the net and find them a great alternative to the experienced political folks in the race. I was so wrong, very sad, really.
Here's a news clip from WGN of the debate held in Chicago last Sunday at DePaul U. It's pretty superficial - but I agree with they're main point. Of the 11 candidates on platform, only the 3 experienced politicians (Sara Feigenholtz, Mike Quigley, John Fritchey) belonged on the stage.
These 3 candidates showed me why it might be important to add in the positive impact of their experience into my calculations about who to support in this race. They were each measured and thoughtful in all of their answers. They had solid grasps of the facts and of the room they were in - with their potential voters. The same thing could not be said for any of the other candidates, unfortunately.
Here are only two out of a dozens of examples. The darling of the netroots, Tom Geoghegan, said that no one on the stage would have any clout in DC if elected because they would be freshman house reps. This probably would be true for Tom, but the 3 experienced folks already know both Rahm and the President, personally. I don't think they'll get lost in the crowd.
On the economic stimulus front, Charlie Wheelan said that he would be prepared to give the Repunks in the House even more than has already been offered, in order to win their support. Because we'll need them for the tough fights ahead. My questions is: If the Repunks won't vote with us now - when it's early and easy - why the hell would we think they'd come around to our worldview on the tough stuff? Nonsense.
As for the other 6 folks - they need to get hobbies!
In the end, and in my opinion, the only three folks who even belonged on the stage Sunday were: Mike Quigley, John Fritchey, and Sara Feighenholtz