The Illinois Democratic primary was exciting and the focus was on the glamorous races such as United States Senate, Governor, State Treasurer, State Comptroller and many county and judicial races throughout the state.
The Illinois Democratic primary is generally considered the "election" in Illinois. Illinois is one of the bluest of the blue states. The Democratic ticket is strong led by Governor Patrick Quinn and Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the general election. A pawnbroker/businessman named Scott Lee Cohen won the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Simply stated, Cohen bought the nomination. And we the voters let him. Cohen ran some effective television commercials touting the fact that he ran a "job fair" and he was doing something about unemployment. The Democrats are to blame since the candidates in the field were political unknowns in the state of Illinois.
And Cohen won the nomination by a comfortable margin. He spent 1.8 million dollars of his own money and bought television time.
And almost immediately after the election, the news about Cohen came out. He was arrested for domestic violence which involved a deadly weapon: a knife.
Scott Lee Cohen -- a pawnbroker who shocked state Democratic leaders Tuesday night by winning the party's nomination for lieutenant governor -- was arrested about four-and-a-half years ago and accused of holding a knife to a former live-in girlfriend's neck, newly obtained court records show.
The misdemeanor charge against Cohen was dropped weeks later when the woman -- who had just been found guilty of prostitution -- failed to show up to testify, according to those records.
I am not certain of the options available to the Democratic Party about this unfortunate event, but I do know one thing: Cohen needs to go.
The Democratic Party needs to do anything and everything in its power to remove Cohen from the ticket. He is a rotten apple and he could taint the good apples in the bushel. And in a year that will be challenging even in this bluest of blue states, this taint can effect the entire ticket. At a minimum, it could cost us the Governor's office because the electorate will not support (and they shouldn't) this type of person.
Let's get him off the ticket: now.
Chicago City Hall Examiner and The Chicago Grassroots Political Examiner. And be sure to read the Midland Book Examiner and a recent review there of my book.
John is the author of an upcoming book, Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, two Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers did it. The book can be ordered from many places, preferably your local independent bookseller at Indie Bound. It can be ordered from another great independent, Powells Bookstore in Portland, OR. Or if you insist, from Amazon.com. Or Barnes and Noble. Or Borders. Or even Sears.
Read the Chicago City Hall Examiner's and the Chicago Grassroots Political Examiner's recent pieces on many issues: First booksigning for the Obama book that celebrates books and bookselling. Robert Gibbs lashes out at Limbaugh. Mayor Richard M. Daley is vulnerable. Obama book is a celebration of books and bookselling. Pamela Cotten is endorsed for Subcircuit judge of Cook County.