Postwar Iraq splits Dem hopefuls (Illinois Senate Race)...

Snip:

The conventional wisdom is that the major Democratic hopefuls running for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) are ideologically similar slices off the same loaf of bread.



That's why Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, who officially jumped in the race on Sunday, believes that the March Democratic primary will hinge on the personality or likability of a candidate and that issues will take a backseat.

Maybe. Probably not. As the campaign ripens and people start paying attention -- which may well be months from now -- Illinois Senate Democratic primary voters will be looking for differences. Issues will be a factor.

When it comes to postwar Iraq, the Democrats are divided.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sweet/cst-edt-sweet13.html

are you looking into any of them? I personally like Obama.

Obama is my 1st choice, but Hull is also on my short-list. Hynes and Pappas would've supported the Iraq invasion (per a column yesterday), Obama and Hull would not. Also, Pappas favorite political role model is Maggie Thatcher! I don't know enough about Chico, and while I like Skinner from the radio I feel she's almost a carpetbagger.
It'll be interesting, but I hope we have a real Dem (ala Durbin).

had to say because she is the only one running who I know anything about.

He is leaving town today on a bus trip to Canada with 25 senior citizens to purchase cheaper prescription drugs. The people on Hull's tour have obtained their doctors' presciptions and must also provide birth certificates to obtain the low-cost medicine. "Some seniors just can't afford these drugs," said Hull, who is seeking to change federal law to allow imports of cheaper drugs.

A former Army lieutenant, Hull was an early and outspoken critic of President Bush's war against Iraq. Among the Democratic senatorial contenders, only state Sen. Barack Obama has been as forceful as Hull in opposing Bush's decision to intervene. State Comptroller Dan Hynes and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, both of whom supported the war, now find themselves in the difficult position of defending a policy that is unpopular among Democratic primary voters. Hull, the only veteran in this race, has credibility on this issue.

Like most Democratic primary voters, Hull comes from a working-class background. He is a former union member who worked in a factory and is also a former teacher. Before making his fortune, he briefly had to go on food stamps to support his family.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/neal/cst-edt-neal12.html

I had pretty much dismissed her as a "warm and fuzzy" based on her website and its lack of content, however, that quote from her on WHY she'd have voted to give shrub the $87.5 billion just solidifies my opinion of her:

Pappas would have been a yes because she supports Bush on this. "I'm not going to Washington to be in a fight with the president.''

I almost ran screaming from the room! Does she honestly think she's going to DC to have tea parties in the Rose Garden???

I WANT somebody to go out there and fight with that stupid SOB in the Whitehouse. I WANT someone who's gonna go out there and kick ass!!

Man, I bet her handlers are spitting nails over that quote. If they aren't they oughtta be--that single quote just shot her down with anyone who is unhappy with Washington right now.

I think I'll keep on wearing my Obama button.

Laura

White ethnics in the Chicago suburbs or city. She's kind of like a county-wide Betty Loren-Maltese in her appeal.
She is clearly not for me either...
Also sad to see Hynes Iraq stance...

He's the DLC right down the line, and he's about as exciting as a plate of plain unsalted pasta. (I think it was Hedda Foil who called him a shaved mackeral or somthing like it yesterday and I about died laughing at that one.)

I've seen him any number of times--both in this race and even before simply out making the rounds--and he's never been worth a hoot for exciting speeches. He's a heck of a nice guy, but he just doesn't express the fire in the belly that we need right now.

My first exposure to both Obama and Hull came when this whole primary was taking shape. At that point, Hynes was still playing coy and claiming to be working on Blag's budget while he was out stumping. The three of them were here and spoke.

I was at a table full of labor folks so I had an opportunity to not only hear the candidates but to also see how they play with the non-political folks. I saw Hynes speak and he talked about the Iraq situation and about the economy and it was ok. Nobody slipped into a coma. I saw Hull speak, and the eyelids at the labor table were getting heavy and there was a lot of running to the bar.

When Obama got up suddenly the flinching was done, people were sitting up in the chairs and they were engaged by what he said. They were nodding and clapping and muttering "damn straight." I was rocked by it. Usually this crowd is pretty low key and he had them going. They were ready to march into the gates of hell with Obama by the time he got done...

Since that time, I still see that same response out of Obama's crowds, and I'm seeing Hynes' crowds clap politely and look around the room. Hynes has a name, and he will have labor cash from the hard labor folks, I only wish he had half of Obama's fire.

Laura

Hynes is more like a dressed-up trout. Hynes is DLC all the way and an old-time machine pol to boot. The two of them are real yawners, though Hull seems to have a campaign manager who's far better than the candidate. His TV ads and the Canadian bus trip stunt are fantastic. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, though. There's something inexplicably smarmy about the man that reminds me of Fitzgerald when he ran against Mosely-Braun. Remember all of his commercials that either didn't show him at all or cropped off the top of his head so nobody would know he was bald? People voted for him without ever knowing what the hell he looked like, but the same won't be true for Hull.

I've met all of them too, and the reaction of the regular Dems was the same as the union crowd you described. Obama was the only one capable of lighting a fire. As far as I'm concerned, he's the only one capable of going against Ryan and winning. Ryan is going to be an immensely strong candidate. He's gorgeous and has a compelling biography and great commercials that make him look totally moderate. I doubt if he's any more moderate than any other Republican, but he's capable of winning this thing if we don't energize our voters. And the only one of the Dem field that I see who can beat him is Obama.

I agree with you that Hull and Hynes are both yawners, and I agree with you and Laura that Obama can 'light the fire'. That said, I'm not sure that Hull's money won't make a difference, and that the Dem machine won't make the biggest difference.
This also gives me hope:

"What makes Hull different from other self-financed candidates in this state is that he has spent years making friends and allies. He is a board member of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, has received a national award for his support of Title IX, the federal law that mandates public funding for women's sports programs, and endowed a chair for women's studies at the University of California-Santa Barbara, his alma mater.

Hull, who was awkward in early campaign appearances, has improved as a speaker and is more at ease in conversations with grassroots voters. He's already had impact in this race and has the potential to win it all.

He was less personally uncomfortable than when I first saw him late this winter, but still pretty flounder-like.

If we weren't dealing with the almost inevitable nomination of Ryan, I wouldn't sweat it as much, but Ryan is going to take a huge amount of grassroots muscle in addition to machine GOTV effort to beat. This guy is one HELL of a candidate. Whoever recruited them on the pubbie side found the one candidate with an R after his name who isn't a gimme for the Dems.

Personally, I think Gary Chico is one hell of a great guy, but I can't support him because he's too book-keeper like in appearance to make the grade in this field.

Obama is the MAN! (Yes, I think Nancy Skinner is terrific, but she's no politician and she doesn't have the credentials or connections to be a contender. I rather wish she'd gone for a House seat ... maybe even state house ... if she wants to get into politics.)