The significance of this particular win cannot be overstated. This is penetration right into the heart of these soulless bastards. Read on:
Some of the Illinois 14th District folks from out in the farmland (red) have expressed thanks that those "in the eastern part of the district" put Foster in over the milk nazi. They are referring to the industrial areas along the Fox River that form most of the eastern edge of the district.
Well a little bit of the district extends even further east into bright red Dupage. It picked that up several years ago when Hastertized to gerrymander in a bit more "sympathetic" demographic and help keep him in power. My congresscritter changed from 16-term republican Henry Hyde to 11-term Dennis Hastert. My precinct has 26 dems on the call list (those who've voted in two primaries); I know; I called every one of them. It includes so much forest preserve and private estate land that there are probably only a couple hundred houses, and most of those houses are McMansions. I think turnout did the trick though - it was cold and those folks were busy with more important things than voting - that's for the "little people" :)
Ironic, isn't it - the Republican agenda of tax cuts for wealthy benefits the few - the very few - and if left to sustain that agenda via one-person-one-vote they'd be toast. They sucker the bigots and fundamentalists and other groups into thinking their agenda favors THEM, and count on them to take care of that annoying voting business.
My voting location was moved yesterday. It is usually at the Cantigny Golf Course Clubhouse. Cantigny is the estate of Robert R. McCormick - see below. There was some sort of event going on at the clubhouse; plenty of upscale autos parked in front - I was surprised, thought "must be a huge voter turnout." When I got to the door I found a note taped to the door that the voting had been moved to the Youth Links clubhouse (about half a mile away) "sorry for the inconvenience."
Inconvenience? You drive up the winding road to the clubhouse, park, climb a flight of steps, walk across a driveway (in 18 deg weather) to find this fricking sign? Oh, no, that's no inconvenience! Sorry, little people!
Anyway I looked in and there was a reception or something with people dressed up. Probably mostly from outside the precinct, but perhaps some local too. Not voting, socializing - at the estate one of the early founders of the Republican Party.
I saw some other "little people" just getting out of their car; alerted them we had been displaced to save their climbing the steps, and went down the road to vote. I can't wait to find out what the turnout was and results were for our precinct!
with the golf course I'd say its about 400 acres. It is the majority of the precinct - just a few houses scattered along the road bordering it, and my neighborhood across the creek to the south. My neighborhood used to be part of R. McCormick's brother Cyrus's estate (the McCormick reaper guy). Most of that estate is intact too; just a few "little people' permitted to live in shanties along the edge. (OK, most of the shanties have been replaced by now, but that is exactly what it started out as.)
To those who criticized Edwards for his house: fugedaboutit! These folks would have considered it to be an outbuilding.
The Trib's article slamming the milk nazi and favoring Foster is an additional bit of sweet irony.
http://www.cantignypark.com/http://www.cantignypark.com/parkhomepage.htm
The Robert R. McCormick Museum is a historic house museum that depicts the country home of a family that made the Chicago Tribune the “World’s Greatest Newspaper.” Joseph Medill (1823-1899), who became the owner of the Chicago Tribune newspaper in 1874 built this house in 1896 for his daughter and son-in-law, respectively, Katherine Medill McCormick (1853-1932) and Robert Sanderson McCormick (1849-1919). Medill’s grandson, Robert Rutherford McCormick (1880-1955) took possession of the house in 1920. Robert McCormick lived in the house until his death in 1955.
As editors and publishers of the Chicago Tribune, Joseph Medill and Robert Rutherford McCormick used the newspaper as a forum for advocating their own political points of views. On a national scale, Joseph Medill was instrumental in helping to establish the Republican National Party and in securing Abraham Lincoln’s election to the Presidency of the United States. On a local scale, Medill was instrumental in helping Chicago recover from the devastating fire of 1871.
Robert Rutherford McCormick became President of the Chicago Tribune in 1911. He served as the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Chicago Tribune from 1925 to 1955. McCormick’s pro-Republican editorials strongly supported the First Amendment rights to Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press. -snip-
In 1959, the mansion became a museum. The Cantigny Foundation, which is a branch of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, maintains the mansion as a historic house museum. The mansion has 35 rooms, 12 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms and 4 staircases.
The Robert R. McCormick Museum reflects the public and private sides of Medill and McCormick, their families and guests who enjoyed this country home in Wheaton, Illinois. Priceless family heirlooms, Chinese and European works of art, and over 400 year-old antiques grace the 27 rooms that are on display for the public.