Sunday, February 22, 2009

Better than Spring Training: Berkowitz w/ Rep. Durkin on Roeser tonight: Did Sen. Burris do anything wrong? Obama's first 30 days-- is he winning?

Jeff Berkowitz will join State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Countryside), who served on the House Select Committee on Blagojevich's Impeachment, as a guest tonight on Tom Roeser’s weekly, Sunday, call-in radio show, Political Shoot-out, WLS 890 AM Radio, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
******************************************************
You say you don't live within the WLS broadcast area? Not to worry. You can go here to listen to the program, live, on the web.[You may encounter some technical problems in signing on-- allow five minutes, or so, for following the prompts for technical difficulties, and you should be able to hear WLS live on the web] See here for Tom’s Blog which has Tom's thoughts on a great many matters, political and otherwise.

Upset with something Berkowitz said on his show [www.PublicAffairsTv.com] or the [Public Affairs YouTube.com page], something he wrote on this blog or just the way he looks? Tom Roeser’s show on Sunday night is your chance to fire back. A free fire zone, so to speak. Also, you can help shape the show and its topics by calling in with your questions and comments—312-591-8900. Obama mamas, Jindahl reformers, Democrats, Republicans, 700 Billion dollar Bailout promoters, Libertarians, Independents, Communists [no collect calls, please], Palin critics, Palin groupies, Biden mistake defenders, gun grabbers, backstabbers, gun clingers, gun slingers, outside agitators and others are, of course, all welcome.

Tonight's show may touch on:

--Are Gov. Pat Quinn's constitutional officer colleagues a "team of rivals," w/Attorney General Lisa Madigan perhaps the most likely rival to be getting geared up to challenge Quinn for the Gov's position in 2010?

--Is Joe Birkett's time for leadership in the Illinois Republican Party still viable. Will he run for Guv in the 2010 Primary? Taking on Sen. Bill Brady? Ron Gidwitz? Bruce Rauner? Cong. Roskam? Others?

--Do the Republicans in Illinois have anyone who can win the race for Senator in 2010? Cong. Kirk? State Sen. Murphy (R-Palatine)? Gidwitz?

-- Is Lisa Madigan an unbeatable candidate for Governor in the Dem. Primary? What philosophy, if any, does she have about government? tax cuts? education? Does she need one if she has 3.5 million dollars in cash on hand? Does AG Madigan engage in Pay to Play or do contributors give her money purely out of their devotion to "Good Govenment."

--Will there be an income tax or sales tax increase in Illinois in 2009? Will Quinn own it?

--Would such a tax increase be political suicide by Quinn? Would it elect Lisa Madigan?

--Will Senator Burris resign within two weeks?

--What will it take for the Illinois Republican Party to become the party of ideas? Somebody realizing they could take some ideas from the Illinois Policy Institute? Somebody realizing they could take some ideas from the Heartland Institute?

--Who would be next in line among the Republicans to run for Governor if that's how that decision were made? Joe Birkett? Who does Bob Kjellander want there? Who does Bill Cellini want there?

--Will Illinois Republicans be able to unite around the new Senate Republican Leader Christine Rodogno, and the continued leadership of House Republican Leader Tom Cross, both of whom are moderates, at least on social issues.

--Can Andy McKenna, Jr. hang on as State GOP Chairman for another year?

--Will State GOP Chairman Andy McKenna, Jr. be kicked upstairs soon? After two State general election disasters under the "Leadership of McKenna," are the money guys getting restless? Are there any money guys left in State GOP? money ladies? bag ladies?

-Is WTTW's Chicago Tonight in need of an aggressive political interviewer to boost its sagging ratings and its lack of balance? Which cable TV personality in the Chicago Metro area could meet that need?

--Was it politically correct, politically incorrect or just plain reflective of blatant political and cultural bias for WTTW's Chicago Tonight to have a panel composed of Laura Washington, Delmarie Cobb and Cheryl Corley last Thursday night to assess Senator Burris' future

-- Is Feigenholtz the front-runner in the 5th CD Dem. Primary?

--Was putting Palin on the ticket a major mistake by McCain?

--Did Sarah Palin demonstrate she has insuffient knowledge of domestic and foreign policy issues to be the Republican front-runner for 2012

This reporter doesn't know the topics for tonight—they are determined by Mr. Roeser, with some incisive suggestions, no doubt, by his lovely, energetic and intelligent wife Lillian. However, an educated guess is that the questions will consist of various Illinois, national and Obama transition issues, possibly selected from the above, or below, questions, some of which are holdovers from prior episodes of "Political Shootout," or "Public Affairs."

Of course, you can call and ask any of the below questions or whatever you like. As with University of Chicago Ph. D. prelim questions in economics over the years, many of the questions on Political Shoot-out stay the same each week, only the answers change [or do they?]. And you are Free to Choose, so to speak, as this is the land of Milton Friedman, the late, great Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics from the University of Chicago [WWMFS, i.e., what would Milton Friedman say? is the question we classically ask, followed with:

--Could Paul Vallas win as an Republican candidate for Cook County Board? Senator Matt Murphy? Comm. Tony Peraica?

--Does the Chicago Public School system spend more than $16,000 per kid per year to try to educate kids? Does Arne Duncan tell the truth about this? If not, why not?

--Is Obama's cautious nature both his strength and his weakness?

-- Did RNC Chairman Michael Steele do a good job of speaking to the DuPage County Republicans (and to the media) this past Friday night? Why didn't the Tribune and Sun-Times cover the event? Did Cong. Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park, 10th CD) do a good job of speaking at the event?

--Will Kjellander be indicted? Cellini convicted?

--Is the Illinois Combine alive and will

--Will U. S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald be promoted? be removed? fall off a horse?
************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
*******************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include shows with 5th Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary candidate Tom Geoghegan, 5th Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary Candidate and State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), 5th Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary Candidate Charles Wheelan, State Senator Kwame Raoul on impeachment(D-Chicago), Democratic political campaign consultant Pete Giangreco on Blago's impeachment and the way in which the Obama Administration will operate, a recent Bill O'Reilly segment w/Berkowitz on Obama and many additional shows.