according to the suntimes cohen is gonna be out soon

[mucifer]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/2031654,dick-durbin-scott-lee-cohen-020510.article


February 5, 2010

By STEFANO ESPOSITO, RUMMANA HUSSAIN AND MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporters

Facing intense and mounting pressure to step aside, embattled Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Scott Lee Cohen is seeking an “honorable way” out, a Cohen campaign source said tonight.

Cohen, who mostly kept out of the public eye today, said as recently as Thursday that he had no plans to quit. But with Democrats across the state urging him to re-think that decision, Cohen appears to be concerned how revelations about his private life might hurt the Democratic party.

Close advisers have been trying to convince Cohen to “do the right thing,” warning that he could be blamed for “bringing down the party” by remaining a candidate, the campaign source said.

Cohen could not be reached for comment tonight. His staff has said he plans to speak tonigh to the media at a downtown night club — where a table was roped off and waiting for him at 8 p.m.

This morning, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin called on Cohen to step aside, and several local women’s groups blasted the media and Cohen’s political opponents for “burying” and “ignoring” domestic violence issues.

“I’ve heard enough,” Durbin said. “And if there’s more — I don’t know what it might be — but I’ve heard enough to suggest that he should have not run for office.” snip




HALLELUJAH!!!!

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I certainly hope so.

I heard a WBEZ report this afternoon on the drive home with Mark Brown from the Sun-Times saying this would not have happened if the news outlets in Chicago hadn't cut down their local political coverage so much. There just was not adequate staff to check the guy out. Except for Mark Brown, who had outed this guy in the past.

I am happy to say I voted for the guy who was in second place.

[mucifer]

2. I voted for Turner . I think he was in 3rd place.

[Venceremos]

3. Brown didn't out him very well

He wrote one article about Cohen in March 2009. Cohen told him about the domestic violence arrest, so Brown devoted one paragraph to the arrest in his profile of Cohen and put it nineteen paragraphs down the page. Here's a link to it:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/1480304,CST-NWS-brown17.article

Then Brown did absolutely zero follow-up and did not mention it again until after the election.

[barb162]

6. I was listening to Brown yesterday on WLS and he said he thought

Cohen came off as a "goofoff" in that meeting and he actually told Cohen to his face he'd never get the spot anyway with all the people running. Then he started seeing all the ads everywhere and realized he'd win.

[barb162]

5. I think they put all their people into the gov and senate races

and just sort of let the other stuff go. There were so many LT Gov. people running on both sides!

[barb162]

4. "Soon" isn't good enough. Yesterday is better.

Last month is best.

[murielm99]

7. There is nothing yet today but rumors and speculation.

"Some people say" he is looking for a face-saving way to drop out.

Where are Madigan and Daley? They should be telling him to drop out.

[barb162]

8. Daley won't be doing that

I called my county organization and asked them to put out a press release denouncing Cohen. Now whether they do or they take the position he "fairly" won, I don't know.

[murielm99]

9. County organizations are very unlikely to take such a stand.

It would cause too much infighting, and give the republicans something to use when running against Democratic candidates.

You might get the chairman to call elected state leaders to see if they will take a stand. Or, ask your chair if he can get the state chairman's association to issue a statement.