Wanted: A Sucker for a Senate Race -Newsweek

[Rose Siding]

The GOP is looking for a poor sap to run against rising Dem superstar Barack Obama

July 31 - Here’s the script: Find a dozen or so people with dreams of being a big-time politician. Stage an audition—each contestant makes a pitch to a panel of political pros. Do a Q and A. See how they think on their feet. Test their sound-bite skills. Check for skeletons in the closet. Finally, the panel huddles and picks a winner. The prize: running for the United States Senate. Sound like reality TV? Actually, this is how the Illinois Republican Party will select its nominee next week to face mega-star Democrat Barack Obama. But if it was realty TV, the show might be called, “Who Wants to be a Sacrificial Lamb?”

Political odds-makers wouldn’t give any Republican a ghost of a chance to beat Obama, who dazzled the Democratic convention in Boston last week. But the GOP has got to find somebody. "Essentially, they’ve got to find a very wealthy person with a big ego,” says Paul Green, a Chicago political insider, “who’s willing to spend a lot of money to lose big.” The first GOP nominee, Jack Ryan, withdrew after details emerged about his vistis to sex clubs against with his reluctant former wife. The Republicans tried to convince some former governors and other bigwigs to run. They wouldn’t touch it. Then they went after Da Coach, former Bears’ helmsman Mike Ditka. He shared a few of his political views—he was against gay marriage but in favor of public hangings—but the Levitra pitchman ultimately punted. The Republican troubles were worsened by Ryan’s dallying in making his withdrawl official. The party couldn’t nominate a candidate until he filled out the paperwork, a delay that peeved the party leaders. “It took him five weeks to fill out a form that took about a minute to complete,” says Mary Alice Erickson, vice-chairwoman of the State Republican Central Committee.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5568335/site/newsweek/

[Cha]

1. Poor Illinois Repukes!

If they don't have anyone to run how can they try and steal another election?

[Kolesar]

2. butt-boy Lazio from New York is available

Does anybody remember the substitute they brought up when Giuliani stepped out of the Senate race vs. Hillary Clinton?

[Cha]

3. Yes! I remember lazio and Hillary and timmy boy ..all

at the debate when russerthead started attacking Hillary and lazio walked over in her space and told her to sign something. That was the defining moment of her win, imv.

[Kolesar]

5. What an impression he made!

None of us can remember his first name. Ha ha ha

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. How about the Chicago zoo?

Maybe there's another chimp they can put into a man-suit and keep under control with mind-altering drugs.

[goforit]

6. Just a little late.

[Democat]

7. Obama has come so far so fast

The Republicans are done in that race.

[fujiyama]

8. After that convention speech

He's almost a shoe in.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

9. Maybe the Illinois GOP can "import" Child Molester Kelsey Grammer.

Obama may very well run unopposed!!!

:kick:

[LibDemAlways]

10. The only way the Illinois repukes would have

a chance in that Senate race is if they could convince Oprah to run as an R. She certainly fits the bill --big on ego and cash. However since that is not going to happen, they might as well declare Obama the de facto winner and let him run unopposed.

[schultzee]

11. I am so happy that this beautful Black star is rising during this time.

[argonne]

12. Latest from Illinois,,,,

some Repuke from the farm report on WGN radio--Orien Samuelson will run!

[peanut]

13. actually their strategy should be the OPPOSITE

If the GOP were wise, instead of looking for big EGO and big MONEY, they would do just the opposite: look downward to their bank of buried local talent that has no money and no name recognition and say, "Hey, Joe, you're talented but you're going nowhere. Come over here and take this fall for Obama and we'll be grateful; you'll get some more help from the party in the future and even tho you'll lose you'll get more name recognition than you've ever had in your life."

If you're going to lose, give it to someone for whom even the loss is a big step forward in every other respect -- then you're not just throwing away cash in a lost cause but thinking ahead.

Nope. They're waaaay to stupid to think that way!

Thank goodness!

[squidbro]

14. It's a good thing repubs. avoid this site

Your assessment and plan would be the most logical thing to do.

The repubs. won't think this way.

They will field someone with a horribly huge ego and take a bath at the election while looking bad doing it.

Out of touch with reality those repubs. are. At least we get one senate seat back.