Seriously. Thank God for Illinios

[ComerPerro]

Are we one of the only states in the country NOT on a coast with any fucking sense?

I mean, as I am writing this, we could probably end up with Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, but holy shit, the rest of middle America is a scary fucking place to be.

Thank you, fellow Illinois voters, for resounding rejecting this misadministration and its march towards fascism.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

1. No argument there!!!

I got transferred to KS from Chicago, talk about culture shock. I miss being able to speak without fear. Even though the state I'm in went red tonight, my blood runs true blue. It's a tough place to be, but I fight on. :)

[ComerPerro]

4. ha. I am in KS right now too

School

[newyawker99]

18. Hi ordinaryaveragegirl!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[madrchsod]

2. thank you -we are the only

all democratic state-even the republicans know they have to kick out the neo cons from their party.

[chicagojoe]

3. Yeah, aside from a couple, IL Republicans are real moderate.

If we could get rid of Hastert, that would be sweet.

[ComerPerro]

5. For the first time in my life

It looks as though I will have a Democratic Representative, two Democratic Senators, and a Democratic Governor.

Melissa Bean won and Obama DESTROYED Keyes.

[barb162]

11. and that hypocrite Hyde

[dansolo]

16. Don't forget Hyde

Christine Cegelis has promised that she will run again in 2006. She got 44% this time, with almost no name recognition.

[grace0418]

6. I know what you mean.

If it weren't for Barack Obama and Melissa Bean, I would be a puddle on the floor.

I'm so proud to be an Illinoisan right now.

Barack has got to fight for us like he has never fought before. He is a ray of hope on an otherwise very, very dismal horizon.

[XNASA]

7. Amen from Jesse Jr. Country.

My State Rep Will Davis, who lives down the block, won uncontested.

My Congressman, Jesse Jackson Jr got 88%.

And of course, there's Obama.

I'm very happy that our family made the decision to move back to Cook County from Houston three years ago.

It was the smartest thing we ever did.

[mopinko]

8. don't you think, tho..

that kerry should have beaten bush by a higher percentage?

[barb162]

14. Kerry should have beaten Bush by 100% to 0% if sanity were the

key issue,imho

[barb162]

15. are you talking about the IL vote or countrywide?

[Socialist Dem]

9. Living here is the only thing consoling me right now...

Think of it for a minute....We here in Chicago anyway were NOT subjected to the Rove attack machine, and were pretty much left alone to decide on things objectivly. (Keyes was a joke, so there wasn't anything to decide on there)

I think the rest of America would have voted along the same lines as Illinois if there were SOME kind of campaign reform.

[barb162]

12. "Keyes was a joke" We will be seeing more and more of his

kind.

He isn't a joke, I bet he would have won BIG in most
red states (also known as most of the country). Moral values, moral values, moral values....

[Norquist Nemesis]

19. Agree 100%!!! The GOP is not gone by a long shot!

Maybe barb and I are more sensitive to it because we're here in the middle of DuPage County. Had we ousted Hastert and/or Biggert, I'd be more inclined toward the thought we're more blue. IMO, it's just not the case.

The population of Chicago was instrumental in putting us over the edge toward being a "blue" state. I haven't seen the results county by county, but I have no doubt that my former home county (Coles) went to Bush...along with several surrounding counties. Yes, we're a, bluish purple at the moment, but it still has strong red.

The worst thing we can do as Democrats is delude ourself to think that we're blue because of the 2004 election. I still think that candidate Keyes was a census of the right-wing and loyal Republican base on the taxpayers dime.

[Rich Hunt]

13. good point

I remember reading a newspaper article earlier this year that said that Rove considered Illinois a lost cause. Someone didn't tell Illinois Leader that, though! :)

[RetroLounge]

10. You make me proud to be from Illinois!

If it gets bad enough up here in Wisconsin, I may need to move back to Chicago.

Or maybe you guys can spare 100,000 dems to move up here! :D

RL

[raising2moredems]

17. Gotta love IL

Daughter voted in MO this year, hoping to help the dem cause. Getting 18-24 registered is easy, need to make sure they GO to the polls. See the Chi Tribune, Keyes wants to stay and help re-energize the "party". I say STAY and keep RUNNING YOUR MOUTH!! LOL!! Hastert spent mega time with Crane, Manzullo (rep) helped recruity Keyes as did my local senator Syverson. We'll see if Syverson shows up for our local meeting re: school funding - doubt it. Hyde is the next target, I agree whole heartedly. Younger daughter will be driving next election but not old enough to vote but will be in 2008. We also need to find any print or film where LaHood looks bad, we some one to run against his sorry heinie also. Things would not be so bleak in red states if we actually had a republican party (a pre-Goldwater republican I work with wore black on Wednesday, he was in mourning. He hails from IA originally). Time to split the r party votes - new party, another Obama etc.

[kevin881]

20. we owe it to EDUCATION

some very fine schools in Illinios, Chicago specifically.

[WildEyedLiberal]

22. Hey downstate has a few brains cells too.... UIUC

Top engineering school in the nation.

Of course, I'm a history major, but still... Urbana-Champaign is one of the top public schools in the nation. Dirt-cheap instate tuition, too, especially considering the quality of education you receive.

...And the number one basketball team in the nation! Oh yeah!

[Radical Activist]

21. We have the two best Senators in the US

We are doing our fair share. I'd like to see one of them on the ticket next time.

The rest of the nation should take lessons from Paul Simon and Dick Durbin on how to win rural areas in swing states. They are the ones who stood out courageously for liberal values and moved downstate Illinois to the left. We should thank them for helping to make Illinois a blue state.

[crazyzoeillinois]

23. We are the only sane people left in the midwest.

We were the only state to vote NO TO CHIMP!!! We said NO TO KEYES!! NO TO CONSERVATIVE CRAP!!! We are the only sane people left in the midwest.