Thursday, July 08, 2004
Mike Ditka for Senator?
The contest to succeed Peter Fitzgerald is a mess, at least from the Republican point of view. First, Jack Ryan dropped out of the race after the Chicago Tribune convinced a judge to liberate his previously sealed divorce papers, which contained therein interesting allegations by his former wife, actress Jeri Ryan, aka Seven of Nine. Then the Illinois Republicans looked to Steve Rauschenberger, a state Senator from northwest Chicagoland. No dice, apparently.
The situation seems to be fairly pathetic, actually:
Top Republicans, including former Gov. Jim Edgar and state party chairman Judy Baar Topinka, declined to take Ryan's place on the ballot. Wealthy businessmen Ronald Gidwitz and Andy McKenna also said they weren't interested.
U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert called [Rauschenberger] "the best person" for the job Thursday morning and promised to do everything he could do to help Rauschenberger. Less than two hours later, though, Rauschenberger announced he was out.
Asked later who he would back now, Hastert replied: "You know what, I'm back to square one. I don't know."
The Ryan-Rauschenberger misadventures having apparently exhausted the ranks of wealthy Illinoisans willing to subject themselves to a colonoscopy at the hands of the Chicago media and Republican politicos of any stature, respectively, the state GOP is now doing the obvious thing and pleading for Chicago's Schwartzenegger, Mike Ditka, to pull their fat out of the fire.
Rep. Mark Kirk's reaction was: "Ditka, Ditka, Ditka. We're taking a long look at him."
There's even a web site devoted to the idea.
The only problem: Apparently, nobody's asked Iron Mike if he wants the job.
Let TigerHawk be the first major media outlet to endorse Mike Ditka, or anybody else from the 1985 Chicago Bears, for United States Senator from Illinois.
UPDATE: A Chicago reader reports that
Dianne Ditka was on the evening news, and she seemed less than
enthusiastic, but I think this could happen and it if does, I predict
he wins, though I think Obama is a fairly attractive candidate
himself.
FURTHER UPDATE: The same reader points out that a Ditka candidacy at this late stage would be delicious GOP payback for the Torecelli/Lautenberg switcheroo in New Jersey in 2002. Except that Jack Ryan didn't do anything wrong, and Ditka wouldn't need a results-oriented ruling by his state Supreme Court to get on the ballot.
AND MORE: Rob A. makes it a blogosphere bandwagon for Ditka, with a great excerpt from SNL to boot.
5 Comments:
By 
, at
Thu Jul 08, 10:32:00 PM:
By , at
Fri Jul 09, 09:03:00 AM:
How about Gary Fencik, currently Managing Director at Adams Street Partners in Chicago? He's had some business success and fits your '85 Bears prereq.
By , at
Wed Jul 14, 09:04:00 AM:
CHECK OUT DITKA'S DIVORCE FROM MARGE....I KNEW HER ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO IN DALLAS. SHE SAID DITKA "DROP KICKED" THEIR CHILDREN.
By 
TigerHawk, at
Wed Jul 14, 04:07:00 PM:
This recent trend in Illinois of using divorce papers or attendant allegations against politicians is lamentable. That having been said, I'm sure Mike Ditka has done many more bad things than Jack Ryan -- it's just that people expect that of him, on account o' he's a football player.
That having been said, the TigerHawk endorsement goes to anybody who was on the '85 Bears, which casts a wide net. The Gary Fencik idea is very appealing.
By , at
Sun Jun 03, 02:22:00 PM:
Hey Tigerhawk, thought you may want to know about the Mike Ditka Seminar coming to Edison, NJ.
NFL Greats Coach Mike Ditka and NY Giant Brad Benson Appear For One Day Only
May, 2007: World famous NFL coach Mike Ditka and Super Bowl Winning NY Giant Brad Benson will be appearing together for one day only to share their secrets for success on and
off the field. Both have achieved the kind of success that most dream about and Move Ahead 1,New Jersey’s premier sales and marketing training organization, has brought these two
titans – of football, business and life – together to share how they translated winning team skills
into victorious business strategies.
As a player, coach, spokesman and now author of "In Life, First Kick Ass: Reflections on the 1985 Bears and Wisdom From Da Coach", Mike Ditka is a firmly established legend of our time.
Brad Benson, Offensive Lineman for the Super Bowl XXI NY Giants and owner of Brad Benson Hyundai and Mitsubishi, is the largest Hyundai dealer in the state of New Jersey. Together they
will share their winning recipes for success in business and life.
DATE: June 19, 2007
TIME: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
PLACE: Holiday Inn
3050 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08837
More Info:
www.MoveAhead1.com or 732.202.3599
