Hey there, Illinois.  It's me, Liz.  I know, I've never really visited you (though your Chicago-O'Hare airport has some cool dinosaur stuff in it). I'm not a Bulls, Bears, White Sox or Cubs fan.  My best connection to you is that my Dad went to an art school on your turf a very long time ago. 

So maybe it's not my business to comment on your politics, but you know what, I'm going to.  Because while the rest of the country is kind of amused by the fact that in addition to electing ethically-challenged crooked Governors, your Democratic Party also nominated a guy who allegedly digs holding knives to prostitutes' throats, a lot of us are equally astounded that you could potentially go one step further and go ahead and elect to the US Senate that Alexi Giannoulias dude.

Alexi, as we all know, is your new Democratic nominee who will be running against Mark Kirk.  Unlike Mark Kirk, we all know, Alexi has some problems.  Like his mob connections to one "Jaws" Giorango, to whom Alexi's bank lent money, for example.  Those of us who have been paying attention remember that Chicago Tribune piece from April 27, 2006, that cites Giannoulias saying "he once discussed Giorango's criminal past with him."  Now, of course, Alexi says this: “If I knew now what I knew then, we probably wouldn’t have approved those loans.”  Alexi wants to make this a non-issue, kind of like how Blagojevich wanted to make his alleged efforts to auction off Obama's Senate seat a non-issue, and kind of like how William Jefferson wants you to think that keeping a bunch of cash in your freezer is, like, super-normal.

It's not, though.  No matter how much Alexi doth protest, the fact of the matter is that this guy has ethical problems up the wazoo.  My bet is, if he makes it to the US Senate, he'll give Blago a good run for his money (no pun intended) in the "ethically-challenged" stakes.

So, please, do yourself a favor and just say "no" to this dude.  You used to be known as the Land of Lincoln.  There's really no need to forcefully re-brand as the Land of Lowlifes. 

Love and kisses,

Liz ...
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Over the last two years, between auto bailouts and the usual angst emanating from hardcore environmentalists* about SUVs and the like, the auto industry has been under fire for being outmoded, falling behind, and failing to aggressively pursue new technologies—especially green ones—to the extent that some other industries purportedly do.

A recent visit to Washington’s Auto Show, however, further underlines how this kind of thinking is increasingly fueled by fiction, not fact, and fails to give the industry its dues for some fairly amazing advancements, especially in the realm of green tech, of late. 

Everyone knows about the Prius and various other types of Hybrid.  After last night’s Superbowl coverage, many will be aware of Audi’s Clean Diesel (Volkswagen’s TDI fleet having already garnered a lot of attention since its earlier roll-out).  And we hear a lot about the 2011 Chevy Volt.

But in the next year or so, Nissan is expecting to roll out the LEAF—an electric car that takes green to all-new levels.

I spoke to a Nissan representative about the LEAF at this year’s Auto Show and some of the features he highlighted are really quite noteworthy: Setting aside the car’s ability to reach up to 90 miles per hour (not an astounding speed, but pretty good for something that isn’t quite built like a Porsche), the LEAF can go about 100 miles per charge.  Moreover, it’s equipped with one very handy tool for drivers who may worry that in driving the LEAF, unlike your standard gas/diesel-powered car, you’ll feel uncomfortable with venturing too far lest you run out of juice with no ability to just “fill her up.”  Specifically, that would be a navigation station that details charging locations, and which keeps tabs on what is within range of the car given its charge levels—so you don’t run the risk of a visit to CVS resulting in getting stuck by the side of the road.

Some other cool LEAF features include a solar panel on the back (a “trickle” charger, essentially).  Like Hybrids, the more you brake when driving the LEAF, the more electricity you generate (so Nissan expects it to be attractive to city-dwellers).  Also interesting: The car itself is 99% recyclable, with the interior being made of recycled plastic bottles.  It’s also cheap to run: It costs about $3 to “fill up” the car.  As to lifecycle and recyclability of LEAF batteries, Nissan thinks buyers should expect to get about 10 years out of what’s in the car when they buy it, and for batteries to be recyclable and usable for civilian energy production as smart grid efforts proceed.  The LEAF will probably retail for a price in the range of a standard family sedan.

Another interesting development on display at the Auto Show was the Volkswagen Up! Lite, a concept car that is a combination Hybrid Clean Diesel:

A Volkswagen representative told me that the car gets about 73 miles to the gallon, is the lightest vehicle ever produced, and has an intuitive system that operates to keep the car running as energy-efficiently as is possible—all very cool stuff.  As it’s a concept car, one of my big questions was, will it ever actually come to market?  The Volkswagen guy didn’t want to make any commitment on that front, but did volunteer that a bunch of features that Volkswagen played with and integrated into the Up! Lite will be integrated into the new model Jettas, which could hit the market as early as next year.  Which features will be incorporated?  Stay tuned—whatever they are, my money would be on them making the VW Clean Diesel TDI cars even more green.

Also on display at the show was a Cadillac that is being converted so that it gets 100 mpg—something I thought I’d never see in this decade.  The Cadillac model being used for this is a standard model CTS.  Here’s a picture from the X-Team’s Facebook page, which you can check out here:

All in all, a lot of innovation is occurring in, and around, the industry.  These three cars are by no means the only examples of it—thought they do evidence it in spades. Keep an eye out for even more exciting green tech unrolling as we head into next year.

(Thanks to my Hynes colleague Ethan Kendrick for contributing to this post).  ...
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So, earlier today, I noted that Paul Akers has entered the US Senate race against Sen. Patty Murray, joining an incredibly packed field. 

It has since been noted that I left him off of my list of strong contenders for the seat (I pretty much talked about actual and could-be contenders Hutchison, Reichert, Rossi and Widener).  But, it turns out, Dick Morris was hyping Akers on Hannity and the audio is now up on YouTube for all to hear:

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You know Washington's Senate race?  The one where the Republican field already seems about as packed as the Brady house?

Well, get ready... that Brady house is about to morph into the Waltons.  Bellingham businessman Paul Akers has entered the race against Sen. Patty Murray.  From his statement on his website:

I am not a politician. I've never run for public office before. Instead, I have spent my career serving as a teacher, a contractor, an inventor and now as an entrepreneur and small businessman.

I've decided to run for the U.S. Senate because I have had it. I'm tired of career politicians who go to Washington to spend other people's money too easily and have lost touch with the folks back home. Unfortunately, these career politicians do not know what it takes to create a job, make a payroll, or worry about sitting down with their spouse at the kitchen table to figure out how to make ends meet. ...
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Via @nansen, I learn that Jaime Herrera has scored a big get in the WA-03 race: The endorsement of former Sen. Slade Gorton, who said today confidently: "Jaime Herrera will win this election."

Gorton, many will remember, narrowly lost to Sen. Maria Cantwell back in 2000.  He's a Seattle Republican, considered to be a moderate.  And my sources tell me that Herrera opponent David Castillo has been hitting Herrera for garnering "out-of-district endorsements" just like this one (and including it, says one).  To be fair, Seattleites aren't generally the objects of affection in the Vancouver area, and many of those active in the Republican base in Washington, as in other states, can be less than enthusiastic about moderation in their (Republican) elected officials and party elders.

However, Gorton is a heavy-hitter and with bigger names like Dino Rossi and Susan Hutchison and Rep. Dave Reichert rumored to be considering a run against Sen. Patty Murray and presumably wanting to avoid picking a side between Herrera and Castillo (or indeed ruffling feathers by backing a different candidate altogether) if they do, this is an important endorsement for her.  It is worth noting that a lot of Rossi folks do seem to be backing Herrera privately, however.

Added political trivia tidbit: Against Cantwell in 2000, Gorton carried Clark County, the population center of the district, with 69,265 to Cantwell's 58,971.  He's probably got some advice that Herrera will find beneficial as the year moves forward. ...
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Anyone who's been paying attention to the Illinois Senate race to date just knew this was going to happen: Last night, as anticipated, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias won the Democratic nomination to replace Roland Burris (and Barack Obama) in the US Senate, and no sooner has the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) put the smackdown on him... hard.

Here's an excerpt from NRSC Chairman John Cornyn's statement:

“Voters in the Land of Lincoln are tired of the same failed politics of corruption and dishonesty, and they are searching for accountable, effective, ethical, and trustworthy leadership this November. As we approach the next nine months before Election Day, the clear contrast in this campaign could not be more apparent.

“Mark Kirk has a respected record of independent-minded leadership, ethical accountability, and bipartisan achievement in Congress. I know that he will work hard to restore the checks-and-balances and fiscal responsibility that Illinois families, seniors, veterans, and small business owners deserve in Washington. Congressman Kirk has served our nation honorably as a Commander in the United States Naval Reserves, and he will continue fighting to protect America as a United States Senator.

“In contrast, Mark Kirk’s Democrat challenger, Alexi Giannoulias, is a product of the ethically-tainted political machine in Chicago that was run by disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich. As the state’s first term Treasurer, Giannoulias has eagerly endorsed his party’s out-of-control spending agenda in Washington, and he has failed to reject the Obama Administration’s plans to detain and try terrorists on American soil."

More to the point, here's an NRSC web video that eagerly (and fairly, in my view) points out Giannoulias' mob, Rezko and Blago ties:

Expect a lot more of this to come in the coming months-- there is a lot of dirt on Giannoulias that goes beyond just this, and there will be a lot of muck to rake on this guy.  Democrats made a phenomenal mistake in nominating him, no matter how you look at it: this is the guy Mark Kirk desperately wanted to run against, and national Republicans are chomping at the bit on this one knowing that even if by some miracle, Giannoulias pulls this off, his apparent tendency to behave in an ethically-challenged manner will prove an ongoing headache for national level Democrats, including Obama (with whom he is close friends) should he ever make it into the US Senate.  Roland Burris has been bad enough on this level, but those who have observed him closely believe Giannoulias could easily become the new Burris-Blago cross-- something that Illinois, and the country, undoubtedly does not need, but which probably represents about the biggest windfall Republicans could hope to get all year long-- and in a year where Democrats are already deep in trouble, that's saying something. ...
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Jaime Herrera may not be a supporter of President Obama’s agenda, but in her run to succeed retiring Rep. Brian Baird in Congress, she is fired up and ready to go. 

The former high school basketball player turned legislative staffer for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) was appointed to serve in Washington’s House of Representatives in 2007, and elected in 2008 with 60 percent of the vote.  Now, she’s in a contest with several other contenders, seeking to move her district from the blue column back into the red.  I spoke to her last week, asking the same questions that I did of David Castillo, plus one specific to her candidacy, in what I understand was her first ever blogger interview.

Most political observers, and certainly those at the national level, started hearing Herrera’s name associated with the phrase “third district” immediately after Baird announced that he would not seek another term in Congress, and it was rumored she would jump into the race.  But, she told me, she began thinking about running long before then—as early as the infamous “town hall” period last year.  Herrera and her then-fiancé (now husband), Dan, “were actually on our way to the town hall in Clark County that Brian Baird had had and I received a phone call from a constituent at the time—he’d left a message and said ‘I really think you need to take on Baird,’ and I shared it with my husband and we kind of smiled about it and went into the town hall.”  Afterwards, she said, more of her constituents echoed that caller’s sentiments.  Her initial reaction?  “Well, I’m very happy with what I do, I love representing the people of the 18th district so this is not a decision I’m going to take lightly,” she thought, adding that she did begin talking to friends, family—and those that she represents.  But, “when Brian Baird announced he was going to retire, that really escalated our decision-making process and we decided now is the time.”  During our conversation, Herrera conceded to me that “It’s a big risk to do this,” but quickly added that she felt that it was a bigger risk not to run. “Quite frankly, the people of Southwest Washington don’t exactly fit with the views of Nancy Pelosi and the liberals that are running Congress and I’m tired of having our vote being cast to support that agenda.  And so this is important enough to put everything on the line and to run.” ...
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  David Castillo is an interesting guy.  Raised in Southwest Washington by a single mom in less than prosperous circumstances, he grew up to serve in the US Navy, attend the University of Washington and Gonzaga University, work in state government and serve in the Bush administration, ultimately becoming a financial advisor.

Now, he’s on yet another path-- one that could lead him to Congress.  Running in a potentially packed field to succeed outgoing Rep. Brian Baird, Castillo clearly doesn’t mind a challenge.  I spoke to him recently to discuss his candidacy, his position on some big issues, and some perhaps less dry subjects (you’ll have to read to the end of this post to learn more about those).  As in my interview with Jaime Herrera (which I’ll post later), I asked a standard set of questions, and got some good insight into who Castillo is, why he’s doing what he’s doing, and how he plans to win.  One of the themes that consistently pervaded my conversation with him was the importance of preserving opportunity—something deeply personal to him, but which also may resonate with quite a few voters in his part of the state.

Castillo entered the race in the middle of last year, after thinking it over for some time and debating it with his wife, Callie.  The decision stemmed from a conversation that started in December, 2008, during which he told me the couple narrowed in on the question of “where we were headed as a country.”  Said Castillo, “for me, someone who grew up in poverty, I’m the only son of a single mom who raised four of us on her own…  I was limited in the things I had around me growing up, but my Mom was very clear that the opportunities to succeed were boundless, and that’s a direct result of living here in the United States.  So, my wife and I were talking and we started really drilling down about what we thought that President Obama and Democrats in Congress were going to do and where they were taking the country and I really started to understand that the opportunity to succeed for my son and other children of his generation were going to be severely limited if the things that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and Barack Obama wanted to do were actually transpiring.”  Out of concern for that outcome, a candidacy was born.  As Castillo put it, “I finally just said, ‘look, I’m tired of grousing about this, I think it’s time for new leadership and a new voice for the people of the third district.’”  He decided to run in April, and began the race in earnest in June.  He’s been running ever since. ...
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Well, it's about damned time:

Congressional negotiators and White House officials are moving forward with plans to add the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell to the upcoming defense authorization bill, Democratic sources tell the Huffington Post.

In Congress, members are being whipped to ensure that the votes will be there for passage, should the legislation be placed in the bill. At this juncture, aides say, the prospects look good. Meanwhile, a source close to the White House says the president has instructed the Defense Department that he believes the repeal of DADT should be placed in the authorization bill.

More at HuffPo.  Go read it there. ...
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If you haven't checked it out already, please take a moment to visit the Daily Caller, which launched this morning.  Several "Friends of Liz" are involved with the new publication, and you know, Tim Pawlenty (a Hynes Communications client) has an op-ed over there and stuff, so go check it out.  Here are some suggestions for things you might start by reading. 

This concludes today's word-of-mouth-advertising-by-blog session. ...
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