How badly? As of today he is at 0%.
Bush is not on the ballot in Illinois and due to a conflict between Illinois election law and the late date of the Republican National Convention he’s not going to get on the ballot without changing the law or court order. Attempts at a legislative solution have failed miserably as Democrats try to capitalize on the precarious position Republicans by loading up bills with pork, which Republicans have been wise to avoid voting on.
Jeff Trig is an excellent source of news on this situation. He has a piece of advice for Bush/Cheney troops in Illinois:
June 21st is the petition deadline if the IL GOP wants to make absolutely sure the voters can put a check next to Bush/Cheney in 2004. I’d suggest they get really, really busy and collect those 25,000 valid signatures before June 21st, plus an extra 25,000 in case the Libertarians think turnabout is fair play. At least the Republicans won’t have to worry about Libertarians using state employees on the clock to challenge their petitions like the IL GOP and George Ryan did in 1998 and Judy Baar Topinka has been accused of doing in 2002. Funny how things come back to bite you.
The IL GOP might also consider a lawsuit to extend the deadline for turning in petitions to give them more time to collect them. Most states have deadlines well after Illinois’, typically in late August, and allow a petitioning period of a year instead of just 90 days. We’d even help with that lawsuit to give the IL GOP more time to get those signatures so Bush is absolutely sure to be on the ballot. Too bad the IL Supreme Court is ruled by Dems. Democrat Lautenberg was lucky in NJ in 2002 that his state Supreme Court was ruled by his party, a luxury the IL GOP doesn’t have.
This is getting ugly!
Bill Clinton must be smiling in his cigarroom
Some polls show Bush leading in the traditionally blue state of New Jersey, but that could just be becasue 9/11 was local news for us.
I can’t read this piece without remembering how many times I’ve heard the accusation that Bush/Cheney “stole” the election last time . . . I suppose this is the way for the Dems (at least in Illiinois) to make sure that the people’s voice is heard.
Of course, this will surely be corrected before the election, but one wonders how the Illinois Dems are spinning this so that they appear to be anything other than obstacles to democracy.
The party just got “too cute by half” when they scheduled the convention as close to 9/11 as they did. Didn’t anyone in the Illinois party realize what the law was in their own state? Come on guys, you call yourself professional politicians?