Huzzah, Bill!

Posted February 5, 2008 6:15 AM by Serge

Oh, cool! I'm on my way to vote now, but I'm in Cook county, so I can't vote for Bill, dang. Instead I have a variety of crooks and cronies to choose from.

Posted February 5, 2008 8:13 AM by Mary Dell

Bill has my endorsement!

Posted February 5, 2008 10:04 AM by Mike Bakula

That's what you need: one of the Heterodyne Boys to clean things up. Huzzah indeed!

Posted February 5, 2008 11:00 AM by Joel Polowin

Well, THIS endorsement I can wholeheartedly second! I take it, Bill, that your opponents for this office did not blanket the airwaves with ads pointing out that you comment on Making Light, or you would have had to drop out of the race in utter shame at associating with such a band of poetry-spewing Lovecraft-parodying lunatics.

Posted February 5, 2008 11:28 AM by Xopher

Xopher @ 5... You forgot to include that Bill also has been immortalized as a mad scientist in Girl Genius. What will his opponents make of that?

Posted February 5, 2008 11:35 AM by Serge

Should I try to get elected as a delegate at our precinct caucus tonight? Would that satisfy you?

Posted February 5, 2008 11:43 AM by Richard Brandt

Best of luck, Bill. As a former city councillor, and now a regional convenor in the Scottish Liberal Democrats, I absolutely endorse Patrick's comments. Getting stuck in to the actual business of democracy can be time-consuming and frustrating at times, but it can also be very rewarding and not a little educational. It's also infinitely better than bitching about how you don't like the electoral choices in front of you. I wish you every success.

Posted February 5, 2008 12:10 PM by Iain Coleman

Just sent off an e-mail to some friends in Naperville, recommending they vote for Bill.

Posted February 5, 2008 2:18 PM by Rikhei

For what it's worth, I put on my CERT vest and went to protect a local firestation, acting as polling station, this morning from the ravening hordes of ... voters? coming to pillage the firestation. Mostly we stood around and told each other wild tales of heroic (mis)deeds, and waved people trying to bang their way in the front that they had to come around back. That polling place and the one where I voted later said the body count was 'way up. HUZZAH!

Posted February 5, 2008 5:47 PM by Lin D

And my grammer she ain't so good. I've been up since yesterday, stubbornly fighting software. I won. But my prooffrreading skills are shot.

Posted February 5, 2008 5:49 PM by Lin D

Yay, Bill!

"It's an endless, glamorless, thankless job." (And I was darn proud to be one of them.)

Posted February 5, 2008 7:06 PM by Bob Oldendorf

Thank you, Patrick, and thanks to the rest of you for your very kind words of encouragement.

The Democrats in Dupage County sent out letters, and followed them up with phone calls, asking for volunteers. I figured maybe it was time I did something to help.

Posted February 5, 2008 7:28 PM by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

Go Bill! I hope to be able to congratulate you tomorrow night at dinner!

Posted February 5, 2008 10:31 PM by Stephanie

Yay, Bill!

Posted February 6, 2008 3:42 AM by Marilee

...News?

Posted February 6, 2008 6:51 AM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

None, really, but that scarcely keeps me from blogging about it.

The Dupage Election Commission has a relaxed attitude about posting results from the committeeman balloting, and who can blame them?

Democratic ballots exceeded Republican ones for the first time ever around here.

The most interesting local race, next congressional district over, is the struggle for Denny Hastert's seat in the 14th District. The former Speaker of the House resigned abruptly in November[1]. This triggered a peculiar double primary.

In the regular primary, of course, voters select their party's nominee to run for the House of Representatives in November.

On top of that, a special primary was needed to select candidates to fill out the rest of Hastert's term (between now and November). The special election will be held in March; the primary was held yesterday because, hey, you're already in the voting booth anyway. Slogan: Vote twice, without moving to Chicago!

Candidates who were already running for the November election scrambled to get new petitions to also run in the special primary. For the entertaining results, Google for Hastert+Foster+Laesch. Things are not entirely settled as I write this, but it's looking like Big Physics vs. Big Ice Cream.

[1] Which was not exactly helpful to Fermilab in the astonishing budgetary trainwreck on Capitol Hill in December. $52 million disappeared from Fermilab's budget overnight, one-quarter through the fiscal year. Furloughs for all, amounting to a 10% pay cut for the year, PLUS layoffs of 200 people.

Posted February 6, 2008 8:40 AM by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

In #16, TNH writes:
...News?

Check your moderation queue; I just posted a URL-heavy reply.

Posted February 6, 2008 8:42 AM by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

Bill, Patrick: Not only did I get elected as a delegate to the county convention (which means I could in theory make it all the way to the national convention in Denver; go, me) but I was one of the only two precinct members who gave in and browbeat ourselves into being elected precint committeepersons.

You bastards!

Posted February 6, 2008 12:31 PM by Richard Brandt

I swear I previewed that comment. "precinct" committeeperson, of course.

Posted February 6, 2008 12:32 PM by Richard Brandt

I swear I previewed that comment. "precinct" committeeperson, of course.

It's not the easiest of words to spell.

Posted February 6, 2008 4:54 PM by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

So? Moderation queueueueue demons? What's the verdict?

Posted February 6, 2008 5:12 PM by ethan

I swear I previewed that comment. "precinct" committeeperson, of course.

It's not the easiest of words to spell.

Posted February 6, 2008 5:14 PM by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

Were they succinct at the precinct? Was democracy sacrosanct?

Posted February 6, 2008 5:41 PM by Serge

If, like me, you're not especially patient, click on Mr. Higgins' view all by to see his message that is in limbo.

Posted February 6, 2008 8:17 PM by Tania

You'd need to use the other view all by for that.

Posted February 6, 2008 8:33 PM by Joel Polowin

Serge@ 23

Were they succinct at the precinct? Was democracy sacrosanct?

Well, I thought this kind of language was extinct, but Serge is so precise he's distinct.

Posted February 6, 2008 8:54 PM by Ginger

#26 ::: Ginger ::: (view all by) ::: February 06, 2008, 08:54 PM:

Serge@ 23

>i>Were they succinct at the precinct? Was democracy sacrosanct?

Well, I thought this kind of language was extinct, but Serge is so precise he's distinct.

Some cases like these I have ranked, the language is clearly extant.

Posted February 6, 2008 8:59 PM by Fragano Ledgister

#27 ::: Fragano Ledgister :::

Some cases like these I have ranked, the language is clearly extant.

What's your rationale for ranking? Or it is based on instinct?

Posted February 6, 2008 9:03 PM by Ginger

Is a sextant tantamount to a paramour?

Posted February 6, 2008 9:30 PM by Serge

Ginger #28:

My rationale for ranking, is based on some forms of banking, which is not as loud as clanking, but has been most clearly inked.

If you think that I'm just thanking, those who have till now been tanking, or else just vainly wanking, well, then, your line has been kinked.

Posted February 6, 2008 10:40 PM by Fragano Ledgister

Serge #29: Only if you're Mario Vargas Llosa.

Posted February 6, 2008 10:41 PM by Fragano Ledgister

Joel - Thanks! I checked the link in Preview, but alas, the gremlins got me. Again.

Posted February 7, 2008 3:14 AM by Tania

Coming soon on the SciFi Channel... Tania vs the Gremlins...

Posted February 7, 2008 7:01 AM by Serge

Fragano Ledgister @ 30

My rationale for ranking, is based on some forms of banking, which is not as loud as clanking, but has been most clearly inked.

If you think that I'm just thanking, those who have till now been tanking, or else just vainly wanking, well, then, your line has been kinked.

Your method of thanking/ those us of not franking/ money is clearly banking/ on getting beyond the spanking

Of the markets today.

While the stocks go tanking, I'm over here angsting, quietly flanking, and waiting for the screen to go blanking.

Posted February 7, 2008 11:11 AM by Ginger

Serge @ 29: Is a sextant tantamount to a paramour?

One of my favorite lines of all time is in Drugstore Cowboy, when Matt Dillon tells his gang, "We gave her the drugs that she O.D.'d on! That's paramount to murder in this state!"

It was so subtle it was a minute after it had flashed by me before I realized what was wrong with it, and how perfectly it encapsulated how the speaker believes he's all that.

Posted February 7, 2008 11:13 AM by Richard Brandt

Richard 35: I thought a paramount was a sidecar for a horse.

Posted February 7, 2008 11:17 AM by Xopher

Xopher - does that mean that a tantamount is a sidecar for an elephant?

Serge - Yup, I'd probably bathe them and go on snackfood binges with the little buggers at about 2 AM. We've all seen where that leads... Chaos!

Posted February 7, 2008 11:27 AM by Tania

Tania @ 37... snackfood binges with the little buggers at about 2 AM

Isn't it 2am for half of the year where you live?

Posted February 7, 2008 11:45 AM by Serge

#36, #37--I'm thinking of that fine old frontier American noun "catamount", and considering the size of the average domestic cat, and...

Bad idea. Even if they were big enough, they'd just lie down and take naps as it suited them, when they weren't deciding it was more interesting to try and get to where they were going by climbing up onto the couch, leaping over to an end table, and then up onto a bookshelf.

Posted February 7, 2008 1:10 PM by fidelio

Unofficial election results are available.

In my precinct, running unopposed, I received 204 votes.

The Republican precinct committeeman, also running unopposed, received 163 votes.

County-wide, 43% of the 549,621 registered voters turned out. Of those voting, 109,132 pulled Republican ballots (19%), and 132,434 (24%) took Democratic ballots. So the D/R ratio is 1.21. (In Precinct 23, 1.25.)

Dupage County has always been dominated by Republicans in my lifetime. I am told that not one single Democrat holds any office here.

The total turnout in 2004 was 25% of registered voters; in 2000, 27%, in 1996, 38%.

Posted February 7, 2008 10:17 PM by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

Congratulations, Bill.

Posted February 7, 2008 10:23 PM by Serge

Bill, I've decided that you were solely responsible for the increased turnout. Good work! And congrats.

Posted February 7, 2008 10:29 PM by ethan

I should point out, since it's less than obvious, that Chicago and Cook County are overwhelmingly dominated by Democrats; Dupage and the "collar counties" have been very Republican.

Rural Illinois leans Republican, but there are so many people in the northeast corner of the state that Democratic presidential candidates usually take Illinois's electoral votes.

Posted February 8, 2008 8:39 AM by Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey

Tania at 37,

A tantemount is a sidecar for an ant.

Posted February 8, 2008 9:47 AM by Nancy C. Mittens

Nancy C. Mittens @ 44:

A tantemount is a sidecar for an ant.

Or for someone's aunt.

Posted February 8, 2008 12:07 PM by Ursula L

And on no account should my grandaunt get in a sidecar with her paramount paramour -- it's just a stunt -- so, exeunt.

Posted February 8, 2008 12:19 PM by Ginger