Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Steinberg Keeping a Watch on Bizarro IL Senate Candidate Andy Martin, Too…

New "Gay" Smear Ad Against Rep. Kirk the Latest (Non-Surprising) Shocking Behavior From the "Chumbolone" GOP IL Senate Non-Contender

Posted By: Michael Sweeney

Dec. 31, 2009

Readers of The Stonecipher Report – and especially listeners to our radio show (on WHPK-FM and www.whpk.org) – know the twisted fascination that Tyler and I have for out-there, perennial candidate Andy Martin, who is currently running (at about a 2% polling rate, according to the most recent numbers I’ve seen) for the Republican nomination for the 2010 IL Senate seat.

It began for us when Martin responded (as seen in the comments section at the end of this post) with some semi-non-cogent, left-field comments to a post I did about the "main" two competitors for that race, Rep. Mark Kirk and suburban businessman Patrick Hughes (and even grouping those two together is more than somewhat misleading – Kirk is WAAAAAAY ahead of Hughes and is all-but-certain to win the GOP nomination to compete to fill the old Obama seat that the political corpse of Roland Burris is currently occupying).

Then – and oy! – we had Martin on as a call-in guest on our radio show for a free-wheelin’ 40-minute attempted interview (as recounted in the post and comments here…although the audio link at the end of that piece is no longer active)…and, since then, I have kept a regular eye on him with the ongoing "Andy Martin Watch" feature on our show, recounting some of the continuing idiocy surrounding this slimy, weaseling political wannabe and alleged (only by himself) "Internet Powerhouse." On those segments, we’ve recounted his unattended "sidewalk press conferences" here in the city, his efforts to sue Wikipedia (the man has a reputation of being a lawsuit-filing machine), and his misstep-filled New York conference focusing on President Obama’s life history (according to his blog site, "We did not receive enough financial support to hire a professional videographer to tape the conference, so we have cancelled our reservation for a videographer").

Now, as Martin runs a radio ad targeting opponent Kirk as a rumored homosexual (which Martin pawns off as being discussed on a talk show by other Republican strategists), the major media – which long has been flooded by Martin’s attempts at attention (usually in the form of e-mails sent or voice messages left late at night) – is saying "Enough is enough," and is turning some disgusted coverage in the direction of the loony, oft-running, never-winning former Mr. Anthony Martin-Trigona.

My top pick out of this coverage came from one of my longtime favorite columnists, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg. Yesterday, in this piece, the great Steinberg devoted about two-thirds of his page-long column to look at the controversy and slap around – literately and accurately – Martin as a "clown" (like former joke GOP IL Senate candidate Alan Keyes), and firmly stating that "Martin’s insinuations about Kirk are, like Martin himself, loathsome and deplorable" and "[t]he most somber, church-going Illinoisan, presented with the full truth about Andy Martin, would rather elect the Boystown Gay Choir and Tea Cookie Society to the U.S. Senate than allow Martin's clammy claw to rest on the levers of power for one minute." Well said, sir! We couldn’t agree with you more…(although, I must say that I’ll still be voting for David Hoffman in the Dem primary for Senate…and then likely Alexi Giannoulias in the general election).

Of course, here on The Stonecipher Report, we’ll keep on watching the "chumbolone" (as Martin himself likes to bizarrely and derisively refer to his opponents or detractors, both in interviews and in his writing) clown candidate, trying to ascertain exactly when he permanently dons the red bulbous nose and starts tottering around town on either a comically tiny bike or in an overcrowded mini-car…because, as I regularly like to say to intro my "Andy Martin Watch" radio segment, "Remember – we'll keep an eye on nutjob politicians so you don’t have to!"

　

For more coverage of Illinois politics, look for my regular posts here on The Stonecipher Report. (And, for a free subscription to my twice-weekly e-mail column on politics and pop-culture, "And, in the News…" send a note to: m_l_sweeney@hotmail.com)

Comments

[georger]

Mike, with all due respect, I disagree with you in your intimation that David Hoffman may lose the primary election. He is the most likely candidate to win both the primary and the general election.

David Hoffman's key competitor in the primary is Alexi Giannoulias, and David recently won a key debate against Alexi.

Of great importance is the toxic baggage that Alexi has, assuring his defeat in the primary as well as the general election. There is a big brouhaha about Alexi's mismanagement of the Bright Start college savings fund. If he was doing his job properly on behalf of the students and their families, they would not have lost more than 50 percent of their savings. Alexi should have known that Oppenheimer invested those funds in derivatives, the same type of risky investment that caused the financial meltdown that plunged this country into a serious recession. He should have withdrawn those funds immediately. And then it's known that Alexi loaned money to a convicted felon, Tony Rezko, and his bank loaned money to convicted mobsters. Kirk or any GOP candidate will have a field day with this information, which is common knowledge.

David Hoffman has a clean record, and with his well honed skills as a prosecutor, I am confident that he will win the primary as well as the general election.

[Michael Sweeney]

Some very good points, georger -- and thanks for sharing those...

We have talked about this race on our radio show, and I definitely support Hoffman. I like his straightforward style and his takes on the issues -- sorta from a law-and-order point-of-view, but backed with smart, classic Liberalism. And, as you note, he has a clean record while Giannoulias' is muddy -- at best -- in some areas.

...However, political reality raises its head for me, and...one candidate is a previous state-wide winner, backed by many popular incumbents and the other is a first-time-electoral near-unknown (although his ads and debate performances are potentially changing that).

As I said -- and have repeated on our show -- I will vote for Hoffman in the primary and hope he does well. Of course, I even hope he manages to pull out a Simon-in-'84 / Obama-in-'04 previous-underdog eventual victory...

But...if it comes down to the bottom line and the question becomes "Would I MUCH RATHER have Sen. Giannoulias than Sen. Kirk coming out of IL in 2010?"...Well, then my coldly realistic answer is the oft-repeated paraphrase from the idiot babe from Wasilla: "You betcha!"