McCain Accepts Republican Nomination
John McCain formally accepted the Republican presidential
nomination last night and delivered a speech in which he cast himself
as a reformer, detailed his life as a prisoner of war, and emphasized
themes like experience, character, and bipartisanship. The Tribune described
it as one of the quietest acceptance speeches ever -- "quiet crowd,
quiet candidate, quiet rebukes of the opponent he has bombarded for
months" -- until the final seconds, when he asked the delegation to
"stand up and fight" for their country.
Palin The Real Gamechanger?
While it was McCain's night in the spotlight, his running mate
-- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- could be the candidate that really
alters the course of the race. Republican insiders believe her turn on
the stage and her spot atop the ticket have reignited the Republican
base, something McCain has been unable to accomplish. But is she
too abrasive and conservative for swing voters? After her speech Wednesday evening, which was laced with attacks on the Democratic nominee,
Barack Obama raised $10 million in donations.
GOP Stalwart Says Illinois Party Has Work To Do
Former U.S. House Minority Leader Bob Michel delivered some tough
talk to the Illinois delegation during the last morning of the
Republican National Convention. Convinced the party still has not
rebuilt from the ruin left by George Ryan's corrupt tenure as governor,
Michel called the state organization "weak" and said the GOP didn't
have the ground troops to sway an election. Senate Minority Leader
Frank Watson (R-Greenville) rebuked the criticism, remarking "I think
he's talking about the past. He certainly can't be talking about today."
City Employees Accept Buyout
Over 150 non-union city employees accepted the voluntary severance package offered by Mayor Richard Daley in July as one response to Chicago's projected $420 million budget deficit.
The employees will get buyout payments totaling more than $2.6 million, while the city will save more than $10.8 million in salaries. Daley's most significant cost-cutting measures will likely involve union contracts that cover the vast majority of city workers.
Jesse Jackson Hospitalized
After feeling stomach pains in the morning, Rev. Jesse Jackson
was being treated Thursday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in
Chicago. Jackson told the Associated Press he had been campaigning and
registering voters in Georgia earlier in the week when he started to feel dehydrated. His condition is not considered serious.
Edwards Cancels UIUC Poverty Speech
Saying he didn't want to take the focus off the Democratic presidential ticket, former presidential candidate John Edwards has canceled plans to speak about poverty next month at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
as well as all other public commitments between now and the Nov. 4
election. Edwards admitted last month that he had an extramarital
affair with a former campaign worker.
Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user NewsHour.
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