Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Elected

1. Many of my friends have commented they cannot discuss politics with co-workers, family, friends and others without conflict rearing its ugly head. Do you feel you can talk with your family and friends about this particularly divisive election? Yes. We all endured the Blagojevich scandal, so by now I can pretty much predict where everyone stands on our Senate and gubernatorial campaigns. Which leads me to warn all you non-Illinoisans out there: don't believe the pundits who say this is a referendum on Barack Obama. This is about Chicago v downstate, the vacuum left by Mayor Daley's upcoming retirement and the lack of his political muscle, and most of all, Blago. The Prez is only a peripheral factor.

2. Do you know who you're voting for in next week's election? How did you decide? Governor is easy. Bill Brady, while an honest and wholly decent man, is entirely too socially conservative for my taste. Senator is more difficult in that I'm not sure either candidate is honest and wholly decent, and they aren't that far apart on the issues the matter most to me. I'll probably end up voting for Alexi because, well, I'm a Democrat. But if Kirk wins, my response will most likely be a shrug.

3. What do you think is the most important issue in next Tuesday's election? Here in Illinois, it's corruption. After all, our former governor (Blago) tried to sell the seat of our former senator (Obama). And because of Blago's interesting approach to governing, the state is broke. I am not proud of this, but I voted for Rod Blagojevich ... twice. Confessing this as the election approaches is cleansing.




4. Can you go a day without laughing? No. And I don't have to as long as I have the above clip to refer back to.

5. Do you think that you can chose who you want to love? No. You can choose where to stay and when to go, but not who to love.

6. Have you ever been on stage? For what? In New York, I took the tour of Radio City Music Hall. And even though we were asked not to, I snuck out onto the stage. I had to. It's hard to see the audience from the stage, but when I looked up, I saw all these neat stage decorations above my head. I distinctly remember a HUGE, way larger than life, bunch of bananas.

7. Would you ever live in a different country? If yes, where? I move to England to become Lady McCartney. I hear the job is open these days.

8. Any plans for Halloween? Not beyond the bag of Tootsie Roll Midgies I bought to distribute to the handful of kids who live in this condo building.

9. The last costume that you wore, what was it and why did you choose it? Don't recall the last one, but my most memorable one was Harpo Marx. At first my friends thought it was a riot that I had to be mute. But after hearing me express myself with the bicycle horn for a while, they began to beg me to start talking again.