The Evergreen Parker

The Evergreen Parker: The Uncommon Phenomenon of Civil Discourse (Election Edition)

We'd all be a lot more pleasant, and probably learn a few things, if we could listen to each other without name-calling and yelling.

I try not to get too into partisan political discussions with people outside my circle of immediate family and friends. It's not that I dislike discussing politics – quite the contrary. It's more that with people I don't know I fear the discussion descending into a bitter and very personal dispute that has little to do with the political differences that prompted it. This kind of thing has happened before, often enough so that now I think twice. I did not initiate these disputes, nor did I seek to engage them once they started, which led to name calling, expletives and one time someone walking out of a room, but never to fisticuffs. I think reasonable people can disagree and engage in lively conversation that can illuminate points both …

• Photos (1)

Patch on Politics

'My Life is an Open Book,' GOP Senate Candidate Tells Kadner and Voters

A day after a columnist raises questions about why Barbara Bellar calls herself a nun and where she earned her medical degree, Bellar offers a rebuttal and posts her credentials online.

In a rebuttal to Phil Kadner, the longtime Southtown columnist who tried to ask Senate candidate Barbara Bellar questions about her education and background, Bellar says she suspects Kadner has "significant ulterior motives" in raising the issue. He's "voted Democratic" for the last eight years, says Bellar. Kadner, at a recent candidate forum in Palos Hills, tried to ask the doctor from Burr Ridge who's seeking the 18th Senate District seat why she describes herself as a nun in campaign literature when the prioress of the order says she did not take vows. And he tried to ask her about her medical degree from Mexico. He says she avoided his questions, and that bothered him. Today, Bellar sent a letter to Kadner and the newspaper, and sent …

•  20 Comments
• Photos (1)

Emily

10:52 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Bob - I did what you asked and went to her bio. This is the last sentence. Dr. Bellar served as a Benedictine nun for five years and remains active in her church. This is a false statement. (Maybe not the be active in her church part, but serving as a nun)   more ›

Ask Obama, Romney: Patch is Collecting Reader Questions for the Presidential Debate

If you have a question for the candidates, submit it in the comments section below and it could be asked during the televised Oct. 16 Town Hall Presidential Debate.

If last Wednesday’s presidential debate left you with more questions than answers, here’s your chance for the presidential candidates to address the issues that most matter to you. The next presidential debate will be a town hall meeting format at Hofstra University in Long Island, where voters will ask President Obama and Mitt Romney about domestic and foreign policy. Patch is asking you, our readers, to participate by submitting questions for the candidates. All you have to do is post your question in the comments section below and we’ll send it to the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Commission is partnering with Patch's parent company Aol, along with Google and Yahoo, to take questions from web users across the country. Don’t …

• Photos (1)

Who Won the Presidential Debate? Patch Survey Takers Say Romney

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met for their first debate. We surveyed influential Illinois politicians and guests at Patch watch parties, who say the president whiffed.

Illinois Republicans said Mitt Romney "hit a home run" in the Oct. 3 presidential debate and some Democrats said President Barack Obama "looked unprepared," even if they still agree with what he said.  Patch conducted a quick, unscientific poll among politically involved citizens following the debate and also surveyed residents at Patch-sponsored watch parties throughout the suburbs.  Of the 19 Republicans who responded to the online survey, 16 said Romney won by a wide margin and one said he defeated Obama by a slim margin. Two Republican respondents said Obama won the debate.  "I expected Obama to lecture Romney. I never expected Romney to lecture Obama," one Republican said. "Obama spent more time looking at his belly button like a …

•  520 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Videos (1)

Eric Roberts

1:39 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012

Except that he lied about it Tom. 3 companies out of the 33 companies that took money from DOE green initiative went bankrupt. Sounds to me like the government made a good investment financially and for our future.   more ›

Illinois Republicans Feel Energized by Romney

In the latest Land of Lincoln Red survey issued by Patch, Republican respondents shared their opinions on the presidential election following the Republican National Convention.

Illinois Democrats Say They're More Confident About Re-election Post-Convention

In the latest Land of Lincoln Blue survey issued by Patch, Democratic respondents said they thought President Obama did a great job, but loved President Clinton's speech more. They also said Republicans showed how "out of touch" they are.

Now that the Democratic and Republican national conventions are complete, Democrats in Illinois say they're more confident in President Obama's re-election campaign than they were last month. That's part of the results from a recent Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Eighty-nine Democrats were surveyed, with 15 responding. About 87 percent of those surveyed said they're more confident now than they were before the conventions.  But was it Barack Obama who energized them? Almost every Democrat that responded to the survey said President Bill Clinton was the highlight of the convention, even overshadowing the current president. Clinton showed that Democrats "stand for the working class and the seniors of this country…

•  333 Comments
• Photos (6)

Illinois Republicans Energized but Questioning Foreign Policy After Convention

In the latest Land of Lincoln Red survey issued by Patch, Republican respondents shared their opinions on the presidential election following the Republican National Convention.

Citing speeches by Sen. Marco Rubio, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and celebrity Clint Eastwood, 94 percent of Republicans surveyed by Patch said their party's National Convention provided the party with the momentum it needs to get the base to turn out for what is expected to be a close election. That's part of the results from a recent Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Ninety-three Republicans were surveyed, with 30 responding.  Most Republican respondents mentioned the Rubio and Ryan speeches as highlights of the convention, while one respondent said "Mitt Romney just did OK."  According to Republican respondents, 53 percent said they felt more confident about Romney's chances of winning after the …

•  241 Comments
• Photos (2)

RNC Jockeying Raises Question: Who's the Best GOP Nominee for Illinois Governor?

More than a half-dozen gubernatorial wannabes work the room at the Republican National Convention this week. Who would you like to see make a run for governor?

While the main events at the Republican National Convention centered around Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, a subtle undercard was the jockeying of would-be GOP candidates for Illinois governor, the Chicago Tribune reports. State Treasurer Dan Rutherford was "highly visible" at the RNC in Tampa, according to the Tribune article by Rick Pearson. Rutherford heads up the Romney campaign in Illinois. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, who finished a close second to Bloomington's Bill Brady in the 2010 primary race for governor, has been a prominent face, as well. Dillard wasn't a delegate, but he made the trip to Tampa, just the same. Other gubernatorial wannabes mentioned in the Tribune article include U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria, state Sen. Christine…

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)