illinois

420 Reasons JB is OK

~ jimflanigan ~ Leave a comment

As a Democratic Precinct Committeeperson, I worked for the election of billionaire JB Pritzker as Governor of Illinois. He won. I received no monetary remuneration for my work, despite the whole billionaire thing. I did get some tickets to go see President Obama speak last week, courtesy of the JB Pritzker campaign.

GOTV Obama

It was a 3PM rally with doors opening at 1:30PM. I didn’t need to sit close. I figured I would stroll in about 2:55PM and sit in an upper deck seat. Nope. It was suggested to me that I best be in line at noon … in the cold … in the rain … with my 10 year old, because of this fine print …

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Tall Tales of Fact & Fantasy

~ jimflanigan ~ 1 Comment

I was really pleased with the name and logo I chose for my winless fantasy football team in my family’s league last week … Supreme Injustices.

Injustice crop

For this week, I wanted to feature Paul Manafort, especially after hearing that he made a court appearance sitting in a wheelchair in prison clothes while missing a shoe. When I think of Manafort in a wheelchair, I start wishing for this …

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The Proof is in Your Sticker

~ jimflanigan ~ Leave a comment

I voted early in the Illinois primary. See, I have proof. I have a sticker.

Vote Early

I voted with my middle daughter, which I thought was kinda’ cool. I did tell her it was a crime if she didn’t take a sticker. She bought it!

It also felt weird, but good, to be voting with one of my kids. How did she get to be 21 and why do I still have a much younger daughter not even in double-digits yet in age? What felt even weirder was knowing that she voted for me.

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A History of the Word “Gubernatorial”

~ jimflanigan ~ 2 Comments

Where I live in Illinois, the race for Governor in 2018 is starting to heat up which typically means more politicians will be going to jail. A couple of months back, I saw Democratic candidate for Governor Chris Kennedy speak, and while blogging about it, pondered why gubernatorial is used rather than governal. There is fascinating history behind the word “gubernatorial” which I am happy to share with you in this essay.

The origins of the word “gubernatorial” can be traced back to the pre-Civil War Deep South. Back in those days (and still today in some southern states), educated people were mocked and ridiculed. Those literate types running for public office like governor were regularly called derogatory names. One of the most popular derogatory name thrown at candidates was “goober.”

At southern political rallies in the early 1800’s, one could always hear taunts of “hey you goober!” directed at the candidates. Southerners are not known for being long-winded, and as the 1800’s drew close to the mid-point, the “you” in “hey you goober” was combined with the “goober” part to create a single word taunt of “guber!”

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I Spent Last Evening With a Kennedy

~ jimflanigan ~ 1 Comment

In my youth, I would have wished to spend a pleasant evening with Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK.  I grew up with her, albeit at a distance geographically and socially. We were born 4 days apart. I felt bad when she lost her dad at a young age, and then I lost my dad shortly thereafter at a similarly young age. She was a major babe when I was a major dude and I majorly crushed on her for years. Oh, did I forget to mention that she was a wealthy Kennedy? That may have played a small role (or bank roll) in my feelings. But rather than Caroline, the Kennedy I spent last night with was …

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