* Scott Lee Cohen told Chicago Magazine that he believes his religion was one reason he was booted from the ticket…
Anything else?
Only how much of an effect my religion had on being part of the party. Listen, I’m Jewish. I’m only the third Jewish person to ever win the nomination for a statewide office. And I believe that that had some influence on the party not wanting me.
What gave you that impression?
The elected officials would never say that they don’t want me because I’m Jewish. But it did come up in chatter and in backroom meetings.
And a lot of the papers kept using the word “pawnbroker.” You know, being a pawnbroker is predominantly a Jewish business. My opponents kept attacking, kept saying, “the millionaire pawnbroker,” which a lot of people took as saying, “the millionaire Jew.” Jewish people, you know, have been persecuted our whole existence, and again, this is 2010, and maybe I’m naive, but I don’t believe it was an issue with the people as much as it was with the party.
I didn’t realize that pawnbroker was still code for “Jewish.” Either way, Cohen is a pawnbroker, so I’m not sure what he wanted to be called. If he was a firefighter, the stories would’ve called him that. Also, he ought to out the political types who made anti-Semitic remarks about his candidacy in “backroom meetings,” if they actually do exist.
* In related news, the vetting process for prospective lt. governor candidates is pretty darned intense…
In what could possibly produce the most well vetted candidate in Illinois political history, Democratic leaders are asking prospective nominees for lieutenant governor to fill out an 11-page questionnaire that covers an array of topics, asking applicants to detail traffic tickets, real estate tax exemptions, code violations and if they’ve ever used performance-enhancing drugs.
Applicants are asked to name spouses and where they work and whether anyone in their family is a lobbyist and if so whom they lobbied and when. Sitting lawmakers are told to list everyone who’s ever received a legislative scholarship and whether the recipient’s family ever donated or volunteered for their campaigns. A total of 45 questions cover personal, professional, political and legal issues. Interviews begin Saturday in sites across the state, including local sessions in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates. The state Democratic Party’s central committee meets March 27 in Springfield to pick a winner. […]
Among the questions hopefuls now face is whether they are divorced, where it was filed and on what grounds it was granted. The divorce question includes this provision: “Do you believe anything could be found in your divorce papers that would disqualify you in the minds of voters from being on the ticket?”
Since the Cohen debacle, the media and the Republicans will probably try to comb through the past of whomever has been chosen.
…Adding… Read all the questions by clicking here.
* Related…
* Suburban residents seek lt. gov. nomination
* Ask The Times: Lieutenant Governor ballot spot