Reply #6: That is interesting to hear.

[undeterred]

I grew up in Illinois and lived there till 2000. My mother lives in what used to be Henry Hydes district (I grew up there). Later I lived in Hyde Park and I was there long enough to see Obama run for Congress and I signed the petition when his wife was collecting signatures outside the grocery store and he was a teacher at the U of C law school. Amazing how far he has come.

Paul Simon was a wonderful distinguished Senator. But Dick Durbin is too- and I didn't know about the connection between them. I also heard on Air America that there is a connection between Tom Daschle and Obama, even though they did not overlap in Congress. I always liked Daschle too.

I am in Madison now- I was never really involved in Chicago, but I am here. Wisconsin is a bit simpler than Illinois and very evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. I have to admit I just always voted a straight party ticket in Chicago because the ballot was so long! In Madison it takes about 20 seconds to vote.