Doug Truax hits the air waves tomorrow. Listen up.

Let us now praise Ike Carothers, or at least point out how he is not an absurdist candidate, made for horrifying Democrats and amusing Republicans.

First, he has a point about being forgiven, of course, even by voters. Depends what he did badly and what he did well and (frankly) how his constituents fared, comparatively speaking, especially in Chicago and Cook County, where standards are lower.

The question in any case is how, all things considered, a candidate stacks up against opponents. There are no paragons here. As for Republicans, we live where Democrats decide and others reside, so primaries matter. A.

Consider, therefore, the bad old Ike. In June 2006, when City Hall patronage chief Robert Sorich was standing trial, prosecutors had a list, not a little one, of clouted job seekers and their political sponsors. Ike’s name turned up more . He was the kind of clout-wielder…

Truax the man:

Today theChicago Tribune endorsedpolitical newcomer Doug Truax in the U.S. Senate Republican primary race, saying he was the best positioned to oust U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

It’s a major snub to ice cream mogul and state Sen. Jim Oberweis who was elected to his position in 2012 after making five failed runs for higher office.

“Conventional wisdom doesn’t dictate how dyspeptic voters will treat a profoundly partisan Democrat who helped lead passage of Obamacare — and who’s in his 32nd year in Congress,” the Tribune wrote.

“Oberweis has more name recognition and money than does Truax. If Republicans don’t look deeper, those variables could determine this race. But with one eye on the issues that confront voters and another on Illinois’ imperiled future, the Tribune today endorses Doug Truax.”

More more more here at the Sun-Times’ excellent new politics blog, Early and Often.

. . .  TO STOP RAUNER — AND PUNISH MADIGAN AND QUINN

Illinois Review has it:

Pro-union groups such as Republican Fund for Progress & Jobs, the Fund forProsperity & Jobs, the Illinois Freedom PAC and the Democrat Governors Association are raising money, running ads, and preparing to put boots on the ground – all to try and stop Bruce Rauner from winning the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

For teachers and public sector unions, stopping Rauner in the primary would prevent them having to spend possibly historic amounts of money on the November General Election.

Insiders tell Illinois Review it would also allow the unions to teach Gov. Quinn and House Speaker Madigan a lesson after they passed and signed a pension reform bill over the objections of the unions.

If state Sen. Kirk Dillard wins the GOP nomination, the teachers unions and AFSCME (which have endorsed Dillard) will, we are…

Choose Doug Truax to face Dick Durbin
The best candidate to challenge Sen. Dick Durbin

The Chicago Tribune
March 5, 2014

Illinois Republicans have had few successes in – how to phrase the problem delicately? – the 21st century. One of those successes, though, has grown into a respected, independent and, at 54, relatively young member of the U.S. Senate. And if lightning sparked by the public fury over Obamacare strikes this November, the people of Illinois could end up with two such Republican senators: incumbent Mark Kirk and promising political newcomer Doug Truax.

Not that political polls will tell you so: With a four-way joust for governor dominating attention as the March 18 primary approaches, many Republicans have yet to focus on their party’s two candidates for U.S. Senate. What’s more, conventional wisdom dictates that longtime incumbents such as Dick Durbin can’t lose. But conventional wisdom doesn’t dictate how…

Was on way back from Red Hen (mug of regular, a twist, looking out the window at the bus stop and Scoville Park) to St. Edmund’s, my usual port of call in matters of worship, when passing the Green Line station I had an Episcopal vision.

It was the ashes-to-go priest in long stole, hands free, and two burly fellows standing with back against the stone wall on the left as you enter, ready with ashes. ?Ashes to go,? she said with a smile, and the two ashes-holders echoed that. I had to stop. Fellow Christians were honoring the day.

A moment of greeting with smile, then my inspired retort, pointing: ?Remember, thou art dust.? And they got it, Mother Whoever especially, smiling agreement, recognizing the ages-old recommendation to the ashes-receiver, ?Remember Man, thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.?

Aswith Thomas Gray’s ?The paths of glory lead…

Richard Boykin,the former chief of staff toU.S. Rep. Danny Davis D-Ill., has a 20-point lead in the race for the Cook County Board’s 1st District seat, according to a poll his campaign released first to the Sun-Times’ Early&Often.

The numbers, posted below, show an incredible surge by Boykin since January and a steep drop by former Chicago Ald.Ike Carothers.

The poll also shows that despiteBlake Sercye’shigh-profile endorsements? including from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Secretary Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle ? he is in fourth place, behind Carothers and activist Brenda Smith. Ron Lawless is also running in the crowded March 18th primary.

In a survey of 400 likely general election voters taken by GBA StrategiesFeb. 25-27 ? after the Emanuel, Preckwinkle endorsement — the poll shows Boykin with 34 percent, Carothers with 15, Smith with 13 and Sercye with 10…

From Ill. GOP Chairman Chairman Jack Dorgan:

For a sitting governor, it doesn’t get much worse than the week Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn just had.

• On Tuesday, a state audit slammed Gov. Quinn for his $54.5 million program, launched just one month before the 2010 election. The brutal audit led to calls for a criminal investigation into what Republicans called a political “slush fund.”

Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Tribune
Quincy Journal

• On Wednesday, Quinn’s head of the Illinois Department of Chidren and Family Services abruptly resigned after multiple scandals came to light in the past month, including a theft conviction and past paternity case.Associated Press
  Chicago Tribune
  Chicago Sun-Times
• Then on Thursday, Quinn’s campaign got caught accepting $5,000 from an IDNR official and Democratic county party head. Shamed by the ILGOP, Quinn announced he would donate the tainted cash to charity (more about this below). And initial reports are that Quinn has…