2006

 I'm making a connection between 2020 and 2006. That's a 14-year gap between two different elections and two entirely different set of circumstances.

I don't know why but 2020 didn't freak me out, however, 2006 had. We see in 2022 that the wrong man is in office, he's barely functioning in office right now. He saw a ghost when the Easter bunny got his attention and directed him away from the crowd at the White House. He can't help but make embarrassing gaffes and caused even a star NHL player to chuckle. He just seems out of his depth and worse still people begin to make references to his advanced age. After all Joe Biden is 79 years old!

So what happened in '20 well coronavirus. The pandemic and the economic fallout from the pandemic economic shut down. It was self-induced and any allegations of voter fraud aside the public decided President Trump needed to go.

For my sensibilities he was the only strong leader we had. Can you believe a man who largely stayed in his basement during the campaign and barely energized voter enthusiasm can be a strong leader? Well I didn't believe it then and he's showing it now. I'm sure a few of those 81 million voters who cast a ballot for "Let's go Brandon" realize Trump was a better President.

So anyway what's with the 2006 election? Why am I bringing that up?

Like 2006, this year '22 is an election year. And 16 years ago we had to decide whether or not then incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich should have a second term. A blogger who follows Illinois politics such as John Ruberry just knew for sure that then state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka would become the first female governor this great state. Instead it wasn't even close! 

I also just knew that this state knew that Blago was a crook who just wasn't serious about being Governor, however,  he just had that personality that was perfect for politics. It just seemed as if he wasn't that interested in day-to-day governing. Just knew that the public saw this and would put into his place someone who would run this state.

Well what was going on in 2006, well that was a wave year as it turned out. I was still going through Morehouse at the time, majoring in Political Science and it sort of caught be off guard. Perhaps I wasn't really paying much attention to this at the time.

There was no pandemic or even race riots or even an economic shut down back then. There was an ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan which was proving unpopular. For the first time since 1994 the Democrats regained control of both houses of the U.S. Congress and it wasn't like their meager hold on control of Congress in 2020. So it seemed as if whatever energy in the election was going towards the Democrats and it went on down the ballot. It helped Blagojevich and perhaps it hurt the late great Topinka.

Either way little did we know that over two years after his re-election Blago would be arrested at his home by the FBI he would be removed from office halfway through his second term. He also became yet another Illinois Governor who would have to serve time in federal prison.

Anyone who felt freaked out over the 2016 election - REEEEEEEEE - well I felt just about the same in 2006 when Blago won re-election. How could this state be so willing to re-elect a man who was bad at his job and so crooked?

And some voters asked how after election the first Black president we weren't so willing to election the first woman president and instead elected a misogynist and racist to office. To that I don't know what to say, in 2006, 2016 and 2020 the voters had spoken and cast their ballot based on whatever info they had. However between 2006 and 2020 we see the results ultimately.

So while we could get upset over one year's election results at least now in '22 and '24 we have two opportunities to right the direction of now only the state of Illinois, also of these United States. So I no longer freak out, just recognize that there will be another election and hopefully the voters will make a different choice in the next one.

And I just want to offer that in '22 current IL Gov. J.B. Pritzker is up for a second term. This race was just mentioned on the Ingraham Angle and it could be this years election to follow. However, I'm a long way from predicted whether or not Gov. Pritzer will secure a second term. Blagojevich is so far the last incumbent Governor to secure that feat although we also saw how that worked out.