Marathon Pundit: Obama limps into Chicago--and a report from the conference call with IL GOP chairman Pat Brady

President Obama came to Chicago last night to rally up the Democratic base--just 20,000 of them. Remember, this is the president's hometown. Fox 32 Chicago's Mike Flannery, the city's most respected television political analyst, said only liberal "true believers" were in attendance--independents had other things to do.

Republicans have already made up their minds.

One of the candidates Obama is trying to keep standing is failed Mob Banker Alexi Giannoulias.

Yesterday morning Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady held a conference call about the Obama rally and Tuesday's election. "The visit today says more about Alexi's weakness as a candidate than anything," Brady told us. "Let's take a little look at the history here. Alexi Giannoulias was the fourth choice of the Democrat Party… He was not the enthusiastic choice, by any means, of the Democrats here in the state…"

Looking beyond Saturday night, Brady was optimistic about Election Day. "It's going to be a big night for the Republicans on Tuesday. [In] our early voting in all the congressional districts we are even or ahead of the Democrats, which as you know, is a great sign for us because we, in 2008, were down three to one at this point. Early voting in 2006 I think it was two and a half to one. We feel, given all the polling that I have seen in the last forty-eight hours combined with our first ever state-wide get out the vote program, where we have made 4.2 million voter calls since April, that we are going to have a very, very good Tuesday night. But with that being said, we are still working hard and running like we are five points down…"

During the question and answer session, I queried Brady about the problems with absentee military voting here. Earlier this month Obama's Justice Department gave 35 Illinois counties a "pass" from their requirement to get absentee ballots in the hands of our troops 45 days before Election Day. Some of those members of our military are of course getting shot at.

A "pass?" I don't get it either--other than most of the men and women who serve out country vote Republican. Oh, does this mean the DOJ approves Illinois breaking the law?

"The Justice Department failed to monitor this," Brady said. "It is going to allow one extra day for these ballots to be postmarked, in my opinion, disenfranchising military personnel from their right to vote."

The fix--if you can call it that, "Is far short than what they should have done."

Downstate St. Clair County, home of Scott Air Force base, is one of those 35 counties.

Despite this insult to our troops--for the first time in over ten years Illinois Republicans are eagerly looking forward to Election Day.

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