Illinois isn’t of much interest to the rest of the country as far as the major federal offices go. Barak Obama will surely defeat Alan Keyes and both political parties have given the state to John Kerry long ago. So we find ourselves sneaking peeks at the television when someone mentions Ohio or Wisconsin. One of our daughters is campaign volunteering in New Hampshire for a few days so we stop and listen to how things are going there. Tonight we had Special Report with Britt Hume on when we were thinking about dinner. As I was slicing up a red onion Dale said “you know, we could discuss these issues as well as any of the experts on these panels. They don’t know anymore than anyone else what’s what tonight.”

So I said, “Yep,” and went out into the dark to grill hamburgers in the rain.

In any event, it seems as if the less important we are presidentially, the more crazed the local races have become here in Illinois. There are some close close congressional battles around the state. But the race which has galvanized nearly everyone in the state is the race for the Southern region Illinois Supreme Court Justice. A new U.S. record for spending has been set as the two men have gone through millions and millions of dollars. No one can ever remember a judgeship causing this much hoopla. It has become the trial lawyers versus the tort reform people and it will be worth waiting up for tomorrow night.