Patch on Politics

'My Life is an Open Book,' GOP Senate Candidate Tells Kadner and Voters

A day after a columnist raises questions about why Barbara Bellar calls herself a nun and where she earned her medical degree, Bellar offers a rebuttal and posts her credentials online.

In a rebuttal to Phil Kadner, the longtime Southtown columnist who tried to ask Senate candidate Barbara Bellar questions about her education and background, Bellar says she suspects Kadner has "significant ulterior motives" in raising the issue. He's "voted Democratic" for the last eight years, says Bellar. Kadner, at a recent candidate forum in Palos Hills, tried to ask the doctor from Burr Ridge who's seeking the 18th Senate District seat why she describes herself as a nun in campaign literature when the prioress of the order says she did not take vows. And he tried to ask her about her medical degree from Mexico. He says she avoided his questions, and that bothered him. Today, Bellar sent a letter to Kadner and the newspaper, and sent …

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Emily

10:52 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Bob - I did what you asked and went to her bio. This is the last sentence. Dr. Bellar served as a Benedictine nun for five years and remains active in her church. This is a false statement. (Maybe not the be active in her church part, but serving as a nun)   more ›

Patch on Politics

Did Barbara Bellar Fib About Being a Nun?

The 18th District Senate candidate says she was a Benedictine nun for five years, but the prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago says otherwise.

“Barbara Bellar, State Senate, There’s ‘Nun’ Better.” Those words are stamped at the top of Republican State Senate candidate Barbara Bellar's website. The play on words reflects the time the 65-year-old Burr Ridge woman spent as a Benedictine nun before earning medical and law degrees.  But Sun-Times Media columnist Phil Kadner has been pressing Bellar — who faces State Rep. Bill Cunningham, a Democrat, for the 18th District Senate seat — for more detail on her background. The district takes in parts of Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Palos Park, Palos Hills and the 19th Ward on the Southwest Side of Chicago. In a column published Tuesday, Kadner writes: ... when asked if she ever took vows of fidelity and obedience she refused to return telephone…

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Who Won the Presidential Debate? Patch Survey Takers Say Romney

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met for their first debate. We surveyed influential Illinois politicians and guests at Patch watch parties, who say the president whiffed.

Illinois Republicans said Mitt Romney "hit a home run" in the Oct. 3 presidential debate and some Democrats said President Barack Obama "looked unprepared," even if they still agree with what he said.  Patch conducted a quick, unscientific poll among politically involved citizens following the debate and also surveyed residents at Patch-sponsored watch parties throughout the suburbs.  Of the 19 Republicans who responded to the online survey, 16 said Romney won by a wide margin and one said he defeated Obama by a slim margin. Two Republican respondents said Obama won the debate.  "I expected Obama to lecture Romney. I never expected Romney to lecture Obama," one Republican said. "Obama spent more time looking at his belly button like a …

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Eric Roberts

1:39 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012

Except that he lied about it Tom. 3 companies out of the 33 companies that took money from DOE green initiative went bankrupt. Sounds to me like the government made a good investment financially and for our future.   more ›

Illinois Democrats Say They're More Confident About Re-election Post-Convention

In the latest Land of Lincoln Blue survey issued by Patch, Democratic respondents said they thought President Obama did a great job, but loved President Clinton's speech more. They also said Republicans showed how "out of touch" they are.

Now that the Democratic and Republican national conventions are complete, Democrats in Illinois say they're more confident in President Obama's re-election campaign than they were last month. That's part of the results from a recent Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Eighty-nine Democrats were surveyed, with 15 responding. About 87 percent of those surveyed said they're more confident now than they were before the conventions.  But was it Barack Obama who energized them? Almost every Democrat that responded to the survey said President Bill Clinton was the highlight of the convention, even overshadowing the current president. Clinton showed that Democrats "stand for the working class and the seniors of this country…

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Illinois Republicans Energized but Questioning Foreign Policy After Convention

In the latest Land of Lincoln Red survey issued by Patch, Republican respondents shared their opinions on the presidential election following the Republican National Convention.

Citing speeches by Sen. Marco Rubio, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and celebrity Clint Eastwood, 94 percent of Republicans surveyed by Patch said their party's National Convention provided the party with the momentum it needs to get the base to turn out for what is expected to be a close election. That's part of the results from a recent Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Ninety-three Republicans were surveyed, with 30 responding.  Most Republican respondents mentioned the Rubio and Ryan speeches as highlights of the convention, while one respondent said "Mitt Romney just did OK."  According to Republican respondents, 53 percent said they felt more confident about Romney's chances of winning after the …

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Can the GOP Oust Madigan?

Illinois Republicans are trying to tell voters that a vote for any Democrat this fall is a vote for House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Will GOP's Madigan Attacks Persuade Local Voters?

Illinois Republicans are trying to tell voters that a vote for any Democrat this fall is a vote for House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Could this be the election year in which the GOP's portrayal of Mike Madigan as the corrupt manipulator of Democratic state reps — mere marionettes who dance on strings — actually pays off? The Southwest Side power broker is again the target of a Republican bid to tie him to the candidacies of every House Democrat in the November election, according to a report from IllinoisWatchdog.org. A recent $100,000 union donation to Madigan and the House's failure to act on pension reform in the General Assembly is being cited as evidence of a suspicious scratching of the back on the Speaker's part.  David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, offered this take to a reporter for …

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Illinois Politicos: Paul Ryan VP Selection Could Energize Both Parties

Patch surveyed local Democrats and Republicans about the impact of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan's selection as Mitt Romney's GOP running mate.

Illinois Democrats and Republicans both believe the selection of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) as Mitt Romney's running mate will energize their party's voters in the 2012 presidential election. That's the general feeling gathered from the Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Ninety-three Republicans and 89 Democrats were surveyed, though only 14 and nine replied, respectively, by the time of publication.  About 77 percent of Republicans who responded said they believe the Ryan selection will galvanize Illinois Republicans, while 87 percent of Democratic respondents said the choice will bring together their voters against Ryan.  Read about Ryan's visit to the Iowa State Fair on Iowa City Patch. Republicans who …

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