What Chicago election is complete without elements of domestic violence, prostitution and tax evasion?
A Chicago pawnbroker who financed his campaign with nearly $2 million of his own wealth, Scott Lee Cohen Tuesday won the Democratic Party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor. But with new details of Cohen’s sordid past emerging today, Democratic primary voters will soon be wishing they had given his five rivals a second look.
Cohen allegedly held a knife to his then-girlfriend’s neck in October 2005. Charges were later dropped after the woman, once convicted of prostitution, failed to appear in court to testify against Cohen.
A police report of obtained by the Chicago Sun Times said the woman had scaring and defensive wounds on her hands “from trying to defend herself against the arrestee swinging the knife at her.” Additionally, Cohen “pushed [the] complainant’s head against [a] wall, causing a bump on the back of her head.”
The arrest came only months after Cohen’s former wife filed for divorce and was awarded by the courts a temporary protection order. Cohen’s deep bench of troubles don’t stop at reports of domestic violence, as records also indicate also he had federal tax problems.
Cohen disclosed his domestic battery arrest at the outset of his campaign, but details of the episode–namely, that he wielded a knife against his live-in prostitute girlfriend–surfaced only after voters had gone to the polls.
Pat Quinn, who leads in the count for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and succeeded disgorged former Governor Rod Blagojevich last January, is keeping quiet on the matter.
At a post-election presser, Quinn fielded questions on his likely running mate, but said he was unaware of the details of his 2005 arrest.
“I don’t know. Any information to come out, people will look at,” he said. “I have no idea. I think the voters voted yesterday. We’ll see what happens.”
UPDATE: Ed Morrissey notes the unenviable position of scandal-plagued state Democrats, whose democratic and senatorial bids have been jeopardized by Wednesday’s revelations.
According to the latest Rasmussen poll, Republican Representative Mark Kirk leads Democrat Alexi Giannoulias by a comfortable six-point margin. And the extent to which Cohen’s scandal will be a drag on Quinn’s candidacy cannot be overstated, and is amplified by near-constant reminders from the ILGOP of Blogojevich’s expulsion from office.
Steve Maley
KnightsofMalta
Too bad
AHL (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 10:52AM EST (link)Palin has to campaign for McCain. I’d be willing to bet she’d rather stay out of that race altogether.
Whoa
AHL (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 10:53AM EST (link)Sorry guys. Wrong thread.
I Heard a Story About John Edwards Beating His Wife is Breaking
Swamp_Yankee (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 10:53AM EST (link)dont know if it has been confirmed, it will be another bad couple of days for Democrats
NY Post Confirms; Edwards the Batterer
Swamp_Yankee (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 10:55AM EST (link)http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/edwards_hit_wife_during_heated_fight_zmFsOJNcwtg9yNt2y92rZJ
I've Just Thought Of His Campaign Slogan
Repair_Man_Jack (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 10:54AM EST (link)“He’ll do to the bloated budget, what he used to do to his girlfriend!”
” I side impenitently with the human race against the modern reformer.” – C.S. Lewis
Or maybe
blooch Thursday, February 4th at 12:07PM EST (link)“Read Norman Mailer, or get a new tailor.”
“Lieutenant Dike wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
A Better Tipper than Jack The Ripper?
Repair_Man_Jack (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 12:48PM EST (link)” I side impenitently with the human race against the modern reformer.” – C.S. Lewis
Scott the Knife
blooch Thursday, February 4th at 2:02PM EST (link)“Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old Scott, babe
And he keeps it … ah … out of sight….”
Background music for Pat Quinn’s next attack ad…just a tasteful instrumental version, maybe, unless Rush loans ‘em Paul Shanklin.
“Lieutenant Dike wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
Pawnbroker to Lt. Governor? Say what? nt
joayn (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 11:02AM EST (link)America is an idea; a noble idea that essentially boils down to the shocking belief that the masses are in fact not asses. John Nolte
Pawnbroker and real estate investor ...
acat (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 11:40AM EST (link)Wonder if he knows Rezko?
The guy put over 2 mil of his own money into the campaign .. he’s bought himself a seat at the table. Guess he figures the Lt. Gov. chair is an effin’ valuable thing.
Mew
——

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost”. –Tolkein
...records also indicate he had Federal Tax problems.
yoyo (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 11:03AM EST (link)NO! Say it ain’t SO! Not a Democrat. With Tax Problems? From Chicago? This is entirely implausible. Why, paying Taxes is PATRIOTIC. So says the Veep.
This is clearly a Right Wing assault, drummed up by the likes of Glenn Beck or Mike Savage.
Clearly.
SHAWKING!
Nemo me impune lacesset
“No one will provoke me with impunity!”
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Pukin’ Dogs – The Fighting 143
Sans Reproache
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The ‘yoyo’ replaced my cigarettes January 22, 2006….
If you don't pay them,
Repair_Man_Jack (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 11:04AM EST (link)why are they a problem?
” I side impenitently with the human race against the modern reformer.” – C.S. Lewis
IRS is buying Shot Guns
Greg (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 11:09AM EST (link)to collect form un-patriotic right wing gun toting bible thumper
TSA is also buying guns
scubadiver49er Friday, February 5th at 7:34PM EST (link)and the air marshalls are locking them up so they can’t get to them while the plane is “isolated” in the air. So what else is new?
“I Just Can’t Wait to be King” – Simba from “The Lion King”, 1994
Barry Soetoro – ???
Federal Tax Problems is one of the "must haves" for high office in the dem party these days.
nessa (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 12:21PM EST (link)Its one of the things that sets a crap weasel apart from his peers. Now with the added charges he’s on the short list for a Czar position. The only thing left is to be on youtube spewing the praises of fisting, Chairman Mao or the truthers. He’s set.
“If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
Contributor to Unified Patriots
teh twitter
This guy thinks that OfA stands for...
yoyo (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 2:06PM EST (link)Organizing for A-mafia.
I bet he and Rahm are GOOOOD friends….
Nemo me impune lacesset
“No one will provoke me with impunity!”
=============================
Pukin’ Dogs – The Fighting 143
Sans Reproache
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The ‘yoyo’ replaced my cigarettes January 22, 2006….
Dems acting badly?
RedBeard Thursday, February 4th at 11:25AM EST (link)How can that be? We were told that the problem was the “Republican culture of corruption.”
Standard-bearer for grouchy curmudgeonry since, oh, 1975 or so.
Cohen isn't even a High School Graduate
fideist Thursday, February 4th at 11:58AM EST (link)According to the Chicago Tribune, Scott Lee Cohen lists his education completed as possessing a GED. No college completed.
I have nothing against people with just GEDs, but I expect quite a bit more formal education from heads of government.
Typical Chicago Thug
proudgop (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 12:01PM EST (link)The way Ill Gov seem to find their way in jail lets hope Quinn doesn’t ge re-elected or this guy wins election or Illinois truly has entered the world of Marx
Cohen, a rising star. Nobody's perfect.
johnt Thursday, February 4th at 12:06PM EST (link)Look what being abusive did for Bill Clinton. Cohen fits right in with the party’s overall image, he probably already has the NOW endorsement in his pocket. Not the one he has the knife in.
If islamic murderers don’t get the left angry and worried,[ watch those Republicans ] you think a knife wielding nut is going to bother them?
Especially with all that racism and hate directed against the man who generously is turning the country over to the Chinese.
“a man’s admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him”. Tocqueville
Still can't believe that Illinoisssss senator is Prez
illinois (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 12:22PM EST (link)Never stops does it? This is Illinoisssssssssss! And, I know I’m a broken record……but still can’t believe that anybody could take seriously any of our Dem machine politicians. It doesn’t change——we could never get over that people actually fell for hopenchange! Citizens of the USA—-we GOT TO FLUSH!!!!!!
So, Is The Ticket Linked In IL, or De-Linked?
IJB Thursday, February 4th at 12:53PM EST (link)Here in CA, the ticket is ‘de-linked’ – i.e. there really is no “ticket” – and Gov. and Lt. Gov. run for their offices separately, which means you can (and sometime do) have Gov. and Lt. Gov. of the opposite party.
So is the ticket linked in IL?
And, even if it’s not linked, does Cohen’s scandal give the GOP primary winner for Lt. Gov, Jason Plummer, a shot at winning?
According to reports on Chicago's WLS-AM...
liberty12 Thursday, February 4th at 1:33PM EST (link)…this morning, the Governor and Lt. Governor are linked as a “ticket”.
correct, they are linked in the general
Illinicon (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 1:59PM EST (link)but in the primaries they are delinked so he run indepently of the Gubentorial candidates. Part of Hynes’s platform was to elimnate that office and merge the comptroller’s office with the treasurer’s office, so he wasnt going to pick a running mate as most candidates here do. This problem is on Quinn and Madigan not vetting the Lu. Gov. candidates had they did, Quinn could have picked a prefered running mate and had his voters voted in the Lu. GOV. race for the his choice that candidate would have gotten half the vote. This cycle was odd, since only McKenna picked a prefered running mate a State Senator who once advacated to elimnate the postion.
My Potus shortlist
declared candidates:
1. Tim Pawlenty
2. Herman Cain
3. Gary Johnson
4. Rick Santorum
among declared and rumored candidates:
1. Rick Perry
2. Tim Pawlenty
3. Rudy Giuilani
4. Herman Cain
IL Gov. Quinn says Lt. Gov. nominee must step aside
Laura (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 1:36PM EST (link)Here in IL, they are linked, and as of noon Chicago time, the Sun-Times is reporting that Cohen’s nominated “running mate” has said that he must step aside due to these allegations.
So even though Quinn avoided an expensive and time-consuming recount earlier today as his opponent, Dan Hynes, conceded, he had no time to sit on his laurels before having to deal with this.
Click here for the Sun-Times article
As for whether the Republican candidates for gov and lt gov have a chance this year…it’s about as good as it could be. Quinn’s unfavorables alone may just take care of that.
Illinois Democrats are upset for the wrong reasons
tankertodd (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 1:27PM EST (link)Upon hearing Cohen’s checkered past Illinois Democrats regret not running him for Governor – who better to pick up the mantle of leadership that Blago leaves behind?
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The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race – Chief Justice Roberts
If he withdraws, there's probably a good job for him...
revivefederalism (Diary) Thursday, February 4th at 3:20PM EST (link)as Alexi’s bagman!
I’m waiting for a scandal involving human organ trafficking to break. That would be just about perfect.
PLEASE LET COHEN STAY!!!!
Ghost of John Brown Thursday, February 4th at 6:29PM EST (link)Don’t ask this DEMOCRAT bonehead to step down. Let’s hope he stays the LT. Governor candidate and that we get plenty of pictures of him with Barack Obama and Pat Quinn. I hope the Democrats make him the spokesman for their party. I want to see Cohen EVERY SINGLE DAY on the TV. Let Illinois Voters know that if they vote for Pat Quinn and something happens to him, that this idiot is going to be their Governor. I love the fact that he is a DEMOCRAT.
“If you enemy is in the process of destroying themselves, stay out of their way.”
The next thing.....
msfitz Friday, February 5th at 10:29AM EST (link)You know the next thing the Democrats are going to do is say that Cohen is a Republican “plant” to sabotage Quinn’s chances in November. No, Cohen is so typical of the type of people involved in high level politics in Illinois and embedded within Illinois government. It is no wonder we are circling the drain here in IL (old abbreviation-ILL). Corruption and Illinois are synonymous and have been for decades. I just wish more of our citizens would wake up but they are still pretty drowsy. Especially those who are union members since they are being told that voting Democrat equals job security. Ah, and the corruption goes deeper……
Let's see,,,, this is Chicago, his ex-girlfriend failed to show up at trial,
jayburd (Diary) Friday, February 5th at 2:59PM EST (link)shouldn’t they find her and put a 24 hr guard on her?
One of my heroes- Ralph Smeed’s blog- http://smeedonstate-ism.com/index.htm
“What’s the matter? Don’t you want to win the war?” – Capt. John Birch
“If the Nation can issue a dollar bond it can issue a dollar bill.
The element that makes the bond good makes the bill good also. The
difference between the bond and the bill is that the bond lets the
money broker collect twice the amount of the bond and an additional 20%.Whereas the currency, the honest sort provided by the Constitution pays nobody but those who contribute in some useful way. It is absurd to say our Country can issue bonds and cannot issue currency. Both are promises to pay, but one fattens the usurer and the other helps the People.” – Thomas A. Edison