Innovative Pre-Election Strategies

From time to time we hear proposals to do away with the electoral college, but Jim Oberweis, a candidate in today's Republican primary for the Illinois governor's race, wants to get rid of the voters--or at least lessen their importance. Oberweis is lagging behind frontrunner Judy Barr Topinka by double digits, but he also has to contend with two other rivals for the nomination (well, two-and-a-half, I guess, but Andy Martin hardly counts). Instead of letting voters choose between the four candidates, Oberweis suggested a deal to his two other primary rivals. Bill Brady and Ron Gidwitz could join him in a "straw poll," in which actual straws would be drawn. The winner would face off against Topinka, while the two losers would withdraw from the race. This is a risky move, of course, so Oberweis wanted to weight the odds in his favor, if he could. He proposed that there would be twelve straws, one with Brady's name on it, one with Gidwitz's name on it, and ten with his own name on them. Apparently neither Brady nor Gidwitz is a betting man, as they each turned Oberweis down flat. Too bad. Now he actually has to face the other candidates on his own merits.