Jackass of the Week

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Alexi Giannoulias (D - Crook County)

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The Notorious Alexi G, U.S. Senate candidate from ILLinois, can't seem to catch a break or do himself any favors since he became the DemocRAT's official nominee. To quote a line from the movie Hoosiers: "Sun don't shine on the same dog's ass everyday, but Mr., you ain't seen a ray of light since you got here!" Trailing slightly, but within the margin of error, to GOP Rep. Mark Kirk, Mr. Giannoulisnuffleupagus is now the underdog to retain the seat the current President held less than two years ago. In a strong Democrat state, no less.

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This week he finds his family's infamous & controversial financial undertakings front and center, as his party tries to hold onto every seat in what's developed into an anti-Democrat wave (even in ILLinois). Rather than trying to translate the financial mumbo jumbo, AZDB will let Mr. G's hometown newspaper The Chicago Tribune do the honors:

Broadway Bank, the family-owned lender that helped launch U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias' political career, was seized by government regulators Friday night, one of seven Illinois
institutions taken over and sold to healthier companies..

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The failure of Chicago-based Broadway, which was unable to raise the $85 million it needed to remain independent, was anticipated, and its worsening health has weighed on Giannoulias' Democratic bid for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat. The bank had been struggling in recent years with real estate loans gone bad, losing $75 million last year..

Giannoulias worked for his father at Broadway before entering politics, and during his successful run for state treasurer in 2006 he used his banking experience as one of his chief qualifications. But in the Senate race, he has tried to distance himself from the bank's troubles..

The Tribune reported this month that the $1.15 billion-asset bank, founded in 1979, lent a pair of Chicago crime figures about $20 million during a 14-month period when Giannoulias was a senior
loan officer. ..

...even fellow Democrats have taken shots at Giannoulias and Broadway. Asked recently whether the bank's problems would affect Giannoulias' Senate bid, Democratic House Speaker Michael
Madigan joked, "I'm glad I don't have any deposits there."

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But the money quote comes from none other than Alexi himself, choking back tears at a Friday press conference (Warning: Reading this while drinking a beverage could cause either computer monitor damage or severe choking from fits of laughter.):

"It is an incredibly sad and heartbreaking day for me and my family," Giannoulias said. "My father and my brothers have changed the lives of so many families and entrepreneurs, both in the Edgewater community and throughout the country...While today was a devastating day for me and my family, what happened today makes me want to fight even harder for Illinois families that have lost their jobs, their homes and their own businesses."

What an unbelievable trooper! This is akin to a liquor store thief robbing the owner at knife-point, then asking for a job application on the way out. (Don't forget to include references, Alexi.) Or if that's too rough, since nobody used any actual violence to rob the deposit-holders of their loot, imagine your dog pees all over the house's carpet, then sits up expecting a treat. He may be only 34, but G-Man already has the necessary chutzpah to succeed in big-boy DemocRAT politics. With the party bitterly-clinging to every possible Senate seat while nearing the midterms, we can start the countdown clock to the Chicago Machine attempting to substitute a replacement candidate before the summer is out.

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- AZDB