Good News From View Outside My Office Window

Half of Barrington IL is in Cook County (as is Chicago) and half is in Lake County. The Republican primary in the spring was a truly wild contedt between two lunatics....

Rep. Melissa Bean (D) has a big lead over wealthy investment banker David McSweeney (R), according to a new Democratic poll obtained by Roll Call.

The Benenson Strategy Group survey was done for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and paid for by an independent expenditure. It surveyed 400 likely voters and had a 5 percent margin of error.

Bean led McSweeney, who spent more than $2.4 million to win the GOP primary in March, by a 47 percent to 28 percent margin.

The survey also showed that 30 percent of respondents think the country is on the right track, while 60 percent said it is on the wrong track.

President Bush, who won 56 percent of the vote in the suburban Chicago district in 2004, had a 40 percent favorable/53 percent unfavorable rating, according to the poll.