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SLC scared the system		Posted on Monday, February 15, 2010 - 04:29 pm: What if Scott Lee Cohen was who the people wanted? Regardless of occupation, back round, political affiliation. Why is it that just because the nominee is not a machine candidate, that might not play in current system, is attacked and killed? Maybe the people wanted a real hard core business man in gov!!!!!! If you threw out everyone in gov that sins or is immoral there would not be any body left�� Initially I did not like him but after looking at what he accomplished, in what industry, business climate, I decided that it was time to bring in business managers and get rid of politicians. We should endorse these type people in to gov but they don�t want to put up with the nonsense involved with coming to serve. This guy scared the heck out of the system. Why is that bad? Walter Wieczorek

Michelle Marinette Unregistered guest		Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - 12:19 pm: If Scott Lee Cohen is the future of Illinois politics, I'm moving to another state.

jack		Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 09:41 pm: That certainly was an interesting interview with Cohen. I wonder what he has up his sleeve. I notice he hasn't signed his resignation papers yet for Lt. Gov...what will the Democrats do if he doesn't sign off? I want to make a point about the Democrats in this State and that is they should have vetted him right from the beginning in early 2009. It was not up to the newspapers, who mostly are bankrupt and short-staffed. What the Party would have discovered is he has about 20+ legal cases for back taxes, liens, the divorce, child support arrears, building code violations, evictions, etc., and they should have right then and there tried to get him to drop out. That's how they do it in other states. Madigan is running too many things and everything is slipping by the wayside. He should not be Speaker of the House, running his own law firm PLUS being head of the Party in this State. It's way too much and errors are happening, as this shows. How many people would have voted for Cohen if they knew all this trash about Cohen before they voted last Tuesday. Probably not many. But what we have now is some number of people being angry that their vote was stolen by the Machine politics of this State. It is a fiasco I lay right at the feet of Mike Madigan who has his fingers in too many pots. The software which attorneys have at their fingertips for looking up cases in the various state, local and county jurisdictions runs very fast and they could have seen within a few minutes this man runs into a lot of legal problems. It should have been done last March when Cohen filled out the papers to run. Now there is a media circus, an uproar, etc and all of it probably could have been avoided by the Democratic Party of IL if they had a system in place to background check candidates running on their ticket.

When Will Chicago Wake Up?		Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 08:43 pm: What on earth is happening to this ridiculous city???? You spend all that time profiling this complete train wreck of a politician, which is just like all the other pathetic humans who run for office in this town, and you totally skip the bit about autism and the unique show that was born in this city!!!! Myself and others were waiting to see this segment and find out about this effort, and we get a softball interview with another Chicago embarrassment and then a 'way too long' bit about wine and beer!!???!! Are you kidding me??? Have we as a city become so incredibly stupid and vapid that we don't even realize when we are defeating ourselves and missing the big picture???? For a PBS show, that is supposed to be for the public good, you completely blew a huge chance to help and enlighten a lot of families. Really really mindblowing.

Rick Roberts Unregistered guest		Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 08:24 pm: Please..!.. Mr Cohens protestations about the media bothering his children? How much money does he owe his ex-wife for child support? The man is a remarkablely self delusional narcissus and not a terribly articulate or seemingly intelligent one one at that. At least Illinois other delussional narcissistic politician Rod Blagoevich seems to be able to present his case with some roguish appeal.

Neil Cacciottolo		Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 07:58 pm: Scott's intentions were good, but because of his past history I believe that he should have thought twice about running for any office. Unfortunately, these are lessons in life; some learn early , some learn late, and some never learn at all.

Kristen		Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 02:11 pm: People on this message board are so angry at the media for not catching this, but this lack of investigation is probably a symptom of a problem that the general public has largely created. All our local papers are or were in bankruptcy this past year, because we all get free content online. I canceled our Trib subsription after the paper became a shadow of itself. The papers have cut their investigative journalist jobs because investigative journalism is slow and expensive. We shouldn't get made at no receiving a good that we don't pay for. The Democrats are to blame for not vetting their canidates. I am somewhat new to the state and I am not used to the Gov.and Lt. Gov. running on the same ticket. I think that the people in a state should be able to more directly elect who is second in line to the Governor's.

thwipp89 Unregistered guest		Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 09:43 am: what a fiasco. so many balls were dropped on this one, it's unbelievable. no wonder IL politics are such a joke. at least cohen finally came to whatever senses he might have and stepped aside. with so much baggage, shame on him for wasting his money running. he should've known better. he's lucky he got as far as he did. is he really that delusional to think that stuff wouldn't come back to haunt him?? seeing him blabber and cry during his conference on superbowl sunday was laughable. the guy is clueless. shame on the democratic party and media for not doing their due diligence. it's hard enough for the few of us that do vote to make an informed decision. and people wonder why so many voters just stay home...

JP Paulus Unregistered guest		Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 - 08:47 am: You can't blame the voters for this...at least those who actually voted. Over 70% of them did NOT pick Cohen, despite his positive advertisements (and at least in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, a complete lack of ads from any other candidate). We should also blame Rickey Hendon, whose ego was so big that he thought he could win...instead, he helped Art Turner lose (Turner wa sjust a few percentage points shy of beating Cohen). i hope for the general election, that the media puts the spotlight on ALL actual candidates, INCLUDING the Green party. Money, as in Cohen's case, can help a cadidate get noticed. But the media, supposed free of money (despite commercial revenue), should be able to help balance those odds, and give EVERY candidate a fair hearing. They shouldn't dismiss someone due to budget, or even polls.

B. Costa Unregistered guest		Posted on Monday, February 08, 2010 - 07:22 pm: Basically the Democratic Party forced Cohen out by harassing him and his family. Also they screwed him out of two million dollars. Typical Durbin and Madigan move. It will back fire on them in November because the people will punish the Democrats for it.

Richard Klein Unregistered guest		Posted on Sunday, February 07, 2010 - 06:43 pm: Scott Lee Cohen has competed and won his primary via the vote of the people of Illinois. How can the rogues gallery of the prim and proper politicians in our state now deny him the opportunity just because they don't like him? Madigan, Quinn, Alexi and Senator Durbin are certainly fine examples of high political high morals and ethics in our state....ya right!!! Richard Edgewater

Publicus in Pa. Unregistered guest		Posted on Sunday, February 07, 2010 - 11:31 am: The man is the perfect Dumbocrat candidate. Just the kind of politician that the corrupt people of Illinois deserve. After eight years in the Lt. Gov office he can run for US Senate and take Big Dick Turbans seat.

Bill H Unregistered guest		Posted on Sunday, February 07, 2010 - 10:57 am: Why did the media decide to break this story after the primary was over? They clearly had enough information to reveal this prior to the election and help to avoid this mess. Was it because it would be more salacious and scandalous? Isn't the media supposed to be our "watchdogs"? I want him to step aside but I think the media needs to take some responsibility for this debacle.

Jillian Scudeleri		Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 02:09 pm: I am a woman who's had a knife held to her throat by an abusive ex-boyfriend, which was not a pleasant thing. That aside, this whole thing seems like a slur campaign orchestrated by machine Democrats who don't like the man that the people of Illinois elected to be on the Democratic ballot in November. Gov. Quinn doesn't need Scott Lee Cohen to drag the ticket down, Quinn will do that himself. I voted for SLC, and yes, its was because I heard his radio commercials 30 times an hour. I voted Democrat in the primary, but will be splitting my ballot in November. I think the Democrats in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois are the reason why we're going broke. Let's look at the facts: 1. SLC was not convicted of any battery charges. 2. SLC has a lot of money, more reason to drag him into divorce court. 3. He was totally transparent. Unlike Ald. Joe Moore, whose divorce records are sealed, Cohen's weren't. 4. I can think of a dozen elected officials in the Illinois State Legislature alone who are bigger crooks, have more personality disorders and conflicts of interest that interfer with their policy choices and working in the best interests of Illinois residents. 5. If SLC's ex-wife were merely interested in seeking her 15 minutes of fame, she'd be on every news talk show maligning her ex-husband, not on some podunk public TV station in Chicago defending him. 6. I know for a fact from a Sun-Times political reporter that the ST sat on this story days before the primary because some stupid editor there thought it would "unfair" to the candidate to release this information before the primary, and because the ST "didn't have the space" or the "staff" to cover the rinky dink Lt. Gov. race. 7. SLC won the primary nomination fair and square. He didn't commit vote fraud, tamper with absentee ballots or dish out a lot of BS to voters. 8. It's hard to prove a negative. I hope SLC holds more job fairs. I've been unemployed for a year and can use a job.

Joseph Iniguez Unregistered guest		Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 01:34 pm: Wait a minute, Mr. Cohen won plan and simple. So he is late on child support so is the State of Illinois. Remember, he who has not sinned throw the first stone. This is going to be a election to watch. Sit back enjoy the show.

Buzz Murdock		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 11:14 pm: I don't agree with Mr. Cohen's folly's but: a) he put it out there when he announced he was running b) Mark Brown - Guilty of not properly reporting the facts c) the rest of the media for not digging who he was d) he paid for his campaign and won by a large margin e) Gov. Quinn lied directly to the people by saying he didn't know until Wed. f) Terry Links (D-Vernon Hills) warned both Quinn and Hynes months ago so what is really going on here? the machine is trying to maintain their power with a sour grapes position - well - it is too late - he was duly elected by the people and Quinn can't do anything about it - he just can't name Hynes contrary to what Louise Cahill suggests. That is illegal. If Cohen steps down the #2 man Art Turner gets it. The awful truth is Mr. Cohen beat the machine at its' own game of gotcha! In the end it is all about Machine politics and protecting their kingdom - so I am glad Phil Ponce got tough on the questions but the man answered and that is that - unless of course Phil Ponce and Chicago Tonight is an emissary of the machine? There already is a distinct bias but heck Cohen is one of the DEM guys you pine for already. Why the outrage? Cohen has been more truthful than anyone PBS has previously interviewed. He Won! END!

Barb Gordon Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 09:05 pm: I really enjoyed the debates with the candidates for offices in the Illinois primary.The format and the questions were very good. I Especially thought Phil was very good. Unfortunately WTTW did not have the Lt.Governors race covered. Why was that? I found it very hard to find information on the Lt. Governors race. The information I got on Scott Lee Cohen was WRONG!! The web sight I went to said Scott Brown was a Businessman who owned an environmentally friendly cleaning products company. The sight said he was a community activist. He seemed like a good alternative to the Springfield insider politicians. Iwish WTTW could have informed us better. The interview you did on Thursday with Scott Cohen and is wife was good. WHY couldn't you have done this before the election? I feel stupid and betrayed. Where were YOU and the rest of the media?

IMuser UR2 Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 08:58 pm: Now that Phil and the Chicago media are getting tough, why not interview Congressman Jackson and ask him about his campaign supporters offering then Governor Blagojevich millions in exchange for Blagojevich appointing Congressman Jackson to the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama? I understand Congressman Jackson's response in the past to questions concerning the offers was, "I am not a snitch."

John Wickre Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 07:21 pm: Scott Cohen is attempting to play the honest card, but is he really being honest? He denies the allegations that he abused his ex-girlfriend in spite of the evidence. One could chalk this up to he said she said reasonable doubt, but the pattern of behavior is undeniable. During the interview the ex-wife conceded that this guy attempted to rape her and she lived in fear that he would rape her. There was certainly no denials from Mr. Cohen on this point. He refused to answer a simple question about alimony and then trumpets himself as an �honest� candidate who answers everything he�s been asked. This man is a liar who only admits to things he can�t possibly deny.

Joe		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 07:20 pm: He won fair and square. He spent his own money and won. Now hindsights 20 20. The Democratic Party here shows again how unprofessional and how they keep dropping the ball by ignoring issues that are prevalent and right there for them to see. They persist in there myopic view of the world. GET MIKE NORTH OFF THE AIR. IF YOU WANT HIM FOR SPORTS, THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. HAVING HIM THERE FOR OPINIONS ON POLITICS AND THE WORLD IS AGGRAVATING AND A EMBARRASSMENT!

tomthomas		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 07:03 pm: NO!! It is not the fault of the media solely, but definitly in part. The Democratic Party should have caught everything that Phil Ponce brought up last night but they didn't. The Trib comes up with it the day after election. That's just as questionable as everything else here. This is the first year that I've registered as a Democratic voter and I'm disgusted. Maybe what we need from you is: What is a voter to do here, I'm frustrated and disgusted. What are our options. Tom T Dekalb

Robert S. Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 06:29 pm: It is amazing how stupid the Democratic Party of Illinois is State,County and City wide. The Republican's will be ready and waiting with tons of money and political ads to capture the Governor's seat and as the rest of the World is watching take President Obama's U.S. Senate seat as well. I am a life long Democrat and watching this Party in action in Illinois is a joke to behold. The Democratic Officials across this State need to get their act together before it is to late and the Republican Party takes full Control.

Maria Murzyn Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 04:00 pm: It was not and is not up to Democratic, or Republican for that matter, Party leaders to inform the voting public about Mr. Cohen and his attributes or lack thereof as your reporting last night implied. It is the duty, responsibilty and the role of a free press. Where were you, Chicago Tonight, and all the other reporters in our state, both print and broadcast, prior to this "Cohen Controversy"?

HOPElessinOakPark Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 12:01 pm: What a shame! How long did the investigative media know about Mr. Cohen "issues"? Did the story really break the day AFTER the election? Mmmmm! Well the media, the Governor and the party leaders now need to persuade Mr. Cohen that he will not be the Lt. Governor comes Nov. Mr Cohen can save himself a lot of headaches and step aside.

Bill Seeger Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 11:43 am: An estimated 30% voter participation rate for the most recent primary election has resulted in the continuing abuse of our electoral process. Political parties exist solely for the purpose of power, control and financial gain of their members. Its we, the voters, who should be chastised for not voting. So for the 70% of those who did not vote, please, dont complain. Perhaps the good folks at WTTW could ask each and every person who comes on their programs if they voted. If they say yes, the interview continues, if they say no, its on to the next person.

Eileen Devine		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 11:18 am: I would like to see a panel of "in-depth reporters" and Democratic leaders explain why they did not do their jobs prior to the primary election. RESEARCH of the Democratic candidates. Take responsibility for a very poor job done! MR. Brown from the Sun Times would be a great host for show!

themiddleclassguy Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 09:03 am: Scott Cohen should not resign. The incidents happened five years ago and he was never convicted. Further, he talked about them to Mark Brown of the Sun Times back in March. This is not about Cohen's sordid past. "Mr. Clean", Pat Quinn does not want to run with a pawn broker. A corrupt political attorney would be OK. Further, Mr. Quinn was to stupid to do something simple- back one of the Lt. Governor candidates during the primary. If we can't trust him to do simple things, how can we trust him to run a bankrupt state? Since he was named Mr. Soybean, the ticket will be interesting- Mr. Soybean and the Pawn Broker.

Joseph O. O'Connor Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 06:22 am: 2/5/10 Dear Mr. Phil Ponce; Ms. Carol Marin; Ms. Elizabeth Bracket; Mr. Eddie Arruza & Mr. Joel Weisman: With all the pre-election coverage that you had on your show, I think it is an outrage that you did inform your viewing public of the issues with Mr. Scott Cohen prior to the election. This failure on your part to cover the issues of Mr. Cohen, prior to the election has damaged the integrity of your normally highly respected news program. You and most of the Chicago Media should take a significant portion of the blame for this failure. It will be interesting to see if you and any of the Chicago media will take any blame for this failure. My cynical view of the media tells me that you will not own up to any blame, but only point fingers at everyone else. The fact that your program and the local media are all over this issue after the fact, while saying little or nothing about it prior to the election is highly dubious. If your program wants to keep its integrity, I would suggest that Mr. Joel Weisman have Mr. Bruce Dold of the Chicago Tribune on his program tonight and ask Mr. Dold why his newspaper failed to cover the depth of his issue prior to the election? Joseph O'Connor River Forest, IL

Very Fed Up		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 05:59 am: The Chicago media as well as the Hynes and Quinn campaigns all failed to investigate the LG candidates. Cohen should step down. Besides using millions of his own money, did anyone actually donate to his campaign? How much does he have left? Can donors ask for their money back? I did my research. Come on, in Chicago who in their right mind would vote for someone who owns pawn shops!!! I didn't vote for him and I can't imagine he has a chance in the fall now.

Honest Abe Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 12:43 am: I thought Scott Lee Cohen was trying to be sincere.

The comman man Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 12:35 am: Let the people of Illinois decide

William Anderson Unregistered guest		Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 12:32 am: Wow, what a bunch of judgmental idiots you people are! I'd much prefer Mr. Cohen as this state's lieutenant governor to having a phony reformer and flat-out liar such as Pat Quinn return to the governor's seat to tax this state's citizens into absolute oblivion and restore countless more hardened criminals to our mean streets. Further, to disenfranchise all the voters who trooped down to their polling places in the snow to cast their ballots for Cohen renders the entire democratic process utterly worthless (only in Illinois, the corruption capitol of America). One more thought: Phil Ponce's laughable imitation of a prosecuting attorney in this segment made him look like a yapping chihuahua instead of his traditional softball-lobbing approach. Edward R. Murrow the guy ain't--bring back Bob Sirott!!

Elin Flint Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 11:32 pm: I have been thinking long and hard about this. Ultimately, it is unfair to ask Scott to step down. He is not an elected official, he is not representing the people in Illinois as of yet, nor is he facing a criminal charge. This is something he acknowledged happened in his past, and it is up to the voters of Illinois to decide whether to believe he is a changed man. Leave it to the people to decide if they want him in office. Honestly, I would still vote fro Quinn even with Scott on the ticket.

Jen Ramsey Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 10:30 pm: thank God there is a show like Chicago Tonight where we can see a fool like SLC for who he really is... as a voter I want to see him uninterrupted - not chopped up into lame soundbites like you see on Channel 7. Phil Ponce did a great job asking all the tough questions and proved once again why he is the best interviewer in the city.

josefa mcmartin		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 09:31 pm: Thank you guys for given people the opportunity to know who this man is. I'm very sad that people go to the pols to vote for someone they have no clue who this person really is. Thanks God I didn't waste my vote with him. Should be a law that anyone running for public office should make the records of their lives public, at least six months prior to any election. Also, sholud be determined that if there was any thing left under the rug, the person should be punished with a big fine and jail time. PS: I will not vote for governor with this man on the ticket. He has to go.

criag		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 09:28 pm: Cohen is a nut. He stated that he wanted to make Coke or Pepsi the official drink of Illinois in order to raise 2 million for the state. The voters of Chicago should have done their research before voting for this guy.

margaret Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 09:12 pm: This situation pretty much assures either a Gov. Brady or Gov. Dillard.

NancyAlbert		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 09:02 pm: The media is partly to blame for Scott Lee Cohen's election. Why did no TV station ever give air time to any election watchdog group so that the average citizen would have the information to access the websites of these groups and gain some informed views about the candidate? The Lt. Gov. slot was hardly mentioned in any of the TV coverage pre-election. Now it is too late, and we are stuck with a dreadful mess.

IMuser UR2 Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:53 pm: It's worth repeating without a typo: I like the odds better when the voters choose the Lt. Governor than when the Governor chooses. A corrupt governor is more likely to select a corrupt running mate. No way would Blago have chosen Pat Quinn. The voters might get one out of two correct.

chasfj Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:36 pm: Great job by Phil Ponce on a subject that needs major investigation. After the events of the past year or so, I have to wonder if the political system in Illinois can be salvaged. A deeply ingrained culture of corruption in both parties... A nonsensical primary system where anybody with enough money can run for Lt. Gov., and the nominee for Governor is then forced to run with him regardless of the L.G. nominee's character, qualifications, or position on issues... An apathetic and apparently woefully uninformed electorate (and the news media shares the blame for not exposing this), who for the 25% who did vote, vote for candidates based on nothing more than name recognition and or a TV ad... Quinn is a sitting duck with Scott Cohen on the ticket. The best thing the Democrats can do is find a way to convince him to step down, and give the nomination to the next highest vote getter. Or better yet, offer the L.G. nomination to Dan Hynes.

EleANOR COLE		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:25 pm: Senator Stevenson made several important points. The primary is too early, the campaigns are too long and too expensive, there are too many people on the ballot and the system of separate elections for governor and lieutenant governor is a bad system. I did not vote for Cohen but it was difficult to find information about the candidates. Governor Quinn had so much to do, dealing with the terrible problems of our state and his own campaign, he could not be expected to learn about the lieutenant governor candidates also.

IMuser UR2 Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:21 pm: I like the odds better when the voters choose the Lt. Governor better than when the Governor chooses. A corrupt governor is more likely to select a corrupt running mate. No way would Blago have chosen Pat Quinn. The voters might get one out of two correct.

BC Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:13 pm: Look at the bright side, Scott Cohen wasn't friends will Bill Ayers or Rev. Wright.

jack		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:11 pm: Mr. Cohen, as a lifelong Illinois Democrat, I am begging you to step down. You can do nothing but hurt the Democratic ticket. You were not some teenager in 2005 and there is no excuse for your behavior back then. The matters contained in the divorce papers are nothing to be proud of. They're scandalous. Your wife clearly showed by her answers you were not paying child support or alimony in a timely manner as she refused to answer Mr. Ponce's questions on that subject. She could simply have said yes, you were timely in your payments, and she never did that. She clearly avoided multiple questions on the subject, refusing to answer. As to the multiple violent arguments with your live-in girlfriend prostitute, I do not believe you were unaware of her profession as no one is so incredibly stupid that they do not know the profession of their live-in lovers. The fact you went to a massage parlor and found your prostitute girlfriend there is no surprise, since that is a well-known place that prostitutes work. If you were so concerned in getting a message, why didn't you go to one of the major men's clubs (Union League Club, etc) where prostitutes don't work. Again you are a walking embarrassment to the Democratic Party. Please step down immediately.

MaryMoring Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:09 pm: SLC raises these questions for me 1. what's in it for him that it was worth $2M of his own money when he'd never held office? 2. in a season of negative ads, where were the sharks? 3. ... and where were all the political reporters? 4. why wasn't the system of selecting the lt. gov changed after the 1986 campaign? And by way of comment, Arizona holds its primaries in Sept. They go right into the general election campaign. What can candidates say in 9mos. they can't say in 3 (or less)?

John Bergman Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:07 pm: Scott Lee Cohen's attempt at damage control was about as effective as trying to stop a giant wood chipper by driving a motorcycle through it.

BC Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 08:07 pm: What a bunch of hypocrites! What exactly disqualifies Mr. Cohen Steroids; Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger took them for years. Alderman Walter Burnett was a convicted felon until the Democratic Party had to work out a full pardon for him. Here is a candidate that was never convicted of anything and apparently is now on the right course, but because he�s not an insider the party wants to get rid of him. Why doesn�t the Democratic Party clean their own house before they go after Mr. Cohn? The people have spoken; Mr. Cohn won fair and square.

optid Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:58 pm: Mr. Cohen is utterly clueless. He is fooling himself if he thinks this will eventually blow over. Anybody so stupid is not qualified to hold high office in this state. Is he so ill informed that he never heard of Jack Ryan? If he quits soon, history and the Democratic Party will be a lot kinder to him. If he drags the party down by causing it to be identified with woman beating, he will deservedly be remembered as a selfish loser. And the conspiracy freaks will think he was put up to run by Karl Rove's successors in the GOP.

Genny O'Toole Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:53 pm: Oh my gosh!!! I thought I couldn't be shocked by Illinois politics anymore! I was soooo wrong. Thanks to Phil Ponce for putting the spotlight on this guy. Scott Lee Cohen can best help the people of Illinois by getting off the ticket now!

Genevieve Shea		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:50 pm: All this makes me wonder how many Democrats voted in this primary? How many of them voted for Cohen? What is the percentage of Illinois citizens that want this person as Lt. Governor? What I've heard this evening convinces me that if he is on the ballot I will split my ticket. If he runs against a Republican I might even see the possibility of a Democratic Governor and a Republican Lt. Governor. Is that a possibility? If voters saw the primary as nominations would they so easily stay away from the polls? We citizens get the kind of government we vote for.

Leslie King		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:44 pm: Mr. Cohen, You stated you would step down if the 'people of Illinois' ask. I am asking, PLEASE step down!!! If you submit your email address, we can ask you personally. How many people do you need to hear from? You will hurt us very badly if your don't step down. The democrats will loose and we will all loose as a result. PLEASE step down. Leslie King

Jim McCabe		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:43 pm: Phil Ponce did a courageous interview with Scott Lee Cohen. I have not voted for a Republican in 46 years. I am 70. Unless Cohen is removed from the ticket, there is no question that my wife and I will be voting for a Republican this year.

Marjorie Monaghan Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:38 pm: Scott Cohen should remove himself from the Democratic ticket now. The thought of Cohen becoming governor in an unforeseen circumstance, is outrageous because of his conduct in business and unstable, threatening treatment of two women with whom he has been in relationship. I am incensed at his attitude towards women revealed to me on this show. He sounded like Rod B., and I wouldn't trust him to hold public office.

Bobbie Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:37 pm: The media and other candidates for lt. governor really missed the mark on this one (see Mark Brown's column in today's Sun-Times). How did Scott Lee Cohen win? because voters fell for his ads saying he's held job fairs? "You can fool some of the people some of the time." Maybe our candidates for governor and lt. governor should run as a team. All that aside, Scott Lee Cohen will be, at minimum, a distraction to the serious issues facing our state, is sure to bring even more disgrace to the Democratic party and the state of Illinois, will likely help the Republicans to win - he definitely should step down.

farout		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:35 pm: I think Gov. Quinn should step down so that he doesn't tarnish Scott Cohen. The democrats are probably affraid that he will blow the whistle on all the thievery that goes on in Springfield. I thought Ponce was shameful in the way he treated S. Cohen. All he did was try to smear him. All the other silver spoon democratics, always had the fix built in their careers. They suck. I am really disappointed with Phil Ponce.

Mitchell Brown		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:29 pm: As embarrassing as Scott Lee Cohen is, Phil Ponce's interview was worse. It was the worst example of sensationalist, sleaze-mongering that I have ever seen on WTTW. Phil made his point early on in the interview, but persisted in baiting Mr. Cohen with more and more unsavory details of his questionable past. Asking him about the details of his session with a massage therapist was the last straw. Scott Lee Cohen needs to step down from the race and Phil Ponce needs to apologize to his audience for behavior that is comparable to the worst of the network tabloid news shows

Marie Roth		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:28 pm: Scott Cohen wants to hear from the people of Illinois. I am a person of Illinois, I'm speaking. I didn't think it was possible for any public figure to embarass us more than our former governor. Until I heard you and your former wife this evening. Please, hear this person from Illinois, leave the ticket.

justthefacts		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:27 pm: I think it would be a huge mistake to make him the next lieutenant governor of our already politically corrupt state. Just look at our past. We people better wake up and smell the coffee!

Reformer		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:27 pm: First the LaRouchie in '86, now SLC. I hope now the legislature will at last reform the nomination process for lt gov candidates.

Lisa Lewis		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:26 pm: Phil Ponce just did an a great job interviewing Scott Cohen. He asked all the tough questions and didn't let him off the hook for one moment.

Pat Wright		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:25 pm: Kudos to Phil Ponce--thank you for holding his feet to the fire. My husband and I wondered, however, if we were watching the wrong program...it sounded more like Jerry Springer. Somehow, though, Mr. Cohen fits the profile for a State office in Illinos.

rosie		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:24 pm: I am watching Mr. Ponce interview Cohen and his ex-wife and am NOT impressed. He needs to remove his name immediately and go back to his sordid life. He comes off as a liar and his ex-wife confirms my suspicion. I am a independent leaning democrat, but will vote Republican if he is on the ticket in November. Hand it over to Art Turner or this ticket will be doomed.

Helen Finegan		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:24 pm: How could this man be in politics. How could the people of Illinois be made fools of again. I cannot believe this, show me how to get out of Illinois. I hope Gov Quinn can do something about this.

Julie Schalk		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:23 pm: Well, I think if all the low-life's come out to vote - Quinn/Cohen could be the winning ticket!

Lemlemco		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 07:22 pm: He has to go given has interview tonight this is the weakest link! Leonard E. Mc Gee

Alicia Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 06:35 pm: How could something like this happen - seriously - don't they run background checks on these folks?? What the heck is going on - dosen't this scare anyone? And now we are starting to hear allegations of steroids and order of protection. And he has the audacity to say he is not stepping down. I am seriously thinking of leaving this state! Alicia

Louise Cahill		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 06:21 pm: What do I think re Scott Cohen? Anyone in the political or entertainment population of people really are careless how information gets out to the public when they break any of the 10 Commandments. Since a small group of people immigrated to America - to begin a new life with freedoms - something has gone askew the past 20 years. Women are making fools of men. And it is still a man's world. If Scott Cohen is guilty - and others in the political arena have been chastized - so should he! And, yes, if Gov. Quinn is thinking of offering the Lt. Gov. position to Dan Hynes. I hope Mr. Hynes accepts.

CHRISTOPHER PAUL Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 06:06 pm: Those who were raised by single mothers understands the importance of a woman. Chicago is a big political hub especially after Gov. Quinn followed after Blagojevich. Democrat or Republican; in either party, this guy is in the wrong contest. Kickboxing might work !

Chicago Tonight Editorial Team Unregistered guest		Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 05:01 pm: What are your thoughts about Scott Lee Cohen as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor?

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