Down in Illinois, there’s a fascinating (and disturbing) story breaking about Scott Lee Cohen, the Democratic nominee for Illinois Lt. Governor. According to the Chicago Tribune, Cohen has some significant skeletons in his closet, having been accused of abusing women, failing to pay child support and spending lavishly on extramarital affairs. When Democratic gubernatorial candidate Pat Quinn suggested that Cohen drop out of the 2010 race for the good of the Democratic Party, Cohen, a pawnbroker and political neophyte, vowed to continue as a lieutenant governor candidate after voters nominated him Tuesday. Perhaps more disturbing than the allegations of past wrongdoing are new disclosures showing that even as Cohen spent more than $2 million of his own money to run TV and radio ads for his campaign, as recently as December his ex-wife was accusing him in court of being $54,000 behind in child support payments.
While the allegations surrounding Scott Lee Cohen are certainly disturbing, what’s equally as disturbing is the fact that none of Ilinois’ print or news media outlets picked up on the story until after Cohen won the Lt. Governor’s race. As Deke Rivers of Caffeinated Politics notes, one of the vital jobs the media undertakes should be in-depth investigative reporting. The media in Illinois certainly dropped the ball with a story that certainly could have (and likely would have) changed the outcome of the Lt. Governor race, leaving plenty of egg on everyone’s face.
Sobbing , Cohen dropped out of the race last night.
Yeah, that’s the story of my blogging “career;” I’m always a day late and a dollar short.
The EX-wife was trying to help rehabilitate Cohen’s image, defending his actions as being only temporary for a short period of time while he was using steroids. OMG. How does a guy like this get so far in the world of politics?