The wisdom of the electorate shows itself once again

Welcome to Illinois, were we toss our governors into prison and we nominate guys like this as lieutenant governor:

Scott Lee Cohen, a pawnbroker who was the surprise winner in the little-publicized contest among half a dozen candidates, had previously disclosed the arrest. He described it Wednesday as an argument with his drunken girlfriend and said he didn’t lay a hand on her, though she called the police and had him taken into custody.

But the official police and court records show that the woman alleged Cohen put a knife to her throat and pushed her head against the wall.

In their October 14 arrest report detailing the complaint from the 24-year-old woman, Chicago police noted they observed “mild abrasions from knife wound” on her neck. They also noted “minor scars on her hand from her trying to defend herself against the arrestee swinging the knife at her.” The report notes the woman was seen by ambulance personnel but not taken to a hospital.

The article says that both Governor Pat Quinn and challenger Dan Hynes were both warned about the change this guy’s past and that he could get elected. After all, he was spending tons of his own cash on advertising in the Chicago area. Neither candidate bothered to issue statements denouncing Cohen.

The situation reminds me of 1986, when when Adlai Stevenson III declined the Democratic nomination for governor after two Lyndon LaRouche followers won the nomination for the lieutenant governor and secretary of state. Stevenson instead ran on the Solidarity Ticket and lost to Big Jim Thompson.

But Quinn — who ran on his record as a reform candidate — is apparently trying to get Cohen off the ballot and replace him.

This is not a banner moment for Illinois voters, And there aren’t many of them. These same voters four years ago decided to renominate and then re-elect Rob Blagojevich, even though news reports indicates he was under federal investigation for all sorts of slimy behavior.

It’s nine months until the general election and a lot can happen. Hell, considering the tendency for Illinois voters to be stupid, perhaps having an alleged knife-wielding, prostitute dating pawnbroker on the ticket just might be a plus for Quinn.

ALSO: Commenters at The Capitol Fax Blog are saying it might be time to just do away with the lieutenant governor’s office. My two cents is that the solution is for voters to not not vote for bad people.