Patch on Politics

'My Life is an Open Book,' GOP Senate Candidate Tells Kadner and Voters

A day after a columnist raises questions about why Barbara Bellar calls herself a nun and where she earned her medical degree, Bellar offers a rebuttal and posts her credentials online.

In a rebuttal to Phil Kadner, the longtime Southtown columnist who tried to ask Senate candidate Barbara Bellar questions about her education and background, Bellar says she suspects Kadner has "significant ulterior motives" in raising the issue. He's "voted Democratic" for the last eight years, says Bellar. Kadner, at a recent candidate forum in Palos Hills, tried to ask the doctor from Burr Ridge who's seeking the 18th Senate District seat why she describes herself as a nun in campaign literature when the prioress of the order says she did not take vows. And he tried to ask her about her medical degree from Mexico. He says she avoided his questions, and that bothered him. Today, Bellar sent a letter to Kadner and the newspaper, and sent …

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Emily

10:52 am on Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Bob - I did what you asked and went to her bio. This is the last sentence. Dr. Bellar served as a Benedictine nun for five years and remains active in her church. This is a false statement. (Maybe not the be active in her church part, but serving as a nun)   more ›

Patch on Politics

Did Barbara Bellar Fib About Being a Nun?

The 18th District Senate candidate says she was a Benedictine nun for five years, but the prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago says otherwise.

“Barbara Bellar, State Senate, There’s ‘Nun’ Better.” Those words are stamped at the top of Republican State Senate candidate Barbara Bellar's website. The play on words reflects the time the 65-year-old Burr Ridge woman spent as a Benedictine nun before earning medical and law degrees.  But Sun-Times Media columnist Phil Kadner has been pressing Bellar — who faces State Rep. Bill Cunningham, a Democrat, for the 18th District Senate seat — for more detail on her background. The district takes in parts of Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Palos Park, Palos Hills and the 19th Ward on the Southwest Side of Chicago. In a column published Tuesday, Kadner writes: ... when asked if she ever took vows of fidelity and obedience she refused to return telephone…

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Ask Obama, Romney: Patch is Collecting Reader Questions for the Presidential Debate

If you have a question for the candidates, submit it in the comments section below and it could be asked during the televised Oct. 16 Town Hall Presidential Debate.

If last Wednesday’s presidential debate left you with more questions than answers, here’s your chance for the presidential candidates to address the issues that most matter to you. The next presidential debate will be a town hall meeting format at Hofstra University in Long Island, where voters will ask President Obama and Mitt Romney about domestic and foreign policy. Patch is asking you, our readers, to participate by submitting questions for the candidates. All you have to do is post your question in the comments section below and we’ll send it to the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Commission is partnering with Patch's parent company Aol, along with Google and Yahoo, to take questions from web users across the country. Don’t …

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Who Won the Presidential Debate? Patch Survey Takers Say Romney

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met for their first debate. We surveyed influential Illinois politicians and guests at Patch watch parties, who say the president whiffed.

Illinois Republicans said Mitt Romney "hit a home run" in the Oct. 3 presidential debate and some Democrats said President Barack Obama "looked unprepared," even if they still agree with what he said.  Patch conducted a quick, unscientific poll among politically involved citizens following the debate and also surveyed residents at Patch-sponsored watch parties throughout the suburbs.  Of the 19 Republicans who responded to the online survey, 16 said Romney won by a wide margin and one said he defeated Obama by a slim margin. Two Republican respondents said Obama won the debate.  "I expected Obama to lecture Romney. I never expected Romney to lecture Obama," one Republican said. "Obama spent more time looking at his belly button like a …

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Eric Roberts

1:39 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012

Except that he lied about it Tom. 3 companies out of the 33 companies that took money from DOE green initiative went bankrupt. Sounds to me like the government made a good investment financially and for our future.   more ›

Illinois Republicans Feel Energized by Romney

In the latest Land of Lincoln Red survey issued by Patch, Republican respondents shared their opinions on the presidential election following the Republican National Convention.

Illinois Democrats Say They're More Confident About Re-election Post-Convention

In the latest Land of Lincoln Blue survey issued by Patch, Democratic respondents said they thought President Obama did a great job, but loved President Clinton's speech more. They also said Republicans showed how "out of touch" they are.

Now that the Democratic and Republican national conventions are complete, Democrats in Illinois say they're more confident in President Obama's re-election campaign than they were last month. That's part of the results from a recent Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Eighty-nine Democrats were surveyed, with 15 responding. About 87 percent of those surveyed said they're more confident now than they were before the conventions.  But was it Barack Obama who energized them? Almost every Democrat that responded to the survey said President Bill Clinton was the highlight of the convention, even overshadowing the current president. Clinton showed that Democrats "stand for the working class and the seniors of this country…

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Illinois Republicans Energized but Questioning Foreign Policy After Convention

In the latest Land of Lincoln Red survey issued by Patch, Republican respondents shared their opinions on the presidential election following the Republican National Convention.

Citing speeches by Sen. Marco Rubio, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and celebrity Clint Eastwood, 94 percent of Republicans surveyed by Patch said their party's National Convention provided the party with the momentum it needs to get the base to turn out for what is expected to be a close election. That's part of the results from a recent Land of Lincoln survey issued by Patch in the Chicago area. Ninety-three Republicans were surveyed, with 30 responding.  Most Republican respondents mentioned the Rubio and Ryan speeches as highlights of the convention, while one respondent said "Mitt Romney just did OK."  According to Republican respondents, 53 percent said they felt more confident about Romney's chances of winning after the …

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Illinois Republicans Feeling Good About the Future

While November's elections are important, GOP leaders gathered at Republican National Convention say they're focused on strengthening the party for the long term.

TAMPA, FL -- With President Barack Obama carrying Illinois by 25 percentage points in 2008 and with a new poll showing him leading Mitt Romney by about the same margin, one might think there's not much joy among delegates and party leaders gathered here for the Republican National Convention this week. And while even the reddest of the Republicans acknowledges that GOP presidential candidate Romney has little chance of carrying Illinois, those in Tampa stress that they're focused on building the party for 2014 and beyond. "The presidential race will be an uphill climb for us," said state party Chairman Pat Brady, adding that Republicans are concentrating their efforts more on congressional and state legislative races this fall. "In 2014, …

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