Media Giving Joe Walsh the Publicity He Didn’t Get Before the Election

Google searches for articles having “Joe Walsh” and “Melissa Bean” in them for me.

A lot have been popping up about the closeness of the race.

The Los Angeles Times highlights the closeness of the race.

“Of the five incumbents trailing, Illinois Rep. Melissa Bean has the smallest deficit to overcome, 347 votes out of more than 200,000 in the 8th district. Republican challenger Joe Walsh claims victory, but Bean’s campaign is waiting for a final count of absentee ballots that won’t come for more than a week.”

The Associated Press in the Washington Post highlights the closeness of the race, too.

WGIL Radio in Galesburg quotes political science professor emeritus Kent Redfield on the unexpected closeness of the race:

“…the biggest shocker of the election was the presumed win by Republican Joe Walsh over Cong. Melissa Bean (D-Barrington). He says the biggest problem was that Bean ‘woke up just in time to see the truck run over her.’

Meanwhile, national media is reporting that Bean is being considered to head the new agency that will oversee banks’ relationship with consumers.

The Washington Examiner’s internet headline pretty much tells it all:

‘Wall Street’s favorite Democrat’

to become a top Wall Street regulator?

The beginning of the article says,

“Wall Street has given an estimated $2.5 million dollars to Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill., who is rumored to be a favorite pick to run the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should absentee ballots seal her apparent loss to Tea Party challenger Joe Walsh, R.

“According to records available from the Center for Responsive Politics, the securities and finance industry has been Bean’s top contributor, and the insurance and real estate industries also rank high.”

Where does the quote in the headline come from?

“The relationship between Bean and the industry is so cozy that the Huffington Post’s Arthur Delaney has referred to Bean as ‘Wall Street’s favorite Democrat.’”

A Huffington Post article states,

“A Sunlight Foundation analysis noted last year that Bean had pushed “to remove a provision from the Consumer Financial Protection Act that would allow states to craft stronger consumer protections. The move is backed by national banks and trade groups like the Chamber of Commerce. Bean has received over 40% of her 2009 campaign contributions from the finance, insurance and real estate sector. Indeed, in 2008, Bean received more money from the Chamber of Commerce than any other House incumbent.”




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