Congress, 8th District: Bean

The main problem with Congress is that it operates on a bitter partisanship controlled by special interests. Luckily, true bipartisan independents still on occasion emerge.

One is Melissa Bean of Barrington, a solutions-oriented, cost-conscious Blue Dog Democrat who is unafraid to vote against the party line. Among several achievements she can boast is coauthorship of the Small Business Lending Act, vital legislation that creates jobs.

Her chief opponent in the 8th Congressional District (taking in parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties) is Joe Walsh, a rigid conservative from McHenry. We asked him whether, if Republicans take control of Congress, they might seek a better spirit of bipartisanship than Democrats allowed; characteristically, he replied it would “not be the time right now to extend your hand across the aisle."

Enough said. We endorse Melissa Bean.