The State of the State is…
Yesterday, Governor Pat Quinn gave his “State of the State” address—and, by pretty much all accounts, Illinois has seen better days. John Tillman appeared on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight last night to give his assessment of Governor Quinn’s speech. You can watch by clicking the video above.
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Illinois Policy Institute: State of the State is…?”
-By Warner Todd Huston
The Cook County Democrat Party sent out a direct mail piece early this week that listed all the Democrat presidents that brought “prosperity” to this country. Oh they are all there, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ, Bill Clinton… uh, wait. Isn’t one of ’em missing?
You guessed it, Jimmah Carter, the worst president in American history, was left off the list of illustrious “prosperity” bringers. Oopsie.
The nitwit that commissioned the flyer, Democrat Party Chairman Joe Berrios, claims that it was the printer that goofed it up and that he had Carter on the original piece before the printer sent it to press.
I submit that Joey is a liar. I’ve worked with printers since 1979 and they do not edit customer’s art work. In fact, printers usually have a fairly extensive proofing process where they attempt to get the customer to sign off on samples before they go to press in order to avoid a dissatisfied customer making them reprint the whole thing for free over a missed item, a garbled format, or even bad color.
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A likely Story: Cook County Dems ‘Forget’ Carter on Mailer”
-By Warner Todd Huton
Early in December I wrote a piece asking why Sandy Wegman of Elgin was still in the race for the 22nd District State Senate slot even though long-time Republican Steve Rauschenberger was again running for the job?
Well, it looks like she finally realized that she isn’t wanted on the ballot and has officially withdrawn her name from the ballot.
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Ill 22nd Dist. Steve Rauschenberger: Opportunist Wegman Withdraws”
The Sam Adams Alliance is looking for students and recent grads with a passion for advancing free-market principles and policies.
We currently have full-time and part-time internships available for the spring and summer semesters in the following areas (click on each for more information):
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Chicago’s Sam Adams Alliance is Hiring”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Just got a reply to Governor Pat Quinn’s laughable State of the State address issued by Chairman Pat Brady of the Illinois Republican Party…
“Governor Quinn’s State of the State address today exemplifies the Illinois Democratic Party’s disconnect from reality. We are a state on the verge of financial collapse. A laundry list of government created jobs, government programs and a bail-out from the Federal Government is not a serious approach to economic and fiscal recovery. We can’t wish away a $90 billion unfunded pension liability.”
“The People of the State of Illinois will have a clear choice in November between the failed policies of the Quinn/Blagojevich/Madigan single-party rule Democrats and the fiscally responsible approach to running this state articulated by each of our Republican Gubernatorial candidates.”
Ill. GOP Chairman Reacts to Guv’s State of State Report”
From the Dennis Cook for Lt. Governor campaign…
Lockport Township and Frankfort Township have endorsed Dennis Cook for Illinois Lt. Governor, he announced today. The Will County townships are just the latest in a steady stream of endorsements for Cook.
Cook, Consolidated District 230 School Board President, said gaining the two endorsements is crucial to his campaign.
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Lt.Gov.: Cook Endorsements”
-By Warner Todd Huston
You don’t have to wait until February 2 to cast your vote in the Illinois Republican Primary.
That’s because Illinois Early Voting has begun – and you can cast your vote now!
That’s right, in Illinois you can vote early between now and Thursday, January 28. To find your local Early Voting location(s), click HERE.
You don’t need a reason to vote early – other than the fact that it makes voting more convenient to you.
Beat the long lines – and potential bad weather on Election Day – and vote early. You just need to be a registered voter and have a government-issued photo ID (such as a Drivers License).
NOTE: In Illinois, there is no such thing as a “Registered Republican,” “Registered Democrat,” or “Registered Independent.” If you’re registered to vote, you can vote in the Republican Primary and help choose our winning team for 2010!
If you are not registered to vote but meet the legal requirements to become a registered voter, you can register and vote at your County Clerk or Election Authority office until Thursday, January 28 under the “Grace Period” registration system. Contact your County Clerk or Election Authority for more information.
From the Paul Mitchell for the State House campaign…
Gurnee-IL: Eagle Forum of Illinois yesterday announced its endorsement of businessman Paul Mitchell in his race for nomination to the Illinois House in the 62nd District. “I am thrilled to receive Eagle Forum’s endorsement,” said Mitchell this morning. “The Eagle Forum is not only a powerful force in Illinois, but across our nation in the effort to foster conservative values in government,” Mitchell said. “I’m honored to receive this endorsement and proud to stand with the Forum in its efforts to strengthen families, fight for life, and protect our freedoms.
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62nd District: Eagle Forum of Illinois Endorses Paul Mitchell for State House Seat”
-By Warner Todd Huston
First of all, I know it looks impossible to even say, so let’s clear up that last name. It’s pronounced An-gee-ef-ski. I know, I know, that means here in Illinois we could possibly go from a Governor Blagojevich to an Andrzejewski. But the difficult last name should stand as the only similarity between the two men, for Adam seems to have some ideas on how Illinois might get out of its fiscal nightmare. I interviewed him not long ago and he had some very interesting thoughts on how to fix Illinois. (adamforillinois.com)
In fact, Andrzejewski has already made some headway in shining the sunlight of accountability on various sate and local agencies through his self-funded program — self-funded to stay independent, he said — dubbed “For the Good of Illinois.” Andrzejewski has been at the vanguard of encouraging school boards and county governments in Illinois to put their check registries and finances on the Internet for all citizens to see. In fact, his catch phrase is “every dime online in real time.”
Fiscal Realism: Interview With Adam Andrzejewski Candidate for Illinois Governor”
-By Warner Todd Huston
A new book about the Tea Party movement — and a movement it really is — will soon be hitting the shelves. “A New American Tea Party” penned by John M. O’Hara, one of the many folks that helped bring us some of those protests in early 2009, is a book that hopes that the reader will come away understanding and appreciating the Tea Party movement as a truly grassroots happening, a spontaneous outpouring of interest backed by true red, white and blue American ideals.
Author O’Hara, himself an early Tea Party organizer in Washington D.C. and the Chicago area, answers several questions with the book: what sparked the Tea Parties; is the name “Tea Party” itself a proper sobriquet; what do they mean; what does the future hold; and how do you make more?
The first thing one might notice is that O’Hara writes in a crisp, conversational style with short subchapters. This makes it ideal for reading bits at a time. This is not a dense treatment and I think his style makes the book very accessible to people of all ages — without talking down to the young or dumbing it down for the more advanced reader.
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Book Review: What Are These Tea Parties About, Anyway?”
From the Joe Walsh for Congress campaign…
Joe Walsh continues to receive endorsements and support in his race for Congress. The following is an initial list of endorsements, further endorsements will be forthcoming:
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8th District: Joe Walsh announcing Support and Endorsements”
From the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign…
Important Party Nominates Candidate Who Can Win in Fall
Illinois Republican candidate for governor Kirk Dillard today renewed his charge that Andy McKenna’s ethics violation sends the wrong message to voters and contrasts sharply from Dillard’s record as a leader on ethics reform. GOP officials announced last week that McKenna, while Chairman, used party funds to further a possible run for political office.
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Dillard Renews Ethical Judgment Charge at Debate”
From the Jim Dodge for Comptroller campaign…
Jim Dodge, Republican Candidate for Illinois Comptroller, earned another round of endorsements from Republican rank and file organizations. The Illinois Center Right Coalition and the Republican Assembly of West Suburban Cook County endorsed Dodge for Illinois Comptroller in the February 2, 2010 Republican Primary. Lockport Township GOP organization announced its recommendation for Dodge, as well.
“I am appreciative of these organizations’ support. This shows Party members want to bring integrity and competency back to state government to make a clean break from the politics of the past,” said Dodge. “They want someone who will be tough and stand up for the citizens of Illinois and not conduct business as usual in Springfield.”
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Dodge for Comptroller: Winning more Endorsements”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Last Sunday on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism my cohost and I, Ann “Babe” Huggett, interviewed 5th District Congressional candidate David Ratowitz. The 5th District is the Chicago seat that Rham Emanuel once held. Ratowitz is a former Army Ranger and is now a Chicago lawyer. His website is www.ratowitzforcongress.com.
For more of our shows go to our BlogTalRadio page at Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism.
-By Warner Todd Huston
An owner of an apartment complex in Rolling Meadows, Illinois has decided to fly the Mexican national flag side-by-side with the U.S. flag, both on 30-foot flag poles and both at the same height. Apartment owner Mike Sparks says he’s doing it as an advertisement of sorts to entice Mexican immigrant tenants to come live in his apartments.
Local residents, however, are not as enticed by Sparks’ anti-American advertising campaign and say that he should follow flag codes which often state that the U.S. flag should always be higher than a flag of any other nation.
This flag argument comes up a lot. The problem here is that the so-called flag codes are not enforceable by authorities. In essence, they are customs and suggestions, not legal requirements. The simple fact is the U.S. flag codes are not laws and carry no penalty for violation. It may be a case of there-outta-be-a-law, but the fact is there are none.
The fact that the apartment owner didn’t really violate an actual laws, though, does not detract from his un-American attitude. It is patently obvious that Mr. Sparks does not see any reason to revere the U.S. flag enough to bow to tradition and place the foreign flag at a lower staff. And that isn’t the only problem with this situation.
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Unpatriotic Illinois Business Owner Flies Mexican Flag”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center is one of the largest convention halls in the world. With a total of 2,670,000 square feet of exhibition space and clocking in at a building cost of nearly one billion dollars it had better be one of the biggest, after all Chicago does do things big. Sadly that includes big corruption and unfortunately that corruption is turning “the city that works” into the city that lost its jobs.
This week Chicago’s Mayor Richard “King” Daley railed against the conditions that have made Chicago’s convention business a wreck these days. Along with Governor Pat Quinn, Daley has unveiled new work rules that would prevent unions from striking and would change union policies so that the high, high costs of bringing a convention to Chicago might come down.
Naturally, Daley was too weak-kneed to assign the blame where it mostly belongs: unions. Even as all his fixes center on alterations in union operations, Daley refused to say this is mostly the fault of the overweening and costly unions.
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Unions and Corruption Plague Chicago’s Convention Business”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Blogger Bill Baar of Bill Baar’s West Side ran across an interesting flier being distributed by the Todd Stroger for Cook County President campaign. And it’s all about the race card.
Yes, baby Stroger is going for the slavery/racism angle in order to convince folks that they’re all out to get him.
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Stroger Ad Goes for the Race Card”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Ah, Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich… if he isn’t a blooming fount of idiocy, well, who is?
In an upcoming interview Blago gave to Esquire Magazine he proclaimed that he was “blacker” than Barack Obama.
Here’s the full quote:
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Blago: Dats Right, I’m Blacker Dan Obama!”
Dan Proft say the other candidates are “blah, blah, blah…” and he asks if we are ready to “turn Springfield upside down”? Well I sure as heck am!
The Illinois Republican Party hosted a debate on January 7 in Springfield with all six Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor. The debate was moderated by Terry Martin, Executive Director of The Illinois Channel.
I had a press pass for this night, but unfortunately I had some unexpected dental procedures that afternoon so I was in no shape to go cover a debate. I couldn’t feel my face until about 9PM that night.
From the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign…
(Lisle, IL) – Illinois Republican candidate for governor Kirk Dillard today challenged his GOP opponents on judgment and ethics, arguing he has the best record and the experience to make Illinois work again.
“With our state in crisis, we need someone who can exercise sound judgment,” Dillard told a City Club forum in Chicago. “It is vital that the voters closely evaluate every candidate to determine who has the ethical judgment and leadership necessary to turn our state around and balance the state budget without the need for a tax increase.”
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Dillard Attacks Opponents on Ethics Questions Judgment”
From the Bob Dold for Congress campaign…
Robert Dold’s message of bringing small business common sense change to Washington is resonating with voters across the district. Adding to the high-charged momentum that continues to build at the Dold campaign, Robert picked up a key endorsement Sunday from Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica, who endorsed Robert for his small business background and his ability to restrain reckless spending and create jobs in Washington.
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10th District: Peraica Endorses Dold”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Last week I spoke to candidate for Congress Randy Hultgren (R, DuPage County) who would like to win your GOP nomination for the 14th Congressional District. The 14th District encompasses the cities of Elgin in the east, westward toward DeKalb, Dixon and Sterling and as far south west as Coal Valley. The shape of the district is like that of a gas pump handle with the nozzle headed westward.
Attorney and business owner Randy Hultgren is currently the 48th District State Senator elected to that position in 2007. In 1999 he was elected to the State House and served there until elected to the Senate. Hultgren has been involved in state politics for 20 some years.
On his website, Hultgren says he’s running for Congress because he believes “we need real conservatism in Washington,” and that he’s proud to call himself a “real Conservative.” (Website: http://hultgrenforcongress.com/)
I began my time with Senator Hultgren noting that the filed of candidates for the 14th District was once pretty large but that in the last month it has been winnowed down to two candidates: himself and Ethan Hastert, son of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. It is well known that the national party and folks like Newt Gingrich have announced their support of Hastert and I wondered what Mr. Hultgren’s reaction was to this fact.
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Interview With Randy Hultgren Candidate for 14th Congressional District”
From the David Ratowitz for Congress campaign…
The following is U.S. House Candidate David Ratowitz’s response to President Obama’s January 8 address on the U.S. economy and December job losses. Material can be reprinted verbatim or in part as needed.
Two months ago, the Democrat-controlled Congress told us that the recession was over. For 30 glorious days, the stimulated economy produced more than one new job for every 54,000 unemployed Americans. Then came December, when Americans, in a holiday spending frenzy fueled by low interest rates and a 48.6 percent surge in monthly Social Security and unemployment payments, created a better than expected shopping season. The result: 85,000 more jobs lost.
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Economic Recovery: Plight of the Fundamentals”
From the Isaac Hayes for Congress campaign…
The following statement was released today by Rev. Isaac C. Hayes, the GOP nominee for Congress in IL-2, in response to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s racial remarks about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign as a “light-skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”:
“We will not accept a double standard. Sen. Harry Reid must go” said Hayes. “When Sen. Trent Lott’s was the Majority Leader, Sen. Obama called for him to step down. ‘The Republican Party itself has to drive out Trent Lott. If they have to stand for something, they have to stand up and say this is not the person we want representing our party.’ I call on president Obama to take this same position with a member of his own party. This is the second revelation in the past few months of questionable racial remarks from Sen. Reid and we will not continue to tolerate it.”
For more information, go to: isaac4honesty.com
-By Warner Todd Huston
The new FaceBook group called Illinois Conservatives is getting some more notice. Channel 17 in Rockford did a news piece on the group (see video here and here’s the written report that aired). We discussed the group last month.
These are a bunch of young guys that got together to start their FaceBook group in the hopes that they’d be able to serve as a place to go to find out what conservatives are running for office in Illinois. They have also started to endorse particular candidates and have been amazed to find that candidates are seeking them out for their endorsement.
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Illinois Conservatives on FaceBook Getting Some Notice”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Crain’s Chicago Business has just gotten into the business of indulging in foul, sexually charged name calling, apparently. Yes, you can mark Crain’s Chicago Business as only the latest news outlet to decide it’s funny to call conservatives “tea-baggers.” It’s a name that lefties have been tagging the movement with all winter, one derived from the sexually perverse homosexual practice.
This time it’s the self-assumed humorist and political columnist Greg Hinz who thought it was hilarious to call an Illinois gubernatorial candidate a “Tea-bagger.” In a blog post about candidate for Governor Adam Andrzejewski, Hinz broke out the funny bone and titled his offering, “Tea-bagger Andrzejewski goes for GOP gov’s gold.”
Now, without a doubt Greggie Hinz thinks he’s a laugh riot over at Crain’s Chicago Business. He must. After all, it is a laugh riot when a 60-something-year-old white, bald man wears an earring, isn’t it? (as can be seen in his blog photo) It must serve as his statement of “irony.” It’s his sign to those he meets that says, “Hey, dude, I’m a fun, funny guy.” Of course, it’s not really taken that way, sadly for Greggie. No, instead of being tragically hip, it’s just tragic. Speaking of hips, I hope this elder Crain’s jokester walks carefully on all this Chicago winter ice. We don’t want gramps to fall down and break his. And I hope Greggie walks carefully in those jester’s shoes with the curled up toes with the bells on them. It could be hazardous, ya know?
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Crain’s Chicago: Earring Wearing ‘Journo’ Attacks ‘Tea-Baggers’ and Conservatives”
-By Warner Todd Huston
25th District Senator Chris Lauzen (R, Aurora) has been opposed by establishment GOP types before and it looks like he’s again facing a go-along-to-get-along Republican challenger in his latest run for State Senate.
Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels has thrown his hat in the ring against the veteran Senator from Aurora. What is his reason? He thinks that the 25th District needs someone to get along with the GOP establishment to “get things done.”
Michels told the Daily Herald that he felt that Lauzen couldn’t serve his constituents because he doesn’t work well with the party big boys.
Michels contends that Lauzen’s alienation from Republican leadership in Springfield costs the district in state money and in influence.
“He’s not effective in his own party,” Michels says, noting that after 17 years in office, Lauzen has no party leadership post.
As far as I am concerned that means that Michels wants to go along to get along, doesn’t want a senator that will fight the hard battles, wants a senator with no overriding principles, and wants someone that can just bring home the bacon to the district. Seems to me that Michels wants to practice just the sort of good ol’ boy politics that has been destroying the Illinois GOP for decades.
In the Herald interview Michels also said something that to me reveals his naivete and a complete inability to understand what a State Senator even does. Michels told the Herald that what prompted him to make this run is that he spotted a “bumpy stretch” of road near his home so he contacted a state representative who helped him get it fixed. He said that he wouldn’t be able to get this sort of help from Lauzen because Lauzen isn’t in bed with the GOP establishment — sadly, the Herald neglected to ask Michels if he even tried to contact Lauzen for help. Of course the absurdity here is that Michels thinks that a state senator’s job is to go about fixing potholes as if he were some city alderman!
While roads, bridges, and infrastructure do fall into the purview of the state senate, there is far more to the job than just fixing a “bumpy stretch” in a local road!
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Opponent Appears For Chris Lauzen’s 25th District State Senate Seat”
NOTICE: I am seeing this post getting hit a lot today. This is an OLD post from 2010. If you want an updated, 2012 voter guide use THIS LINK.
Congressional District Breakouts of IFI’s 2010 Primary Election Voter Guide are now available for download!!
With Election Day just around the corner — February 2nd, it is imperative that voters have information available to help them make educated decisions as they cast their votes for the different candidates.
IFI has 19 different two-page local Voter Guides — one for each of Illinois’ Congressional Districts. By printing the two-page local Guide front to back on legal size paper (8.5″ x 14″), you can easily make this a one-page handout, which you can then distribute in your neighborhood and local church. These are non-partisan and completely legal under IRS guidelines for distribution in churches. Call IFI to order them in bulk for your church or neighborhood.
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Illinois Family Institute’s Illinois Voter Guide”
ABC 7 Television held the first debate for Cook County Board President on Thursday, Jan. 7. In attendance were Dorothy Brown, Toni Preckwinkle, Terrence O’Brien, and incumbent Todd Stroger.
ABC 7 says they will have the two GOP candidate’s debate coming soon.
Watch the Cook Co. Board Pres. Candidates Debate Part I
Watch the Cook Co. Board Pres. Candidates Debate Part II
Watch the Cook Co. Board Pres. Candidates Debate Part III
Here are the websites for the candidates…
Dorothy Brown
Terrence O’Brien
Toni Preckwinkle
Todd Stroger