Chicago’s and Suburbs GOP Primary Results, And More….

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here are a few of the results of last night’s primary race in Chicago and the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, for a city of millions, less than 30,000 dragged themselves to the polls to vote. Even more to Chicago’s shame, there are only just over a million people even registered to vote in a city of just under three million citizens!

Anyway, results can be found at the Chicago Board of Elections for the city and for the suburbs at Cook County Clerk’s Office.

First Congressional District
Donald E. Peloquin will face Democrat Bobby Rush (incumbent)

Second Congressional District
Brian Woodworth will face Democrat Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (incumbent)

Third Congressional District
Richard Grabowski will face Daniel William Lipinski (incumbent)

Republicans did not put up a candidate in the Fourth District, Luis Gutierrez will continue in the Fourth

Fifth Congressional District
Dan Schmitt will face Democrat Mike Quigley (incumbent)

Republicans did not put up a candidate in the Seventh District, Danny Davis will continue in the Seventh

Eighth Congressional District
Joe Walsh (incumbent) will face Democrat Tammy Duckworth

Ninth Congressional District
Timothy C Wolfe will face Democrat Janice D. Schakowsky (incumbent)

Tenth Congressional District
Bob Dold (incumbent) will face Democrat Brad Schneider

Eleventh Congressional District
Judy Biggert (incumbent) will face Democrat Bill Foster

Other Congressional Seats

As to the other Congressional races, the big fight was between Don Manzullo and Adam Kinzinger for the reconfigured 16th District. Kinzinger beat long-time incumbent Manzullo and will be taking the nomination (and likely the Nov. election) for the 16th District.
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Chicago’s and Suburbs GOP Primary Results, And More….”


Kinzinger Statement on the Government Shutdown Prevention Act

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, 11th, Illinois)…

Washington, D.C. – Today, on the 41st day since the House passed H.R. 1, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-11) spoke out in support of H.R. 1255, urging the Senate to cut $61 billion in government spending.

“Last year, when our friends on the other side of the aisle had the Majority in Washington, they failed to do the most basic thing — pass a budget. No budget was passed because they didn’t want to have to make the tough choices that would hurt them in re-election. Instead, Washington Democrats kicked the can down the road and passed a Continuing Resolution.

“As a result, the American people spoke up in November. They said the big, bloated, bureaucratic government is crowding out the free market.
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Kinzinger Statement on the Government Shutdown Prevention Act”


(Video) Townhall Meeting With Mark Kirk and Randy Hultgren, Saint Charles, Illinois

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Dec. 11, 2010, I attended a townhall meeting held in the 14th Congressional District featuring Congressman-elect Randy Hultgren and newly minted Senator Mark Kirk. The event was held in the theater of a local high school in Saint Charles, Illinois.

The afternoon started out with an address by Senator Mark Kirk who already was sworn in for an interim term and will be starting his first full term as senator in January. After Kirk finished his opening remarks, Mr. Hultgren spoke and then there was some time for questions for the audience.

Kirk spoke for a strong defense, he spoke for fiscal responsibility and he spoke against the DREAM Act. For his part, Mr. Hultgren didn’t have much to say past his recently successful campaign talking points. But that is to be expected since he has not yet been to Washington to be involved in the issues in our nation’s capitol. Hultgren won’t take office until Jan. 5. Both men strongly spoke in favor of repealing Obamacare.

I have video of both men’s comments. I took the video with my hand-held Flip cam so it may be a bit shaky here and there. (And on the Kirk video I had to set the camera down for half a minute to turn my phone off as I got a call in the middle of his remarks. I thought I had turned it off, but obviously forgot to do so! So my apologies there.)

Here is the video of the two gentleman’s remarks…
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(Video) Townhall Meeting With Mark Kirk and Randy Hultgren, Saint Charles, Illinois”


Senator Chris Lauzen: Ridden Hard and Hung Up Wet

-By State Senator Chris Lauzen, 25th District

The decent, hard-working taxpayers of Illinois – – of our entire country – – have been “ridden hard and hung up wet”, as they say in the Deep South.

I was shocked to read about a focus group of “Wal-Mart Moms”, a new political demographic of disappointed female voters, a significant portion whom feel sorry for President Obama. I don’t fully understand this emotion considering the aggressive passage of healthcare, cap-and-trade, so-called stimulus/takeovers and multiple expensive vacation trips for him and Michelle, but I am listening closely.
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Senator Chris Lauzen: Ridden Hard and Hung Up Wet”


Hultgren Was Tonight’s Winner In St. Charles

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

ST. CHARLES – The Randy Hultgren for Congress campaign issued the following statement tonight after the League of Women Voters candidate forum in St. Charles.

“With his clearly articulated, positive vision for the future and his commonsense solutions to the problems confronting our nation’s economy and workforce, Randy Hultgren was clearly the winner in tonight’s debate,” said John Cooney, Hultgren for Congress campaign manager. “Voters have a choice between Bill Foster’s unwavering support for Nancy Pelosi’s reckless agenda of rampant spending, higher taxes and bigger government or Hultgren’s plans for limiting the size and scope of our federal government, lower taxes and responsible government. Voters in the 14th District realize that Congress is broken and that Randy Hultgren will fight to restore a commonsense approach in Washington.”
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Hultgren Was Tonight’s Winner In St. Charles”


Bill’s Boondoggle: Multibillion Dollar ‘Stimulus’ Still A Failure

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

ST. CHARLES – The Randy Hultgren for Congress campaign issued the following statement today regarding the so-called ‘stimulus,’ a failed piece of legislation supported wholeheartedly by Bill Foster.

“Friday’s dismal jobs report, revealing that 95,000 more Americans lost their jobs and that unemployment remained stagnantly high at almost 10 percent, is a further reminder of the failure of Bill’s boondoggle, Congressman Foster’s so-called ‘stimulus,’” said Gill Stevens, spokesman for the Hultgren campaign. “We were promised that if the ‘stimulus’ was passed, unemployment would never go above 8 percent – but for seventeen consecutive months, unemployment has exceeded 9 percent.
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Bill’s Boondoggle: Multibillion Dollar ‘Stimulus’ Still A Failure”


95,000 More Jobs Lost in September; Unemployment 9.6%

From the Schilling for Congress campaign (17th District)…

Schilling: “These numbers remind us why we need a clean break from the failed liberal policies of Washington.”

EAST MOLINE, IL–The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the jobs report for September. Total nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 95,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.6%. Bobby Schilling, Republican candidate for Congress in the Illinois 17th District, released the following statement regarding the report:

“14.8 million people in this country are unemployed, and the unemployment rates among youth (26%), African-Americans (16.1%), and Hispanics (12.4%) are disturbingly high. These numbers remind us why we need a clean break from the failed liberal policies of Washington. Over the past two years, Rep. Hare has consistently voted for more spending and higher taxes while refusing to promote policies that would create jobs. As a successful small business owner, I understand that our biggest priority right now is getting people back to work. While Phil Hare spends every minute he has ‘debunking the myth’ that our country faces a $13.6 trillion national debt, I’ll be fighting for jobs by advocating low taxes, less spending, and limited government.”
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95,000 More Jobs Lost in September; Unemployment 9.6%”


Fact Checking Rep. Foster’s Lies

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

With election day only four weeks away, Congressman Foster has grown increasingly desperate in his attempts to draw voter attention away from his abhorrent record.

Think about it, what else does Bill Foster have to run on? What possible reason would the voters of the 14th District have to re-elect him?

  • His lock-step voting record with Nancy Pelosi 92.6% of the time?
  • His support for the Wall Street bailout?
  • His support for the government takeover of health care?
  • His support of the failed stimulus that failed to keep unemployment below 8%?
  • His support for every single spending bill coming out of Congress?
  • His support for the upcoming tax increases that Congress has failed to prevent?

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Fact Checking Rep. Foster’s Lies”


Hare Desperate to Take Focus Off Record Uses Debunked Attacks on Bobby Schilling and ATR Pledge

-By Adam Radman, Americans for Tax Reform

The recent attacks by Rep. Phil Hare’s campaign against Bobby Schilling and the Taxpayer Protection Pledge lack credibility. Democrats like Rep. Hare have made these false and misleading claims over and over again across the country. A number of news sources have reviewed the charges and discredited them. Starting in April, FactCheck.org’s Brook Jackson condemned the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for making similar claims calling the attacks “blatantly false.” Jon Ralston, during his television show Face to Face, called similar claims against the Pledge in NV-03 “thoroughly misleading.” Even the DSCC and Democrat Senate candidates have attempted to distort the meaning of the Pledge. Democrat Sen. Patty Murray’s attempts were called “a stretch” by King 5 TV in Washington State.

Rep. Phil Hare has attempted to distract voters from the important issues this election cycle: jobs and economic growth. Voters should demand to know from Rep. Hare just how tax hikes on individuals and/or businesses create jobs. In fact, voters should also ask him why he left Washington before putting a stop to one of the largest tax hikes in U.S. History. By taking the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Schilling has made a clear pledge to the taxpayers in IL-17 that he will oppose and vote against any and all tax increases on working families and employers
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Hare Desperate to Take Focus Off Record Uses Debunked Attacks on Bobby Schilling and ATR Pledge”


Bill Foster: A Lockstep Vote For Nancy Pelosi’s Big-Spending Agenda

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

ST. CHARLES – The Randy Hultgren for Congress campaign issued the following statement today regarding Bill Foster’s steadfast support for Nancy Pelosi’s big-spending agenda, after Foster once again voted to keep the money flowing.

“Congressman Foster’s vote last night to keep on spending wastefully, without a budget, is just more of the same from Big Spending Bill, who has voted for every spending bill since he went to Washington,” said Gill Stevens, a spokesman for the Hultgren campaign. “Bill Foster’s record of voting with Nancy Pelosi 92.6% of the time has been well-documented, but even more troubling is his 100% record when it comes to wasteful spending.[1] Even more outrageous than his support for the Pelosi agenda is his attempts to hoodwink voters: Bill Foster has regularly trumpeted his opposition to the Democrats’ big-spending budgets while still voting for those hundreds of billions of dollars in wasteful government spending.
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Bill Foster: A Lockstep Vote For Nancy Pelosi’s Big-Spending Agenda”


Consumer Confidence Drops to Lowest Level Since February

From the Schilling for Congress…

Schilling: “We need to elect new leadership that will turn this country around.”

EAST MOLINE, IL–Bobby Schilling, Republican candidate for Congress in the Illinois 17th District, commented on a recent report that consumer confidence had dropped to its lowest level since February. The Conference Board stated that their monthly Consumer Confidence Index currently stands at 48.5, down from 53.2 in August.
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Consumer Confidence Drops to Lowest Level Since February”


Statement On Two-Year Anniversary Of Foster’s Government Bailout Vote

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

ST. CHARLES – Randy Hultgren, Republican candidate for Congress in the 14th District, issued the following statement on the two-year anniversary of Democrat Congressman Bill Foster’s disastrous vote to bail out Wall Street.

“Two years ago today, Congressman Bill Foster disregarded the concerns and views of his constituents to support Nancy Pelosi’s Wall Street bailout bill,” said Hultgren. “Unfortunately, that was just the first of Foster’s many votes for bailouts; since then he has voted repeatedly to bail out the private sector using scarce taxpayer dollars while exploiting any opportunity for government intrusion into the marketplace.”

“I’ve spoken to people all across the 14th District and what I’ve consistently heard is they want and expect a more accountable Congress, one that spends responsibly and adheres to a budget,” said Hultgren.

http://hultgrenforcongress.com/


On Those Bill Foster Ads Slamming Hultgren? Hultgren Says ‘Not True’

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

St. Charles – State Senator Randy Hultgren, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives IL-14, today responded to deceptive ads paid for by Congressman Bill Foster, D-Batavia.

“Bill Foster’s allegations against me are not true,” said Hultgren. “Bill Foster hopes with his millions of campaign dollars, that he can fool you into believing his lies.”

“Democrat Bill Foster is lying in a calculated gamble to hide his atrocious record of support of Nancy Pelosi 92.6% of the time including government bailouts, higher taxes, massive spending increases and a health care overhaul,” said Hultgren.[1] “If Foster can stay off the issues through lying about my employment, he is able to avoid his miserable record as a Congressman.”

http://hultgrenforcongress.com/


New Hultgren Ad: Foster’s Jobs Killing Votes

The Randy Hultgren for Congress campaign issued the following statement today regarding the release of their new television advertisement, “Vote.”

“As Bill Foster launches one desperate and dishonest attack after another on Randy Hultgren, it’s important that voters are fully informed of Bill Foster’s out-of-touch, liberal record of voting with Nancy Pelosi 93% of the time, and his support for the Wall Street bailout, the so-called ‘stimulus,’ and the Foster-Pelosi government takeover of health care,” said campaign spokesman Gill Stevens. “This ad does just that, and reminds voters that Bill Foster is part of the problem in Washington, DC.”


Rep. Halvorson Helps Sponsor Calling Opponent a Nazi: Shame on You Debbie

The Kinzinger campaign jumping on the lefty protest featuring Democrat Congressman Debbie Halvorson’s staffers where they held signs calling Sarah Palin and GOP rival Capt. Adam Kinzinger a Nazi.


Randy Hultgren (14th District): We Need To Restore Fiscal Sanity

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

ST. CHARLES – The Randy Hultgren for Congress campaign issued the following statement today regarding the nation’s fiscal situation and the out-of-control spending in Washington.

“For too long, both parties in Washington have spent far too much, with far too little regard for the future,” said State Senator Randy Hultgren, Republican candidate for Congress. “We need to restore fiscal sanity to our spending, starting with honest and realistic budgeting and serious-minded plans to balance the budget and pay down the debt. For our sake and for our children’s future, we need to get our fiscal house in order.

“Unfortunately, my opponent Bill Foster has been part of the problem out in Washington. Since he was first elected, our budget deficit has tripled. Bill Foster has consistently supported Nancy Pelosi’s big-spending agenda, and our district and our country deserve a representative who will work to cut spending and restore fiscal discipline in Washington.”


Dem. Bill Foster (Ill. 14th) Wants to Increase YOUR Taxes

Representative Bill Foster (14th District) wants our taxes to go up with the phase out of the Bush tax cuts. He claims that the deficit was worse under Bush than it is under Obama… and that is simply just a lie.

That is why you should vote for Randy Hultgren!

http://hultgrenforcongress.com/


What If It Was Your Child Being Deployed? – Part II

From the Office of State Senator Chris Lauzen (25th District)…

(Part Two of a Two-Part Series)

Permanent recession, perpetual war, persistent anxiety and fear . . . these are not what we want. These are not the American Promise in either the Declaration of Independence or U.S. Constitution. But, that is what our current policies are delivering in domestic and foreign affairs.

We are not victims to some miserable fate. Wisdom and willpower produce lasting peace and prosperity.

So, where do we go from here in Afghanistan and Iraq?
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What If It Was Your Child Being Deployed? – Part II”


What If It Was Your Child Being Deployed?– Part I

From the Office of State Senator Chris Lauzen (25th District)…

(Part One of a Two-Part Series)

If it was your son or daughter who was being deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq, what would be your opinion of these wars?

I recognize that I’m no foreign policy or military strategy expert, but I can see how bravely parents of deployed troops silently bear their pain and fear. I watch how intensely Mike and Cindy pray for the safety of their sons and their comrades at church each Sunday—almost holding their breath until they return home. At the local grocery store, you see mothers staring at the cereal displays lost in their private thoughts. When I ask how their military son or daughter is doing, they answer with nervous pride, and we both avoid that deeper emotion that’s like adding one more drop of water to a glass full to the brim before it overflows.

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What If It Was Your Child Being Deployed?– Part I”


State Senator Noland Misleads With Untrue Campaign Mailings

-By Warner Todd Huston

The 22nd State Senate District is being badly served by its incumbent Democrat Mike Noland. Several of the campaign fliers that Noland has sent out to his constituents are filled with half truths and untruths and one of his emailed campaign solicitations was listed as being sent from his taxpayer-funded offices in Springfield and Elgin, a violation of campaign finance laws.

In one flier, Noland claimed he “affected change” in three major areas – creating jobs, achieving ethics reform and fighting for tax relief.

Noland claimed he created jobs by being the chief sponsor of a microloan program for small businesses. But that fact is the bill he sponsored, while it did pass, had all the microloan language stripped from it before passage. As it happens Noland didn’t create a single opportunity as he claimed. His bill was materially altered making his flier claim an outright lie.

The same flier also claims that Noland got “$40 million and 500 jobs for Harper College.” But this is a half truth. While the state did include the $40 million in its future projects, the fact is no $40 has been allocated and the “future projects” plans are not assured to ever be funded. This project may never be funded at all so Noland’s claims are premature at the very least.
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State Senator Noland Misleads With Untrue Campaign Mailings”


Hultgren for Congress (14th District): We’ve Expanded Our Lead In The Polls!‏

From the Hultgren for Congress campaign (14th District)…

We Ask America released results that showed we’ve expanded our lead in the polls among registered voters!

Furthermore, we’re now leading by double digits among the crucial voting bloc of independents, who have rapidly recognized that Congressman Bill Foster has been nothing more than a rubber stamp for policies that grow jobs nowhere else but Washington.

With only 74 days to go before election day, we’re well on our way to restoring accountability in Congress.
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Hultgren for Congress (14th District): We’ve Expanded Our Lead In The Polls!‏”


SouthTown Star Scolds Rep. Halvorson for Specious Attack on Opponent’s Military Record

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Southtown Star finally had enough of Congressman Debbie Halvorson’s illicit attack on her 11th District opponent’s military record and published a July 20 editorial saying so.

Halvorson jumped on the Mark Kirk bandwagon and tried to see if she could find any similar “lies” in GOP candidate Adam Kinzinger’s bio. Kinzinger is a Captain in the Air Force and flew missions in Iraq. His website bio stated his history as follows: “I now serve as a captain in the United States Air Force Special Operations Command flying reconnaissance aircraft.”

Halvosron is claiming that this is a “lie.” Why is it a lie? Because Kinzinger is not now engaged in that duty. And so, he’s a liar.

The Southtown is not amused. The paper says that whether he is now or just “was” doing that duty is immaterial.
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SouthTown Star Scolds Rep. Halvorson for Specious Attack on Opponent’s Military Record”


Lake County Tea Party July 5th Event

From the Lake County Tea Party…

The Lake County Tea Party is holding its Independence Day celebration and rally on July 5th at Cook Park in downtown Libertyville starting at 1 PM.

Confirmed speakers:

  • Lex Green, Libertarian Candidate for Governor
  • Ed Rutledge, Libertarian Candidate for Lt. Governor
  • David Schippers, Constitutional Lawyer
  • Mark Curran, Lake County Sherriff
  • Terry Weppler, Libertyville Mayor
  • Maria Rodriguez, Executive Director, For The Good of Illinois and Mayor of Long Grove
  • Bruno Behrend, ExtremeWisdom.com and former host of the Extreme Wisdom radio show on WKRS
  • Michael Carbone, Grayslake Dist. 46 school board member, and Lake County TEA Party board member
  • Robert Cook, Lake County Republican Chairman
  • Rosanna Pulido, Director, Illinois Minuteman Project
  • Pastor Richard Valkanet, Living Waters Assembly of God Church, Grayslake
  • Health industry expert Steve Tucker
  • Randall Stufflebeam, Constitution Party nominee for U.S. Senator
  • Julie Fox, Libertarian Party nominee for Comptroller
  • Dan Sugrue, Republican nominee for State Representative, 59th District
  • MC: Paul Mitchell, Lake County TEA Party board member, Lake County Right to Life Board member


11th District: Kinzinger Says Nuclear Power the Answer

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have been saying this for years, and now so is GOP candidate for the Illinois 11th District Congressional seat, Adam Kinzinger. In a recent Morris Daily Herald article Kinzinger said that the nation should prioritize nuclear power as one of the solutions to our energy woes.

Kinzinger told the *Morris Daily Herald that he would support building more nuclear power plants, he wants the country to further explore reprocessing spent fuel and supports developing a national long-term nuclear waste storage facility.

Essentially, the program would increase the nation’s number of nuclear stations and establish a long-term repository for storing nuclear waste. Also, the plan would follow Europe’s lead in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel for reuse, reducing the amount of waste in storage.

“I think the powerhouse, when it comes to nuclear energy, is to be able to go out and say, ‘Hey, look, we have three nuclear plants in our district, people in our district are employed, it’s safe, they are supportive, and it produces a lot of electricity,” he said in response to questions by the news media.

After all, here we are in the United States claiming that we are in the middle of an energy crisis yet Democrats, liberals and enviro-Nazis have put up roadblock after roadblock to stop the pursuit of energy independence in the form of nuclear power.
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11th District: Kinzinger Says Nuclear Power the Answer”


Don’t Come Home ‘Til Your Job is Done

From the Office of State Senator Chris Lauzen (R, Aurora)…

In ancient Sparta, Spartan mothers commanded their soldier sons, “Come home victorious, or come home on your shield.”

This was the old version of the British Empire’s declaration, “Victory or Death”. The modern Illinois version of this refrain, contained in hundreds of recent emails, letters and calls to my office from recently concerned Illinois constituents. Citizens and editorial boards warned, “Don’t leave Springfield until you produce a responsible balanced budget!”
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Don’t Come Home ‘Til Your Job is Done”


Why are the Collar Counties Going GOP? Fiscal Responsibility

-By Warner Todd Huston

Over at Chicago’s NBC blog The Ward Room, Edward McClelland posits that the reason both Mark Kirk and Bill Brady are winning in current polls in the collar counties — those counties surrounding Cook, Chicago’s home — is because Quinn can’t balance a budget and Giannoulias was a failed banker. It’s about fiscal responsibility, says McClelland.

McClelland quotes a poll from the extremist left-winger website the Daily Kos that finds that Republican Kirk leads Democrat Giannoulias 41-38 in the hunt for Obama’s old Senate seat. Anecdotally interesting, yes. Proof of actual numbers, I’m not so sure. There is little of any worth to anything on the Daily Kos, but if even that wholly slanted website is showing Giannoulias down one might take that as a sign that it is true that Kirk is leading at this time.
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Why are the Collar Counties Going GOP? Fiscal Responsibility”


Bloomington Paper Takes Odd Swipe At Kinzinger’s Military Service

-By Warner Todd Huston

On May 6 the Bloomington Pantagraph took an odd swipe at GOP candidate for the 11th Congressional District Adam Kinzinger’s military service in a brief story that reported that he’d been called to active duty.

Kinzinger, a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, was called to active duty and the paper duly reported that fact in a short report. But an odd thing happened between the editor and printer. First of all the paper didn’t detail Kinzinger’s rank, bad enough I know. But the 6 short paragraph story ended with this line:

He often touts his military experience on the campaign trail in the once reliably Republican district.

Just what the heck is all that supposed to mean? Kinzinger “touts” his military experience? Does he not really have any such military experience, Pantagraph? Are you claim he is lying or making more of it than it is? Do you have any examples of Kinzinger making light of his service or using it unduly? Why the negative connotations here? Unless, of course, you have an ulterior motive of place doubt in the reader’s mind?
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Bloomington Paper Takes Odd Swipe At Kinzinger’s Military Service”