A Note on Candidate Press Releases

When I first set out to lend this space to Republican candidates for the primary I decided that anyone that sent me a press release would have the courtesy of having it posted here.

I did this for several reasons: 1). because I had yet to make my own endorsements and wanted to see what everyone was saying, 2). so that others out there who, like me, wanted to see what was going on with the field of candidates could do so, and 3). to serve as an open forum for all Republican candidates.

Well, now we are at only two days before the voting begins and since I have made my endorsement (see them HERE) I have decided that from this point forward only those candidates I endorse will get this space. It is crunch time and time for me to put forth only those candidates I feel are the best ones.

Thanks for sticking with Publius Forum through the run up to the primary and I hope you stick around during and beyond.

Yours,
Warner Todd Huston
Editor, Publius Forum


Illini Alliance Website: The Place to Stay Connected

-By Warner Todd Huston

There is a good resource for Illinois center right, conservative/libertarian perspective on the web, it’s the Illini Alliance website.

There you’ll find all the Illinois conservative websites and blogs you’d ever want as well as links to the various conservative minded political parties such as the Illinois Republican Party, the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party.

You’ll also finds links to the various state policy groups interested in furthering the conservative, free-market message in the Land of Lincoln.

If you know of a good conservative website that isn’t on the list or you have your own Illinois centric blog that flogs the conservative message, be sure and contact the Illini Alliance to get included on the blog roll.


Americans for Prosperity, Illinois: Needing YOUR Help for the Primaries

AFP-IL is part of broad, growing coalition that has come together in effort to change Illinois politics in a big way.

For the last 3 decades, legislators have created their own districts after drawing a name out of hat!

Illinois is the ONLY state in the nation that allows this magic trick to determine such an important issue. Instead of the people choosing legislators, the legislators choose the people. This leads to a failing system of government that is not responsive to the people.

LETS TAKE BACK OUR GOVERNMENT! The Illinois Fair Map Amendment will take redistricting out of the hands of the legislator and put into the hands of in independent commission, making the process more transparent, fair and accessible to the public.

We need to collect 500,000 petition signatures by April 1, 2010. WE NEED YOUR HELP!
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Americans for Prosperity, Illinois: Needing YOUR Help for the Primaries”


Dirty Trick Robocall Says Dan Proft Quits Governor Race

-By Warner Todd Huston

Earlier today there was news that a fake robocall was making its way across Illinois with the recorded voice claiming to be candidate Dan Proft. This fake voice mimic said that he (as Dan Proft) was quitting the race for Governor. Even more ridiculously the impersonator claimed that he (as Dan Proft) was throwing his support behind the crook Andy McKenna!!

Proft Responds to False and Illegal Robocalls; McKenna Responsible?
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Dirty Trick Robocall Says Dan Proft Quits Governor Race”


8th District Incumbent Democrat, Remember What We Are Fighting

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Palatine Tea Party folks have a very good webpage that reminds us of just what we Republicans are fighting when we are looking for candidates to oust incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean.

Congressman Melissa Bean is a tax and spend, big government, socialist healthcare-supporting, left-winger and needs to be eliminated.
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8th District Incumbent Democrat, Remember What We Are Fighting”


More Illinois Election Web Resources

-By Warner Todd Huston

Way back in 2009 (OK, it was Dec. 26) I posted a bunch of websites that can help you with your info needs on the web for Illinois elections and most especially Cook County. I have another website to add to that list so I thought I’d just repost the whole thing.

The new resource is a site called eVoter.com. On the main page they describe themselves as an “unbiased, non-partisan election information site where Voters can instantly generate a personalized Sample Ballot, view Candidate Profiles, make Contributions, view Organizational Endorsements, find Polling Places and more.”

You can find them at www.evoter.com

For a list of the website of all candidates including Democrats, see www.uselections.com/il/il.htm.

And don’t forget the Chicago Tribune’s candidate questionnaire responses.

State-wide and Cook County and Collar County GOP Candidate’s websites:

U.S. Senate

John Arrington – arringtonforsenate.com
Patrick Hughes – patrickhughesforsenate.com
Mark Kirk – kirkforsenate.com
Tom Kuna – w-e-r-co.com
Don Lowery – judgelowery4ussenate.com
Andy Martin – andyforussenator.com
Kathleen Thomas – kathleenthomasforsenate.org
Ed Varga – e-varga.com
Robert Zadek – robertzadek.com
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More Illinois Election Web Resources”


Which Ill. Candidates Have Signed Taxpayer Protection Pledge?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Americans for Tax Reform (atr.org) has a post up today reminding us all just which Illinois candidates have signed ATR’s no tax pledge.

It’s called the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and you can see the pledge HERE.
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Which Ill. Candidates Have Signed Taxpayer Protection Pledge?”


GOP’s Hayes Appeals to Black Press: ‘We are not Outsiders!’

From the Issac Hayes for 2nd District Congressional seat, facing Jesse Jackson, Jr. …

The following letter was released today by Rev. Isaac C. Hayes, the GOP nominee for Congress in IL-2, challenging the persistent indifference to Black Republican candidates by Black publications:

“As ‘minorities’ we have always called for diversity and tolerance” said Hayes, “yet within Black press there is no tolerance for Black Republicans and no willingness to embrace Black political diversity. My question is why not? Why are our press releases, letters to the editor, community events, and campaigns ignored? Is it not the responsibility of Black press to keep the Black community informed of what and who is impacting their lives?”
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GOP’s Hayes Appeals to Black Press: ‘We are not Outsiders!’”


U.S. Senate: John Arrington Presses President, Pentagon for Manufacturing Jobs at Rock Island Arsenal and Across U.S.‏

From the John Arrington for Senate campaign…

On Friday, January 29th at 2:00 p.m. Senate candidate John Arrington will be holding a press conference at the iWireless Center near the Rock Island arsenal. In response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech, Mr. Arrington will be sending letters to the President, Congress, and the Pentagon today demanding that an assessment be taken of defense systems manufactured overseas, and that all defense related products be returned to the U.S. for production. “Discussing jobs without including our disappearing manufacturing industry is like discussing healthcare without tort reform, it’s a Band-Aid approach,” stated Arrington. “Americans must produce in order to sustain our economic future, and that must start with our Department of Defense.”
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U.S. Senate: John Arrington Presses President, Pentagon for Manufacturing Jobs at Rock Island Arsenal and Across U.S.‏”


Ryan Slaps McKenna: Andy McKenna Needs to Come Clean — or Withdraw

I don’t support Mr. Ryan’s bid for Governor, but I sure as heck sign onto THIS question he’s asking. From the Ryan for Governor campaign…

Why Illinois voters should be concerned about this issue

Andy McKenna needs to answer all questions related to an ongoing ethics probe — or withdraw from the race.
We have learned that Andy declined to answer questions posed to him as part of an ethics inquiry that ultimately concluded he violated the Illinois Republican Party’s code of ethics by ordering a $28,000 self-serving poll while he was party chairman.
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Ryan Slaps McKenna: Andy McKenna Needs to Come Clean — or Withdraw”


14th District: Left-Wing, Anti-Tea Party Group Attacks Hultgren

From the Randy Hultgren for Congress campaign…

Just a few days before the Illinois Primary on February 2nd, a group calling itself “The Tea Party is Over” identified 14th Congressional District Candidate Randy Hultgren as possessing “dangerous ideas of the Tea Party.”

“If your enemies are any indication of your standing in the world, Randy’s honored with being labeled an enemy of these special interest, big government unions like the SEIU and AFL-CIO who have backed this radical-left group with tens of millions of dollars.” said Hultgren Campaign Manager John Cooney.
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14th District: Left-Wing, Anti-Tea Party Group Attacks Hultgren”


Comptroller: Homer Lockport Tea Party Endorses Jim Dodge

From the Dodge for Comptroller campaign…

Jim Dodge, Republican candidate for Illinois Comptroller, is proud to announce he has received the endorsement of the Homer Lockport Tea Party.

“I would like to thank the members of the Homer Lockport Tea Party for their support,” Dodge said. “This group held one of the largest Tea Party gatherings in the country on Labor Day of last year. They know what is at stake this election for our state and our country, they are working very hard to get the word out, and I couldn’t be happier to have their support.”
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Comptroller: Homer Lockport Tea Party Endorses Jim Dodge”


8th District: WALSH VS WALSH, II – The Candidate Defends the Tea Party Movement

For those unaware, candidate Joe Walsh made a parody of a song by rock star Joe Walsh of the Eagles and the singer has sent a threatening letter from his lawyer over it. So, candidate Walsh is replying. From the Joe Walsh for Congress campaign…
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8th District: WALSH VS WALSH, II – The Candidate Defends the Tea Party Movement”


Will County Mayors Endorse Cook for Lt. Gov.

From the Dennis Cook for Lt. Gov. campaign….

Channahon, Lemont and Romeoville Lead Widespread Support for Cook

Heading into the final week before the primary, Republican Lieutenant Governor Candidate Dennis Cook continues to pile up the endorsements from top Will County leaders. Among those coming out recently to endorse him are the mayors of Channahon, Lemont and Romeoville, giving Cook widespread support throughout Will County.
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Will County Mayors Endorse Cook for Lt. Gov.”


62nd State Rep: ICE-PAC Endorses Paul Mitchell for State Rep

From the Paul Mitchell for State Rep campaign…

J Kevin Costello, the Chairman for Illinois Citizens for Ethics (ICE-PAC) told Mitchell in the endorsement notice, “On behalf of everyone here at Illinois Citizens for Ethics, I’m happy to inform you that our Board feels you are an exemplary candidate for public service as an Illinois State Representative. Your commitment to ethics and to representing the views of the Illinois voter in public service with respect to the role of government in the social and moral issues facing our State make you the type of candidate that Illinois Citizens for Ethics is intended to support.”
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62nd State Rep: ICE-PAC Endorses Paul Mitchell for State Rep”


8th District: Joe Walsh on State of the Union Speech

From the Joe Walsh for Congress campaign…

Tonight, as required by our Constitution, President Obama gave the annual State of the Union Address to both houses of Congress.

The President and I agree on some of his ideas, and disagree on others. Firstly, I must applaud the President when he said “I do not accept second place for the United States of America.” Further I completely agree with the President that we the voters should “Give our people the government they deserve.” You, the voters of the 8th deserve so much more than Melissa Bean. You deserve a voice!
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8th District: Joe Walsh on State of the Union Speech”


U.S. House Candidate David Ratowitz (IL-5) Responds to SOTU Address

From the David Ratowitz for Congress campaign…

“The president’s proposals are like a surgeon only using the dullest and rustiest of scalpels.”

Like many Americans, I enjoyed the introductory comments of President Obama’s first State of the Union address. The president is absolutely correct in his assertion that Americans working together have overcome our greatest challenges. However, that is about where our agreement ends.
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U.S. House Candidate David Ratowitz (IL-5) Responds to SOTU Address”


10th District: Dold’s ‘Get America Back to Work’ Bus Tour Thursday‏

From the Robert Dold for Congress campaign…

Today Dold for Congress will embark on a mission that will take us throughout the district to meet face-to-face with thousands of voters over the next six days leading up to Election Day. As part of the Get America Back to Work Tour, Robert and his supporters will ride around the district in a giant Dold-themed tour bus visiting small businesses, restaurants, train stations, senior communities, and anywhere and everywhere voters can be found. We will be making more than 60 stops during the tour, and will be picking up supporters along the way. We would like to extend an invitation for you to join us at any time during the tour for this very special event. To view the bus tour schedule click here.
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10th District: Dold’s ‘Get America Back to Work’ Bus Tour Thursday‏”


Cao Responds to Kelly Accusations of Links to Topinka/Paid Blogger Claim

-By Warner Todd Huston

There’s been a swirl of charges and counter charges with some of the operatives of several different campaigns here that we’ve only had a few posts about — mostly because I think these charges are tangential to the actual issues. It basically concerns charges made by the William Kelly for Comptroller campaign that operatives of the Dodge campaign are actually working for Topinka in a sort of typical Chicago dirty tricks campaign effort. These charges have been returned by the Dodge folks that it is in reality Kelly who is the false front candidate.

On Jan. 25 I posted D2s Prove Jim Dodge Dirty Tricks in IL Comptroller Race written by Tom Mannis of Chicago News Bench because it was a pretty good summation of the charges from his camp (he’s a Kelly man). Right after that 62nd District candidate Paul Mitchel responded to the claims. I posted that address the very same day.

Lynn has also responded to the Kelly camp’s claims (she’s a Dodge supporter) on her blog, Cao’s Blog and I think her voice should also be heard here. Among other things, she disputes that she makes money from Jack Roeser and that she’s a “paid blogger.”
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Cao Responds to Kelly Accusations of Links to Topinka/Paid Blogger Claim”


Public Employees Unions Are Sinking California, Part 2

-By Warner Todd Huston

(Editor’s note: Some of this I posted earlier this month, but this is an expanded version that was just posted by BigJournalism.com, so I thought I’d go ahead and post it here, too.)

Steven Greenhut has an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal about how the evils of public employees unions are destroying California’s budget and economy.

Greenhut begins by noting that with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, California is losing its “productive citizens” to other states but is still saddled with an economy killing surfeit of public employees unions that, “drive costs up and fight to block spending cuts.”

Greenhut goes on to report that the unfunded pensions that California is stuck with has increased by 2,000% in the last decade because of the overweening power of the unions.

Approximately 85% of the state’s 235,000 employees (not including higher education employees) are unionized. As the governor noted during his $83 billion budget roll-out, over the past decade pension costs for public employees increased 2,000%. State revenues increased only 24% over the same period. A Schwarzenegger adviser wrote in the San Jose Mercury News in the past few days that, “This year alone, $3 billion was diverted to pension costs from other programs.” There are now more than 15,000 government retirees statewide who receive pensions that exceed $100,000 a year, according to the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility.

That is an absurd reality!
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Public Employees Unions Are Sinking California, Part 2″


Chgo Trib: Who Will Smack Down the Unions?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Dennis Byrne, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune, has a great piece asking the seminal question: what politician will take on the public employees unions?

This is, of course, the question we’ve been asking here for years! Who will stop these union thugs that have bought for themselves a bevy of compliant politicians at the state and federal level who will do their bidding against the best interests of the voters? What politician will step up and cut these thug’s illicit power down for the good of the people?

Seeing as how he is an Illinois columnist, Byrne centers his discussion on the $80 billion shortfall that Illinois’ public pensions are saddled with, but he can just as easily be talking about California, Oregon, Wisconsin, New York or any other state in the Union.

To quantify the $80 billion, Byrne tries to put it in context:
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Chgo Trib: Who Will Smack Down the Unions?”


Andrzejewski is Top Favorite of Illinois Tea Party Organizers Gets Support of Polish President

On top of the fact that Lech Walesa hopped a flight from Warsaw, Poland to do some stumping for Adam and has announced his support of his gubernatorial campaign, Adam has picked up the support of some of the tea party groups. From the Adam Andrzejewski for Governor campaign…

Elmhurst, Illinois – Since announcing his candidacy in March of 2009, Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Adam Andrzejewski (And-GEE-EFF-Ski) has led his opponents in grassroots efforts throughout Illinois, having gone from being an unknown outsider to a virtual household name. Indicative of the expansive grassroots support Andrzejewski has received, the Illinois Tea Party reported earlier today in a press release that “a straw poll involving the Tea Party Organizers across the State shows results that strongly favor Adam Andrzejewski for Governor…” Straw poll results reveal overwhelming support for Andrzejewski at 93%.
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Andrzejewski is Top Favorite of Illinois Tea Party Organizers Gets Support of Polish President”


Republican Gubernatorial Candidates Debate on WLS-AM & WTTW-TV

A note from ChicagolandRadioAndMedia.com, the great Chicago radio message board and entertainment news site.

Tomorrow afternoon will be a special airing of the Roe & Cisco Show on WLS-AM 890. The show will not be coming from within WLS’ studio walls, but instead will be broadcast live from the Chase Bank Auditorium. This is because WLS will be hosting an Illinois Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Debate, moderated by Roe Conn & Cisco Cotto. The debate will begin at 4:00pm and will feature five of the six Republican candidates for Governor: Adam Andrzejewski, Bill Brady, Kirk Dillard, Dan Proft and Jim Ryan. (Andy McKenna has chosen to not do any debates this week.) This debate is open to the public for all who wish to be there — no tickets or reservations needed. The Chase Bank Auditorium is located in Downtown Chicago at 10 S. Dearborn.

Before tomorrow afternoon’s debate, the same five out of six Republican candidates will take part in a one-hour forum on WTTW Channel 11’s “Chicago Tonight” program this evening. The live show will not have a studio audience and will be more subdued in comparison. The forum begins tonight at 7:00pm. (“Chicago Tonight” had the Democratic Candidates for IL Governor on last night.)


Edgar: Stop the Negative Ads

From the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign…..

Calls it “Silly Season” on Campaign Trail

Former Governor Jim Edgar today said he was disappointed in the negative tone of the governor’s race, and urged candidates to talk about the issues. “There’s a lot at stake in this year’s election,” Edgar said at a joint news conference with Republican hopeful Kirk Dillard. “I think the voters deserve better.”
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Edgar: Stop the Negative Ads”


5th District: Illinois Conservatives: Stand and Deliver

From the David Ratowitz for Congress campaign…

“It is time – past time – for our state to pull its weight, and the lever, for liberty.”

By U.S. House candidate David Ratowitz

We 82nd Airborne paratroopers have a motto: “All the Way!” Coming into the February 2 Primary Election, Illinois conservatives have every reason for confidence that core Republican values will be reflected in our party’s nominations next Tuesday. We are secure in knowing that voters – through nationwide grassroots tea parties and recent high-profile elections – are resoundingly demanding the steadfast over the status quo, principled over the pay-to-play, and yes, ideology over expediency. Out on the street, the hue and cry is for an immediate end to the beyond-reckless overborrowing and overspending; it’s conservative “All the Way!”
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5th District: Illinois Conservatives: Stand and Deliver”


McKenna Slammed in Party Ethics Investigation

-By Warner Todd Huston

Early this month Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady revealed that the state party decided to officially reprimand former GOP Chairman Andy McKenna for misuse of party funds and ethics violations.

Despite his ethics violations as chairman, McKenna went ahead and launched his bid to become our next Illinois Governor anyway. Should McKenna win office we’ll have gone from one ethically ignorant Governor (George Ryan), to a second (Rod Blagojevich) to a third (McKenna). Illinois is already a laughing stock of corruption, why vote for McKenna and make it worse?
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McKenna Slammed in Party Ethics Investigation”


US Senate: Arrington Challenges Mark Kirk To Debate‏

From the John Arrington for Senate campaign…

U.S. Senate candidate John Arrington has challenged front runner Mark Kirk to a serious debate to discuss critical issues facing Illinois and the nation. “Mark Kirk has not participated in one debate to discuss challenges facing Illinois residents and this is unacceptable” stated Arrington. Arrington strongly believes that a debate focusing on the serious issues of job creation, revitalizing our economy, stances on education, health care, corporate bailouts, and taxes is vital. Without a fair and balanced debate for candidates to discuss their platform and express their differences, Illinois voters will once again be kept in the dark and uninformed on the critical issues facing our nation. Mr. Kirk has thus far has not been involved in a single debate with any other candidates, and John Arrington feels this is an offensive breach of the electoral process.

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US Senate: Arrington Challenges Mark Kirk To Debate‏”