Candidate Paul Mitchell Responds to Kelly’s Claims of ‘Dirty Tricks’

Paul Mitchell is one of the parties mentioned in accusations made by the William Kelly campaign that the Jim Dodge campaign is involved in some classic Chicago-styled “dirty tricks” campaign tactics. Mitchell has responded to these accusations that have descended upon his camaign. Mitchell is a State Rep candidate for the 62nd District whose website can be seen at paulfor62.com.

There are some accusations flying around that I’d like to clear up.

On his blog, William Kelly wrote, “A $5,000 contribution from Jack Roeser’s Renaissance PAC to Committee to Elect Paul Mitchell. Mitchell’s campaign manager, Lynn Thomas, pens a blog that has been deeply involved in the smear campaign against Kelly’s campaign.”

It’s truth time, Bill!
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Candidate Paul Mitchell Responds to Kelly’s Claims of ‘Dirty Tricks’”


Union Membership Down Another 10%

-By Warner Todd Huston

With some ups and downs, unions have been steadily losing members for quite a while and 2009 is no exception. According to the Labor Dept., private-sector unions lost 834,000 members last year.

On Friday, the Labor Department reported private-sector unions lost 834,000 members, bringing membership down to 7.2% of the private-sector work force, from 7.6% the year before. The broader drop in U.S. employment and a small gain by public-sector unions helped keep the total share of union membership flat at 12.3% in 2009. In the early 1980s, unions represented 20% of workers.

The Wall Street Journal also notes that it isn’t likely that the union jobs lost will come back as union jobs if they ever come back at all.

But the Journal doesn’t stress the most important union fact nearly enough. Unions that serve government workers in still on the rise and form the largest section of union workers.
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Union Membership Down Another 10%”


Anatomy Of A Tea Party Pooping Endorsement

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have come to the conclusion that the Palatine Tea Party group (www.teapartypalatine.com) made a hasty decision in picking Joe Walsh for its Illinois 8th Congressional District candidate, hasty and perhaps misguided. In fact, this choice of Joe Walsh sort of shows the pitfalls that the Tea Party movement in general can fall into.

The field of candidates in the 8th District is wide, indeed. There are currently six Republicans running to snag the nomination of the Party and the differences between them are not too great when one looks over their issue statements. On the surface it would seem that throwing a dart would be just as legitimate a way as any other to make an endorsement in the 8th. But surface gloss can be deceiving and in this case, I believe that the gloss of Joe Walsh’s current campaign has blinded the good folks of the Palatine Tea Party group to a certain reality.

As I said there are six candidates for the 8th District nomination. Alphabetically they are:

What’s Wrong With the Palatine Endorsement?

From the information that I have been able to ascertain, it seems that one of the reasons that the Palatine Tea Party folks made their late December endorsement is because he won the poll that they hosted on their website. This poll was not scientific nor without controversy, however. The poll had surged overnight at one point with hundreds of votes each for candidates Walsh and rival Dirk Beveridge. This happened because of a technical flaw in the website. Apparently the poll did not record cookies so the same i.p. address could game the poll by hosting repeated votes. It seems that campaign operatives both for Beveridge and Walsh found out about this flaw and flooded the poll with multiple votes for their candidate.
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Anatomy Of A Tea Party Pooping Endorsement”


Illinois Conservative FaceBook Group Switches Comptroller Endorsement

The new FaceBook Group called Illinois Conservatives has switched their endorsement for the Comptroller’s race. Initially they picked William Kelly for Comptroller, but now they are switching to Jim Dodge.

This from the Rockford, Ill. based group:

The Illinois Conservatives Facebook group would like to announce a change in endorsement for the office of Comptroller in the 2010 Primary Election. Instead of endorsing William J. Kelly, we have collaboratively voted to switch our endorsement to Jim Dodge of Orland Park, Illinois.

Jim’s service in the National Guard as a Sergeant in the 178th Infantry Battalion and 44th RAOC from 1988-1998 shows his love for his country and that is one of many qualities we admire about Jim. His experience in marketing research, consulting, and technology shows he has interest in the people of Illinois aiming all of his efforts to pleasing them. Jim is a family man and his values are rooted deep within his family. There is no doubt that Jim Dodge is a candidate we would endorse.

The comptroller office is the one responsible for Illinois’ checkbook. This office is in charge of the state budget information, which includes state revenues, expenditures, and vendor payments. We want Jim Dodge in this office because he cares about our money here in Illinois. He will make sure that our money will be spent correctly as he says:

“Illinois needs a strong leader with the right business skills to accurately keep track of the state’s finances and call to task the legislature and governor when they inappropriately spend your money. One of my goals is to make sure that you, the residents of Illinois, have the facts about what is happening to your money because it is your money.”

The Illinois Conservatives Facebook Group wants Jim Dodge for Comptroller 2010. We urge you to exercise your right to vote on February 2, 2010.


Video: Birkett’s Endorsement of Jim Ryan

Former State’s Attorney Joe Birkett endorsed Jim Ryan for Governor saying that he thinks we need a man like Ryan who has a “prosecutor’s” attitude in the office.

In the video, though, Birkett slams Andy McKenna for his misuse of Republican Party funds when he, McKenna was the GOP Chairman.

Well, I can’t say I agree with Birkett’s choice of the anti-Constitution Ryan, but I whole heartedly agree with his assessment of McKenna. I sad as much myself last month.


A Chicago Politician’s Arrogance

-By Warner Todd Huston

Long time Chicago Democratic Politician Monique Davis is the poster child for arrogance. Davis is a State Rep that has been involved in many flaps centered around her assumption of personal imperviousness, her assumption that her office is a shield used to excuse just any activity at all on her part. She is above the law, beyond the reach of decency and responsibility as far as she is concerned and the Chicago Sun-Times has given us yet another example of her hubris.

You’ll recall that only last month the Tribune had a report that Davis hadn’t paid the rent for her offices… for almost eight years. Why should she? Do you KNOW who she is?

Well, we can add yet another bit of arrogance on the part of Davis. She’s decided that she should take possession of someone else’s work of art. You know. Just because she’s Monique Davis, and all.

The Sun-Times is reporting that Monique Davis decided that it was her right to take possession of a 400 pound statue of a slave woman so that she might have some proper I’m-a-Proud-black-woman sort of decoration for her office in Chicago. Only one problem… she doesn’t own the statue. Chicago State University owns it.
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A Chicago Politician’s Arrogance”


Public Employees Unions Are Sinking California

-By Warner Todd Huston

Steven Greenhut has a great piece in the Wall Street Journal about how the evils of public employees unions are destroying California.

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 unions employees 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.
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Public Employees Unions Are Sinking California”


U.S. Senate: Arrington Defends Educational Choice

From the John Arrington for Senate campaign…

John Arrington, Republican candidate for US Senate (IL), supports the rights of parents to make educational choices for their children, be it through public, private, charter, or home schools. With a varied background that includes private and public school teaching and Illinois certification in educational administration with a superintendent of schools certification, John Arrington has a unique perspective among the senatorial candidates. He deems the choice of educational venue to be the right of parents—the first and foremost educators of their children.
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U.S. Senate: Arrington Defends Educational Choice”


Crain’s Chicago Business Endorses Dillard

From the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign…

“Best Qualified” to be Governor

Crain’s Chicago Business, Illinois’ leading business newspaper, is endorsing Senator Kirk Dillard in the Republican nomination for Illinois Governor.

“Illinois’ next governor must have the determination and know-how to restore fiscal order to a state facing financial Armageddon,” writes Crain’s. “Among the Republican gubernatorial candidates, state Sen. Kirk Dillard is best-qualified for that daunting job, and he gets Crain’s endorsement in the Feb. 2 GOP primary.”
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Crain’s Chicago Business Endorses Dillard”


8th District: Statement from Joe Walsh in Response to Vendor Lawsuit

From the Joe Walsh for Congress campaign…

We must be doing something right.

Twelve days before the election, our grassroots movement has all the momentum in the world and we’re on the verge of winning because most people in the 8th district feel the exact same way as I do – we want to put an end to all this government spending and growth. Our internal-polling confirms this and shows me the front-runner.
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8th District: Statement from Joe Walsh in Response to Vendor Lawsuit”


Dan Hynes With A Classic Chicago Dirty Political Trick Commercial

-By Warner Todd Huston

Current State Comptroller Dan Hynes is running for the Democrat Party nomination for governor. He’s been struggling a bit in the polls to incumbent accidental Governor Pat Quinn, so in a classic Chicago dirty trick styled TV ad, Dan Hynes broke out the big guns intended to undercut Pat Quinn’s support in the black community… and he’s reached back over 20 years to do it.

Remember Chicago Mayor Harold Washington…

Boy does that bring back memories. And did Harold have a way with words, er what? We’ve had three recent mayors that have known how to turn a phrase. Mayor Daley Senior with his “the police aren’t here to create disorder, they’re here to preserve disorder,” Mayor Washington with his “that’s hubris,” and junior Daly with…. well, anything the goofball says.

Anyway, back to Hynes. This is a classic Chicago hardball maneuver. Hauling Mayor Washington back from the dead to lambaste Pat Quinn is just classic.

But what is most amazing is the chutzpah that Hynes is showing. After all, when Harold Washington became Mayor of Chicago in 1983 Dan Hynes’ father Thomas was so peeved that a black guy won the big chair that when Harold came up for reelection Hynes quit the Democrat Party and tried to start a new party (the Chicago First Party) in order to oust Harold from office. And here is son of Hynes using Harold as a personal flak!

That there’s some major Chicaga balls, them is.
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Dan Hynes With A Classic Chicago Dirty Political Trick Commercial”


Illinois Policy Institute: About Those Attacks on Our Pension Idea

This week, we released our Pension Funding and Fairness proposal, which offers a groundbreaking solution to our state’s growing pension funding crisis. Our proposal provides a path to fund the system, which now faces a whopping $83 billion in unfunded liabilities, without breaking the bank.

Our plan has received considerable media attention—and some criticism. Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business summed it up well. The Institute “rolled out its vision of how to close an $80-billion-plus gap in Illinois’ employee pension plans,” he wrote, “and, though portions will offend just about everybody, it’s worth a look…This is a serious report that offers a good starting point for some much needed discussion.”
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Illinois Policy Institute: About Those Attacks on Our Pension Idea”


Dueling Illinois Policy Groups: IAFG Smacks Around the IPI

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Illinois Policy Institute recently released its recommendations for how Illinois could fix its pension mess. Titled the Pension Funding and Fairness Act, the IPI assures the state that this is the answer to its pension problems. Despite that assurance, another Illinois policy group begs to differ. In an Illinois policy group head-to-head smack-down the Illinois Alliance for Growth* has published a critique of the IPI proposal resulting.

One of the proposals in the IPI plan is for Illinois to borrow $20 billion to tide the pensions over while the state legislature makes the needed adjustments to the pension laws. IPI Director Jim Tillman is saying that his plan is a case of “responsible borrowing” a claim that the IAFG finds risible.
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Dueling Illinois Policy Groups: IAFG Smacks Around the IPI”


One Down, Bob Schillerstrom Drops Bid for Gov.

The worst of the candidates for Illinois Governor has announced that he is dropping his bid for the office. Bob Schillerstrom has quit the race and is throwing his support behind Jim Ryan.

On his campaign website, Schilerstrom has a thank you letter to his supporters and says that Jim Ryan “stands out as a man of integrity” which is why he is supporting Ryan for Governor.

If you ask me, Ryan should leave the race right along with Schillerstrom. They are both against the Constitution. While they are at it, they should take McKenna with ’em.

Bob Schillerstrom ran as a fiscal conservative, but he is an abortion supporter and is against our Second Amendment rights. The sooner this guy disappears from the political scene the better.

This leaves too many still vying for the nomination, though.

Adam Andrzejewski – adamforillinois.com
Bill Brady – bradyforillinois.com
Kirk Dillard – dillardforgovernor.com
Andy McKenna – mckennagov.com
Dan Proft – proft2010.com
Jim Ryan – www.jimryan2010.com


Cook County Board President: Garrido and Keats Debate

ABC TV has the video of the recent debate between the two Republican candidates for Cook County Board President. Appearing was John Garrido and Roger Keats.

Here are the links to all three parts:

Here are the candidate’s websites:
John Garrido – Policeman and lawyer – garrido2010.com
Roger Keats – Securities Industry – www.keatsforcook.com


14th District Race: Sen. Lauzen Asks About All That Outside $$ For Ethan Hastert

-By Warner Todd Huston

During the January 14 Republican meeting and candidate forum in Geneva Township a question was raised by speaker Chris Lauzen (R, Aurora), State Senator from the 25th State Senate District. That question focused on all the support not only from outside the district but outside the entire state that is streaming in to shore up the campaign for Congress of the young Ethan Hastert. Senator Lauzen questioned the propriety of all this outside money pouring into the 14th District when there was already a worthy, proven candidate in the person of Randy Hultgren running for that seat. (Note: I’d have gotten this reported sooner, but was waiting on a few sources to confirm events)

This is a question that I have echoed and one that has formed one of the main reasons why I chose to endorse Randy Hultgren for the 14th District instead of Ethan Hastert.

At the event, Senator Lauzen stood before the audience and wondered aloud if there was a candidate from the 14h District that deserved the voter’s support based on “merit” or should the voters lean toward the candidate of “privilege”? Lauzen wondered whether the voters should support a man with a record of service or whether that support should be bestowed on the candidate with a mountain of outside support? Lauzen was primed to ask this question because of a campaign flyer being passed out by candidate Ethan Hastert that advertised an upcoming appearance by Georgia Congressman Tom Price who was in Illinois to stump for Hastert.
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14th District Race: Sen. Lauzen Asks About All That Outside $$ For Ethan Hastert”


8th District: Candidate Walsh Sued by Frmr Campaign Manager

-By Warner Todd Huston

8th District Congressional candidate Joe Walsh seems to be in a bit of a legal jam. His one-time campaign manager, Keith Lisico, has filed a lawsuit against Walsh for not paying his campaign managing bills.

Lisico left the Walsh campaign in December of 2009 over a dispute with Walsh’s less than timely payment of contracted consulting fees and has filed suit over the dispute. The suit alleges that Walsh owes the firm of Patrickson-Hirsh Associates $20,000 for services rendered.
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8th District: Candidate Walsh Sued by Frmr Campaign Manager”


Adam Andrzejewski: “A Breath of Fresh Air for Illinois”

From the Adam Andrzejewski for Governor campaign…

At a press conference on Tuesday, January 19, at the University Club of Chicago, former conservative State Senator and gubernatorial candidate, Patrick O’Malley issued his endorsement of my campaign.

Mr. O’Malley served as a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate, having been elected three times in a swing district that went to the Democrats after his retirement in 2003. While a State Senator, he was a member of a group of conservative state senators elected in 1992 who often challenged the leadership of the Illinois Republican Party and were dubbed the “Fab Five.”
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Adam Andrzejewski: “A Breath of Fresh Air for Illinois””


Comptroller: Dodge Rates an ‘A’ from Tea Party Organization

From the Jim Dodge for comptroller campaign…

Jim Dodge, Republican candidate for Illinois Comptroller, has earned an “A” from the Rockford Tea Party organization.

Coordinated by David Hale, The Rockford Tea Party grades were issued to various candidates across the state based on the candidates’ platforms and stances on various social and political issues.
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Comptroller: Dodge Rates an ‘A’ from Tea Party Organization”


Ill. Policy Institute: It’s Brown 41!

Let the Spinning Begin
One would think that Tuesday’s historic upset in Massachusetts (largely fueled by voters unhappy with partisan health care “reform”, according to exit polls) would give the current D.C. establishment pause. Apparently, not yet. Watch as David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs spin their way into denial in the video above.
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Ill. Policy Institute: It’s Brown 41!”


Dillard for Governor: Leading Tort Reform Advocate Backs Dillard

From the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign…

Republican candidate for Illinois governor Kirk Dillard today picked up another key endorsement in his bid for the GOP nomination on February 2. Leading tort reform advocate Ed Murnane, President of the Illinois Civil Justice League and chairman of the board of the American Tort Reform Association, is backing Dillard’s candidacy. “Ed’s endorsement is one more sign that my campaign has great momentum,” Dillard said.
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Dillard for Governor: Leading Tort Reform Advocate Backs Dillard”


5th District: David Ratowitz Stands Strong for Social Security Fairness

From the David Ratowitz for Congress campaign…

Republican U.S. House candidate (IL-5) assures frustrated retires: “Bad policies cannot be solved by cheating.”

CHICAGO – January 21, 2010 – Republican U.S. House candidate David Ratowitz (IL-5) shares seniors’ widespread worries about deep cuts to Social Security benefits brought by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and similar modifications. Ratowitz addressed the concerns of hundreds of frustrated beneficiaries Saturday at a Polish American Congress candidate forum in Niles.
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5th District: David Ratowitz Stands Strong for Social Security Fairness”


SEIU Wastes $1 Million on Coakley, Blames GOP

-By Warner Todd Huston

Michelle Malkin has a post that reports about the hilarious episode of union whining that is being laid out by the President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Andy Stern. He wasted $1 million of his member’s dues money trying to shore up Massachusetts loser “Marcia” Coakley but is he blaming the Democrats for this debacle? Nope, he’s mad at Republicans!

Why did Coakley croak? Why it’s because of those dastardly Republicans that have held up Obamacare, dontcha know?

From the SEIU website we get these hilarious words:
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SEIU Wastes $1 Million on Coakley, Blames GOP”


GOP Chair Brady, Are We Eating Our Own, Now?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Wednesday morning the Illinois GOP held a conference call in order to buck up the troops after the momentous victory for Republican Scott Brown who won election to the Senate in the very blue state of Massachusetts. When I got the notice of the call late on Tuesday night, I thought it was a great idea. Unfortunately, during the call the next day one little phase escaped our Chairman’s lips that I think was not only uncalled for, but was counter productive to our unity goal. For that matter, it was a slight to mere civility.

During the call, Chairman Pat Brady said that the folks in our party that oppose Mark Kirk’s candidacy for the Senate, those that are part of the “dump Kirk movement,” are the “fringe” of the party. Really? In a call for unity, one of Chairman Brady’s first thoughts is to cast names at folks in our own party?

It seems as if Chairman Brady learned the wrong lessons from Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts.

Chairman Brady talked about the split seen nationally in the GOP between conservatives and moderates and claimed he didn’t “accept the premise.” He said that there is no split in Illinois and that conservatives are the “fringe” if they stand against the liberal Kirk.

On the call Brady said, “The ‘Dump Kirk’ movement is a fringe movement. There’s not one candidate that’s pulled above 5 percent except Mark Kirk. So if there’s a split, it’s sure not a strong one.”

In a state like Illinois where the sort of independents that helped Senator elect Scott Brown to win in Massachusetts don’t exist in such numbers, Chairman Brady makes a major mistake to start calling his own conservative base a “fringe” element in the party.
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GOP Chair Brady, Are We Eating Our Own, Now?”


Left-Wing Prof Uses State Funded University To Launch Attack on U.S.

-By Warner Todd Huston

Every once in a while I like to blow off some steam and deliver a good rant. So get ready for my rant du jour…

It’s like a bad parody of the worst propensity of the American professoriate to be, well, as un-American as one can get. But here we have another prosaic example of yet another half-wit, left-wing professor — this one a prof of “international law” — using his perch in a state sponsored school, with his taxpayer’s supported (and obviously undeserved) salary to help foreigners launch an attack on his own county… if this particular pinko even bothers to claim he IS a U.S. citizen, that is. With these university pinheads it isn’t a safe bet to assume that they even consider themselves Americans.

Anyway, this particular pointy-headed geek is named Francis A. Boyle (no not boil, that is only what he is, not what he’s named) and he is a professor of International Law at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Mr. Boil… uh, I mean Boyle… has filed with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands, a “complaint” against George W. Bush and his whole administration. What is this little complaint whining about? Two guesses and the first one doesn’t count.

Yeah, you guessed correctly. This commie prof is trying to get Bush, et al, brought up on faux war crimes charges. Get a load of this child’s ranting.
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Left-Wing Prof Uses State Funded University To Launch Attack on U.S.”