Chicago Tea Party: Special Conference Call Wednesday

-By Warner Todd Huston

The American Liberty Alliance has announced a special conference call in order to plan the next round of Illinois Tax Day Tea Party events to be held Wednesday, October 14 starting at 6PM central time.

We have some HUGE things on the table for Tax Day Tea Party of 2010. Please check out the links below and make sure you’re plugged in for the upcoming updates.

APRIL 15 TAX DAY TEA PARTY PLANNING CALL
Join us on the evening of Wednesday, October 14th at 6:00 PM Central time.

You can RSVP via Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165494786760

OFFICIAL CHICAGO TAX DAY TEA PARTY WEBSITE
We’re making significant changes to the website over the next few weeks so keep an eye on it and stay tuned for updates.

http://www.OfficialChicagoTeaParty.com

NEW FACEBOOK GROUP
Join us in the new Official Chicago Tea Party Facebook group here.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152052919129

RSVP for the Chicago Tea Party on April 15th here
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165494786760&index=1

For Liberty, Eric Odom

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Chicago Tea Party: Special Conference Call Wednesday”


Edgar Endorses Dillard for Gov.

-By Warner Todd Huston

The rumors of late last week have proven founded. Former Governor Jim Edgar has, indeed, endorsed State Senator Kirk Dillard for the GOP nomination for Governor.

Mr. Edgar said that Dillard’s experience as his legislative aide during the budget crisis of the 1990s makes Dillard the perfect candidate to face today’s challenges.

In response to the ex-governor’s endorsement, Senator Dillard said:

I am humbled and honored to have the full support of my friend and mentor Jim Edgar. We worked together when times were tough when the governor took office. We inherited a mountain of debt back then and left a surplus in the bank.

State Senator Bill Brady, a rival for the GOP nomination and here-to-for frontrunner, quipped that his candidacy is “about tomorrow, not yesterday.”
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Edgar Endorses Dillard for Gov.”


The Courier: Rauschenberger a ‘Ray of Light’

-By Warner Todd Huston

There is an interesting editorial in The Courier-News of the Elgin area. It is written by columnist Jeff Ward who finds himself quite excited that former State Senator Steve Rauschenberger has decided to make another run at his old 22nd District Senate seat.

Warning that he isn’t the “liberal Democrat” that many of the readers might imagine — I’ll leave that one alone, myself — Ward sings the praises of Mr. Rauschenberger calling him a “ray of light.”

Thankfully, there is an exception to every rule, and a recent ray of light managed to pierce the political pessimism. It comes in the guise of Elgin resident and former 22nd District state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger announcing a run for his old Senate seat.

Now, I won’t go on as if Ward is some moral authority on local or national politics. He obviously does parrot the ill-informed far, left wacko extreme with his impression of the so-called neo-cons and what they did or didn’t do on the national scene. But, Ward is exactly right about Rauschenberger. Steve is a serious, informed man that would do a great job (once again) as the State Senator of the 22nd District.

So, mark me as standing in agreement with Jeff Ward on at least one thing. Steve Rauschenberger is the best candidate for the 22nd District.

Steve’s FaceBook Page.
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The Courier: Rauschenberger a ‘Ray of Light’”


GOP Comptroller Candidate’s Offices Burglarized

-By Warner Todd Huston

William Kelly, a Republican candidate for the Comptroller’s Office, found his offices broken into in Chicago over the weekend.

Kelly and his staff were out circulating petitions when he said the burglary took place in the building on North Milwaukee. He says voter maps, a volunteer list and alcohol were taken, and the door frame was damaged.

Kelly did not say outright that political motives were behind the break-in, but he did note that some key documents and political information was taken.
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GOP Comptroller Candidate’s Offices Burglarized”


School Superintendent Kills Himself

-By Warner Todd Huston

In Ottawa, Illinois schools superintendent John Harrison committed suicide over the weekend. Ottawa is south west of Chicago in LaSalle County.

The school is suffering a teachers unions trike at this time, but it isn’t known if the strike and controversy is connected to the suicide.

One interesting part of the report on the CBS News site, though, showed one aspect of today’s teachers unions that is galling.

Teachers went on strike Sept. 30. They’re objecting to a school board offer that would require them to chip in for family health insurance coverage. About 1,600 students attend the school.

Seriously? These teachers think they shouldn’t have to pay any part of their own health insurance coverage? I guess we shouldn’t expect teachers to be like everyone one else in the country, eh? Naturally these greedy unions think teachers should get free healthcare all paid for by the taxpayer!

At this point these greedy, anti-student teachers unions are more like criminal syndicates than organizations with the interests of the people at heart!
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School Superintendent Kills Himself”


Smosska’s ACORN Smoke Screen

-By Warner Todd Huston

This is an update on a story about a company in South Carolina named Smosska that I covered back in July. At this point, it seems beyond question that Smosska is a sham organization that was set up by ACORN in order to hide “community activism” behind a false front in South Carolina.


Back in July I reported
on a corporation that swept into Florence, South Carolina promising all sorts of new jobs with wonderful new benefits. Naturally none of these jobs have materialized. Looking into this Smosska, Corp. proves that the company is a sham group formed to serve the needs of the criminal ACORN organization.

Well, for an update, it looks like this sham company is getting served with an eviction notice.
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Smosska’s ACORN Smoke Screen”


Lt. Gov Candidate Tracy Talks Jobs

-By Warner Todd Huston

Don Tracy is running for Lt. Governor and the Daily Leader of Pontiac had the opportunity to have a few words with the candidate this week. Tracy’s main message: jobs, jobs, jobs.

On his Campaign website Tracy tells the electorate that “for too long, Illinois has been steering a liberal course” and recommends a change in direction and one of those changes, he told the Daily Leader, is a reform of workman’s comp.

“This state is hemorrhaging jobs,” Tracy told reporters.

“All the employment possibilities are going to other states.

“Employment in this state was bad before 2003 when former Gov. Rod Blagojevich took office, and it only got worse during his years in office. I will work to see workman’s compensation reform in Illinois and I believe that will bring more jobs here.”

Tracy says that the reform of workman’s comp would be a ticket to make our state more attractive for new businesses to come to Illinois.
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Lt. Gov Candidate Tracy Talks Jobs”


Mayor Daley: How a Politician Lies

-By Warner Todd Huston

This week we’ve seen King Daley’s desperate attempt to get past his deep humiliation on losing the 2016 Olympics after spending so many years trying to convince the world that his corrupt kingdom was the ideal place for the games. The King’s brilliant idea was to reveal how he was going to save the city from its epidemic of youth violence.

A Chicago Tribune story reported the diminutive King’s plan to cure the city of violence in the wake of the death of a student near Fenger High school.

emphasized that families and parents need to take responsibility, but he also said the city would seek jobs for youths and expand current intervention programs in an attempt to address youth violence in Chicago.

Well, that is just a plain lie, Mr. Daley. It’s all just happy talk and BS, sir.

First of all, a Mayor cannot make any jobs, so the “seek jobs” line is so much stuff and nonsense. But wait, you may ask, can’t he make city jobs for these needy folks? Not really. In fact, the Chicago Reader has detailed how many jobs the city has had to cut because of budget shortfalls.

According to payroll records, the administration cut 2,245 jobs between March 2008 and October 2009, reducing the total city workforce to 36,296.

The Kingie can’t even produce any make-work city jobs for people… unless he wants to fire the children of his mobbed-up buddies that already have all the fake, make-work city jobs, that is.

So the city is going bankrupt, King Daley didn’t get his graft infusion by getting the Olympics, and all he can do is go begging to President Obama for some leavings from the federal table and hope he can make do with that.
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Mayor Daley: How a Politician Lies”


Mark Vargas: ‘Foster’s Proposal Amounts to a Band-Aid’

Mark Vargas is running to obtain the GOP nomination for the 14th District’s Congressional seat. Now he’s looking to criticize the Democrat that currently holds that seat.

While the United States continues to suffer through the harsh economic reality, Congressman Bill Foster, Nancy Pelosi, and the Democrat controlled Congress continue to propose superfluous temporary fix-it gimmicks when meaningful reform is needed. While today’s call for an extension of the $8,000 tax credit to first time home owners is intended to stimulate the housing market, the credit only serves as a band-aid rather than address the true causes of the housing crash. During the last year Congress has attempted to skirt the real issues facing our country by offering quick fixes. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and solve the root problems that have led our nation down the wrong path.

For the past 3 years the housing market has been in a free fall, with potential homeowners restricted from purchasing their homes due to fear of job loss. Families are unwilling or unable to make this enormous investment in their future when they are unsure when or where their next paycheck will be coming. It is fitting that Foster chose Aurora for his press conference, a city hard struck by unemployment and foreclosures.
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Mark Vargas: ‘Foster’s Proposal Amounts to a Band-Aid’”


Former Gov. Edgar Endorsing Dillard?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Well, if it pans out, this would be pretty big news for the Kirk Dillard campaign for the GOP nomination for Illinois governor.

Many sources are now reporting that Republican Governor Jim Edgar is preparing to give State Senator Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale his endorsement. Jim Edgar was the last popular Republican governor and has constantly been floated as a candidate for Senate and other offices since he finished his term in Springfield in 1999.

Mr. Edgar has a much respected reputation on both sides of the political aisle.

Senator Dillard is a former aide of former governor Edgar.

If Dillard secures Edgar’s endorsement this would be a great shot in the arm for a campaign that has thus far not caught fire. Of course, if Dillard gets this endorsement, expect that it will become one more bullet point in his constant droning of his resume at every appearance.

One thing is sure, if Dillard wants to become governor, he’d better start having some actual meat to his campaign. The laundry list, resume recitation is quite tiresome, indeed.

Kirk Dillard’s website.
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Former Gov. Edgar Endorsing Dillard?”


Illinois GOP Chief Sets Aggressive Agenda for Victory

-By Warner Todd Huston

Earlier this week, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady addressed the City Club of Chicago.

Here is the text of his prepared remarks:

“My rise to the leadership of the Illinois Republican Party and within the Republican National Committee has been fast – and somewhat of a surprise.

Although I never contemplated a leadership role in party politics, I have been active in supporting Republican candidates since 1970 when I first walked precinct 27 in Bloomington with my Dad.

In 1999—after continually working on a variety of races and fundraisers— State Representative Jim Durkin called me at work one evening and asked if I wanted to accompany him and “this guy from Arizona who is running for President” as they tried to fundraise in Illinois. I had met Senator McCain in 1984 and thought even back then he would be a good President — so I agreed to help. This began my 10-year effort on behalf of the McCain for President campaign.
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Illinois GOP Chief Sets Aggressive Agenda for Victory”


Cook Sales Tax Brings State Legislature Action

-By Warner Todd Huston

There are two bills that would help the majority of the members of the Cook County Board roll back President Todd Stroger’s (D) sales-tax increase currently waiting approval in the Illinois House after winning committee support on October 7.

The problem is that the rule for overturning a veto by the board president is a four-fifths majority requirement put in place in the 1870s to prevent board members that resided in the City of Chicago from dominating over the suburban members. As the interests of city Democrats have coincided more often with those of suburban Democrats, however, this requirement has recently placed more power in the board president’s hands.

The bills now about to hit the floor in the Illinois House would change the four-fifths requirement immediately. This, says Stroger spokesman Derek Blaida, is likely unconstitutional. Blaida argued that changing the rules in the middle of President Stroger’s term was improper.

This Summer an attempt by the County Board to overturn Stroger’s veto of their sales-tax roll back did not succeed even with 13 out of 17 of the commissioners backing the effort.
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Cook Sales Tax Brings State Legislature Action”


How ACORN Hides Behind Fake Names

-By Warner Todd Huston

Many states have ways to look up the businesses, organizations and people with whom the state does business. Illinois has such a service on the Secretary of State’s website.

In Illinois there is a way to search the folks the state does business with on a page titled Corporate/LLC Search / Certificate of Good Standing. There you can input the name of a corporation or LLC and find out the address of its offices, its registered manager’s name, etc.

Sadly, this feature is not easy to use. The problem is you have to know the actual name of the corporation you are looking for. Of course, if you don’t really know what you are looking for you just cannot find anything useful.

The problem with the Illinois search system is that groups like ACORN register hundreds of different shell corporations to hide behind. They register them to their workers and their directors and then they offer them to government as a vendor or organization for the state’s use. Naturally, state funds flow like water into ACORN’s coffers as a result.
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How ACORN Hides Behind Fake Names”


Peraica Wants Investigation Into Stroger’s Hiring of Law Firm

-By Warner Todd Huston

Commissioner Tony Peraica posted a notice on Twitter today about the growing controversy over Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s hiring of the law firm of Mayer Brown, LLP, to investigate the county’s finances.

Peraica posted the following:

NEWS FLASH: Com. Tony Peraica requests SA Anita Alvarez to begin quo warranto proceedings against Todd Stroger over Mayer Brown, LLP hiring.

As the Chicago Tribune reported on October 5, Stroger obtained the funds to pay this law firm by invoking an “emergency purchase” power. The hiring was not presented to the county board for approval.

At that time, Peraica scorned Stroger’s unilateral actions.

“This is, in my view, an inappropriate and wasteful expenditure of scarce taxpayer dollars,” Peraica said.

Mayer Brown was hired to probe the county’s finances after a it was announced that a grand jury had expanded its investigation into county expenditures.
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Peraica Wants Investigation Into Stroger’s Hiring of Law Firm”


Obama’s Stimulus for Unions

-By Warner Todd Huston

Stimulating the economy isn’t nearly as important to President Obama as putting federal dollars into the pockets of his union cronies. Because of Obama’s PLA Executive Order, thousands of jobs are going to unions in states that have few union members.

The Washington Times, for instance, reports that Obama has grandiosely given a $35 million federal construction project to the New Hampshire. But there are strings attached, strings that pull federal pay levers for the exclusive benefit of unions.

In February Obama signed Executive Order 13202 that demanded that project labor agreements be forced on every federal construction project. These PLAs would demand that federal construction projects either hire union labor or pay all workers union wages. Of course, as these non-union workers are getting union wages the government will also be deducting union dues from their paychecks regardless of whether said worker is in a union or not. This is little else than a direct transfer of federal money to union coffers.

And what of this New Hampshire project? Well, the PLA is in play as a matter of course. This $35 million federal construction project will either employ an all-union workforce, or force contractors to pay union wages to non-union workers as well as remove dues fees from said workers.
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Obama’s Stimulus for Unions”


‘Community Leader’ Obama Excludes Community leaders at Meeting

-By Warner Todd Huston

During the 2008 presidential campaign Democrats ignored candidates of long standing, proven leadership to push the candidacy of a guy whose only real accomplishment was to have become a “community leader.” Democrats defended this sparse resume and said that “community organizing” was all so very important.

That was then.

Today, community leaders are not so important to the administration of the “community leader” president. At least is seems so since Obama sent his Attorney General, Eric Holder, and his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, to Chicago for a photo op and meeting with the corruption riddled City of Chicago government under Mayor Daley.
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‘Community Leader’ Obama Excludes Community leaders at Meeting”


Illinois Blogger Makes Bid for 62nd District

-By Warner Todd Huston

Paul Mitchell of Hainesville has been running the Thoughts of a Regular Guy blog for at least 6 years at this point. Now, he’s decided to stop opining and start doing and so Mitchell recently announced a run for the 62nd District’s House seat in Springfield.

Mitchell has signed American’s for Tax Reform’s no-tax pledge, and has already spoken at several events in the area.

Mitchell is the second long-time blogger in Illinois that has stepped away from the keyboard to throw a hat in the ring. Matt Burden of the blog BlackFive is running for the 41st District seat.

Look for Paul Mitchell for the General Assembly, 62nd District on the web.
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Illinois Blogger Makes Bid for 62nd District”


Cook County and Naperville Nix Video Gambling

-By Warner Todd Huston

Some news on the video gambling front. When the Ill. Legislature passed the OK for video gambling it included an opt out clause. Many cities and counties across the state are in the process of deciding if they want video gambling in their jurisdictions. This week, both Cook County and the city of Naperville decided that “no” is their choice.

The Cook County Board ruled on Tuesday that video gambling will be banned in unincorporated areas with an amendment by Commissioner Bridget Gainer of Chicago. The amendment won by a 10-4 vote.

Also on Tuesday, the City of Naperville voted 7-0 to ban video gambling within the city limits.

The new ordinance councilmen approved says the machines would “present a variety of adverse impacts on the residents of Naperville including the potential for corruption, impact on the costs of law enforcement, regulatory difficulties and high social costs.”

For more information, check out the website of Illinois Church Action.
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Cook County and Naperville Nix Video Gambling”


Website Lists of Illinois GOP State Wide Candidates

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

Eric Wallace – wallaceforillinois.com

Robert Zadek – robertzadek.com

U.S. House

Peter Roskam – oskamforcongress.com

Governor

Adam Andrzejewski – adamforillinois.com

Bill Brady – bradyforillinois.com

Kirk Dillard – dillardforgovernor.com

Frank Edwards – edwardsforillinoisgovernor.com (Pulled out of race)

Andy McKenna – mckennagov.com

Dan Proft – proft2010.com

Bob Schillerstrom – bobschillerstrom.com

Lieutenant Governor

Brad Cole – teambrad.com

Dennis Cook – citizensforcook.com

Deb Leticia Gordils – debforillinois.com

Matt Murphy – murphy2010.com

Jason Plummer – jasonplummer.com

Don Tracy – tracyforillinois.com

Randy White – randy4ltgov.com

Attorney General

Steve Kim – stevekimforag.com

Secretary of State

Robert Enriquez – enriquez2010.us

Comptroller

Jim Dodge – jimdodge2010.com

William Kelly – friendsofwilliamjkelly.com

Judy Baar Topinka – udybarrtopinka.com

Treasurer

Dan Rutherford – danrutherford.org


Illinois Families Forced Into Unions Courtesy of Gov. Quinn

-By Warner Todd Huston

Governor Pat Quinn signed Executive Order number 09-15 earlier in the year. This order gave the state government the OK to hand over the private information — the addresses, names, and telephone numbers — of hundreds of families that have developmentally disabled children and other family members with chronic medical problems in their homes. Many of these people are considered home-based healthcare workers by the state and they receive state aid to help them take care of their disabled family members.

Unions like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are salivating to take some of this money out of the pockets of these needy Illinois citizens that only want a little help to take care of family members with major and costly medical problems.

Now, with the signing of EO 09-15, Governor Pat Quinn has given these unions the “in” they need to accost these citizens in their homes or on the phone in order to cajole them into joining their unions. Once these unions get done bothering Illinois citizens in their homes, thanks to being given private addresses by Quinn, they will then begin to reap the reward of millions of dollars in forced dues remittances.

Quinn has also agreed that these unions will get a portion of these citizen’s state aid whether they join a union or not.
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Illinois Families Forced Into Unions Courtesy of Gov. Quinn”


Jim Ryan Mulling a Run for Governor?

-By Warner Todd Huston

It’s all over the news today here in Chicago, but former Attny. Gen. Jim Ryan has launched an exploratory committee in order to lay the groundwork for a possible Ryan for Governor campaign.

Ryan last tried to run as the GOP nominee for governor against Democrat Rod Blagojevich in 2002. He’s since served as a distinguished fellow at Benedictine University.

He expects to make a final decision very soon,” said Dan Curry, who was Ryan’s spokesman when he was attorney general and said he was authorized by Ryan to speak on his behalf. “He’s making a final decision with his family.”

I have to say that this is not good news. Oh, I am not necessarily against Jim Ryan. He was a perfectly fine candidate back in 2002. But he is old guard and old guard will not excite the voters in 2010. The Illinois GOP is missing an opportunity to bring a fresh, bold face to the voters if they fall back to another Ryan candidacy.

Just that name “Ryan,” regardless of which Ryan it is assigned to, will cause voters to roll their eyes and envision the same old, same old. This is not a recipe for victory in 2010.
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Jim Ryan Mulling a Run for Governor?”


Whitman’s Spotty Voting Record: Not Exactly as it Seemed?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Much has been made about Meg Whitman’s spotty voting record by many, including me. When the Sacramento Bee’s Andrew McIntosh first reported that records for Whitman’s voter registration going back a decade or so were nearly non-existent it seemed that the anti-Whitman camp(s) out there had quite an issue to hang their hats upon. It sure made me wary of her campaign, to be sure.

After all, wouldn’t it say something interesting if this purportedly life-long Republican candidate had little history of even voting at all — much less for other Republicans — until recently? Whether its a fair question or not, it does make one wary of such a candidate. How could the voters be asked to vote for someone that herself hasn’t seemed too interested in voting?

Of course, this whole question is only legitimate if the newspaper that broke the story had all its facts straight. Now, it is starting to look like the Bee’s story is not as cut and dried as it was presented.
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Whitman’s Spotty Voting Record: Not Exactly as it Seemed?”


Chicago Tea Party: March on the Media, Oct. 16th, 17th

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Tea Party Patriots are planning a “March on the Media” for October 16th.

The event will be held at the ABC News studios are 180 North State Street, downtown Chicago.

The following day, October 17th, an event will be held at Millennium Park at Michigan Ave. and Washington Blvd.

The Fifth Estate lied, again, when they failed to tell America how on 9/12 we held the largest protest in our nation’92s history, with two million Patriots flooding Washington, fighting for Health Care freedom and Constitutional Rights.

The Millennium Park event will feature an address by Kevin Jackson of TheBlackSphere.net.

For a little background on Mr. Jackson, here Kevin does a great job schooling a mind numbed union punk’85

For info contact:
Catherina Wojtowicz at (312) 662-8666
ChicagoTeaPatriots@Gmail.com
ChicagoTeaPatriots.com
IllinoisTea.com
OperationCanYouHearUsNow.com
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Chicago Tea Party: March on the Media, Oct. 16th, 17th”


Capitol Fax Smacks Candidate Kelly Around

-By Warner Todd Huston

Rich Miller’s Capitol Fax politics blog is one of the best Illinois political blogs out there… so, there, I said that right upfront. But I found Miller’s recent posting on the admittedly quixotic candidacy of William Kelly, well, a bit quixotic in itself, if only on one small point.

Last Wednesday, Capitol Fax found itself a bit confused by Mr. Kelly’s tactics for his campaign for Illinois Comptroller. Kelly, you see, has made a point to repeatedly go after current State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias as a way to gain public attention for his own race for Comptroller.

Mr. Kelly did an ambush styled video where he was following Giannoulias, a current Democratic Party candidate for Senate, down a hallway asking the State Treasurer why he’d be seeking and accepting an endorsement from the Service Employee’s International Union (SEIU), a group that is hip-deep with the criminal organization ACORN.
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Capitol Fax Smacks Candidate Kelly Around”


Meg Whitman: A Big Lib Supporter?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Meg Whitman has had some bad days lately. After recently proclaiming herself a “darned good” conservative Republican, Senator Barbara Boxer’s staff revealed that Whitman was a Boxer supporter in 2003. Dangerously for Whitman, Senator Boxer is one of the most liberal members of the Senate.

According to Boxer aide Rose Kapolczynski, Whitman supported Boxer’s “Technology Leaders for Boxer” effort in April of 2003. A letter from Boxer’s office from 2003 features a quote from Whitman stating that she felt Boxer was a “courageous leader and friend of California’s technology industry.” (see image below)

This is just one more troublesome issue on top of her voting record — or lack thereof.
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Meg Whitman: A Big Lib Supporter?”


Travesty: Most Illinois County GOP Organizations Have no Web Presence

-By Warner Todd Huston

Imagine that. In this day and age most of the GOP Party organizations in the great state of Illinois do NOT have a web page. Illinois has 102 counties, but only 23 of them have a usable, working webpage.

In this Internet age, the very first place everyone runs to in order to find out about something is the Internet. Yet three quarters of our Illinois county GOP organizations do not have their own maintained webpage up on the Internet for prospective voters to peruse.

Of the 102 counties, 23 have websites that they’ve created and maintained. Another 33 have place holder pages sponsored by the state party. And fully 44 counties have no web presence at all. Nothing. Not even a state party place holder.

Of the 33 state party hosted place holder pages, few have any information past the county name and, perhaps, the name of the county party chairman. A couple have a few updates in the “Local Headlines” section, but most have nothing at all. It seems obvious that the state party is trying to get these place holder pages created for every county — certainly a good idea — and has gotten to these 33 thus far, though I have not contacted the state party to confirm this.

For a full list of Illinois counties and their web status, Click Here.
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Travesty: Most Illinois County GOP Organizations Have no Web Presence”


Steve Rauschenberger Makes it Official

-By Warner Todd Huston

Former State Senator Steven Rauschenberger has once again thrown his hat in the ring and announced a run for his old Senate seat from the Elgin area’s 22nd District, a seat he held for 14 years.

Rauschenberger entered the State Legislature in 1992 and gained fame as one of the “Fab Five,” a group of five conservative senators that rode herd on Democratic overspending. In 2007, Rauschenberger explored a bid for governor but ultimately settled on a run as lt. gov. on a ticket with Ron Gidwitz. They lost the GOP nomination to the Topinka/Birkett ticket.

Here is the announcement from the Rauschenberger campaign:
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Steve Rauschenberger Makes it Official”


14th District Race: Ethan Hastert Signs ATRs No-Tax Pledge

-By Warner Todd Huston

In the race for the GOP nomination for Congress, Ethan Hastert has made a bit of news this week by signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform.

ATR reports that Hastert is the second candidate to sign the pledge.

ATR’s Announcement:
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14th District Race: Ethan Hastert Signs ATRs No-Tax Pledge”


Why Did Matt Murphy Drop Down from Guv to Lt. Guv?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Murphy has released a press release explaining why he decided to switch from running for governor to running for lt. governor.

I did not plan to run for Governor. After two consecutive elections, I was looking forward to taking a break from campaigning to focus on my legislative priorities and coach football for my son. Unfortunately, the economy became worse, people lost their jobs and the Democratic leadership in Springfield reverted to their default position to solve every budget crisis: higher taxes, increased spending and more borrowing. While families and businesses are struggling to make ends meet, they were asked to absorb the cost of Springfield’s fiscal mismanagement at the same time Governor Quinn caved into special interests. Our state was at a crossroads and I felt someone had to offer an alternative to the same tired and failed policies that have put us in a two-way race with Michigan to become the worst state to run a business, create jobs and raise a family.

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Why Did Matt Murphy Drop Down from Guv to Lt. Guv?”


More Illinois Citizens Live in Poverty Since Year 2000

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Associated Press is reporting that the poverty rate in Illinois has jumped from 10.7 percent in 2000 to 12.2 percent in 2008, the last year for which we have Census Bureau data. That comes out to about 1.5 million Illinois citizens living below the poverty line.

Hardest hit were some of the counties in Northern Illinois in and around the Chicago area.

The drops in income were particularly steep in several northern Illinois counties, DuPage, Kane and Winnebago. For instance, in DuPage County, the median income has declined $10,690 since 2000, from $87,723 to $77,033.

One of the things that made this poverty rate climb is the horrendous business climate that Illinoisans suffer under. In 2008 the Directorship’s Boardroom Guide to State Litigation Climates compiled by the Foundation for Fair Civi Justice ranked Illinois as the state with the worst business climate. In 2009 it ranked second just under Pennsylvania.

Winning the dubious distinction of having the worst business climate in the country is not a way to entice new business to come to the Land of Lincoln to bring the new jobs that Illinois needs to raise its citizens out of poverty.
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More Illinois Citizens Live in Poverty Since Year 2000″