Meeks Out, One More Quits Race for Chicago Mayor

-By Warner Todd Huston

A few weeks ago four names were dropped from the race for Chicago Mayor’s office. This week Reverend James Meeks has suspended his campaign to run for the top seat at City Hall, too.

Further more, the election board responsible for determining if Rahm Emanuel is eligible to even run for mayor has made its decision. Rahm stays on the ballot.

Certainly more will be removed as time rolls onward, but here is the list of candidates as it stands now:
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Meeks Out, One More Quits Race for Chicago Mayor”


Illinois Republican State Central Committee Meeting Report

I’ve attended one of these meetings in the past and to tell the truth, the Party does not take much effort to make what goes on there relevant to anything in the general electorate. Then,. after the public session they shoo everyone out and have the private leadership meeting and the public is not invited.

Anyway, this year Doug Ibendahl attended the one held in Bolingbrook and posted a report on Republican News Watch.

Here is an excerpt…
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Illinois Republican State Central Committee Meeting Report”


Democrats Slip Bringing Terrorists to American Prisons into Defense Bill

-By Warner Todd Huston

Senator Mark Kirk (R, IL) is raising a red flag over the defense bill because the Democrat led House of Representatives and Democrat led Senate has slipped in a provision that would allow accused terrorists to be housed in prisons in the interior of the United States.

In an apparent effort to get around the President’s decision to ignore his own deadline to shut down the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba terrorist detention facility, the Democrat leadership included the provision in order to give terrorists and detainees in Guantanamo a place to go so that the Cuba-based facility can eventually — and sooner rather than later — be shut down.

Senator Kirk blew the whistle on this horrible idea and vowed to put a hold on the defense bill until that part gets stripped. Kirk appeared on Chicago’s WLS radio and told hosts Don and Roma why he wanted to put the bill on hold.
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Democrats Slip Bringing Terrorists to American Prisons into Defense Bill”


(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”


Rahm’s Little Spy

-By Warner Todd Huston

Walter Jacobson of Channel 2 News reports that Rahm Emanuel sent a spy to one of his opponent’s events. Gery Chico had a community meeting with various representatives of the community in attendance but one fellow was loathe to be fully identified as the rest were. Turns out he was a spy for Emanuel.

Chico held a meeting for community leaders to talk issues. One by one they introduced themselves and identified the community groups they represent.

All except for one man who said only that his name is Jim, and that he was there to observe and learn.

That seemed odd, so Jim was watched and seen tape recording the meeting.

When asked about it, he admitted it was not quite true he was there to observe and learn — but to record the meeting for Rahm Emanuel.

And there you go. Just another example of Chicago-style politics.

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Rahm’s Little Spy”


SB600: Litmus Test for Party Reform (By Cedra Crenshaw)

-By Warner Todd Huston

In the 2010 midterms, Cedra Crenshaw made a splash as a great independent Republican candidate for the Illinois State Senate (43rd District). She was quickly confronted with the power of the Democratic Machine and made all too well aware of the limitations of the Illinois Republican Party.

Cedra recently wrote a great piece on SB600, a bill that would allow Republican voters to vote in their own leadership on the Illinois Republican State Committee (currently, insiders appoint these members and voters have no choice).
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SB600: Litmus Test for Party Reform (By Cedra Crenshaw)”


Four Out of the Race for Chicago Mayor

-By Warner Todd Huston

The man that is renting Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago house announced today that he’ll drop his bid to run against the former White House chief of staff.

Emanuel tenant Rob Halpin told reporters that the financial burden — as well as the legal hurdles — of running for mayor was simply too much for him to incur.

The board of elections also removed three candidates from the ballot due to the candidates not having enough ballot signatures to satisfy the minimum requirement of 12,500 signatures.

The three removed were M. Tricia Lee, only had 700 valid signatures; Jay Stone, had a mere 246; and Ryan Graves had duplicate signatures.

With Lee’s removal from the ballot, that puts Rahm Emanuel in the second spot on the ballot.

Certainly many more will be removed as time rolls onward, but here is the list as it stands now:
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Four Out of the Race for Chicago Mayor”


Chicago Democrat Machine Thwarting the Vote Again: Trying to Force 45th Ward GOP Candidate Off Ballot

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Garrido is running to become Chicago’s 45th Ward Alderman and the left-wing, Chicago Democrat machine is not happy about it. Machine thugs are attempting to force Mr. Garrido, a Chicago Police Lieutenant, off the ballot with more of their silly ballot objections.

Democrats have spent billions over the years filing objections and challenges to their opponent’s petitions and candidacies all in an attempt to prevent the voters from being allowed to make their own decision.

The Garrido campaign has issued this statement:
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Chicago Democrat Machine Thwarting the Vote Again: Trying to Force 45th Ward GOP Candidate Off Ballot”


Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) Delivers Weekly GOP Address On Preventing Tax Hikes

In the Weekly Republican Address, newly-elected Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois says, “Last month, the American people sent a clear message to Washington: spend less, borrow less and tax less to put America back to work.”

Sen. Kirk expresses his disappointment that leaders in Congress have not heeded this message. “The current leaders of Congress should not move forward with plans that were just rejected by the American people. These leaders should not raise taxes and risk another recession. Instead, Congress should reduce spending and prevent another tax hike on American taxpayers.”

Sen. Kirk emphasizes, “Congress should set its highest priority on preventing the massive tax hike currently scheduled to hit our economy on January 1st.”

He also calls for “bipartisan solutions to cut federal spending” and suggests some ideas for tackling the “mounting debts [that] pose a clear and present danger to our future.”


Video: Who Is Chicago Mayoral Candidate Gery Chico?

I have to hand it to the Chico campaign. As Gery Chico runs for Chicago Mayor, they are out of the box in full force and getting to the bloggers, too. Heck, I’m not even a Democrat and am getting their campaign press releases. Good job to the Chico shop! Good media outreach so far.

Here is their latest effort meant to introduce the candidate to those who may not know him.


SB600 Update: In Da House

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have been a steady advocate for SB600 for the past year or so, now. SB600 would provide for Illinois Republicans to be able to elect their own state Republican committeemen by vote (as Illinois Democrats already do). Currently the people that guide the Illinois GOP are selected by other party operatives instead of the voters. Many feel, me included, this leads to a closed system of party bosses and insiders that is resistant to change and new ideas and is too far removed from the voters.

The bill passed the Senate earlier in the year and now needs a nod from the House of Representatives. If it doesn’t get passed by the House before January 12, 2011, then this bill is dead and would have to go through the entire process all over again to become law.

January 12 is coming very quickly, of course, and many might think it is too late to get this one done. But it’s not all bad news. If the bill is brought to a vote it will likely pass as it did in the Senate.
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SB600 Update: In Da House”


Come One, Come All: 20 Candidates for Chicago Mayor

-By Warner Todd Huston

It’s a veritable cornucopia of candidates for the 2011 race for Chicago Mayor. From the infamous, to the locally well known to the completely obscure (so obscure I can’t even find any info out about them), these are the 20 folks that filed to run for mayor. And where known I added their website.

Carol Moseley Braun – Former U.S. Senator, Hyde Park resident
http://carolforchicago.com

Gery J. Chico – Former President of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Public Schools, Downtown Chicago (Loop)
www.gerychicoformayor.com

Danny K. Davis – Current U.S. Representative 7th District, Austin Neighborhood
http://dannykdavis.com/

Wilfredo De Jesus – Senior Pastor of New Life Covenant Church in Humboldt Park, Logan Square
www.dejesusformayor.com

Miguel Del Valle – Chicago City Clerk, Belmont
www.delvalleformayor.com

Rahm Emanuel – Former U.S. Representative 5th District, West Town, White House Chief of Staff
www.chicagoforrahm.com

Ryan Graves – Engineer with the Dept. of Water Management, Lakeview
www.gravesformayor.com

John Hu – Real estate broker, Rush and Division
http://citizenmayor.net/index.html

M. Tricia Lee – Children’s book author, business consultant, Archer Heights
www.mtricialeeformayor.citymax.com

James T. Meeks – Current Illinois State Senator 15th District, West Pullman
www.jamesmeeksformayor.com

Jay Stone – Hypnotherapist, West Ridge
http://stoneformayor.com

William Walls III – Community Activist, former aide to Mayor Harold Washington, Galewood
http://wallsformayor.com

Patricia Van Pelt Watkins – Community Activist, CEO of Target Area Development Corp., E. Garfield Park
www.patriciaforchicago.com

Fredrick K. White – City Employee, Logan Square
www.fredrick-k-white.com

Roland W. Burris – Chatham, Former Senator

Tyrone Carter – Austin, Music Producer, Author

Rob Halpin – Businessman (famous for being the tenant living in Rahm Emanuel’s house), Lakeview

Tommy Hanson – Real estate broker, River North

Fenton C. Patterson – ??, Englewood

Howard Ray – ??, Humbolt Park
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Come One, Come All: 20 Candidates for Chicago Mayor”


Mayoral Candidate Gery Chico’s Chicago City Hall Transparency Ideas

-By Warner Todd Huston

When Mayor Richard “King” Daley got himself a one billion dollar infusion of cash by selling the parking meters in the city (yes, I said one BILLION) everyone thought it was such a great deal. Gery Chico tells us that all this money is nearly gone and spent already. He wants city hall to be more transparent and if he becomes mayor that’s what he says he’ll do.

From the Chico Press release:
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Mayoral Candidate Gery Chico’s Chicago City Hall Transparency Ideas”


RNC Chair Steele Tries to Take Credit for 2010 Tea Party Success

-By Warner Todd Huston

If nothing else has proven that Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele is not in tune with the GOP today, his recent statements on the Tea Party movement should serve as exhibit number one.

Showing that he has no clue the effect that the Tea Party movement had on the 2010 elections, in a five-page memo to committee members last week, Steele said that the GOP saved the day by stopping Tea Partiers from going third party in 2010.

Daily Caller excerpted Steele’s comments on Nov. 20. “The RNC,” Steele told the members, “welcomed the energy and limited government principles of Tea Party voters and grassroots conservatives, and worked hard to ensure that their views found expression within the Republican party, and not in a potentially ruinous third-party movement.”
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RNC Chair Steele Tries to Take Credit for 2010 Tea Party Success”


Let’s Get SB600 Passed!

Doug Ibendhal wants us all to re-commit to getting SB600 passed. I am a big supporter of the measure, so I certainly agree with him on this.

The Illinois General Assembly goes back in session in Springfield this week (November 16-18).

SB600 passed overwhelmingly in the State Senate last year. We just need House passage and then it’s to the Governor’s desk. Pat Quinn is certain to sign the bill. His reformer talk would be over if he didn’t.

Please take a minute and contact your State Representative, whether Republican or Democrat, and urge passage of SB600.

You’ll find all of the contact information here (then page down).

Note that we’ve put all the email addresses for all of the State Representatives into user friendly blocks (one with all the Democrats and one with all the Republicans). Feel free to copy and paste the addresses into your email and contact all of them at once.

If SB600 doesn’t pass before the new General Assembly is seated in mid-January, then the whole process has to start all over again in the State Senate. Let’s not let that happen.

So far House Minority Leader Tom Cross has gotten his way. He and other GOP bosses have stonewalled SB600 for years. These power hungry Republicans don’t want you to have a voice in your own party. They don’t want accountability in the Illinois Republican Party and they certainly don’t want transparency….

Read the rest at Republican News Watch.


Carnival Shell Game with Illinois State Pensions

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

On November 4, 2010, all State Senators were called to Springfield ostensibly to vote on a $4B proposal to pay into state employee pension plans. The Democrat leadership had a political caucus off-site, but no vote was taken on the important fiscal matter, nor any other substantive issue.

Last year I believed Governor Quinn’s promise that he would spend approximately $3.5 Billion in borrowed funds wisely and, incredibly (for me), I voted “yes” to give him broad borrowing and spending authority. Unfortunately, that promise was broken and nearly all of that debt was used to pay for public employee pension deposits, while our schools languished and social service agencies were decimated.

Fool me once, shame on you – – fool me twice shame on me.

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Carnival Shell Game with Illinois State Pensions”


Chicago Mayoral Contest Begins: Gery Chico Calls for 10 Debates

-By Warner Todd Huston

Well, the field of contenders for Chicago’s mayoral election is taking shape. Hats in the ring currently were tossed by James Meeks, Danny Davis, Miguel del Valle, Carol Moseley Braun, and of course Rahm Emanuel.

Then there is former school board chief Gery Chico. Chico claims that over 50,000 voters signed his petition as he filed them on Monday morning. Chico says “the time to debate is now.”

Mayoral candidate Gery Chico called for at least 10 debates in the neighborhoods of Chicago on Monday, after filing his petition signatures at the Chicago Board of Elections. Chico filed 50,254 signatures and will unveil the first major proposal of the campaign this week.

“I am calling for all the candidates to commit to at least 10 debates in Chicago’s neighborhoods before the election,” Chico said. “The future of our city is at stake and Chicagoans deserve nothing short of a full and vigorous debate of the issues. Let’s debate ways to create more jobs, make our streets safer and fix education and let’s debate them now because Chicago needs a mayor who is ready on Day One.”

My guess is that Rahm will do his best to ignore all contenders and assume the mantle of clear winner. I’d also guess he will refuse all debates until very close to the end of the campaign.
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Chicago Mayoral Contest Begins: Gery Chico Calls for 10 Debates”


Senator Kirk Already on Track to Vote Against GOP Interests

-By Warner Todd Huston

I said it during the primary, Mark Kirk is a 45 percenter. His record in the House pretty much shows that he will only vote with Republicans 45 percent of the time if left to his druthers. True to my worst fears, Kirk seems to be right on track with my predictions. The man hasn’t even taken his seat yet and many are assuming he’ll support one of the Democrat’s favorite issues: the DISCLOSE Act.

The Hill is reporting that Kirk is coming under pressure by the left to vote “yes” on a watered down version of the DISCLOSE Act, ostensibly a campaign finance reform law. The Hill also correctly points out that Kirk has in the past been a proponent of changes in campaign finance rules even as he voted against the Democrat’s DISCLOSE Act in the run up to the election.
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Senator Kirk Already on Track to Vote Against GOP Interests”


Coalition of Chicago’s Blacks Chose Danny Davis for Mayor

-By Warner Todd Huston

After two months of backroom dealing and secret meetings Chicago’s African American community claims that it has chosen U.S. Representative Danny Davis as its black Democratic candidate for mayor of Chicago in 2011.

Davis beat out such luminaries as Alderman Walther Burnett, the Reverend James Meeks, and long-out-of-view Carol Moseley Braun.

Sources say that Moseley Braun lost because she has been out of the public eye for too long. But I’d guess she lost more because of all the fraud and thievery she’s been involved in over the years. She isn’t called Carol Mostly Fraud for nothing.
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Coalition of Chicago’s Blacks Chose Danny Davis for Mayor”


Interview With John Garrido, Aldermanic Candidate for the 45th Ward

From ChicagoElections2011.com

John Garrido is currently a police officer and he’s running for Alderman of the 45th Ward. The long term Alderman of that ward is Pat Levar. John Arena is also another candidate for that ward and he is part of a wide open field of seven challengers to vulnerable long term incumbent, Pat Levar. Other candidates include Anna Klocek, Don Blair, Bruno Belissimo, Jose Rivera and Greg Sedlacek.

Check out ChicagoElections2011.com for more election news.


Face it, GOP ‘Moderates’ Are Party Traitors

-By Warner Todd Huston

A party is a party. Sure, in politics there are internal fights, jealousies, and intrigues, but when the final push to election day is upon its members, a party supports the one carrying the party banner. They may be disgruntled because the man they supported didn’t win the primary, but they hold their tongue and pull the lever for the Party candidate. Many even about face and hit the hustings for the party guy even as they worked against that candidate in the primary.

Like I said. A party is a party. It’s how the game is played and Democrats play this game well.

They do it so well that when Markos Moulitsas of the far left website DailyKos attempted to destroy Connecticut’s long-serving Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman in 2006 it was big news. Further when Liberman then dumped his party affiliation and ran as an Independent — and won — it was something almost never before seen. Usually when the left and Democrats get past the primaries they rarely buck the party line and they all align dutifully behind the nominee.

Democrats know what a party is for. For the large part, all wings fold into place on election day. But Republicans cannot do this, it seems. And it’s mostly because their so-called “moderate” Republicans are party traitors.
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Face it, GOP ‘Moderates’ Are Party Traitors”


Nevada Union Illegally Coordinating with Reid Campaign for Votes

-By Warner Todd Huston

Elizabeth Crum has a great report over at National Review detailing a series of emails between the campaign staff of Senator Harry Reid and union members of Harrah’s casino in an effort to coerce workers to vote for Harry Reid.

Crum reveals emails between Reid’s office and the union folks telling them to force their members to get to the polls, setting up bus trips for that purpose, and even sending a spread sheet file identifying workers who had and had not voted and for whom they voted.

This is all clearly illegal.
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Nevada Union Illegally Coordinating with Reid Campaign for Votes”


Mental Health Facility Staffer Coerces Handicapped to Vote

-By Warner Todd Huston

In Crow Wing County, Minnesota voting for the mentally handicapped instead of allowing them to vote for themselves is apparently like “instructing a young child on how to stay between the lines when coloring.” At least that is what a staffer for a facility for the mentally handicapped was heard saying at an early voting poll place last Friday. The staffer was seen filling out ballots for people that hadn’t the slightest idea why they were in the polling place.

Brainerd resident Montgomery Jensen witnessed this absurdity as he participated in early voting himself on Friday and filed an affidavit with County officials about the incident.

Jensen said that he saw “a large group of mentally handicapped people were told whom to vote for by mental health staff members and that staff filled out the ballots themselves without the disabled voters close by.”
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Mental Health Facility Staffer Coerces Handicapped to Vote”


The Most Important Election in a Generation! GO VOTE TODAY!

-By Warner Todd Huston

The polls are now open all across this great land for what promises to be one of the most historic upsets in American electoral history. And you have a chance to be a part of it.

More than just a wild ride of a vote, though, this midterm election could serve as the last chance for conservatives to fully affect the direction that the United States of America is going.

If conservatives don’t win big and then proceed to press their advantage in the coming 2 years, it could mean the end of the U.S. as we know it and the permanent rise of the Euro States of America.

So, folks, you simply MUST vote GOP today.
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The Most Important Election in a Generation! GO VOTE TODAY!”


RNC Launches No More Frankens Website

-By Warner Todd Huston

There is little doubt that Al Franken’s namesake is a perfect analogy because he is certainly a Frankenstein of a Senator. When he barely won the Senate seat for the Democrats in Minnesota over incumbent Norm Coleman several years ago it was painfully obvious that major improprieties and problems marred that election. His win was cobbled together from various “dead” sources, if you will. As the RNC says, Franken’s election “serves as a glaring and painful reminder to voters that we can never take any election for granted.”

Today it certainly seems that we are on the precipice of a great Republican surge. Every poll, even those that favor Democrats, say that the GOP is poised to make great gains on the local, state and national level. But we cannot rest on our election day vote alone. As we’ve so often seen, GOP wins repeatedly turned to slight loses with post election day chicanery.

The Republican National Committee wants to keep all Republicans aware of this looming situation, too.
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RNC Launches No More Frankens Website”


October Surprise: Seal Endorses Robert Dold

From the Dold for Congress campaign (10th District)…

Winnetka, IL – Tenth District Congressional candidate Robert Dold launched a new upbeat ad today titled “Seals for Dold”. The 30-second spot features a talking seal that takes a humorous look at opponent Dan Seals. The ad highlights the fact that Seals still doesn’t live in the 10th District despite three bids for Congress, and that he supports destructive fiscal policies that will hurt the economy and hamper job growth.

The ad was created by Chicago-based agency, First Tuesday, which is also the maker of the catchy “Dold With A ‘D’” ad, a light-hearted play on Dold’s last name.


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October Surprise: Seal Endorses Robert Dold”


Desperate Illinois Democrats Dirty Trick: Funding Mailers for Third Party Candidate to Spite Kirk

-By Warner Todd Huston

You know that the Democrats are desperate when they pay thousands of their own campaign dollars in order to print and mail fliers touting the candidacy of another party’s Senate candidate! That’s what happened in downstate Illinois where the Democrat Party spent thousands of its own campaign money to print and mail fliers for Libertarian Senate candidate Mike Labno in order to stir conservatives against GOP Senate candidate Mark Kirk.

Rich Miller has scans of the flier HERE.

Now, it’s not a cut-and-dried case of misrepresentation exactly. After all, on the back of the flier they have clearly noted in a small notation that the ad was paid for by the Lake County Democrat Party. But nowhere else on the ad does it allude to the Democrats and the flier seems as if it is a legit Libertarian Party mailing. So call it mildly deceptive at best.

But it is clear that this is a Democrat dirty trick regardless. That the Democrat Party would fund a flier for a completely different party is telling. The Democrats know that Alexi is a horrible candidate and is behind in the polls. This is a desperate move to shave off some of Kirk’s votes.
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Desperate Illinois Democrats Dirty Trick: Funding Mailers for Third Party Candidate to Spite Kirk”


New GOP Video Ad: ‘Your Turn’

The RNC has a new video ad…

WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced a new web video reminding voters what is at stake on November 2nd. The video, titled “Your Turn,” can be viewed on YouTube.

“As next Tuesday’s elections fast approach, there is little doubt that our country is at crossroads. President Obama and Congressional Democrats have spent the past two years imposing their will on the American people, despite their overwhelming objections. After racking up mountains of crippling debt, ramming through job killing government takeovers, and doubling down on the same failed economic policies, the Democrat agenda has left America on the brink of becoming a second class nation. With our future uncertain, the American people can no longer be ignored. It is critical that we all do our part to turn out the vote on November 2nd in order to restore fiscally responsible, Republican leadership to the halls of government.” – RNC Chairman Michael Steele
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New GOP Video Ad: ‘Your Turn’”