Romney, Newt, Bachtorum, Ron Puntsman: Who Cares?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Like nearly every conservative in America today I am unimpressed by the current crop of GOP nominees for president and feel they all have major flaws — especially the two frontrunners Newt and Romney, both of whom have major deficits as far as staunch conservatives are concerned. But at this point I’ve come to realize that I don’t think I care which one of them is nominated. In fact, I think the White House is not where we should be focusing our intensity in 2012.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we shouldn’t vote for whichever GOP nominee wins the game show plaudits. We should absolutely pick one of them and then we all, conservatives and Republicans alike, should vote for him (or her).

So, what am I saying? I am saying that the White House is less important than people are saying it is. Instead, we need a two-point focus for 2012 that doesn’t include the White House. We don’t need 999 points. Just two. 1). Gaining control of Congress and 2). turning Obama out. The identity and purity of our presidential nominee is the last thing we should be worried about at this point. It is a bit late for that anyway.

Let me assure you that I don’t have a favorite in this GOP race. And I have three real dislikes: Romney, Huntsman, and Ron Paul. This article is no stealth shilling for any particular candidate. I really do have big problems with all of them. But, again, I don’t think it matters which of them we pick if we focus on the two points I note above.

First of all, any of the GOP candidates (yes even the cranky uncle of the GOP, Ron Paul) would be better than Obama. But that goes without saying because I am a conservative that votes Republican. No surprise there, really.

But there are reasons besides blind partisanship that any of the GOP nominees is better than Obama. In fact, it can really be boiled down to but one issue that makes getting rid of Obama imperative: the courts. He has been thoroughly destructive to this country with his judicial picks.
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Romney, Newt, Bachtorum, Ron Puntsman: Who Cares?”


Illinois Values Voters Forum: Rep. Joe Walsh, State Rep. Morrison, More

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Saturday morning, Dec. 3, I attended an event put on in Carpentersville, Illinois by Allen Skillcorn. The Illinois Value Voters Forum was billed as a forum on social issues, but it was also a great opportunity to have a nice friendly chat with several Illinois politicians on a variety of issues, not just those “values” issues we generally associate with social conservatism.

Results of Straw Poll Below the Fold


The Panel

Panelists included 8th District Congressman Joe Walsh, 54th District State Representative Tom Morrison, former State Rep Penny Pullen (currently of the Life Advocacy Research Project), and Bruno Behrend who was on hand to represent Adam Andrzejewski’s Open The Books Portal Project, a website where you can learn how much your public officials are making off the taxpayers. Along with the panel above, quite a few local officials and candidates in the hunt for the GOP nomination in their district also came out to meet and greet attendees.


Allen Skillcorn introducing Rep. Joe Walsh

Rep. Joe Walsh and Bruno Behrend

The first question posed by moderator Skillcorn was “when does life begin,” a common enough question for the values crowd. Ever the rebel, Congressman Walsh went on a ten-minute discussion on why we need to change Congress to GOP control and why we need to send “the right kind of Republicans” to Washington. But, after the stump speech, he did answer the question: “at conception,” of course.

The rest of the panel generally agreed with that, but I’d like to dwell a bit on Walsh’s stump speech. He reminded us of the fiscal disaster that this nation faces and he said that we should not forget that “the Republican Party helped us get here and we have to say that forcefully and respectfully.”

But Walsh saw a “revolution” stirring with the Tea Party and the 2010 midterm vote, one that has “only just started.”
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Illinois Values Voters Forum: Rep. Joe Walsh, State Rep. Morrison, More”


Direct Phone Numbers to Your U.S. Senators

-By Warner Todd Huston

Just a little resource I found on the web.If you’d like to know the direct phone number to your Senator, look for your state below and call away.

Alabama

  • Sen. Richard Shelby (R) (202) 224-5744; 224-3416
  • Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) (202) 224-4124; 224-3149

Alaska

  • Sen. Mark Begich (D) (202) 224-3004; 224-2354
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) (202) 224-6665; 224-5301

Arizona

  • Sen. Jon Kyl (R) (202) 224-4521; 224-2207
  • Sen. John McCain (R) (202) 224-2235; 228-2862

Arkansas

  • Sen. John Boozman (R) (202) 224-4843; 228-1371
  • Sen. Mark Pryor (D) (202) 224-2353; 228-0908

California

  • Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) (202) 224-3553; (202)228-2382
  • Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) (202) 224-3841; 228-3954

Colorado

  • Sen. Mark Udall (D) (202) 224-5941; 224-6471
  • Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D) (202) 224-5852; 228-5036

Connecticut

  • Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) (202) 224-2823; 224-1083
  • Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) (202) 224-4041; 224-9750

Delaware


Kirk/Kinzinger Highlight Dec. 3rd Deadline to Mail Holiday Packages to Troops Overseas

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

USPS Deadline: December 3rd

CHICAGO – With the holidays upon us, U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.-11) today joined with student veterans at DePaul University to highlight the fast approaching U.S. Postal Service mailing deadline to send care packages to U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East.

“This is the season of giving, and we must not forget the brave service members who sacrifice so much for our freedom” Sen. Kirk said. “Every American should make a conscious effort to support them in anyway possible.”

“Having served a few tours overseas, getting something in the mail from home – whether it was a letter or package – always reminded me that my family and friends back in the States were thinking of me,” Rep. Kinzinger said. “Our courageous men and women forgo spending the holidays with their loved ones to answer the call of duty and put their life at risk for the sake of all Americans. We must be especially mindful to show our gratitude for their sacrifice during the holiday season. Their fortitude is the reason for our liberty.”

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Kirk/Kinzinger Highlight Dec. 3rd Deadline to Mail Holiday Packages to Troops Overseas”


Mitt Romney Stealth Promotion of Gay ‘Rights’ And Gay Marriage in Mass.

Friend to the blog John Biver sends along an interesting press release about a new book about Mitt Romney’s “stealth promotion” of Gay “rights” and gay marriage when he was Governor of Massachusetts.

+++++

Just released: Amy Contrada’s blockbuster book on Mitt Romney’s stealth promotion of the homosexual agenda in Massachusetts.

MassResistance pro-family activist Amy Contrada has just released her definitive study of Mitt Romney’s role in implementing ‘gay marriage,’ promoting GLBT ‘rights,’ and supporting the sexual-radical agenda in the Massachusetts schools while Governor.

Titled, “Mitt Romney’s Deception: His Stealth Promotion of ‘Gay Rights’ and ‘Gay Marriage’ in Massachusetts,” it is a fascinating and thorough record of the sexual-radical activism that took place during that time, whether for same-sex ‘marriage’ or school programs promoting GLBT ‘rights.’ It contains a lot of information never published before.

The book is a rare combination of political history and analysis, enlivened by uncompromising commentary from a front-line activist. Contrada documents how Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney actively supported the homosexual and transgender agenda on same-sex ‘marriage,’ sexual-radical indoctrination in the schools, and societal transformation – while posing as a defender of the Constitution and traditional family values.
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Mitt Romney Stealth Promotion of Gay ‘Rights’ And Gay Marriage in Mass.”


Black Republican’s Campaign Sign Defaced With ‘KKK,’ Media Yawns

-By Warner Todd Huston

William “Bill” Randall is running for Congress out of the North Carolina 13th. Randall, an African American, experienced what must be called a hate crime in the left’s vernacular. His campaign sign had racist graffiti spray painted on it including the letters “KKK.”

Now, usually this is the sort of story that the Old Media goes wild over. It is prof that racism is alive in America, as far as they are concerned. It is proof that Tea Partiers, and conservative whites are eeeevil. This is usually the kind of story that would go national. Yet the media has delivered a collective yawn to the defacement of Randall’s sign.

Why? Because Bill Randall is not the liberal candidate in his election. He is the conservative Republican!
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Black Republican’s Campaign Sign Defaced With ‘KKK,’ Media Yawns”


Romney Shoves RoBamneyCare in Our Faces, Slickly Hiding Behind the 10th Amendment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Romneycare was “the right thing,” proclaimed Mitt “the flip flopper” Romney on a recent Fox News interview with Neil Cavuto. Wouldn’t you know it, the only thing conservatives want him to flip flop on he refuses to do so.

I guess we can’t expect Romney to own up that Romneycare is a disaster for Massachusetts and that it was a major mistake, one that makes him look exactly live Obama any time soon. He’s steadfastly refused to say that Romneycare was a mistake in the past and today he’s doubled down on that insistence…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


ENOUGH of GOP ‘Debates’ Where Mediots Show Us How Tough They Are

-By Warner Todd Huston

In the upcoming Republican primary I am not voting for Brian Williams, Brett Baier, Scott Pelly, Wolf Blitzer or any other member of the Old Media. I am trying to figure out which Republican nominee for president I might want to support. So why has every so-called debate featured mediots trying to prove to their mediots pals how tough they can be on Republican candidates instead of the Republican candidates actually debating each other?

Lately every one has been harkening back to those Lincoln-Douglass-styled debates of yesteryear and there is a reason that the famous debates between GOP Senate candidate Abe Lincoln and incumbent Democrat Stephen Douglass held over 150 years ago come so easily to mind. It’s because we aren’t getting that these days!

What we are getting instead are media personalities trying to make reputations for themselves instead of debates that tell us what the GOP candidates know, if they can articulate it, and if they can defend same.

I wish the candidates would stop going to these worthless excuses for debates forthwith. We need real debates and that means substance. The candidates should stop worrying that they might look “afraid” to debate and demand some format changes for any future outings before they show up again.
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ENOUGH of GOP ‘Debates’ Where Mediots Show Us How Tough They Are”


We Must Put an End to Medicare Fraud

From the office of Rep. Peter Roskam (R, Illinois 6th District)…

America’s elderly are victims of a crime spree so expansive that on an annual basis exceeds the value of all the cocaine smuggled in to North America. The crime is Medicare fraud, and it is conservatively considered to be a $50 billion industry.
While the federal government intercepts almost 40% of cocaine shipments to the United States, it stands virtually idle in apprehending Medicare fraudsters, recovering just $2.5 billion in fraudulent transactions and improper payments in 2009. Originating disproportionately from the Miami area, according to the FBI in September, “South Florida remains ground zero for healthcare fraud.” The unfortunate reality is that Medicare not only needs significant fiscal reforms to be around for future generations – like through the House Republican Budget: The Path to Prosperity – but its mechanics are also in dire need of substantive reform.

Fortunately, the solution to this crime problem is not to create another “taskforce” or “war on” anything; in part it takes adapting the proven fraud prevention mechanisms of the credit card industry – an industry suffering just .044 percent fraud out of $17 trillion in annual transactions.

This is not a failure of our law enforcement community. It is the product of Medicare’s broken “pay-and-chase” system for reimbursing claims. Medicare does not effectively guard against fraud on the front end — cutting checks without thorough fraud-check measures – so law enforcement officials must pursue fraudulent claims after reimbursement. It is the equivalent of a retail store processing a customer’s credit card approval long after the clothes have left the store. It’s nonsensical.
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We Must Put an End to Medicare Fraud”


Video: Walsh Gets a Bit Testy With Constituent

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Internet tubuals have been heating up with a video showing 8th District Republican Congressman Joe Walsh getting — shall we say — a bit testy with a constituent at a recent townhall.

The townhall was held in North Suburban Gurnee at Uno Bar and Grill and Walsh was being grilled about a lack of banking regulations by at least one voter.

Walsh was having none of it, as you saw. He’s exactly right about his point, too. It was Congress that was the problem, not any lack of banking regulations. I stand with Joe on the idea of getting government out of the economy not, as the voters on the video was trying to urge, get government more involved in the economy.

However, I feel Joe’s comportment was over the top and inappropriate. I support his passion on that issue, but he was simply too harsh in reply.
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Video: Walsh Gets a Bit Testy With Constituent”


One Chance That a President Mitt Romney Wouldn’t Be So Bad

-By Warner Todd Huston

I cannot support Mitt Romney in this coming GOP primary. The one reason why can be summed up simply as this: he flip flops. Romney has more flip flops than a California beachfront. Mitt has been proven a man without anchor adrift in a sea of issues that push him and pull him with the tides. Even worse, maybe, is that he jumps from one ship to the other on those political tides with the sole purpose of scoring a political win. So, how could I say that such a rudderless sailor could be an OK president?

Well, there is one way that a shiftless Mitt Romney might be good for both the country and the conservative cause but it certainly isn’t because he cares at all about conservative issues. It isn’t that he’ll champion them himself, either. But think about this. What does an unmoored boat do but drift with the tide? This is where, if played correctly, Romney could actually work for conservatives.

In fact, a President Romney could be good for Congress no matter which side of the political divide is in control. And control is the word, too.

For far too long Congress has been slowly giving away its Constitutional powers to legislate. Through sloth and selfish re-election needs Congressmen have been allowing the courts to take an unconstitutional role in determining our legislation as well as standing aside as one president after another grabs power unto the executive branch that he wasn’t supposed to have — the latter of which both left and right have complained about for decades.
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One Chance That a President Mitt Romney Wouldn’t Be So Bad”


Michael Gerson’s Is The Weakest Case For Romney I’ve Yet Seen

-By Warner Todd Huston

Michael Gerson tried desperately to pen an op ed that explains why conservatives could be comfortable with a Mitt Romney for President. Unfortunately, it makes Mitt even less savory to principled conservatives. Worse, Gerson makes a few assumptions with his argument that doesn’t make even a tiny bit of logical sense no matter to who they are applied.

Gerson calls his Washington Post piece, “The conservative case for Mitt Romney,” and at least acknowledges that Romney’s main political vulnerability “is a serious one.” And that serious one is flip flopping– even though Gerson does not give it its proper name.

Romney’s main political vulnerability is a serious one. Running for Massachusetts’ governor in 2002, he was a pro-choice, economically centrist, culturally liberal, business-oriented Republican. Running for president in 2008, he was a thoroughly pro-life, orthodox supply-side, culturally conservative, Fox News Republican. Romney’s shape-shifting 2008 campaign only reinforced the impression of a consultant-driven candidate.

Calling Romney merely a “consultant-drive candidate” is far, far too kind. The truth is Romney is a man that has no principle from which he won’t run full tilt while hunting a campaign victory….

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Weekly Republican Address 10/29/11: Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-IL)

Rep. Bobby Schilling delivers this week’s address on House Republicans’ Plan for America’s Job Creators. We know that government must get out of the way of small businesses to let do their job. That’s why we’ve passed bill after bill to reduce burdensome regulations and grow our economy–but the Democratic-controlled Senate refuses to acknowledge them. We can do more, and we can’t wait for the Senate and the President to work with us. Visit http://jobs.gop.gov to see our plan, and see the bills stuck in the Senate at http://majorityleader.gov/jobstracker.


Saving the American Idea: Rejecting Fear, Envy and the Politics of Division

This week, Representative Paul Ryan (R, Wisc.) made an important speech at the Heritage Foundation.

Full Text

Thank you so much, Ed, for that kind introduction.

We’re here today to explore the American Idea, and I can’t think of a better venue for this topic. The mission of the Heritage Foundation is to promote the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

These are the principles that define the American Idea. And this mission has never been timelier, because these principles are very much under threat from policies here in Washington.
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Saving the American Idea: Rejecting Fear, Envy and the Politics of Division”


Is Rep. Walsh Supporter’s Facebook Page ‘Cyber Bullying’ of Rep. Hultgren?

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of the Daily Herald’s bloggers is wondering if the attack page against Congressman Randy Hultgren put on Facebook by a Rep. Walsh supporter qualifies as “cyberbullying.” It is an absurd charge, but the page in question is an interesting page of which to take note.

For those unaware, because of Democrat’s having redisticted Illinois and because the state lost a congressman because we lost residents in the last census, Rep. Joe Walsh (currently elected to the 8th District) announced that he will run against Rep. Randy Hultgren (currently of the 14th District). Instead or running again in the newly reconfigured 8th District, Walsh is challenging Hultgren in the 14th District.

Walsh feels he has to do this because his District was turned from a moderately GOp District to a leans Democrat District and because a lot of his constituents were switched over to the 14th district. This out come, where it is Republican against Republican, is precisely what the Democrats wanted. And boy are they getting it.
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Is Rep. Walsh Supporter’s Facebook Page ‘Cyber Bullying’ of Rep. Hultgren?”


Herman Cain Ad Features Man Smoking? HOW DARE HE!

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mark Block is Herman Cain’s chief of staff for the insurgent campaign for president that has surprised everyone with its success. Block is featured in a new Cain campaign ad at the tail end of which he is seen cooly taking a drag off his cigarette. This has caused campaign watchers to go ape.

First, take a look at the ad:

Many people on Twitter and the blogs are losing their minds that Cain features a guy smoking in his campaign ad. Why, Cain had cancer, they tsk. He should be ashamed of himself for having a guy smoking in his ad.

But I say, GET OVER IT. People smoke. It’s a common fact of life.

Once again, Herman Cain appears to be the only normal guy in this race, the only one unconcerned over focus group tittering.
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Herman Cain Ad Features Man Smoking? HOW DARE HE!”


Media Tries to Make Rick Perry a Birther

-By Warner Todd Huston

The left-wing media’s newest attack on Rick Perry is an attempt to make him into a “birther” — one of those folks that think Barack Obama is not a natural born American, a requirement to become our president. This new attack, though, is almost Clintonian in its careful avoidance of the truth.

The main attack started in a Parade interview featuring Texas Governor Rick Perry, but is being taken up as the cause célèbre by the left-wing, George Soros-funded attack dogs at Media Matters, Think Progress, and TPM as well as sites like Mediaite. But this “story is, as they say, all smoke and no fire.

In the interview Parade directly asked whether Perry thought Obama was born in the United States. Perry’s actual answers were, “I have no reason to think otherwise,” and “It doesn’t matter. He’s the President of the United States. He’s elected. It’s a distractive issue.”
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Media Tries to Make Rick Perry a Birther”


Arie Friedman Comments on Disappointing Illinois Jobs Report

From the Friedman for State Senate campaign…

“Illinois continues to lead the nation in jobs lost since Springfield Democrats raised the state income tax in January,” Dr. Arie Friedman, said Friday, commenting on the latest statistics released by the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Friedman is seeking the Republican nomination for the State Senate in the 29th District, which extends through southeast Lake County and takes in parts of Northfield and Wheeling Townships and a small section of Palatine in Cook County. The district’s senator, Susan Garrett, announced her retirement this summer.

“From the time those tax hikes on families and employers passed in January,” Friedman said, “Illinois’s employment picture has demonstrated shocking weakness. We led the nation with 24,900 job losses in the month of July and continue to lead in the overall number of jobs lost this year. Illinois has lost 92,785 jobs during the first nine months of 2011,” he noted.
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Arie Friedman Comments on Disappointing Illinois Jobs Report”


Grabowski Announces for Ill. 3rd Congressional District

Richard Grabowski has announced that he will seek to unseat Dan Lipinski in the Third Congressional District in 2012.

Grabinski, from Hometown, Illinois a south suburb of Chicago, is a first time candidate. He says he’s from the “real world working class” and works as a Materials Supervisor at a suburban manufacturing company.

His campaign website says that Grabowski, “cares deeply about the uncertain path our state and federal government leaders have chosen to lead us down. He’s stepping up to the plate for our state, our southland communities and our 3rd congressional district at a time when we are in dire need of good, uncorrupted leadership in Washington DC and here in Illinois.”
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Grabowski Announces for Ill. 3rd Congressional District”


Rep. Paul Ryan To Headline Roskam Fundraiser

-By Warner Todd Huston

Representative Paul Ryan (R, Wis) will be headlining a fundraising event next week for Peter Roskam’s re-election campaign. Ryan is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Rep. Ryan is best known for his A Roadmap for America’s Future, a budget proposal favored by many Republicans and conservatives. Ryan has become something of a rock star among conservatives.

Roskam is the Representative of the Sixth Illinois District and is running for reelection. No challenger has announced an effort to face him.

Only in his third term, Roskam rose quickly in the ranks of the GOP and is now the third in line of the House GOP leadership serving as the Chief Deputy Whip.

Tickets for the Oct. 29 cocktail reception and private dinner at Naperville’s Hotel Arista range from $100 (reception) to $2,500 (reception, dinner, photo with the congressmen and “preferential seating”) a piece.

For more information see Roskam’s campaign website: http://www.roskamforcongress.com/.
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Rep. Paul Ryan To Headline Roskam Fundraiser”


Hultgren Statement on September Illinois Jobs Report

From the office of Rep. Randy Hultgren (R, Illinois 14th District)…

Geneva, IL – U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today released the following statement regarding the September unemployment report released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

“Today’s report that unemployment has increased to 10 percent is a clear sign that the state’s private sector has lost faith in the tax-and-spend policies espoused by leaders in both Washington, DC, and Springfield,” said Hultgren. “At the state level, I encourage leaders to work quickly to address the ever-growing pension crisis, the budget deficit, and late payments to state contractors.

“In Washington, I urge Harry Reid and the Senate to pass their first budget in more than 900 days and for them to act on the more than a dozen pro-growth, pro-job bills that have been passed by the House. We must restore the confidence of the private sector so small businesses will begin to grow and hire once again. ”

http://hultgren.house.gov/


Assassination Threat Against Illinois Congressman?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Why would anyone want to kill 17th District, Illinois Congressman Bobby Schilling? The shocking threat against Schilling’s life was revealed this week as the FBI has been called in to investigate.

The Hill reports that Schilling received an email threat that featured an offer of $75,000 reward for his assassination.

The email threat against Schilling states, “I will pay $75,000 for ASSASSINATING Illinois Congresswoman (sic) Bobby Schilling and any US Congressman, US Senator and FBI, CIA and NSA DIRECTORS and their FAMILY MEMBERS regardless of their age,” according to local news reports.

Schilling is the father of ten children and owns a successful pizza business in Moline, Illinois. This is his first term in office.
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Assassination Threat Against Illinois Congressman?”


Politico Tries to Smear Herman Cain With Bad Pizza

-By Warner Todd Huston

Politico unleashed an incredibly misleading smear job on Herman Cain this week by attacking “his” Godfather’s Pizza in a faux taste test in both written and video form. The idea was to see if Herman’s pizza was a good product. Naturally the taste testers hated the pizza. But is Godfather’s Pizza really Herman’s pizza? Of course not.

Politico assembled a taste-testing panel made up of a Democrat operative, a Republican operative, and a food blogger. Three pizzas were presented in a blind tasting and the result was that the Godfather’s pizza was deemed the worst of the bunch.

But was this a straight forward, unbiased test? Hardly.
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Politico Tries to Smear Herman Cain With Bad Pizza”


Dold Announces the Creation of an Economic Innovation Zone at Naval Station Great Lakes and Lovell Center

From the office of Rep. Robert Dold (Ill., 10th District)…

NORTH CHICAGO, IL – Today, U.S. Congressman Robert J. Dold (IL-10), Lake County Board Chairman David Stolman, members of Lake County Partners and Naval Station Great Lakes, announced a new project at Naval Station Great Lakes and Lovell Center that would create an innovation zone designed to address the high unemployment throughout the region.

“I am pleased to announce today that with the help of Lake County Partners, North Chicago will be at the center of an economic innovation zone,” said Dold. “This will help to address the high unemployment throughout the local community and be a resource in which local officials, businesses, and community leaders can come together and implement an effective strategy to bring jobs to North Chicago residents.”

Rep. Dold is a third-generation resident of the 10th District of Illinois. As a small business owner, he has faced many of the challenges confronting business leaders today and is using that firsthand experience in Washington to help find ways to create more jobs and strengthen the economy. For more information on his work in Congress, visit: http://dold.house.gov/


Herman Cain Leading in Palatine Straw Poll

-By Warner Todd Huston

A gathering of Tea Partiers in Palatine, Illinois held a straw poll of 38 attendees and Herman Cain came out on top. The group met to watch Tuesday’s GOP debate.

38 Republican primary voters attended a “viewing party” in Palatine, IL on Oct. 18, 2011 for the Republican presidential candidate debate in Las Vegas on CNN. Compare these results to the straw poll for a very similar group last week after the debate in New Hampshire. Herman Cain expanded his lead with this group. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich remain close to each other, and Michele Bachmann picked up some support. Rick Perry continued to decline.

This poll of a small group of Tea Partiers may seem sort of meaningless. Maybe on its face it is but this poll seems to reflect what Tea Partiers and conservatives are feeling throughout the movement, so this is a pretty good snapshot of where we stand today.
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Herman Cain Leading in Palatine Straw Poll”


Hultgren Out-Raises Walsh in 3rd Quarter, Receives Major Endorsement

From the office of Rep. Randy Hultgren (R, Illinois 14th District)…

Geneva, IL – U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today announced that he out-raised U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (IL-8) during the 3rd quarter fundraising period and that he has received the endorsement of a local
Pro-Life group.

“Joe Walsh’s support is clearly eroding as marked by his worst fundraising quarter of the year,” said Andrew Flach, campaign spokesperson. “It’s also no coincidence that we were able to out-raise Mr. Walsh in the same quarter that he announced his intentions to run against Congressman Hultgren.”

According to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission, Hultgren reported raising $186,945 during the months of July, August, and September, compared to only $156,099 for Walsh.

Also over the weekend, Hultgren was endorsed over Walsh by The Right to Life McHenry County Pro-Life Victory PAC. In a press release issued on Friday, the group stated, “Randy Hultgren should not have to face opposition in the primary from U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh. We continue in our efforts to encourage Joe to run as the pro-life candidate in the 8th Congressional District.”

“We are very proud and honored to receive the endorsement of The Right to Life McHenry County Pro-Life Victory PAC,” said Flach. “Congressman Hultgren has been and will continue to be a leader and a tireless fighter for the sanctity of human life.”

http://hultgren.house.gov/


Citing Elmhurst Dillard Calls for Pressure on ComEd

From the office of Ill. State Senator Kirk Dillard (24th District)…

In a Friday, October 14, 2011 interview on WLS radio’s Don Wade and Roma Show, Illinois State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) outlined his concerns about the SmartGrid legislation being pushed by Commonwealth Edison.

Voicing concerns relayed to him by local citizens and elected officials, Dillard said on the radio station that the SmartGrid legislation needs improvement. “The status quo is not enough,” Dillard said. “Cities like Elmhurst, which is right in my area, have had severe power outages. We need reliability. We’ve got to do something and we need to look at our electrical grid. In some places it’s old and decaying, so the status quo is not acceptable.”

In response to a question about how Quinn thinks raising electric rates are bad for businesses but thinks a 66% increase in income tax is okay, Dillard said, “I don’t believe in guaranteed rate increases [for utilities] by the Commerce Commission.”

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Citing Elmhurst Dillard Calls for Pressure on ComEd”


GOP to Illinois State Leaders: There Will Be No Federal Pension Bailout‏

This morning, Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (IL-06), 8 House GOP Committee Chairs, and the entire Illinois GOP Delegation sent a letter to Illinois’ legislative leaders and Gov. Quinn in advance of next week’s Veto Session. Gov. Quinn wrote in his FY 2012 Budget earlier this year that his Administration was considering “seeking a federal guarantee of the debt” for Illinois’ $85 billion unfunded pension liability.

They write, “we urge you to seize the opportunity to appropriately reform the State’s public pension systems to address their massive unfunded liabilities,” but “we can say with clarity: there will be no legislative bailouts from the U.S. House of Representatives.”

Roskam was joined by the Illinois GOP congressional delegation and Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, Education & Workforce Chairman John Kline, Energy & Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, Financial Services Chairman Spencer Bachus, Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa and Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp.
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GOP to Illinois State Leaders: There Will Be No Federal Pension Bailout‏”