Senate

Chicago - Conservatives - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

17th District Rep Race: GOP Dirty Tricks Edition

November 14, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Glenview resident Phil Collins is running for the 17th District’s State Rep seat (District Map) and he’s racked up some great endorsements so far for a first time run for office.

Collins has been endorsed by Tony Castrogiovanni, the vice chairman of the Cook Co. Republican Party; Eric Wallace, a co-chairman of the Cook Co. Republican Party; Ken Arnold, a former 3rd vice chairman of the Lake Co. Republican Central Committee and 8th Dist. congressional candidate in 2006 and ’08; Peter Karlovics, a former chairman of the Warren Township, Lake Co. Republican Party; Liz Eilers, the secretary of the Illinois Center Right Coalition and Central Illinois Field Director of Adam Andrzejewski for Governor; and the Chicago Minuteman Project.

An impressive list of endorsements for a first timer, for sure. But one name you’ll notice is missing in that list is that of incumbent State Rep Beth Coulson (R). Coulson announced that she is not running for reelection to her State Rep seat and will instead seek Mark Kirk’s Congressional seat since Kirk is abandoning that seat to run for the Senate. As she leaves her stint in the state legislature, Coulson made it known that she is supporting another candidate for the 17th, Hamilton Chang. And because Coulson is the incumbent, the state party under Pat Brady is backing her choice.

And so the dirty tricks begin.
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17th District Rep Race: GOP Dirty Tricks Edition”

Chicago - Congress - Conservatives - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - Senate - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Kirk Denies He’s Going Right With Palin Request

November 12, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mark Kirk is denying that he’s trying to angle rightward in the run up to the GOP primary next year with his recent reaching out to Governor Sarah Palin to secure her endorsement for his candidacy.

“I think I am who I am. I am a social moderate, fiscal conservative. But this is a big race and we are building a broad coalition and it will be, for a Republican candidacy, a center-right coalition, but for me, I haven’t changed my views.”

This is, of course, rather interesting. Kirk is reaching out to conservatives by courting one of their idols in Sarah Palin, yet is also claiming he hasn’t changed his views. It makes one wonder just why a conservative would want to vote for him if he isn’t even interested in paying lipservice to their causes?

In essence, Kirk is saying vote for me… and I’ll ignore all you stand for. After all Kirk’s record is more often center left than center right.
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Kirk Denies He’s Going Right With Palin Request”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - Health - House of Representatives - Illinois - President - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Some Comments from Illinois Candidates on Pelosi’s Bare Win on Healthcare

November 8, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Several Republicans and candidates here in Illinois have spoken out on the passage of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s version of Obamacare. Here are a few of them (in no particular order).

Republican State Chairman, Patrick Brady, warned Illinois Democrats that what they have wrought is “wrong for Illinois.”

Today is a disappointing day for Illinoisans as Nancy Pelosi, Melissa Bean, Debbie Halvorson and Bill Foster ignored the concerns of voters and rammed a trillion dollar 1,990 page government-run health care bill through Congress ignoring pledges of transparency and bi-partisanship. Illinois for generations will be forced to deal with the consequences of this legislation that increases health care costs, increases taxes on small businesses and the middle class, cuts Medicare and puts a Washington bureaucrat between you and your doctor.

Joe Walsh, candidate for the 8th Congressional District, took the occasion to accuse incumbent Democrat Bean of proving she is a left-winger.
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Some Comments from Illinois Candidates on Pelosi’s Bare Win on Healthcare”

Campaign Finance - Chicago - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Liberals - Republicans - Senate - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Dem. Senate Candidate Uses Palin Against Mark Kirk

November 7, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Democrat Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias is trying to use Mark Kirk’s approach of Sarah Palin for an endorsement against him. Giannoulias is attempting to use the Kirk/Palin incident as a fund raising tool.

A few days ago, we reported that Mark Kirk sent a letter to Governor Sarah Palin challenging her to support his candidacy for the GOP nomination for Barack Obama’s old Illinois Senate seat. It seems unlikely that Kirk will receive Palin’s endorsement, though. Being far, far too liberal Kirk is hardly Palin’s sort of Republican.

But Giannoulias thinks that even the slightest connection with Palin will drive his fundraising. The Democrat sent the following email to his supporters (bold in the original):
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Dem. Senate Candidate Uses Palin Against Mark Kirk”

Chicago - Congress - Conservatives - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Illinois - Senate - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Chgo Trib’s Bios of Ill. GOP Senate Candidates

November 7, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Chicago Tribune has put out a few short bios of the current candidates for Illinois Senate on the GOP side of the aisle. And I do mean short. They are more like just an announcement of the candidate’s campaign than a bio. They contain links to the candidates web resources, though. Nonetheless, here are the links:

John Arrington

Patrick Hughes

Mark Kirk

Tom Kuna

Don Lowery

Andy Martin

Ed Varga

Robert Zadek

Not yet covered is Kathleen Thomas‘ campaign.
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Chgo Trib’s Bios of Ill. GOP Senate Candidates”

Chicago - Congress - Conservatives - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - Republicans - Security/Safety - Senate - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Mark Kirk’s Yo Yo Campaign (Plus Did He Ask for Palin’s Support or Not?)

November 5, 2009 by

**Now with Updates**
-By Warner Todd Huston

Only a few months ago, Representative Mark Kirk voted for Cap and Tax… er, I mean Cap and Trade. Conservatives and Republicans in general lit into Kirk with a vengeance. Then he started running for the Senate and at a subsequent September 5 campaign stop he reversed himself and decided he wouldn’t support Cap and Trade.

Kirk is not a strong pro-life supporter, he is bad on the Second Amendment, Kirk is only middling on free trade, and he has drifted back and forth on sometimes support for Obama’s left-wing, big spending agenda in Washington.. though he is sometimes good on national defense. In all, Kirk is not quite as bad as N.Y. 23’s Dede Scozzafava, but he is no Illinois Dough Hoffman if you want a current analogy.

Now comes a November 4 report by the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza that Kirk sent a memo to Fred Malek attempting to get Governor Sarah Palin’s endorsement for his (Kirk’s) Senate run. Cillizza claims that this Kirk request shows Palin’s power and Kirk’s worries for his campaign.
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Mark Kirk’s Yo Yo Campaign (Plus Did He Ask for Palin’s Support or Not?)”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Chicago - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - GOP - Health - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - President - Republicans - Senate - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Supreme Court - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Pelosi Health Care Bill Raises Taxes $730 Billion

November 5, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

From the Mark Kirk Campaign:

On Thursday, I introduced the Medical Rights and Reform Act (H.R. 3970) – a centrist alternative for health care reform that lowers costs and expands coverage without raising taxes.

When Speaker Pelosi unveiled the final version of her government health care bill (H.R. 3962), she told us it cost less than $900 billion. Hours later, the Congressional Budget Office reported the bill would actually cost $1.05 trillion.

Take a look at the following list of tax increases we found inside Speaker Pelosi’s 1,990-page bill — nearly $730 billion in new taxes on individuals and small businesses.

Top Ten Tax Increases Included In H.R. 3962
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Pelosi Health Care Bill Raises Taxes $730 Billion”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Chicago - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - Health - Liberals - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Senator Dick “Turbin” Durbin’s Helathcare Poll

October 28, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Illinois’ senior Senator, Dick “Turbin” Durbin is sponsoring a poll on the so-called public option on his website this week.

Durbin, who made himself notorious for saying during the Bush years that our troops were just like Nazis, wants to know what you think about the “public option” socialistic government healthcare plans he and his pals in the left-wing, Euroized Senate want to force upon us all.

Ranking your feelings from “0” meaning no support, to “10” meaning greatest support, Durbin wants to know if you want a 50-State public option, an opt-out option, an opt-in option, a trigger plan, or no public option at all.

You can guess which one I chose (hint it’s the last one).

If you are an Illinois citizen, you need to go to this site and tell “Turbin” Durbin that you do NOT want any public option at all.

Congress - Cook County - Elections - GOP - Illinois - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Joe Walsh Becomes Official Candidate – Leaps to the Front in GOP Fundraising for 8th District Seat

October 19, 2009 by

A late entry into the race for the 8th Congressional District:

Lake Zurich, IL — The Joe Walsh for Congress Exploratory Committee is filing its paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission today. Joe Walsh is now an official candidate for the 8th District seat currently held by Melissa Bean and has begun raising the funds necessary to compete in the February Republican primary.

Mr. Walsh has spent the last few weeks meeting with voters, Republican Party officials, and conservative activists to assess the race. After an overwhelmingly positive response, Walsh formed an exploratory committee, launched a website (joewalshforcongress.com), evaluated campaign staff, and began collecting financial pledges for his potential run.
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Joe Walsh Becomes Official Candidate – Leaps to the Front in GOP Fundraising for 8th District Seat”

Budget - Conservatives - Cook County - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Steve Rauschenberger Makes it Official

October 3, 2009 by

-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”

Cook County - Elections - GOP - Republicans - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Da Coach, Mike Ditka Endorses Pat Hughes for Senate

October 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mike Ditka, famous for being the coach of the Chicago Bears, endorsed Senate candidate Patrick Hughes at a Hughes fundraiser at Ditka’s restaurant on Wednesday.

Speaking to a gathering of Hughes supporters at Ditka’s Restaurant last night, Da Coach said, “I pledge all my support to Patrick Hughes and I will help him in any way I can. Patrick Hughes stands for the same mainstream values that Mike Ditka stands for. Patrick Hughes knows who he is and what he believes. He knows that Washington is not the answer to all of our problems today.” […]

Hughes continued, “I said that my campaign would seek the support of grassroots Illinois residents, not the Washington lobbyists and politicians who my major challenger Mark Kirk has courted for endorsements and money. Mike Ditka represents the values of real grassroots voters of Illinois in the finest sense.”

Patrick Hughes is the assumed underdog facing Rep. Mark Kirk for the GOP nomination for the 2010 Senate race.

Check out Hughes on the net: Hughes for Senate
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Da Coach, Mike Ditka Endorses Pat Hughes for Senate”

Chicago - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - Society/Culture - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

GOP Head Steele Withdrawing Kirk Support?

September 24, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Tom Roeser recently wrote that National GOP Party Chairman Michael Steele is stepping back from his Kirk-only support now that Patrick Hughes’ campaign for U.S. Senate has started to make inroads into Kirk’s Illinois support base.

This is interesting news, if it turns out to be true. One of the things that has riled me, for one, is that the national party has swooped in to pick our candidate for us here in Illinois. I am all for the national party supporting our Illinois candidate for Senate but it would be a tad better if the party waited until we the actual voters of Illinois had the opportunity to chose our own candidate first.
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GOP Head Steele Withdrawing Kirk Support?”

Barack Obama - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Europe - Freedom - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - Military - President - Republicans - Security/Safety - Terrorism - Warner Todd Huston

Kirk Lambastes Obama Over Missile Shield Policy Change

September 18, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mark Kirk may not be on the right side of economics, abortion, the homosexual lobby, and a host of other issues, but he is 100% right on his position that President Obama is wrong with his decision to reverse course on the European missile shield.

On Thursday morning, after Obama’s announcement of the missile shield policy change Kirk came out swinging against the president saying that “History is not kind to leaders who sacrifice our Polish allies.” Kirk went on:

Illinois Republican Representative Mark Kirk called the president’s decision a blow to Poland and an encouragement to Iran.

“Iran, a state sponsor of terrorists, now makes the longest-range missile of the terrorist world,” said Mark Kirk. “The administration’s decision is particularly ironic because Poland just announced it would be sending more troops to serve alongside Americans in Afghanistan. America is going to let Poland down, sending a message of weakness to our Polish allies and the people building Iran’s new missile arsenal.”

Kirk is right on with this. Obama has bent over backwards to appease our enemies in Russia and has opened the door for the proto-Soviet Putin to begin to bully surrounding democratic states without fear of a weak Obama crossing him. Obama has abandoned our Eastern European allies with this horrible decision.

Sadly, it appears that every time a Democrat becomes president, no ally can be sure of American support afterward. Democrats simply can be trusted with neither our foreign policy nor our security.
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Kirk Lambastes Obama Over Missile Shield Policy Change”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Conservatives - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Energy - GOP - House of Representatives - Liberals - Republicans - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Kirk Suddenly a “No” on Cap and Tax?

September 16, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Rep. Mark Kirk (R, IL) has been getting hammered by conservatives and moderate Republicans alike for his “yes” vote on the Cap and Trade bill. But at a recent appearance Kirk suddenly said he now intends to vote against the disastrous bill.

The Obama administration admits that the Cap and Trade legislation will cost every American family and additional $1,761 a year and likely that is on the low side. Conservatives have slammed Kirk for supporting this economy killing carbon emissions capping legislation.

On the 5th at a suburban rally, Kirk announced his switcheroo amidst many loud boos and catcalls. “About cap and trade: I voted for it because it was in the narrow interests of my congressional district. But as your representative, representing the entire state of Illinois, I will vote ‘No’ on that bill coming up.”

Well, this sure seems like an opportunistic flip flop, doesn’t it? Now that he’s running for Senate he’s found that his cap and tax “yes” vote is proving to be an impediment to his campaign and suddenly he finds his principles again?

I guess Kirk should be congratulated for finally coming to his senses and actually representing his constituents’ desires, but the fact that he thought he could make a dash for the cash (he voted cap and tax because of donations by enviro-nazi groups) without bothering with principle or representing his constituents in the first place marks him as an opportunist of the worst sort.

Kirk’s reversal is at the three minute, ten second mark in the video:


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Kirk Suddenly a “No” on Cap and Tax?”

ACORN - Congress - Cook County - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Illinois - Liberals - Morals/Sex - Senate - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Ill. Senators Stand By Prostitution, Tax Cheat Hiding ACORN

September 15, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Democratic Illinois Senators Durbin and Burris both voted to stand behind ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) in a Senate vote to defund the criminal organization this week.

A measure placed in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate to defund the group over the latest round of bad publicity of this nefarious organization.

On top of the last decade of constant convictions for vote fraud all across the country, ACORN offices have been caught in a tri-city “sting” of sorts where ACORN employees were helping to cover up what they understood to be a mortgage fraud and prostitution business by helping fudge IRS forms to disguise the activities. These ACORN employees even thought they were helping to cover up sex trafficking in underage, illegal aliens.
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Ill. Senators Stand By Prostitution, Tax Cheat Hiding ACORN”

Children - Congress - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Elections - Gays - GOP - Liberals - Republicans - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Mark Kirk Aiding Pro-Homosexual Lobby?

September 14, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Laurie Higgins recently found another disturbing vote cast by Representative and Senate Candidate Mark Kirk (R, IL) revealing again his penchant of voting left of center all too often. This time he’s co-sponsoring a bill that will aid the homosexual lobby gain more influence in our schools.

Higgins reveals that Kirk is looking to vote “yes” on H.R. 2262, The Safe Schools Improvement Act — a so-called anti-bullying act. What could be wrong with being anti-bullying?
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Mark Kirk Aiding Pro-Homosexual Lobby?”

Anti-Americanism - Chicago - Congress - Conservatives - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Illinois - Republicans - Senate - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Biver Says Hughes Over Kirk for U.S. Senate

September 8, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Biver seems to have come out endorsing GOP Senate candidate Patrick Hughes over Mark Kirk today. Biver is the editor of ChampionNews.net, a conservative organization out of Cook County. (Hughes’ campaign website.)

Biver says that Hughes is “the best chance conservatives have in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate,” and that he came away impressed after meeting the candidate in person.

He’s a platform-supporting Republican, and just as important, he gives every indication that he understands what ails the Illinois and Washington, D.C. Republican political system. His chief opponent, Mark Kirk, exemplifies everything that’s wrong with our Party here in Illinois and in our nation’s capital.

Biver warns that as we approach the peak campaigning days, the several candidates had better take some time to assess their chances and decide what is best for the party as opposed to what strokes their egos.
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Biver Says Hughes Over Kirk for U.S. Senate”

Chicago - Congress - Elections - GOP - Illinois - Republicans - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

One More For Kirk’s House Seat

September 6, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Robert Dold (Dold’s campaign website) has announced his entrant into the race for the 10th District House seat that Mark Kirk is abandoning for his run for the U.S. Senate.

Dold told CQPolicts.com that he’s running for Congress because…

“we’re seeing a tremendous amount of spending that I believe is going in the wrong direction. I think that the government is kind of overreaching at this stage of the game.”

“Unless we make some changes in Washington very quickly, we are going to bankrupt future generations,” Dold said. Dold said that Congress should be run more like small businesses, which he said are the nation’s “economic backbone” and create two-thirds of all jobs. He supports a “moratorium or cutting back on the payroll tax” as the “quickest way to infuse dollars into the system.”

Dold calls himself a fiscal conservative but says he’s a social moderate. Looking over his website and other information, it seems that fiscal issues are to be the focal point of his campaign.

Dold joins three others seeking the GOP nomination for Kirk’s old House seat:

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One More For Kirk’s House Seat”

Congress - Elections - Free Trade - Illinois - Senate - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Anti-Mark Kirk Efforts Begin

September 5, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Republicans United Against Mark Kirk for US Senate, a blog to chronicle Representative Mark Kirk’s record by folks not very happy with his record has been set up to argue against his candidacy.

According to the opening main statement, the blog is set up to reveal Kirk’s “departure from the GOP’s state and national platforms.”

This blog is a response to US Rep. Mark Kirk’s bid for the US Senate seat from Illinois. It will reveal Mark Kirk’s voting record as a member of the US House of Reps. and address Kirk’s departure from the GOP’s state and national platforms. This site will provide a venue for Illinois voters to express their opinions on not only Kirk, but others who will be on the GOP’s primary ballot in 2010. Read letters to the editor, articles and commentaries regarding Kirk’s position on the issues.

Kirk’s Cap and Trade vote really set off a firestorm of anti-Kirk sentiment out there, it seems.
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Anti-Mark Kirk Efforts Begin”

00Publius Contributor - Anti-Americanism - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - Military - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Dem Candidate Refuses to Remove Name of Fallen Soldier from Campaign Website

October 30, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A Democrat candidate for the Senate in Oklahoma has thus far refused to remove from his campaign website the name of a fallen U.S. soldier despite the fact that the soldier’s Mother and family have repeatedly asked that Rice remove their son’s name.

Candidate Andrew Rice hosts on his site advertising for his campaign a page that lists a number of soldiers from Oklahoma that have died in service to our country. On that page appears the name of Spec. Micheal E. Phillips of Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Jenn Sierra of Green Country Values alerted me to the fact that Specialist Phillips’ family has repeatedly asked Democrat candidate Rice to remove their son’s name from his site, but so far he refuses to do so.

Continue reading “Dem Candidate Refuses to Remove Name of Fallen Soldier from Campaign Website”