During the Peraica v. Stroger race for County Board President, one of the key goals was to gain "earned" media. This refers to press releases or press conferences designed to be covered in the main stream media because the content was qualified as newsworthy by the press. The main stream media can carry a message a great distance and be very impactful with no expense to the candidate.

Timing is critical. If it is a slow news day, the press will eat it up. If a major event occurs, the media event will either be buried at the back of the newspaper or not even be covered.

Steve Boulton and I were asked to run the northside of Chicago operations for the Peraica Campaign. Dan Proft was Peraica's campaign manager.

I decided to drive by Stroger HQ one day to see if I could gather any useful information. I wasn't looking for anything particular, but thought I would keep my eyes open and report back any activity.

In front of the Stroger HQ, was a white van with a big Stroger campaign signed taped to the side. Stroger only had a couple guys putting up signs for him. His guys put up signs all over the public property on the southside. This is standard practice for Chicago Democrats.



I wanted to know how the Chicago Democrats put up all the signs on the southside, so I parked and intended to peak in the back windows. One of Stroger's guys came out with a hand dolly and needed to get in the back of the truck. He motioned to let me pass, but I declined hoping to catch a glimpse of what was in the back of the truck.



I stood behind him and hoped he would open the doors so I wouldn't have to pull a peak through the window routine. Without thinking, the Stroger guy opened the back doors. They had just finished placing signs, it was mostly empty, except for a bunch of stolen Peraica signs.



I immediately took out my camera and started taking pictures, much to the frustration of the Stroger guy. He started to tell me to stop taking pictures, I replied "fine," turned and walked back to my car. One picture was enough.

About 5 minutes later, I drove past the Stroger van and there were 4-5 people huddled around the outside discussing what happened.

Within a couple hours, the Stroger Campaign pre-emptively launched a press release claiming "Peraica Thugs" were stealing Stroger signs.
I called Proft and told him what had happened with the pictures. He was pleased and stated a simple truth I have never forgot, "pictures beat words."

All the media covered the tit-for-tat exchange, but used my pictures. Ultimately, it became hearsay versus evidence.
Evidence will always beat words.

Mike Madigan and the gang of Chicago Democrats have run Illinois so far into the ground, Illinois will have a Greece-type sovereign debt crisis shortly unless our reckless spending is quickly stopped. The capital markets are not forgiving. We may escape this Wednesday's $900 million bond offering, but our risk is escalating rapidly.

Blagojevich, Madigan, and now Quinn are trying to buy votes from welfare addicts, trial attorneys, and unions. Sadly, all their progressive rhetoric goes out the door when their actions matter. Quinn will not dare challenge union contracts or delete patronage positions, instead he cuts education; his only soft target.

Madigan has thrown Quinn under the proverbial bus and is circling his wagons around his own state representatives. Madigan has devolved in a power-hungry megalomaniac who has lost his way. Only in Illinois could the most powerful politician make tons of money by re-negotiating corporate real estate taxes from the wealthiest businesses. This is a Blagojevichian conflict of interest.

Illinois has an incredible $12 billion budget deficit and $60 billion pension obligation. Corruption has run rampant and the effects are now visible in public safety, healthcare, education, and public transportation. If the Illinois voters choose more of the same, then they will have to accept the consequences of their choices.

Bill Brady and the 2010 Republican Team offers a significant different view. There is not a hint of scandal amonngst the lot and they offer real solutions. The Republican proposals represent the only strategies that have worked. All 6 Republican candidates for Governor repeatedly stated Illinois did not have a revenue problem, it had a spending problem. This is true. Rep. Mike Connelly declared on Chicago Tonight the Chicago Democrats made a mockery out of state government. Connelly was mocked by Chicago Democrats when he asked how their proposals were going to be funded. They laughed, pointed at him, and said, "he is from DuPage county." DuPage County happends to have a balanced budget.

The pundits from Chicago Tonight's liberal army to Democrat blogger Rich Miller are starting their slow crescendo of fear-mongering. As Brady establishes a significant lead in the polls, he is being labeled as a scary social conservative, but the voters are still suffering from the great recession. They will vote their financial interests.

After years of bad campaign strategies, the Republicans are actually doing a great job. Brady is sticking to the winning mantra of jobs and the economy. Plummer, while young, has impressively ignored the media's ambush calls for his tax returns. Obviously, they are only looking for career ending gotcha moments.

Dan Rutherford has steadily built himself into the strongest position. He is a tireless campaigner and  just reported $1 million cash on hand. Topinka is wisely keeping her head down and not purposefully pissing off the conservatives. Her name recognition and a final push her over the top in November.

And if Illinois residents really get upset at Blagojevich's games, Obama's spending, and the economy is still stuck in negative; Steve Kim and Robert Enriquez may become beneficiaries of a Tea Party tidal wave. Even with all the stars aligning for Republicans in 2010, these two races are still long-shots at best.

2010 offers Illinois residents a true choice. They can stick with the corrupt free-spending Democrats or they can allow the adults to finally be in charge again.

Most Republicans believe the best leaders emerge from the business community. They figure a captain of industry is the best person to run government. That is probably accurate. The problem is that business and politics are mutually exclusive.

Business operations require a return on investment or an increase in shareholder value. Business leaders are compensated and accountable to the bottom line. Therefore, they are incentivized to streamline and run efficient organizations.

Many businessmen fall into the trap of believing their superior problem solving or management skills will get them elected; it won't. Politics is a mere popularity contest. Obama is a perfect example of a politician lacking any executive experience, but capturing the emotional zeitgeist of the nation.

Illinois voters, as a whole, are probably the dumbest in the nation. Illinois elected Carol Mosley Braun to the U.S. Senate, Blagojevich twice to governor, and the inept Todd Stroger in Cook County.

In the 2006 gubernatorial election, both Jim Oberweis and Ron Gidwitz ran on their record as enormously successful businessmen. Both lost to a far less accomplished Judy Baar Topinka who had tremendous popularity as a thrice-elected state treasurer.

Unless a businessman understands elections are popularity contests, they will continue to fall into the trap that the best person for the job will win.

Luckily for Republicans, Bill Brady understands campaigns. He is often touted as a successful homebuilder, but he is also a successful politician. It is good to see Brady forcefully jabbing back at Quinn's silly attacks regarding Jeb Bush. It is also good to see Brady stick to his message about jobs and the economy. Brady is running his political campaign by appealing to voter angst, not reciting his business resume. 

With Scott Lee Cohen entering the gubernatorial race as an independent, Quinn vowing to raise taxes, and the anti-incumbent tea party backlash Brady is almost certain to be our next Governor. Maybe Illinois voters will get this one right.

There is crazy, then there is Illinois Republican crazy; levels of insane unfathomable in other states.

If Republican Mike Niecestro actually enters the US Senate race, he may individually hand Obama a significant victory. Niecestro is upset there is not a "good" conservative in the race, so he intends to join Kirk and Giannoulias.

I concur with Niecestro that Kirk is not an ideal Republican and especially dissappointing for conservatives. His vote on Cap and Trade says it all. He is not an ideologue, but definitely falls more under career politician.
With that said, now is not the time to demonstrate indignance. He had an entire primary to campaign against Kirk and he chose not to run. Now, with the emergence of some underdog victories around the country anyone with an outsized ego thinks they should be a big shot.

The reality of politics, Illinois demographics, and campaign strategies must completely escape Niecestro.
The Kirk/Giannoulias contest is a Tier 1 race and if polling shows Kirk is strongly competitive during the late summer, it will be the marquee race in the country as it represents Obama's old seat. That means the RNC will be pouring $10-$15 million into the race, at least. The Democrats will match it.

Illinois is an overwhelmingly blue state. This is a fact. If the conservative vote is split in any fashion, it dramatically helps the Democrats.

Branding or name recognition is the first step to winning a campaign. If Niecestro actually spends a million, he might be able to get his name recognition to 40-50% saturation of likely voters. And running as an unknown independent, his best case scenario is 5-8%.

He is hoping to catch the Tea Party viral fever, but this has yet to happen outside the Republican Party, so again, tremendously unlikely.
The only real impact Niecestro could possibly have is with single-issue pro-life voters. And here is how Illinois Republicans can continue down our bottomless pit of self-destruction. There are probably just enough single-issue pro-life voters willing to switch to an independent to hand Giannoulias a victory.

I do not know Mark Kirk personally. He is not my ideal candidate, but after the primary, he has my unconditional support because it is what is best for the country.

My suggestion to Niecestro is to make all the noise he can now and see if he can ignite any Tea Party enthusiasm. If he finds it tepid at best, he should make sure he withdraws from the race and throws his support to Kirk.

A Kirk victory is an Obama defeat. If Niecestro's presence sends Giannoulias to congress, it may be enough political capital to re-elect Obama to a second term. Let's not do the Alan Keyes thing again.

Tom Coburn (R-Ok) is one of the few Congressmen who gets it.

"We are 18 months to 2 years from our own Greece financial crisis"

"Congress is addicted to spending and needs a 12-step program. We borrow $3.8B a day that we don't have for things we don't need. And our children are going to end up paying it back."

(Sadly, this is not a joke. The most powerful politician in Illinois also peddles property tax reductions)




After unexpectedly working for 6 years in local politics, my natural optimism has turned to a belief Illinois is doomed to a slow decaying death, even with the expected victories of Brady, Kirk, Rutherford, and Topinka statewide. Chicago is likely to be a blighted city like Detroit within 30-40 years; maybe sooner. After getting to know some of the players and their methods, I figured about 80% of politicians were knuckleheads and 20% were good guys. Now, after knowing almost all the players and their scams, I realize 99% of Illinois politicians are parasitic amoral scum who are willing to sell Illinois' future for personal gain. Many in politics will acknowledge this statement or some statistic in the ball park, but good luck getting them to identify anyone other than Stroger or Blagojevich as a problem.

The root cause of Illinois' political problems, especially with the Democrats, is the politicians almost universally embrace moral relativism. Moral relativists believe there is no absolute right and wrong or good and bad. Relativists believe everything depends on the person, circumstance, or social situation. The unique problem of politicians is their views and subsequent votes always coincide with their self-interests; be damned the citizens.

Moral relativism abhors the absolutism of dogmatists. Absolutists believe there is a definite right or wrong, frequently derived from religious views or conservative and liberal dogma. The religious right would certainly be defined as absolutists with their belief right and wrong comes from God. Both conservative and liberal absolutists would be ideologues who vote their conscience. This is not Illinois' problem.

Most Illinois politicians do not seem to have a conscience. How the abuses of power could be so corrupt and rampant is astounding. The financial mismanagement of the state is so extreme, Illinois essentially functions as an entity in receivership. The state is nearly a year behind in paying its bills. The debt and deficit are so large it is difficult to conceive how they can be reduced. And there is not even a hint of desire to fix it from the politicians.

The answer is actually quite easy; quit spending. But with the rampant moral relativism in Illinois, politicians can not seem to find anything in the budget to cut. Illinois politicians have graciously agreed to pay for everything under the sun. It must just be a strange coincidence these very entitlements help get them re-elected.

The voters are to blame as well. The mantra in Illinois is "Vote for me, and I will get you ___". After decades of giving away the store, there is nothing left to give. Illinois' amoral moral relativists shrug their shoulders and cry "This is a need". Yet, they have no care about how they destroy the future.

Seniors have always gone without free rides. Yet, after Blagojevich signed this into law, Quinn and Madigan now see it as a need. It is just a coincidence the Seniors might vote against them if they take away some of their cheese.

The reason I do not see a good future for Illinois is the complete lack of desire among politicians to fix our problems. They are only interested in covering their ass. Mike Madigan truly runs Illinois. He is only elected by his state representative district but controls the majority vote. He is the worst type of moral relativist with absolute control. His law firm makes millions of dollars reducing property taxes for its clients. Again with the crazy coincidence of how peddling his influece rewards him personally.

Illinois Republicans can be just as bad as the Democrats. The "Combine" is alive and well and Republicans enable it. "Republicans" are willing to sell out their own party if it helps them get elected.

I think the first step needed to fix Illinois is for politicians to abandon their moral relativism and define a couple absolutes like - do not kill our future for self-interest. Also, Republican elected officials need to decide colluding with corrupt Democrats is bad.

This will never happen.

To:  Maricopa County Republicans

From: Executive Director Tom Husband

Just in case you haven’t heard yet Fox News has a “Poll-Should the Flag Be Banned at Schools?”

Moveon.org, Organizing for America, and SEIU have been twittering today to go to Fox Poll and vote to ban the Flag .... and right now it is working.

SHOW THEM WHAT TRUE PATRIOTS BELIEVE!!! Let's flip those numbers and show the leftists we are organized and on the move....flip the numbers now-FLIP THE HOUSE in November!
GO HERE TO VOTE NOW

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/05/06/american-flag-banned-america/

..........and then pass it along, please!

    The last moment a candidate will see before being politically assassinated


Ever since Republicans were overrun in Cook County, the Democrats have pillaged every existing check and balance system. If an unsuspecting Republican decides to contribute to civic duty and run for elected office, they are met by the swift realities of Cook county corruption; they are kicked off the ballot.

Dozens of Republican candidates have been summarily dismissed from the ballot by the Cook County Board of Elections. This "Electoral Board" is comprised of a member from David Orr's Cook County Clerk's office, a member from Anita Alvarez' State's Attorney's office, and a member from Dorothy Brown's Clerk of the Court's office.

This 3-member panel proceeds to issue rules, pretends to hold a fair hearing, then votes according to Mike Madigan's wishes. Essentially, Dan Madden, from Orr's office, bloviates and leads the ersatz tribunal. The other members have yet to even say anything. Madden issues his opinions and asks the other two members if they agree. They always do.

If the candidate challenge is within the context of a primary, Madden, who holds himself up as the font of wisdom and experience in the Clerk's office, may actually make an effort to rule according to the Illinois Election Code. However, Madden hold a perfect record of voting against ALL Republicans when a Republican is challenged by a Democrat.

Whenever Mike Kaspar, Mike Madigan's mouthpiece, shows up, you can be assured the results of the hearing are known before any arguments are even heard. In one election cycle, Dan Madden removed over a dozen Republican candidates from the ballot based on the most ridiculous of arguments. Republicans are not going to collect 1,500 signatures for non-competitive races where they would be lucky to get 15% of the vote. In this case, Republican Committeemen can appoint candidates.

Kaspar presented an argument that the petition papers not only had to be turned in by the required date, but also within 3 days of the meeting. Having 2 deadlines makes no sense, so a search of the legislative record discovered the 3-day requirement was not a legal requirement but a requirement to provide the county clerk enough time to have ballots printed in enough time before the election. This makes sense.

Madden was made fully aware by being presented copies of the legislative history. It clearly showed a man running for Sheriff in Peoria county died of a heart attack  about a week before the election and the clerk could not re-print ballots with a new candidate in time.

The Republican candidates were supported by the Republican party. They were presented several months before the election. And the legislature's intent was clearly in favor of the Republicans. Also, when in doubt, all rulings should be in favor of ballot access.

So Madden played electoral god and summarily dismissed over a dozen Republican candidates because that is what Mike Madigan wanted. He disregarded the will and support of the Republican party. He removed choice from millions of citizens sitting on his corrupt butt in the basement of 69 W. Washington. It would be interesting to know if Madden has any pangs of guilt when he hears stories about Chicago's poor children being abused by gangs, violence, and ineffective education. He knowingly dismantles one watchdog function of the minority party. He probably chooses not to think about the consequences of his actions when he deposits his twelve-pieces of silver.

The Cook County Electoral Board runs their charade for appearance sake, but their only job and true task is to do the bidding of the Democratic Party. So far, Republicans candidates have lost every hearing, they are 0-70 in the last several election cycles.

No one really knew Jason Plummer before this election season. He is only 27 years old and has not previously won any significant elected office.

All we know is he was everywhere during the campaign season and spent over a million dollars to beat the popular Sen. Matt Murphy and State Rep. Dave Winters in the Republican Lt. Governor primary.
 
If the independents come back to the Republicans this November, it is likely Sen. Bill Brady will be the next Governor Illinois. This will put unknown Jason Plummer one hearteat from being Governor himself. Responsible voters should want to know as much about Plummer as possible.

Plummer's decision to release or not release his tax returns should be based on what is best for Republicans overall. Political ideology is important but so is winning. The perfect ideologue is useless if they lose.

The media has veered so much into sensationalism that there is nothing good that can come from Plummer releasing his returns. He obviously comes from a wealthy family it is likely his salary, dividends, or some aspect of his personal wealth might raise eyebrows and be fodder for media hit pieces or used as a jealousy wedge. The media has lost credibility. It is Plummer's job to win. No story is the best possible outcome Plummer could want; nothing good can come from the media.

It is good to see a Republican use an effective political strategy and not follow the bones thrown by the media. As much as Republicans dislike Obama, they should recognize Axelrod designed a very good campaign strategy for him. Ultimately the Lt. Governor candidates will not factor into the gubernatorial race; they will be passengers and their political future will be at the mercy of their partners. Brady and Plummer should stick to talking about jobs and the economy, ignore the media's whining, and run a smart campaign. Then all Republicans should be happy and hope they can start to fix the state.

One of the most frustrating sentiments is cocktail Republicans lamenting any conflict within the party. It nice to want peace and harmony on the same team, but when things are completely broken, this is hopelessly naive.

The Chicago Republican Party has been broken for decades. Whether George Ryan cut a deal with Daley or the Democrats just overran it is less important than diagnosing the current problem so a cure can be found.

What is known is that a significant number of "Republican" elected officials collude with the Democrats for personal gain. The end result is these "Republicans" get titles or jobs for themselves while the Chicago Republican Party is left in complete disarray; exactly as the Chicago Democrats want it.

The goal of the Chicago Republican Party is to self-organize and become a functioning minority party. A two-party system requires a functioning minority party to act as a watchdog to reduce corruption as well as develop their own ranks. Republicans only need to win 23% of the Chicago vote to win statewide offices. We generally trend between 16-22% so this is feasible. 

The Chicago Republican Party has been a warlord-opoly of infighting based on Democrat collusion and self-interest. The state party and statewide candidates have a long history of simply ignoring Chicago and just hoping for good results. This is how Judy Barr Topinka loses to Blagojevich who had a  70% disapproval rating. 

The best predictor of divorce is the habitual avoidance of conflict. Nobody sane likes conflict, but significant issues need to be addressed so they can be fixed. The Chicago Republican Party has huge problems so conflict is going to be required to fix them.

Cocktail Republicans or naive DuPage county Republicans hate seeing arguments and strife, but the engine is not going to fix itself. Those looking to fix the party are going to need to roll up their sleeves and get dirt, rust and grease on their hands. 

The Chicago Republican Party can not launch any effective political offensive if traitors in their own ranks shoot them from behind. Entropy is the Democrats friend. It is better to have a small but loyal force than to try to function with seditious traitors among us. The backstabbing traitors need to be removed. Think they will go away without a fuss if asked nicely?

The analogy to getting ones hands dirty fixing an engine does not translate well to fixing the Chicago Republican Party. Will the cocktail Republicans prefer to pretend everything is nice at social gatherings or will they prefer to let the Chicago Democrats destroy the state?

The traitors walk among us. As long as they have been winning for decades, they are friendly, will have drinks with us, and even claim terrific Republican credentials because on a national level they liked Bush or do not like Obama, but locally they protect and support their Democrat bosses.

In what universe is it acceptable to have the man who ran against Eloise Gerson for Chicago Republican Party chairman work on the campaign of Joe Berrios. How is it ever acceptable to work with John Curry who was put on the ballot by the Ted Matlak and Demcrats. How do we accept State Reps Mike McCauliffe and Skip Saviano endorsing Democrats over Republicans?

On this Memorial Day, I hope the cocktail Republicans will stiffen their spine and support the efforts to fix the Chicago Republican Party. Our soldiers died for our right to live in a Democratic society. We should honor their sacrifice by getting our hands dirty and embracing whatever conflict is necessary to fix the Chicago Republican Party.

The sin of omission sometimes produces more disasterous results than acts of violence. While guilt is impossible to assign and no one is obligated to help develop the Chicago Republican Party, the natural leaders who could have made an impact, have not.

The wealthiest Republicans and leaders of industry in Chicago have done little in Chicago during Mayor Daley's reign of patronage terror. These leaders have chosen to develop at least a working relationship with Daley, if not an actual friendship. Either through fear of retribution or a desire to avoid ackward social moments, there has been no interest by the wealthy to develop the Chicago Republican Party. Winning only an extra 3-5% in Chicago determines Republican candidate's fate in statewide races.

All Chicago business leaders learn Mayor Daley has only one immutable rule. You can enjoy the city and make tons of money, but you are forbidden to oppose the Mayor politically if you value your business.

The big dog of the wealthy Chicago Republicans is Pat Ryan. Ryan is founder and executive chairman of AON Corporation, the world’s largest insurance and reinsurance intermediary, and a global leader in risk management.

Pat Ryan was once chairman of the Illinois Republican Party's Executive Finance Committee. There is usually little difference between the Chairman of the State Party and Chairman of the State Party's Finance Committee. This is not necessarily a bad situation as the chief fundraiser needs to be motivated to raise money.

At a fundraising dinner for the Illinois Republican Party several years ago, Pat Ryan stood up and said, "As members of the Illinois Republican Party's Finance Committee, we are extremely happy to have selected Andy McKenna, Jr. to be next chairman of the Illinois Republican Party." Technically, the 19 members of the State Central Committee select the party chairman by weighted vote, but "Master's of the Universe" really do run everything.

Pat Ryan is close personal friends with Mayor Daley. Ryan's family has even vacationed in Ireland with the Mayor Daley's family. His close personal and professional relationship was highlighted when he was appointed by the Mayor to lead the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid.

Pat Ryan has been actively politically on a statewide and national level, but has done little to develop the party in Chicago. There are rumors Ryan may be interested in helping GOP candidates in Chicago.

Equally impressive and very close friends with Pat Ryan is Andy McKenna Sr. McKenna is chairman of both McDonalds Corporation and Swartz Paper. He is also on the AON board of directors. McKenna also served with Ryan on the Illinois Republican Party Finance Committee and was appointed by Mayor Daley to be Chairman of Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid. McKenna's son, Andy McKenna Jr., was the immediate past-chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. McKenna Jr. recently ran for Governor.

Both Andy McKennas have been politically active on a statewide and national level, but have done little to develop the party in Chicago.

The "Masters of the Universe" stay close together. They are wealthy and powerful and know it is beneficial to stay networked with other wealthy and powerful individuals. As Ryan and McKenna go, so goes Ty Fahner, Craig Duchossois, Michael Kaiser, James Kenney and others.

Ron Gidwitz is an interesting case. He loves politics and is actively involved both running for Governor and recently headed Kirk Dillards fundraising. He is frequently cited as the Republicans best chance to run for Mayor. He has responded, "Mayor Daley is a close personal friend of mine. I will never run against Mayor Daley."

Prior to running for Governor, Gidwitz did contribute to then Chicago GOP Chairman Clark Pellett. He has continued some support under Eloise Gerson. He has headed major initiatives in the past, such as spearheading the important Karmier for Illinois Supreme Justice race. He has the political itch, skill and fundraising ability. He was rightly dissappointed in the electorate's general unresponsiveness when he ran for governor. It will be interesting to see if Gidwitz makes any major moves in the future.

The major notable exception is Jim Pritzker. He comes from a military background and is the one Pritker who gets it. He is wealthy enough to not care if even his family is tight with Daley and Obama. He is immune to Daley's potential retribution and believes conservative values are worth supporting. He has been consistently generous.

The broad picture starts emerging when it is known many of the elected Chicago "Republicans" are either Democrats or in collusion with the Democrats, business leaders are scared, and the wealthy have chosen to lay down for the Chicago Democrats. 

Who is left to fight?

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SCOREBOARD?

Not much offends me politically. I understand the liberal pundits spin issues to their point of view. The conservative pundits are equally biased. Some issues have been blown way out of proportion and many conclusions are not supported by facts. I think it is all good. I choose to listen to some, but mostly feel free to ignore them.

The whole concept of the first amendment and free speech is core to the Constitution and conservative values. We frequently state that we may not like what you are saying but support your right to say it.

Mostly this is theoretical. It is easy to think the arguments about free speech apply to noble causes like Iranian students protesting for poverty or Buddist monks demanding rights for their people.

Even in the US, we start wavering when hate groups like the KKK plan a protest, but these have gone on so long we are accustomed to the arguements.

Last night, the Family Guy, ran a comic bit so offensive, my jaw literally dropped. I forgot the context, but basically one of the characters mentioned a Vietnamese citizen was taunting US citizens. The comic then cut to a stereotypical Vietnamese man put the loser "L" sign on his forehead and shouting "scoreboard" to US veterans at the Vietnam memorial war which lists the names of US soldiers killed in Vietnam.

I think this is truly the most offensive bit I have ever seen. Yet, after reflecting on it, I support the right of Family Guy to run the bit. I would characterize my self as very pragmatic politically, but I am more absolute about Constitutional rights. 

Kagan's explosive college thesis found by RedState's Erick Erickson. The pdf was available for about 4 hours until Princeton requested it be pulled for copyright concerns.

COPY CAN BE FOUND HERE


Following were quotes from Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan.

"In our own times, a coherent socialist movement is nowhere to be found in the United States. Americans are more likely to speak of a golden past than of a golden future, of capitalism's glories than pf socialism's greatness. conformity overrides dissent; the desire to conserve has overwhelmed the urge to alter. Such a state of affairs cries out for explanation. Why, in a society by no means perfect, has a radical party never attained the status of a major political force? Why, in particular did the socialist movement never become an alternative to the nation's established parties?"

and...

"The story is a sad but. also a chastening one for those who, more than half a century after socialism's decline, still wish to change America.Rad~ca1s have often succumbed to the devastating bane of sectarianism; it is easier, after all, to fight one'sfellows than it is'to battle an entrenched and powerful' foe. Yet if 'the history of Local New York shows anything, it- is�thpt American radicals cannot afford to become their own worst enemies. In unity lies their only hope."

Tell Congress to OPPOSE Kagan!

The major difficulty with politics is the balance between winning elections and fighting for ideology. I have always been by disturbed by politicians who are not ideologues because they are by definition career politicians. These guys interest is solely self-preservation, not voting for the best interests of the people according to their beliefs.

Selling out for self-interest is the worst type of politics but negotiating or compromising in one area to achieve a greater goal is admirable in my estimation. The media wrings their hands about the discord in Washington, I think it is healthy. When opponents truly believe in their issues, they will ferret out the strongest arguments. Weaknesses are burned out in the heat and good things happen.

It is good to see the immigration issue coming to the forefront initiated by Arizona. The circular arguments are somewhat confounding to Republicans so it will be interesting what becomes the central theme in the debate.

The starting point on immigration is basically whether or not the massive influx of illegal Mexicans is beneficial or detrimental to society. It will be good to start seeing statistics to help shed light on this question.

One-side argues the immigrants, illegal or not, contribute mightily by paying taxes with nothing in return from the government. Some estimates are 15 million illegal immigrants pay taxes on unclaimed W-2s. The other side argues the opposite, they claim the American welfare state provides free education, housing, welfare, and healthcare to the immigrants for a huge net loss to the US. Statistics are easily manipulated so different studies need to be researched to discern the generally correct themes. But the truth will be revealed in time.

Conservatives will be slow to judge. The ultra-conservatives like Illinois Minuteman founder Rosanna Pulido, have already came to their conclusion. The free-market libertarians lean toward the concept of open borders with the caveat of no welfare state. However, America is a welfare state.

Another issue is how does ultra-liberal Illinois react to the immigration issue? Cook County which is home to nearly half the Illinois population is a sanctuary county with massive and growing numbers of Hispanics.

The rhetoric will heat up starting with descriptors. Advocates will either call these people illegal immigrants or undocumented workers. Even religious leaders will present opposite views. Even some Catholic priests are split with most calling the opposition to amnesty rooted in racism while some claim illegal immigration is immoral because it takes jobs away from America's poor.

The black community has been displaced as the largest minority by the Hispanic population in the last decade and this trend is certain to accelerate. Curiously, the black community has not been very publicly vocal about illegal immigrants taking jobs from their community.

As the rhetoric heats up about Arizona, this issue is certainly to become more central in the November elections. As an analyst I am looking forward to seeing polls and data that will help define the immigration issue further. It will be interesting to see which way this goes. Either way, it is clear to me this should be an irrelevant issue to Bill Brady. The answer for the GOP lies in the response from the black community. The black community, like most other communities, vote their pocketbook. Immigration is not an electoral issue when the state has 10% unemployment.

Bill Brady should avoid all issues, regardless of import, except jobs and the Illinois economy. His answer to any questions about abortion, immigration, gay marriage, gun control, Supreme Court nominees, and corruption should be "I am running for Governor of Illinois and I am solely focused on job creation and getting the Illionois economy back on track" Bill Brady should not chase bones thrown by the ADD media. He should stick to the  winning issue of jobs and the economy. And conservatives of all flavors should be damn happy a Republican is Governor of Illinois.

State Representative John Fritchey challenged me to come up with an answer on how to fix the $12 billion Illinois budget deficit. The solution to cut spending is simple, but it is important to understand the unpleasant solution is a result of irresonsible past behavior.

The answer is easy; any first year MBA student should be able to come up with solid spending cuts starting with the first line item of the budget. However, I readily admit those whose budgets or entitlements get cut will be outraged and try to remove the legislators who vote against their interests. AFSCME, SEIU, IEA, trial attorneys, patronage hacks, and even subsidized businesses will put significant efforts behind removing responsible legislators. These organizations do not care about Illinois, they only care about their government cheese. I start with the premise the status quo of Illinois (particularly for the poor in Chicago) is unacceptable, Illinois is on the brink of fiscal disaster, and irresponsible spending by both parties has caused this problem over decades. I disagree with Fritchey's premise that its "not how we got here." I think how we "got here" is important to construct a solution. The house was built on sand. No matter how much has been built, the house will sink. You have to move the financial house to solid footing. Again, an easy answer intellectually, but obviously unpleasant in praxis.

Raiding the public treasury for personal interests is toxic to the state's balance sheet and this translates into failures in society. This toxicity has rotted the core so education, public safety, health care, and public transit fail the citizens. The consequences are already extreme.

Legislators need to act like adults and stop adding arsenic to the mix. Even if most of the poison was added in the past, small amounts are still toxic. The crux of my argument is legislators are more interested in retaining power than voting for the best interests of the people. The madness needs to stop. Illinois should not spend more than it takes in.
 
In my value judgment, Illinois is already in an unacceptable crisis. Jobs and people have fled the state. It is not an accident over 400,000 people left Chicago the last decade, less than half of CPS students graduate high school, Illinois is over 6 months late paying their bills, the $60 billion pension debt is not only worst in nation but likely to default (or at least "renegotiated terms"), and violence especially among the poor is rising.

The foundation of my solution lies in understanding the ridiculous behavior of the past is unacceptable and needs to be reversed. Illinois should institute an immediate austerity budget where only the most basic of services are maintained. Technically, Illinois is not allowed to run budget deficits; this should be enforced.

Another solution is to roll the budget back to 2000 or the last year the budget matched current income. Over the last decade, politicians' spending has significantly exceeded both inflation and revenue growth even as the population shrunk. The spending has not been on real needs like the mentally disabled, but unsolicited rides for seniors, or other lobbyists' pet projects.

The six candidates who ran for Republican nominee for governor came up with a plethora of specific budget cut recommendations such as cutting budget allocations for the Peotone airport, high-speed rail, or a re-ordering of all big ticket items.

I applaud Fritchey for voting in favor of Sen. Meeks voucher bill. When children's futures are at stake, it is easier to vote against natural allies like the teachers's unions. I contend the budget crisis and its effects have just as much direct impact on our children's futures.

If Illinois, especially our poor, is liberated from the bonds of entitlement dependency, we will thrive in the long run. I believe our able bodied citizens will not only survive a reduction or elimination of welfare entitlements, but will thrive though resourceful self-dependence. Curing the entitlement addiction will have its anger, yelling and tantrums, but the Personal Welfare Reform Act of 1994 demonstrates the long-term benefits to the poor are enormous.

Republicans may be called the party of "no", but when it comes to government, "no" should be the answer most of the time.

The current topic among politicos is whether Scott Lee Cohen will hurt Quinn. Conventional wisdom states Cohen will hurt Quinn especially in the black community. Several people have been quick to point out the same logic was applied when Rich Whitney was supposed to be the spoiler for Topinka against Blagojevich. It turns out Whitney may have done more damage to Topinka.

The difference this time is Bill Brady has not gone out of his way to alienate a significant percentage of the Republican base. Topinka openly referred to conservatives as "kooks" and had no tolerance for pro-life or pro-family Republicans.

Topinka made two significant miscalculations. First, she lumped all conservatives into the same category (not everyone is Jack Roeser, Andy Martin, or Peter LaBarbera). Her second major miscalculation was to openly insult conservatives both by her words and actions.

Topinka made a big deal about entering the Gay Pride Parade every year. She seemed to think the gay community which is relatively small compared to conservatives would support her for having a float. The gay community generally considers the term "Republican" as synonymous with homophobia so it is unlikely she picked up more than a handful of votes.

Many conservatives simply could not stomach voting for someone who openly insulted and offended their belief system. Therefore, conservatives either stayed home, did not vote for the Governor's race, or possibly protest voted for Whitney.

Ron Gidwitz was also a moderate politically and virtually identical to Topinka in philosophy, but was embraced by conservatives. Many conservatives liked the fiscal aggressiveness Gidwitz preached and were more than willing to overlook his moderate stance on social issues. Gidwitz did not feel the need to openly insult the Republicans with differences.

I am convinced Brady will win in November because the anti-incumbent backlash will shift independents back to the GOP by at least 2 to 1. Add to this fact, all Republicans find Brady at least acceptable. And also add the possibility that Cohen and Whitney will likely pull votes from Quinn.

Governor Brady, it has a nice sound to it. I hope conservatives will also be willing to vote for Topinka for Comptroller. Her 3-terms as state treasurer without a hint of scandal have earned her my vote. After the Blagojevich fiasco, I hope both sides have learned they need each other. It's not like Illinois Republicans have screwed anything up before.

The term tea-bagging comes from grappling where one competitor might position himself in the particular position to gain leverage. Technically, this position would also include a wardrobe malfunction.

Liberal commentators like Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow, and Chris Matthews prefer to call Tea Party activists "tea baggers." I am all for it because if conservatives are "tea baggers" then liberals are "tea baggees."

Besides, any time the term "tea bagger" is used it infers the conservative is in a superior position with better leverage than the liberal. Whether it applies to smaller government, austerity, spending cuts, etc, I would be proud to be called a "tea-bagger." In fact, I am happy to be called a "tea bagger" anytime; just don't call me an "oil checker."

Bill Brady recently caved into pressure from the media to release his tax returns. Initially, he had no intention of doing so, but after a couple queries from Democrat voting columnists, he released his past two-years of tax returns.

Not only did the ungrateful media gripe about having to go to Springfield to see them, they then proceeded to make them a far bigger negative issue than not releasing them would have been. Not surprisingly, Brady's homebuilding business suffered significant losses during the Great Recession, so these loses offset his income as a State Senator so he was not required to pay any taxes. The liberal media threw the bone and Brady chased after it, only to get bit by his cooperation.

Now, Rich Miller of the CapitolFax blog is requesting Brady clarify what he would do with his businesses if elected.

What does Sen. Brady intend to do with his business interests if he’s elected governor? Will he dispose of them, put them into a blind trust, continue to actively engage in the day-to-day operations?  - Rich Miller email to Bill Brady Campaign.

Bill Brady's answer should be that he intends to create jobs and improve Illinois' economy. In fact, this should be his answer to every question asked between now and November.

If asked if he is pro-life in the case of incest, he should respond he is for job creation. If asked if he approves of Sarah Palin, he should respond he is for bringing businesses back to Illinois. If asked about guns, Mayor Daley or Rod Blagojevich, or any other emotionally charged issues he should respond jobs, jobs, jobs.

While Republicans pretty much disagree with everything Obama represents, they should at least recognize he was a strong campaigner. Obama never veered from his empty rhetoric about hope and change and handily defeated what was once thought to be an unstoppable Hillary Clinton.

Just because the media throws bones, Brady does not have to chase.

WHO: Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), former Maryland lieutenant governor and a leading conservative voice on many social and governmental issues in recent years.

WHAT: Steele will speak at DePaul University on the conservative movement in America and its appeal to marginalized communities.  This free, public event is being co-hosted by the DePaul Cultural Center, DePaul’s Political Science Department and the DePaul College Republicans.  Seating is limited and reservations for the free event are advised. To guarantee attendance, RSVP with the Cultural Center at (773) 325-7759 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

WHEN/WHERE: 4:30 p.m., April 20 in Cortelyou Commons, 2324 N. Fremont St., Chicago. 

SECURITY: Please note that all attendees will need to check bags before being admitted.  No videotaping, photography or recording of the event will be allowed.

Bill Brady's been asked a lot lately if he agrees with those who think we need a tax increase in Illinois. His answer is clear: He is listening to the people. We do not need to raise taxes. We need to cut out the waste and political paybacks that have been padded onto the state's budgets by all the insiders in the past decades. Watch Bill's interview on Fox Chicago today and listen to his talk on WLS-AM, which aired this morning.

There is a reason more polls came out this week showing Bill Brady with a big lead over Pat Quinn. The people of Illinois are hungry for a clean break from the old politics.

From the Brady for Governor Campaign Team

Want to volunteer for Bill Brady? Visit BradyForIllinois.com and sign up!

Bill Brady will win in November, not necessarily because of his policy positions or commercials, but because he is not Pat Quinn. The anti-Democrat wave is building and a 1994-like Republican sweep is likely to re-establish more balance to the political landscape. In any other year, Brady would have a tougher time. Illinois is considered a reliable blue state and it seems everyone is against Brady's no tax increase position.

The fiscal crisis in Illinois is epic. Our pension system is underfunded by at least $58 billion and we are 12-months late paying our bills. And we are running a $12 billion annual deficit which only sinks us deeper into our debt  hole. Democrat and several Republican leaders are calling for a tax increase.

The unions are panicking because even if Quinn was to win, there would not be a funding source to pay them their negotiated contracts. Teachers are starting to think the entire $1.3 billion cut will be permanent. Quinn is facing a national backlash against Obama's unpopular healthcare bill. It appears at least 2 out of 3 independents will vote Republican in November. Additionally, Quinn has also essentially committed political suicide asking for a 50% income tax increase.

Brady will coast to victory, but not without a few bumps in the road. In addition to the Democrats complaints, both Gov. Edgar and the Civic Federation have called for a tax increase.

Bill Brady is essentially facing the Democrat majority, a biased media that insists on labeling him anti-abortion in every column, and the Republican intellectual elite. Brady is beloved by conservatives, but he will need more than his base to win in November.

Brady has neither backed off or nuanced his no tax increase pledge and while driving the intellectual elite nuts, it is resonating with a financially abused electorate. Illinois is actually in the lowest few states in income tax so on a relative basis this seems to the elites that it would be acceptable to bring this in line with the majority of states. However, Illinois is actually around the middle of the tax burden heap when you add property and sales taxes, maybe more with the damn red-light tax.

Regardless of where Illinois sits in tax burden, the fundamental principle of smaller government and lower taxes is still valid. The mainstream media pundits do not even take Brady's no tax pledge seriously. They only discuss how to raise further funds. 

However Brady does have history on his side. Government revenues have always been higher with lower taxes. Brady also has Milton Friedman on his side. Friedman contended there were no Saints just waiting to altruistically run government. And he did not like the American form of government, but considered it the "least worst." Brady will win because of the least important factors, but he will then have the historic opportunity to impact the most important. The media will need to take Brady seriously when he becomes Governor. 

Mark Kirk is a thorn in the side of conservatives because he is moderate on social issues and more than willing to demonstrate it. His name makes "ultraconservatives" blood boil as they describe him as liberal. Kirk has never shied from his pro-choice position and staunchly defended his Cap & Trade vote. Many Illinois Republicans wondered aloud if Kirk was actually a Republican.

On the other side, Democrats detest Mark Kirk for his vote and rhetoric against Obamacare. They run TV ads with Kirk saying he will do everything in his power to reverse Obamacare. They also deplore his strong military backing.

Certainly a majority of Republicans have had an issue with Kirk over one or more significant issues, but the fact now remains he is the nominee for US Senate.

At Mark Kirk's announcement, I found it curious when he said, "I am not an ideologue." After some thought, I don't think we interpret this the same way. I define an ideologue as one who believes in a political philosophy and promotes that agenda. Why would someone be in politics if they did not believe in something? It seems to me the opposite of a political ideologue is career politician.
Did Mark Kirk vote for Cap & Trade and position himself as pro-choice because he is in a very liberal congressional district? Are these political positions to get him elected or because he thinks they are the best policies to help the American people? Whatever Kirk's true motivation should be irrelevant now. The immutable fact remains Mark Kirk is our candidate for the highest federal legislative office in Illinois.

If conservatives truly want their presence felt in the country, they need to make an impact. Single-issue pro-lifers can choose to only vote for Bill Brady, but their silence is a de facto vote for Giannoulias. The all-or-nothing actions of ultra-conservatives render them politically irrelevant. Absolutist Jack Roeser is known for being 0 for all.

Obama speaks like a moderate, but his actions belie a very liberal political agenda. While his duplicity is starting to be revealed, he still controls a super-majority in the Senate. He has the political power to ram anything through the US Senate, including banking reform, irresponsbile environmental mandates, and more entitlements.

The traditional theory is that conservatives are driven by facts and data while liberals are driven by emotional impulses. If this is true, conservatives should see that breaking Obama's super-majority is the best and highest use of their vote. 

If a Republican is leading in the polls early that is a very bad sign for the Democrats. Kirk, who is a masterful campaigner and prolific fundraiser, already has a significant lead over Giannoulias.
 
Mark Kirk represents a game changing seat flip. This is the same state that sent Carol Mosley Braun and Dick Durbin to the Senate. Illinois has only become bluer as Democrats have continued to create more plight with their job killing policies and rampant corruption. A Kirk victory is not necessary a likely outcome in Illinois. If Obama comes to stir up the black vote and shifty Mike Madigan starts cutting deals, Kirk could have serious problems.

Kirk does represent a solid Republican vote on some issues. It may not even be 80% but 50% is still better than 0%. Additionally, breaking the super-majority should be the first order for all conservatives.

The time for Illinois conservatives to oppose Kirk was the primary. Now, all Republicans, conservatives and moderates, should rally behind Kirk. He will run a strong campaign and be well financed. The money component can not be overlooked, just ask the six guys who ran for Governor.

Even with Kirk campaigning for stem-cell research, Cap & Trade, or whatever, I will still unhesitatingly vote for Kirk. A vote for Kirk is a vote against Obama.

Yesterday, Lumi Boldovici posted a blog comparing John Edwards' mistress Rielle Hunter and ancient Greek prostitutes (Hetaerae). Since photos generally make blogs more visually appealing, she posted a picture of a Hetaera who happened to have exposed breasts. The picture was of an attractive woman appearing with Greek columns and toga-like robe, however what stirred up controversy was a prude named Anna Tarkov at Windy Citizen who decried there were "BOOBS!" on a Republican website. This was subsequently picked up by Mike Madigan's mouthpiece Rich Miller and the rest of the blogs followed.

Ignorance
First, this is an independent website. The official Chicago Republican Party website is www.ChicagoRepublicanParty.com. I will confess to being a big fan of Chicago Republican Party Chairman Eloise Gerson, but she has nothing to do with this site. I was political director immediately after Eloise was elected, but stepped down to work on some campaigns, so for people to think my actions reflect on Eloise is purposefully misleading.

Politics 
I think Illinois is in an extremely precarious state, mostly because politicians are more interested in themselves than the people. Many politicos in both parties are equally quilty of this. Democrat blogs decried hypocrisy, "family values", and spins involving Sarah Palin. Liberal media types tried to tie the photo to current candidates. 

One self-centered GOP County Chairman purposefully told the media the website was Eloise Gersons hoping it would smear Gerson's name. This is the same County Chairman who printed copies of the Chicago Republican Party's bylaws (in Gerson's office) because "he wanted to see how he could control [Eloise's] organization." Democrat blogger Rich Miller pointed out the photo was on the same page as banner ads for GOP candidates. Some Democrat journalists have mentioned Brady asked for the photo to be removed, but I have not actually been contacted by anyone from the Brady Campaign. Either way, no candidate is associated with this site and the banner ads are free. Yet I will absolutely confess to being an advocate for Brady, Keats, and the entire GOP ticket.

Melodrama
Maybe it is my libertarian streak, but artsy-naked busts do not bother me. I was embarassed for John Ashcroft when he wanted to cover up a couple statues at the Department of Justice with robes. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously stated he couldn't define porn, but knew it when he saw it. What people forget, is in the famous Jacobellis v. Ohio case, Justice Stewart defended the movie in question and was a strong advocate against censorship.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly many people are to race from adversity. I did receive a bunch of calls from politicos who advocated removing the picture because some liberal journalists were calling around or some comments on Democrat blogs were not favorable.

Conclusion
I have no strong opinion of the photo in question. I am puzzled that while Illinois is sinking in unprecedents mountains of debt, half of CPS students do not graduate, corruption is rampant, and jobs have fled Illinois that anyone can remotely care about an artsy depiction of a Greek Hetearae with exposed breasts.

The blogger, Lumi Boldovici, is an incredible person with a fantastic story to tell. She grew up in Communist Romania. She saw the destructive policies and grinding poverty caused by socialism. She immigrated to the US  with great personal expense because she sought freedom. She is the most strident free-market advocate I have met. She is truly concerned the US is devolving into a socialist state. I think most Republicans agree with her. Even with English as a second language, her body of is impressive with a unique perspective that is impressive and inspirational.

However, the most important value to me is the First Amendment. It is easy to support the First Amendment when a Republican candidate is criticizing Obama, but would these same freedom loving Republicans support Michael Moore's right to produce his liberal movies, or some distasteful speech. Some may view the photo as art, some wingnuts may call any nudity porn, but ultimately the judgment will be in the eye of the beholder. Politicians and official Party Members will understandably run. Cowards will run from any pressure, but this seems to me the absolute wrong course. When the liberal media, ultraconservatives, or Democrat bloggers go after a core value, I think that is exactly the time to stand up for that value.

If more people stood up for their chosen values, maybe Illinois would not be in such a mess.

Windy Citizen - prude Tarkov who wrote "BOOBS!" in all caps
Talking Points Memo
Sun-Times - by Democrat Abdon Pallash
Huffington Post
Capitol Fax Blog - Democrat Rich Miller
Illinois Review - Prude Wingnut Fran Eaton (most of post is factually inaccurate)
Democrat Underground
Chicago Current

Never has a state declared bankruptcy, but Illinois should consider being the first. Bankrupcy would allow Illinois to restructure their politically sensitive obligations. Illinois is the most grossly mismanaged state in the union on a state budget to deficit ratio. This is a cost of corruption and an unengaged electorate.

Two truths that must be acknowledged is Republicans, especially Governors Thompson and Ryan, are guilty of financial misconduct. Secondly, Illinois is not a high income tax state. However, raising taxes is not the solution when irresponsible politicians can not control their feckless spending. The reason bankruptcy is the best solution to solve Illinois' financial crisis is because federal bankruptcy courts can re-negotiate existing contracts and obligations to a sustainable level.

It is not politically feasible in this Democrat controlled state to make any budget cuts or rollbacks so only the heavy-handed authority of a bankruptcy judge can renegotiate contracts. In the realm of bankruptcy, a federal judge has significant authority, even though there is no precedent. The bankruptcy would also be likely to end up in front of the US Supreme Court.

In bankruptcy, there are two types of creditors; secured and unsecured. The secured creditors are unlikey to accept any haircut, these are mostly General Obligation bond holders. But there are any number of unsecured creditors, these are creditors that do not have collateral tied to their debt. Both delinquent vendor bills and future entitlement obligations can be wiped clean. A federal judge theoretically has the power to decide if Illinois would be required to pay some or all of their debts.

If a massive capital raise is rejected by the financial markets, Illinois will not have a choice but to declare bankruptcy. Gov. Quinn has proposed a multi-billion dollar capital raise to bridge the deficit shortfall. The capital markets are likely to fund this capital raise because Illinois still has an A- municipal bond rating. Illinois should have a junk bond status, but they maintain a high rating because they have the ability to tax.

A state bankruptcy would sent shocks through the financial world. An Illinois bankruptcy would be the largest the US has ever seen. Either way, Illinois must impose austerity measures.

Milton Friedman once lamented that the softness of the liberal heart also extended to their head. He was a fierce intellectual who rightly had no time for policy makers who proposed destructive legislation based on emotions.

Friedman had no sympathy for anti-poverty arguments used by liberals. He was aware these feel good measures produced greater poverty in the end. The timeless argument between conservatives and liberals is for the primacy of the virtue of freedom or equality. Friedman proclaimed capitalism produced freedom and a significant amount of equality but socialism produced only poverty and no freedom.

Evidence of Friedman's Capitalism is abundant. Eastern European communism was a complete economic disaster, including China, Cuba, North Korea, and parts of South America. As China has embraced a market economy in the last decade, more poor Chinese have emerged into a middle-class than are citizens in the United States. How much more evidence could there be?

And now comes Rich Whitney bumbling his way into the Illinois Gubernatorial race with a budget proposal so irresponsible, it is simply Blagojevichian. Whitney is proposing Illinois borrow money from its 5 pension systems for its general operating account. This is exactly what Blagojevich did that exacerbated Illinois' insolvency problems. Blago was so disingenuous he shifted money that should have earmarked for annual pension payments into the general operating fund and claimed Illinois had no worries. Illinois is over 6-months late paying its bills because of years of irresponsible fiscal policies. 

Poor Rich Whitney, he feels the unemployed's pain so much he is in pain himself. Nobody likes the high unemployment rate, but if a good hearted person actually does more damage, they should be steamrolled in favor of the innocent. 

Only an Illinois politician could propose more of the same. In theory, the idea is possible because it eliminates the usurious 12% late fee Illinois now pays. The problem is and has been, the Cadillac pensions have not been funded for so many years it is underfunded by at least $62 billion. Yes, $62 billion.

When a private corporation has such unbalanced capital ratios, it is seized by the government. This is a similar problem the Giannoulias family bank is now facing. Broadway Bank does not have enough money to cover their underperforming loans and Illinois does not have enough money to pay its bills, much less pensions.

Whitney should not be accorded acclaim for his desire to pay everyone who needs a job. His policy proposals create grinding soul-wrenching permanent poverty. He may have a soft heart but he also has a soft head. And this is the most dangerous type of politician.

However, Whitney may just inadvertently save Illinois. The theory is disaffected Democrats or the most liberal Daily Kos Democrats will vote for Quinn. Some analysts think Whitney took just as many votes from Topinka as Blagojevich in 2006, but those were probably protest votes from social conservatives. Most all green party votes for Whitney this year should take from Quinn.

If the gubernatorial vote in November is close, Whitney may just syphon enough votes to put Brady over the top. 

Brady's proposal of spending cuts is the really the only solution to fix Illinois' financial problems.  If the problem is indeed fixable. 

The playbook of the "media elite" is clear - label any pro-life Republican as an extremist, rightwing, ultraconservative, neanderthal whose obvious lack of enlightenment disqualifies them from holding public office. The mere idea that a politician might have a conscientious preference to choose life offends them. Their insistence on open-mindedness really means believe what they believe or be bashed publicly.

The mainstream media scoffs at the label "media elite" but they lack credibility after their outright cheerleading for Obama in the 2008 election. Further, voting records clearly establish the political leanings of the media elites.

With the release of the Rasmussen poll indicating Brady had a 10-point lead over Quinn, whether related or conjectured, Abdon Pallasch, a far-left reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times felt the need to immediately start undermining Bill Brady's gubernatorial bid with an article about pro-choice groups political strategizing against Brady.

The main objective of the article was to clearly indicate to every reader that Sen. Bill Brady is a dangerous man. The title of the article is equally autobiographical "Liberal groups on mission to label Brady 'extremist'." It seems media falls under "liberal groups." Aside from Bob Schillerstrom, the other 6 Republican gubernatorial candidates were difficult to distinguish from each other on most issues, but the media elites are embracing Quinn's campaign strategy to label Brady an "extremist."

It would be interesting to know if ultra-liberal media elites like Carol Marin, Abdon Pallasch, or Rich Miller actively see their partisanship or simply write what they "feel" is right. It seems to be more of an intuitive response like moths to light. Marin and Miller have been insisting the government must raise revenues to pay the bills rung up by the Chicago Democrats. Many Chicago politicians have embarassingly low IQ's and certainly corruption is endemic, yet after decades of mismanagement, it is completely anathema to the media elites to challenge politicians feckless spending. Even despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. To quote Dan Proft, "When do tax cuts work? Only ever time they have been tried." But not to the media elites, budget cuts only means hurting the poor.

If any of the mainstream media object to the criticism that they are biased; they must first answer why they all push liberal agendas. Why do they use the term ultra-conservative but never ultra-liberal? Why do they only ask where will we get the money and never can we not stop spending money we do not have. And most importantly, how do you explain your perfect Democrat voting record?

Here is ultra-liberal Abdon Pallasch's voting record:


All the Chicago media elites have the exact same perfect Democrat voting record. Should a person with this type of voting record have any credibility discussing a Republican candidate?

Illinois is in crisis. The Chicago Democrats have made huge financial promises in order to buy their way into absolute power. Now the bills are coming due.

Many vendors no longer view the State of Illinois as a credit-worthy customer. This is especially true in the healthcare sector. Illinois sometimes runs 6-7 months overdue on its bills.
The University of Illinois is owed  $5o0 million. They are now holding emergency meetings to discuss what cuts will need to be made if the funding does not come through. This senario is repeated over and over because of the Chicago Democrats fiduciary mis-management.

So with all the budget problems, pension debt problems, and cash flow problems, the media elite are subtly launching their predictable attack on Sen. Brady.

The "media elite" in Chicago are defined by their one-sided liberal view of the world and consistent Democrat voting record. They feel Occam's Razor is hopelessly naive and only sophisticated and nuanced political decisions define intelligence. They hopelessly wring their hands as they lament where will the government find the revenue to continue without ever challenging the concept of a spending problem.

This "media elite" views any social conservative as unqualified to hold public office. If an individual does not embrace gay marriage or accept the pro-choice position on abortion they are not part of the enlightened illuminati.
News reports, both print and broadcast, define the Republican gubernatorial candidate as pro-life at the top of all their reports. Why do they do this? It is an attempt to put a bright red "A" label on Sen. Brady. They are telling their viewers "this man is a dangerous, ignornant, and unqualified."

Reporters know the fiscal crisis in Illinois. They are well aware Illinois is only behind California in endebtedness and almost last in job creation. Essentially the house is on fire and they are asking whether the firemen are Cubs or Sox fans.
Luckily, the bitter taste of extreme partisanship is still lingering over the media's fawning cheerleading for Obama and healthy scepticism is now the norm. But since the media has yet to ever be able to help themselves, there will most certainly be seven months of Sen. Brady being labeled "an extreme rightwinger."
Sen. Brady brings to the table the only adult solutions to fix Illinois' Chicago Democrat inflicted wounds. Yet, Carol Marin and Abdon Pallasch will find it necessary to emphasize Sen. Brady is a "social conservative" regardless of the topic they are discussing. They no longer will to report the news, they are now activist journalists who want to change the world.

Every election cycle starts with the onerous task of gathering signatures for a candidate to get on the ballot. The number of signatures varies by office. They are derived as a percentage of the previous election's turnout by party. They generally vary from a minimum of 5oo for state representative up to 5,000 for Governor.

The theory behind gathering petition signatures is demonstrate grassroot support for the candidate. The rule of thumb is a candidate should file with 2 to 3 times the number of signatures to survive a ballot challenge.

Any registered voter who resides within the borders of the specific office's boundaries is qualified. This sounds easier than it is. Only half the people who are qualified to vote are registered.

Petitions for the 2o1o election cycle are due Nov. 2. This leaves candidates less than a month to obtain their signatures. Crews of volunteers are out knocking on doors across the state from both parties.

Not only can it be tricky finding if a person is a registered voter in the district, but also getting them to spend 2o seconds to hear a quick plea and sign is frustrating.

Excellent candidates and volunteers are really working hard to provide voters a choice and improve society and yet it is amazing how few people are willing to even open their door.

Volunteers face rejection and humiliation as the majority of homeowners simply say "No thank you" and shut the door on them; if they even bother to open the door. This selfish behavior is the antithesis of the American spirit. The country was founded on  a representative government and the majority of our residents could not be bothered to lend a simple signature.

Voters owe a debt of gratitude to politicians who make the effort to take a leadership position in society. Whether you agree with the candidates views, it is still beneficial to sign signature petitions because it provides voters a choice.

The only way real change will occur is if many people knock on many doors in each community and invite their neighbors to participate. The irony behind the apathy is the effort of our forefathers made to allow them their individual success is the very freedom and effort they now reject. Help out candidates and sign their petitions.

Everyone knows Chicago is corrupt, but most people don't exactly know what this means. Corruption is thought of as an abstract concept involving politicians accepting bribes or doling out government contracts to friends. They do not understand the magnitude of impact on people's lives; especially the poor.

 The US Attorney attempted to quantitate corruption in the Hired Truck scandal but gave up.

Most Chicagoans know corruption is bad, but they tolerate it as they state "all politicians are corrupt." There even seems to occassionally be a macabre sense of pride in some people as if this uniqueness is part of the local color.

Here is what the cost of corruption looks like:

This is Rhea Albert, the grieving  sister of Derrion Albert, the 16-year old Fenger High School honor student brutally beaten to death in a gang fight. Albert's death is unique because it was filmed by someone who wanted to show how difficult life is like for some of the poor black students.  

(Derrion Albert about to be hit in head by board)

Since being elected in 1989, Mayor Daley and the "machine" have abused patronage to a level unsurpassed in modern America. The HDO sponsored political workers became gainfully employed with excellent benefits and in turn campaigned to elect machine hacks. The HDO or machine had several thousand patronage campaigners at their disposal.

Mayor Daley is thought to be a decent Mayor but has a fatal flaw. He is an absolute control freak. During the last twenty years, he has used his political wing to destoy any opposition. Aside from some flaky legislation on foie gras, cell phones, or cab driver uniforms, rarely does anyone challenge the Mayor's budget or priorities. Chicago is in effect, a dictatorship.

When black leadership would start to emerge in poor black communities, Daley would find or support a "yes" man and destroy any budding leadership. Instead of leadership selected from the community, Daley cheated and stole the city Aldermanic seats using taxpayer funded offices and workers to win.

And to compound the problem, double the machine patronage by including the equally corrupt Stroger administrations. Both Chicago and Cook County governments have over 20,000 jobs.

Anyone paying even some attention is well aware of Daley's corruption spree over the last 20 years, especially with the 80+ convictions of Hired Truck, especially the Sorich patronage spreadsheets.

Now here is where it gets messy. The de facto heads of the Illinois Republican Party are the leaders of the finance committee. If they do not get what they want, they do not contribute. These are business power players and they understand leverage. When Andy McKenna, Jr was elected party chairman, Pat Ryan who was chairman of the ILGOP finance committee stated, "the finance committee is pleased with our selection of chairman."

Pat Ryan, Mayor Daley's Chicago 2016 Chairman, was the founder and Chairman of AON Corporation. He ran the Illinois Republican Party with Andy McKenna Sr. who is the Chairman of McDonalds and Swartz Paper. McKenna Sr. is also the Chairman of the finance committee for Daley's Chicago 2016.

These guys can count on one hand the number of people wealthier than them in Illinois. Also, running at this level are stalwart Republicans like Helene Curtis ex-Chairman and CEO Ron Gidwitz and Abbott Labs Chairman and CEO Miles White. Gidwitz ran for Govenor in 2006 and is currently Kirk Dillard's finance chairman.

It would seem with world-class CEO's active in the Illinois Republican Party like Ryan, McKenna, and Gidwitz, the ILGOP would be an incredible and well-funded organization especially acting as a vibrant watchdog against corruption in Chicago and Cook County Government.

These well-connected captains of industry are certainly aware of the year long expose the Sun-Times did to document how City Hall was corrupt to the core and in almost every department. And for whatever their motivation, the local GOP organizations were left for dead and they chose to support a Mayor who has decayed the quality of life for the poor to an extent children must worry about surviving, not thriving.

Since Gidwitz ran for office as a Republican, it is assumed this contribution is under his wife's name. Christina's only other contribution was to her husband's campaign.

What are Illinois Republicans to do? This is obviously "combine" activity. Do they risk standing against the most powerful men in Illinois? Do nascent leaders risk getting crushed like ants? Do Republicans risk getting their funding cut? Do they risk letting Chicagoans select their own leadership even if it means Jesse Jackson Jr. becomes Mayor? If they could, would they risk breaking the machine and creating a balkanization of Chicago politics?

How much is the life of Rhea Albert's brother worth?