Holiday Greetings to Governor Edgar from Dillard Campaign?

At least that's what our friend Super Abe says:

Kirk Dillard Presents a Holiday Tribute to Jim Edgar: http://t.co/h2Pbt8AoVk via @youtube This is one for the ages. Thoughts @BrunoBehrend ?
— Super Abe (@SuperAbe2014) December 19, 2013

Hilarious.

You're a Mean One, Mr. Caprio

Post by Ron Sandack.

Sending out robocalls - which Rich Miller has a copy of you can listen to here - a week before Christmas is, as Rep. Ron Sandack points out, not exactly 'family' material.

Photo from Cal Skinner's dealio

Pardon our French, but who shit in Caprio's Cheerios when he was a kid?  Something *must* have happened to him, right?

This jabroni is on a crusade to make the ILGOP so insignificant and small-minded.  This robocall is him flailing about for relevancy.  Shame to see him waste all his money fighting a guy like Ron Sandack who has done a heckuva job representing his District and needs to be re-elected to Springfield.

The time has come for Republicans to stand up to these bullies who are drawing hard lines as one-issue advocates.  Republicans can and should do better and that starts by beating back Mr. Paul Caprio and supporting Ron Sandack.

Democrat Mike Frerichs and "Great" Turnouts

We're thinking that someone might need to help Democrat Candidate for Treasurer Mike Frerichs understand what "great" means when it comes to turning out people.  You'll recall that earlier this month, he took to Facebook to boast about his "great crowd" that appeared to only have about six in total numbers.  Yesterday, he took to the Twitters to crow about an event he hosted in Aurora.  8 people.  Eight.

Had a great turnout and time in #Aurora tonight. Thanks to all who came out in the snowy weather. #twill #WaynesWorld pic.twitter.com/TU8gr53TQy
— Mike Frerichs (@MikeforIllinois) December 17, 2013

Listen...we sympathize with the need to churn out content for social channels.  But...lets call things the way they are:  great?  Really?

We suppose this is good news for the GOP.  His campaign's ability to gauge turnout numbers doesn't bode well for his operation on Election Day.  Hopefully, his turnout that day will be "great", too!

Are We Trying to REALLY Kill the ILGOP?!?

Exhibit 1104 in the effort to kill the ILGOP:  Apparently, some crackpot has convinced his relative to challenge the petition of an 18 year old woman who is trying to become a Republican Precinct Committeeman.

Really? Bonnie and Richard Duresa?  Really?!? 

Challenging the 18 year old?  Won't let her get on the ballot?  Scaredy Cats?  

We have NO idea what the politics of Jenna Wing from Fox River Grove are, but the fact that an 18 year old woman would want to get involved in the awful business of being a Precinct Committeeman by itself is an amazing notion.  

And we're going to throw her away by getting her kicked off the ballot? Come on, Man.  

If that happens (for shame), the County Chairman better well find an empty precinct and appoint Jenna Wing as fast as he/she can.  

If we want the ILGOP to survive, we need not just one Jenna Wings.  We need thousands of them.  

Darlene Senger: How can Sebelius be in charge of the investigation of a program that she bungled?

Darlene Senger - Republican for Congress - has come out swinging (repeatedly) on Obamacare. This time, she's rightfully questioning how effective Kathleen Sebelius can be in "investigating" the problems with the launch of Obamacare.

From Darlene Senger's site:

Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius said, "I’ve determined it’s the right time to better understand the structural and managerial policies that lead to the flawed launch." 

Everyday Americans are losing healthcare coverage due to Obamacare, and more transparent answers are needed to understand the implications this act will have.

Senger is pushing DelayandDisclose.com - a petition that would demand more transparency around Obamacare.  

Nobel Prize Winner: Illinois In *much* worse shape than people think

There's been lots of crowing - and complaining - about the recently passed (and signed) Pension "Reform" legislation by the Illinois General Assembly.   There were plenty of folks who said that the bill doesn't go far enough and compared it to putting a 'band-aid on a bullet hole'.  

Everyday, we learn more and that analogy might end up being appropriate.  And that the 'reform' that passed was a step in the right direction - but clearly was NOT enough.  

First, it was the news that the State income tax hike - passed in 2009 - as a "temporary" income tax hike appears to be headed to being a permanent 67% increase.  

Now, news is coming out that we weren't getting the full story on the breath of the pension problem.  

Everybody is an expert these days, but some are a bit smarter than others.  Chicago Magazine recently sat down with University of Chicago "Market Maven" and Nobel Prize winner Eugene Fama where they talked about Illinois and the state of bonds.

More bad news for Illinois as Dr. Fama 'lifts the kimono' a bit in talking about how Illinois discounts liabilities and what the implications are for Illinois' pensions problem:

How do you feel about buying Illinois bonds?Well, in the short term, they’re OK. In the long term, I wouldn’t touch them. The [state’s] pension liability is much worse than [the reported $100 billion that] people think. 

How so?States discount their liabilities—I think Illinois uses a discount of 7.5 percent [it’s between 7 and 8]—arguing that’s the expected [annual] return on their portfolio. But the expected return on a portfolio is totally irrelevant. What counts is, How risky are the claims that you have to meet? You’ve made a promise to your employees that you’ll pay them a certain fraction of their income that is usually indexed. Which means it’s a risk-free real outcome. What’s the risk-free real rate? Is it anywhere near 7.5 percent? It isn’t. Historically, it’s like 2 percent. A 2 percent discount rate would approximately triple Illinois’s pension liabilities.

Ghostwriting in the IL Treasurer's Race

More on the Frerichs/Grogan spelling stuff.  Line of the day goes to Super Abe.  Hilarious.

Is @VoteGrogan ghost-writing @MikeforIllinois emails? How can you balance the budget if you can't spell? #ESL
— Super Abe (@SuperAbe2014) December 10, 2013

IL Treasurer's Race: Most Spell-Checked Race in History?

First it was Treasurer's candidate Bob Grogan who couldn't even spell his own name.  Now it is Democrat Mike Frerichs who can't even spell the name of the office he is running for in 2014.

First, it’s Capitol, with an “o.” 

Second, Fahner was for the bill, not against it. 

Third, Frerichs also voted against it. 

Fourth, it’s “Treasurer’s office,” not “Treasures’ office.”

We realize everyone can't be perfect (we're certainly not), but is there not a staffer proofing these things before they go out?

We make our share of spelling and grammar errors, but we're NOT running for statewide office.  These guys want to be Treasurer.

And...the comments on CapFax aren't taking any mercy.  It seems...they think that candidates should do better:

More #BillBradyIsPleased Memes

Some of the submission's we've received this morning on our #BillBradyIsPleased meme are pasted below.

Remember...you can make your own by adding text here.

Make sure you share them with us via email (tipthetruthteam@gmail.com) or by posting on Twitter with the #BillBradyIsPleased hashtag.

Illinois Governor's Candidate #BillBradyIsPleased

Screenshot of this Illinois Review Story

I think we have the makings of a meme, here people.  Thanks, Illinois Review for this bountiful opportunity with a headline that reads like something from the Onion.

What do you think Bill Brady is pleased with today?  We've shared a few our own this morning.

You can make your own #BillBradyIsPleased meme here on Imgur.

Dave Diersen: Political Wingnut and Paul Walker Fan?!?

We were forwarded Dave Diersen's daily email this am and it is too funny NOT to share.  Weaved in between the (as our tipster called it) typical Dave Diersen crazy talk was this link to a story about Paul Walker and the car rally they hosted for his memorial.  As the tipster said:

"Who knew Dave Diersen was so into "The Fast and the Furious"?!?  Wonder if he knows this guy?"

Lisa Madigan Can't Help Herself With the Passing of Nelson Mandela

A tipster just forwarded an email they received from the Lisa Madigan campaign regarding Attorney General Madigan's take on the passing of Nelson Mandela.

Man...we sure hope Lisa doesn't injure herself too bad.  All that patting she's doing on her own back can't be good for her health.  

We mean...come on.  People - even Lisa Madigan supporters - can see right through this stuff, right?  How self-important can one be to have the courage to order staffers around to get "her" Nelson Mandela story up on the web.  

How very out of touch.

How very...."Fill it up with petroleum distillate, and re-vulcanize my tires post haste."

She didn't stop with the email.  She posted it on her site:

And she couldn't resist posting her congratulatory message on her Facebook.  I mean...come on guys...what else is Facebook for but selfies and stuff you want people to see to make them think more highly of you, right?

But, our Attorney General wasn't the only one to glom on to the passing of Nelson Mandela.  Treasurer's candidate Mike Frerichs took some time away from pimping out his website to everybody he could to do a little bit of glomming-on to the Mandela newshole, too.

Some Republicans even got in on the game.  Congressional candidate Erika Harold took the Mandela-plunge with this Facebook post.  

Former Congressman Joe Walsh "Gets It" (We Think)

Image from Illinois Observer

Former Congressman-Turned-Rush-Lite Joe Walsh has done something that we applaud.  Now...we don't want to be too harsh, because frankly we don't know that much about Joe Walsh aside from what we see on YouTube (it ain't "Congressional" if you ask us...), but we're guessing that this is one of the times we're on the same page as him.  

Here's what we know about good 'ole Joe:

1.  He's passionate.

2.  Some people really like him and believe in him.

3.  He has the ability to marshall *some* votes.  

Those are all good traits for the ILGOP.  

So, we here at the Illinois Truth Team are applauding him for taking a step back and realizing that we need to focus on winning MORE seats in every form of Government in Illinois.  Not spend time fighting each other. 

Illinois Review is reporting that he's backing away from an endorsement he made in a GOP Primary race.  

Former Congressman and radio talk show host Joe Walsh withdrew his endorsement of Dr. Barbara Bellar who is running in the GOP primary for Cook County Commissioner against incumbent Republican Liz Doody-Gorman. 

Walsh, who named Bellar in his first endorsment list released in September, told Illinois Review that the reason he withdrew the endorsment was because he couldn't see a path for her to win. 

"Yes, I really like Dr. Bellar," Walsh said in an email. "But she hasn't done what she's needed to do to put together a campaign that can actually win. [Cook County Board of Reviews Commissioner] Dan Patlak told her the same thing."

Liz Doody-Gorman is a Republican.  She's been a Cook County Commissioner since 2002.  Know how many Cook County Commissioners are Republicans?  Just 4.  13 Democrats.

Joe Walsh is doing the right thing here and backing off of a primary.

Joe Walsh (in this case) is pulling down his weapon and walking away from the circular firing squad.  We need more of this.

Think what you want about Doody-Gorman.  Bottom line, she's a Republican.  And...if the party has a future here, we need to accept that, and support her.

Why the @ILGOP needs @edsullivanforil In order to have a future

Back in November, we covered State Representative Ed Sullivan Jr's potential 2014 GOP Primary and how a few folks (I'd hate to call them Republicans based on their actions) are flailing about in an attempt for relevancy.  "Nothing but class there" is how Cap Fax's Rich Miller put it.

At that time, Sullivan's opponent wasn't officially on the ballot.  Now, according to the Illinois Review, he official is a candidate.  And what do they mention in the lede?  Sullivan's vote for gay marriage in Illinois:

State Rep. Ed Sullivan - one of three GOP House members that voted to legalize same sex marriage last month - will face a primary contest. Sullivan and State Rep. Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove) were moved into GOP House leadership positions when State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) took over as caucus leader this fall.

Bob Bednar, also of Mundelein, filed Monday morning to challenge Sullivan on the March 18, 2014 primary ballot.

Now, Bob Bednar *might* be a fine guy. Might even make a good State Representative. But, guess what, folks? The 51st District already has a GREAT State Representative in the form of Eddie Sullivan Jr.

(Funny to think that if Bednar won, he's would likely join the 'kids table' for tantrums along with Jeannie Ives...)
 

Back to the matter at hand:  Re-Electing Ed Sullivan.

So...if we're reading things correctly, Sullivan draws this primary because he voted for gay marriage?  That's what the Illinois Republican Party has come to.  If that's the case, we might as well fold up the shop, pull down the ILGOP.org website and call it a day.

If we EVER want to have anything close to majorities in the Illinois House and Illinois Senate, as Republicans, we need to stand BEHIND folks like Ed Sullivan Jr.   

For those "holier-than-though" nutjobs, let me fill you in on a little secret:  Let's play a game of addition, not subtraction in the party.  Let's focus on what really matters - which is changing the direction of Illinois.  What's the biggest issue?  The State's finances.  The pension bill just passed this week.  Does it fix things?  Not really.  

What's that mean?  The budget and finances are going to continue to be front and center.  51st District voters....Guess what you have?  A guy - in Ed Sullivan - who been recognized as a leading expert on revenue and budget issues. In addition, Sullivan currently serves as the Republican Spokesman on the Consumer Protection Committee and a member on the Revenue & Finance Committee.

Come on, ILGOP.  Let's do what is right here.  Let's have a future for our party.  Together.  Starts with Sullivan.  And Sandack.  And Pihos.  And Kinzinger.  

Throwback Thursday: "Tax Hike Mike Frerichs"

While we're on the topic of Mike Frerichs, we were tipped this hilarious video about "Tax Hike Mike" Frerichs.  As the video says, Illinois Treasurer Candidate Mike Frerichs voted to "raise a lot of taxes"...

There's a compaion #throwbackthursday piece that you should revisit if you want to know more about Mike Frerichs here on the Prairie State Report courtesy of John Bambenek.  The video goes on to say (and source) the fact that Illinois Treasurer Candidate Mike Frerichs voted to tax:

• Cable Television Service (HB 174)
• Internet Service (HB 174)
• Laundry Service (HB 174)
• Bicycles (HB 174)
• Wheelchairs. Really?!?!  Too much, isn't it?  
• Diapers (HB 174)
• Bowling Alleys (HB 174)
• Movie Theatres (HB 174)
• Agricultural Fairs (HB 174)
• Youth Clubs (HB 174)
• Camps (HB 174)
• School Buses (HB 174)
• Special Needs Services (HB 174)

State Senator Mike Frerichs is now running for Illinois Treasurer.  On this #ThrowbackThursday let's not forget his past. 

"Great Crowd" for Treasurer Candidate Mike Frerichs

 

We were sent these two screenshots from a tipster who follows Tall Guy Mike Frerichs on Facebook.  They sent over this line:  "Guess we have different interpretations of great crowds!  LOL!"

Have to agree with the tipster.  We count six people in one of the photos if we're being generous with the folks on the edges of the images.

If you have something you see and want us to cover, send it over to tipthetruthteam@gmail.com.

Good Guy Aaron Schock - and Good Guy Rocky Wirtz - Deliver $200K for Washington Storm Victims

We saw this story over on Illinois Review about Congressman Aaron Schock doing his part to deliver for his district by doing a great job of supporting the community in Washington.

They included a line about a $200K donation.  We thought that was interesting.  Turns out, with a little bit of digging, turns out that the $200K came from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Congressman Schock and Washington Mayor Gary Manier are especially grateful to the Chicago Blackhawks Charities, which has announced that it will generously donate $200,000 to help underwrite the cost of this luncheon and help the victims and their families recover from this tragedy. “Illinois is our home, and when one of our communities suffers a loss as tragically as the people of Washington did, we want to do all that we can to help them,” said Rocky Wirtz, Chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

This is EXACTLY what a good, committeed Congressman should do.  Good on you, Congressman Aaron Schock.  Marshaling resources to help people in trouble is an example of the best work our elected officials can do.   There are others in DC that would have been THERE (in DC) over the weekend.  Where was Congressman Aaron Schock?  At home, in his District.

Dem Watch: Will Sheila Simon Get on the Ballot?

Rich Miller at CapFax points out that as of this am, current Lt. Governor and Illinois Comptroller (supposed?) candidate Sheila Simon has NOT submitted her petitions.

We experienced her problem first hand late last week.  As we were hustling home for the Thanksgiving holiday, a guy standing in Olgivie Metra Station asked us if we could sign a petition.  Being politically-minded, I always enjoy finding out which candidate they're asking for.

Turns out, it was for Sheila Simon.  I passed on signing, but as I walked by, I turned around to watch for a minute or two.  The guy (likely with a patronage job) was turned down by like 10 more people right after me.  She's in a tough spot if they're trying to get people to sign on the WAY HOME at the Train Station.  If most people are like me, that's not a great spot.  I'm rushing to just try to make my train.  Don't have much time for stopping to sign.

Good luck to Sheila's organization.  Would love to see Judy Baar Topinka get a pass, so she can get out and drum up support for the rest of the ILGOP ticket.