Darlene Senger 'Closing The Gap' on Incumbent Do-Nothing Congressman Bill Foster

Some real momentum is showing up in the 11th Congressional District race as challenger Darlene Senger continues propels her campaign forward in the race to beat incumbent Congressman Bill Foster.

If you are a subscriber to Rich Miller's Capitol Fax, you've read this morning some important news on the race.

But...for us...The latest data point on campaign mo-jo is Senger's campaign having some real organization muscle via phone banking.

From her Facebook Wall, check out that table of folks who made almost 10K calls on Saturday ALONE.  Pretty good peek at the true diversity of the kinds of folks the right Republican candidate can pull together.

We had a HUGE weekend at our call center this past week. Over 9,500 calls made on Saturday alone. If you haven't done so yet, sign up for a call shift today. Contact Tim@sengerforcongress.com

If you live up there in Aurora, Joliet, Bolingbrook, Naperville, Plainfield, and even portions of New Lenox, go ahead...email Tim at the address above or go over to Darlene Senger's site and get involved.

Pat Quinn Said He "Intended To Be The Jobs Governor". SRSLY?!?

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn talked the talk when it came to jobs:  he said he "intended to be the 'jobs Governor'".

But...Pat Quinn didn't walk the walk when it came to jobs in Illinois:  Illinois lead the Midwest in jobs losses according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Oh...he *must* have been talking about "jobs" for his cronies and stooges over at IDOT, right?  That must be it.

Pat Quinn failed his job here in Illinois.  It is time for us voters to say that we've had enough.  Give him an early retirement and not four more years.

Kaifesh Campaign Secures Congressional Endorsements In Battle With Duckworth

The folks over at the Illinois Review have been doing important work for all voters in the Western Suburbs as they've been all over the Larry Kaifesh campaign for the better part of the last year.  They've chronicled every move as he's waged a good campaign to take on incumbent Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth.

This race hasn't quite broken through the chatter level in politics here in Illinois, but Kaifesh has waged a dignified campaign and is doing the right things to try to win in November.

The Illinois Review has been there every step.

Their latest scoop is that Kaifesh has picked up some endorsements from folks that know what it takes to do the job:  fellow Illinois congressmen including Peter Roskam, John Shimkus, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger and Aaron Schock:

United States Marine Colonel Larry Kaifesh, the Republican Candidate for Illinois’ Eighth Congressional District, has landed the endorsement of members of the Republican Congressional delegation from Illinois, including Congressmen Peter Roskam, John Shimkus, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger, and Aaron Schock. He also announced the endorsement of Illinois State Senator Dan Duffy. 

“Larry knows how to win big by winning in the neighborhoods, by being in the precincts, by talking to voters,” said Congressman Hultgren. 

"Larry's distinguished military service career in both Iraq and Afghanistan and his deep roots in the district ensure he'll be ready on day one to fight for the issues Illinois families care about: good paying jobs, a stronger economy, and true healthcare reform that puts patients and their doctors in charge, not some government bureaucrat," said Congressman Peter Roskam. "Voters of the Eighth District should send Larry to Congress and send a clear message to Democrats in Springfield and Washington. Failed Democrat policies don't work for the Eighth District.”

Pat Quinn Rolls Out Michelle Obama Radio Ad

We're not that high on the overall 1 minute radio ad, but the close is pretty strong:  'For this election, Barack and I are casting our vote, for our friend Pat Quinn.'

We don't listen to the terrestrial radio here at the Truth Team (We have Howard 100 on all day most days!), so we don't know who this will reach, but guessing it will get some women over on Quinn's side if they hear this.

But...the facts remain: Pat Quinn is ill-equipped to lead the State of Illinois back to prosperity.

Former Head of Quinn's Scandal-Plagued NRI Will Actually Show Up!?!

Photo via the Sun-Times

Well, well, well.  Things are certainly looking like they'll get interesting at the October 8th legislative hearing on Governor Quinn's scandal-plagued NRI slush fund program.  The top dog has said she'll be there and is ready to squawk.  

The former head of the state agency Gov. Pat Quinn put in charge of his failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative anti-violence grant program will answer questions from a legislative panel next week, her lawyer said Tuesday. 

Barbara Shaw, the one-time director of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority is regarded as a pivotal witness with firsthand knowledge of the preparation and roll-out of the $54.5 million grant program that is now under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in Springfield and Chicago. 

“We’re prepared to respond to the questions that are asked of her,” Shaw’s attorney, John Theis, told Early & Often, the Chicago Sun-Times’ political portal. 

“Naturally, it’s always a concern when people are out there, and there’s an active investigation, but Barbara won’t be asserting any 5th Amendment privilege,” Theis said.

There's no doubt that the Republicans in Illinois - MY Party - can use this as a big opportunity to lead. But...let's focus on the important pieces and not make this a partisan witch hunt, guys.

Focus on the money.  The lost, squandered, wasted taxpayer money.  Please?

Reason #4 To Vote For Paul Schimpf: Less Corruption Leads To Better Economy

From the Paul Schimpf for Illinois Attorney General campaign comes reason #4 to vote for him over Lisa Madigan:  He will prioritize anti-corruption which will lead to a stronger economy here in Illinois.

The economic and fiscal situation in Illinois has its citizens leaving the state at an increasingly rapid rate. In addition to a failing economy, Illinoisans are overtaxed. According to a recent study, excessive corruption in Illinois costs each individual over $1300 per year, totaling $16.8 Billion in wasted tax dollars annually. Illinois simply cannot afford to outsource this problem to the Department of Justice. As Attorney General, my prioritization of anti-corruption efforts will reduce this burden on taxpayers and help get Illinois back on track.

IHSA Is Taking It's Ball And Going Home

The IHSA has had enough with Representative Linda Chapa LaVia's shenanigans and has decided to just not attend the kangaroo court that Chapa LaVia has set up.

They've (rightfully) pointed this out as a waste of time but to date, Representative Linda Chapa Lavia hasn't changed her mind.  Shame on her.

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced today that it will have no official presence at Friday’s Elementary & Secondary Education Committee hearing. The notice came via a video announcement to member schools from Executive Director Marty Hickman on Monday after he was informed that the IHSA will be unable to testify or call witnesses during the hearing. 

“No one with a sense of fairness would schedule a meeting like this and there is no reason for IHSA supporters to waste their time and money to attend,” said Hickman. “We plan to let the 700-plus IHSA supporters who have voted online in opposition of these hearings and the 25 pages of testimony they submitted on our behalf speak for us in absentia on Friday.” 

The timing of the hearing, which is scheduled for Friday, October 3 at 4:00 p.m. at South Shore High School in Chicago, has drawn the ire of IHSA member schools, media like the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as committee member Barbara Wheeler. In a press release last week, Wheeler called the timing of the hearing “political shenanigans”, pointing out that it is scheduled for a time that will make it difficult for IHSA supporters to attend. 

In the video statement, Hickman went on to say “the process used by Representative Chapa LaVia is counter to every principle of fundamental fairness high school students learn when they participate in the interscholastic programs at their school. This process is like teaching students that you can silence your critics by setting up rules that don’t let them have a voice.” 

The committee revealed Monday that it will call four witnesses during the hearing, all which appear to be related to catastrophic injuries in high school sports. Last October, the IHSA worked with State Representative Will Davis and Illinois State Senator Napolean Harris on “Rocky’s Law”, which requires high schools in Illinois to provide minimum catastrophic insurance coverage to student-athletes. The IHSA facilitated coverage options for schools and monitored member school compliance with the law. The IHSA has independently provided catastrophic insurance coverage for student-athletes competing in postseason IHSA State Series events for several decades.

Sandack Stands Up For Suburbs On Education Funding Bill

State Representative Ron Sandack again finds himself on the front lines of a battle down in Springfield.  This time, it is about education funding - specifically SB16 - and he's fighting to make sure folks don't short-change the suburbs.  Good on him.

“During his remarks, Senator Manar himself admitted that SB16 still needs work. Why would any legislator knowingly approve a bad bill? This ‘pass it now and we’ll fix it later’ mentality is dangerous and it’s how bad bills end up becoming bad laws in our state. 

“The Senator certainly looked agitated and bothered as he was taking his personal shots at me and my House Resolution this morning. But we suburban legislators are taking all of this very personally. He is taking aim at our schools and defunding them. 

“Had he read HR1276, Senator Manar would have seen clear language promoting a thoughtful and thorough process for complete education funding reform. My public statements regarding the dangers of SB16 have always included references to the need for comprehensive reforms so that all students across the state can be college and career ready. 

“The Senator spoke at length about the bipartisan process that led to the creation of the Education Funding Advisory Committee’s report. But activity over the summer has been completely partisan. Republicans only learned of the SB16 meetings from education advocacy groups who alerted us to the fact that the meetings were taking place. Senator Manar’s claims that the process remains bipartisan are completely false. 

“During his remarks, Senator Manar, a Democrat, said that school funding proration has been devastating to Illinois schools, yet he takes no responsibility for the fact that the Democrats are the ones who have created budgets that have cut education spending by more than $600 million since 2009. Simply making wise financial decisions that start with funding education at 100% would go far in addressing many schools’ struggles. 

“I invite Senator Manar to dispense with the angry partisan bickering and secret Democrats-only meetings and engage in a full and open discussion about education funding reform. We need to bring all stakeholders to the table and talk outside of the parameters of SB 16, which directly threatens suburban schools.”

Mike Frerichs: Pay No Attention To Our Goals. They're Constantly Changing

Even in their desperate-sounding email fundraising pleas, the Mike Frerichs for Treasurer campaign can't get their story straight!

In their first breathless email blast yesterday, they pointed out that they were just '210 donors away' from their goal.

But then in their evening email blast, they changed their mind and said that they were aiming for a different goal; this time a dollar amount.

What particular kind of 'crazy' is running things down there in Champaign?  You guys can't have it both ways.

And...is this the kind of crazy accounting that Mike Frerichs' team will bring to the Treasurer's office?  If...the top line numbers aren't performing, they're going to point everyone to a different set of stats?

Bad White Sox Season Is Bad For Illinois

You guys probably know that the Good Guys on the South Side play in a State-owned ballpark, but it turns out there are incentives in place.

Turns out that the Sox have to sell a certain number of tickets for the State to take a piece of the action.

The 2014 season also will mark another season that the White Sox avoid having to pay ticket fees to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns the taxpayer-funded U.S. Cellular Field.

In addition to the team's annual rent payment of $1.5 million, the Sox must pay a fee of between $3 and $7 for every ticket sold above the 1.9 million mark.

It hasn't done so in years. Even when the Sox topped 2 million in paid attendance in 2011, it fell short of the ticket fee bar because the total included about 130,000 "comp" tickets — those given away to sponsors or sold for less than $3.