Treasurer Mike Frerichs Loves Him Some Sashes

There's a long history on the Illinois Truth Team of Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs and his love of wearing a sash.  Yeah...like European Royalty, Mike Frerichs will take EVERY OPPORTUNITY to put on a sash and act all important.

We've covered it here and here.  We also covered that one time that Mike Frerichs wore a sash on Chicago Tonight (he didn't).  And how he wore his favorite sash when he met with Michelle Obama (he didn't).   Or that time he wore his giant sash to a fundraiser in Highland Park.

What is interesting to us that in all of those photos there are lots of other politicians that are marching in the various parades right next to Mike Frerichs who opt for NOT wearing the sash.  Here's one with Mike rockin' his lovely sash right next to Senator Dick Durbin, who wisely decided to not wear a sash.  

So, this weekend, imagine our delight when we see Mike's crew posting a series of photos on Facebook of the Treasurer at the Greek Independence Day Parade in Chicago.  Guess who's wearing the sash again?!?  Yep.

I can hear it now:

Frerichs to his sash:  "I can't quit you."

What strikes us the most in this photo is how Toni Preckwinckle has wisely decided to NOT wear the sash.

"Hi.  I'm Mike.  You're on a float and we can almost see eye-to-eye.  Do you like my sash?"

Mr. Treasurer: You've Learned Your Lesson!

Well, well, well...look at what Mr. Mike Frerichs - our newest Illinois State Treasurer showed up wearing at a Habitat for Humanity build this weekend:  gasp!  Work clothes!?!

Good for him.  He's clearly learned his lesson from the last time he did one of these things:  he wore a suit to the last one and we ridiculed him for it endlessly this past year.

But...as we learned the hard way...it didn't really matter.  Oh well.   The Truth Team did everything we could, but now we wish Mike well in his new job.  The State of Illinois is counting on you.

Congrats, Mike.  Here's hoping you don't wear any earmuffs on big inauguration day today!

What Were Mike Frerichs And Lisa Madigan Discussing This AM?

Over on Twitter, Mike Frerichs posted this photo of himself with some other members of the Democrat ticket.  We have to ask:  What were Mike and Lisa Madigan discussing?!?

We'll make this multiple choice:

Was it...

A. Their shared participation in patronage scandals
B. The times Mike diss'd the Speaker and what he can do to get back in good graces
C. The Frerichs Vortex and what happened to Ann Callis

Mike Frerichs' 'Friend' Caught Up In Hiring Scandal, Deletes Twitter Handle?

There's lots of layers to this onion that you have to peel back, but it looks like something fishy has been going on with Mike Frerichs and his "friend" Anne Szkatulski.

Read the whole piece here.

Henry County Democrats Forget Their Address In Mailer

We can't let a typo/mistake from someone go by without covering it, right?  After all...we *are* the Truth Team, right?!?

Well...check out the Henry County Democrats mailer above.  They got their Union bug in there, but didn't pay attention to the address lines?!?

Whoops.  Guess they have the same campaign staff as the Mike Frerichs for Illinois Treasurer campaign.  They both must have not filled that role for a copywriter/proofer that was posted on Craigslist earlier this summer.  Bummer.

H/T to the Goliath Slayer!

Exclusive Footage: Mike Frerichs Gets Ready For TV News Interview

Some politicians have their staff apply a little powder to take down the shine.  Others rehearse their talking points.

But...we have this exclusive footage of Mike Frerichs - candidate for Illinois Treasurer - getting ready for his latest TV news interview.    Check out the footage captured (unfortunately...it appears that the camera started rolling AFTER he had already removed his sash...).

Thanks to the tipster for sending this in:

Mike Frerichs Forced To Take An Awkward, Wide Stance

You have all probably heard stories or have checked out photos of tv reporters doing weird things to get the 'on camera shot' to look right.  A lot of them stand on things like crates to get the framing right.  See this shot below as an example:

But...what made us think about this phenomenon is that the Mike Frerichs campaign team decided to post a REALLY awkward photo of their candidate on their own Facebook page.  They didn't think about cropping it, we assume, or else they would have.  Because...it makes their guy look super weird.

Listen...we get it that being tall is Mike's *thing*.  After all, he's spent almost a million bucks telling voters that...wait for it....he's.....tall.  Yep.  That he's tall.

But...the photo that his campaign team brought this to life (for us at least) in a new hilarious way.

Check out what Mike Frerichs had to do to get on camera.  We've hear about politicians getting into trouble for having a 'wide stance' but this is different:

Too funny.  His legs are just about at the same angle as the tripod legs.

We can imagine the conversation:

Guy behind the camera:  Umm...well.....ummm (nervous hemming and hawing)

MF:  What's up?  Something wrong?

GBTC:  Well...(more nervous hemming and hawing...)

MF:  Oh...I get it.  The sun is really reflecting off my sash too much.  It is creating a glare.  Let me take it off.

GBTC:  Umm...sure...that's fine.  But that's not it.

MF:  Oh...is it the earmuffs?  I'll take those off, too.

GBTC:  Well...yeah...it is a good idea to lose those.  I mean...it is like 60 degrees down here in Quincy today.  They seemed odd to me, but I *get* that those 'muffs are your calling card.

MF:  Ok...so if it isn't my sash creating a glare or my earmuffs causing a distraction...what is it?

GBTC:  Well....Mike...we can't get you in the shot.  We're cutting your head off.  You're...just...too tall.

MF:  Oh...I hear that all the time.  Have you seen my commercial?!?

GBTC:  Yes...Mike...I have.

MF:  (leans in) You like it right?

GBTC:  Umm...sure.  But...about this shot right now Mike.  Can you....ummm...maybe....bend down a bit?

MF:  Bend down?

GBTC:  Yeah.

MF:  How about this....I'll spread my legs out really far and look awkward...but it'll lower me down a few inches like a giraffe does when they try to lay down to sleep.

GBTC:  Works for me!

Well...Now It Is Just Getting Weird, Mike Frerichs...

Having a costume on Halloween *could* demonstrate to voters that a politician is 'real' or 'grounded'.
But two costumes in as many days?

That's starting to drift towards Halloween addict.  

We posted the two different Halloween face paint setups that Mike Frerichs has shown on Facebook in the last 24 hours.

But...now things are getting a bit weird.  He's up with his third 'look' and it is the most odd, in our opinion.  Here's the latest photo he posted on his Facebook Wall:

Happy Halloween?

Happy Halloween From Rahm Emanuel And Mike Frerichs

We weren't expecting this!  We wouldn't have thought that a guy who is in a race for Illinois Treasurer (Mike Frerichs) and Da Mare (Rahm Emanuel) would have time for a costume party.

But...we guess we were wrong.  Good to see Rahm have a sense of humor....

And...it appears that Frerichs is really taking this whole Halloween thing to a new level as he posted what looks like him in a tv interview with a whole new set of spooky makeup?!?

Mike Frerichs Stays At Paul Simon's House On Campaign Trail

Yesterday, Mike Frerichs was crowing about his whereabouts all day on social media and he capped off his day with a post that a tween would have posted where he boasted about where he was staying for the night.

As you can see above, there are 8 photos included in his posting.  But...it turns out there was a bit more footage that Mike Frerichs left off his Facebook post.

We were lucky enough to get this footage straight from the late Senator Simon's security cameras of Mike Frerichs as he tried to figure out how to use the miniature fixtures in the bathroom:

Illinois Politician Mike Frerichs' Voting Record

Mike Frerichs is now running for Illinois Treasurer.  And next week, on Nov. 4th, voters will get to decide if he should be elected.

But, before you head to the polling place and cast your vote, we think it is important to examine Mike Frerichs' voting record and use that as a way to judge how you should vote.

Let's get started...

As a current Illinois State Senator, Mike Frerichs has voted to raise *A LOT* of taxes.

He voted to tax your cable tv service, internet service, bicycles, diaper services, school buses and even wheelchairs.

Wheelchairs?!?

Yes...Mike Frerichs even voted to tax wheelchairs.

But Mike Frerichs also raised taxes on just about every business in Illinois.

The facts are too strong:  Illinois can't afford Mike Frerichs as our next State Treasurer.

Vote 'No' on Mike Frerichs next week.

Mike Frerichs' Record On Taxes

Mike Frerichs is running for Illinois State Treasurer.  We have to ask: What is his record on taxes.

The facts of Mike Frerichs' on taxes:

1.  Mike Frerichs has supported billions of dollars in budget hikes and Frerichs voted with Governor Pat Quinn for the biggest 'tax increase in State of Illinois history'.

2.  Mike Frerichs then decided he didn't think he had to pay his property taxes for almost seven years.   He just ignored the tax bills when they arrived every year.

Seriously.

Don't believe us?  Just...Check out this news report from WCCU Broadcast news here in Illinois:

What Is Mike Frerichs' Campaign Slogan?

So...what exactly *is* Mike Frerichs' - who is running for Illinois Treasurer campaign - campaign slogan?  

It isn't "Standing Tall".  Nope.  It is "Telling Tall Tales".

Why?  Because you can't trust Mike Frerichs.  Not with our tax dollars.   

Frerichs vs. Cross in Illinois

In just one week, voters all across Illinois will have a clear choice in the Illinois Treasurer's race.

Before you enter the polling place, you have to ask yourself:

Do you want more spending and higher taxes?  Then vote for Mike Frerichs.

Or...do you want bold leadership to clean up Illinois and work to balance the budget?

If so, cast your vote for Tom Cross for Illinois Treasurer.

The choice seems *very* clear to us.

We can't afford to elect Mike Frerichs.  Illinois needs Tom Cross as our next State Treasurer.

Mike Frerichs vs. Tom Cross for Illinois Treasurer

For Illinois Treasurer, the choice - for voters on November 4th, 2014 - is clear.

Tom Cross has a plan to stop the dishonest budget gimmicks and force the state's balanced budget requirement.

Mike Frerichs has supported billions of dollars in budget hikes and Frerichs voted with Governor Pat Quinn for the biggest 'tax increase in State of Illinois history'.

After voting to raise your taxes, Mike Frerichs failed to pay his property taxes for six years.

The Chicago Tribune endorsed Tom Cross for Treasurer.

The Chicago Tribune said this about Mike Frerichs: "Mike Frerichs does a better job of protecting state government than protecting state taxpayers."

Illinois can't afford Mike Frerichs.


Want to learn more?  Check out the detailed bio of Mike Frerichs here.

Growing the IL Economy "From The Middle Out" (As Long As It Includes French Cuff Shirts!)

Funny how things work out in politics.  Earlier this month, the Chicago Tribune covered how President Obama and Governor Pat Quinn moaned about income inequality and the middle class at a speech at Northwestern just minutes after hosting a $50K per person lunch.

Voters who pay attention can see right through those shenanigans.

And, now...look at Mike Frerichs - who is running for Illinois Treasurer.  He's been crowing about 'growing the Illinois economy from the middle out' and 'banking deserts' and such.  But...as for his own tastes?  He's quite fancy.

He's well known for his love of wearing a sash.  And earmuffs.  But take a peek at him at yesterday's event in Rockford.

Listen...those folks in the 'middle class':  he knows your pain.  As long as your pain includes having to wait for the dry cleaner to open up in the morning so you can get your french cuff shirts.

Exclusive: Frerichs' Campaign Staff Reaction To Latest Poll

This is what you look like after you've run your glib campaign ad on Chicago broadcast tv for two weeks while your opponent is dark... yet after pushing 800 GRPS, your pollster shares his results and you discover that you've failed to sway any voters in Illinois.

Measure up, indeed.

7 Is Bigger Than 17 In One Politician's World

We teased yesterday the big mistake that Mike Frerichs made in the release of his latest infographic.

And today, we're here to share it with you.  

This is the latest in a long (unbelievably long, actually) string of mistakes and errors coming out of the Mike Frerichs campaign.  Based on their record, one can only assume that they're either very lazy or just plain dumb.  Either one is a bad trait for a politician.  

In Mike Frerichs' world, 7% is apparently 'more' than 17%.  See his chart here:

If 'underbanked' is 17% of the population of Illinois, why is that segment of his 'pie chart' smaller than the orange 'unbanked' population - which he claims to be 7%.  Shouldn't the white segment be a bit bigger?  And the orange one smaller?  

Attention to detail is NOT something they teach at Yale, we guess.  Germanic Studies FTW!

Of Course! Mike Frerichs Rolls Out Infographic, Includes Errors

You remember the last time Mike Frerichs - candidate for Illinois Treasurer - rolled out a policy-based infographic, don't you?  He had five - count 'em - five mistakes/errors.

You can see one of them here where he used 'compliment' instead of 'complement'.  And you can see the full list of the mistakes here.

Well...this morning, "Tax Hike" Mike Frerichs rolled out another infographic.  This time about 'banking deserts'.

And...in typical Mike Frerichs campaign fashion, they goofed up.  We've cropped just a little bit of the infographic they so gleefully emailed around this morning.

Can you spot the mistake?

We'll give the Frerichs campaign some time to come clean and fix the graphic before we post the details of their errors.

You'll Never Believe What This Illinois Politician Wore On TV

Talk about self-important.  Mike Frerichs - who is running for Illinois State Treasurer - loves himself something good.  So much so, that he goes around wearing a 'sash'.  He's worn it plenty of times before (see some of them here), but this is the first time we've seen him wear one as he was about to go on television (Chicago Tonight).

Do we really need a politician in Illinois who wears a sash?  We don't think so.  Let's back someone who is a bit more real.  A bit more down to earth.  A bit more...can we say 'sash-less'?!?