State Senator Paul Schimpf, the man who was brave enough to take on Lisa Madigan for Attorney General, explains the message he gave at Lincoln Day Dinners in his district:

“Last Thursday and Saturday, I gave keynote addresses at the Jackson and Perry County Lincoln Day Dinners.  As part of my speeches, I talked about what the Illinois Republican Party needs to stand for.  You can see some pictures from both events here.

“ow that we already have a Party Platform.  That platform, however, does not translate into a 5 second message that is understandable by Illinoisans who try to think as little as possible about politics (can you blame them?).

“For me, the Illinois Republican Party stands for three things:

• Responsible Government
• Safe Families
• Economic Growth Through Capitalism

“Now we can–and should–talk about issues like the 2nd Amendment, lower taxes, and protecting our most vulnerable.  But when we discuss those issues, it should be within the context of those three above categories. 

“An example would be:  ‘A responsible government does not increase spending across-the-board when it is already running a $17B structural deficit and a $138B pension shortfall.’

“Or:  ‘We care about keeping your family safe.  That’s why we believe that the Department of Corrections should turn illegal immigrant inmates with felony convictions over to ICE, rather than releasing them into the general public.’

“we make our case to the voters over the summer and fall, we need to be the party that stands for responsible government, safe families, and economic growth through capitalism.  I hope you’ll join me in using this description of what the Republican Party stands for!”