Cucina Bella, the fine restaurant in Downtown Algonquin, was the site of the latest Republican Party rally.
While it was headlined by GOP congressional candidates Jeanne Ives and Jim Oberweis, what impressed me most about the event was the incredible enthusiasm for the election of Mike Buehler for McHenry County Board Chairman.
Those attending really want to get rid of Jack Franks as McHenry County Board Chairman.
The campaign appears to be turning into a bare knuckles fight with Buehler quoting the State Police subpoena‘s allegations of criminal sexual abuse, official misconduct, stalking and aggravated battery.
Buehler also brought up the fact that former State Representative Franks can’t enter the State Capitol “without an armed guard.”
Later he asked, “Is this somebody you want working in the County building?
“Would you want your daughter working in the County Building?”
The Republican candidate also reminded people of the memo Franks wrote a new Governor Rod Blagojevich asking for patronage appointments for friends and family.
All that was missing was a poster like this:
“He [Franks] has been caught by [McHenry County Auditor] Shannon [Teresi} so many times,” Buehler continued.
Buehler stressed that he would work with County Board members “as a team.”
He added that he would not have conflicts of interest with the County’s lobbyist because there would be none.
Turning to patronage that Franks’s County patronage workers, the Republican pointed out that they will have cost taxpayers over $1 million during Frank’s four years.
“I don’t need a staff.
“I’ll return my own phone calls,” the small businessman said.
That’s when he dropped the sexual allegation bombs quoted above.
“We’re going to bring back confidence in McHenry County,” he concluded.
That applause and shouting was loud following Buehler’s short talk.
There’s much more to the gathering that will be covered in subseqnt articles.
Can’t wait to see the evil mail poster that the “Integrity Fund” is going to print up.
Maybe they’ll put a mask over Mr. B’s eyes…………………………….Kinda like Tarios. LOL
Anybody can talk, only the brave take action.
Its truly amazing to me that the McHenry County GOP cannot figure out how to run a real campaign against Jack Franks.
Buehler seems… fine.
He is definitely a better candidate than Walkup.
But the inability to raise any money to put together a basic professional campaign is baffling to me.
Buehler has proven himself in many ways.
This is an outstanding candidate.
Isn’t running for office taking action?
Or at least the first required step?
Buehler is an excellent candidate and will make for a much better chairman than Franks and his “Madigan” way of doing business.
If Buehler is an outstanding and excellent candidate, where is the money?
How much money has he raised? Where is his actual campaign?
Talking to local activists and getting coverage on this blog is not going to be enough.
I have seen nothing that shows me that Jack Franks has anything to worry about in this campaign.
And that is very confusing to me, because it shouldn’t be that hard to make this race competitive.
All I can say is the next guy best undo the injustices this one has created with breaking our labor laws those positions best be eliminated as we did not need them before we don’t need them now!
Being an excellent candidate and being able to raise money are two different things.
Just look around to our existing politicians for a real world example.
I think where we differ is how we define a good candidate.
Since the left only cares about winning, raising money makes you an excellent candidate to them as they have no morals and don’t care about the rest.
A truly excellent candidate is actually qualified for the job and wants to do a good job.
Sadly, that actually makes it harder to raise money compared to those who exchange favors for donations.
**Being an excellent candidate and being able to raise money are two different things. Just look around to our existing politicians for a real world example.**
This is weird. So that we can hopefully be talking about the same thing. There is a big difference between a good candidate and a good elected official. Sometimes someone can be both. But you typically don’t get the chance to be a good elected official if you are not a good candidate (though, don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of exceptions to that and a lot of bad candidates win races).
**Since the left only cares about winning**
Is that supposed to be a criticism? is there another goal of an electoral campaign?
Look – someone can be great on the issues, and would be great at the job, but if a Republican candidate cannot put together a campaign to be competitive against a Democrat in a county that leans Republican, especially when the Democrat has some pretty serious allegations against him, I’m not sure how that GOP candidate is a great candidate.
Also, to be clear, being a good candidate is NOT just about raising money (though it is definitely part of it). I’ll say it again – I have seen nothing from Buehler that makes me think that he can and will put together any kind of campaign that Jack Franks will be worried about. Preaching to the choir is not how you win converts. What is he doing to appeal to folks outside of the McHenry County Republican activists? I sure haven’t seen any of it.
Bill Clow…… now there’s a real pig in a poke for you. That patronage pig bragged that he worked 2.75 days in his whole life in government service!
I honestly don’t know know what he has done and agree that he should be trying to appeal to the people who usually don’t pay attention.
I’ll rephrase it and say Buehler would make an excellent chairman.
All the things you pointed out are problems with the Republican party that I generally agree with, that is why I have always considered myself independent.
As far as caring only about winning, yes I think that’s a bad thing.
Of course many people will disagree with me and say winning is everything, you have to win first to do anything else. To a point yes, but there is a line out there somewhere, and I believe that where you decide to draw it says a lot about a person.
The political left just tends to be more willing to keep pushing that line.
AlabamaShake is 100% correct with their assessment.
McGOP can’t find a serious contender to run against Franks’ sexual predator allegations which any serious candidate would have no problem winning against.
It takes money to get your name recognition and message out to the people and Buehler has failed at that.
A few PC’s saying, “Hey vote for Buehler” isn’t going to cut it against this incumbent especially since the local GOP’s opinion doesn’t hold weight anymore like it use to.
It is time for Buehler to kick his campaign into a much much higher gear.
Back slapping helps get your courage up but doesn’t really do anything to change the losing trajectory of Mike’s…. campaign.
True campaigning is 18 hour days meeting every single person in your voting district.
It takes recognition there is an alternative to the incumbent and why the usurper should be considered.
Mike is losing.
Badly.
Jack still isn’t even remotely threatened or worried.
Annoyed?
You bet.
Worried.
Not on your life.
If Jack is, in fact, the nothing we know he is what does it say about all of McHenry County’s GOP pols this nothing feels completely safe to meddle in outside races while barely paying attention to his own?
I recently laughed at a friend saying the McHenry GOP is populated with people of “galactic incompetence” because they can’t even lay a glove on an insanely damaged candidate.
A candidate who now invites, funds and grows Democrat candidates in a county once deeply filled with conservative values.
Things are funny when there’s truth to them.
Mike’s “campaign” isn’t funny or fun.
Work harder.
The women, and all people, of McHenry County deserve better than a misogynist serial dolt who clearly does whatever he wishes because no one will stop him.
If you want to get rid of “sexual allegations” Jack Franks, then get up off your lazy #$%-es, quit this #$%&^-ing like a bunch of twits, and VOLUNTEER and DONATE to Mike’s campaign.
Or shut your traps, curtsy and genuflect, and accept four more years of Jack Franks…
I came home from church today and there was a jack Frank’s sign in my yard.
I did NOT authorize that! Is that legal?
Oh, yeah.
I forgot.
Democrats are not subject to laws.
What town are you from?