McHenry County Blog

It won’t be Ghostbusters.

The Senate roll call of override of Governor Pat Quinn’s Senate Bill 9. which overrides an Illinois Commerce Commission decision,  is below:

Besides two of three State Senators representing McHenry County–Pam Althoff and Karen McConnaughay–potential candidates for the Republican nomination for Governor–Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard–voted for the electric rate hike.

State Senator Dan Duffy voted to uphold the Governor’s veto.

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The House voted Wednesday to override the veto. You can see who voted in favor of raising electric rates in the roll call below:

Voting in favor were all local state reperesentatives:

• Jack Franks
• David McSweeney
• Tim Schmitz
• Mike Tryon
• Barbara Wheeler

An email from Bill Brady:

“In 2010, when I led the ticket, Republicans elected a United States Senator, four new Congressmen and several new state legislators. 

“I unfortunately fell short by less than one percent – a swing of just 16,000 votes out of the more than 3.5 million cast.  

“There’s no question that Illinois is worse off than we were four years ago and that there’s still much work to be done to rebuild our economy and rein in our state spending.

“I am now asked every day whether I will run for Governor again in 2014, and I want you to know that Nancy, my campaign and I are laying the groundwork to finish the job we started together three years ago.

“Our state debt has now soared to a staggering $21,607 for every resident of Illinois.  Under Governor Quinn, more than 290,000 jobs have been lost.  Wall Street has lost confidence in Illinois and downgraded our credit rating 11 times alone since 2009 when Quinn took office – more than half the total downgrades in our state’s entire history.

“Illinois is at a tipping point.  We’ve suffered a decade of decline, debt and despair under two Democrat governors.  Our challenges are great, and our state’s leadership has proved itself weak.  People may debate my solutions, but they should never doubt my resolve to helping lead Illinois toward a brighter future.

“We need to
reduce our debt
fix the pension system
reinstate sound fiscal principles in the state of Illinois 

“Illinois families and employers continue to face tough times with unemployment, the economy and out-of-control government spending.  The decisions we make today in response to those challenges will affect us for the next generation.

“We must continue to work to rebuild our economy, encourage our employers to invest in Illinois, reduce the size and cost of government and provide greater opportunities for our children.  

“I am committed to making the necessary tough decisions to bring Illinois back to the greatness we once knew.

“Polling shows that I have earned far more support and recognition than any of the other Republicans who have expressed interest in running in 2014. 

“Just as importantly, polling shows that I am best positioned to take back the Governor’s Office, no matter who the Democrat nominee is. 

“Unlike others, I  have shown I can build an enthusiastic first-class organization, raise the millions of dollars necessary and withstand the white-hot scrutiny of the media and Democrats in a hotly contested gubernatorial contest.

“I hope you’ll offer me your advice over the next several weeks as I continue to travel throughout the state speaking to Illinois citizens and make my final decision.   

“I want to hear what you think, the issues you consider important and the suggestions you may have to resolve those many challenges we face.   Another email in the near future will contain an on-line issues poll that will take only a few moments to answer.

And I hope you’ll take a minute right now to support my efforts with your most generous contribution.    .    Your contributions and support in 2010 almost put us over the top.  This will be another hard-fought campaign, and your investment today is important to the decisions I make.  You may click on the link above to contribute by credit card, or you may send your contribution to the address below.

Thanks for your past support, and together, you and I can finish the job and set Illinois on a better course for our families.

Pretty amazing that a losing Congressional candidate would be interviewed by liberal commentator Carol Marin, but on Wednesday night, there was Joe Walsh, all alone, answering her questions on WTTW.

Under the posted interview is the following explanation:

“National star of the Republican Party, Joe Walsh, joins us to talk about the state of the GOP in Illinois, and what’s next on his agenda.”

Walsh was asked if he were running again for something.

“You wouldn’t deny that, would you?”

“Not at all,” Walsh replied in his calm TV manner.

“I don’t know if another run is in the cards. That’s in God’s hands.”

Marin interspersed comments by Walsh that made nightly news shows during the campaign.

Acknowledging the “gotcha” kind of politics we live in, Walsh replied by explaining that he had more constituent contact than any other congressman and it was impossible not to make mistakes here and there.

With regard to his lack of reaction to the attacks made on him with regard to abortion, he said that he should have pointed out that Tammy Duckworth favored using taxpayer dollars to finance abortions. [My disagreement with that approach has already been written.]

“We train our politicians to act like seals and not say anything to offend voters,” Walsh said.

Marin wanted to know if the Tea Party ship had sailed.

“Gosh, no,” Walsh replied, saying the size of government and the problem of piling debt on the back of our children was still a fervent issue.

He pointed out that Tea Party adherents came with views on social issues than spanned the spectrum, but pointed out that he was “Pro-Life without exception.”

How about the chance to be a radio talk show host on WIND syndicated by the Salem Radio Network?

“There’s an opportunity.”

“There are discussions.”

And what did he say about potential Republican gubernatorial opponents and other Republicans?

• Bill Brady – Shouldn’t run again. He’s run twice.
• Kirk Dillard – Nice man. He’s been down in Springfield forever.
• Dan Rutherford – Nice man. He’s been down in Springfield forever.
• Adan Kinzinger – You know what, not as conservative as people think, but a good congressman.
• Christine Radogno – Part of the problem. The face of the Republican Party along with Tom Cross, a Republican Party in Illinois, Carol, that has been devoid of any ideas. We haven’t stood for anything, which has enabled the Democrats to run the state into the ground.
• Judy Baar Topinka – Go to Florida and just retire and have a good life.
• Bruce Rauner – He’s a Democrat. Bruce Runner and again I know got gazillion dollars and he wants to run for governor as a Republican. He’s Rahm Emmanuel’s best friend. He’s given Democrats more money than he’s given Republicans. He gave Mike Madigan’s House candidates money. I just don’t think he’s a Republican.
• Peter Roskam – Great congressman
• Randy Hultgren – Nice man. Very good congressman.
• Mark Kirk – God, it was good to see him walk up those steps and I hope and sincerely hope and pray every day that he can stay where he is and do his job. (So you would support him?) Oh, gosh yeah. And, again, Carol, Mark Kirk and I are very different Republicans, but we’re still under that big tent.

Last week Dee Beaubien (Ind.-Beaubien) played Rock-em-Sock-em with Dave McSweeney on the issue of abortion in the mailbox, on radio and television.

To that point McSweeney had taken the pinata approach to the campaign, much as State Senator Bill Brady did when he lost to Pat Quinn, who is filled out his Personal PAC questionnaire the same was Beaubien did, that is, as Tammy Duckworth put it forthrightly in the October 12th Chicago Tribune (for which I cannot find a satisfactory link, but have added the internet text to the right):

“Duckworth said she does not ‘support any restrictions of a woman’s right to choose or her access to safe, affordable reproductive health services.’”

That’s shorthand for “I think a woman should be able to abort her baby until the day before birth.”

Dee Beaubien shares Duckworth’s views. One can tell that from her Personal PAC endorsement.

Last week my wife told me that a Beaubien radio ad (WLS-FM, I beleive) said that McSweeney shared the views of foot-in-mouth Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin.

This week McSweeney counter attacked on the same oldies station (I believe) saying that charge was false, but then went on to counterattack on economic issues.

Seemed strange to me, but a strategist told me that he just didn’t want to fight on her turf.

Looking at McSweeney’s Saturday attack mailing on abortion, I guess it wasn’t an across the board decision to ignore Beaubien’s vulnerabilities on the issue.

Take a look at the mailing:

And, here’s the back of McSweeney’s abortion mailing:

Beaubien is said to

• support taxpayer-paid abortions
• oppose parental notification laws (minors getting abortions without their parents’ knowledge)
• oppose mandatory waiting periods before an abortion
• support abortion on demand
• support partial birth abortions

Instead of emphasizing these positions on the abortion issue, with which about three-fourths of the public agree with McSweeney, he stresses the contributions that Beaubien has made to Personal PAC, which virtually not one has ever heard of.

McSweeney does not state his position. As I understand it, he favors allowing abortion in instances of rape and incest and to save the life of the mother, something Beaubien material has denied.

Unfortunately for McSweeney, another mailing also arrived on Saturday, thus diluting the message.  Or maybe it was intentional.

The back of the economic piece:

In any campaign in which I have input my advice is to preempt the negatives.

If a candidate has something that can be attacked, it is better to frame the issue oneself than to allow one’s opponent to do so.

And, if one is too timid to follow that advice, then one should be ready to immediately reply.

When the first Personal PAC television hit ads attacking 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady were put up the week of the Family PAC Cruise in Chicago, I suggested to Bill that he should reply in kind.

Point out how radical Pat Quinn’s policy on abortion was.

But, no, Brady took the pinata approach.

“Hit me.

“Hit me again.

“Oh, I like it.

“It feels so good.

“Please inflict more damage.”

That seemed to be the reaction of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady on the abortion issue in 2010.

When I made my suggestion, Bill told me his poll results had gone up right after the TV ads were run.

And, he probably was following the advice of highly paid Establishment Republican consultants who advise just ignoring the abortion issue except to tell Pro-Lifers that one is Pro-Life.

That’s the standard line, both nationally and from state GOP leaders.

But, the Personal PAC beat went on, pounding out its “he’s an extremist” message and, cumulatively, I believe their ads and mailings were the reason that Brady lost his quest to be Illinois Governor.

In other words, the advice from the “experts” wasn’t so expert.

David McSweeney’s campaign handlers knew attacks on abortion from Personal PAC were coming.

After all, Terry Cosgrove encouraged Dee Beaubien to run. She’s an activist in their network.

And abortion is THE motivating issue for Dee Beaubien’s candidacy.

The only surprise was that Mike Madigan’s money financed abortion hit pieces before Personal PAC opened its pocketbook.

The first hit September 11th.

We are now over three weeks later and there has been no reply form the McSweeney camp.

On September 30th, a second abortion attack came from Madigan’s Illinois Democratic Party.

On the back of it–in big type–was the message,

“David McSweeney isn’t a doctor, but he wants to play one in Springfield.”

Whack.

Then, four days later, comes a third Democratic Party post card, the first Personal PAC mailing, TV ads, plus radio spots aimed at their interpretation of McSweeney’s abortion position.

Whack!

Whack!

Whack!

Whack!

OK.  The chance to frame the issue has been missed.

All that is left is a counterattack.

Candidate Tom Morrison put something out on abortion in his successful fight to beat Suzi Bassi in the Palatine-area Republican primary election two years ago.

He won.

Something like his comparison piece might help McSweeney, but I doubt it will turn the tide of public opinion on McSweeney’s abortion position as defined by the Democratic Party and Personal PAC.

McSweeney will definitely be playing defense on this issue he failed to inoculate himself on for the rest of the election.

Will he be able to pull off the fall election?

If he doesn’t take this on this abortion issue head on, even in this Republican district I have my doubts.

John Kass lamented the lack of an Illinois Scott Walker last Thursday.

He certainly is asking the right question:

“Where is Illinois’ Scott Walker?”

I was tempted to prepare a sign to affix to me chest asking.

“Are you the Illinois Scott Walker?”

but didn’t get around to it.

That thought pretty much left my mind until Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady started throwing red meat to the audience at the Tinley Park Convention.

“Isn’t it nice to see courage rewarded?” Brady asked after explaining his joy at watching Walker beat back the Democrats’ recall effort.

He noted with irony and derision Pat Quinn’s reaction, “Illinois is different.”

“We are under the thumb of a controlling, vindictive, ethically challenged, self-serving leprechaun, and I mean no disrespect to leprechauns, Speaker Mike Madigan,” Brady said, setting the tone of the gathering.

Brady pointed out that a mere 5,000 votes in the right House districts could have made Tom Cross Speaker.

And just 31,000 votes would have meant Bill Brady would have been elected Governor, instead of Quinn.

A pick of six seats in the Senate and six in the House would turn control over to the GOP.

Next came speeches by elected officials.

First up was Peoria’s Aaron Schock, first elected in 2008.

He told of passing federal free trade legislation for Columbia and having received a call from the CEO of Caterpillar Corporation, based in his home town. He was congratulated and told the a new plant would be built that would create 1,400 new jobs.

But, that the plant would not be build in Illinois because of our Workers’ Comp and tort liability laws.

“If we keep the same boneheads in Springfield, we won’t get the benefits,” Schock said.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross was next.

Signaling a line of attack against Democrats outside of Chicago, he pledged opposition to Mike Madigan’s and John Cullerton’s proposal to transfer $20 billion of teacher pension burden from state taxpayers to property taxpayers.

The man whose rant against Madigan’s one-man rule spread throughout television and the internet was introduced next.

“We want Mike! We want Mike!” spread throughout the room.

“If you take one thing out of this, other states don’t have one person that has total power,” Bost emphasized. “That’s a dictatorship!”

Former State Rep. and State Senator Randy Hultgren, elected to Congress in 2010 followed former colleague Bost.

“Illinois is broke.

“Illinois is broken.

“Reduced to a punchline.”

He told of being in Indiana and talked to its Governor, Mitch Daniels.

“Being Governor in the state next to Illinois is like living next to Homer Simpson.  Anything you do looks good.

“If Wisconsin can do it, Illinois can do it,” Hultgren concluded.

Adam Kinzinger, also elected in 2010, was next up.

“America is the greatest hope for civilization,” the Air Force pilot, now in the Illinois National Guard, started out.

He observed that young folks signing up for the Armed Forces today at age 18 were only 7 on 9-11.

“America is worth defending and I will defend it,” he said movingly.

“The American DNA is a winning DNA.

“The defense of this country also extends here at home.

“We have to beat Mike Madigan.

“We have to build a brick wall in Illinois” so Nancy Pelosi’s prediction that “the route to the [Democratic Party congressional] majority goes through Illinois.,”Kinzinger concluded.

Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno  stepped to the podium.

“We need reinforcements.

“We can’t do it without you.

“You are the grass roots.

“The wave is coming and we’re going to ride it.”

Brady then introduced Congressman Joe Walsh, also in his first term.

He noted that Walsh got no help from the Republican Party in his narrow victory over Democrat Melissa Bean, but “that won’t happen again.”

“There is no person they want to beat more than Joe Walsh.”

Walsh entered to a standing ovation.

He began his speech by relating that he was a naturally smiling Irish Catholic guy.

Then there was the “but.”

“I did not go to Washington last year to smile.

“There’s very little subtle about Joe Walsh.

“When I say the President has not freaking clue what he is doing, I mean every word of it.”

Then Walsh took after Mike Madigan.

“No one person should run a state.

“He is a king.

“He is a dictator.

“He is corrupt.

“He symbolizes everything that is wrong in Illinois.

“Shame on us for not having the courage and the fortitude to say that.”

Moving on to his re-election race against Tammy Duckworth, whose name he did not mention, Walsh said, “This White House and the entire Demcoratic Party has a target on my back.

He explained that he “just goe[es] and say[s] what [he] mean[s].

“Amazing things begin to happen.”

Walsh referenced John Kass’ column:

“Where is Illinois’ Scott Walker?”

[At this point I began wondering if he was standing on the stage.]

“The Republican Party has been compliant.

“We’ve lost our way.

“Every nine minutes somebody move out of this state,” he said emphasizing it was taxpayers moving elsewhere.

“That’s terrible.

“We can’t let that happen.”

Ratcheting up the rhetoric Walsh proclaimed Illinois Republicans “must stand for everything that the Mike Madigans don’t.

“We don’t stand for making everybody dependent on government.

“We stand for the opposite.

“We’re the party of everything else.

“I’m gong to ask you to be responsible for your own life.”

[Hear Joe Walsh's speech, posted by The Prairie State Review, here.]

Another standing ovation occurred after Walsh finished his speech.

Freshman Congressman Bobby Shilling spoke next.

I didn’t get a chance to take notes, but I did get a decent close-up.

After him State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, head of the Mitt Romney effort in Illinois in 2008 and 2012, spoke.

He is widely thought to be laying the groundwork for a campaign for Governor in 2014.

A video greeting from State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka completed the speeches.

The Chicago Tribune article by Rick Pearson failed to mention that Walsh even spoke, not to mention that he was greeted with a standing ovation and another one after he finished his speech.

He did note the attacks on Mike Madigan.

= = = = =

In the John Kass piece, the columnist mentions Walsh, but not favorably.

“I’m not talking about a Republican who’d scream with veins popping out of his or her neck and a wild angry look in the eye.  If you want someone in your face, you’ve got Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, and you can have him.  What was compelling about Walker wasn’t his in-you-face personality.  It was his ideas.”

But, as Party Chairman Pat Brady reporting Demcoratic Party Governor as saying, Illinois is different.”

From the crowd’s reaction to Walsh, I think Kass’ take on Walsh was not shared by a large proportion of the Republicans in attendance.

Radogno, Dillard and Brady.

Those are the three names to remember if you get get a computer=generated speeding ticket as a result of legislation that just passed the Illinois State Senate and is headed for a House vote.

The legislation, Senate Bill 965, passed 32-24.

It takes 30 votes to pass a bill.

Three Republican State Senators voted for the bill.

Do the math.

If Radogno, Dillard and Brady had voted “No,” the bill would have failed.

Christine Radogno.

She’s the top Republican Party leader in the State Senate.

What was she thinking?

If we believe Jim Tobin, the bill’s primary purpose is to raise revenue.  It’s not for the kids.

Tobin has credibility on his charge that Mayor Rahm Emmanuel will use the money to pay pensions for city employees because he was the first to point out that the Democrats’ 67% income tax hike would go to pay state pensions (one of which I receive for having served as State Representative for 16 years, McHenry County Treasurer for 4 and as a state bureaucrat for 4).

In any event, GOP Leader Radogno was following the lead of Chicago Democrats, not her suburban constituents who will complain loudly when they start getting this $100 tickets.

Kirk Dillard.

The man who almost won the Republican nomination for Governor in 2010.

He’s a suburbanite.

As with the residents of Radogno’s district, Dillard’s constituents will be hurt by this bill.

Word is that he wants to run for Governor again.

Maybe he would have won last time, if he had not been one of the DuPage County Republican State Senators (along with Dan Cronin and John Millner)  who forced a 200% RTA Sales Tax hike on the Republican collar counties.

What was he thinking?

Bill Brady.

He’s from Downstate, so a very, very few of his constituents will ever get one of these $100 speeding tickets.

But, doesn’t he want to run for Governor again, too.

When opposition research is being done, might not someone find an article like this pointing out that he voted to shaft suburban drivers who venture into Chicago?

Is is possible that they just wanted to please Rahm Emmanuel?

If so, why?

When our family was in Springfield for the Old Capitol Art Fair last month, we stayed at the Drury Inn southeast of the tourist trap part of the city.

One route to and from is South Grand Avenue.

With the Democrats’ having just been unveiled, when I saw Brady for Governor signs along South Grand, I stopped to take their pictures.

Now I receive a press release from Senator Brady about his running for re-election in the new Gerrymandered district:

Brady to Seek Re-Election to Illinois Senate

Senator Bill Brady today announced he will seek re-election to the Illinois Senate in the newly drawn 44th District, saying his work to create a climate that encourages job creation and safeguards the financial prosperity of Illinois families is not yet finished.

“Frankly the Democratic leadership in Springfield still want to tax too much, spend too much and balance the books through borrowing schemes,” said Brady (R., Bloomington).

“Their anti-business policies have pushed Illinois to the bottom in economic development and job opportunity for our citizens. They have hurt our Central Illinois industries, our vast agricultural potential and our ability to help working families thrive.”

“I intend to keep pushing hard for reforms that bring greater financial security to our businesses and families, whether it’s real workers compensation reform that doesn’t put the business community against the medical community, educational reform that gives parents a greater role in their children’s educations, or real budget reforms that lower the cost of government and reduce the tax burden on our citizens,” Brady said.

In addition to his hometown base in McLean County, the new district includes additional territory for Brady in Tazewell, Logan and Sangamon counties and all of Menard County.

“I regret that I lost some areas that I currently represent because of strong ties to the people of those communities, but I am excited to be running in new areas and becoming more familiar with the challenges they face,” Brady said. “I look forward to the 2012 campaign and continuing to work for a better future for the people of Central Illinois.”

Brady, 50, served in the Illinois House of Representatives for eight years and has represented a large part of Central Illinois in the Illinois Senate since 2002. He currently is an Assistant Senate Republican Leader and was the 2010 Republican nominee for Governor, winning 98 of the state’s 102 counties.

Among other accomplishments, he has been a leader in bipartisan efforts to protect children from sexual predators, rewrite the state’s banking and insurance laws, provide health care insurance for retired teachers, protect pharmaceutical benefits for senior citizens, and revamp state campaign finance laws to curb pay-to-play politics.

Brady is a self-employed businessman with financial interests throughout Central Illinois. He and his wife Nancy have three children, Katie, a pediatric heart nurse in Chicago; William, who graduated from law school last month, and Duncan, who will be starting college in the fall.

First he said he would.

Governor Pat Quinn, that is.

That was in Rockford.

Then, Quinn said he was going to re-study whether Amtrak should go through Genoa instead.

And, he’s decided to run it through Genoa.

Not Huntley, where Quinn’s first announcement said it would run.

Lots of folks in Genoa, don’t you know?

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady favored the McHenry County route.

The Republican Party wins 11 of 19 U.S. House Seats in Illinois, but Bill Brady is behind in the gubernatorial count.

Eleven out of 19 is a pretty darn good showing for Republicans in Illinois for U.S. House seats.

A gain of 4.

Pretty much unheard of.

However, it looks like the Republican Party can use some support in the suburbs to get State Reps elected.

Only 1 gain in the burbs at the State level.

Rumor was it that House Minority Leader Tom Cross didn’t send many resources our way, something that could have indirectly helped Bill Brady become governor.

How good was the effort to get out the Republican vote in McHenry County?

Bill Brady got 53,554 votes in McHenry County, but the total of the three Republican State Rep candidates got more.

• District 64 - Mike Tryon 26,253
• District 63 – John O’Neill 13,212
• District 52 – Mark Beaubien 15,017

Total 54,472

What do you think?

All of the vote totals are from the same source, mcvote.com