McHenry County Blog

A press release from the Huntley Tea Party:

Meet and interact with former Congressman Joe Walsh

Hear more about what’s going on out there from someone who knows.

Joe Walsh ran a great, hard fought campaign for re-election to Congress.

We congratulate him for conducting a principled campaign, focusing on key issues facing our country.

Joe urged us all to act like grownups, acknowledge our financial crisis, and take the necessary steps to fix our current problems in all of America’s best interests; especially those of our children and grandchildren.

Joe will be joining us on Wednesday, February 20 at 7:00 PM to discuss the U.S. Congress, Republican strategies for negotiating and dealing with Democrats on taxes, spending, government expansion and more.

He will tell us how we citizens can help influence these important issues and events.

We can count on an open and frank discussion with Joe Walsh, and plenty of time for some Q & A!

Plan to be here Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Gather in 6:30pm – Program start 7:00pm

HUNTLEY PARK DISTRICT
12015 Mill Street (Just west of Route 47)
Huntley, IL 60142

With well over 100 people in attendance, Bill Prim, one of three men seeking the 2014 nomination for McHenry County Sheriff to replace Keith Nygren, raised over $50,000 at the Bull Valley Country Club, according to preliminary estimates.

The $500 fund raiser was highlighted by a speech by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Ever the optimist, Gingrich predicted, “I believe we will outlast Obama.”

He gave three examples for predicting that American ingenuity will bring the economy roaring back:

1. A project by Google in which computers drive cars. Developed by Sebastian Trund, Gingrich said this is allowed in California, Nevada and Florida. 300,000 miles have been clocked with one car having been rear-ended and a second accident caused by the driver overriding the computer.
2. The same man believes the cost of higher education can be cut by 90% through online courses.  (Gingrich said the GOP should set as a goal a minimum of a 50% cut in university costs.)
3. Thirdly, Gingrich pointed to the man who developed fracking after twenty years of trying. His success, Gingrich predicted, will result in natural gas being one-fourth of the cost of natural gas in China. The result will be “the rise of American manufacturing on a global scale.”

Asked if he would run for President again, he said that he had a campaign debt from the last campaign and would consider running if it were paid off.

Prim was introduced by Brian Kelly, who observed,

“Bill owes no favors to the local McHenry county political Establishment for this job.”

He touted Prim’s

• Strong leadership
• Integrity
• Independence

When he spoke, Prim thanked his Host Committee–Gary Rabine, Tom Merryman, Brian Kelly and Lou Bianchi.

He also thanked former Congressman Joe Walsh for his “endorsement for me last week.”

He said in his campaign for Sheriff he gets asked most often, “Can you please be an honest Sheriff?”

Another recurring question is whether he will “ensure” people’s “civil liberties.”

“Absolutely, positively ‘Yes,’” Prim emphasized

In an assurance to the rank and file Deputies in the Patrol Division, Prim pledged, “We won’t affect the Patrol Division.”

He did, however promise to “eliminate all the administrative extra employees that suck up all the money.” He pointed specifically to the Equal Opportunity Affairs Office and/or Legal Affairs Officer, saying that the State’s Attorney’s Office could represent the Sheriff’s Office.

Prim supported a concealed carry law for Illinois.

“It’s not a gentler country, not a less violent country” than when he started as a police office, the retired Des Plaines Police Commander said.

“I believe it’s everybody’s right to own a firearm to protect their families.

“It is reprehensible that we’re the only state in the entire country that doesn’t have a concealed carry law.”

In a shot at Nygren’s penchant for putting his name on anything that moves, Prime said, “I will not emblazon my name over every vehicle the County owns while I’m sitting in my house in Wisconsin or Florida.

“We will restore dignity to the Sheriff’s Office.”

Gingrich has kind words for Joe Walsh.

“I believe {he has] a substantial future whether in Springfield or the U.S. Senate.

“You have probably as bad a state government as any state in the country. It would be really hard for Springfield to be more stupid or more corrupt than California [but it is].”

He noted that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel is floating his name for U.S. President.

“President of Venezuela [maybe],” he cracked.

Gingrich told the audience that it was time to listen to voters.

• “Listen to Latin Americans.
• “Listen to Black Americans
• “Listen to professional women.”

“If you write off enough groups, you write off a majority.”

“The level of avoidance or reality is breathtaking,” he said referring to Carl Rove, George W. Bush’s political guru and Stu Stevens, Mitt Romney’s campaign manager.

Former Congressman Joe Walsh sees conflict in Republican Party politics:

The Coming Civil War in the Republican Party

The country is broke.

We have a government that we can’t afford.

It’s a government that does too many things for too many people, and we have a private economy which is stuck and unable to grow … And Illinois is even worse off.

We arrived here because the Republican Party — traditionally the party of freedom, limited government, and individual responsibility — lost its way a long time ago.

Democrats are the party of big government.

They want everyone dependent upon government because they believe once they have a voter dependent upon big government, that voter will always vote for their party.

Republicans, too lazy to make the case for freedom and too afraid to lose elections, have quietly gone along over the years and done their best to sound ”Democrat lite”, arguing that they can manage big government better than the Democrats.

So we’ve been without a true freedom and limited government party for years.

That is changing.

There is a civil war brewing in the Republican Party, both nationally and in Illinois, and it will be a good, necessary, and often ugly thing.

The base — the Tea Party movement, conservatives, and independents — woke up in 2008 and said,

“Stop! Quit growing government. Quit running up these terrible deficits and bankrupting future generations. We’re taxed too much, and we’re regulated to death.”

This movement put its faith in the Republican Party in 2010 to get it right.

This movement is at odds with the establishment wing of the Republican Party, which simply wants to cling to power and stand for their version of a “better managed” big government.

This movement has begun publicly fighting with the Republican establishment and if the establishment doesn’t embrace the freedom movement, the movement will leave the Republican Party, both nationally and in Illinois.

The new political dynamic is no longer Republican vs. Democrat.

It’s freedom and limited government vs. Big Government dependency.

Abraham Lincoln left the Whig Party because he and others would not compromise on slavery.

We will leave the Republican Party if we must because we will not compromise on freedom and limited government.

A commentary on marriage by former Congressman Joe Walsh:

Of Marriage and Political Courage

It takes courage to do what you believe is right, even if the whole country seems like it’s moving in the opposite direction.

I was thinking about political courage last night after the Illinois Senate passed same sex marriage legislation.

It is true that the media in this country is so giddy in their support for same sex marriage that it has had an impact on the polls.

In many states like Illinois, to support traditional marriage is to stand against “equality” and “fairness.”

To be OUTSPOKEN in support of traditional marriage is to be ridiculed and to risk being called a homophobe, a bigot, and often much worse.

Many become afraid and give in to the media and the “polls” as our Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady did last month when he came out in support of same sex marriage because, as he said, it would help Republicans win elections.

“So brave, so enlightened,” the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune and the rest of the liberal media cheered.

So easy.

What is hard to do is stand against public opinion and stand for what is right.

What is hard to do is to stand in the public square and defend traditional marriage as the bedrock of society that it is and always has been, as the institution best designed by God to raise and develop children.

What is hard to do is to defend the religious institutions and businesses whose basic religious freedoms will be in jeopardy if same sex marriage becomes law in Illinois.

We have precious little time to defend traditional marriage and religious freedom in this state.

All of us must take to the public square immediately and do what is hard. You will be ridiculed, the media will go after you personally, and they will laugh at you for mentioning God.

Have the courage to do what is right.

Defend traditional marriage and defend religious freedom.

Now.

= = = =
To learn who voted how on gay marriage in the Illinois Senate, plus which Republicans spoke against it and which ones vote for the bill, click here.

A statement from former Congressman Joe Walsh:

I Will Sue the Chicago Sun-Times

“Late this afternoon, the Chicago Sun-Times posted a story on-line that claimed that I wanted to stop making child support payments. That claim is an absolute lie, and I will no longer stand for it.

“Here are the facts:

• My three kids are 25, 22, and 18-years-old.
• My youngest son will be emancipated in May of this year when he graduates from high school.
• Two weeks ago, I did what every other father who is paying child support is supposed to do — by law — when their employment situation changes — I modified my support agreement.
• With my Congressional term ending on January 3, and with my ex-wife having been paid in full through my term in Congress, by law, I filed a modification of my support payments for my remaining unemancipated child for these next four months.

“This modification called for me to pay my ex-wife 20% of my net income during these four months, which is my responsibility by law.

“This is what the law requires me to do, and I’ve met that obligation.

“I’ve only been out of Congress for a month, and I expect to be employed again very soon.

“Regardless, I will continue with my child support payments by law until my son Patrick is emancipated.

“This action was not done surreptitiously or with any malice towards my ex-wife.

“I did exactly what the law required me to do. Nothing was covered-up.

“Nothing was hidden.

“Earlier this afternoon, Natasha Korecki of the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote a story about me and my child support arrangement, without bothering to speak to me or to my attorney.

“The story stated and implied that I did not want to make child support payments and was behind on payments.

“Both statements are false.

“I have never shirked my financial responsibility for my children.

“The Sun Times has had a vendetta against me since I was first elected.

“I will no longer take it.

“I have had to live with the ‘deadbeat dad’ label, even though the original case against me was dropped one year ago, and my ex-wife acknowledged that I have always been a loving and supportive father.

“This article by the Sun Times is a deliberate attempt to defame me, and I will sue them immediately.

“My adult children have been my life.

“I pledged to them two years ago that I would fight these charges privately to keep them out of the news, but with the Chicago Sun Times fabricating a story, I am, at long last, going to fight back.

“There is no story here, I did what all supportive fathers are supposed to do by law, and as always, I will continue to support my children and now go after anyone who says otherwise.”

Here’s is former Congressman Joe Walsh’s latest Facebook post:

“How to Understand Illinois in Six Simple Sentences”

1. Illinois is the most corrupt, most broke, worst job creating state in the country.
2. Taxpayers and companies are permanently fleeing from Illinois at a faster rate than out of any other State.
3. Governor Pat Quinn is irrelevant.
4. Michael Madigan runs this State and he and his Democrat followers are responsible for the disaster that is Illinois.
5. The Illinois Republican Party has been a willing accomplice to this crime because they’ve been missing in action for years and have been only too happy to go along with Madigan and take whatever crumbs of power the Democrats will give them.
6. Illinois will never recover unless the Republican Party quits this cowardly arrangement, reforms, makes the case for freedom and limited government, and fights like hell.

If there were any questions about whether former Congressman Joe Walsh was at least thinking about running for Illinois Governor, the following commentary on Pat Quinn’s State of the State speech ought to dispel them:

“Back in 2011, Governor Quinn came to DC and sat down with our Congressional Delegation.

“Over the course of that hour he talked about how wonderful things were going in Illinois.

“I remember leaving that meeting with a Democrat colleague of mine shaking our heads at how utterly out of touch he was.

Joe Walsh speaking to the Huntley Area Tea Party.

“The same thought went thru my head listening to Quinn deliver the State of the State Address yesterday.

• We’re the least credit worthy state in the country
• We have the highest unfunded pension liability in the country
• Our unemployment rate is 8.7%, near the highest in the nation
• We’re so far in debt that we cant pay our bills
• Taxpayers and companies are leaving Illinois at a faster pace than any other State in the Country
• Even before the 2011 income tax hike, Illinois had the ninth highest overall tax burden nationwide.

“To repeat — individuals and companies are flying out of this State permanently faster than out of any other State in this Country…and this Governor spends an hour talking about

• guns and
• gay marriage.

“Beyond belief, he proposes to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour, which will only make more companies and jobs leave Illinois.

“Yes, its very sad that our governor is so out of touch, but in truth, he’s not very relevant here.

“One Party runs this State and one man – Mike Madigan – runs that Party.

“That fact won’t change until there is an actual Republican party in this State that makes its case for freedom and limited government and fights like heck to win people over to that case.

“For too long, the Democrats and Michael Madigan have allowed Illinois to become the least business friendly

• most in debt
• most corrupt State in the Country

“For too long Republicans have been afraid to stand for anything and have been perfectly willing to accept whatever crumbs Madigan and the Democrats would give them.

“That has to change or Illinois will never recover.”

A press release from former Congressman Joe Walsh follow. Walsh lives in McHenry and is McHenry County’s first resident to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Former Congressman Joe Walsh Endorses Bill Prim for McHenry County Sheriff

February 5, 2013 — Former Illinois 8th District Congressman, Joe Walsh, today enthusiastically threw his support behind Bill Prim, Republican Candidate for McHenry County Sheriff in 2014. Walsh represented McHenry County in the U.S. Congress from 2010-12 and still lives in McHenry. Walsh issued the following statement:

“Bill Prim is exactly what the McHenry County Sheriff’s office needs – an honest, principled candidate who will fight for smaller government and fight for real reform of the Sheriff’s office.

“It’s no secret that the Sheriff’s office would benefit greatly from a healthy dose of good government, transparency, and reform.

“As the only fresh, outside reformer in this race, Bill is the only candidate capable of cleaning up the ‘good old boys, insider’ atmosphere that has permeated the office for far too long.

“Bill is a long time McHenry County resident, a great family man, has a sterling professional law enforcement career and believes fervently in

• personal liberty
• gun rights
• family values
• making government accessible to the entire community

“‘He’s a good guy and will provide a fresh new, inclusive voice to an office that desperately needs it.’”

Bill Prim had the following to say about the Walsh endorsement:

“It’s an honor to have the support of Congressman Walsh.

“He went to Washington to fight for freedom and limited government and to clean up government at the national level.

“He ran against political insiders and career politicians.

“I intend to run on the same platform at the County level.”

The former Congressman intends to do all he can to help Bill Prim get elected.

After the Republican Party’s State Convention this summer I wrote an article entitled,

Auditioning at the State GOP Convention to be Illinois’ Scott Walker

It was about how Joe Walsh energized the crowd by trashing the way Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan has allowed State government to hit the skids while he has been in control. You can read the article here.
Among other things, Walsh said,

“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.”

Others auditioned, too, including Party Chairman Pat Brady, who also had harsh words about Madigan.

You can hear Walsh’s entire speech on Warner Tood Houston’s Prairie State Report video below:

Now Capitol Fax Blog has posted a new Facebook account from Joe Walsh, which you see, along with Walsh’s first post below:

“Speaking to people all over Illinois. They are engaged, excited and ready to take this state back from the Madigan Empire. #Freedom #Liberty”

Can you imagine Walsh taking on Mike Madigan on concentration of power, especially if Lisa Madigan is running for Governor?

A statement from former Congressman Joe Walsh:

This morning former Congressman Joe Walsh released a statement in regards to the current state of the Illinois Republican Party and its chairman.

“Two weeks ago, I publicly called on Pat Brady to step down as Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.

“Pat is a good guy, but as he has still not retracted his public statements on same sex marriage, again, I call on him to step down.

“He can’t, in his position as Chairman of the Party, publicly refute a major piece of our Party’s Platform. It was a slap at all Republicans who believe in traditional marriage.

“The Republican Party is a big tent and welcomes all viewpoints.

“Pat can have his own individual positions, but the Chairman of the Party must publicly support the Platform and be one of its most ardent spokespersons.

“Pat Brady is no longer in a position to be that spokesperson. For the good of the Party, he should step down.”

Former Congressman Joe Walsh