McHenry County Blog

The picture above and email below was received form 8th congressional district Republican candidate Steve Greenberg. The picture shows him and his children leaving a hockey arena.

Greenberg lost his race with incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean, receiving just over 40% of the vote. He did best in McHenry County, where he won almost 45.6% of the ballots.

The totals follow:

Cook County
Melissa Bean – 52,644 or 65.5%
Steve Greenberg – 27,695 or 34.4%

Lake County
Melissa Bean – 65,031 or 57.8%
Steve Greenberg – 47,327 or 42.1%

McHenry County
Melissa Bean – 22,730 or 54.3%
Steve Greenberg – 19,056 or 45.6%

Totals
Melissa Bean – 140,405 or 59.8%
Steven Greenberg – 94,078 or 40.1%

Steve Greenberg’s message to his supporters:

Thank you so much for your support in this election. Last [election] night, at 10:30 pm, I called Congresswoman Bean to concede, and congratulated her on her reelection. It was a hard fought battle, and we fought valiantly, but we fell just short of our goal.

In our electoral process there are no losers, because we all have the great privilege of waking up as Americans. Many people said this was not the year to run for office in Illinois. However, over the years, as I fought to revive struggling businesses and save jobs, I learned that in order to accomplish great things you have to be willing to take a chance. It is the ability to take those chances-the ability for a small businessman to run for office-that makes America the greatest country in the world.

I want to thank you all for your support throughout this long campaign. While I’m disappointed in the outcome, I am so proud of what we accomplished together. We fought against the special interests and Washington insiders. We fought against the pundits and the naysayers. And we reminded Washington that they have a duty to work for us-that we are the customer. We can be proud of what we accomplished together.

What we worked for these past months is more important than one election. The principles we championed will last longer than you and I are around, and we must continue to press on. We launched our campaign over a year ago because we believed that Washington had forgotten who the customer was. They stood with the special interests while our economy faltered, and resorted to partisan bickering while gas prices shot through the roof. While hard-working Americans had to tighten their belt, Washington spent our money as if it was on an endless conveyor belt.

You and I fight for the dreamers out there, the hard-working Americans who labor tirelessly to provide for their family and to achieve success as they define it. They don’t want handouts, and they don’t need government to spread the wealth-they got where they are today through hard work, and they won’t quit until they achieve their dream.

This isn’t the end, it is only the beginning, and I look forward to working with you to ensure we continue moving our district, state and nation in the right direction.

Thank you so much for your support. It was an honor to represent you in this election.

Steve Greenberg

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8th congressional district Republican Party candidate Steve Greenberg points proudly to his family, seen below.

The picture above and email below was received form 8th congressional district Republican candidate Steve Greenberg. The picture shows him and his children leaving a hockey arena.

Greenberg lost his race with incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean, receiving just over 40% of the vote. He did best in McHenry County, where he won almost 45.6% of the ballots.

The totals follow:

Cook County
Melissa Bean – 52,644 or 65.5%
Steve Greenberg – 27,695 or 34.4%

Lake County
Melissa Bean – 65,031 or 57.8%
Steve Greenberg – 47,327 or 42.1%

McHenry County
Melissa Bean – 22,730 or 54.3%
Steve Greenberg – 19,056 or 45.6%

Totals
Melissa Bean – 140,405 or 59.8%
Steven Greenberg – 94,078 or 40.1%

Steve Greenberg’s message to his supporters:

Thank you so much for your support in this election. Last [election] night, at 10:30 pm, I called Congresswoman Bean to concede, and congratulated her on her reelection. It was a hard fought battle, and we fought valiantly, but we fell just short of our goal.

In our electoral process there are no losers, because we all have the great privilege of waking up as Americans. Many people said this was not the year to run for office in Illinois. However, over the years, as I fought to revive struggling businesses and save jobs, I learned that in order to accomplish great things you have to be willing to take a chance. It is the ability to take those chances-the ability for a small businessman to run for office-that makes America the greatest country in the world.

I want to thank you all for your support throughout this long campaign. While I’m disappointed in the outcome, I am so proud of what we accomplished together. We fought against the special interests and Washington insiders. We fought against the pundits and the naysayers. And we reminded Washington that they have a duty to work for us-that we are the customer. We can be proud of what we accomplished together.

What we worked for these past months is more important than one election. The principles we championed will last longer than you and I are around, and we must continue to press on. We launched our campaign over a year ago because we believed that Washington had forgotten who the customer was. They stood with the special interests while our economy faltered, and resorted to partisan bickering while gas prices shot through the roof. While hard-working Americans had to tighten their belt, Washington spent our money as if it was on an endless conveyor belt.

You and I fight for the dreamers out there, the hard-working Americans who labor tirelessly to provide for their family and to achieve success as they define it. They don’t want handouts, and they don’t need government to spread the wealth-they got where they are today through hard work, and they won’t quit until they achieve their dream.

This isn’t the end, it is only the beginning, and I look forward to working with you to ensure we continue moving our district, state and nation in the right direction.

Thank you so much for your support. It was an honor to represent you in this election.

Steve Greenberg

= = = = =
8th congressional district Republican Party candidate Steve Greenberg points proudly to his family, seen below.

8th congressional district GOP challenger Steve Greenberg continues his attack on his Democratic Party opponent, Congresswoman Melissa Bean, for cozying up to two of the major causes of the home mortgage crisis—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. His latest press release is below:

Melissa Bean Never Could Stand Up to Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac
Voted Against Strengthening Regulation Her First Year in Office

LAKE ZURICH, IL 10/31/08 – Melissa Bean had the opportunity to strengthen regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in her first year in office. Predictably, she voted against stepping up regulation of her top campaign contributors.

HR 1461,, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, was introduced in April of 2005. This bill was intended to reform regulation of Government Sponsored Entities (GSEs), but lacked the authority to be effective. Bean voted against three amendments that would have strengthened the regulation:

• Amendment #4 would have given the regulator the authority to impose capital strictures on Fannie and Freddie to avoid overleveraging.
• Amendment #5 would have authorized the regulator to require the GSEs to dispose of or acquire assets if they posed a risk to the housing or capital markets or the market as a whole.
• Amendment #6 would have eliminated the ability of the GSEs to borrow from the Treasury, eliminating the implied implicit government backing of Fannie and Freddie.

“This is the third obvious example of my opponent standing on the side of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” said Congressional Candidate Steve Greenberg.

“The 8th District deserves a Representative who will courageously stand for them over the special interests—who will be their voice in Congress. Melissa Bean’s priorities are clearly with the Washington interests who fill her campaign coffers, not the struggling families back home.”

8th congressional district GOP challenger Steve Greenberg continues his attack on his Democratic Party opponent, Congresswoman Melissa Bean, for cozying up to two of the major causes of the home mortgage crisis—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. His latest press release is below:

Melissa Bean Never Could Stand Up to Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac
Voted Against Strengthening Regulation Her First Year in Office

LAKE ZURICH, IL 10/31/08 – Melissa Bean had the opportunity to strengthen regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in her first year in office. Predictably, she voted against stepping up regulation of her top campaign contributors.

HR 1461,, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, was introduced in April of 2005. This bill was intended to reform regulation of Government Sponsored Entities (GSEs), but lacked the authority to be effective. Bean voted against three amendments that would have strengthened the regulation:

• Amendment #4 would have given the regulator the authority to impose capital strictures on Fannie and Freddie to avoid overleveraging.
• Amendment #5 would have authorized the regulator to require the GSEs to dispose of or acquire assets if they posed a risk to the housing or capital markets or the market as a whole.
• Amendment #6 would have eliminated the ability of the GSEs to borrow from the Treasury, eliminating the implied implicit government backing of Fannie and Freddie.

“This is the third obvious example of my opponent standing on the side of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” said Congressional Candidate Steve Greenberg.

“The 8th District deserves a Representative who will courageously stand for them over the special interests—who will be their voice in Congress. Melissa Bean’s priorities are clearly with the Washington interests who fill her campaign coffers, not the struggling families back home.”

Republican congressional challenger Steve Greenberg is continuing his string of press releases criticizing 8th District Congresswoman Melissa Bean.

Here is his latest press release:

Bean Provides No Excuses for Her Relationship with Fannie, Freddie
Continues to Duck Questions About Her Role in Economic Crisis

LAKE ZURICH, IL 10/29/08 – Melissa Bean continues to lie about her role in the economic crisis and about her relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Under fire from Congressional Candidate Steve Greenberg for her “Bean-Neugebauer” amendment, which undermined attempts at strengthening GSE regulation in 2007,¹ she has not offered a legitimate answer to the accusations.

First, Bean attempted to distort the facts through her spokesman, claiming that the amendment “strengthened oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,”² despite a press release by Fannie Mae praising her for weakening the potential regulation,³ and the GSE Report pointing out the obvious benefits the amendment provided the mortgage giants.⁴

Realizing the facts did not back up her claims, Bean then attempted to change the subject. Her spokesman called the attacks “baseless” and said that Greenberg “should stop talking”, but refused to answer questions on the allegations.⁵

1. http://www.steveforus.com/newsDetail.aspx?newsID=5216, http://www.steveforus.com/newsDetail.aspx?newsID=5217

2. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=245019&src=3

3. http://www.fanniemae.com/media/statements/2007/052207.jhtml?p=Media&s=Statements

4. http://www.gsereport.com/2007/April%2030-May%2014.pdf

5. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=245765

Republican congressional challenger Steve Greenberg is continuing his string of press releases criticizing 8th District Congresswoman Melissa Bean.

Here is his latest press release:

Bean Provides No Excuses for Her Relationship with Fannie, Freddie
Continues to Duck Questions About Her Role in Economic Crisis

LAKE ZURICH, IL 10/29/08 – Melissa Bean continues to lie about her role in the economic crisis and about her relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Under fire from Congressional Candidate Steve Greenberg for her “Bean-Neugebauer” amendment, which undermined attempts at strengthening GSE regulation in 2007,¹ she has not offered a legitimate answer to the accusations.

First, Bean attempted to distort the facts through her spokesman, claiming that the amendment “strengthened oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,”² despite a press release by Fannie Mae praising her for weakening the potential regulation,³ and the GSE Report pointing out the obvious benefits the amendment provided the mortgage giants.⁴

Realizing the facts did not back up her claims, Bean then attempted to change the subject. Her spokesman called the attacks “baseless” and said that Greenberg “should stop talking”, but refused to answer questions on the allegations.⁵

1. http://www.steveforus.com/newsDetail.aspx?newsID=5216, http://www.steveforus.com/newsDetail.aspx?newsID=5217

2. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=245019&src=3

3. http://www.fanniemae.com/media/statements/2007/052207.jhtml?p=Media&s=Statements

4. http://www.gsereport.com/2007/April%2030-May%2014.pdf

5. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=245765

8th congressional district Republican Party challenger Steve Greenberg hit hard at incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean in a press release today. Greenberg charged that Bean “acted on behalf of the mortgage giants and drafted the ‘Bean-Neugebauer Amendment,’ which weakened the regulation and undermined the bill….even solicit[ing] feedback from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on her amendment.”

Read the whole press release below:

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac +
Melissa Bean = Economic Crisis

Bean Deliberately Undermined Oversight Bill for Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Despite the Looming Economic Crisis

LAKE ZURICH 10/22/08 – On the eve of the mortgage crisis in May of 2007, Congress attempted to pass a bill that would establish new regulatory oversight of Fannie May and Freddie Mac to ensure their troubles did not carry over to the entire economy.

However, Melissa Bean, the largest recipient of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributions per year in the House of Representatives, acted on behalf of the mortgage giants and drafted the “Bean-Neugebauer Amendment” which weakened the regulation and undermined the bill. She even solicited feedback from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on her amendment.

Arguing in favor of this amendment on the House floor, Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) stated:

“The House must once again reject the vague notion of systemic risk and be clear that it is not intended to be a criterion applied by the new GSE regulator.

“[Under this amendment] the regulator would not be authorized to shrink, cap or limit the size of the GSE portfolios based simply upon a nebulous determination that the portfolios are too large or that they might pose a risk to the overall system.”

As a result of the Bean-Neugebauer Amendment, the bill stalled for over a year, delaying critical regulation that could have softened the blow Fannie and Freddie put on the economy and helped avoid the current economic crisis.

Fannie Mae praised Melissa Bean for her amendment while the GSE Report pointed out the obvious benefits to Fannie and Freddie. The Wall Street Journal said the amendment “guts the one provision that made [the bill] worth the effort.”

Steve Greenberg, Republican nominee for the 8th Congressional District, will be hosting a conference call with reporters on Thursday to discuss Melissa Bean’s ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and her role in the economic crisis.

8th congressional district Republican Party challenger Steve Greenberg hit hard at incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean in a press release today. Greenberg charged that Bean “acted on behalf of the mortgage giants and drafted the ‘Bean-Neugebauer Amendment,’ which weakened the regulation and undermined the bill….even solicit[ing] feedback from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on her amendment.”

Read the whole press release below:

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac +
Melissa Bean = Economic Crisis

Bean Deliberately Undermined Oversight Bill for Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Despite the Looming Economic Crisis

LAKE ZURICH 10/22/08 – On the eve of the mortgage crisis in May of 2007, Congress attempted to pass a bill that would establish new regulatory oversight of Fannie May and Freddie Mac to ensure their troubles did not carry over to the entire economy.

However, Melissa Bean, the largest recipient of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributions per year in the House of Representatives, acted on behalf of the mortgage giants and drafted the “Bean-Neugebauer Amendment” which weakened the regulation and undermined the bill. She even solicited feedback from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on her amendment.

Arguing in favor of this amendment on the House floor, Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) stated:

“The House must once again reject the vague notion of systemic risk and be clear that it is not intended to be a criterion applied by the new GSE regulator.

“[Under this amendment] the regulator would not be authorized to shrink, cap or limit the size of the GSE portfolios based simply upon a nebulous determination that the portfolios are too large or that they might pose a risk to the overall system.”

As a result of the Bean-Neugebauer Amendment, the bill stalled for over a year, delaying critical regulation that could have softened the blow Fannie and Freddie put on the economy and helped avoid the current economic crisis.

Fannie Mae praised Melissa Bean for her amendment while the GSE Report pointed out the obvious benefits to Fannie and Freddie. The Wall Street Journal said the amendment “guts the one provision that made [the bill] worth the effort.”

Steve Greenberg, Republican nominee for the 8th Congressional District, will be hosting a conference call with reporters on Thursday to discuss Melissa Bean’s ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and her role in the economic crisis.

8th congressional district challenger Steve Greenberg has done the homework that writers like I should have done and discovered that two-thirds of the money that his Democratic Party opponent Melissa Bean raised has come from what he calls “special interests.”

By that he really means political action committees or PACS.

Greenberg points out in his press release that during the last quarter he has raised more from individuals, while Bean has gotten only $150,836 to $150,818.

Looking at the entire campaign cycle, Bean out raised Greenberg among citizens $1.3 million to $720,763.

Still, 54% of her $2,961,390 war chest came from PACs, while Greenberg got 79% of his $916,513 from individuals.

Comparing incumbent to incumbent, Don Manzullo received two-thirds of his money from individuals, while Bean got only 46%.

Greenberg has $45,000 on hand and a debt of $124,202.

Bean has $1,014,247 in cash and a debt of $17,800.

Greenberg’s press release follows:

Greenberg’s Q3 Support from Individuals Easily Outpaced Bean’s
2/3 of Democrat’s Support Came from Special Interests

LAKE ZURICH 10/16/08 – In the fundraising quarter running from July through September, Congressional Candidate Steve Greenberg far outpaced his opponent in contributions from individual supporters. Greenberg received $150,836 in support from individual supporters compared to only $105,818.47 for his opponent.

Bean, who is the 6th largest recipient of special interest money in Congress, received an astounding two-thirds of her support for the quarter from special interests. Bean collected $208,635 from special interest PACs in the last quarter, bringing her total from special interests this cycle to $1,619,329 and a lifetime total, in her short career, to a whopping $3,716,471. All this after rightfully attacking Phil Crane for his disgraceful special interest fundraising.

“I am so thankful for the support of the hard-working members of the community, especially as they struggle through the economic crisis,” said Greenberg. “Meanwhile, my opponent continues to show that she is interested only in representing the special interests with deep pockets. She has accepted nearly a million dollars from the financial sector in exchange for lax oversight of their lending practices, which led to the taxpayers having to bail out financial institutions.

“No matter how much money the special interests give Melissa Bean, she will never have enough money to hide from the fact that we are not better off than we were four years ago when she was elected. The 8th District deserves better. The hard-working families deserve a Representative who will be a voice for them in Washington.”

= = = = =
8th district Congresswoman Melissa Bean provokes a smile from 16th district Congressman Don Manzullo at the McHenry County Economic Development Committee’s annual dinner.

8th congressional district challenger Steve Greenberg has done the homework that writers like I should have done and discovered that two-thirds of the money that his Democratic Party opponent Melissa Bean raised has come from what he calls “special interests.”

By that he really means political action committees or PACS.

Greenberg points out in his press release that during the last quarter he has raised more from individuals, while Bean has gotten only $150,836 to $150,818.

Looking at the entire campaign cycle, Bean out raised Greenberg among citizens $1.3 million to $720,763.

Still, 54% of her $2,961,390 war chest came from PACs, while Greenberg got 79% of his $916,513 from individuals.

Comparing incumbent to incumbent, Don Manzullo received two-thirds of his money from individuals, while Bean got only 46%.

Greenberg has $45,000 on hand and a debt of $124,202.

Bean has $1,014,247 in cash and a debt of $17,800.

Greenberg’s press release follows:

Greenberg’s Q3 Support from Individuals Easily Outpaced Bean’s
2/3 of Democrat’s Support Came from Special Interests

LAKE ZURICH 10/16/08 – In the fundraising quarter running from July through September, Congressional Candidate Steve Greenberg far outpaced his opponent in contributions from individual supporters. Greenberg received $150,836 in support from individual supporters compared to only $105,818.47 for his opponent.

Bean, who is the 6th largest recipient of special interest money in Congress, received an astounding two-thirds of her support for the quarter from special interests. Bean collected $208,635 from special interest PACs in the last quarter, bringing her total from special interests this cycle to $1,619,329 and a lifetime total, in her short career, to a whopping $3,716,471. All this after rightfully attacking Phil Crane for his disgraceful special interest fundraising.

“I am so thankful for the support of the hard-working members of the community, especially as they struggle through the economic crisis,” said Greenberg. “Meanwhile, my opponent continues to show that she is interested only in representing the special interests with deep pockets. She has accepted nearly a million dollars from the financial sector in exchange for lax oversight of their lending practices, which led to the taxpayers having to bail out financial institutions.

“No matter how much money the special interests give Melissa Bean, she will never have enough money to hide from the fact that we are not better off than we were four years ago when she was elected. The 8th District deserves better. The hard-working families deserve a Representative who will be a voice for them in Washington.”

= = = = =
8th district Congresswoman Melissa Bean provokes a smile from 16th district Congressman Don Manzullo at the McHenry County Economic Development Committee’s annual dinner.