McHenry County Blog

He knows how to play the media like a concert violinist.

He makes potential opponent State Rep.Jack Franks, a potential candidate for Congress, look like an amateur.

After last month’s Chicago Sun-Times child support attack on a dispute filed months before, right after he was elected, any ordinary politician would have rolled up into a fetal ball and disappeared.

Joe Walsh didn’t.

When President Barack Obama tip-toed into Western Illinois last month, Walsh invited him to meet real people at a joint Town Hall Meeting in his district.  (A friend who was in Henry County the day before the President was coming asked farmers if they were planning to go.  “No.  Got better things to do,” was the answer.)

Walsh agreed to a feature interview on Chicago Tonight Wednesday before an appearance before the Nunda Township Republican Precinct Committeemen.  Obviously, he knew personal questions would be on the table.

Joe Walsh fielded policy and personal questions calmly on WTTW August 31, 2011.

And they were in the long interview on WTTW.

Watch the full episode. See more Chicago Tonight.

Walsh replied calmly throughout the interview.

He pointed out that the Chicago Tribune ran no articles on his campaign last fall, when he was talking about his personal problems “day after day.”

The questions were thorough.  His critics will quibble with Walsh’s answers, but they can’t say that he was not calm–not exactly the image the media is trying to pin on Tea Party folks.

Last night he grabbed  what may have been the lead story on ABC’s Channel 7.

The Town Hall crowd shown on ABC Channel 7 on Thursday night.

In late afternoon, Walsh sent out a press release saying that he was not going to attend the long-promoted speech on jobs that President Barack Obama is giving next week.

Certainly no reason to go to hear the President’s content. It will be everywhere, spread by a mainstream media that desperately wants Obama re-elected.

The question was asked by WTTW’s Eddie Arruza about whether he would run in the 14th Congressional District against Randy Hultgren.

Walsh demurred, said he had not decided, but that he was running for re-election.

So, what’s Walsh’s strategy?

My guess is that he is going for the red meat Republicans who cannot stand having President Obama in office–the kind of people who would wear an “OMG” tee shirt with the initials standing for “Obama Must Go.”

Will that be enough to get past local Republican Establishment support of Hultgren, should Walsh decide to run in the district where he lives?

Hard to tell in a two-way primary.

It worked in a mufti-candidate field in 2010.

The Chicago Tribune reported Sunday that the number of Town Hall Meetings is down.

With MoveOn.org organizing lefties to attend Town Hall Meetings of conservative Congressmen, apparently a number are using the Melissa Bean approach of not holding them.

That’s what the Chicago Tribune’s Washington Bureau Lisa Mascaro reports.

I read the article and it’s pretty obvious that there wasn’t a lot of Illinois-based research.

There was no mention of the ten Town Hall Meetings held by Congressman Joe Walsh of the 8th Congressional District.

No mention of Thursday night’s Woodstock VFW Town Hall meeting, of course, because the article was written before the event was scheduled at 7 PM.

This will be Walsh’s second Town Hall meeting in Woodstock during the summer recess.

180 attended the one at Woodstock North High School the first week of August. If that many come to the VFW, the place will be packed.

Here's how to find the Woodstock VFW.

Joe Walsh

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

 CONGRESSMAN JOE WALSH TO HOST

McHENRY COUNTY TOWN HALL

Congressman Joe Walsh will host a town hall in Woodstock this Thursday, September 1st.

He will discuss the economy, the debt ceiling vote and his recent trip to Israel. Congressman Walsh encourages everyone to attend and would like to answer any questions they may have.

The town hall will be this Thursday, September 1st from 7-8:30pm at:

Woodstock VFW Post

5040 240 N. Throop St.

Woodstock, IL 60098

In a Town Hall meeting at the Woodstock VFW, Patriots United will not only present Mike Tryon and Dan Duffy, but announce a new direction. The group’s press release follows:
Patriots United to host “End of Session” Town Hall event

Who: Patriots United

What: Town Hall featuring an end of session update from State Representative Mike Tryon and State Senator Dan Duffy and an unveiling of Patriots United’s new direction.

When: Thursday, June 9th, 2011 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Where: Woodstock VFW Hall, 240 N. Throop St. Woodstock, IL 60098

Why: Following the end of a whirlwind final few weeks of session in Springfield, the public will be looking for updates on major legislation such as

• redistricting,
• workers compensation,
• pension reform,
• education reform, and
• much more.

Mike Tryon

Dan Duffy

Tryon and Duffy are leaders in Springfield and can give a detailed explanation on the fate of each initiative.

In addition, Patriots United will be unveiling an exciting new direction for the organization, and detailing future plans for all in attendance.

To learn more about Patriots United, visit http://www.patriotsunited.com

About Patriots United:

Patriots United is a conservative organization founded on five pillars: pro-family, limited government, free market economy, national defense, and choice in education. Dedicated to uniting all like-minded citizens in order to change public policy, Patriots United is renewing America by changing the present course of government, one community at a time, to one that the founding fathers were divinely inspired to create.

Friday night is one of the big ones for the McHenry County Fair.

A friend of McHenry County Blog did some comparison shopping, so to speak.

Photos arrived for the booths of both 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo and 8th District Congresswoman Melissa Bean.

No one would have expected either U.S. Representative to have been there greeting constituents.

Here’s what the Manzullo booth looking like:

Don Manzullo booth at the McHenry County Fair Friday night.

Manzullo’s booth was staffed and had a wide array of valuable constituent educational material.

Here’s Bean’s booth:

Melissa Bean's McHenry County Fair booth early Friday evening.

No information on the table. No one manning the booth.

Maybe the staffer are unionized.

That looks like the Woodstock VFW next door.

With the gully washer McHenry County had Monday, it is no surprise that the concurrent Memorial Day Parade was canceled.

Not canceled was the ceremony performed by the Woodstock Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Woodtock VRW members lined up in front of the Opera House.

It appears taps were blown outside the Opera House.

What folks saw inside the Opera House. Photo credit: Amy Mahon

The photo of the VFW members and the stunning one above of a memorial display above were taken by a member of the Mike Mahon for McHenry County Sheriff staff.

McHenry County Sheriff's candidate Mike Mahon, friends and family.

Mahon, his family and friends were all set to march in the parade, but had to settle for the picture in front of the Civil War Memorial that you see above.

A bit late to report on the YR’s VFW rally last Saturday night, but there’s no competition from the local daily papers, so here’s what I have.

First we have Young Republican President Bryan Javor talking to Crystal Lake city council candidate Kay Stanish.

Next you see two Nunda Township candidates posing some YR’s in attendance.

From left to right, they are Nunda Township Trustee candidate Joni Smith, YR Kristin Culley, RY Vice Chair Erica Poremba, YR Membership Chair
Salvatore Cucinella and Nunda Township Trustee and candidate for re-election Jim Schlader.

Finally, here is a photo of State Representative and McHenry County Republican Part Chairman Mike Tryon talking with District 300 school board candidate Rob Lee.

Over 50 attended the rally.

State Representative and McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman Mike Tryon and the newly energized Young Republicans will gather at the Woodstock VFW at 7 PM Saturday night for a Get Out the Vote Rally.

Those wishing more information can get it from

Sounds like a way for young folks to meet others with whom they can have a political discussion without preliminary probing of whether a critical comment about President Barack Obama’s government intrusion into the economy would be met with hostility. The VFW has a bar.

A tattered flag.

Ready to be taken down and brought to the Woodstock VFW for disposal.

Where is it?

The Crystal Lake Plaza, where my Dad had his Barley and Malt Institute trade association office in the “V,” where he published The Star Reporter and from where

• I first ran for state representative in 1972 and

• we coordinated the losing 8-person Bick to Burns “Responsible Republicans” campaign for county board after the old supervisor, assistant supervisor system was thrown out as unconstitutional and the McHenry County Board was re-apportioned into three districts of equal population.

(From the complexity of that sentence, can you tell I took German?)

My father ran ninth, losing the race, but getting more votes than any winning county board candidate in the other two county board districts. He was subsequently elected to the board,

But, back to the flag.

Is there someone reading this who is outraged enough to contact the management of the CL Plaza and request that this flag be removed and disposed of properly and a new one raised?

= = = = =
The picture of the Woodstock VFW was taken the night of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee convention. Standing outside were members of the Young Republicans campaigning for Brent Smith for treasurer of the committee.

A tattered flag.

Ready to be taken down and brought to the Woodstock VFW for disposal.

Where is it?

The Crystal Lake Plaza, where my Dad had his Barley and Malt Institute trade association office in the “V,” where he published The Star Reporter and from where

• I first ran for state representative in 1972 and

• we coordinated the losing 8-person Bick to Burns “Responsible Republicans” campaign for county board after the old supervisor, assistant supervisor system was thrown out as unconstitutional and the McHenry County Board was re-apportioned into three districts of equal population.

(From the complexity of that sentence, can you tell I took German?)

My father ran ninth, losing the race, but getting more votes than any winning county board candidate in the other two county board districts. He was subsequently elected to the board,

But, back to the flag.

Is there someone reading this who is outraged enough to contact the management of the CL Plaza and request that this flag be removed and disposed of properly and a new one raised?

= = = = =
The picture of the Woodstock VFW was taken the night of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee convention. Standing outside were members of the Young Republicans campaigning for Brent Smith for treasurer of the committee.