Written by David E. Smith
In May 2012, I wrote an article in response to President Barack Obama’s statement that he had “evolved” to support redefining marriage to include homosexual partners. In this article, I pointed out that it really wasn’t an “evolution” as much as it was a flip-flop.
Let me explain:
In 1996, as a candidate for the Illinois State Senate, Obama went on record in favor of same-sex “marriage.” Then in 2004, as a candidate for U.S.… Continue Reading
The Republican Precinct Project is the only statewide effort dedicated to reducing the committeeman vacancy rate that currently exists in Illinois.
The goal of the Republican Precinct Project is to fill every Republican Precinct Committeeman position in every county in Illinois – with truly dedicated, pro-GOP Platform, hard working volunteers. This will require the participation of thousands of reform-minded Republicans.
For more information about the role of a Republican Precinct Committeeman, including some frequently asked questions about the position, read What is a Republican Precinct Committeeman?… Continue Reading
Written by Russ Stewart
Death can be extraordinarily beneficial to an ambitious politician. Death creates openings, and openings are opportunities.
The death of Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka creates a tantalizing opening. The question in political circles is, who gets her job, a caretaker or a keeper?
Having been re-elected to her second term on Nov. 4, Topinka’s death on Dec. 10 creates two thorny legal issues — who appoints her successor, and for what duration?… Continue Reading
Tags: Adlai Stevenson, Bill Scott, Bill Stratton, Bruce Rauner, Charles Carpentier, Dan Hynes, Dick Ogilvie, Donald Smith, Dwight Green, Ed Kucharski, Eddie Barrett, Edward Dunne, Edward Hughes, Elbert Smith, Francis Lorenz, Harry Woods, Jerry Cosentino, Jim Edgar, Jim Skelton, Jim Thompson, Joe Lohman, John Lewis, Judy Baar Topinka, Lewis Stevenson, Lloyd Morey, Lou Bertuca, Louis Emmerson, Michael Howlett, Mike Howlett, Neil Hartigan, Orville Hodge, Otto Kerner, Pat Quinn, Paul Powell, Rahm Emanuel, Richard Yates Rowe, Sheila Simon, Tom Cross, Ty Fahner, William Chamberlain
Illinois Politics | David E. Smith | 
January 4, 2015 8:30 AM | 
Comments Off on Squabbling, Jockeying for Topinka’s Job
Of ten Republicans who may lose their U.S. Senate seats in 2016, Sunday The Hill named Illinois’ U.S. Senator Mark Kirk as #1 most likely, with a possibility of four Illinois Democrats as potential challengers:
1. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)
Kirk narrowly defeated a scandal-plagued Democratic candidate by less than 2 points in the 2010 Republican wave election. In the 2016 presidential election year, he will likely face a much more Democratic electorate.
The senator has worked hard to bolster his bipartisan credentials, backing immigration reform, gun control and environmental protections.… Continue Reading
Written by David E. Smith
GOOD NEWS: The Illinois House adjourned yesterday for the session (sine die). This means the ERA is effectively dead. Feminists and other Leftists will have to start from square one in the new session, which starts on January 14, 2015, with a slightly more conservative General Assembly.
We expect the Illinois Senate to adjourn today for the session. The Senate sponsor of a terrible divorce bill (worse than no-fault) will not call it for a vote because there are too many concerns with the bill.… Continue Reading
Written by Michael Lucci
Illinois’ sluggish jobs recovery is coming at a tremendous cost. For every post-recession job created in Illinois, nearly two people have enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.
In the recession era, the number of Illinoisans dependent on food stamps has risen by 745,000. Without adequate job creation in the state, Illinois families have had no choice but to depend upon food stamps to put bread on the table.… Continue Reading
Written by Russ Stewart
The outcome of Illinois’ gubernatorial race proves anew that any mother’s son can grow up to be governor, provided that he can self-fund $28 million and raise another $60 million.
Republican Bruce Rauner‘s win also reaffirms another pearl of wisdom: Bad always gets worse. If Illinoisans thought that state government was incompetent and leadership was dysfunctional under the Quinn-Madigan-Cullerton Democratic regime, they ain’t seen nothing yet.
The 2018 campaign for governor started on Nov.… Continue Reading
Tags: Bill Brady, Bruce Rauner, Chad Grimm, John Cullerton, Judy Baar Topinka, Lisa Madigan, Michael Madigan, Pat Quinn, Rich Whitney, Rod Blagojevich, Scott Lee Cohen
Illinois Politics | David E. Smith | November 21, 2014 7:34 AM | Comments Off on Rauner Will Not Cure Springfield Dysfunction
Written by John Biver
Glenn Poshard’s pension is high — and he’s not alone. Here’s an excerpt from an article in the Chicago Sun-Times by Chuck Neubauer, Patrick Rehkamp and Sandy Bergo of the Better Government Association:
One of the big problems Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner will face is what to do about the state’s public pension crisis.
He doesn’t need to go any farther than a member of his own transition team, Glenn Poshard, to get a close-up look at some of the factors fueling the crisis.
…
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While conventional wisdom argues that the Durbin/Oberweis contest was a cakewalk and the Quinn/Rauner race was a squeaker, James Newman of Northern Illinois University says, in fact, it is just the opposite.
Using an analytic tool called Rank-Mobility Index (RMI), Newman concludes that while Quinn had won only four counties in 2010, his vote margins were slim and he was carried to victory on the strength of the overwhelming margin in the perennial Democratic stronghold of Cook County.… Continue Reading
Before the election, the Christian Emergency League challenged believers to not just vote for the lesser of two evils but only for those who deserve our vote. Those who deserve our vote must at least speak for the unborn and recognize God’s establishment of the family based on husband and wife. This we submit is a minimum.
What we see unfortunately in Illinois is that most voters in our state are not concerned with such when it comes to voting.… Continue Reading
