GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - October 11, 2007
GOPUSA Illinois Daily Clips for October 11, 2007 includes news and commentaries on the following topics:
- Republican Party candidates, campaigns, and events
- Republican Party platform issues including limited government, abortion, homosexual activity, immigration, gambling, etc.
- Illinois budget problems
- Tim Whelan's outstanding report on the Americans for Prosperity event in Washington, DC
(FROM THE PRESS RELEASE: Family-Pac, which has trained more than 275 conservative candidates and staff in how to run successful local campaigns, will be hosting its 2007 Campaign College on Saturday, October 13th at the Holiday Inn in Willowbrook (I-55 and Rt. 83). The Campaign College will begin at 8:30 am and end at 2:30pm. Tuition is $60.00 which includes continental breakfast and the luncheon. For an email application please contact Paul Caprio at pcaprio1@yahoo.com or Brittany at 312-670-4238.
-- Sheahan named General Counsel of Illinois Republican Party - Lance Trover
www.gopillinois.com (10/11/07 News Clips page)
(THE PRESS RELEASE: CHICAGO – The Illinois Republican Party today announced that Brien Sheahan has been named its new General Counsel. “Brien is a lifelong Republican who brings a wealth of experience in both politics and government to the party,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna. “We are pleased that he has agreed to volunteer his time and energy to helping the Republican Party bring positive, thoughtful change to Illinois.” Sheahan’s governmental experience includes serving as Assistant to the Lt. Governor in the office of Bob Kustra, an Assistant to the Governor for Local Government Affairs for former Governor Jim Edgar, Legal Counsel to one of five members of the Illinois Commerce Commission, and as Deputy Executive Director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. Mr. Sheahan, a long-time Republican precinct Committeeman and County Coordinator
www.gopillinois.com
(THE ARTICLE: In his September 29 article (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=48041) titled "Wheaton, auto dealer at odds over used cars," Daily Herald reporter Jim Fuller drew attention to Packey Webb Ford's ending its new car sales and warranty work at its Roosevelt Road location. In his October 7 column (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=51549) tiled "Better turn your used car keys before entering Wheaton," Columnist John Zimmerman drew even more attention to the issue. Brad Webb, Greg Webb, Wheaton Mayor Gresk, all the City Council Members, Assistant City Manager Mike Dzugan, City Planner Jim Kozik, DuPage County Democrat Party Political Director Jon Meyers, and Fuller attended the October 8 Wheaton City Council planning session. The Packey Webb issue was discussed for about half an hour. Wheaton residents await a) the Daily Herald to post on its website reporter Jim Fuller's front page top of fold October 9 report on Wheaton's October 8 Wheaton City Council discussion on Packey Webb Ford, b) Wheaton to post on its website (http://www.wheaton.il.us/) its official report on the session, and c) Wheaton to begin paying a video of the session on its cable TV channel. At the beginning of the session, Brad Webb stressed that he had brought the issue to Dzugan's attention on December 30, 2006. What will Wheaton do next? What will Packey Webb Ford do next?)
www.gopillinois.com (10-11-07 News Clips page)
(THE REPORT: Most everyone knows Len Berman does Monday Night Football's Fastest 3 minutes in Football, so this is my fastest summary of 7 Republican Presidential hopefuls Dave Diersen and I listened to in Washington DC last week. The program was called "Defending the American Dream." It was a tribute to Ronald Reagan put on by an organization called American's for Prosperity - a grassroots organization focused right now on eliminating earmarks like the "Bridge to Nowhere" and the Charlie Rangel "Monument to Me." So, the fastest summary of 7 Presidential hopefuls: The program started with giving the 1600 registered attendees the opportunity to hear Senator John McCain on the 9th floor of the Senate Hart Building. (Since we were in the building, we stopped by Senator Obama's office to say hi, but learned he was in Iowa campaigning for President. We were offered a jelly bean by his staff, but I declined not knowing who's hand had been in that jar). Senator McCain was introduced and gave his speech looking down, reading from a script rather than addressing the crowd. He talked about the leadership he has provided in the Congress and the need to reduce spending. He kept saying "We" in Congress spend to much and "We" are asked to spend on things like $150,000 earmark to study the DNA of bears in South Dakota without knowing if "We" are approving money for a criminal investigation or paternity suit for those bears. I couldn't help but think he has been part of the "We" doing the spending for the last 30 years. There were polite claps as he finished his presentation except from the Arizona delegation - they don't like him much from this home state group. On Friday morning, 7-800 of us gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Mayflower Hotel. We sat with the 50 members of the Illinois delegation and were treated to Mayor Giuliani. He was in DuPage Thursday and back to Washington DC to speak to us at 9:00 AM Friday morning. Mayor Giuliani was exuberant, articulate and rousing. He said some people think the line item veto, lower taxes and permanent tax cuts are radical ideas. He said those ideas to him are called "common sense." The mayor had no flattery for madam Hillary. He said she want to run things like socialist France while the French President is looking to the United States to follow Bush's tax cut lead to spark the French economy. Hillary has little clue. He gave an exciting speech and left to huge cheers. Congressman Ron Paul was present to the crowd next. He has some loud supporters. To me, each time he speaks he solidifies his position as president of some other planet, but not the USA. Sorry to you Ron Paul supporters who look to him as our future leader. Senator Brownback from Kansas took the stage next. He placed two huge volumes on the podium and said, " This is the IRS code and regulations. These should be taken out behind a barn and killed with a dull ax." I noticed the media changed that to "hit" with a dull ax, I guess trying to be zero tolerant, but he said "kill it." He let us with the comment that our system is designed to spend. Everyone comes to the government for money and that "culture of spending" has to change. Governor Huckabee took the podium and said, "I've been given seven minutes to speak and I'm sure if Jesus were here, he would say, 'Blessed are those who are brief for they shall be invited back.'" The Governor said it is a terrible situation when Americans are more afraid of an IRS audit than a mugging, but then he said that it might make sense since a mugging is over quick and once the IRS gets to you they hound you until they have taken everything. He closed saying that there is something wrong with a system that discourages work and encourages people sitting on their hands. "Turn loose the private sector!," he concluded to cheers from the crowd. The moment so many of us were waiting for came with the introduction of Senator Fred Thompson. It was a huge build up. He brought his wife (the only candidate that did), that beautiful DuPage County, Naperville girl, but he did not introduce her. Afterwords, I spoke with folks from Virginia, Arizona and even Marion, Illinois who said, "Oh, is that who that was on the stage with him?" An opportunity missed. Then the Senator came to the podium to the theme of Law and Order. He spoke, but his message was lost in a slow, not exciting, plodding and a bit inarticulate speech. It was difficult to follow and failed to demonstrate his conservative charm. After his comments, I heard a number of his supporters saying he was still working on his stump speech. I did not see his most recent debate, but I hope that was not another opportunity missed. We broke down into sessions after a Mayflower Hotel box lunch. Franco Coladipietro was a presenter at a program on grass roots development. He did a great job. I took an hour and went to the war memorials. I stood in silent awe at the back of the WWII Memorial in front of the engraving, "The mark of freedom starts here." I had a picture taken with my cell phone in front of fellow Illinoisan, Abe Lincoln. Then I quickly found the name of a lost friend Col. Ed Cavanaugh, US Army, and snapped his picture with my trusty cell camera phone. A quick, but moving break from the program. Just before dinner, we were treated to a rousing introduction of Governor Romney back in the Grand Ballroom. The introduction came from David Koch, the multimillionaire founder of Americans for Prosperity. Based on the 1600 people from 35 states represented at the program, he said he planned to substantially increase his contribution to the organization and then he bought out his good friend, Governor Romney. Governor Romney opened his comments saying, "Don't you love wealthy people who like to give way their money!" He followed with a declaration that with Hillary Clinton our economy will be "out with Adam Smith and in with Karl Marx." She has campaigned saying she will change America. Governor Romney said she will, she will change us from prosperity to poverty. He half joked that the best way to meet a Democrat is to reach for your wallet and "she'll" be right there to shake your hand. To a Democrat, he continued, spending is the measure of how much you care. He tried that one on his parents and it did not work. Romney is the only candidate to sign the tax pledge -- no new taxes. He was emphatic he would work to kill the death tax, make tax cuts permanent, and lower the corporate tax rate in America, the highest corporate tax rate in the world. He told us that as Governor of Massachusetts the Democrat controlled legislature presented him a bill to create a $250 million dollar retroactive corporate tax increase. In Massachusetts, the Governor can propose amendments back to the legislature, so he sent back an amendment proposing a retroactive corporate rebate. They worked out a compromise that avoided the tax increase. Governor Romney moved quickly and pointedly through his speech and left the stage to rousing cheers from the crowd. My take on this whirl wind program with the seven presidential hopefuls was like Len Berman says: They ran, they handed off, they passed down field and that Giuliani and Romney could-go-all-the-way!)
