In prior years, the UIS CRs has been greatly-involved in local races... Some of that info has been posted here; much of it has been on Facebook,etc. as well.

Like we did for these same races four years ago (2009), I'm going to post an Election Day notice here, re-posted from the Facebook Group.

In Springfield, the Election 2013 races are far less-competitive than in Spring 2009. (That semester, the UIS CRs helped defeat the incumbent Springfield School Board President.)

Re-posted, from the FB Group:

ALL: ELECTION DAY is today!  Local elections actually have a greater impact on our day-to-day lives than the state & national ones do... And in prior elections, the UIS College Republicans has been recognized for their involvement in these races!

If you're registered to vote in Springfield, Capital Township & Park Board will be on your ballot.

Our candidates for CAPITAL TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE are:

✓  Candice Trees
✓  Rich Berning
✓  Sarah Delano Pavlik
✓  Philip Chiles

For SPRINGFIELD PARK DISTRICT:

✓ Grant Hammer (alum of the UIS CRs!)
✓ Robin Schmidt
✓ Gray Noll

Some of the School Board Districts are also contested.

Please let us know if you need a ride to the polls.  You can Sangamon County Republicans HQ, at: (217) 528-6267

Also: Starting at 6:30pm will be the Election Night victory party, at Sangamon GOP HQ. This will be a good opportunity to network with important local leaders! Headquarters is at 1132 E. Sangamon Avenue (near the intersection of Sangamon Ave. & Peoria Road, across the Main Gates of the State Fairgrounds). Here are directions to there, from the UIS campus: http://goo.gl/ndpgH

The party should last several hours. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks for all you do!

- Aakash Raut
www.aakashraut.org
(217) 652-0987

Mayor Tim Davlin

http://www.springfield.il.us

CONGRATULATIONS!!



Congratulations to all 2010 UIS & LLCC graduates!!

The Commencement Ceremony is taking place right now, at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, and is being streamed live.

They just did the Political Science Bachelor's Degree section, at which former UIS CR Executive Board members Nathanael Arthur, Braxton Denton, and Kelsey Quinn walked - Congratulations to them all!

I also saw Ian Beale, in another department... There are probably many other UIS CRs graduating today; We will try to have a full list posted here, very soon!


Also: This year's Commencement speaker is the Hon. Karen Hasara (prominent Illinois Republican leader)! She was the Sangamon County Circuit Clerk, a State Representative, State Senator, and the first female mayor of our city. [encyclopedia entry] She was recently named to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.


CONGRATULATIONS to the 2010 graduates, at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS), Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC), and all other schools!

Labels: Bob McDonnell, CRNC, Election 2009, Virginia

CPAC 2010
For those not there right now, you can watch it online (via TownHall.com) - though it's also live on C-SPAN, at the moment.

I was glad to have just seen our friend, Virgnia Governor Bob McDonnell speak at CPAC!




From Election Night (November 2009) in Richmond, VA:

Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell thanks us, in his Victory Night address!!



Note: The UIS College Republicans chapter has had a large delegation, at 3 of the last 4 CPACs (2006, 2008, and 2009).

Labels: Bob McDonnell, CPAC, DC, Virginia

Its a late one right now Brady holds on to a slight lead:

Governor - GOP Primary
10965 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 98%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Brady, Bill GOP 154,134 21%
Dillard, Kirk GOP 152,038 20%
McKenna, Andy GOP 141,396 19%
Ryan, Jim GOP 126,182 17%
Andrzejewski, Adam GOP 108,349 15%
Proft, Dan GOP 57,444 8%
Schillerstrom, Bob GOP 7,158 1

9269 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 83%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Brady, Bill GOP 119,905 21%
Dillard, Kirk GOP 116,036 20%
McKenna, Andy GOP 115,377 20%
Ryan, Jim GOP 96,046 16%
Andrzejewski, Adam GOP 85,529 15%
Proft, Dan GOP 46,457 8%
Schillerstrom, Bob GOP 5,351 1%

Brady now leads! Wow!!!

McKenna, Andy GOP 96,190 21%
Dillard, Kirk GOP 91,546 20%
Brady, Bill GOP 90,785 19%
Ryan, Jim GOP 76,670 16%
Andrzejewski, Adam GOP 69,877 15%
Proft, Dan GOP 38,105 8%
Schillerstrom, Bob GOP 4,215 1%

70% in Brady coming on strong!!!

Name Party Votes Vote %
McKenna, Andy GOP 75,431 23%
Dillard, Kirk GOP 63,184 19%
Ryan, Jim GOP 57,929 17%
Brady, Bill GOP 54,199 16%
Andrzejewski, Adam GOP 50,280 15%
Proft, Dan GOP 28,572 9%
Schillerstrom, Bob GOP 3,174 1%

Conservatives may once again have to ask ourselves why we keep running multiple candiates and splitting the vote in Illinois. We will not will until we rally behind one candidate!

35% in:

3915 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 35%
Name Party Votes Vote %
McKenna, Andy GOP 39,818 23%
Dillard, Kirk GOP 33,444 20%
Ryan, Jim GOP 31,246 18%
Andrzejewski, Adam GOP 25,997 15%
Brady, Bill GOP 22,832 13%
Proft, Dan GOP 14,794 9%
Schillerstrom, Bob GOP 1,775 1%

springfield results so far:

UNITED STATES SENATOR
Vote for 1
DONALD (DON) LOWERY . . . . . . . 69 9.03
MARK STEVEN KIRK . . . . . . . . 381 49.87
ANDY MARTIN. . . . . . . . . . 46 6.02
KATHLEEN THOMAS . . . . . . . . 102 13.35
JOHN ARRINGTON. . . . . . . . . 21 2.75
PATRICK J. HUGHES. . . . . . . . 145 18.98
Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 1
Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 27

GOVERNOR
Vote for 1
KIRK W. DILLARD . . . . . . . . 277 35.20
BILL BRADY . . . . . . . . . . 217 27.57
ROBERT J. "BOB" SCHILLERSTROM. . . . 7 .89
ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI. . . . . . . . 86 10.93
DAN PROFT . . . . . . . . . . 34 4.32
JIM RYAN. . . . . . . . . . . 107 13.60
ANDY McKENNA . . . . . . . . . 59 7.50
Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0
Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 4

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Vote for 1
DON TRACY . . . . . . . . . . 246 33.47
JASON PLUMMER . . . . . . . . . 282 38.37
RANDY A. WHITE SR. . . . . . . . 23 3.13
BRAD COLE . . . . . . . . . . 54 7.35
MATT MURPHY. . . . . . . . . . 100 13.61
DENNIS W. COOK. . . . . . . . . 30 4.08
Over Votes . . . . . . . . . 0
Under Votes . . . . . . . . . 56

24% in Adam in 4th, Brady in 6th. Andy M. is leading, not sure where these precints are at, but if Adam is hanging in there in Chicago he might be able to make a real run for this down state, Brady needs a big downstate push.

This is going to be a long night it will be interesting to see how it goes!

New Results from Fox News Chicago look at Adam! I voted for Brady, but Adam was my number 2 and his looking good so far!

1246 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 11%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Quinn, Pat (i) Dem 82,820 54%
Hynes, Daniel Dem 70,871 46%



Governor - GOP Primary
1246 of 11215 Precincts Reporting - 11%
Name Party Votes Vote %
McKenna, Andy GOP 4,505 27%
Andrzejewski, Adam GOP 3,383 20%
Ryan, Jim GOP 3,380 20%
Dillard, Kirk GOP 2,750 16%
Proft, Dan GOP 1,556 9%
Brady, Bill GOP 1,069 6%
Schillerstrom, Bob GOP 194 1%

according to Fox Chicago the first results are as follows:
Name Party Votes Vote %
Dillard, Kirk GOP 121 33%
Brady, Bill GOP 78 21%
McKenna, Andy GOP 78 21%
Ryan, Jim GOP 53 14%
Proft, Dan GOP 25 7%
Andrzejewski, Adam GOP 16 4%
Schillerstrom, Bob GOP 1 0%

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/generic/news/elections/election_results/governor-illinois-primary

But it just getting started folks!

Primary Election Night 2010

Like last time: The voting is over.

Now, the waiting begins...

Welcome Everyone! The Conservative Proletariat is here and contributing to tonights election results! Special thanks to Aakash Raut for the invite!

ELECTION DAY 2009
Grassroots is where it's at!


We know that there have been a ton of UIS College Republicans events and happenings, from here (Lincoln Day Luncheon w/ Mike Huckabee, Bay Buchanan event, Senator John Millner meeting, Student Government, etc...) to Washington, D.C. (CPAC 2009!!) and back. We have saved draft posts below, which will hopefully be published, with some recaps and coverage of this.

For right now however, it's Election Day... My last post contains an e-mail that was sent out, for volunteers; several UIS College Republicans are involved in the important local elections, for "Illinois Consolidated Election Day" 2009, either here in Capital Township, the greater Springfield area, and/or elsewhere in Illinois. UIS CR alumnus Matt Mau is running for Village Trustee in Chatham, UIS CR Event Coordinator Braxton Denton is running for School Board in Vandalia, and former UIS CR Chairman Kurt Kojzarek (who scored a major victory last time), is running for Township Clerk up in Elgin.


For our area, here are the candidates, who've been endorsed by the Sangamon County Republican Party:

[Note: To find out what districts you're in, enter your address here (if you're registered in Sangamon County).]


CAPITAL TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES (Vote for 4):

Candice D. Trees (Republican)

Rich Berning (Republican)

Sarah Delano Pavlik (Republican)

Phil Chiles (Republican)

-----------------------> Check out this site for our Capital Township Trustee Team...


SPRINGFIELD PARK DISTRICT (Vote for 3):

Gray Herndon Noll [ www.graynoll.com ] [ Facebook Group ]

Brian Reardon [ Facebook Group ]

Mark Beagles



SPRINGFIELD SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT #186 (Vote for 1, in your district)

Subdistrict 2: Nick Stoutamyer

Subdistrict 4: Keith Sias [ www.keithsias.com ]




Note: For the following offices, the candidates are unopposed.

[LINCOLN LAND] COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES (Vote for 1, in your district)

District 1: Justin Reichert
District 2: Cinda Edwards
District 3: Kent Gray
District 4: Andy Ramage


SPRINGFIELD METROPOLITAN EXPOSITION & AUDITORIUM AUTHORITY (SMEAA)

District 1: April Troemper [ Facebook Group ]
District 3: Tony Smarjesse
District 4: [Vote for 3] - Mary Frances Squires, Mike Coffey Jr., Connie Sebok

Election Time Again!!

Below is an e-mail that I had the current UIS CR Chairman forward to our list yesterday; it provides an overview of what's going on today, here in Springfield and the surrounding areas (as well as throughout the state of Illinois):


Dear all,

We've mentioned before how local-level elections can have an even greater impact on our day-to-day lives than the statewide and national ones do. Also, your involvement can help make the difference, in important races, like we did last time... Illinois Consolidated ELECTION DAY is tomorrow (TUESDAY)!!

One of the Democrat candidates we are trying to defeat won her last race by only 8 votes. In addition to that race, our Capital Township Trustee Team has a heated election, with a whole team of Democrats to go against.

*** Please meet us at the Sangamon County GOP Headquarters around noontime tomorrow (TUESDAY); if you are not able to make it at that time however, we could use your help at other points of the day as well.

---------> The HQ is at 1132 E. Sangamon Avenue (here is a map and directions), near the intersection of Sangamon Avenue & Peoria Road, across from the Main Gates of the Illinois State Fairgrounds (and a couple buildings down from Fulgenzi's Pizza).

ANY ASSISTANCE that you, or anyone else you know, could provide, will be very much appreciated, by us, and by the area Republican leaders. We hope to see you tomorrow (Tuesday)... If you need transporation, or have any questions, please contact me, at (217) 652-0987 or uisconservative@yahoo.com . Thank you!!

Sincerely,
Aakash Raut

Precinct Committeeman, Capital 36

(217) 652-0987

Monday, February 2, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nathanael Arthur


Statement of the UIS College Republicans on the Conviction and Removal of Rod Blagojevich
The UIS College Republicans are truly relieved that the impeachment and trial of Governor Rod Blagojevich are finally over. We applaud the General Assembly for finally standing up to a corrupt and imperious Governor and for advocating for the people of Illinois. It is our hope that the General Assembly will learn from this ordeal and work to enact tough campaign and ethics laws to ensure tranparency within the system and trust back into state government.

Though we disagree with Governor Pat Quinn when it comes to political views, we hope that he will be open to the General Assembly's input and that there will be greater transparency, especially in the crafting of the budget. We also hope that Governor Quinn will work better with the General Assembly in addressing the challenges facing Illinois and in restoring Illinoisans' trust and confidence in state government and politics.

###

Happy New Year!!

Who is Roland Burris?
The media dossier on Blago's appointment
After our unfortunate governor, Rod Blagojevich, threw a bizarre [albeit shrewd] curve-ball, in appointing former Illinois politician Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate vacancy of President-elect Barack Obama, I thought I would compile, for my personal blog (and web space, to which this material is uploaded), a collection of past mainstream media articles on certain actions and policies of Blagojevich's appointee. All of a sudden, the whole national media focus (television, radio, newspaper, and Blogosphere) is on these issues, involving our state's politics, Roland Burris, and Rod Blagojevich... (If only they knew what we've had to deal with, for all these years! ;-)

While I saved this draft on New Year's Eve, so as to publish this list of past news coverage, this entry is being published on Thursday, January 8th. Later today, Roland Burris will be arriving back in Springfield [the news yesterday was unfortunate; Blago and his buddy seem to have won... at least for now], to testify at the Illinois House of Representatives Impeachment Committee hearing. It will be at 3:00 PM, in Room 114 of the State Capitol.

Here is an archive of relatively-recent press coverage of Roland Burris, which deals with the controversies that he instigated or has been involved with. There are some major ones - contrary to the portrayal I've noticed in the national media, since the appointment was made.

Note: When this appointment was first made, I remembered several Roland-related controversies, from his prior [unsuccessful] runs for Governor - there was the "non-qualified white boys" remark, which may have nixed his bid for the 1998 Democratic nomination, and I remember, during the 2002 gubernatorial primaries, the issue of the Rolando Cruz death-row case being prominent. However, I mainly noticed it being used against Republican candidates; perhaps because I was more focused on those primaries... But I did remember Roland Burris being mentioned as a Democrat who was also involved in that case. (Burris was running again for Governor that year, but once again fell short, in the primary.)

And now it seems that the media, and the Blogosphere, is all over the Rolando Cruz case again. I just saw that Mary Brigid Kennedy has now spoken out, about Burris' appointment. I wonder how much (if any) of this issue will arise, in the Impeachment Committee hearing today. Because the Rolando Cruz trial (the Jeanine Nicarico murder case) is already being discussed so much in the Blogosphere, I only provided a few items on that topic in this Burris press archive; I did include an Illinois Issues piece, because it's by our university's very own Professor Charlie Wheeler (and in the superb magazine, published right here on the campus!). Also included is then-Attorney General Roland Burris' letter-to-the-editor response. (Too bad Burris isn't speaking out on that case now! ;-)




The Roland Burris controversy compilation
From the mainstream media memory hole




- - - - - [More archived press items will be added soon... Like the award-winning 1993 series from the State Journal-Register, discussed here at the Illinois Issues blog, and raised by rival Democrat, U.S. Attorney Jim Burns, which inspired the book Illinois for Sale - on the relationship between $tate contract$ and campaign contribution$ ]


03/21/2002: Roland Burris says he won't run again, Bernard Schoenburg, The Hotline (National Journal) & Chicago Tribune
From The Hotline: Roland Burris "may have finished dead last" in the Dem primary, but "at least he's used to it." Burris has lost "six times in 10 attempts" since '76, and he said this was his last race. Burris: "I'm done, and it's very easy to say that." Burris said he was "relishing the thought of leaving the rigorous campaign trail." Burris: "It's unbelievable what you go through, what you put your family through ... I'm just going to go on with my life and enjoy what little life I have left" (Mihalopoulos/Becker, Chicago Tribune, 3/21).

--------------------------------------------------
01/18/2007: Vegas probe casts doubt on county deal, Steve Patterson, Chicago Sun-Times, January 18, 2007

06/16/2004: Roland Burris' consulting firm awarded $150,000 contract by IDOT, Doug Finke, State Journal-Register, June 16, 2004

06/05/2003: Ex-attorney general Roland Burris to lobby for Indian casino, Eric Peterson, Chicago Daily Herald, June 5, 2003

Article list via: "Burris' pay-to-play political history"

----------------------------------------------

03/03/1998: Burns: Burris part of problem, not solution, Bernard Schoenburg, State Journal-Register


03/08/1998: Front-runner Burris no longer above the primary fray, Bernard Schoenburg, State Journal-Register


03/08/1998: Burris failed his only major test in office as Attorney General, Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune (re: the Rolando Cruz case)

------> April 1993: Attorney General Roland Burris' letter to the editor, responding to UIS' very own Charlie Wheeler III, in which AG Burris defends his reaction to Mary Brigid Kenney's resignation and complaints, Illinois Issues April 4, 1993



------> Original article: March 1993: Justice bereft of common sense?, Prof. Charles Wheeler III, Illinois Issues, March 6, 1993

02/02/1992: Burris borrowed $28,000 from campaign fund, Chuck Neubauer & Mark Brown, Chicago Sun-Times, February 2, 1992

Labels: barack obama, Blagojevich impeachment, charlie wheeler, House impeachment committee, Illinois House, Illinois Issues, impeachment, media, pay-to-play, rod blagojevich, roland burris, rolando cruz, UIS

Roland Burris Round-up & Reactions

Illinois Republican Party: The Facts on Roland Burris [ Also see Anne Leary's post ]

Rod Roland Reactions
Blagojevich Burris Blogosphere Roundups

Rich Miller (Capitol Fax): This just in… *** Guv to appoint Burris *** White says No *** Blatant appeal to race *** Quinlan resigns ***
John Ruberry (Marathon Pundit): Blagojevich buddy Burris
Chicago GOP: Blagojevich to name Roland Burris to open Senate seat
IlliniPundit: Blago to Name Burris to Senate Seat - UPDATED
Mark Shelden (IlliniPundit): Welcome Senator Burris [very prescient!!]
Bill Dennis (Peoria Pundit): Politics: Blago to name former AG Burris to Senate seat
ISU College Democrats: Roland Burris?

ArchPundit has so much great stuff on Roland and Rod, I can't link to just one post!


Guest-blogger DRJ (Patterico's Pontifications): What’s Next for the Illinois Senate Seat?
Michelle Malkin: Blago surprise: Here comes his Senate replacement; race-card circus; Obama says no
AllahPundit (Hot Air): Video: The surreal, race-baiting Blagojevich press conference; Update: No seat for Burris, says Obama; Update: Blago’s General Counsel quits

The Real Barack Obama: Blago Punks Dems
Rick Moran (The American Thinker): Blago names respected African American Pol to senate seat
Gary Gross (California Conservative, Let Freedom Ring): Defiant Blagojevich Names Obama's Replacement
Rich Moran (Right Wing Nut House): REID BALKS AT BLAGO SENATE CHOICE
Jazz Shaw (The Moderate Voice): Senator Burris: Much Ado About Little
Patrick Edaburn (The Moderate Voice): A Proposal For Mr. Burris
Pete Abel (The Moderate Voice): Blagojevich the Exponential Cynic?
Uppity Woman: Obama says Burris choice is “disappointing”
Anne Leary (Backyard Conservative): Blago Makes a Move
Dan Riehl: Did Blago Actually Have To Appoint Someone?
Neoavatara: Blago! Are you kidding me?

Update (1/10/09): And, the best post of all!

(Basil must be from our state!! ;-)

Labels: barack obama, blog round-ups, blogosphere, rod blagojevich, roland burris

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

- Isaiah 9:6


Merry CHRISTmas!!

For Our Liberal Friends: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to observe religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures.

For Our Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and may God bless you and yours in 2009.

This time of the year is about change; it's about the future. We look at the New Years celebration as a change of the year and look forward to all of the exciting things to come that year. But Christmas is also about a change - it's about a change in the World for the rest of the future, not just a year. When Jesus Christ was born in a manger, it signified a change; it was the start of a beautiful future full of possibilities that last much longer than a year, but an eternity. So, this holiday season, don't just look to 2009, but look to the future. And the future is bright. In this Christmas and Holiday Season, let's work to change the future and change the World. And we as Republicans, can do just that if we stay focused, stay energized, stay loyal, and remain the best party on Campus. Look to the future, my friends. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and here's to a bright future.

(Jeffrey Isbell is a former UIS College Republican and is currently the Children's Pastor and Youth Leader at the West Monroe Apostolic Church in Herrin, Illinois)

I spent a few hours at the Capitol today to see what the legislature planned to do regarding Governor Blagojevich. From everything I read in media reports the main item on the agenda was to vote on a bill to create a special election for the vacant US Senate seat. That did not happen. Republicans on the House side were upset about this to say the least. House Minority Leader Tom Cross spoke on the House Floor on the need to hold a special election because any appointment to the US Senate, whether it be by Governor Blagojevich or Pat Quinn would be tainted. He and other Republicans are going to continue to fight to ensure a special election does take place to name the replacement for President-elect Obama.

The House did vote to create a panel of 12 Democrats and 9 Republicans to put together a report that investigates whether there is enough to go forward with impeachment in the House. This panel will meet everyday in room 114 of the Capital and is open to the public. They will not meet on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. This bill was Resolution 1650. Republicans introduced an identical Resolution last week, 1644. The only exception was that the Republican version called for 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans. The Republican resolution was not discussed and several Republican Representatives voiced their strong disapproval on the House Floor. Representative Bill Black (R) of Danville, was perhaps the most vocal to the Democrats. He spoke very passionately and gave quite a speech.

So, the House has formally created a committee to investigate impeachment of the Governor. It is my hope that this committee will act swiftly and decisively and be prepared to act if the Governor does not resign. There is much at stake and impeachment is not something that should be taken lightly. However, given the serious nature of the allegations against Governor Blagojevich, I believe that he is not fit to remain Governor. If he does not resign on his own than it is my belief that the House of Representatives should move swiftly with impeachment and allow a trial to take place in the Senate. Now is the time to act. The time for change in Illinois is now. We need to put the past 6 years behind us and move forward to tackle the serious issues facing Illinois families today. I encourage you to call your State Representative and ensure that impeachment moves swiftly to put this state in the right hands.


Trackbacked to third world country, The World According to Carl, DragonLady's World, Rosemary's News, and Political Byline, courtesy of Linkfests.us, and to The Conservative Cat.

Labels: House begins impeachment process, rod blagojevich

As I was watching the coverage yesterday of Blagojevich's arrest, I couldn't help but notice how all of the national political pundits were utterly shocked and surprised (not to mention many Illinois politicians) by the arrest of the governor. For most citizens this should come as no surprise. He has been under federal investigation for several years and has had several former aids indicted by federal authorities (Tony Rezko comes to mind). Contrary to what many people in the nation believe, this is just politics as usual for Illinois. I've heard it said from classmates that this will allow for a clean slate in Illinois. Given the number of governors who have been arrested and put in jail in the past 30 years or so, I doubt that such a thing will happen.

Labels: Blagojevich Arrest, media, rod blagojevich

Well folks, I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.

For the last 6 years of the Blagojevich administration there has been a cloud of suspicion hovering over this Governor over pay-to-play politics. In 2002, Rod Blagojevich campaigned across this state pledging to end the business-as-usual that was the status quo in the state of Illinois at the time. He pledged to ride into Springfield on a white horse and clean up this state. I didn't support him in 2002, I thought then that former IL Attorney General Jim Ryan was the right man for the job. My candidate lost. I was willing to give Blagojevich a chance to follow through on the promises he had made because Illinois desperately needed to put the George Ryan years behind us. George Ryan was a person I looked up too. He was a Republican and he and I shared a decent name haha. George Ryan let me and the rest of the state down by putting his own personal interests ahead of the interests of this state. When Blagojevich took office, I had hopes that we could finally put that behind us. Unfortunately, that trust was wrongfully placed by the people of Illinois.

Early on we began to see that business-as-usual in Illinois simply transferred from the Republican administration into the Democratic one. Instead of putting the interests of IL first, Blagojevich began doing whatever it took to enrich himself, his family, and his friends. This is why I became actively involved in Judy Baar Topinka's campaign for Governor in 2006. The entire campaign Blagojevich falsely used George Ryan to link him to Topinka. He was able to spend millions and millions of dollars, a lot of which was raised by now convicted felon Tony Rezko, to air TV ads linking Topinka to George Ryan. Remember, Judy Baar Topinka, What's She Thinking? During the campaign, I was able to get to know Judy very well and Joe Birkett as well. But because Blagojevich had a massive campaign war chest, he was able to distract the voters of IL away from his own failures and create a false impression that Topinka was just another George Ryan crony. Judy Baar Topinka warned us in 2006 of what lay ahead for IL. She was right. She and Joe Birkett fought for an Illinois that worked for working families. In the last 2 years since his re-election, we have seen what can happen when we have a Governor more interested in being served than serving the interests of this state.

Public service is about serving the people, not to be served. It is a sad fact that we have TWO consecutive Governors that have been arrested. This corruption does not belong to one party or one group. This is a bipartisan problem in Illinois that needs to be dealt with. For too long our elected officials have routinely betrayed the public trust and engaged in pay-to-play politics. It's time to put our state first. It's time to put forth leaders that are interested in putting the business of this state ahead of their own personal agenda. We can do better than what we are getting out of Springfield. Because quite frankly, we deserve better. We deserve better than having 2 Governors involved in corruption. We deserve honest, decent, and honorable people to serve in the rank and file of State Government. We face serious challenges in Illinois and its time for Governor Blagojevich to step aside and put the interests of Illinois first, because he has lost all credibility that he might have had. This isn't a partisan issue. This is an Illinois issue. All of us, Democrats and Republicans, need to stand up for Honest Government and a government that will work for all of us.

So, now it's time for Governor Blagojevich to step aside. If he does not, the General Assembly should convene and begin immediate impeachment hearings and allow Lt. Governor Pat Quinn to take over. He has opposed Blagojevich on many key areas and I think will lead this state honorably and will help to put this state first.

Labels: Blagojevich Arrest, rod blagojevich, tony rezko

Breaking news: Governor Blagojevich [finally!!] arrested...

There has been a TON of stuff that's happened, since we last posted here (from Washington, D.C.), and several entries have been saved as drafts below - to hopefully be published soon.

We just had to interrupt this blog however, to post this morning's latest news... Our governor, the insufferable Rod R. Blagojevich, has been arrested!!

This is something that has been a long time coming; it was surprising though, how it just suddenly happened, triggered by a new issue (the filling of the vacancy of outgoing U.S. Senator Barack Obama).


Blago is currently in federal custody, along with his Chief of Staff. The U.S. Attorney will be holding the press conference, regarding this, at the top of the hour (in about 10 minutes).

This will be an interesting situation to watch (as Illinois politics oftentimes is! ;-)...

Tumulty called out at last!

Many people know about the involvement of our organization, in regards to the surprising Republican victories in the 2007 elections, here in the capital city. No one was expecting the Republican-endorsed candidates to do so well, in the City Council races - after that, some people were thinking that perhaps if people had known that that would happen, more emphasis might have been given to the executive municipal races as well (Mayor Davlin was pretty much given a free pass, towards re-election.)

Cecilia Tumulty had a lock on the City Clerk race as well, but Jerry Goldblatt ran a spirited campaign... We discussed his incumbent opponent, when he spoke at our College Republicans meeting that semester (Spring 2007). I remembered being at a City Council meeting, in the summer of 2006 - the one at which the Republican minority succeeded in stalling the infamous backroom deal, regarding the Sierra Club and the CWLP [headed by the Mayor's pal Todd Renfrow] (though when Mark Mahoney returned from vacation, the plan passed). I later looked at the City Clerk's website, to obtain the audio from that meeting - Cecilia Tumulty had been boasting, about how good her site was [Will Reynolds actually claimed that it was better than the Sangamon County website! ;-)...]

That link was broken, however. I did not check (at that time) the other audio links for the 2006 City Council meetings, as I assumed the error was just for that one meeting's link. (After all, there was a link provided, for each 2006 meeting, claiming that the mp3 audio file was there.) I was surprised, when I went back, and tried to download the mp3s from the other 2006 City Council meetings. Every single one of those links was broken!!

I regretted not having brought this up, during the 2007 election cycle. (I am glad that, while I did not raise this issue then, I did point out, when Mr. Goldblatt spoke at our College Republicans meeting, Ms. Tumulty's hypocrisy in yet another matter - The fact that she sent that ridiculous letter alleging that an informal humorous conversation between 4 City Council members constituted a violation of the Open Meetings Act, while - according to Democrat City Council member Frank Kunz - she did something even more significant [going to dinner with 3 other Democrat City Council members], when she was on the City Council.)

However, the Democrats have now chosen to insert Ms. Tumulty onto their party's general-election ballot, for this Fall's election, for Sangamon County Circuit Clerk!! [She was not on their primary ballot, but was inserted after the fact, as the Sangamon County Democrats thought that, in order to pick up this seat, they would need someone like her - I wish we'd known, when she was running for her current position last year, that she didn't plan to keep it, before running for another office... Then again, she herself probably didn't know that!! ;-) ]

Some may think that it is petty, to bring up website errors. But our city's Circuit Clerk has been making a issue, about how she supposedly does a good job, in maintaining her municipal website.

One would hope that, now into another term, Ms. Tumulty would have improved. But such was not the case.

Here is a Letter to the Editor from the Hon. Kent Gray, an elected Trustee of the Illinois Community College Board, about this very topic; I am glad that someone is finally bringing this up!! Also see below Mr. Libri's pertinent television ad, which I hope this blog entry now puts into context.


Letter to the Editor, State Journal-Register

Tony Libri should be re-elected as circuit clerk

Recently, I have had the opportunity to utilize the great new Internet search service that Sangamon County Circuit Clerk Tony Libri has implemented at his office. I found the Web site to be user friendly and extremely helpful in retrieving case data going back decades. As an attorney, I often need to access information on client cases.

Prior to the new service, I would usually let a few research issues pile up on my desk before driving down to the courthouse, parking, going through security and navigating my way through the mainframe terminal at Libri’s office. No more. It is now a breeze to search and retrieve up-to-date information right from my desktop.

As much as I appreciate the new service Tony Libri has implemented to serve us, it was my unhappy experience with his competitor’s Web site that prompted me to write this letter. Springfield City Clerk Cecilia Tumulty is running against Libri this year. Last week, I was trying to find a copy of a Springfield city ordinance and I found out how woefully inadequate Tumulty’s city Web site is.

It started when I went to the Springfield homepage. On it was a link to the “City Council Agenda.” Even though it’s October 2008, the link takes you to the 2007 page. As I was looking through the 2007 page, I noticed it wasn’t even complete.

The 2007 page has no obvious link to the 2008 page, but if you guess the correct link, you can find it. Unfortunately, her Web site doesn’t have any of the actual ordinances.

If Tumulty can’t even get the thousand or so Springfield ordinances on her Web site each year correctly, why would we trust her with hundreds of thousands of vital records as circuit clerk? Libri deserves re-election.

Kent Gray
Springfield

www.defendingthedream.org


I wish I'd been able to publish something about this, before we left, or at least last evening (the first day of this event), but that with all that took place over that 24-hour period [planes, trains, and automobiles, ferries, etc..., it was not possible.]

As some of you may have heard, we came yesterday to Washington, D.C., for the 2nd-Annual "Defending the American Dream" Summit, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity.

Special thanks to the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity for covering our airfare costs, for this great event!! We were able to find affordable lodging (we're staying at a Holiday Inn Express in suburban D.C.), and left yesterday morning, for a 6:00 AM flight from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis [STL].

Yesterday [keep in mind that none of us really got any sleep], we went [starting at about 3:00 AM (again!)] from:

Chatham & Springfield to intermediate parking at STL [by car]
Intermediate parking to the East Terminal (for Southwest Airlines) [a mile away, by shuttle]
STL to Baltimore-Washington Airport [BWI]
BWI to our hotel [$130 cab ride]
Hotel to Metro station (Franconia/Springfield stop) [shuttle]
Franconia/Springfield to Crystal City stop [Metro]

(Here, at the Crystal City Marriott, we all got to meet Grover Norquist, one of the most influential leaders in the United States. Myself and then-UIS CR Chairman David Clary saw him both at the College Republican National Biennial Convention last summer (July 2007), as well as few months later, at the 5th-Anniversary Luncheon of the Illinois Policy Institute, here in Springfield, Illinois. Then-UIS CR 2nd Vice-Chairman Zack Davis was at both events as well, and the photo that the State Journal-Register chose to include on its front page, the day after the 5th Anniversary Luncheon, was that of Zack and Mr. Norquist.)


Crystal City Marriot to U.S. Capitol [bus]

U.S. Capitol to Crystal City Marriot [[me]] [bus]
U.S. Capitol to Franconia-Springfield stop [Metro] to Holiday Inn Express [shuttle, which probably had to be specially called] back to... [[the others]]

That rally at the United States Capitol (referred to on the television news as "angry capitalists storm Capitol Hill!" ;-) was a good experience, as we got to network with some great people.

I was interviewed by the Business-section reporter at the Washington Times (that's a great publication; I'm so glad that in Washington, D.C., there is a second major newspaper to balance out the ideology of the Washington Post).

There was a reception in the evening, but the big event last night was the Tribute to Ronald Reagan dinner banquet.

Also, earlier that day, I succeeded in getting added to Bloggers' Row... They have a room set up for us, from which I've tried to live-blog (though at my personal weblog), as others are doing here. It has been hard [especially without having had a chance to drink the hotel coffee this morning, and with no Red Bull (!) in sight], to quickly post, while things are happening... Right now, the lunch break has begun (it's now well underway), but I'm still in the Bloggers' Row room. The breakout sessions begin at about 1:30 PM this afternoon (we are now an hour ahead of everyone in Illinois).

The speakers at the Reagan Dinner last night were fantastic. We will try to have updates and recaps posted soon. Meanwhile, here are some others, blogging from the "Defending the American Dream" Summit, here at the Crystal City Marriott (Arlington, VA):

Fran Eaton, our friend at Illinois Review

Our old friends at Save the GOP

Steve Eggleston at No Runny Eggs

Young [constitutionalist] Republican Joey Dauben, now at the Ellis County Observer

Liberty and Prosperity for Today

Mike Illions and Sharon Soon from Conservatives with Attitude
Michael Sparxx (or is it "A.J. Sparxx"? ;-) from the good-old PoliPundit weblog

Alice Shope from Alice's Restaurant

Austin Cassidy from Conservative Pulse

Bob Weeks from Voice For Liberty in Wichita

Doug Welch from Stix Blog (whose work I used, in prior entries here, like with our trip last week, to the Sarah Palin debate events - and also for last months Republican National Convention; Doug's from nearby St. Louis)

The great columnist Rachel Anderson Alexander (sorry, Rachel! ;-), and her sometimes-anonymous co-blogger [so anonymous, I don't recall his name! :-) ], now at the Sonoran Alliance. [From just heading over to that weblog, I am thinking that it might be Pete.]

[Wow... He just walked back in the room, after I typed this. I'm now over in a corner, not up by the big-screen live-feed, where I was during this morning's program, because my laptop ran out of batteries, and I couldn't find an available outlet. This room has cleared out some, because it's lunch period, but over by that area where Rachel and Pete (?) are, Fran Eaton and Mark Johnson (from our state) are also there, and it looks like they are interviewing Grover Norquist (who is now here as well). Erik Telford, a national staffer for Americans for Prosperity (and Executive Director of Right Online - a new AFP project), who we want to thank for coordinating the blogging/technological support for this Summit (and especially for allowing me to be on Bloggers' Row! ;-), just mentioned that more people are here in this room, for available interviews.

Steve Lonegan, the State Director for the New Jersey division of Americans for Prosperity, is one of them, and he has sit down at the table next to my corner one, with Dave Nalle of the Republican Liberty Caucus, who I just a little while ago witnessed doing a video interview with the new head of Bureaucrash, Pete Eyer (our old friend J.D. Talley apparently no longer heads that organization).

I wanted the names (and spellings thereof), and tried to ask, before this interview began... Mr. Nalle let me come over, and I am co-interviewing (though I haven't asked any questions yet).

Steve Lonegan spoke at the General Session this morning, and is the former Mayor of Bogata, New Jersey. I just found his home page: lonegan.com [encyclopedia article]

The person to the left of Mr. Nalle just told Mr. Lonegan, at the end of this interview, that he had Twittered (or perhaps the term we're 'sposed to be using is "tweeted") on this interview, and he received a response from someone in South Carolina... I couldn't really hear what he said that comment was about - perhaps because of how increasingly exasperated I am getting, by witnessing, and being in the middle of, what is going on.

As I've said before, I have no idea how some of these people are able to professionally compose and publish so rapidly, about events that have just happened (or are taking place). I should be able to do that, at this point (and perhaps would be able to, once I get ahold of something stronger than Coca-Cola ;-).

A woman leader from Texas (formerly with the Republican National Committee), came over, as Mr. Lonegan was leaving, and though I went over to get extra business cards, and then was able to speak to Mr. Lonegan before he left, I did come back, and heard them discussing property tax issues. She is from a part of Austin, Texas (which is the Lone Star State's capital) that is liberal.

Now, another woman here is taking a picture just took a picture, of us over here. Also, though I was behind this table, on the opposite side of Mr. Lonegan (as was interviewer Dave Nalle, and whomever this other guy is*, my voice will probably appear in the video feed (that's how Mr. Nalle was interviewing Steve Lonegan).

* I just asked, and I feel bad... I met this gentleman last night, with Socialist Squirrel and Grizzly Groundswell. He did respond by noting that he didn't have any business cards last night, but just gave me one - and I mentioned that from the side, and with his hat, it was hard to recognize him (this seems to be happening increasingly to me, these days - people know who I am, but I have trouble placing them. Either I'm getting older, or I'm making so many networks and connections, it's becoming crazy, keeping track and remembering everyone - In this case, I think it's mostly the latter.) Dr. Bill Smith is the National Political Director of Let's Get This Right, which is a coalition of traditionalist, libertarian, and constitutionalists within the Republican Party (precisely the type of people our party needs more of, but that's a topic for another time ;-)...

Dr. Smith is also the editor of the Arkansas Republican Assembly's News Service website.

Now, David P. Baumgardner, M.P.A., who has become the Wisconsin Coordinator, for the Republican Liberty Caucus (Mr. Dave Nalle, mentioned above, who conducted that interview with Steve Lonnegan is with the Republican Liberty Caucus in Austin, Texas). Before that, a reporter with MTV News came, and sat down there... I think that she should talk to the College Republicans and other young people here, considering her target audience.

As this was happening, John Fund (who was one of the featured General Session speakers this morning) of the Wall Street Journal, came in... He asked to use the laptop and internet connection of blogger Thomas Cox.

I was at that corner table, before moving over to co-interview Steve Lonegan, but when this happened, I decided to move back over... I am across from Mr. Fund right now, who was just called for an interview, which he had to delay, as he tries to access the internet, while eating the boxed lunch (something that I need to be doing, as the lunch period is almost over, while I am still blogging!... Crap, I really need the Red Bull).

I asked Tom Cox if he could take a picture of me here... He did, but what I wanted was one of me with John Fund, both of us working away. I didn't have to ask though, as he [Tom] seemed to read my mind.

Speaking of digital video-interviewing and photo-taking, this is all-the-more reason (actually, the prior trips, to Washington, D.C., Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and elsewhere were more than reason enough - see below!) to get that Flickr and YouTube set up completed, ASAP.

Now, unless President Bush or Vice-President Cheney, or Senator John McCain, happen to also walk in here, I'm going to go get lunch!

(Actually, at this point, even if Bush, Cheney, or McCain were to walk in here, I'd probably still go to lunch! ;-)

[Though the same could not be said, if the person walking in here were the Governor of Alaska!! :-) ]

Note from Aakash (10/5/08): I am only tangentially involved in campus affairs right now, so my awareness of what is going on, with respect to all of that, is often only indirect... The new leaders of the UIS College Republicans should be posting here soon.


Updates, and the Vice-President Debate
In St. Louis, to see Governor Sarah Palin beat Senator Joe Biden
Quite a few things have happened, even in the short time since I last posted. At least week's College Republicans meeting, the new UIS CR Executive Board created and appointed four new positions. One of those is Web/Com - After having so many experiences, from Sangamon County, to other parts of Illinois (Springfield to Chicago), to elsewhere in the Midwest (Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Minnesota again, Missouri again (!!!!)** etc..., to Washington, D.C., multiple times***, and having plenty of photos from these national, regional, and local events, as well as some video clips, including newscasts on which we were featured, it has been very frustrating not having them compiled, in a display-sharing format - especially since there are now so many widely-used services, that do this for you (Flickr, YouTube, Picasa, Google Video, etc...). We hope to have new web pages and recap compilations up soon.


** When I was Chairman in the Fall 2004 semester (the last time we had a presidential election), I remembered us attending the rallies (through Illinois "Victory 2004") in St. Louis, surrounding the Bush-Kerry debate. When I heard the news about another upcoming debate there, this time around, I thought we should look into possibilities, regarding rallies and attendance at the historic Vice-Presidential Debate, between Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden.

Early this week, I received notice, from Jeremy Hagen (Chairman of the statewide Missouri College Republicans organization [MOCR]), of the three events planned for Thursday, surrounding this debate. There would be a rally for Governor Palin near the debate site (Washington University in St. Louis), followed by the huge Debate Watching Party, at Chaifetz Arena in Saint Louis University (SLU), at which 10,000 people were expected, and after which Governor Sarah Palin would be speaking to us.

Despite the uncertainty of ticket availability (that's why no all-group e-mail was sent out), and despite these events being during work and class times, we made arrangments the prior day (Wednesday) - as well as on Thursday morning - and attended these fun and exciting events. Those UIS College Republicans who were able to attend, and for whom we obtained tickets, included myself, Matt Mau, Braxton Denton, Ryan Melchin, Lexi Kirschbaum, Kelsey Quinn, and Ryan Roth.

Matt and Braxton were admitted into the Debate itself (at Washington University in St. Louis) and Lexi and Kelsey got to be on the Arena floor, right in front of the podium, when Governor Palin gave her exciting and motivational Post-Debate Rally address. (That was preceded by a talented country singer [trying to find the name - It sounded like "Sarah Maran"... But we weren't sure exactly], and then, the actual "Straight Talk Express" bus drove into the arena!!)




I am going to try to make the trip to campus right now, for the remainder of this evening's Homecoming events. [Our entries in the 2008 UIS Homecoming Parade had to be cancelled, as probably did the other political-related* entries, due to very-unfortunate - and very troubling!! - developments... Though that is a topic for another time (though that time will likely have to come soon, due to the problems our crazy Governor continues to cause everyone)... It's neat to see F.I.R.E., the ACLU, the Obama supporters, and the Republicans all on the same side, though!] Our new College Republicans Chairman, Brandon Guiliano, will be sworn in as Vice-President of the Student Government Association at the University of Illinois at Springfild (UIS SGA) at halftime, during the Homecoming game.

*Update (10/05/08): I should have said "campaign-related" parade entries... I am not on campus much, nor that involved in university affairs anymore, but from what I have heard, there were political candidates and issues represented in the Parade. However, I do not know of any campaign organizations that had entries, like was done in prior years. (And the College Republicans did not "drop out" of the Parade... Our members were planning to walk in the entries for the candidate campaigns, but those entries had to be cancelled yesterday morning, due to the controversy regarding Governor Blagojevich.)

I hope that we have some recaps, photos, and video posted here soon, regarding our recent experiences in Saint Louis... and perhaps some commentary and analysis of the VP Debate itself as well. I am sorry I was not able to post much, in the way of recaps, regarding our experiences at the Republican National Convention, a month ago, in St. Paul, Minnesota. We hope to have those services mentioned above (photo and video sharing) implemented soon.


*** Unlike last year (when we almost did, but didn't), we will have a delegation this time, at the "Defending the American Dream" Summit, in Washington, D.C., later this month. This will be our organizations 10th trip to the Washington, D.C. area within about a four-year time period.

www.DefendingTheDream.org

Happy CONSTITUTION Day

I have several entries below as drafts (to hopefully be published soon), but right now, I wanted to wish everyone a happy Constitution Day!

Right now, our campus is holding a forum for Constitution Day, themed on First Amendment issues and the freedom of the press. I wish I was on campus right now, but as I am not able to make it there, I am watching the forum online right now. You can as well, through the UIS webcast system:
www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html

I regret not being able to make it to campus on time, especially as blogging is going to be discussed by this panel, and I was one of the first bloggers on this campus, and one of the first political bloggers in Springfield (started in Fall 2002).

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for State and Policy Leadership here at UIS, a great institution within our university, with which we have good relations, due to our organization's past and ongoing events and contributions to this campus, and to the community.

- - - - - - - - - - The Dillman Family diary - Convention Photos

Update (9/12/08): Thanks to our UIS CR Secretary Katie Salter for the reminder... I should have mentioned that our very own Matt Mau (whom I had mentioned in this entry, and in the previous one, below), was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central.
Here is the the clip (with interviewing by Samantha Bee). He was mentioned in the Columbia Journalism Review (as was Mike Sneed, also mentioned in this entry, and the prior one), and in the article in our city's excellent State Journal-Register newspaper, by Bernie Schoenburg.


Pains, Trains, and Automobiles...
Today has been much of a blur (I came down with something, at the end of the Convention)... But somehow, I was able to arrange an Amtrak trip from St. Paul (or perhaps it was Minneapolis), Minnesota [MSP - Midway] to Chicago (ugh!!) to Naperville, Illinois [NPV], and make it to the (wealthy suburban) Village of Glen Ellyn, where my car was still parked, and then drive back home to Springfield (though I'm still somewhat still in a daze).

THANKS to everyone who helped out... especially Rob Martin, the new Minnesota Field Representative of the College Republican National Committee (CRNC). [He was also not feeling too well on Friday morning - we were all exhausted and worn - but he helped me figure out a good place to stay for that night, near the Amtrak station, and took me there.] Thanks also to County Board member Jen Dillman (Volunteers for Shimkus) and McCain Alternate Delegate Matt Mau [both of whom are affiliated with our UIS College Republicans organization], and to Stacey Bishop (of Representative Raymond Poe's office), for also assisting, as well as to Ashley Barbera of the CRNC, who was also the one who worked hard to coordinate all of the activities, for our "Top 40" CRNC STORM contest winners group, from beginning to end... and to my roommate Robert E. Lee (now a Leadership Institute CLP Field Representative), his wife Melissa, and Sarah Perkins (of ISI & the Susan B. Anthony List) for the moral support.


As I said in that e-mail I sent last night, after arriving back home: Because of how fast things were moving this week, I wasn't really able to "live-blog", from St. Paul (Also, they for some reason blocked wireless access, from the XCel Center [despite it indicating that free wi-fi connectivity was publicly available].)... I was apparently not the only one with this dilemma, and who will be "live"-blogging after the fact! ;-)

If those of you who were there want to contribute anything, we can post it here at www.uisgop.com. Thanks!

(We really need to set up a Flickr, YouTube channel, or web page collection, to compile the photos, as well as audio and video, from our many past activities, from Springfield to Washington, D.C., and everywhere in between.)

It's 3:00 AM...

(Well, a little past that, as I'm running late!)

As we've said here before, please don't let the lack of updates at this weblog give you the impression that there's been a lack of activity. It's been (and continues to be!!) quite the opposite... Maybe that's one reason for the lack of updates!! :-)

Right now, I am about to depart, first to stop by the home of the College Republicans Chairman at our sister campus (UIUC), and then we are heading to St. Paul (and Minneapolis), for the 2008 Republican National Convention!!
[latest news]

Both of us were winners of the "STORM" contest of the College Republican National Committee.

We are not officially part of the Illinois "delegation" - or even the Illinois guest delegation... Since we are going through the CRNC. Not only do we not have to pay the $1,200.00 cost of lodging [we'll be staying for free, starting this afternoon, at Concordia University], but we also do not have to buy the attendance pass (for $600.00), like everyone else does... We will have the equivalent access that volunteers for the Republican National Committee get - and perhaps even better seats! (Sorry, guys!!)


UIS CR Matt Mau and alumnus Mike Sneed are also attending, as elected Alternate Delegates (from the 19th Congressional District of Illinois).

Distinguished UIS CR alumna Jen Dillman [who was appointed to the County Board last summer] is also attending.

www.jendillman.com

In fact, they are already there.

Soon, we will be too.

-----------------

Please pray that this trip goes well, for all of those who are attending.

But more significantly, please pray for the people down south, as they cope with the pending Hurricane Gustav.

Illinois Republican Convention 2008

www.WeAreIllinois.org


The 2008 Convention of the Illinois Republican Party was this weekend... I had wanted to do some live-blogging from Decatur, but this was not possible (due to time and logistical issues).

Our UIS CR chapter was the only College Republicans organization that had a major presence at this Convention, which is held once every four years (just like the Republican National Convention, which will be a few months from now, in Minneapolis).
Our new UIS College Republicans Chairman, Brandon Guiliano, was selected to be a full-fledged Convention Delegate, as was I. Other current and former Executive Board officers, and members of our organization, were also registered attendees, at this major event.

We will have some recaps posted soon. Thanks to all who helped out this weekend!!

At last night's end of the year election the UIS College Republicans elected a new executive board. After several close votes, the positions were filled as follows:
Chairman: Brandon Guiliano
1st Vice-Chairman: Nathanael Arthur
2nd Vice-Chairman: Dan Klosak
Secretary: Katie Salter
Treasurer: Philip Rukosuev

They will officially take over their duties on June 1st. We wish them the best of luck in this pivotal election year.

David Clary
UIS College Republican's Chairman

RELAY FOR LIFE 2008

Each year, since it began, our College Republicans organization has had a top team, in the Relay for Life for "Springfield-area colleges." This year will be no different.

Although we got a late start this year, we will have a full team - and will be continuing to raise money - for the American Cancer Society - up through the final day, which is August 31st.

[Like in 2006...]

The voting is over...

The waiting begins...