Free Republic

This weekly broadcast is all about Illinois Politics and a good way to get the latest news on who is running the GOP.

It is estimated that 100,000 people leave the state of Illinois every year. It is difficult to know exactly what this means, as people move in as well as move out, and many of the incoming are either illegal immigrants or illegal aliens. But one thing is certain: the hundred thousand who depart each year are workers, employers, taxpayers. The very people you need for not only a functioning economy but also a functioning republic. For an electoral process to work, for it to produce elected officials with the right mentality to run the government in a fashion conducive to...

On Tuesday night, I followed the Illinois primary results to keep up with the liberal challenge to pro-life Democrat Dan Lipinski. It was too close for comfort, as they say, but Mr. Lipinski pulled out a 2-point win with 97% of the vote counted. He defeated Marie Newman, a progressive, as they like to call these candidates. By 10 P.M., I found myself caught up in the governor's race. On one hand is incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner, who has been a major disappointment, according to my friends in Illinois. They tell me he cracked and gave in to the Legislature....

The Senate Executive Committee decided to override Illinois history this afternoon by approving SB 10 which redefines marriage to include two individuals of the same sex. The bill passed out of committee by a 9-5 vote along party lines. The bill now moves to the full Illinois Senate for its consideration, with a possible vote coming on Valentine’s Day (February 14th)...

Chicago - Scott Lee Cohen announced Monday that he plans to run for governor as an independent. He said he was running because he was "tired of waste and mismanagement." Cohen was pressured to drop out of the race for lieutenant governor after embarassing details surfaced about his personal life, including allegations of abuse from his wife and ex-girlfriend and overdue child support. "I am not perfect, but I am honest," Cohen said. "And Illinois needs more honesty than perfection." A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan says Cohen notified party leaders of his plans to run for governor in...

The Congressional Gods have smiled and come to a tentative agreement to merge Porkulus and son of Porkulus into something you can probably call GoFrigYourselfulus. The highlight? For me? The taxpayer the stimulus is supposed to convince that it’s cool to spend my money again and help get the economy moving back toward the end…I mean black? I’ll get a whopping extra $13 a week in my paycheck! Here's how I'll spend it....

Like all good third world criminal thugs, the incoming leftist administration is wasting no time in their rush to make certain that only they and career criminals have the right to bear arms… Contrary to the lefts hunter-friendly support of the Second Amendment, that little constitutional clause does not exist for the purpose of hunting and target practice. It exists for just the sort of occasion we find ourselves in today… As you can now see, our federal government is well down the road of becoming increasingly “destructive of these ends.” Life, liberty and the individual pursuit of happiness are...

I have not seen it recorded whether John F. Kennedy, after he was elected president in 1960, held conversations with Massachusetts Gov. Foster Furcolo as to who would be appointed to fill his seat in the Senate.History does record that Furcolo, just nine days before turning the governorship over to the Republican elected to succeed him, appointed one Benjamin A. Smith II, a college roommate of Kennedy’s and former mayor of Gloucester, who chose not to seek the seat in the next election in 1962, which happened to be the year in which Edward Kennedy turned 30 and was therefore...

A black conservative leader is blasting an Illinois congressman for demanding that that state's governor appoint a black person to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat. Bobby Rush, a black Democratic congressman from the Chicago area, recently said it would be a "national disgrace" if Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich does not appoint an African American to replace Obama, who resigned the seat last month to prepare for the presidency. Rush, a former Black Panther member, is collecting signatures on a petition he hopes to deliver to the governor by Christmas. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of Los Angeles-based Brotherhood Organization...

Dan Zanoza, Executive Director of RFFM.org, interviews John Biver, Editor of Champion News, formerly Family Taxpayers Network. Biver answers questions on the state of Illinois politics and specifically addresses the Republican Party's demise in recent years. Biver also delves into the roles of conservative activists and how individuals and groups can help conservatives turn the tide in state politics. Biver's thoughts on GOP politics apply at a national level as well...