Voting is a fundamental right and one of the most important duties of a citizen. In Illinois, it is a felony to use deception to prevent any person from supporting the nomination or election of any person for public office.
From June through August of this year, the Illinois Republican Party, Pat Brady, Chairman, coordinated an effort to "jigger the ballot," to borrow a phrase from Republican Candidate Mark Kirk.
Probable violations of the law by the State GOP included misreporting the use of party funds. The State GOP paid Republican lawyers John Fogarty and Brien Sheahan, and others on the Party payroll to obstruct candidate nominations while hiding the identity of the puppeteer footing the bill - the Illinois Republican Party. The State GOP attempted to hide the fact it was behind objections to 23 candidates, through the use of two phony or "conduit" objectors. Funds used to pay State GOP staffers to oppose candidates were misreported as used for "grassroots organizing."
When these dirty tricks were being played, I asked Republican Candidate for Attorney General Steve Kim to repudiate these low and probably illegal tactics of the Republican Party. Mr. Kim's campaign did not respond. So today I call upon Attorney General Lisa Madigan to investigate this likely violation of election law by the Illinois Republican Party. But odds are Lisa Madigan will ignore it, because the Democrats are probably not squeaky clean on this issue either.
The Chicago Sun Times, in its endorsement of Lisa Madigan noted: "One area where Madigan could do more -- and where her Republican challenger Steve Kim vows he would do more -- is in fighting public corruption. But let's not be naive -- that's one crusade Madigan is unlikely to take on. Not when it could so obviously put her at odds with her father."
Given Republican Steve Kim's failure to repudiate the actions of his party, his "vow" to fight corruption should be taken with a grain of salt.
It is a shocking and dismal state of affairs that a major paper endorsed Madigan, while admitting that she will not fight corruption. The citizens of Illinois should not accept - like a bunch of sheep - the fact that their chief law enforcement officer will not attack corruption. If the people of Illinois want to get rid of corruption, they need to elect an independent Attorney General.
Illinois is $12 billion in the red, and every year, a half billion dollars is squandered as a result of corruption and official misconduct. Corruption and cronyism should be a priority for the Attorney General, not a land mine the AG needs to tiptoe around. Only an Independent Attorney General will do what is necessary to drain the cesspool of corruption in Illinois.
From June through August of this year, the Illinois Republican Party, Pat Brady, Chairman, coordinated an effort to "jigger the ballot," to borrow a phrase from Republican Candidate Mark Kirk.
Probable violations of the law by the State GOP included misreporting the use of party funds. The State GOP paid Republican lawyers John Fogarty and Brien Sheahan, and others on the Party payroll to obstruct candidate nominations while hiding the identity of the puppeteer footing the bill - the Illinois Republican Party. The State GOP attempted to hide the fact it was behind objections to 23 candidates, through the use of two phony or "conduit" objectors. Funds used to pay State GOP staffers to oppose candidates were misreported as used for "grassroots organizing."
When these dirty tricks were being played, I asked Republican Candidate for Attorney General Steve Kim to repudiate these low and probably illegal tactics of the Republican Party. Mr. Kim's campaign did not respond. So today I call upon Attorney General Lisa Madigan to investigate this likely violation of election law by the Illinois Republican Party. But odds are Lisa Madigan will ignore it, because the Democrats are probably not squeaky clean on this issue either.
The Chicago Sun Times, in its endorsement of Lisa Madigan noted: "One area where Madigan could do more -- and where her Republican challenger Steve Kim vows he would do more -- is in fighting public corruption. But let's not be naive -- that's one crusade Madigan is unlikely to take on. Not when it could so obviously put her at odds with her father."
Given Republican Steve Kim's failure to repudiate the actions of his party, his "vow" to fight corruption should be taken with a grain of salt.
It is a shocking and dismal state of affairs that a major paper endorsed Madigan, while admitting that she will not fight corruption. The citizens of Illinois should not accept - like a bunch of sheep - the fact that their chief law enforcement officer will not attack corruption. If the people of Illinois want to get rid of corruption, they need to elect an independent Attorney General.
Illinois is $12 billion in the red, and every year, a half billion dollars is squandered as a result of corruption and official misconduct. Corruption and cronyism should be a priority for the Attorney General, not a land mine the AG needs to tiptoe around. Only an Independent Attorney General will do what is necessary to drain the cesspool of corruption in Illinois.
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