(Edited for format and added the video below the fold - promoted by EricV)
Thecapitolfaxblog has reported some pretty exciting news. The Illinois GOP is continuing to crumble!
Rich Miller reported that Jim Froelich (R-Schaumburg) has flipped to the Democrats side of the isle! I don't know a darn thing about the guy, but given that he's in Bean's district, the writing on the wall must be pretty clear. Northwest cook is turning solid blue. And, I'm guessing Tom Cross is not a happy camper right about now.
Miller is also reporting that Kirk Dillard has made a campaign video for Obama, praising his ability to work across the lines to get things done. Clearly a good thing in an environment where the national media is salivating over the supposed bipartisanship of potential 3rd party run by Mike Bloomberg.
On Friday, a Presidential candidate was busy campaigning in Illinois. You may not have noticed though, but maybe you should have. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) is the conservative's conservative and is turning his long-shot bid for the Presidency into a referendum on the direction of the Republican party. He was in two for the DuPage County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday March 2nd. All of the area Republicans turned out to show their support: 6th District Rep. Peter Roskam, 13th District Rep. Judy Biggert, Former Rep. Henry Hyde, and Illinois Republican Party Chair Kirk Dillard.
Lest you forget, Hunter is an ardent conservative who has supported overturning Roe vs. Wade and denying a woman the right to choose. He has introduced bills to do just that. He has been a strong supporter of the President's Iraq policy and is now enthusiastically in favor of escalating the war in Iraq. He joined Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) to block the bill creating a National Intelligence Director, a recommendation by the 9/11 commission to increase cooperation betweeen the FBI and CIA (among others). He's also called for the building of a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border and is one of the prime movers in the War against Immigration. He was also closely tied to Duke Cunningham and unindicted co-conspirator Brent Wilkes and was reported to have pressure the Department of Defense to give a contract to Wilkes in 2000. He also is under scrutiny for failing to pay taxes on his 6-bedroom, swimming pool and tennis court-included estate.
This is the man that these Illinois Republicans describe as "a public servant in Abraham Lincoln's mold" and "[the most] appropriate speaker to help us remember President Lincoln and celebrate the election of principled public officials like Congressman Peter Roskam". Next time Biggert or Roskam claims to be a moderate, ask them about their support of Duncan Hunter.
On May 16, 2006 the Daily Herald published a letter by DuPage GOP Chair Kirk Dillard that the Herald titled, "Reasons to be proud of DuPage GOP." The letter was Dillard's response to Herald Editorial Columnist John Zimmerman's May 7th article, "Putting out an APB for missing DuPage County Republicans," criticizing the DuPage GOP as "Grand Old Pretenders." Here's some of what Zimmerman wrote:
