Full candidate responses
Our full ICRC surveys survey's will be made public, but in the meantime, I am blogging the candidate summary I made for all. What follows is a brief one paragraph summary on each canddiate survey response I currently have in my collection. If you have not read the candidate survey's yet, I urge you to do so, and to look over this email.
Hopefully this will save time at our meeting. I look forward to working with you guys and hope we can make a different with the primary season drawing to a close. Time is of the esssense.
SUMMERY OF CANDIDATE SURVEY RESPONsES
(candidate’s listed in alphabetical order)
Rob Belin
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 2
Belin seems like a nice guy and is “with us” on about 80% of the issues, but his survey (and it’s initial “revision” he sent out afterwards) show he’s too wishy-washy on some issues dear to conservatives, particularly the right-to-life issue (he told me on the phone he “read my bible and thought it over so I decided I would support you guys). On the other hand, his essay responses are very well thought out and he seems to have a better sense of what he would do in Congress than the other Republican candidate in JJJ’s district.
Joe Birkett
REPUBLICAN candidate for Lt. Governor
Birkett answers “yes” to most of our questions except conceal-carry, and try to make the case he is an “unapologetic conservative” and that we need him as the “unabashed conservative” in the race. I cannot accept this pitch in light of his running mate. For example, he cites his record fighting corruption but the person he supports for Governor wrote the book on corruption. His assessment that “Judy Baar Topinka and I have a record of running clean offices” is completely false, in my view. Also, he pledges never to march in gay parades and says he won’t let surrogates do it, but apparently doesn’t mind his running mate doing that on the campaign trail. He also might be able to claim the mantle as the one proven conservative in the race, but not with Rauschenberger and Wegman also seeking that office.
Bill Brady
REPUBLICAN candidate for Governor
Brady’s response is excellent and establishes him as a proven, committed conservative. The only weak spot is his hesitation on freezing member initiatives where he says, “it depends on what is considered “discretionary spending.” (Though I should point out his weakness on immigration and gambling were issues not covered in our survey). His essay responses are great and I strongly suggest anyone who is for Oberweis and claims Brady could be somehow be “the next George Ryan” read his answer to corruption. He makes a great pitch. I am still waiting for Oberweis response to our survey, BTW.
Jason Briscoe
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Rep, District 75
Briscoe’s answers are solid all-around. His essay responses are also insightful.
Bob Churchill
REPUBLCIAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 8
Churchill also stakes a path as a proven, reliable conservative who is with us on every issue. His only weak spot is opposition to term limits (and not everyone on the ICRC is for term limits). His essay responses are brief and lack imagination though, like when he says he will serve on any committee he is asked since Freshmen do not get prime committee assignments.
Mark Fredickson
DEMOCRAT candidate for U.S. Congress, District 5
Fredickson is running against Rahm Emanuel and claims to be with us on every issue except abortion. He’s probably not as conservative as he claims, because he tries to weasel out of a “yes” or “no” answer on several questions (like just giving a generic “I expect the NRA will endorse me” on the gun question) but he is clearly to the right of Emanual and has about 5 times the integrity. He’s probably about the best we’re gonna get out of that socialist Chicago district.
DICK FURSTENEAU
REPUBLICAN Candidate for State Senate, District 48
Fursenaenau’s answers are all-around pretty good, though not the homerun I’m expecting for a candidate who’s running in a safe GOP district. He’s against school choice, unsure on conceal-carry, and opposes the Redfern amendment (and opposes term limits) Otherwise; he’s reliable on all other issues. His essay responses are not very revealing. I would like to see what his primary opponent has to say.
David McAloon
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Rep, District 75
McAloon’s answers are very good overall and he’s very earnest in this survey. His essay responses are nice.
Chris McNeil
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Rep, District 81
McNeil’s answers are great across-the-board and he’s 20 times better than Kosel on our values, and he pointed on in an file attachment compared his record to the incumbent. Very nice essay responses too. The choice is clear.
Jim Mitchell
REPUBLICAN candidate for Congress, District 8
Mitchell is a rock solid conservative except he fell into the trap of supporting higher taxes if it were for education. His essay responses are brief but very insightful – some issues, like returning the Panama Canal to U.S. control, would not be raised by other candidates. He claimed on the phone to be the “only” candidate to support FairTax but I basically got him to admit that the other candidates haven’t’ implicitly endorsed it but indicated they would be open to voting for such a bill. The only problem is he’s pledged to accept no donations and spend little money, which basically makes his campaign DOA in a field with many conservatives, IMO
Matt Murphy
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Senator, District 33
Matt Murphy is against conceal-carry (but otherwise pro-2nd amendment) and is totally with us on all other issues. Like the McNeil survey, this is another case where he’s clearly far superior to than the other Republican candidate for conservatives. Smart essay answers, too.
Steve Rauschenberger
REPUBLICAN candidate for Lt. Governor
Steve comes out in favor of all our issues and makes a very good pitch for our endorsement. His essay is free of references to his running mate, which is odd since they have been tied to the hip as of late (Gitdwitz, to my knowledge, has not answered our survey) I would argue his responses that he’d veto such and such legislation don’t amount to much since he can’t do anything unless the Governor croaks, but he does seem fine as a candidate on his own right (minus some “bad” votes on immigration as Brady)
Kathy Salvi
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 8
Kathy Salvi scores a perfect 100% on our survey. I also believe her essay responses were better than Churchill’s, although they were also too brief. She makes a very, very good case for us to endorse her. (Also, to my knowledge, McSweeney still hasn’t answered our survey)
Howard Schug
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 2
Schug is much more decisive in his primary opponent in fighting for conservative issues. He’s also the only elected official in the race (Lancing Library Board) That being said, while Schug is the better conservative his essay responses were really lame. Belin seemed to have a much better handle on what he would do in Congress than Schug
Rob Sherman
DEMOCRAT candidate for State Rep, District 53
Sherman is a goofy liberal and perhaps the only “liberal Democrat who’s proud of it” to answer our survey. In a very bizarre turn, he claims to support our platform but says we have the wrong idea for implementing those goals. For example, he claims to be “Pro-Family” and says repealing the “so-called defense of marriage act” and letting “consenting adults marry who they love” would be a strong pro-family initiative. I must give him bonus points for creativity in answering our survey. He makes a good case against Sidney Mathias, and actually does support us on a handful of issues, like gun rights. His primary opponent didn’t answer our survey.
Michael Shannon
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 9
I don’t believe Shannon’s answers make him acceptable to conservatives in the primary. He is WAY too mushy on our issues and his “undecided” on about 70% of our questions, though he does spend a great deal of time in our essay section laying out his “vision” We do have to take into account that this is communist Jan Scahnowsky’s district, but still. I haven’t heard from the other little known GOP candidate but I think Jeff Sykuta meet them both and said they seemed to have a “combined age and IQ of about 30”. This makes we wonder if Eckhardt is running again – he may be the only viable option for conservatives.
Ray Wardingley
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 3
Ray’s answers are typical of the ICRC, he is a solid conservative. His opponent is a lunatic white supremisist and neo-nazi sympathizer who didn’t have the guts to fill out our survey. ‘Nuff said.
Posted by WML
Hopefully this will save time at our meeting. I look forward to working with you guys and hope we can make a different with the primary season drawing to a close. Time is of the esssense.
SUMMERY OF CANDIDATE SURVEY RESPONsES
(candidate’s listed in alphabetical order)
Rob Belin
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 2
Belin seems like a nice guy and is “with us” on about 80% of the issues, but his survey (and it’s initial “revision” he sent out afterwards) show he’s too wishy-washy on some issues dear to conservatives, particularly the right-to-life issue (he told me on the phone he “read my bible and thought it over so I decided I would support you guys). On the other hand, his essay responses are very well thought out and he seems to have a better sense of what he would do in Congress than the other Republican candidate in JJJ’s district.
Joe Birkett
REPUBLICAN candidate for Lt. Governor
Birkett answers “yes” to most of our questions except conceal-carry, and try to make the case he is an “unapologetic conservative” and that we need him as the “unabashed conservative” in the race. I cannot accept this pitch in light of his running mate. For example, he cites his record fighting corruption but the person he supports for Governor wrote the book on corruption. His assessment that “Judy Baar Topinka and I have a record of running clean offices” is completely false, in my view. Also, he pledges never to march in gay parades and says he won’t let surrogates do it, but apparently doesn’t mind his running mate doing that on the campaign trail. He also might be able to claim the mantle as the one proven conservative in the race, but not with Rauschenberger and Wegman also seeking that office.
Bill Brady
REPUBLICAN candidate for Governor
Brady’s response is excellent and establishes him as a proven, committed conservative. The only weak spot is his hesitation on freezing member initiatives where he says, “it depends on what is considered “discretionary spending.” (Though I should point out his weakness on immigration and gambling were issues not covered in our survey). His essay responses are great and I strongly suggest anyone who is for Oberweis and claims Brady could be somehow be “the next George Ryan” read his answer to corruption. He makes a great pitch. I am still waiting for Oberweis response to our survey, BTW.
Jason Briscoe
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Rep, District 75
Briscoe’s answers are solid all-around. His essay responses are also insightful.
Bob Churchill
REPUBLCIAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 8
Churchill also stakes a path as a proven, reliable conservative who is with us on every issue. His only weak spot is opposition to term limits (and not everyone on the ICRC is for term limits). His essay responses are brief and lack imagination though, like when he says he will serve on any committee he is asked since Freshmen do not get prime committee assignments.
Mark Fredickson
DEMOCRAT candidate for U.S. Congress, District 5
Fredickson is running against Rahm Emanuel and claims to be with us on every issue except abortion. He’s probably not as conservative as he claims, because he tries to weasel out of a “yes” or “no” answer on several questions (like just giving a generic “I expect the NRA will endorse me” on the gun question) but he is clearly to the right of Emanual and has about 5 times the integrity. He’s probably about the best we’re gonna get out of that socialist Chicago district.
DICK FURSTENEAU
REPUBLICAN Candidate for State Senate, District 48
Fursenaenau’s answers are all-around pretty good, though not the homerun I’m expecting for a candidate who’s running in a safe GOP district. He’s against school choice, unsure on conceal-carry, and opposes the Redfern amendment (and opposes term limits) Otherwise; he’s reliable on all other issues. His essay responses are not very revealing. I would like to see what his primary opponent has to say.
David McAloon
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Rep, District 75
McAloon’s answers are very good overall and he’s very earnest in this survey. His essay responses are nice.
Chris McNeil
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Rep, District 81
McNeil’s answers are great across-the-board and he’s 20 times better than Kosel on our values, and he pointed on in an file attachment compared his record to the incumbent. Very nice essay responses too. The choice is clear.
Jim Mitchell
REPUBLICAN candidate for Congress, District 8
Mitchell is a rock solid conservative except he fell into the trap of supporting higher taxes if it were for education. His essay responses are brief but very insightful – some issues, like returning the Panama Canal to U.S. control, would not be raised by other candidates. He claimed on the phone to be the “only” candidate to support FairTax but I basically got him to admit that the other candidates haven’t’ implicitly endorsed it but indicated they would be open to voting for such a bill. The only problem is he’s pledged to accept no donations and spend little money, which basically makes his campaign DOA in a field with many conservatives, IMO
Matt Murphy
REPUBLICAN candidate for State Senator, District 33
Matt Murphy is against conceal-carry (but otherwise pro-2nd amendment) and is totally with us on all other issues. Like the McNeil survey, this is another case where he’s clearly far superior to than the other Republican candidate for conservatives. Smart essay answers, too.
Steve Rauschenberger
REPUBLICAN candidate for Lt. Governor
Steve comes out in favor of all our issues and makes a very good pitch for our endorsement. His essay is free of references to his running mate, which is odd since they have been tied to the hip as of late (Gitdwitz, to my knowledge, has not answered our survey) I would argue his responses that he’d veto such and such legislation don’t amount to much since he can’t do anything unless the Governor croaks, but he does seem fine as a candidate on his own right (minus some “bad” votes on immigration as Brady)
Kathy Salvi
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 8
Kathy Salvi scores a perfect 100% on our survey. I also believe her essay responses were better than Churchill’s, although they were also too brief. She makes a very, very good case for us to endorse her. (Also, to my knowledge, McSweeney still hasn’t answered our survey)
Howard Schug
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 2
Schug is much more decisive in his primary opponent in fighting for conservative issues. He’s also the only elected official in the race (Lancing Library Board) That being said, while Schug is the better conservative his essay responses were really lame. Belin seemed to have a much better handle on what he would do in Congress than Schug
Rob Sherman
DEMOCRAT candidate for State Rep, District 53
Sherman is a goofy liberal and perhaps the only “liberal Democrat who’s proud of it” to answer our survey. In a very bizarre turn, he claims to support our platform but says we have the wrong idea for implementing those goals. For example, he claims to be “Pro-Family” and says repealing the “so-called defense of marriage act” and letting “consenting adults marry who they love” would be a strong pro-family initiative. I must give him bonus points for creativity in answering our survey. He makes a good case against Sidney Mathias, and actually does support us on a handful of issues, like gun rights. His primary opponent didn’t answer our survey.
Michael Shannon
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 9
I don’t believe Shannon’s answers make him acceptable to conservatives in the primary. He is WAY too mushy on our issues and his “undecided” on about 70% of our questions, though he does spend a great deal of time in our essay section laying out his “vision” We do have to take into account that this is communist Jan Scahnowsky’s district, but still. I haven’t heard from the other little known GOP candidate but I think Jeff Sykuta meet them both and said they seemed to have a “combined age and IQ of about 30”. This makes we wonder if Eckhardt is running again – he may be the only viable option for conservatives.
Ray Wardingley
REPUBLICAN candidate for U.S. Congress, District 3
Ray’s answers are typical of the ICRC, he is a solid conservative. His opponent is a lunatic white supremisist and neo-nazi sympathizer who didn’t have the guts to fill out our survey. ‘Nuff said.
Posted by WML
posted by Jon Zahm at 1:00 AM
1 Comments:
Michael P. Shannon would like to invite Jeff Sykuta, whoever that is, to a friendly game of chess.
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