Tag: POT

Ever-increasingly, the mainstream news media makes it clear that it exists a) to elect and to reelect Democrats and b) to advance the Democrat Party platform.

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— How Illinois voted in the Republican primary for governor. DD: Bailey won 98 of Illinois’ 102 counties while Dabrowski won 4. Tracy won 97 of Illinois’ 102 counties while Evans won 5. Did Senak or Helland win the Republican 3rd District Appellate Court primary race?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/18/how-illinois-voted-for-governor/
— DD: Illinois Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in destroying Illinois Republicans. Political parties exist to defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform in conservative. Ever since Big Jim Thompson, instead of defending and advancing the Republican Party platform, Illinois Republican leaders have ever-increasingly made the party “Democrat Lite.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/19/bailey-dabrowski-proft-republican-politics-illinois-gop-ilgop-elections/
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: Tuesday’s primary delivered a stark warning for Illinois Republicans: Fewer voters are showing up, and in too many places, there was not enough on the primary ballot that was actually worth voters showing up for anyway. In well-populated portions of the state, the GOP is steadily vanishing. Official turnout results won’t come out until next month, but State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich estimated that overall turnout — Democrats and Republicans — will end up being about the same as in 2022, at 22% statewide. But, even considering the poor turnout, the numbers of votes cast in Republicans’ most important race were remarkably weak.  Republican gubernatorial candidates Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski, James Mendrick and Rick Heidner collectively secured far fewer votes than even the abysmally low-turnout 2014 primary. In 2014, despite just 18% turnout, Republican gubernatorial candidates collectively drew more than 816,000 votes. This time, the four Republican candidates combined for just 560,000, nearly 230,000 fewer Republican gubernatorial votes in the primary than the last time Bailey ran in 2022. As troubling as the turnout, though, is what Republican voters encountered when they looked at their ballots. In too many districts — particularly in Chicago and the suburbs — there just wasn’t enough to vote for. No candidate for some key statewide offices. No challenger in many statehouse races. Some Republican voters told us they pulled Democratic ballots instead. For these Republicans, there were some ultra-progressive congressional candidates to oppose, and they felt they would have more of an impact in that way than they would in choosing their own standard-bearers. We made that suggestion during the endorsement process in some races. From a GOP point of view, though, that’s bleak. Why is this happening? What we keep seeing from the minority party is a strategy that worked once at the statewide level — in 2014 — and has failed repeatedly since. Namely, wealthy donors throwing big money behind long-shot statewide races and failing to invest in and focus on winning in competitive statehouse districts. Even if Republicans could pull off another upset and secure the governor’s mansion, they’d still likely face a legislature with an overwhelming Democratic majority. We’ve seen how that plays out. The vacuum created by the absence of a functional Republican electoral apparatus has been filled by consultants and operatives who continue to profit from losing campaigns. A small circle of donors and strategists, including conservative radio host and political consultant Dan Proft, has repeatedly produced the same result: expensive statewide bids that go nowhere. One close observer put it bluntly to us, describing Proft as “Pritzker’s most effective political operative,” despite being paid by Republicans. Proft reportedly hauled in $25,000 a month from the Dabrowski campaign, only to serve up a rematch between Pritzker and Bailey. Democrats dominate Chicago and the inner suburbs. Republicans do the same downstate but have largely maxed out their gains there. The path to relevance in Illinois runs through the outer suburbs and exurbs. Any progress is sure to be incremental, requiring seat gains, stronger candidates and a rebuilt coalition, not a sudden statewide revolution. The path forward is not mysterious, but it does require a fundamental shift in how Illinois Republicans think about winning. The Illinois Republican Party is not failing because Illinois is unwinnable — after all, Donald Trump got roughly 44% of the vote here in 2024 — but because it behaves like a party one election away from a breakthrough instead of a party that must rebuild from the ground up. Republicans have done a poor job channeling that base of support into a broader, winning coalition. Trump is popular in some red states, but in northern Illinois, he’s an albatross. How to finesse MAGA’s unpopularity in the Chicago area is an internal debate Republicans will continue to have, but there are things they can do in the meantime to become more competitive north of Interstate 80. Illinois Republicans need to focus on what matters to most voters regardless of party affiliation: reasonable cost of living, fiscal responsibility and good government. From an operations standpoint, the GOP must emphasize discipline, competence- and fiscal-focused messaging, and voter turnout. Springfield politics also are distinct from what happens in Washington, D.C., where partisanship rules more firmly. Even with Democrats in control, governing in Springfield often means working across the aisle, building coalitions and passing legislation in a divided environment. Until Republicans shift resources away from long-shot statewide bids and toward building a bench in competitive districts, the results will not change. Instead of trying to strike gold with another Bruce Rauner-like gubernatorial flash in the pan, real wins look like breaking the super-minority status in the General Assembly, becoming competitive in more suburban districts, and restoring credibility with donors and persuadable voters. The ILGOP also needs a resuscitated brand and should make competence its credo. In a blue state, a Republican Party that sounds like national cable TV all day is choosing to lose. There is real opportunity and need for a party that recognizes Illinois government is expensive, ethically suspect and often badly managed, and offers a clear alternative. Finding the candidates to pursue this course obviously is a challenge, and we won’t shrug off the impediment that is Illinois’ egregious gerrymandering problem. But it can be done. Illinois Republicans need more mayors, county board members, school board members, sheriffs, business owners and community figures with real roots, and they need to get them into the pipeline earlier. Think two cycles ahead instead of only about today. We have immense respect for leaders like House Republican Leader Tony McCombie of Savanna, who is a smart and serious person. She’s also a downstater. Republicans in the part of the state that decides elections — Chicagoland — have no clear leadership and no pipeline. We write this not to kick the ILGOP while it’s down, but to encourage those who care about competitive state politics not to give up. We also write this out of deep concern for our state and the challenges single-party rule presents. Improvement won’t happen overnight. Rebuilding a viable opposition party in Illinois will take years of disciplined candidate recruitment, message clarity and strategic focus on winnable races. But the alternative — continued erosion into irrelevance — should concern anyone who believes competitive politics leads to better governance. Illinois does not benefit from one-party rule, and voters deserve a functional, credible alternative.
— DuPage Clerk Jean Kaczmarek loses primary reelection bid. DD: Kaczmarek continues to refuse to repair the filter function on her election results website. SEE: https://www.dupageresults.gov/IL/DuPage/125941/web.345435/#/summary It does not allow visitors to see how many votes were cast for candidates broken out by precinct. I want to hand-deliver a precinct letter ASAP to the voters in my precinct who cast Republican ballots. I want to thank them for voting and give them election results including how many votes each Republican candidate got.  According to the Kaczmarek’s website, 331 (30.48%) of the 1,086 registered voters in my Milton 59 precinct voted. I got 120 votes.

 https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/18/dupage-election-results-sheriff-clerk-board/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek, who had a tumultuous second term, lost her reelection bid to Democratic challenger Paula Deacon Garcia, a DuPage County Board member from Lisle, according to unofficial vote tallies. Kaczmarek has been at odds with the county board for more than a year over how she has run her office, resulting in lawsuits on both sides. Two judicial rulings sided with the board and have been appealed by Kaczmarek. . .The final election numbers will not be certified for another 10 or more days and do not include provisional ballots or mail-in ballots postmarked for Election Day but not actually delivered to the county’s Election Division office until Wednesday or later. In the general election, scheduled for Nov. 3, Garcia will face Republican Patricia Kladis-Schiappa and Holzhauer will compete against Republican Chris Jacks. Neither GOP candidate was challenged in the primary. The primary results also handed a decisive victory to Sean T. Noonan, who easily beat Edmund “Eddie” Moore in a battle to be the Republican nominee for DuPage sheriff. Unofficial tallies have Noonan winning over Moore by nearly double the vote count. He will run in the general election against unchallenged Democratic candidate Peter Joseph Coolidge. The winner of the November election will become the county’s first new sheriff since 2018. Two-term incumbent James Mendrick opted not to seek reelection in order to make a run, unsuccessfully, as a Republican in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary.)

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Stratton’s strong suburban, downstate numbers helped fuel her Senate primary victory. Stratton’s results in downstate Illinois reflected a much broader coalition than people expected — and served as a testament of Pritzker’s popularity among Democrats in the state. DD: To vote for Pritzker or to for anyone he supports is to vote against those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, heterosexual, married, Protestant, German America, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/03/18/juliana-stratton-us-senate-democratic-primary-victory-strong-showing-suburbs-downstate

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE WITH PICTURE: Republicans pledge unity, take aim at Pritzker and boost Bailey 2.0. DD: 200+ attended the unity breakfast. In addition to Bailey and Tracy, speakers included Curran, Del Mar, Drew, Fioretti, Harris, and Salvi. Coyne said the prayer and Belford sang the National Anthem. Attendees included Castle, Davis, Evans, Hogan, Oakley, Patlak, Porter, Randolph, and Solomon. In my opinion, Dabrowski and Mendrick should have attended.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260318/illinois-state-politics/republicans-pledge-unity-take-aim-at-pritzker-and-boost-bailey-2-0/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: It’s the same name on the ballot as in 2022, but the outcome will be anything but, Republicans promised at a unity breakfast Wednesday in Naperville. Former state Sen. Darren Bailey handily won his party’s nomination for governor in Tuesday’s primary — just as he did in four years ago, when he lost to Gov. JB Pritzker in the general election. But “everything’s different,” Bailey said Wednesday. “I’m different. Illinois’ different. Chicago’s different. “In the last four years, Illinois’ been devastated by higher property taxes, now higher energy costs, people can’t afford to live here, safety’s still a problem, education continues to fail,” he added. The conservative farmer and business owner from downstate Xenia faces a formidable opponent in Democrat Pritzker, who closed out 2025 with about $23 million in his campaign fund. But, “we understood where we failed the last time and we’re fixing those (things),” Bailey said. Bailey, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in 2022, was asked how he would distinguish himself from the Republican Party standard-bearer in order to succeed in a blue state like Illinois. “I am my own person. There will be no outside influence dictating anything we do in Illinois,” Bailey said. He also promised a focus on the Chicago region. While Bailey performed well across the state, former Wirepoints chief Ted Dabrowski of Wilmette won Cook, DuPage and Lake counties on his way to a second-place finish, unofficial results show. “We know what we missed four years ago,” Bailey said. “My goal is to earn the trust of the people of Cook County and the suburbs. The next eight months, get used to me, because you’re going to be seeing me up here almost every day.” Bailey’s campaign fund had just $35,000 cash in hand at the end of the year, but he’s confident national and state GOP donors will step up. They include primary opponent and video gambling magnate Rick Heidner of Barrington Hills, who was at the unity breakfast Wednesday. Dabrowski had another commitment and the fourth candidate, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, did not attend. “Rick Heidner’s stepped up to the plate,” Bailey said. “I have no doubt that the resources we need will come. We don’t have to match JB Pritzker dollar for dollar. What we need is people to register to vote. To show up to vote.” Other GOP candidates at the event included former state Republican Party Chair Don Tracy, who won the U.S. Senate primary for outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat. Tracy, a Springfield attorney, took a dig at his Democratic Senate opponent Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for her ad featuring voters saying, “F*** Trump.” “I hope this contest with Lt. Gov. Stratton is not just about F-bomb commercials,” Tracy told assembled media. “I hope it’s at a higher level than that because there’s some fundamental differences between Juliana Stratton and Don Tracy. “I’m for a culture of economic freedom where we celebrate work and work ethic, while Juliana Stratton and other Democrats seem to be in favor of a culture of welfare dependency,” Tracy added. College of DuPage political science Professor Melissa Mouritsen said Bailey’s repeat performance on the ballot wasn’t surprising. “Bailey is a good campaigner, and despite his sometimes bombastic statements, people genuinely connect with him,” she said. “He has a distinct personal style. Every one of his supporters that I have spoken with have said in addition to supporting his platform, he felt like a friend.”)

NBC5
— Tracy speaks after winning the Republican US senate primary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thisABSLRXI
— How did Illinois vote in the primary election? Here’s a map of the results. DD: Bailey won 98 of Illinois’ 102 counties while Dabrowski won 4. Tracy won 97 of Illinois’ 102 counties while Evans won 5.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/illinois-election-2026/how-did-illinois-vote-in-the-primary-election-heres-a-map-of-the-results/3910275/

WGN RADIO
— Democrat leaders continue to treat Pat Brady as though he is still the chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.
https://wgnradio.com/lisa-dent/pat-brady-primaries-darren-bailey-kat-abughazaleh/

AXIOS CHICAGO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Pritzker.
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/03/18/jb-pritzker-illinois-democrats-stratton-primary-president

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Stratton.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/03/19/pivoting-forward-while-tensions-linger-00835545

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/03/19/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-702/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker Labels Bailey “Too Extreme for Illinois” in First TV Ad of the Fall Campaign. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who have demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me the most as being too extreme.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/03/18/pritzker-labels-bailey-too-extreme-for-illinois-in-first-tv-ad-of-the-fall-campaign/

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— In my opinion, Dabrowski and Mendrick should have attended the unity breakfast. The biggest requirement that my Milton Township Republican Organization leaders have given me since 1999 is that I must support the candidates who win Republican primaries. I have always done that. I supported Pat O’Malley in the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary. But I did everything that I could to help elect Jim Ryan in the general election. Nevertheless, my critics/opponents have blamed me for Ryan’s loss to Blagojevich ever since. I should write about my critics/opponents who reject that. I would focus on those who have made it most clear that if they or their candidates lose Republican primaries, they rather see Democrats win in general elections. I would focus on those who have blamed me and blamed my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletter the most for defeats that Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct have suffered since 2000. I would focus on those who destroy those like me a) who they cannot manipulate/dominate b) who refuse to glorify and praise them, c) who refuse to pander to them, d) who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, e) who refuse to cover up their wrong doing, and/or f) who refuse to give them money. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Democrat leaders stress that Tracy is 75 years old. How old are you? I am 77. My Democrat IRS superiors used up-or-out, that is, they used age discrimination, to get rid of their Republican employees who were White, male, and/or non-veteran. When I was 25 in 1974, they started to stress my age. They stressed that I was 25 and that had only made GS-12 (currently $100,059/year). To get rid of me, a) they disallowed my travel vouchers when I was 25 and my education deductions when I was 29 and b) ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed my earning an MBA when I was 27 and my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. They ever-increasingly made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13 (currently $118,984/year), that is, that I was too old to be promoted. Because of that, I took a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer to GAO when I was 31. But my Democrat GAO superiors also used up-or-out, that is, they also used age discrimination, to get rid of their Republican employees who were White, male, and/or non-veteran. I finally made GS-13 when I was 38, but that was not until after a) I had earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, b) I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, c) I had become a licensed CPA when I was 32, and d) the GAO manager who had arranged my transfer got back into power and assigned me to audits of IRS and promoted me when I was 38. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Population loss, aging workforce threaten Illinois economy. DD: Under the Democrats, the more of the following that you are, the bleaker that future is in Illinois: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, married, Protestant, German America, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time. To vote for Democrats is to get rid of those who are the aforesaid.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/population-loss-aging-workforce-threaten-illinois-economy/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— After 25-Point Loss, Dabrowski, Ives Skip GOP Unity Breakfast as Bailey, Heidner Show Up. DD: In my opinion, Dabrowski and Mendrick should have attended.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/03/after-25-point-loss-dabrowski-ives-skip-gop-unity-breakfast-as-bailey-heidner-show-up.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino blasts Newsom on his way out — ‘Children working on a pot farm’
https://nypost.com/2026/03/18/us-news/ca-border-patrol-chief-slams-newsom-over-migrant-kids-found-working-pot-farms/

FEDERATION FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
— Remain in Mexico is Back, and Should Remain
https://www.fairus.org/press-release/remain-mexico-back-and-should-remain

NRCC
— To Protect Illegals is to Protect Fraud
https://www.nrcc.org/2026/03/18/house-democrats-double-whammy-protect-illegals-protect-fraud/

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Marxist Wing Drives Democratic Party Agenda
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/03/18/kenin_spivak_marxist_wing_drives_democratic_party_agenda.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

REUTERS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use Stratton to promote more hatred against ICE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8tjUJ3VPqU

NBC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Pritzker.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2028-election/illinois-results-solidify-jb-pritzkers-powerhouse-role-set-white-house-rcna263890
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Stratton.
https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/juliana-stratton-says-i-am-the-fighter-voters-are-looking-for-after-illinois-primary-win-259545669556

CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Pritzker.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/illinois-primaries-takeaways-jb-pritzker-juliana-stratton/

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Stratton.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/elections/100000010786341/illinois-senate-democratic-primary-stratton.html
— DD: To get more votes from voters who are non-White, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against those who are White. Further, to get more votes from voters who are female, younger, LGBTQ, unmarried, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or noncitizen, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against those who are male, older, heterosexual, married, Protestant, German American, have ancestors who have been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/opinion/interesting-times-podcast-jeremy-carl.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— So You Want to Be a Millionaire? Don’t Wait Until You’re 20. The best time to start a business is when you’re young, energetic and allowed to make mistakes. DD: Because of my not being a risk taker, I never considered self-employment.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/so-you-want-to-be-a-millionaire-dont-wait-until-youre-20-d015752d
— A Glimmer of Hope in Illinois. Voters support school choice, and the union’s endorsements lose.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/illinois-federal-tax-credit-scholarhip-program-ballot-measure-chicago-teachers-union-a123c037

USA TODAY
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Trump’s Freedom 250 sparks debate over America’s Christian origins. Historians say a White House prayer anthology and 250th anniversary events promote a Christian-centric view of US history. DD: My understanding has always been that America was overwhelming founded by Protests fleeing Catholic domination in Europe.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/03/09/trump-freedom-250-america-founding-christian-nation/88775831007/

NATIONAL TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders stress that Tracy is 75 years old. How old are you? I am 77. My Democrat IRS superiors used up-or-out, that is, they used age discrimination, to get rid of their Republican employees who were White, male, and/or non-veteran. When I was 25 in 1974, they started to stress my age. They stressed that I was 25 and that had only made GS-12 (currently $100,059/year). To get rid of me, a) they disallowed my travel vouchers when I was 25 and my education deductions when I was 29 and b) ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed my earning an MBA when I was 27 and my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. They ever-increasingly made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13 (currently $118,984/year), that is, that I was too old to be promoted. Because of that, I took a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer to GAO when I was 31. But my Democrat GAO superiors also used up-or-out, that is, they also used age discrimination, to get rid of their Republican employees who were White, male, and/or non-veteran. I finally made GS-13 when I was 38, but that was not until after a) I had earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, b) I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, c) I had become a licensed CPA when I was 32, and d) the GAO manager who had arranged my transfer got back into power and assigned me to audits of IRS and promoted me when I was 38.
https://nationaltoday.com/us/il/springfield-il/news/2026/03/18/75-year-old-attorney-don-tracy-wins-illinois-republican-senate-primary/

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Pritzker.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/pritzker-illinois-stratton-senate.html

DAILY KOS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly paint Nick Fuentes as being a typical conservative Republican. My critics/opponents ever-increasingly painted Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) and TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois as being hate groups. I served on the ICRC Steering Committee 2003-2007. I served as the TAPROOT chairman 2005-2012. They succeeded in destroying ICRC in 2007 and TAPROOT in 2012.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/18/2373754/-Nick-Fuentes-is-just-the-beginning-of-the-GOP-s-Nazi-problem
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly call Whites racist. To call someone a racist in America today, is like calling someone a Jew in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/18/2373771/-Trump-team-s-immigration-tactics-get-even-more-racist