September 20 Evening Edition

NBC5
— Toilets, Taxes and Strangleholds: Candidates for Illinois Governor Square Off in First Televised Forum
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/nbc-5-governor-debate-rauner-pritzker-493878531.html
— Social Media Lights Up During Illinois Governor’s Forum
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/illinois-governor-forum-social-media-reactions-493905791.html
— Watch the 2018 Race for Illinois Governor Forum in Its Entirety
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/watch-the-2018-race-for-illinois-governor-forum-in-its-entirety-493903591.html

 

CBS2
— Madigan: ‘I Didn’t Do Enough’ To Combat Sexual Harassment
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/09/20/madigan-i-didnt-do-enough-to-combat-sexual-harassment/

 

ABC7
— Former Southwest Airlines employee files lawsuit, claiming ‘whites-only’ at Houston, Texas airport break room
https://abc7chicago.com/society/ex-southwest-worker-claims-whites-only-break-room-at-airport/4295743/

 

WGN TV
— Lawsuits filed claiming suburban company’s emissions are making people sick – GAYNOR HALL
https://wgntv.com/2018/09/20/lawsuits-filed-claiming-suburban-companys-emissions-are-making-people-sick/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Gov. Bruce Rauner and J.B. Pritzker meet in first TV debate of heated Illinois governor’s race
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-rauner-pritzker-illinois-governors-race-debate-20180920-story.html
— Speaker Michael Madigan writes he ‘didn’t do enough’ to address sexual harassment – Mike Riopell
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-michael-madigan-sexual-harassment-oped-20180920-story.html
— Google and Facebook are on the hunt in Illinois for fresh tech talent. Here’s how Chicago companies compete – Ally Marotti (DIERSEN: I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes who have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that the federal government is the “employer of last resort.” They have not and will not seek a job with the federal government a) because the pay and benefits are terrible, b) because the advancement opportunities are terrible, c) because they lack required education, work experience, professional certifications, and/or professional licenses, d) because they cannot pass an employment examination, e) because they cannot pass a background investigation, f) because they cannot pass a physical examination, g) because they cannot take the demonization, denigration, and condemnation that comes with being a federal employee or federal retiree, and/or h) because they are Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran and they know that the federal government discriminates against the aforesaid.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-chicago-companies-woo-college-tech-talent-20180816-story.html
— Naperville woman out of state race after DuPage County error led her to run in wrong district – Erin Hegarty
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-montgomery-wehrli-dupage-election-commission-st-0921-story.html
— Kavanaugh’s classmates at Georgetown Prep describe alcohol-soaked party culture – AP (DIERSEN: We all could compare and contrast the high school that we graduated from with Georgetown Prep.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-kavanaugh-georgetown-prep-parties-20180920-story.html

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Lisa Madigan uses Christine Blasey Ford to demonize, denigrate, and condemn men.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/brett-kavanaugh-anita-hill-christine-blasey-ford-supreme-court-confirmation-senate-judiciary-committee/

 

DAILY HERALD
— Liar, failure, phony, corrupt: Going gets nasty with jabs in first gubernatorial debate – Marni Pyke
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180920/liar-failure-phony-corrupt-going-gets-nasty-with-jabs-in-first-gubernatorial-debate
— District 61 rivals disagree on blaming Madigan for state’s problems – Russell Lissau
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180920/district-61-rivals-disagree-on-blaming-madigan-for-states-problems
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: It’s high times for soaring marijuana stocks on Wall Street – AP
https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20180920/business/309209958/

 

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Chicago’s underwater mortgages more than twice the national rate In six of the U.S.’s 10 largest metro areas, so few homeowners are underwater that those markets are “functioning normally.” That’s not yet true of Chicago. – DENNIS RODKIN
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/chicagos-underwater-mortgages-more-twice-national-rate

 

HERALD & REVIEW
— Pritzker, Rauner clash over taxes at debate – AP
https://herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/pritzker-rauner-square-off-in-st-governor-candidate-debate/article_1dc13b36-d3c3-5896-bb1b-9dfd97bb6cde.html
— National GOP group to spend $1M to help U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis’ re-election bid From the Read our ‘Herald & Review Politics’ column series – RYAN VOYLES
https://herald-review.com/news/local/national-gop-group-to-spend-m-to-help-u-s/article_6cfe7585-b6f9-55ad-8141-299224bbb345.html

 

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Madigan: ‘I didn’t do enough’ to combat sexual harassment – Mike Riopell
https://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/madigan-i-didn-t-do-enough-to-combat-sexual-harassment/article_796c540a-8f20-53e4-a389-304162b52b9e.html

 

QUAD CITIES ONLINE
— Dodge: Time to get politics out of treasurer’s office – JIM MEENAN
https://qconline.com/news/elections/dodge-time-to-get-politics-out-of-treasurer-s-office/article_6bdd3084-79f6-5d3d-b8c6-0cfd41812f9c.html

 

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— How credible is Pritzker’s claim of simultaneous tax hike, cut? – Jim Dey
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2018-09-20/jim-dey-how-credible-pritzkers-claim-simultaneous-tax-hike-cut.html

 

KANKAKEE DAILY JOURNAL
— Mayor notes efforts for Hispanics – David Giuliani (DIERSEN: Democrats shout at Hispanics, and at everyone else, that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things who should be gotten rid of. Democrats use government to give Hispanics preference.)
https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/mayor-notes-efforts-for-hispanics/article_65641fd6-bc67-11e8-a374-af1b25ea0703.html

 

FOX ILLINOIS
— You can now carry this deadly weapon in Illinois – Nikki McGee
https://foxillinois.com/news/local/you-can-now-carry-this-deadly-weapon-in-illinois

 

NPR ILLINOIS
— Fired Prisoner Review Board Member Asks Illinois Supreme Court To Limit Governor’s Power – BRIAN MACKEY
http://www.nprillinois.org/post/fired-prisoner-review-board-member-asks-illinois-supreme-court-limit-governors-power#stream/0

 

WILLIAM J KELLY
— Kelly, Sessions Blast Rahm’s ‘ACLU approach’ to Chicago crime
https://www.williamjkelly.org/news/kelly-sessions-blast-rahms-aclu-approach-to-chicago-crime

 

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Khouri calls Villa ‘out of touch’ for failing to discuss property taxes, other issues – Robert Hadley
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511569793-khouri-calls-villa-out-of-touch-for-failing-to-discuss-property-taxes-other-issues

 

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Candidates who participated in the League of Women Voters of Wheaton Meet & Greet at Cantigny Thursday evening, September 20, 2018 included Connelly, Eckhoff, Grant, Lewis, MacKay, Mendrick, Ruscitti, Wiley, Wilson, Zaruba, and Zay. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

 

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— McHenry Township Road District Consolidation Referendum on the Fall Ballot, Dillon’s Rule Rules
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2018/09/20/mchenry-township-road-district-consolidation-referendum-on-the-fall-ballot/

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Illinois congressmen split on push to remove SALT deduction cap – Cole Lauterbach (DIERSEN: Roskam should increase the $10,000 SALT cap to $20,000 for married filing jointly.)
https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/illinois-congressmen-split-on-push-to-remove-salt-deduction-cap/article_38a1d2fa-bc48-11e8-ab06-d73b477e6e69.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat, chastised Republicans for placing a $10,000 limit on how much in state and local taxes can be deducted on a federal filing. He and other Democrats tried to add language rolling back the cap to the follow-up legislation making last winter’s tax cuts permanent. Davis told the House Ways and Means Committee that the cap unfairly burdens Illinoisans and hurts business passthroughs. “The Republican-sought bill would increase taxes on almost 2 million Illinoisans by hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said. Committee Chairman Kevin Brady shot back at Democrats in his final remarks before calling the bill for a vote, saying the tax break subsidizes high-tax states. “This is a great amendment,” Brady said. “If you are wealthy or you are a governor or state legislator who loves to brutally tax families and businesses … these very states are seeing windfalls because the economy is booming and changes in the tax code are providing them new revenue. What we’ve seen is that these high tax states are pocketing that revenue.” The amendment failed, with Republicans Peter Roskam and Darin Lahood voting against it. According to the IRS, the average SALT deduction in Illinois was more than $12,000. The progressive Institute on Taxation and Public Policy said in a report that removing the cap on SALT deductions would simply be another tax cut for the rich, saying “repealing the SALT cap would cost $87 billion in tax year 2019 alone and 63 percent of the benefits would go to the richest 1 percent.” Others have criticized the state and local tax deduction as a subsidy and incentive to high-earners in high-tax states who arguably have the greatest ability to pay for it.)

 

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— An Appeal to Attorney General Lisa Madigan – David E. Smith
https://illinoisfamily.org/homosexuality/an-appeal-to-attorney-general-lisa-madigan/

 

CAPITOL FAX
— Ives doesn’t believe Rauner can win, won’t rule out another gubernatorial bid
https://capitolfax.com/2018/09/20/ives-doesnt-believe-rauner-can-win-wont-rule-out-another-gubernatorial-bid/
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC, TREASONOUS: Report: Edgar “coaching” Pritzker
https://capitolfax.com/2018/09/20/report-edgar-coaching-pritzker/
— Long changes his story again… and again… and again
https://capitolfax.com/2018/09/20/long-changes-his-story-again-and-again-and-again/
— Outside money starts flowing
https://capitolfax.com/2018/09/20/outside-money-starts-flowing/

 

WASHINGTON TIMES
— The Kavanaugh farce descends into tragedy – Editorial
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/20/the-kavanaugh-farce-descends-into-tragedy/

 

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Kavanaugh protesters swarm Chuck Grassley’s office – Caitlin Yilek
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/kavanaugh-protesters-swarm-chuck-grassleys-office

 

GOPUSA
— Juanita Broaddrick: Feinstein had no interest in rape allegation against Bill Clinton
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=55034
— Hypocrites: Democrats show no interest in sexual assault claims against Keith Ellison
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=54942
— How low will Elizabeth Warren go? The bottom isn’t in sight.
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=54954

 

NATIONAL REVIEW
— The Demands the “Ford Team” Has Made Are Ludicrous – CHARLES C. W. COOKE
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-demands-the-ford-team-has-made-are-ludicrous/

 

TPM
— Two Dozen Arrested For Protesting Kavanaugh In GOPers’ Offices – Nicole Lafond
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/two-dozen-arrested-protesting-kavanaugh

 

HOT AIR
— Ed Whelan Lays Out A Mistaken Identity Theory Involving Kavanaugh’s Classmate – JOHN SEXTON
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/09/20/hmmm-ed-whelan-lays-mistaken-identity-theory/

 

TOWNHALL
— Ford’s Classmate Now Changing Her Story – Cortney O’Brien
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2018/09/20/fords-classmate-now-changing-her-story-n2520822

 

DAILY CALLER
— KAVANAUGH ACCUSER’S CLASSMATE BACKS OFF CLAIM SHE HEARD ABOUT ALLEGED ASSAULT – Amber Athey
https://dailycaller.com/2018/09/20/kavanaugh-accuser-classmate-backs-off/

 

BREITBART
— Kavanaugh on Monday Hearing: ‘I Will Be There’ – Ian Mason
https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/20/kavanaugh-on-monday-hearing-i-will-be-there/
— Stocks Hit All-Time Highs as U.S. Shows Strength in Trade War with China – John Carney
https://www.breitbart.com/economics/2018/09/20/stocks-hit-all-time-highs-as-u-s-shows-strength-in-trade-war-with-china/
— Project Veritas Undercover Video — GAO Auditor on Socialist Activism: ‘We Want to Destroy Capitalists’ – Joshua Caplan (DIERSEN: One could say that GAO got rid of me so that it could hire employees like this.)
https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/20/project-veritas-gao-socialist-activism-destroy-capitalists/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In the latest installment of Project Veritas’ undercover video series into the “Deep State,” a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) employee purportedly admits to breaking agency rules and being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). UPDATE: According to Project Veritas, GAO has issued a statement saying that this employee has been “removed from any ongoing GAO work.” The statement reads: “[W]e cannot comment on his personnel status due to privacy laws. But he has been removed from any ongoing GAO work and cut off from access to GAO equipment. We have a rigorous quality control process with many reviewers that prevents one person from biasing our final reports. But we will also examine his work product as part of our investigation.” Project Veritas identifies its latest subject as Natarajan Subramanian, a GAO administrator and “self-proclaimed Communist,” appearing to tell an undercover journalist that federal employees may calculatingly subvert President Donald Trump’s agenda by simply accomplishing tasks at a slower pace. “If you’re in [an] executive branch agency you can slow ball things to a degree, that it’s like ineffective, and maybe you get in trouble, or maybe you get fired or resign or whatever, but you slowed [Trump’s agenda] down for a certain period of time,” Subramanian says. In another exchange, Subramanian purportedly says he is not only a card-carrying member of the Metro DC DSA but also works secretly to expand the group’s online presence — while on the job as a federal employee. “Everything that I’m doing with DSA is stuff that I’m not supposed to be doing for work… it’s explicitly prohibited. If they find out I could get in trouble, basically,” Subramanian says during the tape. “No one knows I spent six hours yesterday doing social media for DSA.” According to Subramanian, other GAO staffers are aware he is a Metro DC DSA member, yet his superiors remain in the dark. “Management does not know. You have to be strategic about things like this,” he says. Subramanian purportedly admits he would be terminated if GAO officials were aware of his activism during work hours — yet breaks the rules anyways. “That’s when I might get fired. If there’s like a camera above my cubicle looking down so they can see and zoom in and see what’s on my phone,” he explains. “I would get fired if they knew that I was [engaging in DSA activity at work,] and I do. I do it on my phone.” In a separate exchange, the GAO staffer says one of his DSA cohorts assists the Pentagon with “war planning stuff” involving Syria and possesses Top Secret clearance. Subramanian says little oversight exists across the federal government. “There’s no one looking over my shoulder,” he says. “So like, a lot of times what I’ll do, and this is kind of what I’m doing right now, is like I’ll drink the night before, I tele-work and then I’m like, if I’m 15 minutes late to log on, no one checks.” In a statement released Thursday, Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe said of the investigative group’s latest sting: “For years the public has been at most only nebulously aware of the permanent administrative state. Only recently have we begun calling it the ‘deep state.’ And with this series, we’ve begun exposing who these individuals undermining our government really are.”)

 

WORLD NET DAILY
— COMMUNIST (GAO EMPLOYEE) BOASTS OF HINDERING PRESIDENT’S AGENDA ‘You can slow-ball things to a degree’ – BOB UNRUH (DIERSEN: One could say that GAO got rid of me so that it could hire employees like this.)
https://www.wnd.com/2018/09/communist-federal-worker-boasts-of-hindering-presidents-agenda/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A federal employee who describes himself as a communist boasts he can slow down President Trump’s agenda simply by deliberately delaying his assignments. “If you’re in [an] executive branch agency you can slow-ball things to a degree, that it’s like ineffective, and maybe you get in trouble, or maybe you get fired or resign or whatever, but you slowed [Trump’s agenda] down for a certain period of time,” he said. The comments by Natarajan Subramanian, a Government Accountability Office worker and “self-described communist,” were captured in an undercover video by James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas. It’s the third video in the series. In the second, two “Deep State” radicals confessed, “There’s a lot of talk about how we can like, resist from inside.” The first video in the series, released Tuesday, showed career civil servant Stuart Karaffa of the State Department boasting of working for the Democratic Socialists of America while he’s being paid by taxpayers. He explained his task is: “Resist everything. … Every level.” Since Trump’s election, there have been many references to the “Deep State,” the unelected, career bureaucrats using their tax-paid jobs to undermine the president’s agenda, including his efforts to “drain the swamp” and make government work better. Subramanian boasts of being a GAO auditor while working for the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America. “Metro DC DSA is a socialist group that works to advance progressive issues in the Metropolitan DC area. Subramanian’s political activism may directly violate federal statutes as well as the ‘Yellow Book’ rules which apply specifically to government auditors,” Project Veritas explained. Subramanian said executive branch workers can deliberately stall the president’s agenda through their work or by doing less work. And he chooses to prioritize his politics over his job responsibilities. “Everything that I’m doing with DSA is stuff that I’m not supposed to be doing for work … it’s explicitly prohibited. If they find out I could get in trouble, basically,” he told the undercover journalists. In June, when his organization harassed Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in public, he admitted “doing social media” for Metro DC DSA for most of the day. “No one knows I spent six hours yesterday doing social media for DSA,” he said. Subramanian said he conceals his actions from his supervisors, explaining one has to be “strategic.” BBut he believes he is safe. “There’s no one looking over my shoulder. So like, a lot of times what I’ll do, and this is kind of what I’m doing right now. I’ll drink the night before, I tele-work and then I’m like, if I’m 15 minutes late to log on, no one checks.” O’Keefe says the video series puts a face on the Deep State: “For years the public has been at most only nebulously aware of the permanent administrative state. Only recently have we begun calling it the ‘deep state.’ And with this series, we’ve begun exposing who these individuals undermining our government really are.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed that the government is aware of the video series.)

 

NEW YORK POST
— Democrats have abandoned the presumption of innocence – Rich Lowry
https://nypost.com/2018/09/20/democrats-have-abandoned-the-presumption-of-innocence/
— Democrats will exploit Kavanaugh’s accuser all the way to Election Day – Editorial
https://nypost.com/2018/09/20/democrats-will-exploit-kavanaughs-accuser-all-the-way-to-election-day/

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Google Workers Discussed Tweaking Search Function to Counter Travel Ban – John D. McKinnon and Douglas MacMillan
https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-workers-discussed-tweaking-search-function-to-counter-travel-ban-1537488472

 

BLOOMBERG
— SALT Cap, Tax Overhaul Plague Tax-Writers in Tight Races (DIERSEN: Roskam should increase the $10,000 SALT cap to $20,000 for married filing jointly.)
https://www.bna.com/salt-cap-tax-n73014482681/

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.