* Politico…
Will County Republicans voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to censure Rep. Adam Kinzinger for his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.
The 111 to 5 vote (and one abstention) for censure “is meant to remind the representative who he represents: the people who elected him, not his self-interests,” said Will County Republican Chairman George Pearson, adding that Kinzinger’s decision to start a PAC that “goes against other Republicans was a betrayal.” Pearson said his next task is to find a challenger for Kinzinger’s seat.
* Press release…
Following the Will County GOP vote tonight to censure the Congressman for his vote of conscience and vote to defend democracy, Adam Kinzinger released the following statement:
“Not long ago, Will County was a staunchly conservative county where Republicans controlled the board and held county wide offices. Unfortunately, the current leaders of the Will County GOP have changed that. Under their leadership, Democrats took control of the County Board and Republicans have lost all county wide offices over the course of multiple elections.
“The leaders of the Will County GOP have proven they are unable to assist Republican candidates in winning these especially important elections. As the last federal Republican official representing Will County, I have been saddened by this ineptitude.
“Maybe if the Will County GOP spent the same amount of time and energy helping local Republicans as they do with petty censure votes to go after those that vote their conscience, they might actually win a few races.
“I look forward to continuing my part in helping Republicans get elected in Will County to make up for the lack of support they are receiving on the local level. As I have long said, we need leadership—and we need it now.”
He ain’t wrong about the decline of the Will County GOP’s influence and power.
* Meanwhile…
The Iroquois County Republican Central Committee has censured Congressman Adam Kinzinger.
Committee Chairman Lyle Behrends said the committee voted on the censure Feb. 14. Kinzinger has faced criticism from Republicans since he voted to impeach President Donald. J. Trump.
In a statement from the committee sent over the weekend, committee chairman Lyle Behrends wrote, “Congressman Kinzinger, your vote to impeach President Trump has made crystal clear what many of us have known for years: You don’t represent the majority of voters in Iroquois County. When you were first elected to Congress, we were confident that you would reliably serve and advance the conservative principles of the 16th District in Washington. Unfortunately, you have chosen again and again to serve your personal and political agenda. At a time when our nation is imperiled by the left’s radical agenda, you have chosen to impeach President Trump, the foremost defender we had against the left’s obvious program to encroach on our liberties. We have made a choice as well, Congressman Kinzinger. The Republican Committeemen of Iroquois County have voted to censure you for your self-serving vote to impeach President Trump.”
And…
“While representing the hardworking constituents of Iroquois County, Congressman Kinzinger has delivered for them again and again. He delivered by supporting policies that led to Iroquois County constituents keeping more of their hard-earned money. He delivered by supporting policies that benefited the agriculture community and the family farms. Kinzinger delivered by ensuring much-needed broadband was brought to Iroquois County, and perhaps most importantly, Congressman Kinzinger prevented Iroquois Memorial Hospital from closure during a pandemic.
“Congressman Kinzinger has reliably served Iroquois County and delivered real results for his constituents. Some — not all — members of the ICRCC believe blind loyalty to one man is how best to represent the interests of Iroquois County constituents. And Congressman Kinzinger does not agree with that method.”
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:34 am:
Madigan gone, ILGOP warring with themselves, vaccines becoming more available, Pritzker is already having a pretty good 2021.
- SWIL_Voter - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:38 am:
For a party so obsessed with the evils of cancel culture, they sure do a lot of censuring
- Just Another Anon - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:40 am:
Didn’t Edmund Burke say a representative owes not just his industry but his judgement and betrays you if he sacrifices his judgement to yours?
- Jocko - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:40 am:
So ‘cancel culture’ is bad…unless you’re doing it to one of your own?
- Just Another Anon - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:44 am:
To clarify My 9:40 comment, I meant the political philosopher from the mid to late 1700s, not the indicted Chicago alderman.
- Hot Taeks - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:45 am:
Regardless of political party or organization, I think a party censuring a politician is extremely lame and useless and it reflects more on people doing the censuring. It’s the equivalent of tattling to a teacher when there’s no teacher. I had same feeling when Chicago DSA censured an Alderman for siding with Lightfoot on the budget. Ultimately it will have limited effect and the voters will decide. I wish the media and media consumers would give less credence to this futile measure.
- Former Decatur - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:48 am:
Adding: I typically vote Republican.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:50 am:
Did the Will county GOP office holder arrested by the US secret service last month for a few million in embezzlement, vote to censure kinzinger?
The Will county GOP allowed the plainfield arm of the party to take over the party. Not too long ago the state legislature had to step in and create a new law to attempt to put a stop to the disaster the plainfield GOP created in some local agencies.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:51 am:
The utter phoniness of those who embrace the racists, insurrectionists, and conspiracy theorists have now taken to “censure” because these foolish souls need to show that being a racist, insurrectionist, and conspiracy theorist does not remove you from the GOP.
That’s the point of the exercise.
It’s as much to chide Kinzinger as it’s to ensure the seedy folks of the GOP feel welcome.
There are not two sides in this battle for the GOP, but if I’m at all honest the Kinzinger side is vastly outnumbered and the other side is far more ignorant to what Kinzinger is saying than you’d think.
The pathetic Will County GOP needs to have the seedy underbelly feel welcome… because they have no idea how to win with them… let alone if they decide to side with Kinzinger… and lose at a greater clip than Kinzinger points out.
Think on that;
The Will County GOP is failing so miserably… that if they don’t fold to seedy thinking, it’ll get *worse* politically for them.
That’s what they think.
Whew.
My best to Kinzinger. Good on him to call out their ineptitude.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:51 am:
Some stats I found interesting looking at the 2020 results…
Kinzinger was the biggest vote-getter in Iroquois County of any candidate running against slated opposition.
He got 766 more votes than Trump in the county despite 196 more votes being cast for president than for Congress.
In Will County, Kinzinger got 710 more votes than Trump in his district despite 285 more people voting for president than for Congress.
As a Democrat, looks like my party will benefit by the GOP retreating further into Trumpism.
As an American though, this doesn’t seem like a good thing.
- Pundent - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:53 am:
It’s amazing to me that Kinzinger is able to plainly see what the Will, Iroquois, and other GOP county leaders are not. Every relationship with Donald Trump predictably and historically ends badly. That point has been proven time and time again. From his attorneys, business associates, and political allies that is always the end result. What will be left of the party once it comes to that inevitable conclusion?
- Former Decatur - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 9:58 am:
@hisgirlfriday
That’s what I’m afraid of. It sounds a bit extreme to say that the Nationwide GOP could end up like the Illinois GOP, that is a superminority, but honestly if they allow the Majorie-Greene wing to win out that’s definitely the future they’re heading towards. GOP leadership needs to learn how to compromise and embrace ideological diversity if they plan on winning anytime soon.
- DuPage Saint - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:01 am:
I cannot wait for the next house election. If the Republicans want purity, especially purity the way they define it, and with no Madigan they will redefine super minority
And I believe the saying of Edmond Burke the alderman was “where’s mine”
- Not the Dude - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:01 am:
Oath of Office or represent his constituents. Why can’t they see Donald Trump is only out for himself and will gladly throw anyone under the bus at any time.
- Mr Uno - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:02 am:
The current state of the Will County GOP almost makes me miss the Bobby Tezak days
- Former Decatur - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:04 am:
@DuPage Saint
That’s what I’m afraid of. But, on the other hand, perhaps a crushing defeat and redefining a super minority here might make them wake up? Am I being too optimistic here? (Said with slight sarcasm)
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:06 am:
Madigan gone and a Bailey primary win looking more feasible every day.
There’s no way the Dems could get this lucky.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:09 am:
===There’s no way the Dems could get this lucky.===
Never interrupt your opponent when they are making a mistake.
- OneMan - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:09 am:
I think at this point, to ‘be involved in local Republican politics you kind of have to buy into the whole Trump thing. I hadn’t gone to a township committee meeting in a while (I was no longer an elected committeeman) and went to one during the primary 4 years ago and saw the number of red hats and realized I was glad I had stopped going.
Who in their right mind who wasn’t into Trump want to go to these meetings surrounded by people who were really into Trump. Seriously, why subject yourself to that all for the right to listen to local candidates talk and be asked to do things for them? It would be like going to a Barry Manilow fan club meeting if you were not into Barry Manilow, you might like the people there but the love of Barry would get on your nerves.
I am kind of impressed that there is anyone who isn’t fully into Trump who is still involved.
- Red Ketcher - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:18 am:
Courage
Common Sense
Constitutional Conciousness
Three Things Kinzinger’s got and They Ain’t
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:22 am:
===Three Things Kinzinger’s got and They Ain’t ===
Established 11/07/2020
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:26 am:
=== but honestly if they allow the Majorie-Greene wing to win out that’s definitely the future they’re heading towards. GOP leadership needs to learn how to compromise and embrace ideology===
Meh. It’s happened here in Illinois.
You have Bost, LaHood… Rodney Davis… siding with… Mary Miller… on impeaching a president who incited an insurrection.
Bost, Miller, LaHood… Rodney Davis… believe that if a president incites an insurrection, they shouldn’t be impeached.
Kinzinger stands out because Kinzinger made his oath matter.
The GOP delegation in the US House believe in Trump. Nothing more needs detailing.
- Tommydanger - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:27 am:
State by state, county by county, such censure votes by Republican state and local organizations against one of their own seeking to punish or ‘disown’ the senator or representative sounds like something Scientology does.
Such ‘purity tests’ are hypocritical at best and more likely dangerous in the long term. At even now, its not about the purity of some Republican principles that form the basis of the censure votes; its a purity test of blind loyalty to a single individual.
As a Democrat I’ve voted for many Republicans in my time, but I gotta tell you, I’m assuming anyone who runs under that banner today will not get any future votes until their house is fumigated and cleaned up.
- DuPage Saint - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:28 am:
@Former Decatur. I have been waiting for the rabid right of the Republicans to crash and burn since they brought Allen Keyes in to run against Obama. If Keyes and Rainer did not enlighten them I am losing hope for my old party to ever see the light
The party of Lincoln turned into Know Nothings
- Morty - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:34 am:
It’s sad to watch the GOP devolve from a political party to a religion.
- walker - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:35 am:
My guess: the 100-odd GOP activists who voted for this censure, are losing track of what the bulk of the voters in Will County actually want of them right now. Certainly true of my area in suburban Cook.
- Former Decatur - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:36 am:
=== sounds like something Scientology does. ===
I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought that lol Interestingly enough Joy Villa, the one with the MAGA dress, is a big Trump supporter. She is also a Scientologist.
- Sayitaintso - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:36 am:
Kinzinger should ‘wear’ these arrows as badges of courage. By the way, the shooters had to point those arrows at a 45 degree angle to hit his shins. AK is a fighter. It seems he loves the arena.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:43 am:
A cult of personality is, I guess, a religious type existence for any political party.
The Reagan Rule of 80% now seems so frivolous, uniformity to the religion is the purity that will poison Trump’s party from leading again here in Illinois.
The seedy underbelly of those purposely welcomed to this cult of personality were once shunned, now courted.
Can Kinzinger save these folks from themselves?
The problem is… they ain’t winning with the seedy sort, they need the religion to hold, in their thinking, because it will be worse without these worse elements.
Makes the phrase “singing from the same hymnal” far more relevant, no?
- The Old Man - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:47 am:
My daddy, God rest his soul, was a hard core republican and long time local party official.
Something that always bothered him was the way the democrats and republicans handled their inter-party battles.
He observed on several occasions that when the dems disagree they go into a private room and curse and rant and rave at each other, get their frustrations out of their systems and then march like little tin soldiers to the same tune and right in to the polling place in mass. The GOP on the other hand at the first inkling of disagreement form a circular firing squad and retreat to the minority status. Looks like ghistory nis repeating itself..
- Norseman - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:54 am:
The GQP party is definitely in a censure (yes, it’s their own adoption of cancel culture) frenzy. Madison County GQP joined the festival by going after Kinzinger.
The party of Lincoln is no more. It’s become an anti-democratic authoritarian party.
- SuburbanRepublican - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:57 am:
It’s clear that this is not the Republican Party that I grew up believing in. This is the Trump Party. Congressman Kinzinger has a voting record that is over 90% supportive of Trump policies over the last 4 years and yet is called a liberal Democrat for supporting impeachment. If the ILGOP thinks that Darren Bailey is going to save the Republican Party in Illinois, then best of luck to them.
- Frank talks - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:58 am:
Nationally The Trump GOP actually picked up seats this cycle in the House. The party should recognize that Trump truly sunk their chances in Georgia by telling republicans voting is fixed and not coming on board until the last week of the campaign. GOP legislatures still control more states than Dem and will control more maps than Dems. Kinzinger better be ready for the really long haul. Reince Preibus running for Gov in Wisconsin, Sarah Sanders running for Gov in Arkansas. Trumps daughter in law looking to run in NC. This isn’t just a flash in the pan this has taken the Tea Party and pumped it full of Red Bull and Meth. Illinois is an outlier on this fringe.
- WillRez - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 10:59 am:
Jack Partelow must be spinning in his grave.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 11:14 am:
=== Illinois is an outlier on this fringe.===
(Sigh)
No.
Between gerrymandering (which you recognize) and the national vote total for president (which means zero in electing but measures, if anything, status of the standard bearer) Trump lost both popular vote totals, Illinois voting with the majority of the popular vote side.
The cult of personality that is Trumpism, as - Norseman - points out has now destroyed the party of Lincoln.
Can the Trump party protect all their senate seats, and to make it very much Illinois centric… full tilt MAGA candidates… they gonna take the statehouse over?
- JS Mill - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 11:16 am:
=A cult of personality is, I guess, a religious type existence for any political party.=
True, but if anyone of these Conservative Cancel Culture types would read a book they would see where this leads.
It is generally the conservatives that bemoan how are youth (and most adults) do not understand history or civics and always call for more in schools. In reality they have abandoned an understanding of what “Americanism” is and instead wrap their propaganda in jingoistic pseudo-patriotism. Yet they understand nothing about what our Founding Fathers really intended, nor do they understand much about the history of our republic.
America, from its inception as an independent country has fought against the cult of personality and worship of the individual that was so much a component of monarchies. These trump worshipping are either falling into this unknowingly or they are willing accomplices.
Again, even though there has been a lingering Reagan cult it is small and was not prevalent in his time as president. We revere certain leaders from the past for their sacrifice and selflessness. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln never talked about “me” as the lone savior. None of our great figures did that. Now we have one that only does that.
Let me know when someone really can explain that. Kinzinger is (finally) on to it. Maybe the party will move to him in time. I don’t think it will be quick since Jan 6 barely put a dent in the cult and in rural Illinois it is still very strong.
Kinzinger is right and history will look laughingly (as the world is) at these censures and other actions. These folks will make Joe McCarthy look like a cub scout in terms of historical perspective.
On this, I stand with Kinzinger.
- Mr. Morris - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 11:17 am:
Kendall County GOP met last night and the issue of censure was brought up. Between those in the room and those on the phone, they were split on censuring Kinzinger, Chairman Jim Marter’s faction wanted censure, but many of the rank and file precinct committeemen and elected officials were opposed to it. So the motion was tabled. Honestly, I am surprised Kendall County was that divided.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 11:23 am:
=== Honestly, I am surprised Kendall County was that divided.===
The Kendall County of 10 years ago to today… whew.
Thing is?
As one of nation’s fastest growing counties… that made it far more (overall to thoughts) moderate as folks moved “west” and the diversity lacking from before found itself in community, schools, even religion.
We look at wins with Underwood and Casten and ask aloud… if you were paying attention to Foster, you’d know how things are changing.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 11:47 am:
==So ‘cancel culture’ is bad…unless you’re doing it to one of your own?==
That whole gop argument is a canard. They invented cancel culture. For 20 years, every single Republican who stepped out of line has been tagged as a “RINO” and are immediately excommunicated. A short time later, they are beaten in a primary. They’re just mad now that they no longer control who gets “canceled”
- Citizen Kane - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 12:04 pm:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I miss Don Manzullo.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 12:06 pm:
While it happened way back at the start of my awareness of the world around me, this looks a lot like the LaRouche faction the democratic party had to deal with a few decades ago.
The differences in approaches between how each party has handled their fringe elements is quite stunning. One was shunned, and one is being embraced.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 12:25 pm:
=== The differences in approaches between how each party has handled their fringe elements is quite stunning.===
LaRouchie was never President of the United States, or held sway with the office as POTUS to the party politics.
The Trump party is a great deal like Scientology in so far as “levels”, recruiting, a feel of cult like neediness, faith in (L. Ron Hubbard) the leader, and this denial of truth except for the truth believers have.
Kinzinger is like a “Leah Remini” in Illinois leaving the party. The real difference is ending Scientology versus what Kinzinger is in actuality wanting is regaining a party, that’s far different.
All other comparisons, I’m not making, just to the overview.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 12:49 pm:
===Kinzinger is like a “Leah Remini”===
This might be the meanest thing anyone has ever said about Leah Remini.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 12:52 pm:
=== This might be the meanest thing anyone has ever said about Leah Remini.===
You must not have read her own depositions, seen her documentary, or have internet access.
- Mugs - Friday, Feb 19, 21 @ 2:19 pm:
The late Larry Walsh Sr. is a big reason Dems control the Will County Board and all countywide offices. Larry taught us to campaign without stopping and to govern without hating.