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Adapt or die: Lessons for Republicans to be learned from Chicago’s mayoral election

Posted: April 13, 2023 by John Ruberry in Uncategorized
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By John Ruberry

“I heard my momma cry, I heard her pray the night Chicago died.” The Night Chicago Died, Paper Lace, 1974. 

Any doubt in my mind that Chicago would be the next Detroit evaporated last Tuesday night as election results came in showing that far-left Democrat Brandon Johnson would replace the disastrous Lori Lightfoot as mayor of Chicago. 

It was the night Chicago died.

There are serious lessons from this Democrat battle for Republicans. 

Moderate Democrat Paul Vallas, a policy wonk who can produce a white paper as easily as quickly as a Kardashian can upload skanky pics on Instagram, offered a commonsense solution to Chicago’s crime epidemic: hire more cops.

Woke triumphed over wonk.

Johnson, whose political career is a creation of the neo-Marxist Chicago’s Teacher Union, has a “roots cause” outlook in regard taking back Chicago. He favors sending social workers to domestic disturbances instead of police officers. And almost as if on cue on the day after the first round of voting for mayor, Andres Vasquez-Lasso, a 32-year-old cop, was shot to death responding to a domestic disturbance call.

Living just five miles north of Chicago, I agree with Johnson on one thing–there are many mentally disturbed people living in America’s third-largest city. Of course, there is one root cause leftists never speak of, the dominance of fatherless households in Chicago’s most-crime ridden neighborhoods. 

Six months ago, few Chicagoans had heard of Johnson. He’s been a Cook County commissioner since 2019, a rubber stamp body, for the most part, is controlled by Toni “Taxwinkle” Preckwinkle. She is also the chairman of the Cook County Regular Democratic Organization, aka, the Chicago Machine. 

Well, it was Chicago’s Machine.

The new machine in the city is the Chicago Teachers Union, which is aided by a couple of key allies, two other public-sector unions, SEIU and AFSCME. 

Johnson, after a few years as a teacher, where he admitted he never assigned homework, moved on to be a CTU organizer. In fact, he kept collecting about $100,000 a year from the union even though he was an elected official. 

And despite Johnson’s “defund the police” rhetoric from 2020, which be backed off of as his campaign gained traction before the February runoff, Johnson is Chicago’s mayor-elect.

With crime soaring in Chicago, how did that happen? 

That’s easy, it was that new machine, CTU and friends, that got Johnson elected. 

“They were brilliant,” former ABC Chicago political analyst Clarence Thomas told Chicago’s Morning Answer Dan Proft last week of CTU. “They did it, they went door to door, they knocked on doors, they found those vote by mail ballots, and said, ‘Hey, let’s fill this out, let’s send this in.'”

Vallas, meanwhile, ran a conventional political campaign, heavy on collecting corporate campaign contributions, big-name endorsements including Dick Durbin, former governor Pat Quinn, recently retired six-term Illinois secretary of state Jesse White, and many Chicago alderpersons. Illinois’ most-read newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, endorsed Vallas.

That was a wonderful strategy–that is, if Vallas was a candidate for mayor of Chicago in 1991. 

How many doors did Dick Durbin knock for Vallas? Or Quinn? How many voters did the Chicago Tribune reach out by way of text messaging, reminding them when, where, and how to vote? How many voters did Jesse White contact in regard to receiving a mail-in ballot? How many social media private messages did those pro-Vallas alderpersons send? How many people got rides to polling places from those corporate megadonors? 

The answer to those questions is the same: almost certainly zero.

The Chicago Teachers Union game plan that got Brandon Johnson elected will be replicated by leftists nationwide in 2024. Listen, I hate early voting and I despise mail-in ballots, but until the rules are changed–and that is, if they are changed–Republicans have to adapt to the new ballgame. 

The CTU looked for voters, found them, and they made sure they voted for Johnson last week–as well as the two weeks prior to Election Day. A low turnout–about 35 percent—clearly upped the odds for CTU/Johnson.

As for that abysmal turnout, shame on you, Chicago.

One more thing about Vallas. When he conceded on election night, he trailed Johnson about 10,000 votes. But that evening there were still around 50,000 outstanding mail-in ballots, and yes, they are still trickling in and being counted. Vallas learned too late that the game had changed. He knew the great majority of those mail-in ballots were from Johnson voters. 

Get to work, Republicans. Find out who your voters are, connect with them, stay in touch with them, and get them to vote.

And yes, knock on doors. More people can be found at home now, many people work from there. Times have changed. 

Adapt or die.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

The Biden Regime’s war on the Free Exercise of Religion accelerates

Posted: April 13, 2023 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
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Progressives, and other Leftists, have long detested all forms of Christianity.  This is because all ideologies of the political left are religions in themselves.  Unlike the different denominations of Christianity, the ideologies of the left are political religions. This makes them more akin to Islam.  Because progressivism is a political religion, it cannot exist peacefully with other religions.

Joe Biden, and those pulling his marionette strings, are all hardcore leftists.  Because of this they seek to banish all forms of Christianity from the public square.  Soon after being installed in the White House, the Biden regime began waging a war against the religions they detest.  The latest major battle in this war began at the beginning of Holy Week when, under the direction of the Biden Regime, Walter Reed National Military Medical center jettisoned Catholic Priests serving as chaplains.

In a move that has stunned Catholics and religious freedom advocates, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. issued a “cease and desist order” just before Holy Week to a community of Franciscan Catholic priests from Holy Name College that had been serving servicemembers and their families at the center for almost two decades.

On April 7, the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) announced that Walter Reed issued the order on March 31, just as the most sacred week of the year for Christians was beginning. AMS noted that the contract for providing Catholic Pastoral Care was instead awarded to a secular defense contracting firm that does not have the capacity to offer Catholic pastoral services such as Mass and confession, which can only be administered by an ordained priest. AMS further pointed out that without the services of the Franciscan priests, there would be only one other Catholic priest assigned to Walter Reed, an Army chaplain who is currently “in the process of separating from the Army.”

This unprecedented move sparked outrage amongst the Catholic hierarchy.

Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy P. Broglio was perplexed by Walter Reed’s decision and expressed concern that it would infringe on the ability of Catholic servicemembers and their families to freely exercise their faith while at the center.

“It is incomprehensible that essential pastoral care is taken away from the sick and the aged when it was so readily available,” he said. “This is a classic case where the adage ‘if it is not broken, do not fix it’ applies. I fear that giving a contract to the lowest bidder overlooked the fact that the bidder cannot provide the necessary service. I earnestly hope that this disdain for the sick will be remedied at once and their First Amendment rights will be respected.”

The Archbishop is absolutely correct.  The Free Exercise of Religion clause of  the First Amendment guarantees all Americans the right to worship as they please.  Progressives claim that Establishment clause of the First Amendment created a separation of Church and state.  This is absolute fiction.  That clause only prevents the United States from declaring an official state religion.

AMS said that despite numerous appeals to Walter Reed by their general counsel Elizabeth A. Tomlin to reinstate the priests at least through Holy Week, they received no response from the medical center.

“Especially during Holy Week, the lack of adequate Catholic pastoral care causes untold and irreparable harm to Catholics who are hospitalized and therefore a captive population whose religious rights the government has a constitutional duty to provide for and protect,” 

This move is only the latest attack on the free exercise of religion.

Additionally, in September of last year, the administration issued a rule mandating that Veterans Affairs medical facilities carry out abortions as well as provide abortion counseling. When a Christian nurse practitioner requested a religious accommodation on two occasions from having to participate in abortions, she was denied. She is now filing suit against the hospital for placing a substantial burden on her sincerely held religious beliefs.

And here is one more from Louder With Crowder

The Weaponization of Government Committee obtained information from the FBI revealing the agency had sent undercover agents into Catholic churches to investigate them for domestic extremism. Yes, into churches. Jim Jordan wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, “Based on the limited information produced by the FBI to the Committee, we now know that the FBI relied on at least one undercover agent to produce its analysis and that the FBI proposed that its agents engage in outreach to Catholic parishes to develop sources among the clergy and church leadership to inform on Americans practicing their faith.”

This rather despicable episode also violates the Fourth Amendment. We do not live in a police state.  Actually that is not accurate anymore.  Progressives have now disgracefully turned the US into a police state.

Why is this anybody’s business?

Posted: April 12, 2023 by datechguy in Uncategorized

Ben Runson: This ain’t Michigan, it’s Gold country. Why hell It’s the Golden country. [Shouting] Untouched and uncontaminated by human hands! .It’s where people can someday look civilization straight n the eye and spit! And you don’t have to please anybody! And you don’t have to love your neighbor, you leave the bastard alone!

Paint Your Wagon 1969

Yesterday I saw this story concerning a woman banning the crucifix from her house including the one her mother wears.

Now the ban itself doesn’t surprise me since when a person is embracing mortal sin the last thing they generally want is to be reminded of Christ and the risks thereof. Furthermore even though I think it’s a really bad idea people have the basic right to make bad decisions, Her house, her rules it’s her prerogative to make and enforce any rules in her own house.

But as I was at work today it struck me. WHY THE **** am I even hearing about this story?

This isn’t someone in the public eye, this is apparently just a regular person who has an issue with the religion they were brought up with and making a decision (albeit a poor one) based on it. Yeah she put it on the net but cripes how did it go viral?

The fact that it went viral is more interesting than the actual news.

Now being VERY catholic I suspect it’s a matter of grace because there will likely be a lot of folks like me who pray for the family but seriously this is not a news story, it’s not a national story and I don’t see how it’s anybody’s business.

I think society would be a whole lot better off if we didn’t put so much effort in telling everybody our personal business and didn’t spend so much time worrying about other people business. Particularly people we’re never going to meet, never going to see and never going to have to deal with.

A lot of people need to get a life but the first step in doing so is to worry more about having a life then butting in on everyone else’s.

The battle lines in Pennsylvania

Posted: April 11, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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Amanda Oakley never thought she’d find the love of her life at her local Wawa. Still, there she was three years after meeting Bobby on a late-night hoagie run in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, after slipping away from her wedding reception.

As he planted a kiss, the wedding photographer captured the moment in the fluorescent glow of the couple’s favorite convenience store: Wawa.

The Oakleys are among those who favor Wawa over Sheetz, which has as many devoted fans.

Simply put, the debate over Wawa vs. Sheetz is one of the most heated among Pennsylvania fans and detractors—a debate that has just gotten fiercer since Wawa plans to take on Sheetz head-to-head here in central Pennsylvania.  

Both Wawa and Sheetz have roots as dairy farms dating back to the late 19th century. Wawa started as a small dairy-processing operation (in Wawa, Pennsylvania, outside of Philly), and the first Sheetz sprung from a family-owned dairy store in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles away northeast of Johnstown and three and a half hours from Philadelphia.

Wawa operates over 950 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

Sheetz has dominated most Wawa-free areas of Pennsylvania over the past few decades. According to its website, the chain operates approximately 650 locations across the Keystone State, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland.

Wawa brought in approximately $14.9 billion in 2022; Sheetz followed with $11.7 billion.

Sheetz and Wawa share many similarities. While Wawa places a focus on coffee and hoagies to pair with a more limited menu, both establishments offer made-to-order sandwiches on top of other convenience store goods, like snack foods and fountain drinks. Sheetz once stood out for its more traditional fried foods, but Wawa has recently introduced chicken sandwiches, quesadillas, and burgers. Many of the outlets offer gasoline and propane tanks.

“Wawa and Sheetz represent the best of the best in the convenience store world, and they’re a notch above the rest of the pack. Several notches, really,”  Donald Longo, editorial director of Convenience Store News told director Thrilllist.com. “Everyone else is playing catch-up.”

Wawa recently said it plans to build more than a dozen locations on Sheetz’s turf in central Pennsylvania.

Supporters on both sides are lining up.

“Sheetz is really just disgusting food, and it’s like fried garbage. You know Wawa has some good, fresh hoagies and genuinely good food,” said Aaron Out, a Philadelphia-based rapper who recently found local fame with his hazy ode to Wawa and its hoagies.

Rozwell Kid, a band from West Virginia where “the hills are peppered with Sheetz locations,” according to frontman Jordan Hudkins, wrote their own jingle for Sheetz, “I Pledge Allegiance to Sheetz.” A cheery, cheeky single, many adopted it as a battle cry for late-night Sheetz runs and served as a remembrance of the band’s own late-night stops.

Although I spent more than a decade in Philadelphia’s Wawaland, I admit that Sheetz serves up some tantalizing treats here in Muncy. Whatever the case, direct competition should also be good for operations and their customers.

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