As House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi gears up for her high-end Chicago fundraiser in June, an important question lingers in the suburbs north of Chicago – will Pelosi invite former 10th district Congressman Brad Schneider?

In March, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering threw a wrench into Washington Democrats’ plans when she announced her candidacy, triggering a potentially problematic primary challenge to Schneider.

What will Pelosi and the Democrats do? Will they invite both prospective nominees to the fundraiser or will they alienate a Democratic candidate to anoint their preferred nominee?

Read more at America Rising. 

WATCH HERE:

You will not believe these headlines! See them here. 

This morning, after a week of reports of Colorado Democrats running away from President Obama, The Hill reported that Illinois Democrats are agonizing about how Democrat Governor Pat Quinn may be their Obama.

Quinn’s “downright dismal” approval ratings (along with his scandal-plagued anti-violence initiative, his fiscal mismanagement and his questionable hiring practices) are causing plenty of concern among Democrat strategists and others who already find it “shocking” that Quinn was even re-nominated by his own party.

For Illinois Democrats like Bill Enyart, Ann Callis, Brad Schneider, and Cheri Bustos, this Democrat said it best:

“It is what it is,” said the Democrat, somewhat resigned. “It’s one of those uncontrollable factors that a Democratic candidate or a group trying to help them has no control over. You hope for the best.”

CLICK HERE to see more

Gov. Pat Quinn’s anti-violence initiative has been a scandal-plagued disaster. Last week, it was revealed Quinn gave more than $15,000 to a re-entry program for teens and young adults to help them adjust to society life. That program never existed.

Today, the Chicago Sun Times is reporting that Quinn gave $146,000 to Benton Cook III for “media production.” Cook is the husband of Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, also a Democrat. Prior to Quinn’s investment, Brown was Cook’s biggest client, giving him $90,000 over four years. Outside of Brown, however, Cook’s “Gideon Video Productions” didn’t have any other clients.

The Sun Times goes on:

Asked about the work Gideon Video Productions did for Brown’s campaign and whether it had a business license or paid taxes, Cook’s lawyer, Edward M. Genson, had no comment.

Jalyne Strong-Straw, a spokeswoman for Brown, also declined to comment.

…

Cook became a lightning rod for criticism of Quinn’s Neighborhood Recovery Initiative following Chicago Sun-Times reports that he was hired to help supervise $2.1 million in anti-violence grants despite having a felony conviction for writing bad checks. Cook didn’t work directly for the state, but for a not-for-profit group that paid him $146,401 in salary and benefits over 22 months out of the state anti-violence funds.

Quinn, a Democrat, has said he had no idea until recently that Cook — whose wife also is a Democrat — had been hired for that job.

So, to summarize: Quinn gave $146k to a production company whose only client is the owner’s wife, and he’s now pleading ignorance. Leadership!

CLICK HERE for more! 

Yesterday, the Chicago Sun Times reported that Gov. Pat Quinn’s “scandal-tainted” Neighborhood Recovery Initiative is yet again embroiled in scandal.

Here was the idea: help re-integrate freed teen and young adult prison inmates back into society. The Sun Times called it “a noble idea,” but the program took more than $15,000 over 3 months and never actually existed:

The nonprofit that the state paid with anti-violence grant money to handle re-entry services in Thornton Township actually was operating out of a day care center in south suburban Dixmoor.

On top of that, it was later learned, there was really no re-entry program at all — nor any proof that the organization, Project Hope, Inc., did anything for the $15,770 it received from Quinn’s administration to perform re-entry services, state records show.

Gov. Pat Quinn sent taxpayer dollars to a project and failed to see it through. The result is a massive lose-lose, as taxpayer dollars have been wasted and Illinois kids who genuinely needed help never got what they were promised.

CLICK HERE to see more. 

The spirit of the Chicago Black Sox lives on! The Chicago Sun-Times reported this morning that Chicago Democrat and Ex-City Hall official John Bills took bribes to steer $124 million in taxpayer dollars to Redflex Traffic Systems—a red-light camera company.

Bills’ gifts included, but surely weren’t limited to: an Arizona condo, a previously-owned Mercedes, Super Bowl tickets, golf outings, a laptop, and a boat. In return, Chicago has more red light cameras than anywhere else in the United States.

Bills worked as a part-time clubhouse assistant with the Chicago White Sox. But as the Sun-Times notes, while Bills “once proudly wore White Sox pinstripes,” he “could find himself in prison orange.”