| NEWS, REPORTS, AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
April 2, 2009
FROM WARD COMMITTEEMAN JOHN CURRY
"I DO NOT ENDORSE ROSANNA PULIDO"
"I wish to report to Republicans in the 32nd Ward and in the 5th Congressional District that I do not endorse Rosanna Pulido. Since the primary election and more particularly over the last two weeks, I have become aware of extremely disturbing information relating to Ms. Pulido. That information can be summarized as follows:
Pulido has an established relationship with another political party, America's Independent Party.
Pulido has not dispelled concerns that she is running as a "Trojan Horse" candidate, one who exploits the name of the Republican Party to her personal advantage only to promote a non-Republican or anti-Republican, fringe agenda.
Pulido is on record as making groundless and reprehensible remarks, unworthy of a good citizen, disparaging the Cardinal of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, gays, Mexicans, African Americans, and others.
Little, if anything, is known about Pulido's personal and professional background.
Pulido has refused to respond to reasonable requests from the Republican Party to account for her actions and the actions of her campaign or to cooperate with the Republican Party in any professional or reasonable way.
Based on the above, I do not endorse Rosanna Pulido or recommend that any Republican vote for her for Congress in the upcoming Special Election. Instead, I encourage all Republican voters who wish to show their support for the true principles of the Republican Party and protest the absence of a worthy candidate on this ballot to cast a write in vote for "Abraham Lincoln" as their candidate. You may ask for assistance from the election judges on how to write in "Abraham Lincoln", and they are required to provide you with that assistance.
I take this action in order to uphold the integrity of the name of the Republican Party."
/s/ Hon. John J. Curry, 32nd Ward Republican Committeeman and Vice Chairman at Large of the Cook County Republican Central Committee
February 26, 2009
In a statement released February 26, 2009, 32nd Ward Republican Committeeman and Cook County Republican Central Committee Vice Chairman at Large John J. Curry announced his personal endorsement of Tom Hanson for Congress in the 5th Congressional District Race. "Tom has a strong, appealing message for all the voters in the corruption-hounded 5th Congressional District", said Curry. "I believe he is the strongest candidate that we can field against the Democrats. A successful businessman, a strong family man, and a person with broad knowledge of our community, Tom will be able to help Illinois rebuild the Republican Party and truly represent the genuine interests of Chicagoans in Congress."
January 2, 2009
IMPEACH GOVERNOR BLAGOJEVICH!
A message from Committeeman John Curry:
In my 35 years of involvement in the Illinois Republican Party, I have never seen a more egregious demonstration of corruption in high office than that of Governor Blagojevich's craven acts to obtain money through "quid pro quos" in the exercise of his official powers, including the "sale" of his ally President-elect Obama's seat in the U.S. Senate. These facts are confirmed by the sworn affidavit of federal officials, professionals who would be subject to immediate discharge or disgrace if their statements were not based on fact and were not scrupulously accurate. Governor Blagojevich has refused to resign or step aside under the circumstances, and Illinois cannot and need not wait for the results of a federal criminal trial. His technical guilt for alleged criminal offenses is irrelevant to the matter of his clear abuse of the office of Governor and the disgrace it has brought to him, our government, and our state. I urge my fellow 32nd Ward Republicans to call, write, or contact your Illinois State Senator and your Illinois State Representative now and demand that they call for the immediate commencement of impeachment proceedings. I urge all of my fellow Illinois citizens to do the same. Any further delay by our government to commence impeachment proceedings will bring further disgrace and dishonor to our state and its citizens. We all deserve better than this. An impeachment would bring change that I could believe in.
October 31, 2008
Vote for McCain - Palin
WHY A CHICAGOAN SHOULD VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN
Chicagoans know first hand the ravages of one party rule, government corruption, high taxes, and bureaucratic waste. Barack Obama has risen to prominence within this environment, taking care not to challenge the dominant powers of the Democratic Party that have brought us waste, corruption, and excessive taxation. We Chicagoans know that if Obama were to become President, he would bring the culture of "the Chicago way" to the White House itself, and impose it upon America from shore to shore. Proof of this is apparent in his campaign: he soothingly preaches rosy promises, withholds information on the details of his future policies, violates campaign finance laws, breaks promises already made, and allows his street thugs to intimidate opponents and register voters illegally. Already Obama has made extensive commitments to the nation's union leaders, which would mean the end to secret ballots in union elections, a decrease in free trade, and the increase of costly entitlements. We Chicagoans know enough to know that a President Obama would be a Stroger, a Blagojevich, or a Daley writ large upon the national scene.
Senator John McCain, a veteran of the U.S. Senate, a man of deep knowledge and experience, and a person of unchallenged honesty and integrity, would be a President who would oppose tax increases, eliminate government waste, fight corruption, and stop complete Democratic Party control of the entire federal government. He would not "redistribute" wealth in America, but rather he would provide opportunities for wealth for all Americans. He would not impose government control over the economy, but rather he would provide a platform for economic growth for all Americans. Rather than seek the approval of foreign powers, John McCain would strengthen America worldwide and fight terrorism and aggression. John McCain is the kind of President Chicagoans need, and we urge you to vote for him on November 4, 2008.
May 2008
In the new reform administration of Cook County Republican Central Committee Chairman Lee Roupas, Chairman Roupas has appointed 32nd Ward Republican Committeeman John J. Curry as Vice-Chairman at Large for the Cook County Republican Central Committee. Vice-Chairman Curry will be charged with managing county wide ballot security programs for the Republican Party.
March 14, 2008
St. Patrick's Day, Republicans, and Chicago
From Committeeman John Curry: As I begin my fourth term as the 32nd Ward Republican Committeeman, the St. Patrick’s Day season is upon us. The day brings forth many thoughts for me, some of which I wish to share with you.
First, let me remind one and all that the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago is one that embraces the concept that “we are all Irish for a day!” So whether you are of Irish heritage or not, feel free to join in on the weekend fun, whether it be the City Parade on Columbus Drive on Saturday, March 15th, any of the many area parties or events (see www.metromix.com ), or a simple refreshment at a local Irish bar (see below). The celebrations here all take note of Chicago’s rich tradition of immigrant history and ethnic diversity. So remember, in Chicago, “everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!”
The day has special significance for me. My Irish roots are deep. I am a first and second generation Irish American. My father immigrated here from County Mayo in 1947. For many years, he was a musician with popular Irish dance bands in Chicago. My maternal grandfather immigrated here from County Kerry in 1916. He eventually became a Captain in the Chicago Police Department, serving twenty years at that rank. Upon his retirement in 1956, he was considered for an appointment as Deputy Commissioner of Police.
The general assumption is that if you Irish in Chicago, you are a Democrat. While it is undoubtedly true that many, many Irish Americans are Democrats, Chicago in fact has a strong tradition of the Irish in the Republican Party. I helped celebrate this tradition a few years ago when over forty Illinois Irish Republican Party officials and I sponsored an Irish American Republican celebration at Chicago’s Irish American Heritage Center. You might be surprised how may Irish there are in the Republican Party in our community.
In my own family, each Irish generation has been Republican. My grandfather from Kerry emigrated to avoid getting drafted to fight for the British in World War I. When he arrived in Chicago in 1916, his Irish friends told him he had nothing to worry about-Democratic President Woodrow Wilson would “keep us out of war”! Imagine my grandfather’s chagrin when Wilson not only declared war but instituted the draft. My grandfather was duly drafted and survived the war in France. However, he never forgave what he considered Wilson’s duplicity and became a life long Republican!
A good many Irish immigrants and Irish Americans joined the party of Lincoln in Chicago in the 19th and 20th Centuries. In the 1920s, my distant cousins, the Sheahans, organized Republican activists out of their North Side bar, “The Rose of Tralee”. The late Timothy Sheahan of this family eventually became a Republican Congressman for the northwest side of Chicago in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, and served separate terms as Chairman of the Cook County Republican Central Committee in the 60’s and 80’s. Since then, the names of Carey, Tyrell, Moore, Murphy, and O’Malley (to name just a few off the top of my head) were borne by Republican elected officials in Cook County offices. Indeed, the current National Co-Chairman of the National Assembly of Irish American Republicans is Ret. Admiral James Carey, a former Chicagoan. So it is no absurdity for Republicans to be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.
As a side note, did you know that one Republican President of the United States who was Irish American was the only U.S. President to have once lived in the City of Chicago?
That President was Ronald Reagan. His paternal great-grandfather, Michael Reagan, was an Irish Catholic who immigrated to American during the Great Potato Famine period between 1847 and 1852 and settled in Illinois. When Reagan was two years old, his father “Jack” Reagan tried to enter the retail sales business in Chicago and moved his family to the Hyde Park neighborhood. There Ronald Reagan lived for about a year before his family moved back to western Illinois—thus, the only President to have ever lived in Chicago.
So if you are Irish and Republican, do not think you are alone here in Chicago. You have plenty to celebrate! Indeed, if the spirit moves you this St. Patrick’s Day, have a pint (or other refreshment) at Mulligan’s or Fearon’s, both in the 32nd Ward. And just a few steps outside the ward, there’s Hidden Shamrock, Durkin’s, Irish Eyes, Vaughn’s on Sheffield, Pint, Galway Arms, Kelly’s Pub, Mystic Celt, Cullen’s, and Paddy Long’s—plenty to choose from and so very close. And if you want a great night of traditional Irish music, it’s hard to beat Chief O’Neill’s on Elston. With these thoughts, I wish you a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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