Justin's Political Corner
Sure is getting harder and harder for the bigots, isn’t it? On Thursday, Illinois’s state Senate voted to legalize marriage equality. And while the bill faces tougher opposition in the House, the governor has promised to sign it into law if it passes the legislature, which would make Illinois the 10th state to legally undermine the sanctity of Newt Gingrich’s three marriages.
So of course we can hear the last desperate gasps of bigotry, like from state Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-of course), who took to Facebook:
To redefine marriage is discriminatory towards those who hold the sincerely held religious belief that it is a sacred institution between a man & a woman.Waaaaah. These complaints are getting so tired, aren’t they? Face it, homophobes: Equality is coming. It’s coming to the Pentagon, it’s coming to a state near you, and one day, it’s going to be the law of the land everywhere, and your grandchildren are going to shake their heads in disbelief that there was ever a time when it was socially acceptable to hate people because of whom they love. So whine now if you must, but equality is definitely coming.
The state of Illinois already enumerates bullying protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but a new bill, HB 5290, would strengthen the laws to require that all schools maintain a bullying prevention policy. Such a policy would publicly define bullying for each district, lay out procedures for reporting and investigating incidents, and implement trainings, services, and interventions to help promote a positive climate. But this week, the Illinois Senate rejected the bill, heeding concerns from a local hate group that the bill was too pro-gay.
Sen. Kyle McCarter (R) appears to be the leading opponent of the bill, but his talking points parrot the Illinois Family Institute, a fringe spin-off of the American Family Association that has beendeclared an anti-gay hate group in its own right. McCarter and the IFI insist that the bill should include an “opt-out” provision for any students who don’t want their anti-gay religious beliefs challenged with basic knowledge about the nature of sexual orientation:
MCCARTER: There are anti-bullying programs that have an agenda, to only protect one class of individuals. Some of these programs are very good. They indeed encourage kids not to bully. But there are programs throughout the United States, used in some high schools and universities, that really have just a pro-homosexual agenda, and nothing but that.
McCarter seems to believe that this policy would be a step toward mandating programs about homosexuality, though nothing in its text lends itself to this claim. Reports even suggest that the only reason the bill has been opposed is because its chief House sponsor, Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D), is openly gay and because LGBT groups like Equality Illinois have endorsed it.
Though the measure failed by one vote on Tuesday, it could still pass if called for another vote in the coming week. Twelve senators voted “present” and some supporters were absent, so the bill is not dead yet.
Whoever McCarter’s Democratic opponent is, vote for that person in November, instead of McCarter.
BLOOMINGTON — Two of the Republicans looking to replace U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson in Congress don’t like the way he pulled out of his re-election race, and believe his decision was orchestrated to benefit his former chief of staff, Jerry Clarke.
Johnson announced on April 5, about two weeks after he won the 13th Congressional District primary election, that he would not run for a seventh term in Congress. Clarke said that day that he was interested in replacing Johnson and that he had already begun calling the county chairmen who will make the appointment.
“It’s not right. This is not right,” said state Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, who told a Republican luncheon gathering in Bloomington that he is interested in the congressional seat. “You know what’s really insulting about this? It didn’t just happen. There was talk of this happening a year ago, and it’s a real insult to the people. Like I said, their vote was taken away from them.
“I think we’re used to politics as usual. The politics as usual is that you manipulate the system to put certain people in positions of power. That’s not the way it ought to be. The people should decide who is going to be speaking for them. Remember, this power that (politicians) have, they don’t own it. It’s only borrowed from the people who elect them. We forget that. But when you have people in back rooms who decide they are going to put in place who they want so that they can control them and they can control what happens in this country, that’s wrong.”
McCarter said the county chairmen should slow down the process to appoint Johnson’s replacement.
Sam Spradlin, a Springfield truck driver who also wants to be considered by the GOP county chairmen, said Monday that “this feels like a hand-me-down to Jerry Clarke.”
Spradlin originally had planned to challenge Johnson in the March 20 primary, then pulled out of the race.
“Tim knew he was going to quit the race before the primary. He knew ahead of time,” Spradlin charged. “If they give this to Clarke, it’s a travesty.”
Spradlin also made his views known in a 5-minute video he posted Sunday on You Tube. In it he predicted that if county chairmen choose Clarke, “you will have a mutiny on your hands.”
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson’s decision to abandon his bid for a seventh term touched off a scramble among Illinois Republicans looking to replace him on the general election ballot.
From a handful of state lawmakers to congressional aides, the wannabe congressmen were busy dialing up Republican party chairmen in the 14 counties that comprise the newly formed 13th Congressional District.
The chairmen will cast weighted votes to determine who will take on Democrat David Gill of Bloomington in November.
Among those putting their hat in the ring was Jerry Clarke, who formerly served as Johnson’s chief of staff. He’s a major in the Army Reserve who lives in Urbana and works for U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren of Winfield.
Clarke, 46, said he would announce his plans Monday.
“I think today is Tim’s day,” said Clarke, who also served as state Sen. Bill Brady’s campaign manager when the Bloomington Republican ran for governor.
Rodney Davis of Taylorville, projects coordinator for U.S. Rep. John Shimkus of Collinsville, also may be a contender.
Bill Brady said he’s not jumping in the race. But, his brother, Ed, a Bloomington real estate developer, was mulling whether to join the fray.
State lawmakers in the mix include state Sens. Kyle McCarter of Lebanon and Sam McCann of Carlinville and state Reps. Adam Brown of Decatur, Chapin Rose of Mahomet and Dan Brady of Bloomington.
“I am taking a look at it,” said McCarter, whose current district includes Decatur.
“I’m going to do my due diligence on this. I’m going to take a look at the numbers this weekend,” said Rose
Brown said he’s already called a number of county chairmen to gauge interest in his candidacy.
“I’ve said I’d keep my options open,” added Dan Brady.
State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said he’s not seeking the appointment. But, he said he’s hoping a candidate from Macon County emerges as the winner. Under the new legislative maps, Macon County is wholly within the 13th district, which stretches from Champaign County to Madison County and includes all or parts of Bloomington, Springfield, Taylorville and Litchfield.
