Don Tracy from Springfield, IL wrote fantastic piece that appeared at Real Clear Politics in recent days. It’s a hard-hitting piece and worthy of the three minute read. I’ll share a tease and then some analysis afterwards…
Again, from Real Clear Politics.
Illinois is more than its elected officials. Each of us adds something to our community, town, state, and nation. As the clumsy angel Clarence told George Bailey in the Capra classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” This could be said of Chicago, too.
Policies pursued jointly by Pritzker, Lightfoot, and Foxx, such as not prosecuting crime, not backing police, and imposing imprudent and illegal lockdowns by fiat scare people and businesses away. The “hole” created by people leaving is filled by criminals who further ruin Chicago.
Now, mobs of teens led astray steal from stores on Michigan Avenue, day in and day out; thugs chase cops and beat them in the West Loop; and drag racing and drifting competitions are becoming common at night in heavily populated areas of our city.
The policies of Pritzker, Lightfoot, and Foxx have resulted in retail vacancies of nearly 25%, and the median housing sale price is down nearly 50% on the Magnificent Mile.
Call it Pritzkerville – eerily like Potterville from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” with pot stores and a massive casino planned to fill the holes ripped in Chicago due to the loss of great businesses and decent people pursuing their dreams.
Chicago retains almost all of its physical beauty from years ago and the vast majority of Chicagoans still work every day to pursue their dreams as they did then, too. Ask any Chicagoan what’s changed in that short period and they will tell you: Life has gotten rougher, more dangerous, less loving, more fearful, and a bit darker. As leading national businesses like Boeing, Caterpillar, and Citadel leave town, and others threaten to leave, the beacon of opportunity in Chicago dims.
Pritzkerville is the dystopian version of Chicago: a dystopia of high taxes, rampant crime, and Democrat corruption. Pritzkerville is Chicago losing its “soul.” It doesn’t have to be this way. Urban life has challenges, but these challenges have long been met – and still are in thriving cities like Miami.
Devastating and well communicated. Nice job, Mr. Tracy.
He continues…
Make no mistake, public safety and the future of our state are on the ballot this November. We need to reject Democrat rule and reconnect government to the mission of serving people.
We at GSL cannot endorse specific candidates or political parties. We can educate voters on candidates though. And provide analysis.
First off, this is the Don Tracy who is the head of the Illinois Republican party. It’s also the same Don Tracy who doesn’t keep his House Minority leader, Jimmy Durkin, on the official party platform when it comes to gun rights for residents.
ENHANCING PUBLIC SAFETY FOR OUR CITIZENS
We believe that day-to-day safety and security in our local communities is critical. Therefore,
we strongly endorse and support the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution,
which states, in part, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” As
a result, we oppose any efforts by the state or municipalities to impede the right of law-abiding
citizens to keep and bear arms.
We believe in the use of criminal background checks by licensed firearms dealers.
We oppose any effort to make public any personal information from FOID cards.
We support the statutory repeal of the FOID Act.
We support continued enactment of “Concealed Carry” legislation.
What Jim Durkin lacks in leadership skills he makes up for in a super-sized ego. He squandered precious resources upwards of seven figures during the primary season trying to get his not-always pro-gun loyalists elected in primaries so he could remain “leader.” At the same time, he recently told one of the Chicago media outlets that he’s one of those rare Republicans who will support gun and magazine bans.
Added Durkin: “People will say ‘this doesn’t do anything,’ but if it makes it more difficult for somebody who has bad intention from getting access to one of those military-style weapons like Crimo did in Highland Park, I’m fine with that and I think that’s good.”
Support for gun control means he’s not fit for office, much less leadership. But that’s our Illinois Republican leadership. Until politicians of both parties embrace gun rights, not gun control, we need more primary challenges of soft-on-guns candidates like lil’ Jimmy. And I’d say, if the Illinois Republican party wants to play a role larger than a super-minority party, the buck stops with leadership.
I don’t know Mr. Tracy well enough to know if he’s one of these, “Send us money and then we’ll screw you after the election” types or not. I know I wouldn’t give a plug nickel to Jimmy Durkin. In fact, under the similar soft-on-guns leadership of Bill Brady, GSL backed out of our behind the scenes support (through leadership’s personal capacity and our members) of a firearms-centric fundraiser for Senate Republicans several years ago.
Don, get your leaders on the pro-gun playbook or get rid of them. The same goes for you, sir.
Nah. Chiraq has a nicer ring to ot. Besides how are all of those illiterate kids that Chicago public schools are graduating … how are they ever going to spell Pritzkerville?
Yes, Chitcago certainly is an awful hole-the rectum of Illannoy.