To RSVP or for more information and/or to volunteer, call 847-433-8344 or send us an email. When you call or write, please include your contact information (name, address, phone, email).

Click here for a printable flyer

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February 2012 Newsletter

In this issue of Tenth News:

• Congress Watch: More Doublespeak from Congressman Bob Dold
• Who Really Represents the 10th District?
• Not Very Brave New World
• Impartiality of Tenth Dems a Primary Concern
• Evil and Stupid
• The Politics of Broccoli
• Can Dold Stand Up to Romney?
• Vigils Against Violence Held in 10th District
• The Roots of Democracy: Sandra Schirmang
• Yes, We Did! The Truth About Gitmo, Detention, and Civil Liberty

Congress Watch: More Doublespeak from Congressman Bob Dold
Congressman Dold is already campaigning for reelection, at the taxpayer’s expense, as he mails voters a full-color brochure disguised as a constituent communication.

Who Really Represents the 10th District?
by Ronald Altman
A careful examination of House votes during the first session of the 112th Congress reveals how closely aligned are the 10th District’s Republican congressman, Robert Dold, and the 8th District’s Republican congressman – and Tea Party favorite – Joe Walsh.

Not Very Brave New World
by Jack Altschuler
Civility in public discourse is taking a beating these days, particularly in the 2012 Republican presidential primary campaign. The author takes a hard look at what’s going on and what it means for our country going forward.

Impartiality of Tenth Dems a Primary Concern
by Paul Kelly
Primary season is upon us, and the timing couldn’t be better to acknowledge hardworking Tenth Dems volunteers and re-affirm the organization’s goals and purpose.

Evil and Stupid
by Ron Levitsky
January 2012 marked the tenth anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. What does this dubious milestone say about us as a nation, and what does Gitmo’s future hold?

The Politics of Broccoli
by Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance stands at the center of a constitutional question the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider later this year. A physician examines the ACA and debunks the notion that Congress could require all Americans to eat broccoli.

Can Dold Stand Up to Romney?
by Steve Sheffey
Who is a friend to Israel and who merely pretends to be? In light of 10th District Congressman Bob Dold’s endorsement of Mitt Romney for President, the author examines Romney’s statements about Israel.

Vigils Against Violence Held in 10th District
by Lee Goodman
We have a report on two vigils held recently in the 10th District (among the many held across the U.S.) to dramatize the continuing problem of violence in America one year after the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others in Tucson, Arizona.

The Roots of Democracy: Sandra Schirmang
by Eleonora di Liscia
This month, we tell another story of an area resident who has made a difference by becoming a Tenth Dems volunteer. The spotlight shines on Sandra Schirmang of Northbrook.

Yes, We Did! The Truth About Gitmo, Detention, and Civil Liberty
by Eleonora di Liscia
It’s been ten years since the Bush administration established a detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  As part of our continuing series on President Obama’s first term in office, we take an in-depth look at the President’s efforts to close the camp, what he has accomplished, and where he still has a ways to go.

February 2012 Newsletter: Joe Walsh representing the 10th? is a post from Illinois Tenth Congressional District Democrats

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Tenth Dems and WCPT: Chicago's Progressive Tak Radio To Host Live Candidate Forum

The forum is slated for Saturday, February 25, 2012, starting at 1 p.m. at the Deerfield Hyatt, 1750 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL, 60015. The four invited candidates are Vivek Bavda, Brad Schneider, Ilya Sheyman, and John Tree. Advance registration is not required, but space is limited and if attendance exceeds the capacity of the room, priority will be given to those who register in advance. Admission is free and doors open at 12:30 p.m. The broadcast will begin promptly at 1 p.m. The forum will be broadcast live on WCPT-AM/FM radio stations: 820 AM, 92.5 FM, 92.7 FM and 99.9 FM.

The candidates will sit down with Kay for a lively conversation on the issues critical to this year’s primary. There will be no podiums or time limits, but there will be plenty of chances for the candidates to talk with, question, and respond to each other.

For the past four decades, Kay has been one of the leading voices in Chicago political journalism. In his long and distinguished broadcasting career, he has reported on virtually every significant local and national political event. He also hosted “City Desk,” WMAQ-TV’s respected political program. He currently hosts the weekly talk radio show “Back on the Beat” on WCPT-AM/FM Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., which will be the venue for this candidate forum.

It should be noted that while the League of Women Voters has a policy in its debates that no campaign banners, signs, literature handouts or other campaign paraphernalia are allowed in the debate hall, Tenth Dems welcomes them!

For more info, click here, call 847-266-VOTE (8683), or send us an email.

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TDU 223: Lake County Deputy Voter Registrar Training in Round Lake
Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Location: Village School, 880 Nippersink Rd., Round Lake
Click here to RSVP

TDU 224: Lake County Deputy Voter Registrar Training in Waukegan
Date: Monday, January 23, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Location: Tenth Dems Community Connection, 118 N. Genesee, Waukegan
Click here to RSVP

TDU 225: Cook County Deputy Voter Registrar Training in Northbrook
Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Location: Northbrook Public Library, Pollak Room, 1201 Cedar Ln., Northbrook
Click here to RSVP

There are certain requirements. You must be 18 years old and registered to vote in the county where the training is being held. In other words, if you live in Cook County you can only attend the session in Northbrook, and if you live in Lake County you need to attend the ones in Round Lake or Waukegan. Once you are trained to register voters in the county where you live, you can register voters anywhere in Illinois. We must also submit your name in advance. If you are interested, please use the sign-up links above, contact us at volunteers@tenthdems.org, or call us at 847-266-VOTE (8683).

Voting is our most basic right, and helping others to exercise that right is an important contribution to our community. We hope you can help.

Become a deputy voter registrar in 45 minutes is a post from Illinois Tenth Congressional District Democrats

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Join the Moraine Township Democrats for a laugh-filled performance of the Capitol Steps followed by a dessert party.  Click here for more information or to reserve your tickets!

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Tenth Dems interns at work

Highland Park, IL. – The Tenth Congressional District Democrats (“Tenth Dems”) is accepting applications for its Spring Semester Internship Program. Internships are available to high school juniors and seniors, college students, and graduate or law students with a desire to help the Democratic Party.

The internship offers candidates the opportunity to develop transferable skills to whatever career path they may choose to follow. Several former interns have gone on to internships in Washington, D.C., to college majors in political science or law, or to paid political and nonprofit staff positions locally and nationally.

Internship coordinator Max Boton, himself a former intern, describes his experience: “This internship provides a fun yet challenging environment to work, and it is a great way to meet key political figures from the 10th District and beyond.”

The election season for 2012 has just begun, so there are plenty of opportunities for interns to learn about campaigning and the issues affecting the 10th District. General assignment interns may do research, walk door-to-door with candidates, work in campaign offices, staff events and issue forums, and meet many political figures. Specialized assignments are also available in the areas of research, new media, IT management, and political outreach.

In the past, interns have assisted at Tenth Dems events featuring then state legislator, and now President, Barack Obama, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, former Presidential nominee George McGovern, Governor and Presidential candidate Howard Dean, and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, as well as numerous Illinois state and locally elected officials and candidates.

Spring interns are expected to commit eight hours per week during the school year. Computer skills are desirable. The organization is looking especially for applicants with web administration and/or data management skills.

Internships are unpaid educational volunteer positions. Course credit is available with cooperating high schools and colleges. Acceptance into the internship program is selective and contingent upon an interview. Applicants should submit a brief paragraph explaining why they want this internship, along with a resume of their educational background and activities. Neither need be formal.

The work that interns do is always welcomed and appreciated.  At the Tenth Dems Spring Fundraiser, keynote speaker, U.S. Senator Mark Begich of Alaska noted the presence of the 2011 summer interns. He acknowledged that the event was one of the most well organized functions he had ever attended and he called the turnout of interns at the event “exciting because the future rests not with us but for young people, especially those here.”

The Illinois Tenth Congressional District Democrats is a volunteer group with members from all parts of the 10th Congressional District. The 10th District contains portions of both Cook and Lake Counties stretching from Winnetka through Waukegan and from Lake Michigan west through Round Lake. The District includes all or part of the following townships: Avon, Benton, Deerfield, Grant, Libertyville, Moraine, Shields, Waukegan, West Deerfield, Vernon, Zion and parts of Fremont, Lake Villa, Maine, New Trier, Newport, Northfield, Warren, Wheeling

For more information on the intern program, or how to apply, email us at info@tenthdems.org or call 847-266-VOTE (8683).

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In this issue of Tenth News:

• Resolutions 2012
• Congress Watch: Dold Mailers Exemplify Republican Double-Speak at Its Best
• Dold Works to Reverse Dodd-Frank
• What in God’s Name
• Good Signs
• Yes, We Did! Obama and Consumer Safety
• Paul Kelly, January 2012 Volunteer of the Month
• Tenth Dems Holiday Membership Party

Resolutions 2012
Democratic officials and office-seekers throughout the 10th District were invited to send us their New Year’s resolutions and/or hopes for 2012.  Find out what they had to say.

Congress Watch: Dold Mailers Exemplify Republican Double-Speak at Its Best
Protecting Medicare has been a priority of 10th District Congressman Robert Dold, or so a recent mailer he sent to 10th District residents would have you believe. The truth? Well, that is something altogether different. Welcome to this month’s Congress Watch.

Dold Works to Reverse Dodd-Frank
Congressman Robert Dold seems to be working hard… to undermine vital protections for hard-working American families. His efforts to weaken the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act provide us with yet another example of his true priorities.

What in God’s Name
by Ron Levitsky
Republicans have been invoking God’s name for political gain all the way back to the founding of their party. The author contrasts their methods today with those employed more than a century and a half ago.

Good Signs
by Jack Altschuler  
The Occupy Wall Street movement has been attacked far and wide by Conservatives. The increasing ferocity of those attacks is good news, says the author. It means some of the one-percenters are getting very, very nervous.

Yes, We Did! Obama and Consumer Safety
by Eleonora di Liscia
Our series on President Obama’s accomplishments during his first term in office continues this month with a look at his record on consumer safety.

Paul Kelly, January 2012 Volunteer of the Month
by Kimberly Rodriguez
We present a profile of Paul Kelly, former Tenth News editor-in-chief and Tenth Dems volunteer extraordinaire.

Tenth Dems Holiday Membership Party
by Kimberly Rodriguez
Every year, Tenth Dems members get together for a holiday celebration, a chance to have fun, and a way for the organization to say thanks for all their hard work. We report the highlights of this year’s party.

January 2012 Newsletter: Republican Double-speak and more … is a post from Illinois Tenth Congressional District Democrats

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As you know, 2012 is an important election year.  Your contribution of $5 (or as much as you can give) helps build the infrastructure to elect Democrats to all levels of government.

Can you help us win in 2012?  Click here to contribute $5, $10, or whatever you can.

Here’s just some of what we accomplished in 2011 with your help:

• The year started with a bang when Tenth Dems proudly opened the doors of the Community Connection in Waukegan.  Our mission is to connect government with people, because Tenth Dems believes that politics should be about more than just elections.
• Working to engage young minds, Tenth Dems sponsored an inspiring Poetry Competition, followed a few weeks later by a standing-room-only Poetry Slam, for North Chicago and Waukegan public and private high school students.
• Realizing that Wisconsin had become Ground Zero in the Republican war against the middle class, Tenth Dems helped our beleaguered northern neighbor make a stand.  We delivered carloads of volunteers to march in Madison and to assist in the recall elections after Governor Scott Walker and State Senate Republicans stripped state workers of their collective bargaining rights.
• The Community Connection sponsors Job Interview Workshops to help ex-offenders make a success of life after prison.  Numerous attendees now have jobs and are contributing to society in a positive way.
• Volunteers canvassed and collected signatures for Democratic candidates. They’re currently working together to ensure President Obama and his delegates have enough signatures to be on the ballot.
• The Community Connection served as a cool refuge (and provided food) when July storms caused power outages during a heat wave and also partnered with Envision Scholars to help high school students transform their college dreams into reality.
• In June, Senator Mark Begich told a packed crowd at our Candidate Appreciation Membership Event how he became the first Democrat to win a Congressional seat in Alaska in nearly thirty years, and we welcomed and thanked those candidates who were willing to put themselves forward to run in local elections.
• For our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, we hosted Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, cited by the New York Times as one of the 17 women most likely to become President.  We honored Terry Blaurock and Adrienne Kirschbaum with our Volunteer and Founder of the Year awards, respectively.  Retiring State Senator Susan Garrett received the coveted Mikva Leadership Award, presented by Hon. Abner Mikva, the last Democrat elected in the 10th Congressional District.
• New York Times best-selling author Jim Hightower and Washington Correspondant for The Nationmagazine and MSNBC contributor John Nichols spoke to huge crowds at Tenth Dems University events.

With your support, we can have more bright moments like these in 2012 and win in November.

Click here to give $5, $10, or as much as you can give.

Lauren Beth Gash and the rest of the Tenth Dems team

P.S. — Please follow Tenth Dems on Facebook and Twitter.

P.P.S. — Tenth Dems members will be allowed to vote in the Congressional straw poll at our second presidential year district-wide convention on March 4, 2012.  Entry is free.  Click here to purchase a membership today!

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Looking for a last-minute gift idea for a hard-to-buy-for Democrat?  Click here to purchase a gift membership!

If you would like to purchase a gift membership, please let us know the name, address, and email address of the recipient. Tell us if you would like us to send the recipient a personal email confirmation of their gift, and we will send it the same day.

U.S. Senator Mark Begich joins a few of Tenth Dems' interns at our Spring 2011 Event

Now is the time to join or renew your Tenth Congressional District Democrats membership for 2012.

This month saw electoral victories against overreaching Republican agendas in Ohio, Mississippi and Maine.  Your support of Democratic candidates and issues helped fuel this momentum for change.  But 2012 presents its own unique challenges, and we need your help to meet them.  This election will determine which party sets the agenda for the next four years.  Will it be the party that passed the Affordable Health Care and Jobs for Main Street Acts, or the party that gave tax breaks to billionaires while taking rights away from workers?

From the presidency to your municipality, we must elect Democrats at all levels to preserve our basic freedoms and continue the change that we have fought for.  And we must do this while battling new voter laws designed to suppress turnout, and the unlimited corporate spending unleashed by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

MEMBERSHIP DUES IN ACTION

Your membership dues help underwrite the work we do to support federal, state and local Democratic candidates throughout the 10th District.

Your 2012 Membership dues will continue to:

• Assist in helping to elect Democrats at all levels of government.
• Sponsor Tenth Dems University forums, films and panels exploring current and long-range topics such as the Citizens United decision, framing the issues, and sponsoring events with top-tier speakers such as John Nichols of The Nation magazine and Jim Hightower.
• Organize and staff phone banks, canvassing and election legal support. Sponsor venues to meet the candidates.
• Run advertisements, distribute literature and work to support Democrats with strategic consulting and media relations.
• Provide outreach through our Community Connection office in Waukegan and through events such as our High School Poetry contest, because Tenth Dems believes that politics should be about more than just elections.

Tenth Dems is a grassroots volunteer organization running on YOUR financial support. Every dollar you donate has significant impact. This means that each new membership or renewal is extremely important today and for the future.

Please click here to purchase a Tenth Dems membership. Whether it’s $35 or $5000, your help makes the difference in the 10^th.

Thank you,

The Tenth Dems Team

Looking for a last-minute gift idea for a hard-to-buy-for Democrat?  Click here to purchase a gift membership!

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In this issue of Tenth News:

• Faces Occupying the Crowd
• Congress Watch: A Comprehensive Look at Robert Dold’s Record
• Free Pizza
• Meals and Deals
• Taking Back Wisconsin: How You Can Help, Part II
• Yes, We Did! Obama and the Hispanic Community
• President Obama and the United Nations
• Faces Occupying the Crowd
• Congress Watch: A Comprehensive Look at Robert Dold’s Record
• Free Pizza
• Meals and Deals
• Taking Back Wisconsin: How You Can Help, Part II
• Yes, We Did! Obama and the Hispanic Community
• President Obama and the United Nations

Faces Occupying the Crowd

Congress Watch: A Comprehensive Look at Robert Dold’s Record

Free Pizza

Meals and Deals

Taking Back Wisconsin: How You Can Help, Part II

Yes, We Did! Obama and the Hispanic Community

President Obama and the United Nations

Faces Occupying the Crowd
by Ron Levitsky
There is a feeling among many in this country that our way of life is in peril. From both ends of the American political spectrum, voices are being raised in protest. The author looks at the movements behind these protests, placing them in historical context.  OWS photos accompany the article.

Congress Watch: A Comprehensive Look at Robert Dold’s Record
For months, we have been reporting on freshman 10th District Congressman Robert Dold and his votes on important issues affecting 10th District residents. This summary should rekindle your resolve to work hard to replace Cong. Dold in 2012.

Free Pizza
Join old friends and make new ones among fellow Democrats as we celebrate the season and gear up for the election year ahead.

Meals and Deals
by Jack Altschuler
As the economic recovery continues to sputter, the one-percenters are not listening to the cries of anguish coming from the millions of Americans who are hurting. The author is listening, however, and he has a thing or two to say about the situation.

Taking Back Wisconsin: How You Can Help, Part II
by Eleonora di Liscia
The incredible chain of events that rocked Wisconsin politics this year has officially reached the governor’s mansion. The drive to recall Governor Scott Walker is now in the petition collection phase. Though we in Illinois are not eligible to sign, there’s much we can do to help. Read how.

Yes, We Did! Obama and the Hispanic Community
by Eleonora di Liscia 
Another in our series looking at President Obama’s accomplishments in his first term in office focuses this month on legislation for, or supported by, the Hispanic community.

President Obama and the United Nations
by Steve Sheffey
The author details how President Obama has used the United Nations to protect our ally, Israel.

December 2011 Newsletter: Faces of the Occupy Movement and more … is a post from Illinois Tenth Congressional District Democrats

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