The case against senate candidate Mark Kirk (www.MarkKirk.us)

Andy Martin threatens corrupt Republican leader Tolbert Chisum with a lawsuit over a fraudulent “endorsement” of Mark Kirk.

ANDY MARTIN
Republican for U. S. Senator/2010
“He Works for the People of Illinois”
Suite 4406, 30 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
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Web site: http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com
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www.MarkKirk.us

August 2, 2009

Tolbert Chisum
New Trier Township Committeeman
509 Park Drive
Kenilworth, IL 60043
via fax (847) 251-2143

Re: Misuse abuse of http://www.ntro.org/ web site and organization

LEGAL NOTICE

Dear Tolbert:

It seems that like a perennial blight, you are always there to embarrass New Trier Township Republicans with your dirty, Daley-style corruption of the Republican Party.

I regret the necessity to send this legal notice but your latest misbehavior and subservience to Andy McKenna may make legal action unavoidable.

Your township web site lists all of the candidates for Governor, but only one candidate for U.S. Senator, “Our candidate” Mark Kirk. Obviously, you are trying to rig the party’s support for one office while remaining “open” for other offices. As a “banker,” or self-styled banker, you should know such discrimination violates both Illinois and federal law.

My experience with New Trier Republicans is that they very democratically conduct an “endorsement” session at which they invite all candidates for all offices to appear. No such endorsement session has been held for any office. Thus Kirk is not “your” candidate and not NTRO’s candidate. The web site claim is objectively false.

I respect your right as an individual to support whomever you wish. But you have no right to rig your township organization without any legal authorization from the committeemen to do so.

At some point in the future, NTRO may conduct an endorsement session for all offices, and I suppose you can try to corrupt that vote when it takes place. But at least until all of the committeemen have assembled and voted for all the offices through a formal and independent procedure, you are not allowed to substitute your personal choice as the organization’s choice.

In order to avoid a lawsuit next week, in which you personally and your personal assets will also be placed at risk as an admitted supporter of Mr. Kirk, I will offer you one of two reasonable options:

You can remove Kirk from the “Our Candidates” list, or you can list all candidates who have filed with the U. S. Senate as a candidate for that office (U. S. Senate candidates must file with the U. S. Senate). That includes me, and my web site. All I am asking for is a fair and level playing field.

If you persist in fraudulently using the NTRO web site to broadcast a nonexistent endorsement, a lawsuit will be filed against you, Kirk and NTRO seeking damages as well as additional relief.

In closing, please allow me to offer some thoughts which many would consider wise words concerning Mr. Kirk.

First, superficially, Mark Kirk appears to be an attractive candidate. Superficially. Mark has raised money in the past, as an incumbent. However, his fund raising prowess as a statewide candidate in a party that is incredibly hostile to him is unproven. Kirk's prior fund raising was nothing but political extortion inside the Washington Beltway. Previously Mark has not generated any significant financial support inside Illinois.

Second, while you claim Kirk is “purple,” many would consider him "pink." Kirk is more liberal than any of the Blue Dog Democrats in Congress. Kirk and Barney Frank make a nice pair together. But someone who is not even up to the standards of a Blue Dog Democrat is a radical, not a moderate.

Third, while the media support Kirk as the conventional choice for Republicans in our primary, the media are not going to back Kirk in November 2010 when he comes up against a Democrat. The media’s agenda is liberal, and they will break for the “D.” So current media adulation is a false indicator of Kirk's future media acceptability.

Fourth, with over forty (40) years of experience in Illinois politics, I have never seen a candidate who creates more hostility among the Republican rank-and-file than Mark Kirk. The anger against Kirk is incredible. You may not agree with my views, or may dislike me personally, but you ought not to so easily discount forty years of experience.

Fifth, Kirk’s fundamental political strategy is fatally flawed. Your piece at NTRO.org suggests that the way for Republicans to win in Illinois is to go “liberal.” That is just flatly wrong. "Liberalism" is a theology, and theological holy warriors are not going to vote for the alternative when they can vote for one of their own true believers.

Conservatism, on the other hand, is not a rigid ideology or orthodoxy. Conservatives come in all shapes and sizes. They can open their minds, and often switch their votes. The way to win in Illinois is not to skew slightly to the left but, rather, slightly to the right. Mark Kirk is far left. There is no way Kirk is going to win any conservative Democrats.

People of a certain age (which includes yourself) love to reminisce over the “Reagan Democrats” that brought Ronald Reagan to power. Regan Democrats were culturally conservative working-class Democrats, not country club liberals.

Kirk has no appeal for working people. With “cap ‘n trade” he just voted to take away their jobs and to send their paychecks to China.

Kirk, of course, is Barack Obama’s favorite Republican, and best buds with extreme leftist Rahm Emanuel. Why would you back someone with that record as a Republican?

Finally, I am sure you have heard the rumors about Kirk’s personal life. We began a series on Kirk’s marital troubles but were diverted to focus attention on the Obama/Gates beer “brewhaha.” We will be back writing stories about Kirk’s somewhat embarrassing private life soon enough.

Personally, I could care less what Kirk does in dark corners, or with whom. But many voters do care. And you must surely remember the Jack Ryan disaster. Kirk is a Jack Ryan disaster waiting to happen. If he beats me in the primary, which is by no means assured, he will explode sometime next summer and sink the Republican ticket.

For myself, I have been “vetted” by the ultimate mud merchants and dirt diggers, Barack Obama’s and David Axelrod's den of thugs. All they could find to smear me with last year was 25 and 35 year old nonsense. Their tactics boomeranged. People are not concerned with what happened a quarter century ago. They are concerned with the future, and future embarrassment. Kirk is a classic case of future embarrassment.

Are you planning to recruit Alan Keyes to move back to Illinois “permanently” for the second time if the media slip Kirk a Mickey?

I will be marching this Wednesday in the Lake Forest Day Parade. That area used to be Mark Kirk's “base.” It no longer is. Please answer a question for me: if Mark Kirk has lost his Republican base in the Tenth District, how is he going to build a new “base” in the statewide Republican party, which is considerably more conservative than Republicans in the 10th District? Good question.

I hope we can avoid a lawsuit. You have your options above. Please respond in writing if you wish to settle this matter.

I wish you the very best in your choice of a candidate but, sadly, I think you are engaged in the same kind of Kamikaze mission as you were when you personally orchestrated an “endorsement” of Steve Sauerberg in 2007. You don’t have a very good track record of endorsements, do you? In case you have forgotten how your handiwork defeated Republicans last year, just call Andy McKenna's friend Rick Pearson at the Chicago Tribune. I am sure Pearson will be happy to send you a copy of his report on your prior activity.

Please feel free to call me if you want to discuss this matter. Or have your attorneys call me. I try to deal with everyone cordially, even those who dislike or disagree with me. I am not a disagreeable person.

Best wishes,

ANDY

AM:sp

P.S. I formally/legally request that you immediately send me a complete and current list of all NTRO committeemen, including addresses and e-mail addresses. If you refuse, we will, of course, sue to obtain access to the list.