NTD NEWS
December 13, 2017
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This morning, I woke up in a better mood than I expected I would just 24 hours earlier. Last night's election victory of Alabama's  Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones meant that I'd have at least one less demoralizing political situation to live with in 2018. Of course I know in the coming months the Trump Administration and Trump's Republican Congress will be working hard to supply plenty more of those dispiriting moments. The shameless use of fear mongering, bigotry, tribalism and lies in the pursuit of wealth and power is never an inspiring scenario.
For example, today it was announced that House and Senate Republicans have (at least initially) agreed on a tax "reform" package.  This news immediately pushed the Alabama election loss of GOP candidate and accused child molester Roy Moore out of the spotlight. Now, and over the next few days we'll be watching Trump, McConnell, Ryan, and their wealthy cronies push through new tax policies that will make the richest Americans even more rich at the expense of programs targeted to help American's who are most in need. - That sounds like reform... right?
Nevertheless, we really should take a moment to savor the Alabama outcome. We could have had a member of the U.S. Senate who was not only totally unqualified but had long shown himself to be not only completely contemptuous of our legal system but quite possibly  nuts. Instead, our Congress now has a new Senator who soon after taking office as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama quickly showed his courage. He successfully prosecuted the remaining two Ku Klux Klan perpetrators of the Birmingham Church bombing that killed four little girls 35 years earlier.
Doug Jones' victory last night also seems to have shown that the  most recent iteration of the Democratic National Committee is capable of taking effective action for its candidates using tactics sensitive to each candidate's local situation. The DNC put their financial and human resources heavily behind Jones while wisely keeping out of the spotlight. They avoided making big pronouncements from their East Coast headquarters - a posture that would surely have energized die hard Alabama Republicans. Instead, the DNC stayed in the background supporting phone banking, robo-calls, local organizing, door-to-door canvassing, all the stuff necessary for a win. Let's hope this "new" DNC retains the tactical sensitivity they showed in Alabama in the many contests ahead. It's a sensitivity I wish they'd shown more of in 2016.
Yes, it was a nice feeling to see a creepy child-stalker like Roy Moore get defeated by an honestly good person. Unfortunately, the truth is if Moore had simply been a liar and a hypocrite he likely would have won that Senate seat. (If we could just get the Republicans to run pedophiles in every contest next year we'd really be on a roll!)
But as our nation's great president tweeted last night, "A win is a win." Now it's up to our Democratic leaders in Congress to display the skill and integrity that will make the most of Doug Jones' additional Senate vote. According to some political analysts I heard today, a 49-51 Senate minority situation is much better than 48-52. I guess we'll see.
Here's the bottom line. As 2018 takes shape, we need to keep the momentum of these recent Democratic victories growing. You can be sure that in the coming months you'll be given plenty of opportunities to do that, helping to elect candidates representing us at every level of government. There will be important activities in neighboring elections too.
The time when all this activity begins will be here before we know it. In the meantime, the New Trier Dems will be hosting several events  to keep your political inclinations engaged. On Sunday, January 7 our Committeeman Dean Maragos will be hosting his annual "Thank You" Pizza Party at J.P.'s Pizza & Grill in Wilmette from 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm. It's always a nice event and an excellent way to personally meet other North Shore Democrats and many of the office holders and candidates gearing up for 2018. Then, sometime during the short month of February, the NTDO will be sponsoring a 2018 Election Year Kickoff Rally (Date, time and place TBD).
And tomorrow night, you can wrap up this bizarre political  year among fellow liberals with a glass or two of excellent wine and a buffet of delicious hors d'oeuvres at the Wilmette Wine Cellar. It's strictly social, no political speeches -- just wine, food and new friends. The event will also welcome contributions of packaged food, paper goods or toiletries for the New Trier Food Pantry. The details are in the news item below this commentary.
So that's it for this year's NTD News comments. I wish the 2017 news had been a lot more pleasant to discuss but we can hope that next year will have many more bright spots. For the next few weeks I will be taking a Holiday break. The next NTD News issue will be Wednesday, January 3, 2018. Talk to you then. - Have a wonderful Holiday Season.
Nels Howard
NTDO member since 1973
Are your NTD annual dues up to date? You can only vote at the January 14 Endorsement Meeting if you are paid up. -- You can join the NTDO or renew your membership right now by clicking here.
Or now you also have the option of paying for your annual membership at the January 14 Meeting. New member too! (However, paying up right now does make things easier for us.)
And... if you would like to be a volunteer at the January meeting, your help would be welcomed. Contact the NTD office at 847-446-8030 and leave a message.
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Tomorrow Evening in Wilmette!
Thursday, December 14
at the Wilmette Wine Cellar
A Holiday Party with the New Trier Dems
Thursday, December 14th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Wilmette Wine Cellar, 1100 Central Avenue, Wilmette
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New Trier Dems will provide the hors d'oeuvres, and drinks will be
available for purchase. This event is not a fundraiser.
It's just an opportunity to have fun and meet other area Dems.
In addition, we will be collecting non-perishable canned and
packaged food, useful paper goods, and toiletry items to
donate to the New Trier Township Food Pantry. Anything you can
donate is greatly appreciated!
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Note: The NTDO Endorsement Meeting will not be held until January of 2018. Until formal endorsements are made, fund raising events announced in the NTD News concerning candidates competing in Democratic Primary Races do not represent a formal endorsement by the NTDO.
Other events of interest:
Tomorrow night, Dec. 14 in Highland Park -
A vigil to end gun violence.
When:
Thursday, December 14, at 7:00pm
Where:
Congregation Solel, 1301 Clavey Rd., Highland Park
What:
Illinois Moms Demand Action holds a candlelight vigil to end gun violence and honor those killed in the Sandy Hook tragedy, as well as the 500,000 directly affected by gun violence since 2012.
For additional information or to RSVP register online click here.
Next Monday, Dec. 18 in Chicago -
A Very Cullerton Christmas & A Morrison New Year.
 When
: Monday, December 18, from 5:30 - 7:30pm
Where
: Hubbard Inn, 10 W. Hubbard, Chicago, IL
What
: Join State Senators Julie Morrison and Tom Cullerton and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton in celebrating the holidays, supporting our senators, and wishing Senator Morrison a happy birthday.
RSVP: Kelly@ilsenatedems.org or phone 312-630-7700
Next Tuesday, Dec. 19 in Chicago - End of Year Fundraiser in Support of Chris Kennedy.
 When:
Tuesday, December 19, from 5:30 - 7:00pm
Where
: The Joy District Chicago, 112 W. Hubbard St., Chicago
What:
An end of year reception and fundraiser in support of the Kennedy/Joy Gubernatorial Campaign
Sunday, Dec. 17 in Deerfield - The Tenth Dems Annual Awards Dinner presenting Jill Wine-Banks
 When:
Sunday, December 17, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where:
Hyatt Deerfield, 1750 Lake Cook Road, (I-294 at Lake Cook) Deerfield
What:
Join the Tenth Congressional District Democrats for our Annual Awards Dinner presenting Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks.
During the Watergate hearings, attorney Jill Wine-Banks played an integral role in questioning the events surrounding Richard Nixon's secret tape recordings. An MSNBC commentator, Wine-Banks provides viewers invaluable insight into how a case can be built against a President and his aides, whether Nixon in the 1970s or Trump today.
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Here is a list of the local and statewide Democratic candidates seeking your vote in the 2018 Primary Election. You have several months to get acquainted with the positions and qualifications before the Democratic Primary this spring and the NTDO Endorsement Meeting in January.
Because some web browsers will not accept e-mailings with a large number of Internet links, they have been erased from this candidate list.
To see all the available links, visit our NTDO website at ntdo.org.
Governor:
Chris Kennedy
JB Pritzger
Bob Daiber
Teo Hardiman
Robert Marshal
Alex Paterakis
Daniel Biss, State Senator 9th District
Illinois Attorney General:
Jesse Ruiz, Board of Commisioners, Park District
Kwame Raoul, IL State Senator13th District
Nancy Rotering, Mayor of Highland Park
Aaron Goldstein, 33rd Ward Committeeman
Scott Drury, IL State Rep, 58th District
Renato Mariotti
Illinois State Representative -
17th District:
Candace Chow
Alexandra Eidenberg
Mary Rita Luecke
Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz
58th District:
Bob Morgan
6th District:
Carol Cheney
Cook County Assessor:
Frederick (Fritz) Kaegi
Cook County Commissioner - 13th District
Larry Suffredin
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Your Legislators:
 Democratic Legislators
who represent New Trier Township in
Washington, Springfield and Cook County
You'll be hearing a lot from these exceptional public servants. --
And they want to be hearing a lot from you.
The fact is, they need to hear from you and want to hear from you in order to represent you most effectively. So, the first thing you can do is get to know who these people are. The links below to their campaign websites are a good place to start.
Jan Schakowsky
, 9th U.S. Congressional District Representative
and Chief Deputy House Democratic Whip. The new Ninth District boundaries include all of New Trier except for Glencoe.
Brad Schneider
, 10th U.S. Congressional District Representative which includes a number of precincts in Glencoe.
Daniel Biss,
State Senator for Illinois' 9th State Senate District.The Ninth District includes all of New Trier Township.
Julie Morrison, State Senator for Illinois' 29th State Senate District. The district includes New Trier's northernmost precincts.
Robyn Gabel,
IL 18th District State Representative. The 18th District includes much of New Trier up to Hazel Avenue and Dundee Road.
Laura Fine
, IL 17th District State Representative.
The 17th District includes the East Glenview and West Wilmette areas of New Trier Township.
Scott Drury
,
IL 58th District State Representative.
The 58th District includes the northernmost precincts in Glencoe.
Larry Suffredin, Cook County 13th District Commissioner. The 13th District includes all of New Trier, Evanston and Niles Townships.
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Have you visited Senator Biss' website "The Road Back" --
click on the link to his video -- then, throughout the year follow his plan's development on the website.
Daniel explains a lot about how Illinois got where it is today and how we can begin the journey on the road back toward achieving our state's tremendous economic potential.
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| Dear Fellow Democrats, If you are not already an NTDO member, and enjoy our Newsletter, we hope you consider joining us as a dues-paying member. NTDO is a not-for-profit political action organization. We depend on our membership dues to support our Democratic causes and candidates. There are two options for dues payments: by check or credit card. By Check: Make check payable to NTDO and mail to our office: NTDO 800 Oak St., Suite 112 Winnetka, IL 60093 OR By Credit Card: visit our website by clicking here Click on the "Join/Contribute" button
Find the link for "contribute with ActBlue"
or go directly to ActBlue by clicking here.
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Still not a member of the New Trier Dems? Your participation in grassroots political action will make a difference. -- Come join us.
 When you're a member of the New Trier Democratic Organization, you have an active role in affecting the political process; participating in grassroots campaigns, staying in touch with elected officials, playing a role in deciding which candidates are endorsed. You'll also gain free admission to select forums and events throughout the year.
Come be a part of New Trier's grassroots political community.
About Us:
The New Trier Democratic Organization is made up of hundreds of grassroots volunteers dedicated to advancing progressive ideals through the political process. We welcome your participation.
Sincerely,
Dean T. Maragos, Committeeman New Trier Township
We are located at 800 Oak Street, Suite 112, in Winnetka, IL. Ph: 847-446-8030
Contact: newtrierdemocrats@gmail.com.
*This Internet communication paid for by the New Trier Democratic Organization and not authorized by any federal or state candidate or campaign committee. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, Illinois.
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