Thorner: Illinois conservatives gather in Rockford to “Make America Great Again”

By Nancy Thorner -  

Photos by Mark Weyermuller 

MAGA Illinois 2O17 hosted its first "Make America Great Again" rally to unite 200 supporters of President Trump on Tuesday, November 21, at Giovanni's Convention Center in Rockford, Illinois, from 3:00 – 9:00 p.m.  An expo preceded the family friendly 7:00 p.m. MAGA rally. Rallies have also been held in Pennsylvania and Missouri, with an ongoing effort to hold additional rallies to reach into districts where support for President Trump's policies needs to be articulated.

MAGA Illinois is a newly formed organization launched in September of 2017 as part of a growing demand by patriots in Illinois as a venue to show their support for Republican President Donald J. Trump and the promises detailed in his "Make America Great" agenda. As such, MAGA Illinois is working within Illinois to rally around Illinois politicians who support President Trump, while bringing down elected Illinois officials who refuse to support him.

The Rockford rally was aimed squarely at Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who represents Illinois' Sixteenth Congressional District which stretches across 14 counties in the Northern Illinois region.  Kinzinger is a frequent vocal critic of Trump's policies. James Marter is running in the IL GOP primary to defeat Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

Wisconsin Congressional Candidate Paul Nehlen, even though running to unseat RINO Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, was received warming by MEGA Illinois attendees.

The MAGA event was sponsored in part by Phyllis Schlafly Eagles & Eagle Forum Education Fund located in Alton, Illinois. The president of the recently-formed Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, Ed Martin, participated in the 7:00 – 9:00 rally. Other sponsors were the Rockford Tea Party and the Frederick Douglass Foundation.

The Expo was devoted to showcasing respected conservative groups, vendors and politicians. There were display tables where noteworthy conservative books could be purchased; other tables where Trump memorabilia was being sold. One table had Trump tee-shirts available and numerous tables spotlighted both local and state candidates. No one left MAGA Illinois without signing candidate Jeanne Ives' petitions to be on the IL GOP 2018 primary ballot.  Both radio stations AM 560 and AM 890 had featured lineups of their conservative talk show hosts.

EXPO break-out sessions

During the Expo time allowance, there were break-out sessions for MAGA attendees, the first being Stephanie Trussell, who has a weekly Saturday 1-3 pm show on WLS-AM 890.  Chicago-based conservative blogger, Mark Weyermuller, introduced host Stephanie Trussell.  Mark is well known for his weekly "Man on the Street” segments on Trussell's show.

Having just voted for Bill Clinton in 1996, Stephanie Trussell indicated this was also the year she came out of the closet as a Republican Conservative Christian. On July 14, 2017 Stephanie Trussell, in an article published at Illinois Review, Why I left the Donkey Plantation Party,  explains how she escaped the Donkey Plantation. 

In 2012 Stephanie, in competition with four other individuals won a contest to become a talk show host.  Stephanie is grateful that WLS is paying her for what she has to say and doesn't attempt to stifle her speech.  She is featured on the same radio station as Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh. Stephanie questioned how anyone could be a Democrat when Democrats believe there are more than two genders and that babies can be killed without regret. Stephanie offered these three guidelines to success:  Finishing high school, finding a job, and keeping a job.

Another break-out EXPO session speaker was Jeanne Ives, candidate for Illinois governor, who is running as a Republican alternative and challenger to Republican Governor Bruce Rauner. There was a standing ovation for Jeanne, who is known and loved as an Illinois Republican House member not hesitant to fight for what she believes in.  Jeanne related how she grew up in a small town in South Dakota with 5 siblings.  As a graduate of West Point Military Academy, Jeanne continue to live by the West Point Code, which she instilled in her five children, two of which serve in the military.  In speaking about the state of Illinois, it is $250 billion in debt with $50 billion in unpaid bills.  Governor Rauner, instead of making good on his promised reforms when he ran for office, has used his time in office to put in place the economic and social agenda of Chicago Democrats. 

Jeanne says her goals as governor would be to grow jobs, reform spending, and stamp out public corruption.  She has a plan for solving pension indebtedness and would never consider raising taxes.  She promised she would not alter the courageous leadership she displayed so many times as an Illinois state rep if elected governor. 

John McGlasson followed Jeanne Ives.  McGlasson is the Illinois Republican State Central Committee Chairman of the 16th Congressional District.  McGlasson stated the following as the problem with the Republican Party in Illinois:  Many of those who call themselves leaders of the Republican Party have moved away from the heart of the Republican Party.  A move back to conservative values is needed to rescue Illinois from that of a failed state to one its citizens can once again be proud of.

The EXPO sessions also featured two noted best-selling conservative authors, Phil Haney, who with co-author Art Moore, wrote, See Something Say Nothing  in which Haney, as a former Homeland Security Officer, exposes the government's submission to jihad, and Trevor Loudon, author of The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress, in which Loudon, as a patriot of New Zealand, sets forth a better understanding than realized by most Americans of how this nation represents the last bastion of freedom and that the fate of many nations lies in our hands.  

Philip Haney related how by the time President Obama took office, Muslim Brotherhood-linked leaders in the United States were forcing changes to national security policy and even being invited into the highest chambers of influence. Haney then spoke of how much the Obama administration knew in advance of the Boston Marathon bombing and how it launched an ongoing cover-up on behalf of a major ally and of the fear-based tactics imposed by the Muslim Brotherhood front groups in the U.S., and their accomplices, that paralyze officials, members of Congress and any Department of Homeland Security employee that dares to expose or resist their agenda. 

Trevor Loudon cited illegal immigration as the greatest threat to this nation; how all  labor unions are now Marxist organizations, which came about when in 1994 John Joseph Sweeney  became president of the powerful American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); and that Obama, as a Marxist-Leninist, was willing to risk everything to push amnesty through, even knowing it would cost him the Senate, as it would move this nation closer to becoming a one party state with one party rule forever.  On a more uplifting reflection, Loudon stated how God has given this nation a 2nd chance through the miraculous election of Donald J. Trump as president, but there will not be a third chance.  The Democrats are angry and fired up because they didn't win. They will stop at nothing to take back control of this nation, so the type of government they desire can be put in place.