By Mark Weyermuller –
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner hosted the annual GOP Governor’s $500 a plate dinner Thursday night at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago. The Pro-Life Action League was there to speak out on behalf of the thousands of unborn babies who will be aborted in Illinois because Rauner signed into law HB40 — the taxpayer abortion funding bill — after he promised to veto it.
Pro-Life Action League leader Eric Scheidler organized the protest with about 20 people at two entrances to the hotel. He was joined by a pro-life group that traveled here from Ohio. They held signs which many consider graphic, yet Scheidler calls them “victim signs.” These “victims” are a human life and that’s hard to argue against. The theme of the protest was “Governor Rauner, you haven’t heard us," responding to the Governor's comments on the night of the primary when he said to the half of the IL GOP that voted against him and for a pro-life state representative that "I've heard you."
One person from the Students for Life at Columbia College held a separate protest outside (see top photo). The day before she was the only student at Columbia to participate in the nationwide “Pro-Last Walkout.” Students across the country left class at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday for 17 minutes in support of life.
The irony of the evening GOP fundraiser in Chicago was Pro-life Governor Scott Walker was the keynote speaker for the dinner. The event was a high end fundraiser with the cheapest seat at $500. Last week Governor Walker removed abortion insurance coverage from most state workers in Wisconsin.
Bruce Rauner has an uphill battle to be re-elected after an extremely close primary with State Rep. Jeanne Ives. Many Illinois conservatives are waiting to see what develops before showing support for Rauner. Unlike four years ago, no unity lunch has taken place with no plans yet made public of one coming up soon.
The next big test for the Illinois GOP will be April 18, 2018 when elections are held for the Republican State Central Committee. Most feel the base of the Party is conservative and you cannot win a statewide race without them.
Illinois continues to have huge increases in taxes while having big declines in jobs and population. Neither J.B. Pritzker or Bruce Rauner seem to have any plans to fix it. The general election is Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
