Col. Jill Morgenthaler, most recently Illinois’ Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety and Homeland Security Advisor, has entered the 6th Congressional District race as a Democratic challenger to first-term Republican Congressman Peter Roskam. Jill has over 30 years of military, government and private business experience, much of it focused on emergency preparedness, communications and business development.
[6th Congressional Candidate Jill Morgenthaler speaking at the DuPage Democratic Party Office to volunteers this Saturday.]
Jill, a mother of two children, came across as personable and straight-forward. She seems eager to speak with, and get input from, local residents. She also sounded realistic about the hard work ahead of her. I expect we’ll hear a lot more about the Morgenthaler campaign in the 6th district, which should be ramping up quickly.
Comments 9
Congratulations to Jill Morgenthaler - it is wonderful to see her fortitude and continued resolve to serve her country in the form of political commitment to the State of Illinois.
Posted 15 Oct 2007 at 10:46 am ¶Nice work on the story. Go Jill!
Posted 15 Oct 2007 at 3:11 pm ¶I have a few questions. I got a mailer today from “Patriotic Democrats of DuPage” (are there any other kind?) tauting Jill’s being hand-picked by Rahm Emannuel as a selling point for her candidacy. Does she have the slightest awareness of how some folks here the district feel about this? Or was this intentionally designed to piss us all off? Also, she highlights a press clipping of her reciting that old saw about how all of the good things going on aren’t being covered And That’s What’s Really Wrong With This War.
Good God. As if more stories on school openings and hospital constructions could somehow obviate the fact that there’s a civil war going on and our military is an occupying force in a foreign land.
The choicest quotes though:
“As patriotic Americans, we believe that the Democratic party has been weak on security and we need people like Jill Morgenthaler who will make sure that attacks do not occur at home by fighting terrorists in Iraq, Iran, and Syria”.
Nice. I don’t think she left off any tropes that are slung against the Democrats for not being facile enough in their support of never-ending war or confusing America’s threats. So on the one hand you have Pete Roskam, who all but called us open-border anarchists in the last election, and the female Bill Kristol who’s on ‘our’ ticket.
Way to go Rahm! You sure know how to pick ‘em!
Posted 16 Oct 2007 at 4:20 pm ¶Hi Whiskey,
I’ve already communicated to you via email about this - but other readers can find a response to your comment at a later post about the mailing piece you discuss - which is intended to appear to support Jill Morgenthaler - but in fact is designed to attack her and alienate Democrats in the district from her campaign.
Read more here.
Posted 17 Oct 2007 at 7:57 pm ¶Happy to see a Dem that has worn the boots in the sand. Mr.Peter treats the veterans in his district with disdain. I called about my uncle who is a former P.O.W. of World War Two and they doubted my story and even hung up the phone on me. They refused to even give out Mr.Peter gmail address to me. Isnt that why we pay tax to be able to communicate with our representatives?
Posted 24 Oct 2007 at 4:44 pm ¶I think this GI Chick has a good chance of winning!
Mr.Peter where and when did you serve? Chickenhawk ring a bell
Be very scared! When I heard that GI Jill was thinking about running on a Democratic ticket, I thought the person telling me was making a cruel joke. And now I see this page! While the current administration has got me scared, Jill climbing the polical ranks has me petrified! Coming from someone that knew her “back when”, she wasn’t good for our country then, not now, and certainly not in the future. She has her own agenda and I sure wouldn’t think that fits with the Democratic ideals. Let the Republicans have her. She’s more their type.
Posted 28 Oct 2007 at 2:02 pm ¶I’ve known Jill for 18 years through Toastmasters International. I’ve always been impressed with Jill’s can-do attitude. Jill cares and I believe she has what it takes to get things done.
Posted 06 Feb 2008 at 7:47 am ¶Being a Vietnam veteran I was very enthusiastic when I first heard that another veteran was running again for Peter Roskam’s seat. However my enthusiasm really turned sour when I logged onto a web site maintained by/or for Jill Morgenthaler. I highly recommend anyone who wants to get a feel for who she really is to go to her web site and decide for yourself.
For those of you interested the link is:
http://www.supportusamilitary.org/Morgenthaler.html
As for myself I started losing my enthusiasm when I got to the paragraph where Jill was describing her attendance at an Eagle Scout ceremony. For some reason the following excerpt really turned me off. I’ve heard such sentiments expressed ad nausea ever since 9/11.
“I wasn’t prepared for the hero status bestowed on me by everyone. I was constantly thanked for serving. I was thanked for the freedoms we have. This is especially strange because I entered ROTC in college during the Vietnam War. I had watched my father, a career Marine, ridiculed for serving. I had things thrown on me at college for being in uniform. My father and I had been called baby killers. He was called a murderer. I was called a dyke. We were never called patriots. We were never called heroes. He was never thanked. Oh, Dad, America knows it did wrong then and I wish you were here for this.”
I am certain that there are those who might read this excerpt and not read anything negative into it. But being a volunteer non-com in the Army for four years with a tour of duty in Vietnam I can attest that I nor any of my fellow soldiers never experienced anything of this sort when we came home from Vietnam. No, we did not get any marching bands or accolades but we certainly never experienced any derogatory behavior from civilians back at home. We never expected it when we got home from Vietnam because we knew that America’s involvement in Vietnam was wrong just as we all know that America’s involvement in Iraq is wrong. In the case of Iraq it is also a case of total naked aggression against a country that could not possibly defend itself against the military might of the US armed forces. To speak of our attack and occupation of Iraq in such glowing terms does a disservice to those who fought and died in World War II. No matter what anyone says simply wearing a uniform does not entitle you to a hero status. It’s been my experience that most commissioned officers have this attitude that you have to take your orders with unquestioning loyalty. Being an astute history buff I can quote many examples where this type of thinking has cost the lives of untold innocent civilians and actual heroes who gave their lives in truly noble efforts. No matter how much of a shine Jill Morganthaler tries to put on her experiences in Iraq I am not buying any of it. My life’s experiences has taught me not to be so gullible.
Reading Jill Morganthaler’s web site is like reading an official propaganda posting on the White House or Pentagon web site about how our illegal occupation of Iraq is just and righteous. How our poor brave boys have sacrificed so much to bring Democracy to Iraq never once mentioning the untold carnage we have wrought on a people who never once posed a threat to our nation. I found her comments about an excerpt from the American Daily. “Mainstream Media Robbing Us Of Iraqi War Heroes” especially telling and very troubling. I think it speaks volumes as to her true character and motives.
As a proud liberal Democrat and a Vietnam Veteran I could not endorse anyone with the views and sentiments that are expressed by Jill Morganthaler. These are the very same views and ideals that got us involved in Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq and more than likely in the very near future in Iran. These are not the American ideals our founding fathers bestowed upon us. These are not Democratic views and certainly not what America should stand for.
Until I hear otherwise my support for Jill Morganthaler as a Congresswomen for the 6th District will be very hard to come by. Any candidate who supports our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan should not be entitled to wear the mantle of DEMOCRAT!
Posted 17 Mar 2008 at 8:15 pm ¶AIG officials took themselves on a spa retreat after the bail out of the company. If elected, what will you do to rectify this? We need to get the money they spent back.
Posted 08 Oct 2008 at 11:05 am ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 4
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