As Party Chairman my goal has been to build Party unity. Mark Kirk and I met last evening as part of an ongoing discussion about the U. S. Senate race. I reassured Mark that if he chooses to be a candidate, I will not oppose him.
The only thing we've learned from this episode is that we still need a new Party Chair. Any takers?
Aaron Schock for US Senate
Schock was born May 28, 1981, making him too young to serve in the Senate in January 2011.
Schock was born May 28, 1981
Wow, I got socks older than that.
John Bambenek
I vote for Gordy!
If you don't pick Kirk, you'll lose badly. Keep being pure; we Democrats love it when you do.
Is Michael Fuerst a Republican or a Democrat ??
Just give Aaron Schock some time he will be a Senator.
Just give Aaron Schock some time he will be a Senator.
Not in this state
Could McKenna really be out (as chair)? Sounds too good to be true...
Why would anyone vote for Kirk when they could vote for a Real Democrat?
I vote for the status quo. Jason Barickman for state chairman! Different face, same game, being content with being an irrelevant minority.
everytime i see this title "mckenna out" I keep thinking that andy is admitting that he is gay...
Oh my...
and the rumors keep floating around about Schock, too...guess that's why the "vacation photo" wound up on TMZ...
and what about the rumor that Mark Sanford refuses to resign as Gov. of SC because of rumors the lt. gov. is gay?
Really makes you wonder: who's gayer, the Republicans or the Democrats?
On one hand, we have the Log Cabin Republicans. No such group in the Democratic Party, with the corresponding argument that sexuality between consenting adults is something the Dems don't give two figs about.
Remind me again: which is the party for less government intervention in my life?
"and what about the rumor that Mark Sanford refuses to resign as Gov. of SC because of rumors the lt. gov. is gay?"
I've been aware of the lieutenant governor of South Carolina about seven years, and this is the first I've heard any such thing. Do Democrats do much more than sit around and speculate every Republican ever is gay? Doesn't it get boring?
17% of gay men here HIV-positive, new stats confirm
(http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/1684483,CST-NWS-hiv25.article)
July 25, 2009
BY MONIFA THOMAS Health Reporter/mjthomas@suntimes.com
About 17 percent of gay men in Chicago are HIV-positive -- and half of them don't know it.
That's according to authoritative new estimates from the Chicago Public Health Department.
And black men who have sex with men have double the HIV infection rates of white and Hispanic men, even though they don't appear to engage in riskier behavior, Chicago health officials said Friday.
Their report was based on data collected last year from 570 Chicago men in the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system.
It's the first time Chicago health officials have used blood testing to determine HIV infection rates in this high-risk population, said Christopher Brown, assistant commissioner of the Health Department's STD, HIV and AIDS division. Past estimates have relied on interviews with gay and bisexual men about their HIV status.
"What we found out pretty much confirms what we've known for a while," Brown said.
Gay and bisexual men accounted for 62 percent of new HIV infections in Chicago in 2006.
The new figures show that 17.4 percent of gay men in Chicago are HIV-positive, compared with an estimated 1.2 percent of the general male population.
Breaking the numbers down by race, 30 percent of black gay men were HIV-positive, compared with 11 percent of gay white men and 12 percent of gay Hispanic men.
Brown said it's not clear why black gay men are disproportionately affected by HIV, but it could be the result of infection rates being higher in the black community overall. Black men who have smaller social networks also might be more likely to partner with other black men who are already HIV-positive.
"We need to get a better understanding of the sexual and social networks and address those issues," Brown said, adding that greater emphasis also needs to be placed on quickly notifying sexual partners of HIV-positive men.
The Health Department is working with groups such as the Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus to expand testing and coordinate culturally sensitive outreach to the gay and bisexual population, Brown said.
The Health Department estimates that there are 60,000 to 100,000 gay and bisexual men living in Chicago.
So, 2-figs, are you saying there is a gay or bisexual man living in Chicago who wishes to be the Republican Party Chair for the state of Illinois? If so, please put his name forward so that the appropriate vetting process (also known as "the circular firing squad") can begin.