Family of Maureen Murphy slams Patlak's exploitation of her name

Dan Patlak has been mailing brochures throwing mud on himself, avoiding the issues and attacking his challenger Sean Morrison. But it seems that Patlak's mud has provoked anger from across the suburban district in the Board of Whatever race (Board of Review).

Patlak has used the images of a lot of past Republicans to portray himself as continuing the legacy of the Republican Party which has watched as extremists and fanatics including those in the Tea Party and at the hate-filled online publication the Illinois Review have undermined and brought the Cook County GOP down.

He used the images of former Cook County Sheriff Jim O'Grady, and then former Cook County State's Attorney Jack O'Malley. He put his own picture up along with the rest including the picture of the beloved former member of the Board of Review, Maureen Murphy.

Maureen passed-away in 2008. She had been a school board member at Evergreen Park High school, then the legislator from the area and then committeeman of the powerful Worth Township Republican Organization succeeding another truly great Republican Herb Huskey. Back in those days, the Republicans were united by principles and moderation and commonsense.

Today,, morons like the Illinois Review have hijacked the Republican Party fueled by the vicious hatred of some Tea Party activists whoa re more interested in promoting themselves than the principled foundations of the Republican Party that O'Grady, O'Malley and Murphy once represented so proudly and effectively. There are very few Republicans like that and include Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman and Sean Morrison. Morrison and Gorman represent the moderate Republican Party movement. They focus on real issues like fighting unjustified sales tax increases while Illinois Review, their close friend Patlak, and the Tea Party focus more on incendiary political vitriol and diatribes.

Illinois Review doesn't care about strengthening the Republican Party. They only care about taking over and the power they perceive as the prize.

But abusing the name of great Republicans isn't the only trespass of Mr. Patlak. He received this angry letter from the son of Maureen Murphy, Shaun Murphy who is now the Worth Township Republican Committeeman.

PATLAK MISLEADING VOTERS
Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak recently sent out a campaign mailing which included a picture of my mother, Maureen Murphy who passed away in 2008. Throughout his campaign, Mr. Patlak has repeatedly mentioned Maureen's work for the taxpayers in an attempt to associate himself with her and her record. Time and time again, he has used her name as an implied endorsement, a shield, and has even used her as a scapegoat, depending upon the audience. The complete lack of judgment Mr. Patlak has shown in bringing my mother's name into this race is disappointing. The Murphy family wants to make it clear that although he is using Maureen's name, our family is not endorsing Mr. Patlak in his campaign.
Shaun Murphy
Evergreen Park, IL

Maureen Murphy was a one-of-a-kind person. A truly considerate and kind leader. She was pragmatic, smart and dedicated to the local Republican Organization. Not everyone supported her or her kind of thinking. She worked for respect rather than using bullying the way the Illinois Review and Patlak are throwing mud in their vicious campaigns to slander anyone who dares to stand up to the garbage politics.

She deserves better than to be dragged into Patlak's mud-throwing, ugly election campaign.

-- Ray Hanania

www.hanania.com

Related articles

• More on Fran Eaton and the Illinois Review's campaign to push Tea Party candidates (rayhanania.wordpress.com)
• Now its Cook County 'Board of Whatever' (rayhanania.wordpress.com)
• Fran Eaton and the real creepy politics of the Southwest suburbs (rayhanania.wordpress.com)