Schock listed the P90X purchase as a "health care" expense, which is noteworthy in that he's opposed to the Obama health care plan, nor does he believe the state should be paying for your health care. more ›

A Schock campaign for governor in 2014 could be just the tonic for the Illinois GOP. more ›

Meet the Press will broadcast from the Museum of Contemporary Art at 8 a.m. tomorrow. The show won't air in Chicago until 11 a.m. after NBC 5's coverage of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon ends. more ›

Almost as a rule, when politicians or political organizations try to do humor (or worse, "relatability"), it falls deathly flat. See: Mitt Romney's "Who Let The Dogs Out" moment, the GOP's faux-birthday cards for President Obama, Al & Tipper's makeout moment and Mike Dukakis' cartoonish tank-driving fiasco. (Admittedly, the last two weren't exactly intentionally humorous.) Which is why we have to give a bit of credit where it's due, for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's quick photoshop party poking fun at Aaron Schock's easily-mockable beefcake photo shoot. more ›

Freshman Peoria Congressman Aaron Schock appears on the cover of the June Men's Health and showing off abs worthy of a P90X workout. Seriously, the youngest member of Congress has Ravishing Rick Rude abs. Schock should hold town hall meetings in Peoria and just imitate Rude addressing wrestling audiences: "What I want right now is for all you fat, out of shape sweathogs to keep the noise down while I take my sportcoat and shirt off, and show the ladies what a real Congressman is supposed to be like. HIT THE MUSIC!" more ›

During every Presidential race, the ridiculously important topic of "Who gets to choose Supreme Court Justices" plays a ridiculously minor part in the voters' decision making process. Similarly, in the most recent statewide elections, the topic that could be the decade's most important political decision is one that got equally little discussion during the last election cycle: redistricting. Map-making. Redrawing. "Gerrymandering." more ›

Even as Chicagoans prepare to hit the polls Tuesday, an issue left over from last November's election looms large for many Illinois politicos. Redistricting: that time-honored process of gerrymandering political district borders for the state Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives that has been elevated to an ugly art form across the Land of Lincoln. One of the few comforts emerging for Democrats as the dust clears from their national whooping in the last election, the party retained control of the General Assembly in Springfield; which translates into control of the redistricting process. This is one of only seven states where the Dems will be drawling the lines, but the once-in-a-decade process should be particularly interesting here given the City and statewide population declines and the power realignment that will likely occur in response to the alarming African-American flight from Chicago. more ›

Ken Mehlman, the orchestrator behind George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and the former chair of the Republican National Committee, announced this week that he is gay, reportedly planning to counter a history of setting some of the most patently anti-LGBT rhetoric into motion with a newfound hobby: Raising thousands of dollars to support same-sex marriage. The news has some wondering who could be next to step out of the GOP closet. more ›

Top Chef contestants received a surprising treat (or trick, depending on your politics) last night when Illinois' 18th District Representative Aaron Schock paid them a visit to discuss lobbying, ethics and food on a stick. more ›

No one’s happy about the economy right now and it doesn’t seem that anyone is happy about the stimulus package either. Whether someone is shouting socialism or directing other vitriol at President Obama or some fuzzy numbers and bad data show up in the records, the stimulus package can’t seem to get a break. Now, the Chicago Tribune reports that the $6.4 billion Illinois received doesn’t seem to add up to many new jobs. more ›

You would think a 27-year-old would be a little more aware of what can happen when you sit down across from Stephen Colbert and a camera, but apparently Peoria native Aaron Schock, the youngest and most ripped United States congressman and representative for Illinois' "Fightin' 18th" district, doesn't watch a lot of late night television as he seemed blindsided when he took part in a Colbert Report "Better Know a District" segment: more ›

The city of Springfield is looking to recoup $50,000 in expenses from the Obama campaign stemming from his August 23 rally to announce Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. City spokesman Ernie Slottag said, "The mayor (Timothy Davlin) is looking at all our finances and would like to recover whatever costs we can." The Obama campaign offered no comment. Obama's campaign was not billed for his February 2007 rally that announced his candidacy, but, according to Slottag, Springfield didn't "keep track of separate expenses for that event." Aaron Schock, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (18th district), held a rally in Springfield earlier this year that included an appearance by President Bush. Schock told a radio station the party plans to pay Springfield $38,000 for expenses related to that event. more ›