Talk:Joe Walsh (Illinois politician)

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On 17 November 2021, it was proposed that this article be moved to Joe Walsh (politician). The result of the discussion was Move to Joe Walsh (Illinois politician).

Its still undeterminded who the winner is in the Illinois 8th race. We cannot put it on here until it is offically called. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Politics2012 (talk • contribs) 12:48, 11 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Unless this section can be sourced better, it should be removed. Reads like a poorly-written campaign site now.

Please tell the speaker of the house to stop holding his breath and trying to make the President look bad. He does not look to have any skills accept name calling and I am tired of it.... It is time to work for the people who elected him NOT against the DEMOCRATS. It's time to make a deal. It's time to stop drawing lines in the sand... always refusing to work and blaming everyone else.....MAKE THE --99.142.43.97 (talk) 03:43, 26 July 2011 (UTC)DEAL JOHN- PLease tell him... thanks, J. Davis--99.142.43.97 (talk) 03:43, 26 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What is not known as fact is whether it was

The story about the child support is included in this article. Please cease and desist with your defamatory edits in the main space and on the talk page or you may be blocked. – Muboshgu (talk) 16:42, 28 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Agree with Muboshgu. Please keep your personal views and opinion's about this issue off of the article or discussion page. America69 (talk) 19:06, 28 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Should the fact that he has an ex-wife and children by a previous marriage (verifiable at many media sites, including the Chicago SunTimes: http://couriernews.suntimes.com/mobile/6754191-463/walsh-accuses-sun-times-of-running-hit-piece-on-his-back-child-support-troubles.html) be added under "Personal Life? DaBunny42 (talk) 19:50, 28 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Absolutely. I thought it was already there? It makes no sense for his ex-wife to be disputing child support if he doesn't have an ex-wife and children from that previous marriage. – Muboshgu (talk) 14:22, 29 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

When Walsh was asked on the

Can you provide some evidence that its "all over the media" and should be included? That source you presented doesn't pass muster. – Muboshgu (talk) 14:20, 29 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Everything under personal life, minus the first sentence, is about his controversies. It shouldn't be listed as personal life, it is a controversy section. It is like we are hiding his controversies under the personal life banner. The first sentence should be moved to the Early life, education, and teaching career section and the remaining part of the section should be labeled properly as "controversies". This article should cover all aspects of Walsh's life in a neutral way.--Politicsislife (talk) 15:25, 3 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

• Why are the governors of America saying such dumb things? salon.com Sep 30, 201187.164.126.8 (talk) 15:51, 2 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This wasn't previously noted, but he's switched his target district the redrawn 8th which is majority Democratic. He'll likely face highly personable war hero and amputee Tammy Duckworth in a likely suicide mission. Dems will devote a lot of cash and energy into finishing him off as a high-profile irritant; no exaggerration and you can look at my footnotes in the text. They have strong interests both in crushing Joe and elevating Tammy whom they regard as a rising star. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mare Nostrum (talk • contribs) 09:26, 28 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I've tagged this article with {{POV}}, because from the looks of it it gives too much attention to his controversies. The 'Controversies' section is very long, and includes some pretty trivial issues; it makes this article look like a campaign piece for his opponent. Is anyone willing to take a go at cleaning it up and making it more balanced? Robofish (talk) 16:19, 25 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I will work on it. In full disclosure, I staunchly oppose his policies and political activities, but I do think he deserves a more-or-less fair treatment. The truth is that thousands of voters are going to be looking at this page for reliable information and it would be a gross overstep of our duties for us to help sway the election. CaseyPenk (talk) 20:06, 25 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I did some general NPOV clean-up but there's still plenty left to do - namely, introducing more comprehensive, objective information. The page lacks detailed information on what exactly he has done during his 2010-present tenure. CaseyPenk (talk) 20:55, 25 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I do not think it needed that much work on honestly. There was a lot there because he is known for saying controversial things. We can't just not cover them because he has many gaffes and issues. And the controversy section needs to be restored, not swept under the personal life section. That was already debated upon and decided. I am all for keeping away biases, but feel it needs to be done in a responsible way.--Politicsislife (talk) 23:02, 26 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

So, basically, you're saying you want to whitewash the article and make him seem like he is better then he really is. No wonder nobody takes Wikipedia seriously... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.184.82.35 (talk) 20:41, 8 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Well really there is not much that is controversial here anymore. In fact, the article now seems to slant favorably toward Joe Walsh, and there isn't even a controversy section. I am removing the tag, since there seems to be agreement here and no specific complaints. The article still needs some work, in my opinion, but I don't think it merits the bias tag, so I am removing it.--KeptSouth (talk) 11:53, 11 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'm worried that the article has gone too far the other way. No matter what political views one might hold it's hard to deny that Rep. Joe Walsh is a controversial figure, and yet he doesn't even have a controversy section anymore. With his recent comments on abortion and the health of the mother I believe there is ample material for a section detailing his controversial moments. Politicsn'stuff (talk) 23:46, 23 October 2012 (UTC) Politicsn'stuff 7:45, 23 October 2012[reply]

I should clarify why I added the POV to this article. Rep. Joe Walsh has gotten a lot of national/international media coverage for a state representative. Most of this coverage has focused on Walsh's controversial statements and/or controversial behavior such as the Palestinian comment, the moats comment, the child support issues, ect. An article on Walsh is not giving an accurate representation of his political career without mentioning the various controversies he has been involved in. I would edit the page myself, but I'm new to WP and, well, controversy sections are...controversial so I'd prefer to leave it in the hands of a skilled editor. Also, because there has been disagreement over what should be included in such a section it might be best to see if we can reach a general consensus before editing the page or removing the POV warning. Policsn'stuff (talk) 18:14, 24 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The article does mention the controversies, and since your comment focused exclusively on a notion that it does not, and that was your reasoning for the bias tag, I am removing the tag. In addition, in biographies of living persons, we must be careful not to give too much weight or disproportionate space to criticism. Please see

WP:UNDUE. To look again at the question of whether the article is negatively biased toward the congressman, all sources are reliable secondary sources, there is no controversy section, yet some controversies involving repeated positions of Walsh are mentioned, in an appropriately summarized fashion. --KeptSouth (talk) 15:12, 6 November 2012 (UTC)[reply

]

Yes it does mention them, however, it is far from comprehensive. Undue weight is not simply ignoring all relevant controversies because they might make someone look bad if those controversies are, in fact, legitimate, and significant. Not only that, but this is a congressman whose term has been characterized by making bold, controversial statements. A section specifically addressing these seems like a common sense inclusion, and was previously included for that reason. As it is his controversial statements/positions are scattered and should be grouped into a comprehensive section doing otherwise downplays their significance.Policsn'stuff (talk) 04:39, 7 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Can we take that tag off the talk page? It is about three years later and he doesn't seem to be pursuing any kind of public office (or being covered in the media). Safe to assume he's dropped off the radar for now? Alt lys er svunnet hen (talk) 03:56, 25 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I too think it should be removed. However, I must admit, I'm not completely sure which code to delete in order to remove that tag. --1990'sguy (talk) 06:30, 2 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Walsh recently tweeted, "The single greatest act of racism in American history was the election of Barack Obama." Those of us with the awareness of slime molds are dropping our jaws in horror, and it's getting some press attention https://www.yahoo.com/news/americas-greatest-racial-sin-electing-194129801.html http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/6/29/1543610/-Former-Republican-rep-says-electing-Barack-Obama-was-most-racist-thing-in-the-history-of-America Where in the article does it belong? Does it belong, or do we just accept that lunatic-fringe bigots say kwazy stuff and I don't have sufficient NPOV to ignore it? --Orange Mike | Talk 20:18, 1 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

@Orangemike: If this info was widely reported by reliable sources, then I would include it. The Yahoo News article I would say is OK (even though its wording is a bit questionable) but Daily Kos is a liberal blog, so it should not be used as a source. Are there any other reliable sources reporting this? If so, then I would have no problem including this. If not, then I would leave it out. Assuming we can include this, though, I personally would place it in the "Political positions" section as this seems to have more to do with Walsh's views on race and etc. --1990'sguy (talk) 06:22, 2 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Oddly enough, political websites opposed to the guy are the ones reporting it most widely. HIs allies are pretending it didn't happen. I'm not gonna insist on jamming it into the article without a little consensus; but I'll admit openly that I think people should know he actually said this shit. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:43, 2 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

@Orangemike: I don't really mind inserting this information. I'm definitely not opposed. Just as long as reliable sources are used and the material is presented fairly and NPOV, things which I trust you will be able to do :). --1990'sguy (talk) 17:44, 3 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

No response. This article has seen a lot of attention is the last few days, so I'll let the other editors watching this page help decide this. --1990'sguy (talk) 06:11, 11 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Nobody's replied here still, so I'll just ignore this. This does not seem noteworthy of inclusion, expect possibly to elaborate on Walsh's political views. Best to keep it out. --1990'sguy (talk) 19:03, 21 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The article claims he deleted the tweet but "He said he was allowed to reopen his account only if the tweet was deleted, which he said had happened without him taking action." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-joe-walsh-twitter-dallas-tweet-20160708-story.html

I would have footnoted my parenthetical addition that he claims Twitter deleted it but I don't know how--most of my edits are minor copy editing.Lewis Goudy (talk) 19:26, 8 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

In this edit, Dmack79 adds the factoid that Walsh is

known to his friends as Old Foot in His Mouth Joe

This surprises me. True, there is this, in which "Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh Has Another "Insert Foot In Mouth" Moment"; but it lacks any mention of friends. Anything else?

I'm about to revert this addition. Though if convincing evidence can be adduced for the claim, it can of course be readded. -- Hoary (talk) 22:03, 8 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, Danorton beat me to it. Well, Dmack79, where's the evidence? -- Hoary (talk) 22:06, 8 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

It was simple vandalism. In another edit, he called Walsh an "asshat". I have posted a warning to his talk page. —Danorton (talk) 22:11, 8 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Ah. I hadn't noticed the "asshat" edit. -- Hoary (talk) 22:28, 8 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Hello fellow Wikipedians, I have just modified 6 external links on Joe Walsh (Illinois politician). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

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@1990'sguy: Joe is a hypocorism of Joseph. It doesn't matter if it's his first name or his middle name. Per Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lead_section#Usage_in_first_sentence there shouldn't be a "Joe" in the first line. – Muboshgu (talk) 04:03, 22 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

The manual of style says "given name," which means the first name. If his first name were Joseph, I would agree with you, but it is more unusual that it's his middle name. For people who know him as "Joe Walsh," seeing his real first name as "William" would be surprising. --1990'sguy (talk) 04:24, 22 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Removed the "Official Joe Walsh website" since http://walshfreedom.com/ now goes to a website about AI and robots in the home. Added the Joe Walsh Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/joewalsh/ --Mindfill (talk) 08:48, 27 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

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Is (politician) the correct identification? He was only an elected official 2 years. Even if you add a year for the campaign and a year each for his previous 2 runs, that is only 5 years. He has been a commentator/firebrand/media host for just as long and arguably more well known for the firebombs he throws/clickbait provocative quotes than for anything he did as a politician. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.220.13.20 (talk) 12:34, 17 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I'd say he's most notable for being in the House of Representatives, if only for one term. – Muboshgu (talk) 13:48, 17 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

We've changed it to "former" in the lead sentence. But is that accurate? Sure, he said on TV that "I have lost my radio show."^[1] But Salem Radio Network said it was cancelling his show September 26 (apparently giving 30 days' notice), and that he is free to sign up with another syndicator if he wants.^[2] On Fox, Walsh said, "No more radio show, but that's OK. I'm going to campaign full time."^[3] So the question is, is he still doing his show this week, and until September 26? If he is, we should not be saying "former" radio host. -- MelanieN (talk) 18:46, 27 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. In the last paragraph of the lead we say "Walsh began hosting a talk radio show, which ended once he began his presidential campaign". If he is still doing it we should change that as well. -- MelanieN (talk) 18:49, 27 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Howdy: I just did a major edit to rework the entire lead for prose and flow. I removed "former" from the lead for now. I also removed any mention of the end of the show from the lead--frankly, I don't think the end would warrant more than a passing mention even if it is confirmed and does not belong at all until we do know for sure what exactly is happening when.

As I noted in my edit summary, my edit is far from perfect and I certainly don't want to act like I

own the article--I am glad we see eye-to-eye on how to discuss his status as a radio show host. If you have the time, could you look over the rest of my edit and make adjustments as needed? I would appreciate a second set of eyes. Thank you and happy editing! PrairieKid (talk) 19:13, 27 August 2019 (UTC)[reply

]

I think your rewrite was very much an improvement. I did a little copy editing. -- MelanieN (talk) 19:17, 27 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

• Joe Walsh warns that Americans listening to Fox News are lied to daily on
  YouTube CNN
  Nov 3, 2019