IL-14

Drilling Into IL-14

Josh Kalven — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:46:55 -0700

If we needed any more evidence that the Republicans plan on beating the pro-drilling drum all the way to Election Day, here it is.

The Courier News reported yesterday on the National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) efforts to paint 14th District Rep. Bill Foster as "obstructionist" for voting to adjourn the House for August recess:

"Where's Bill Foster?" read the title of a recent NRCC e-mail blast to the media.

In it, the committee -- which spent close to $1.3 million in support of Oberweis leading into March's contest -- targets Foster for voting to recess instead of staying in Washington to debate energy policy. Last week, the NRCC released an "energy report card" that painted Foster as unwilling to get behind solutions to energy issues.

"Bill Foster has used his brief stint in office to define himself as an out-of-touch obstructionist, but this report card paints an alarming picture of a member of Congress who will do anything he can to side with Democrat leadership instead of the people of Illinois," NRCC spokesman Ken Spain stated in one release

The fact that the Republicans are targeting Foster in this fashion shows that they plan on using the August recess to attack any and all Democrats. After all, Foster is not exactly anti-drilling. He recently joined a bipartisan group of House members in supporting a bill that would expand offshore drilling and use some of the revenue from those new leases to fund the development of renewable and alternative energy sources.

Is Foster's chosen bill the right answer for Democrats? Not in my opinion. But he also can't be accused of "sid[ing] with the Democratic leadership."

Oberweis Compares Himself To ... Lincoln

Josh Kalven — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:30:32 -0700

Reader TB pointed out another amusing passage from Chicago Magazine's profile of GOP election shopper Jim Oberweis. This one comes at the very end of the article:

Oberweis resists saying where his breaking point is. The mounting losses and the public sneers do hurt him, Trish Oberweis says, but he seems to view them less as signs than as additional obstacles on his path to inevitable political office. "There was a guy about 130 or 150 years ago who had several losses before he won," he says. "I can't quite remember his name, but he went on to become the president of the United States. His first name was Abraham. What was his last name again?"

Ah, yes. Yet another conservative compares himself to Abraham Lincoln.

Rather than run through all the ways in which Honest Abe would likely disagree with the stances taken by Juvenile Jim, I'll just point one thing out. It's true that Lincoln lost various bids for federal office prior to being elected president in 1860. But before he ever ran for Congress, he served four consecutive terms as an Illinois state legislator. In short, he actually won election to public office at the state level before setting his sights higher. That's more than Oberweis can say for himself.

That's One Way Of Putting It

Mose Buchele — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:28:05 -0700

This month in Chicago Magazine, Ben Goldberger asks a question that many of us have wondered about perennial Republican candidate Jim Oberweis: after so many losses and in the face of unpopularity in his own party, what motivates the man to keep running?

Apparently Oberweis owes some of his sticktoittiveness to the support of his friends, one of whom outlined the ice-cream magnate's campaign strategy for his rematch against Rep. Bill Foster in the 14th District. In doing so, he inadvertently compared Oberweis to something that needs to be "flush[ed]":

"If elected, it is my belief that Jim would be a terrific congressman," said Robert Bonifas, the CEO of Alarm Detection Systems in Aurora and a longtime Oberweis friend and political donor. "Whether he is capable of providing a mental enema to the electorate to flush out the old Jim and instill the new Jim, I don't know."

You ready for that District 14?

Memo To Illinois GOP: Blame Denny

Josh Kalven — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:32:36 -0700

Remember how -- following his loss in the 14th District special election in March -- their were murmurs from the highest ranks of the Republican Party in Washington that Jim Oberweis shouldn't again be on the ballot come November? House Minority Leader John Boehner was even reported to have called him "unlikable" and a "terrible candidate." And remember how those murmurs seemed to disappear as quickly as they'd surfaced?

Well, now we know why. From Real Clear Politics:

After the loss in the special election, some members of the Illinois Republican delegation tried to get Oberweis out of the race, according to aides familiar with the discussions. But, said one, [former House Speaker Dennis] Hastert stood by his candidate and "basically roadblocked the entire coup."

"Members of the delegation saw Oberweis as a losing cause and we needed to move him out of their quick," the aide said. Still, the lack of a viable replacement, Oberweis's willingness and ability to spend from his own pocket and Hastert's personal backing saved him for a rematch with Foster in November.

Oberweis Appeals To The Sweet Tooth

Josh Kalven — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:12:33 -0700

GOP congressional candidate Jim Oberweis' efforts to sweeten his image seem to have taken a literal turn as of late. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent out some photos today that apparently show him handing out coupons for Oberweis Dairy ice cream. It appears they were taken at a parade last weekend in the 14th District:

Here's the hit:

“Out of touch and out of ideas, it seems the only thing Jim Oberweis has left to offer voters is a discounted ice cream sundae from his dairy empire,” said Ryan Rudominer, DCCC Midwest Regional Press Secretary. “But, all the ice cream in Illinois can’t hide the fact that voters have rejected Jim Oberweis four times for his long history of deceiving voters and for being out of touch with middle class families.”

The DCCC also used this as an occasion to revisit the fact that the Federal Election Commission fined Jim $21,000 during his 2004 U.S. Senate bid for appearing in an Oberweis Dairy television ad during the campaign. The FEC ruled that it amounted to an illegal corporate contribution.

Foster Uniquely Positioned to Champion Science Funding

Mose Buchele — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:30:37 -0700

Treated more or less as a novelty during his successful campaign for Congress, Bill Foster's background as a particle physicist is playing an increasingly important role in his representation of the 14th District. Specifically, Foster's scientific background has strengthened Democratic efforts to drum up federal support for Batavia-based Fermilab, one of the Department of Energy's national science laboratories.

The Daily Herald recognized his support of the facility in an editorial over the weekend:

Foster joined other Illinois members of Congress and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin two weeks ago in proclaiming the U.S. Senate had approved $250 million in funding for energy, helping to assure Fermilab in Batavia could continue its research and retain staffing that was threatened by budget cuts late last year. Now Foster will push the concept among his colleagues in the House in hopes of approving the bill, which earmarks $100 million for the Department of Energy's Office of Science and another $150 million to the National Science Foundation.

Foster himself worked at Fermilab before entering politics. Not only has he championed the lab in the halls of Congress, he also recently spoke with physicists in Batavia, pushing them to more clearly communicate the "health, security, and economic" importance of their projects to lawmakers in Washington.

Beyond the general promise that scientific advancement holds for the entire country, Fermilab is a pressing issue in the 14th District. The lab is planning to lay off some of its 1,900-person workforce due to recent budget cuts.

Fifth Time's A Charm?

Adam Doster — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:40:55 -0700

Jim Oberweis continued his publicity tour yesterday, telling The Courier News editorial board that an image makeover is all he needs to unseat Democratic Rep. Bill Foster in the 14th District this November:

"The opportunity is there," Oberweis said during a visit to The Courier News. "If we can explain to voters where we are on the issues ... I believe I'll win. I do believe my views represent the majority of views in the 14th District. But we didn't do a very good job of communicating our views."

He also lavished blame -- with little evidence -- on Foster, claiming that the Democrats initiated "aggressive attack ads" against him and "used scare tactics" to turn out voters during the special election in March. (Of course, Oberweis himself has no history of using grossly inappropriate or patently false appeals to drum up support.)

He concluded the interview with the understatement of the day:

"I'm an entrepreneur," Oberweis said. "I've started six companies. Not everything I've done has been a success."

For more on Oberweis' "charm" offensive, check out Mose's posts here and here.

Foster Proposes National Military Family Relief Fund

Mose Buchele — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:53:26 -0700

Rep. Bill Foster has sponsored new legislation to save the families of active military personnel from added financial hardship. The project is based on the "Illinois Military Family Relief Fund," a successful aid program started in the Prairie State that distributes money to financially strapped families whose breadwinner is stationed overseas. The Illinois program is funded by voluntary contributions from taxpayers on their state tax returns. Foster's plan would offer all Americans a similar option on their federal returns. The money would be distributed by the U.S. Defense Department. The Associated Press reports that the Illinois model has been instrumental in giving military personnel and their families at home financial peace of mind:

The Illinois Military Family Relief Fund provides grants every six months to applicant families whose breadwinner is serving in uniform and face financial hardship, with allocations ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 per year depending on need, officials said.

To date, the fund has distributed $6.2 million to more than 11,000 military families across the state.

If Foster's National Military Family Relief Fund gains momentum it could be implemented as early as next year.

Oberweis Making Nice

Mose Buchele — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:37:20 -0700

In a sign that perennial GOP candidate Jim Oberweis is intent on running again for the 14th Congressional District, the Beacon News reports that he has been calling supporters -- and reporters -- to ask for their thoughts on "what went wrong" during his failed special election campaign:

Since losing the March special election to now-Rep. Bill Foster, Oberweis has been contacting people involved in the race, people who commented on the race, and people [...] who covered the race. He's been meeting with as many of these people as he can, trying to pick their brains and find out where his campaign went off track.

Such an approach is not completely unexpected. The Beacon News writes that "the relentless negativity of his campaign turned a lot of voters off" and we previously noted that part of Oberweis' new campaign strategy involves an image overhaul. Oberweis' new campaign spokesman says that part of their November strategy will be "letting people know who Jim is."

The problem there is that, after his failed four attempts at public office in Illinois, many voters seem to have a pretty good idea "who Jim is." They just don't like what they see.

"Unlikable, A Terrible Candidate"

Josh Kalven — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:40:04 -0700

That's what House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) reportedly had to say about Jim Oberweis at a recent meeting with Illinois GOP fundraisers.

Capitol Fax's Rich Miller reported this morning that he was told that Boehner "said at a recent event that he wants Oberweis out of the race." Then, posting anonymously in Miller's comments section, his source offered up some more details:

I was Rich’s source at the Boehner event. Boehner stated there was no way to win the district with Oberweis, and that he wanted him out: “unlikable, a terrible candidate.” This was said in the presence of at least 30 Illinois fundraisers. He even stated to a questioner at the event that “we can quote him”, and that he would help get Oberweis out of the race. I believe there is no way Oberweis can win, and if he does not get out, the GOP will lose the seat for a decade. Anyone who gives him 2 cents is just wasting cash. Mr. Oberweis, you can stop calling us. We are not going to provide any further assistance.

Saying that Oberweis is a terrible candidate is one thing. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the national GOP who thinks otherwise. Saying that you'll help get him out of the race, on the other hand -- now that's news.

Miller called Boehner's office for comment, but there's no indication he's heard anything back yet. I'll be very curious to hear what they ultimately say in response.

(Hat tip: Archpundit)