Progress Illinois

In an interview with Rockford's WREX earlier this week about the possible transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the Thomson Correctional Center, Rep. Don Manzullo unleashed what seemed like an unhinged attack on the religion of Islam. "These are really, really mean people," he told the television reporter,  "whose job it is to kill people, driven by some savage religion."

After his office apparently received numerous complaints about the remark, Manzullo released a statement of apology last night, emphasizing that he really meant terrorists practice a "violent, anti-modernity version of Wahhabism." The Tribune printed more from the Rockford Republican:

He said Islam is a "religion of peace" and that the vast majority of its adherents are "men and women of good will."

He added: "Nevertheless, I apologize for any misunderstanding of my comments and I will endeavor in the future to clarify my remarks to make it absolutely clear that America is not opposed to Islam, but that we are fighting terrorists who believe in a savage, perverted, and violent form of Islam."

But check out the AP's more detailed account. Here, Manzullo sounds a lot more defensive, blaming those offended for making a "false assumption."

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The rhetoric offered up by the Illinois GOP in response to the proposal to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the Thomson Correctional Center in Northwest Illinois has so far been irrational and irresponsible. After all, Illinois already houses 35 inmates arrested on terrorism charges. Since put behind bars here, they have gone "totally unnoticed," writes the Tribune editorial board today. "They have shown there are no special risks from confining suspected terrorists in the Land of Lincoln."

Responding to the rash letter penned by GOP Rep. Mark Kirk and signed by numerous Illinois Republicans, the Sun-Times editorial board adds:

What troubles us is the fear-mongering among those who oppose the plan -- beginning with U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, whom we once viewed (and repeatedly endorsed) as a moderate and thoughtful fellow.

Kirk and other excitable Illinois Republicans are warning that Illinois "will become ground zero for jihadist terrorists plots."  Can we get real here?

But none of the comments were more unreal -- and reprehensible -- than those from U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, whose congressional district includes the Thomson prison. Speaking to WREX about the plan to sell the facility to the federal government, Manzullo said of the detainees, "These are really, really mean people whose job it is to kill people, driven by some savage religion." Watch it:

A "savage religion," Rep. Manzullo? 

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Here's the latest on the health care front:

Real People Demand Reform

While lawmakers in Washington continue to tread water during health care negotiations, some Americans think the government has waited far too long to ensure universal coverage for all citizens. In the second installment of its video series highlighting "the damaging effects of the health care crisis on small business owners," the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and United Action for Power and Justice talk to more folks who say now is the time to extend access to all. Watch it:

Costello: Slow Down Reform

One of those officials asking for more time is Rep. Jerry Costello. On Friday, the Belleville Democrat continued his campaign against health care reform, telling The Southern that the legislation is too complex and moving too quickly:

"It's a very complex proposal that presents more questions than answers," he said of the current legislation in the House, which he opposes. "I give the president high marks for attempting reform. However I think we need to slow this down."

"We need to be realists," he added. "Do not try to pass this through just so you can say we got this done. It's an issue that affects every man, woman and child in the country."

Need more time?

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Republicans in Illinois are looking for all sorts of ways to justify their vote against the cap-and-trade bill. Strangely, two congressman have settled on one of the least controversial and most effective sections: energy efficiency standards.

Earlier this month, Rep. Peter Roskam went on WLS Radio’ Don Wade & Roma and imagined a scenario in which a "bureaucrat out there with a pocket protector and half-glasses" could prevent someone from selling his or her home because it did not meet new criteria approved in the House climate bill." More recently, Rep. Don Manzullo painted a similar picture on KROC, suggesting that if state energy efficiency standards are federalized, "a bunch of guys who live in apartments, probably in Manhattan," would make the final decision on whether or not a home can go on the market." Listen here:

Internal mp3

MANZULLO: What this means is it’s a complete usurping of state and local zoning and building codes by this arbitrary federal code made up by a bunch of guys who live in apartments, probably in Manhattan ... and that’s how bad this bill is.

Let's review the underlying details again.

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Since most health care experts have generally good things to say about the insurance coverage provided to members of Congress and other federal employees, we thought it was a bit ridiculous that GOP Rep. Don Manzullo -- a vocal opponent of health care reform -- would tell Rockford's WNTA that he would not wish his government health plan "on anybody" because "it's less than what the IBEW guys get and less than what most private insurance plans are."

In a statement posted over at Prairie State Blue today, Edwin D. Hill, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), responded to Manzullo:

Perhaps he should have made a career choice way back to become a union craftsman instead of a politician who opposes workers’ rights and a public health insurance option for millions of Americans who lack decent health care.

Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised voters that he would push for a public health care option with benefits similar to those offered through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). If members of Congress have access to quality insurance coverage, the argument went, so should all Americans.

Rep. Don Manzullo disagrees. During a radio interview on Rockford's WNTA this morning, the Republican bemoaned his federal insurance plan, saying he "would not wish" it on anyone. Listen here:

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MANZULLO: The government health care plan is less than what the IBEW guys get and less than what most private insurance plans are. What it is is that the government comes up with this plan for federal employees and I pay a little over $400 a month in premium on my plan that has no dental coverage, that has very little optical coverage, it has no orthodonture coverage. And my wife became ill three years ago, the amount of money we had to pay in co-pays -- and I would have sold my house and everything I had to help her out, obviously -- but it is not a premium policy. I would not wish the government health plan on anybody.

Conveniently, McClatchy published an informative article yesterday explaining exactly the type of benefits Manzullo and his colleagues have under the Blue Cross/Blue Shield-administered FEHBP. Their conclusion? The president and lawmakers in Washington get "a pretty sweet deal, better than most."

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Rep. Don Manzullo apparently disagrees with his GOP colleague John Shimkus on the issue of "enhanced interrogations," according to the comments he made an interview with WGN Radio's John Williams this morning. Listen to this particular exchange, in which the Rockford Republican acknowledges -- after Williams recounted the case of Abu Zubaydah -- that "apparently waterboarding doesn't work" (WGN has posted full audio of part one and part two of the interview):

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Later in the interview, when asked by Williams whether waterboarding consitutes torture, Manzullo responded, "It's more torture than not":

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But Manzullo and Shimkus still agree on one crucial and disturbing point: Those in the Bush administration who authorized torture should not face any legal repercussions for their actions. Manzullo justifies his position using a variety of rationales, none of which hold up to much scrutiny.

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It's no secret that Democrats have feasted on open Congressional races in Northern Illinois. Both Reps. Debbie Halvorson and Bill Foster cruised to victory in districts previously held by the GOP last year, bolstered by changing demographics, Republican policy shifts, and Barack Obama's candidacy. While the party has had less success unseating incumbents, a few key retirements -- combined with solid challengers -- could solidify the Democratic stronghold regionally. To that end, national party leaders are signaling they plan to pressure select Republican congressmen to hang it up instead of fighting a tough reelection battle. The Hill reports:

House Democrats and Republicans alike are focused this cycle on putting pressure on certain incumbents thought to be potential retirees. Democrats are doing it because they have basically run out of viable targets. Republicans are going after Democrats with everything they’ve got and hoping an aggressive tack will pay dividends in 2010. [...]

“Republicans who haven’t fought a tough race in years may have to dust off their political operations and get ready to face an aggressive challenger,” said a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Jennifer Crider.

llinois Republicans Judy Biggert and Don Manzullo are on the list -- and it's not hard to see why. 

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The Illinois GOP congressional delegation wants us to believe they stand for fiscal discipline. All seven Republicans voted down President Obama's economic recovery bill yesterday because it included too much "social spending" and, just this past week, Rep. Peter Roskam wrote an op-ed denouncing the Obama administration for running up short-term deficits. But when the rubber meets the road, the GOP's alternative proposals all have one thing in common: The disproportionatley benefit the wealthy.

Take yesterday's budget vote. As noted above, the House Republicans unanimously rejected the Democratic budget proposal, which they argued would pile up government debt. Instead, Reps. Roskam, Judy Biggert, John Shimkus, Don Manzullo, and Aaron Schock all backed a substitute amendment put forth by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's (ranking member on the House Budget Committee), which was eventually defeated 137-293. (Illinois GOP Reps. Mark Kirk and Tim Johnson voted nay.)

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Ryan explained that his plan "halts the borrow-and-spend philosophy that brought about today's economic problems."  He even cited a graph comparing "democratic budgets" and the Republican alternative based on spending as a percentage of GDP between 1980 and 2080. According to Ryan's data, the Democratic plan would initiate runaway deficits while the Republican plan would actually lower spending over the long-haul.

But there was one problem with those figures. The chart compiled by the budget committee's Republican staff bases its trends on "out-year" numbers from the Congressional Budget Office's "Long-Term Alternative Fiscal Scenario." As the Huffington Post's Sam Stein, the Atlantic's Conor Clarke, and others noted, the CBO has not actually run such projections for the Obama budget. Instead, Ryan was referencing a study CBO conducted on his behalf in May 2008, when the budget was George W. Bush's.

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Illinois Republicans aren't so pleased with President Obama''s bailout plan for Detroit and they've been amping up the rhetoric in recent local media appearances. On WLS Radio yesterday, GOP Rep. Peter Roskam and morning show co-host Don Wade imagined a dystopic future where the Obama administration's decision to oust General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner leads to complete state control over what cars Americans drive. Listen: 

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DON WADE: There’s a certain point though, and this takes it to the extreme, but we may see the day. You walk into a General Motors showroom and the cars that are displayed are going to be there not because anybody wants them, but only because the government has mandated that you must have them -- that kind of car with that kind of mileage, that kind of motor, that kind of fuel. And people come in and say “I really hate that, I don’t want one of those things.” But that’s going to be what’s there.

ROSKAM: Because it’s good for you! And because government knows what’s best for you. And you’re going to walk out and you’re going to finance it with a government loan and if you get into an accident, you’re going to a government health clinic and its going to be government subsidized energy.

Appearing on Monday's edition of WFLD's Good Morning Chicago, Rep. Mark Kirk joined Roskam in questioning the wisdom of the Obama administration's move. Watch (full video available here):

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