Biden

2010 Grab Bag: Kennedy Off The Radar, Biden To Fundraise For Halvorson

Progress Illinois — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:59:07 -0700

A couple quick updates from the 2010 field in Illinois ...

A new Roll Call article on Alexi Giannoulias' "consolidation" of support in the U.S. Senate primary ends with this tidbit regarding Merchandise Mart CEO Chris Kennedy, who was reportedly considering a run for the seat:

At least two well-placed sources who were working with Kennedy on his potential bid said they have been out of communication with him for several weeks and they do not expect him to run for office. What’s more, several Illinois Democrats said they had heard nothing from Kennedy or his associates in recent weeks. [...]

This isn’t the first time that Kennedy has openly considered a race for federal office then ended up not pulling the trigger on a campaign. He also considered running for Kirk’s House seat, as well as this Senate seat in 2004.

There have been suspicions all along has been that Kennedy, despite his earlier leaks to the local press, wouldn't end up launching a campaign. Looks like they may have been on the mark.

Meanwhile, gubernatorial candidate and state comptroller Dan Hynes announced an endorsement today:

Former U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III said he will support Hynes. Stevenson is from one of the best-known political families in Illinois history. He said he can't think of a better way to continue his family's legacy than to endorse Hynes. [...]

"I'm suggesting that we can do better with Dan Hynes, who commands throughout our government already and has that experience," Stevenson said.

In other news, Lynn Sweet reports that Vice President Joe Biden is planning to "fund-raise for the House members the Democratic House politiical operation deem the most vunerable." Apparently, this effort involves him attending an August 20 Chicago fundraiser for Rep. Debbie Halvorson, who is running for reelection in the 11th Congressional District.

Biden Blesses Midwest Rail Plan

Josh Kalven — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:58:03 -0700

We've written a good deal this year about the Midwest high-speed rail (HSR) network being pushed by regional governors, as well as congressional leaders like Sen. Dick Durbin. The plan largely hinges on snagging a decent chunk of the $8 billion set aside for HSR as part of President Obama's stimulus package. The Tribune is reporting some good news on this front: Vice President Joe Biden -- a longtime Amtrak fan -- appeared to suggest on a conference call yesterday that the project could potentially receive over $3 billion in stimulus funds:

Vice President Joe Biden lauded the Midwest proposal, which envisions passenger trains speeding through the region at 110 m.p.h., as "one of the most comprehensive plans that have been put forward so far."

The full 3,000-mile Midwest corridor system stretching over nine states would cost $9.6 billion to construct over 10 years, according to the latest estimate.

But "for $3.4 billion, you can get a big chunk of this plan done," Biden said in a conference call with reporters.

The article goes on to note that Gov. Quinn has "announced plans for a July summit of Midwest governors to address high-speed rail in Chicago."

Image courtesy of the New York Times.

Biden Gets Serious

Angela Caputo — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:45:50 -0700

On his swing through Chicago today, Vice President Joe Biden credited the owners of Serious Materials for providing "a story about how we inspire a better tomorrow" through their decision to reopen the former Republic Windows and Doors plant. For evidence that the Goose Island factory is coming back to life, look no further than the dozen former Republic employees who are back on the job. Addressing CEO Kevin Surac during his remarks at the plant this morning, Biden explained why the country needs more businesses like Serious to rebuild the economy:

BIDEN: It's not merely that you have the science, technology and innovation to turn a failed factory into a potentially thriving business that can lead this county ... You've done something that is a little unusual. You recognized, as Sen. Durbin said, that the greatest asset that this factory had was the men and women, the workers that just spoke. And instead of doing what has too often been the case in the last 10 to 15 years, you reached out to the most qualified workers in the the world. Instead of saying 'If you want to come back, I'm going to break your union,' you said 'Come back, union and all.' That's a big deal.

As more orders for energy efficient windows start rolling in -- and the owners are confident they will, thanks to the $8 billion in stimulus funds committed to weatherization and retrofitting -- Serious has pledged to rehire each of the 250 employees who were abruptly thrown out of a job when Republic shut it doors back in December. Furthermore, Serious hopes to eventually grow its Chicago-based workforce to 600.

And there's more to come, according to a White House release:

As part of the rehiring process, the company plans to provide special training for workers on the manufacturing of these energy-efficient materials. Serious Materials believes the reopening of the factory could eventually help put 2,000 people to work, with 600 workers on the factory floor and nearly double that number at work installing the energy-efficient windows at job sites.

As we've said before, the respective business philosophies driving Republic Windows and Serious Materials provide a stark contrast. As Republic bailed on its longtime workforce to open a cheaper, non-union shop in Iowa, Serious saw opportunity in hiring skilled, union-wage workers to create a quality product that is in increasing demand.

In the end, the Republic owners' Iowa venture failed. Meanwhile, Serious is on the upswing.

Via CLTV, here is some video of Biden touring the factory along with Carl Rosen, President of the Western Region of the United Electrical Workers Union (UE) and Local 1110 President Armando Robles, among others:

Image courtesy of Flickr user ueunion.

McCain Refers To "Joe The Biden"

Josh Kalven — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:01:13 -0700

Yesterday, John McCain couldn't find "Joe the Plumber" in an audience in Ohio. This morning, the GOP nominee couldn't seem to get him out of his head.

Case in point: watch McCain refer to the Democratic vice presidential candidate as "Joe The Biden":

Did I hear a "Sen. O'Biden" in there as well?

Oberweis Swipes Biden Line: Bailout "Doesn't Represent Change," Just "More Of The Same"

Josh Kalven — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:44:21 -0700

As Capitol Fax noted today, 14th District GOP congressional candidate Jim Oberweis appears to have violated his pledge to run a positive campaign with a new negative ad hitting Rep. Bill Foster for his votes on the Wall Street bailout package. Also of note is a new two-minute radio ad he's running on WLS (and perhaps elsewhere). The spot is narrated by Oberweis himself, who criticizes the bailout at length while never mentioning Foster's name. What's interesting is this passage:

OBERWEIS: This plan is a product of everything that's wrong with Washington: the special interest lobbyists, the campaign contributions to favored members of the key committees, the rush to action with too little consideration of alternatives or consequence. This bailout plan doesn't represent change, it represents more of the same.

Sound familiar?

Read the full script below:

Wall Street is in crisis and Washington's solution just isn't working. This is Jim Oberweis and I've got some thoughts on that.

Congress responded to the financial crisis by passing a plan that will bail out Wall Street bankers by passing the cost of their mistakes on to you. When it was introduced, the plan was a three-page outline. By the time it was passed two weeks later it had grown to 451 pages, loaded with special interest giveaways. This plan leaves taxpayers on the hook for $700 billion so the Treasury Department can deliberately buy bad assets at above-market prices. I have serious doubts that this plan will work and I'm not the only one. Two hundred of the nation's leading economists warned Congress against this bill. In fact, the week after this bill passed was the stock market's worse week ever.

This plan never should have passed, but it did. And that's proof of what I've been saying throughout this whole campaign: Washington is broken. This plan is a product of everything that's wrong with Washington: the special interest lobbyists, the campaign contributions to favored members of the key committees, the rush to action with too little consideration of alternatives or consequence. This bailout plan doesn't represent change, it represents more of the same.

The next Congress is going to have to deal with a very tough economy. I know what it's like to deal with a tough economy. Twenty years ago, after market crashed in 1987, I lost everything. But with a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, I was able to rebuild my businesses. And since then I've been able to create thousands of jobs right here in Illinois and help protect the investments of tens of thousands of clients. They let our firm handle their money because they knew we treated it with respect, as if were our own.

Wouldn't it be nice if Congress treated your money with the same kind of respect. Send me to Congress and I'll fight to make sure it does. This is Jim Oberweis and I approve this message. Thanks for listening.