Progress Illinois

Wow.  Colleen Callahan, the Democratic candidate in the 18th congressional district, has a TV ad out this week and let's just say it's a bit of a throwback. The spot hits GOP State Rep. Aaron Schock for his ridiculous suggestion last year that we should consider selling nuclear arms to Taiwan if China doesn't cooperate with U.S. policy on Iran:

(H/T TPM Election Central)

Last night, State Rep. Aaron Schock became the only Illinoisan to grace the stage at the Republican National Convention. The 27 year-old, two-term state representative, who is running for Ray LaHood's open seat in the 18th Congressional District, is widely considered an up-and-comer in the party. In fact, he'd become Congress' youngest member if elected. But the topic of his two-minute speech -- that John McCain reaches out to Americans of all backgrounds, including inner-city residents -- seemed a bit surprising. Watch it:

I'd like to see some examples of how McCain is bringing inner-city Americans into the Republican fold. Back in June, the Center for New Urbanism noted that McCain's campaign website made no mention of urban policy. More recently, the Center for American Progress' Wonk Room pointed out that his site also lacks any plan to combat poverty.  And in early August, during an appearance before the National Urban League, McCain advocated fighting inner-city crime in the same ways that the U.S. military has "clamped down" on neighborhoods and cities in Iraq.  I'm sure that went over well ...

Meanwhile, Schock gleefully welcomed a recent fundraising visit from President Bush, who has not taken urban issues too seriously while in office.

Also, memo to the Daily Herald: Schock hasn't actually been elected to Congress, so you might want to change this headline:

The Illinois Republicans appear to have put on quite a display at the state fair this year.  We already noted the ramblings by 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock (above left) about Barack Obama's "level of socialism."  Meanwhile, as has been noted on numerous other sites, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna (above center) also put his foot in his mouth, saying that if Abraham Lincoln "were here today, he would have to tell a story of a house divided that’s even more outrageous than the one that lived in his time," referring to the political climate in Springfield these days. The Rockford Register-Star's Aaron Chambers rightly skewers McKenna's suggestion that the current standoff between Illinois Democrats is somehow "more outrageous" than the fight between the North and South over slavery.

But it doesn't stop there.  Earlier in the week, Rep. John Shimkus (above right) took to the stage on Agriculture Day and railed against the Democratic leadership in Congress for not allowing a vote on offshore drilling prior to the August recess.  Maybe it was all the hay laying around, but Shimkus couldn't resist building a strawman.  Check out his suggestion that his favored energy proposal is "in conflict to those who say, 'Let's do nothing'":

Internal mp3

But who has said we should "do nothing" about the energy crisis?

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One minute Aaron Schock's congressional campaign is likening the 18th District GOP candidate to Barack Obama, the next they're playing up the nominee's "socialist" leanings.  Bernard Schoenberg has the goods:

“If ever there was an election with consequences, this presidential election is a case in point,” Schock said while speaking at the fair’s Director’s Lawn at the Republican Day rally.

“The last time we had this level of socialism being proposed and inexperience at the helm was Jimmy Carter,” said Schock (who was born four months after Democrat Carter left office in 1981).

When pressed by Schoenberg, Schock distorts Obama's positions on health care and education:

“Well, he’s promoting what I would term a government takeover of the health system,” Schock said. “He has said he wants to mandate free college tuition for every student in America.

“Unlike Ted Kennedy (he meant Jack Kennedy, of course) who said, don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country ... he (Obama) says, we’re the wealthiest country in the world; you should get this, you should get that. You’re entitled to this, you’re entitled to that. To me, that’s a move toward socialism.”

You can compare Schock's characterizations to Obama's actualy policies here and here.

Schock also said Obama's "socialistic" policies extended back to his days in Springfield:

“And he has supported what I would consider to be socialistic moves on health care as a state senator.”

“I don’t remember the exact bills,” he said.

Well, that's convenient.

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In the Washington Post this morning, Dana Milbank highlights the GOP's ridiculous display on the U.S. House floor in recent days:

House Republicans can't seem to make up their minds.

Eighteen times over the past 90 days, the minority tried, unsuccessfully, to force the House to adjourn. Now the House has finally adjourned -- for a five-week recess, no less -- and Republicans are demanding that the chamber be called back into session.

On Friday and again yesterday, they opened the doors to the darkened House chamber and invited tourists wearing shorts and sandals to sit in the members' chairs. The microphones, lights and cameras were off. The speaker's chair was empty. But, hour after hour, the Republican lawmakers stood in the well and cursed the darkness.

So what were the Republican members cursing about? They complained that Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to bring their pro-drilling energy legislation up for a vote before the August recess. The Republican ensemble included several congressmen from Illinois. For instance, 18th District Rep. Don Manzullo said on Friday: "Tell your congressman -- we don’t want you back home. We want you in Washington. This could be America’s greatest hour. Insist that we come back to vote.” Apparently, the opportunity to vote on legislation that would have no short-term affect on gas prices while padding the pockets of the oil industry qualifies as "America's greatest hour" in Manzullo's book.

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For 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock, it doesn't matter that President Bush is one of the least popular sitting presidents in modern history; the 26-year old was thrilled to play host to the nation's commander-in-chief last Friday regardless:

“It’s an honor to have the president of the United States here,” Schock told members of the national media pool traveling with Bush. “We had a great event today. It’s great that he made the time to come here today. It’s the second time in the second term. It says a lot about our community.”

The New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg also reported on the "beaming" Schock:

Here in Peoria, more than 1,400 people bought tickets to the Schock for Congress reception, meaning the event raised a minimum of $700,000, although some of that will go to national party committees in Washington.

Mr. Schock’s campaign secretary, Steven Shearer, called the event “a smashing success,” and the candidate was beaming after his ride in Mr. Bush’s motorcade to escort the president back to his plane.

But while the amount raised at the event will give Schock a serious fundraising boost, it seems rather light considering the magnitude of the guest.

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Peoria Pundit has a great dispatch from 18th District Democratic congressional candidate Colleen Callahan's catfish fry. Over 700 people reportedly showed up at the event outside Peoria on Friday, which coincided with President Bush's appearance at a $500-per-plate fundraiser for GOP candidate Aaron Schock across town:

What did the working class people who attended Callahan’s soiree get out of it? These are people who are just sick of the way the country has been run for the past eight years. They are sick of war, and they want the Iraqis to take over. They want a government that doesn’t authorize torture and doesn’t spy on citizens.

They resent being told by the pundits that Aaron Schock has just too much money, too many connections, too much of a lead and too much fo a head start for a nobody like Colleen Callahan to win. They think Schock is too young, too reckless and too ambitious to be good for the 18th District and for the nation. Nukes to Taiwan? Are you serious?

Think about it: More than 700 people crowded into a basement of a tiny building on the outskirts of Kickapoo, Ill., to show their support for a woman whom all the experts say cannot win.

Laugh at my optimism if you must, but this has the makings of a people power movement, right here in the River City.

That's right. Steve Shearer, campaign manager for 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock, said that his man is the Obama of the race, while Democratic candidate Colleen Callahan is playing the Clinton role:

Shearer said Schock is like Obama in that he represents change and people are inspired by him. Callahan, he said, is showing she’s more of a Hillary Clinton supporter.

“This is a Hillary Clinton, throw-the-kitchen-sink blistering negative attack playbook that Sen. Obama has railed against as the broken part of politics right now. Is (Callahan) running because she has a vision for what this country should be or is she nitpicking on Aaron and constantly being nasty?”

What prompted Shearer to accuse Callahan of using the "throw-the-kitchen-sink blistering negative attack playbook"? On her blog, the Democratic candidate recently pointed out: "People want change, and aligning yourself with the current president is not change," referring to President Bush's scheduled appearance at a Schock fundraiser in late July.

So Callahan notes something pretty obvious -- that appearing arm-in-arm with Bush doesn't really communicate "change" -- and the Schock camp responds by called her a "nasty" nitpicker? Hmm.

And back to that Obama comparison, Peoria Pundit sums it up pretty well:

I’m fairly certain that Colleen Callahan would gladly surrender to Aaron Schock 100 percent of the votes from people who find some sort of similarity between he and Barack Obama, provided she gets all the votes of every single 18th District resident who finds some similarity between her and Hillary Clinton.

We noted in the Extra yesterday that President Bush will be appearing at a Peoria fundraiser later this month for GOP State Rep. Aaron Schock, who is running for Rep. Ray LaHood's 18th District congressional seat. Peoria Pundit plucked this quote from Schock out of a local news report:

"Any patriotic American would be honored to have the President of the United States come to help them and I am very honored,” said Schock.

Peoria Pundit added, "I guess anyone who doesn’t think highly of Bush — and this includes a LOT of Republicans, conservatives and otherwise — isn’t really a patriot."

Interestingly enough, while the Bush fundraiser will certainly give Schock a fundraising boost, I'm guessing his campaign didn't realize it would also draw the netroots' attention to his opponent, Democrat Colleen Callahan. Indeed, as Peoria Pundit noted, several DailyKos posts on the race have surfaced in recent days. The Swing State Project picked up on Bush's planned visit to the 18th as well -- and you gotta give them credit for this headline: "Aaron Schock Not Afraid to Bear Hug Radioactive Toxic Sludge."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has named 14 new candidates to its list of "Red to Blue" races, which already features Dan Seals in Illinois' 10th District and Debbie Halvorson in the 11th. Furthermore, the DCCC rolled out a new list of 20 "emerging" congressional races that are generating substantial enthusiasm. Included are two additional Democratic candidates battling for seats here in the Prairie State: Jill Morgenthaler (IL-6) and Colleen Callahan (IL-18).

The DCCC releases these lists as a way of showing what candidates appear particularly strong, which districts particularly vulnerable, and as a way to generate support for the candidates mentioned. Those campaigns that make the cut also receive "financial, communications, and strategic support" from the DCCC.