* Peoria Congressman Aaron Schock was in Chicago yesterday and discussed his future and his likely GOP opponents…
U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, who’s mulling a 2014 Republican bid for governor, chastised a pair of potential rivals Thursday, saying state Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard have “proven nothing more than they can lose an election.”
“Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results,” said Schock, 31, a three-term congressman and former state lawmaker from Peoria who held forth on Illinois politics after a speech to the Civic Federation in Chicago. […]
Of Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican who already has announced his candidacy after narrowly losing the 2010 Republican governor primary to Brady, Schock said: “You’ve got one guy who’s been announced for two months. You can hear crickets.”
Schock questioned whether Brady or Dillard would be able to get the financial support needed to run again.
“At some point, you know, as a Republican in this state, I’ve watched cycle after cycle a lot of the same horses trot out on the track that have proven nothing more than they can lose an election,” he said.
Ouch.
* More…
Schock, whose views include opposing gay marriage and abortion, nonetheless stressed his electability across the state and said he would have “no problem competing in the suburbs” as he has performed well with moderate voters, women, and young people in past races.
Schock, however, would not comment on the state’s GOP leadership and a move by some GOP leaders to oust state party Chairman Pat Brady of St. Charles for his statements supporting legalized same-sex marriage.
“I”m not telling the state central committee what to do,” Schock said.
Schock has some suburbs in his district, but they’re small, Downstate suburbs. Big difference when compared to Cook and the collars.
Lots of US House members tend to think they’re moderate because they stack up as moderates in DC. But DC moderates ain’t Illinois moderates. Illinois hasn’t elected a major statewide pro-life, anti gay rights candidate in over 14 years (Peter Fitzgerald, 1998).
* Back to Schock’s presser…
At only 31 years old, Schock said age will not be a factor in his decision to run.
He was only 18 when elected to an Illinois school board and went on to become one of the state’s youngest legislators on record.
“I never viewed age as a determent or liability.” said Schock. “I actually believe that my youth has been one of my greatest attributes.”
“There is no time for learning curves for the next Governor,” said State Senator Kirk Dillard.
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- LincolnLounger - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:17 am:
I don’t much like him, but Schock does have a point about Brady. And that was before Brady’s business tanked.
I’m convinced that Dillard would be Governor right now if he hadn’t appeared in the Obama primary election commercials. It really turned off downstate primary voters.
- Small Town Liberal - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:26 am:
- Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results -
How many times did Schock vote to repeal Obamacare?
Hey Aaron, why don’t you man up and try to beat these folks in a primary, rather than arrogantly asking them to step aside? What a joke, I don’t know what anyone sees in this clown.
- PublicServant - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:27 am:
Fight! Fight! Fight!
- Endangered Moderate Species - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:28 am:
Most of his talking points seem sensible, but I question his ability for success in the Chicago suburbs, where he will not be seen as a moderate.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:28 am:
===I’m convinced that Dillard would be Governor right now if he hadn’t appeared in the Obama primary election commercials. It really turned off downstate primary voters.===
Or had a field operation to get 5 more votes a precinct in DuPage, but I digres …
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:29 am:
I’m cynical about professional politicians. When you are 18, there’s something wrong with you if you show this level of codependancy to a community. I know some folks really think they can help a town, but a guy this young needs to understand that he is no one’s Superman. I find these young politicos patronizing and insulting.
Get a life Aaron. Call us back after you’ve experience life a little more.
Remember, Robin never thought he was Batman, and deep down he knew he was always a fiction.
- Muffin Man - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:41 am:
I like Dillard, Bill Brady, etc. but I will have to admit that Schock has a valid point. Running these guys for governor again would be like buying another set of tires from the same tire manufacturer that I had previously experienced “a blow-out” with. They “might” work out okay the next time on the car but then again, do I want to risk a blow out by buying “retreads” when my wife and I are in the car? That is “something to think about”.
I don’t know much Schock except he is friends with Kinzinger (who I have always been comfortable with and respected).I would actually feel more comfortable with Adam Kinzinger running for governor but that is not to be. One thing that I don’t like is the fact that you say that Schock doesn’t want to state where he stands on the Pat Brady issue when asked. It isn’t that the Pat Brady issue is such a big thing one way or another to me but the fact that Schock is hesitant to let his personal position be known on this issue makes me pause. What other issues or personal stances will he choose to hide or keep to himself prior to running? I like a guy who says how he feels or what he believes in (even if I don’t happen to agree with him). At least, then I know that the politician or candidate has “sand” and isn’t more concerned about his political career and getting elected than he is about letting the voters know who he is and what he believes in. That character trait (transparency and candor) is of tantamount importance to me. It seems to be a rare quality in our politicians and candidates anymore.
- b - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:42 am:
“Illinois hasn’t elected a major statewide pro-life, anti gay rights candidate in over 14 years (Peter Fitzgerald, 1998).”
That says it all, doesn’t it? What is weird about his views on these issues, is his age. These issues have (i would argue and believe polling shows) overwhelming support among people in his age group and younger.
- Joe Bidenopoulous - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:43 am:
==I’m convinced that Dillard would be Governor right now if he hadn’t appeared in the Obama primary election commercials. It really turned off downstate primary voters.==
That’s funny. I’m actually convinced Dillard would be governor if he’d picked up an additional 200 votes in the Primary and then run a real campaign in the general. The reasons he didn’t are myriad, starting with the fact he didn’t work hard enough. Blaming it on an isolated event in a vacuum doesn’t cut it. He simply didn’t run a good campaign.
- shore - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:44 am:
Schock is 100 percent right, and it’ll get even worse for dillard and brady when george ryan gets out and starts making news because it will remind republicans just how bad that era ended and dillard was a part of it.
- WazUp - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:47 am:
Dillard’s response:
“I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
- Bemused - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 9:57 am:
Schock has wrestled a couple of lizards and now thinks he’s ready to jump into the alligator pond.
I am starting to like the idea of him running more and more.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 10:05 am:
–That’s funny. I’m actually convinced Dillard would be governor if he’d picked up an additional 200 votes in the Primary and then run a real campaign in the general. The reasons he didn’t are myriad, starting with the fact he didn’t work hard enough. Blaming it on an isolated event in a vacuum doesn’t cut it. He simply didn’t run a good campaign. –
None of those guys set the world on fire in the primary, but somebody had to win.
Put it this way: 767,000 votes were cast in the GOP primary for governor. In the general, Brady got 1.7 million votes.
Nearly a million potential GOP voters were not moved to vote for any of those guys in the primary.
- Dan Bureaucrat - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 10:08 am:
==“I never viewed age as a determent or liability.” said Schock. “I actually believe that my youth has been one of my greatest attributes.”=
There’s a short-sighted remark. Ah youth.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 10:14 am:
===Put it this way: 767,000 votes were cast in the GOP primary for governor. In the general, Brady got 1.7 million votes.
Nearly a million potential GOP voters were not moved to vote for any of those guys in the primary.===
But, …we do NOT have a message or outreach, or even a GOTV problem.
Nope.
- GOP Catfighter - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 10:15 am:
“The state hasn’t elected…”
Did the state not elect Bill Brady because of his politics, or because he ran a campaign waiting for Pat Quinn to lose?
Did the state not elect Alan Keyes because he was pro-life, or because he was crazy?
Topinka was a moderate, she lost.
This over-simplification of election results based on a couple little issues just shows people are too lazy to think.
Brady lost 30k some odd votes. The RGA pulled out a few days before, and it wasn’t because they suddenly realized his politics.
Republicans lose because Republicans are only interested in campaigning against other Republicans. Look at the catfight about Pat Brady. I get that he was out of line, the party chair needs to defend the platform, that’s his job. But a month out, we’re still cutting each other. We got killed in November, and the next day Republicans are deciding who to throw out of the party.
We don’t end our intraparty squabbles with primaries (where they belong), we keep on fighting up until election day.
The fact is, our party simply doesn’t deserve to win, no matter what the party believes as far as policy. We have demonstrated that we’ve learned nothing from when Ryan was thrown in jail. And we demonstrate no ability to govern. And come general elections, we’ll still fight out party instead of the Democrats (and the stupid Anti-Madigan campaign doesn’t count).
The Republicans lose because we’re stupid and that’s a far more profound problem then a few planks of a party platform that like 6 people have read.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 10:28 am:
Never elected Alan Keys….thank for playing!!
===Brady lost 30k some odd votes. The RGA pulled out a few days before, and it wasn’t because they suddenly realized his politics.===
The RGA pulled out because, at the end, it was a poorly run campaign, unable to deliver on Election Day and they saw that, for one reason …
===Topinka was a moderate, she lost.===
Topinka and moderat stance do not equal loss. You, yourself, are over-syplifying, what you are accusing others of doing.
Otherwise, not too bad. Remember, No one … NO ONE voted for Alan Keys, you arguement lost steam with that.
- bored now - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 10:48 am:
a lot of republicans i know are happy that ronald reagan was insane — as defined by aaron schock. i dunno, but maybe schock is so ignorant of american political history that he’s unaware that governor reagan ran for president in 1968 and 1976, losing both times. and while others may dismiss his 1968 run, those around reagan in the 1980 campaign knew how much he brought to his winning campaign from that losing one…
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 11:08 am:
–The Republicans lose because we’re stupid and that’s a far more profound problem then a few planks of a party platform that like 6 people have read. –
Gov. Jindal and Haley Barbour have been using the “stupid” word lately about the GOP. So has Gen. Powell, in so many words, and he’s added “intolerance.”
I hope the GOP faithful listen to them and start making their leaders accountable.
- D.P. Gumby - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 11:12 am:
Schock is no more qualified to be governor than Quinn is!
- John Galt - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 11:21 am:
Oswego, I don’t think you’re reading Catfighter’s post correctly. He’s not saying that anybody elected Keyes. He’s saying NOBODY did–he bombed because he was crazy, not because he was pro life. I think that’s what Catfighter’s point was.
And I don’t think he’s saying that JBT lost BECAUSE she was a moderate. He’s simply saying that pegging somebody’s win or loss record on their abortion stance is too simplistic.
Politics is complex, and the variables are always shifting. That’s what makes it so fun for some people.
I think Catfighter’s point was a moderate stance is neither necessary nor sufficient to win a statewide election. So much more is at play–the relative unity or disunity of the Democrats, the fundraising, the organizational capacity of the campaign, current events, the personality of the candidates, relative party strength at the national level, etc.
Without data showing the level of conservative “independents” that stay home rather than vote for a moderate Republican, it’s hard to tell whether a base-turnout strategy could or couldn’t work in Illinois. Now, I tend to agree that a staunchly conservative candidate will face an uphill battle for a statewide race–particularly if the Democratic candidate is appealing and if the GOP candidate comes off as an uncaring stiff. But I don’t think it’s necessarily impossible.
The bottom line is there’s way too many variables to label one stance on one particular issue and call that dispositive of all future statewide election outcomes.
Bored Now: That may be true, but I think when Reagan lost the nomination to Ford in 1976, there were alot on the GOP side that felt they nominated the wrong person and should have given Reagan the chance. I don’t see that same conversation happening about Bill Brady.
- The Captain - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 11:26 am:
First the silly overreaction to the ads airing against him and the strange, unfounded Rauner attack and now this. Impetuous is the word that comes to mind, it’s been the theme of the whole month of January for him. Impetuous 31 year olds don’t win gubernatorials.
- vole - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 11:31 am:
Schock has earned conservative bona fides from his voting record in Congress. Maybe too conservative for the general. His environmental voting record has been abysmal displaying his tendency to claim pro while voting no. So, he has the essential two faces to make a run.
And on sanity? What is more loony that wanting to head up one of the most dysfunctional states in the union? Can he question any other candidate’s sanity?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 11:45 am:
- John Galt -,
To my response …
You can not start the premise of the party “electing” or “not electing” Alan Keys as a GOP failure becuse a room of the SSC put Alan Keys up for Nomination to be Illinois’ US Senator.
That premise, giving Alan Keyes the credibility of speaking for primary voters nominating him…
holds no water in the rest of his post, which I do indeed agree with, mostly.
I know exactly what I meant, how I meant it, and why I took that post to task for lumping elected nominees to the General Election, and Alan Keyes’ path to his nomination, as not accurate portrayal of what the Primary voters, who voted for “Jack!” wanted, no matter that “Jack!”s guys pushed that agenda, but I digres …
I do appreciate the lessons, but if the premise is flawed, like thinking the voting ILGOP wanted … Alan Keyes … then, really, what is the point of analyzing any results of voters?
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 12:00 pm:
This must be part of an Aaron Schock plan to get Bruce Rauner elected Governor.
Giving Rauner free publicity, drawing attention and coverage to the mysterious negative ad, instructing potential rivals not to challenge him, disrespecting fellow Republicans who have been in politics longer than he’s been alive, and so on.
No way Schock is seriously running for Governor.
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 12:06 pm:
This must be part of an Aaron Schock plan to elect Bruce Rauner as Governor.
Giving Rauner free publicity, drawing national attention to the negative ad about him, instructing others not to challenge him, disrespecting fellow Republicans who have been in politics longer than he’s been alive, and so on.
No way he is seriously running for Governor.
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 12:16 pm:
=== I would actually feel more comfortable with Adam Kinzinger running for governor ===
^ This.
Schock comes across as a scorned, petulant child lately. It has less to do with age than with the way he is conducting himself.
Yeah, that’s exactly who I trust with the future of my pension - temporary public benefits - civil rights - fill in the blank.
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 1:38 pm:
In the General election, Dillard led the entire DuPage ticket in fall (running several point higher than Cong. Roskam), got a remarkable 75% of the vote in Cook County and won by the largest percentage of any Republican State Senator in Illinois! He pulverized a 35 year old Ivy League educated aggressive candidate with a storybook looking family in the March primary (2 to 1) in a 60% new district for Dillard.”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:05 pm:
- Cincinnatus -,
That is for a state Senate seat …
Remember, if Dillard had a field operation and got less that 3 votes a precinct more …but I digress …
When Dillard gets a field operation to WIN, statewide, then tout all about the numbers.
With respect.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:08 pm:
- Cincinnatus -,
And one more thing, with respect to the 2012 campaign, DuPage, and Republicans …
Don’t the Dems have an IL House seat in DuPage now?
Telling me the elected Republican precinct captains will carry the day for ANY Republican candidate isn’t close to working anymore.
With respect.
- train111 - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:08 pm:
Cincinnatus
Dillard did so well in November because his opponent was nothing more than a name on the ballot. He may not have done so well had there been an opponent who actually ‘ran’ a campaign. All the blustering about how he had the largest majority of any Republican State Senator is pretty meaningless. He didn’t get 100% of the vote like lots of GOP State Senators who had no opponent on the ballot and had essentially the same kind of race that Dillard did.
train111
- John Parnell - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:20 pm:
The last guy in Illinois who ran for State Rep,won, than ran for Congress,won, then decided he should be Governor. That didn’t end up well for Illinois.
- B2Chicago - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:21 pm:
@ -b- Quote: “Illinois hasn’t elected a major statewide pro-life, anti gay rights candidate in over 14 years (Peter Fitzgerald, 1998).” That says it all, doesn’t it? What is weird about his views on these issues, is his age. These issues have (i would argue and believe polling shows) overwhelming support among people in his age group and younger.
What’s weird about Aaron is that not only does he hold strangely rigid and specific views on social issues that are completely antithetical to the views of his peers (and the majority of Americans), but that he disingenuously argues that he hasn’t “thought too much” about the Federal marriage amendment and would “have to read it.”
The most publicized social issue of our generation, an issue that has been in the public spotlight for Aaron’s entire adult life, has resulted in him not having “thought too much” about it? Aaron, then 27 years old, hauled President Bush out to Peoria for a fundraiser in 2008. President Bush, just 2 years earlier in 2006, famously tried to use the White House Rose Garden to announce a renewed push for the Federal Marriage Amendment. Aaron was 25 years old then and already had his eye on federal office.
We’re supposed to believe that in the intervening SIX YEARS, he has yet to pick up any knowledge regarding what this amendment would do despite debates regarding the topic happening in his own district for that entire time?
Even if his views are the opposite of the vast majority of the 20 and 30 somethings in this country, his cynicism and contempt for intellectual honesty with his constituents is quite advanced for his age.
- walkinfool - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:44 pm:
@VMan: Well said.
Anyone whose entire career has been in politics, has no qualifying exeperience for public office.
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:54 pm:
So how does one directly contact OW?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 2:59 pm:
Oswego is in Kendall County…
Take IL 71, I am the 8th Silo on the left …
What do ya need, - Cincinnatus -…
- OneMan - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 3:13 pm:
== Oswego is in Kendall County…
Take IL 71, I am the 8th Silo on the left … ==
Gateway to Yorkville….
Actually if OW is on 71 I drive past his place every week when I go curling…
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 3:15 pm:
- Cincinnatus -,
I am here, anytime.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 3:16 pm:
===Actually if OW is on 71 I drive past his place every week when I go curling… ===
You should wave, I’ll wave back.
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 3:22 pm:
I would like to speak to you privately…
- OneMan - Friday, Jan 25, 13 @ 3:28 pm:
== You should wave, I’ll wave back. ==
Will do, before or after Maple Lane Farm?
- Anonymous - Saturday, Jan 26, 13 @ 8:28 am:
CincinnatusIL@comcast.net