The congressional beat
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The biggest news of the day could be that Republican Congressman Rodney Davis is being endorsed this evening by the United Mine Workers union.
* Now, let’s move on to some new TV ads. From Cheri Bustos…
Today, Cheri Bustos for Congress launched a new TV ad that highlights Cheri’s fight to cut wasteful spending so we can protect Social Security and end tax breaks for corporations that ship Illinois jobs overseas. “Basketball” makes clear that Cheri’s priority is to give the “middle class a fair shot.”
* The ad…
* Script…
* Bustos goes positive while the DCCC goes negative…
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching its first television ad in Illinois 17th Congressional District, highlighting how former Congressman Bobby Schilling turned his back on workers who had their jobs outsourced to China.
The ad comes two years after more than 100 jobs at the local Sensata plant were shipped to China by Bain Capital and highlights how Schilling has voted to protect tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs – and even voted to let them keep their government contracts. The ad starts running today.
* The ad…
* Script…
The Sensata plant in Freeport closed and shipped off more than 100 jobs to China…
When workers in Freeport needed their Congressman, Bobby Schilling turned his back on them.
Schilling voted to protect tax breaks for corporations that outsource jobs
– and even voted to let them keep their government contracts.
He used your tax money to help send American jobs overseas.
We don’t need any more politicians like Bobby Schilling.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.
* And, finally…
Former Chief Judge and Congressional challenger Ann Callis today put to rest the dishonest rumors that question her Illinois residency. Ann Callis’ family retained two independent legal professionals from Illinois and one from Missouri – none of whom have contributed to the Callis campaign – to provide legal opinions that conclusively affirm her residency in Illinois and discredit the allegations that she acted incorrectly by signing mortgage documents that listed a Missouri address.
The facts clearly show the allegations levied by Congressman Rodney Davis’ campaign, notably that there was a dishonest pattern of activity and that Judge Callis had signed fraudulent documents, are completely baseless. Similarly, the Davis campaign recently had to retract a radio advertisement after being caught making inaccurate claims, and the Illinois Republican Party previously faced pressure after they were slow to retract disproven claims that Callis had plagiarized sections of her website.
The Callis campaign has copies of the following documents, which are available to media upon request:
Signed PDF copies of full letters from legal professionals
Deed to the house Callis owns in Troy
Callis’ Illinois Drivers License
Callis passports issued in Illinois
Callis’ voting record and registration sent to her Edwardsville residence
News clippings Callis’ son playing football at Triad High School
Report cards for Callis’ son’s from Troy’s Triad High School
Certificate titles of vehicles owned by the Callis family
Statements from Callis’ neighbors
Click here to read the whole thing.
- LincolnLounger - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:39 pm:
If you’re explaining, you’re losing, Ann. DCCC walking away to try and save Enyart.
- bored now - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:39 pm:
great visual in the bustos ad!
- LincolnLogs - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:47 pm:
Ann is obviously desperate and flailing in the light of both the DCCC walking away and being down almost 20 points in the poll….
- liandro - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:50 pm:
Too often it seems as if Washington rigs the game. Does this include when your godfather, who happens to be a powerful U.S. Senator, gives you a huge leg up into a congressional seat? I’d have to agree with her, definitely seems rigged.
- downstate hack - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:55 pm:
Good ad by Bustos. She comes off pretty well.
- Gooner - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:01 pm:
I didn’t like this ad.
Who were the guys in suits supposed to be?
It seems like somebody had a general “the game is rigged” idea and put this up without thinking it through.
Also, I didn’t find Bustos to be convincing. She seemed dull.
Overall, I give this a C-. It won’t hurt, but it won’t help either.
- Amateur Hour - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:05 pm:
Bobby Schilling has never represented Freeport in Congress. The DCCC presumably knows this and didn’t care to tell the truth.
Tom Gaulrapp and the rest of the Sensata folks are about one thing…electing Democrats. It was never about getting their jobs back, or they would have met with Schilling when he offered multiple times back in 2012.
- A guy... - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:12 pm:
Oy, could Cheri be any stiffer in an ad? Her unease makes you concentrate more on it than what she’s saying. More coaching OR sometimes they just can’t pull off that much consecutive screen time. Second time I just listened. The audio track in as uneasy as the video. No grade.
The juxtaposed “BS” in the anti- Bobby Shilling ad is clever. Aside from that it’s OK or maybe a little better. It’s a pass, but not a great one.
- Responsa - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:12 pm:
I liked the Bustos ad and its visuals on the surface. But when you consider that Cheri is an incumbent and is already serving in Washington, her “Too often it seems like Washington rigs the game. THEY look out for the big money guys. And block any chance for the middle class to win.” starts to look a bit disingenuous. And what about those big bad guys in suits? Are they big bad Washington guys or are they big bad money guys? Or both? This ad concept would be far better, less muddled, and more effective for a challenger than for an incumbent IMO. C.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:31 pm:
Good Bustos Ad.
Not so hot DCCC ad.
- Gooner - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:38 pm:
To clarify my post above — the basketball ad was the one I did not like.
The DCCC, on the other hand, is devastating. That one gets a solid A. It goes to the heart of the issues.
- John Boch - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:42 pm:
===If you’re explaining, you’re losing, Ann.===
Amen. She’s done. Stick a fork in her.
As for the DCCC ad? “No more BS”? Isn’t that a little juvenile? Did their college interns think that would be cute?
- Gooner - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:53 pm:
Boch is bothered by “juvenile” ads, but not by outsourcing.
We all have different things that bother us.
- SallyD - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:05 pm:
Using Illinois State Senator Mike Jacobs brother in this ad is not the smartest person for Congressperson Bustos to use in this spot but at least Jacobs is popular and most people don’t even know that it is him.
I do like the as though!
- lil enchilada - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:10 pm:
SallyD…. for delusional.
Senator Jacobs’ brother is not in the ad.
- Keyser Soze - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:29 pm:
The UMWA endorsement may not mean much. There are no longer any UMWA mines in Illinois.
- SallyD - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:51 pm:
Definitely Jacobs, I am not delusional. I see them together at all of the local democratic events. I don’t thnk it is bad. The younger Jacobs I don’t remember his name but he is taller and not nearly as good looking.
- John Boch - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 3:38 pm:
“Boch is bothered by “juvenile” ads, but not by outsourcing.”
Change the tax laws and those jobs will come right back.
Or keep doing more of the same and crying the blues about “outsourcing”.
John
- Gooner - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 3:44 pm:
“Change the tax laws and those jobs will come right back.”
John Boch, did you review the ad?
Schilling voted for changes to the tax laws. That’s why the companies outsourced. He gave them breaks to do so.
Hence, the problem and the ad.
- knowitall - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 4:20 pm:
This is Senator Mike Jacobs cousin Randy Jacobs who does advertising in Rock Island and is very involved with politics in the Quad Cities.
Jacobs brother is not as tall as either of these big men but is WAAAAAAAY better looking than his brother or cousin.
- Bemused - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 4:45 pm:
As some else said the UMWA is pretty much out of this state. Some members are probably still around but what has Rodney done to pull this endorsement.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 6:30 pm:
–Change the tax laws and those jobs will come right back.–
Do you think the tax code is some kind of accident, that it’s not doing what it was intended to do?
Corporate income tax revenue represents 1.6% of GDP, near the historic lows of the post WWII era.
Keep in mind, corporate profits are at their highest level in 85 years — if the game wasn’t rigged, those profits would result in corporate income tax revenues as a higher percentage of GDP.
Picking up what I’m putting down? Record corporate profits, near-record-low corporate taxes. How’s that for a “business environment?”
That 35%, “highest rate in the industrialized world” gag is just snake oil they sell to the suckers. Nobody pays it.
Conversely, individual income tax revenues are 7.9% of GDP, the highest since the Great Recession. So the regular W2 schmucks are paying their bit.
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=205
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/business/economy/corporate-profits-grow-ever-larger-as-slice-of-economy-as-wages-slide.html
- Lady Union Boss - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 7:34 pm:
Randy Jacobs and Mike Jacobs have no relation. Just because they share the same last name doesn’t mean they are related. By the way, the Jacobs’ men get all their good looks from their mother!
- Insideout - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 7:46 pm:
This is not Senator Mike Jacobs’ brother, J.P. Jacobs, nor is it his cousin Randy Jacobs. No, it’s Sen. Jacobs nephew Jeff Jacobs, whom Mike is grooming to replace Rep. Pat Verschoore. If you ask me, Mike’s brother is the better looking Jacobs!
- patsy cline gurl - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:09 pm:
Randy Jacobs is Pat Verschoor’s brother in law. Randy’s son Jeff is Pat’s nephew by marriage. They are no relationship to Handsome Mike Jacobs and his even better looking brother JP. Schwoopy.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:10 pm:
We’ve pretty much gone thru the entire Jacobs family tree today. lol