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* Uh-oh…
[Democrat David Gill’s] campaign manager quit last week, saying he needed to spend more time on his own campaign for Champaign County Board. […]
Alte couldn’t say last week if a full-time campaign manager will be brought on board for the final 52 days of the race.
“I’m not really certain about that,” Alte said.
And the NRCC has pounced on Gill’s assisted suicide issue. From the Pantagraph…
“I don’t think people should have to put up with the amount of suffering the state says they have to. A lot of physicians feel disgruntled, ashamed and disgusted in their inability to assist patients,” Gill said in an article in The (Bloomington) Pantagraph.
He added that physician-assisted suicides already occur.
For example, Gill said some doctors will keep increasing a patient’s dosage of pain-relieving morphine, fully aware that respirations will eventually stop.
“It goes on everyday,” he said at the time.
It wasn’t until two years later that he was fired by OSF after writing a letter to the editor in support of euthanasia. A hospital spokeswoman said physician-assisted suicide goes against the teachings of the Catholic church.
“In view of the fact that Dr. David Gill embraces and advocates medical treatment methods that are unlawful in this state and that are not acceptable by community medical standards, Dr. Gill cannot be employed by OSF HealthCare System,” a company representative said at the time.
* From the NRCC…
As you cover David Gill’s DCCC makeover attempt to not appear as radical as he is, please consider the following editorial and comment.
NRCC Statement: “Illinois families need to know that David Gill thinks physician-assisted suicide is an acceptable medical treatment. This is the same man that is running for Congress and wants to be put in charge of representing the healthcare needs of Illinois families in Washington. Sending David Gill and his radical ideas to Washington is dangerous for Illinois families.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Katie Prill
I was in Edwardsville over the weekend and Gill was being followed there Saturday by some guy dressed in a surgeon’s outfit and holding a sign that I couldn’t read as we sped by. By the time we dropped off our passenger and returned to the scene, the whole thing was over.
* Meanwhile, the negative TV ads are flying fast and furious these days. The DCCC’s new ad against Republican incumbent Bobby Schilling is entitled “Broken Records.” Rate it…
* Script…
Records are made to be broken.
And Bobby Schilling is giving it his best shot.
In two years flat, Schilling voted to give tax breaks to millionaires…
Voted to protect tax breaks for companies that send our jobs overseas… and voted for more unfair NAFTA-style trade deals.
And to pay for it all? Schilling voted to cut Medicare, costing seniors an extra sixty four hundred dollars a year.
Bobby Schilling. From one of us to one of them…in record time.
* Speaking of ads…
Joe Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, is moving forward with plans to bankroll a major ad campaign to help Mitt Romney and Republican candidates. […]
The Wall Street Journal reports today that Ricketts will spend $12 million on ads starting this week, with $10 million to back Romney and $2 million to assist Republicans running for Congress.
The ads funded by Ricketts will feature ex-Obama supporters talking about Romney, a tactic that Romney used on his own in a video played at the GOP convention in Tampa. The WSJ says the ads will run in battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia and Iowa.
Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade, is behind the Ending Spending Action Fund. The super PAC has assisted Republican Deb Fischer, the Senate candidate in Nebraska, and spent money on an ad supporting Gov. Scott Walker in the Wisconsin recall election.
* Related…
* Word on the Street: Ethics group cites Schock over campaign fundraising: The Reader’s Digest version is this: Schock apparently sought a $25,000 donation from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to a super PAC that was helping Rep. Adam Kinzinger in his successful primary bid against Rep. Don Manzullo for territory including all of Putnam County and part of Stark and Bureau counties. The groups filing the complaint - Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal center - allege that Schock was only legally permitted to ask for a $5,000 donation.
* Congressmen recognized for small business-friendly votes: Aaron Schock, Bobby Schilling and John Shimkus have been named Guardians of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 10:31 am
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Republicans: Keep big government out of our medical decisions! Wait, a physician supports euthanasia? Quick, let’s get government involved in our medical decisions!
Comment by TJ Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 10:45 am
Ending Spending. That’s perfect.
I used to be a strong supporter of a taxpayer handout to rebuild Wrigley. Now I’m in favor of ending spending on that little project.
Rich people are different from you and me.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 10:49 am
TJ: Make up our minds! LOL
Comment by Loop Lady Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 10:49 am
What Gill describes about doctors increasing morphine knowing that it will eventually cause the patient to stop breathing goes on every day in hospitals all over. For those that pounce on that underground practice likely haven’t watched a love one die before their eyes.
Comment by Just Observing Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 10:52 am
Not sure if he is going to have a full time campaign manager for the rest of the campaign and he had a guy who was also running for office?
Heck most candidates running is any sort of contested state rep race have a full timer who is not also running for something.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 10:55 am
Just like doctors don’t really understand sitting at a desk looking at a monitor for 8 hours a day, we non-doctors don’t really understand what they do all day. Like his views or not, he knows more about how the whole thing works than anybody else nattering on about it because he lives it. I think Gill’s perspective on the health care industry are needed at this time and it’s a shame he’s lacking the knowledgeable political support to give him a shot.
Comment by Colossus Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 10:59 am
about the Gill campaign, why would his consultants work with a campaign manager who is running for another office?
Comment by amalia Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 11:07 am
Read the PJS story on Mr. Dreamey’s campaign cash scandal. They go out of their way to scold the CREW for hinting US Rep Aaron Shock (R-Caterpillar)could ever do anything improper.
It is funny stuff
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 11:08 am
CFS: I believe there was a changover in the PJS local politics writers since 2010 and things got better for a while. It was absolutely miserable to read anything they had to say back then, it’s a shame to see them reverting to form.
“Throw all the bums out! Except my guy, he’s not a bum. It’s the rest of them that need to go!”
Comment by Colossus Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 11:14 am
I don’t care if Joe Ricketts spends money on Romney. I don’t care if Laura Ricketts raises money for Obama. I don’t care if the family blows their billion-plus fortune resurrecting Abe Lincoln.
There’s absolutely no reason to give a dime of taxpayer money to them for their ballpark.
First off, they have no leverage. They have nowhere to go. They’re the one of the best drawing teams in MLB, at 90% of capacity. They’ll draw more than 2.9 million this year, one of the worst years in their history (and that’s saying a lot).
Where else are they going to do that? The suburbs? San Antonio? Give me a break. The Marlins new stadium cost $545 million. I don’t think Arlington Heights is going to pony that up to move the Cubs to the track.
They’re making money. Forbes estimates the value of their franchise went up more than 10% in the first two years.
Secondly, way back in 2009 when they bought the team, they already got a break on the price after the Blago/Big Jim/Zell plan to spinoff liability for Wrigley to the taxpayers went nowhere.
It’s a private business. The owners are loaded. There’s a great demand for their product. They make money. Put on a ticket surcharge for the stadium and issue corporate bonds for renovations, just like real capitalists who want the government off their back.
The city, county and state are strained beyond belief. We have no money for Wrigley foolishness.
Sick of corporate billionaires shaking down taxpayers? Then no Wrigley deal. Want to stand up for free enterprise? Then no Wrigley deal.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 11:31 am
Just how tone deaf is it for the Ricketts to want to end spending…except on their ballpark?
Comment by Cheryl44 Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 11:39 am
Let’s keep perspective here- David Gill was not and is not a serious candidate. He wasn’t the preferred candidate for this race either. Managers of his previous (failed, numerous) campaigns include John Laesch, spectacular failure unto himself.
The fact that his current manager was also running for something says all you need to know.
Comment by Will Caskey Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 11:42 am
== John Laesch, spectacular failure unto himself. == Hey Johnny came within a point of beating Foster in a primary when Foster outspent him like 20 or 40 to 1 (perhaps even more)… So yeah John seem to some to be a crank but he almost (yeah I know almost) pulled a huge upset.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 12:20 pm
The more I hear from the leaders of the Republican party, the more embarrassed I am to be one. I simply don’t understand the opposition to assisted suicide. Why would anyone want to force a person to have to go out the back forty with a gun or a rope to be found by some horrified unsuspecting person, when they could die in a controlled setting surrounded by friends and/or family? Just seems cruel and vicious to me.
Comment by downstate commissioner Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 12:55 pm
Oh, how dare Gill give an honest answer to a pointed question? The nerve of that guy, not giving a hypocritical answer! Those guys might want to poll American Catholics on how many of them actually follow their church teachings on birth control, but most people asked about that know enough to lie or not answer.
Comment by Newsclown Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 1:00 pm
Agree with Dr. Gill or not something has to be done with how we handle end of life healthcare.
My mother passed away at the age of 84 a few years back. We were fortunate that she had fairly good health up til the last half year or so of her life. The money paid out for her care those last few months was unreal. From where I sat all that got was a few months additional suffering on her part. The family was not paying for those procedures so we had no issue from that point. During that time she said more than once she was tired and was ready to go. To watch someone you love suffer pain with little hope it will get better is tough.
Bottom line is the public is paying a lot for end of life care. I have to wonder would moms life have been prolonged had those tests and other procedures been on the hospitals dime? When is it time to let go and say googbye?
Comment by Bemused Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 1:06 pm
Michael Richards’ explanation that he quit as Gill’s campaign manager to devote more time to his county board campaign cannot be true. He’s the representatives from my district, and I can say without fear of contradiction that he’ll have no problem getting re-elected because all 11 county board districts in Champaign County have been gerrymandered to produce specific results.
Richards is in a gerrymandered Democratic district and there’s no way he’ll lose.
There’s more going on than he’s saying.
Comment by Jim Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 1:08 pm
Whether you agree with David Gill on this issue or not is irrelevant. The fact is, this is not a mainstream (or even close) position in Central or Southern Illinois. The fact that he’s pro-choice and pro-gay marriage doesn’t play well in that district as it is, but now you throw this in, and you know what Democrats were so disappointed when Gill pulled the upset in the primary. Goetten would’ve been a great candidate in this district: Young, handsome, small town states attorney, pro-life, an Army Reserve Officer who has served in Iraq, etc. Instead, you get David Gill, a candidate much better suited for a Chicago congressional district.
Comment by East Sider Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 1:14 pm
wordslinger brings up good points and all, but I can’t help but wonder how many folks that are opposed to the proposed Wrigley deal supported the new Comiskey deal just because they’re Sox fans and in spite of the fact that the Cubs generate more revenue for the state/city and the Cubs ownership doesn’t have the gall to cry crocadile tears and threaten to move to Florida.
Comment by TJ Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 1:23 pm
WC seems to be bitter they shipped the research contract out of state.
Comment by Spliff Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 2:54 pm
==the Cubs ownership doesn’t have the gall to cry crocadile tears and threaten to move to Florida==
Yeah, they should try that - in fact, I hear they’ll build a $545-million stadium for a baseball team in Florida, at taxpayer expense, for the 500 people or so who bother to show up for games down there. Yeah, go for it, Cubbies.
Comment by OldSmoky2 Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 3:04 pm
==It’s a private business. The owners are loaded. There’s a great demand for their product. They make money. === Are we talking about oil industry subsidies?
Comment by Crime Fighter Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 4:52 pm
Has anyone thought that maybe the DNCC is putting one of their own on the Gill campaign, and gave the current campaign manager to bow out gracefully? By all accounts, this race is up for grabs which I’m sure caught the national Dems by surprise.
As for the doctor-assisted suicide, until you’ve been though it, it’s impossible to understand the pain that both the patient and family have to endure before it even gets to that point (my dog died with more dignity than my father did).
Comment by Soxfan Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 6:41 pm
Wait, Gill was fired by a hospital for believing, not practicing - just believing, that a currently illegal medical procedure should be legal. Am I the only one that thinks that screams of wrongful termination?
Comment by thechampaignlife Monday, Sep 17, 12 @ 8:07 pm