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* This first bit isn’t huge news because he’s had a virtual lock on the slot for weeks…
Martin Ozinga III will end weeks of speculation and officially kick off his campaign at 11:30 a.m. today as the Republican candidate in the 11th Congressional District.
* But a new e-mail from Ozinga’s campaign is interesting…
Marty Ozinga announced today, 4/30, that he has raised $408,235 from nearly 300 contributors since he began raising money at the beginning of April. The total above does not reflect any personal contributions made by Marty himself.
* Early fundraising is usually the easiest because the cash is often from friends and family. We also don’t know how many of those early conributors maxed out, and, therefore, will not be allowed to contribute again.
* Halvorson has been raising money as well…
From Jan. 17 through the end of March, Halvorson raised a net $432,970 and ended the period with cash reserves of $673,023.
Ozinga has said that he won’t put in more than $350,000 of his own cash, beyond that level would allow his opponent Debbie Halvorson to accept larger campaign checks.
…Adding… There’s some useful info in this Associated Press story…
“My life, both in work and in community and in my family, is all based on a simple philosophical foundation that I exist first of all to honor and glorify God and then secondly to serve the crown of his creation which is our fellow man,” Ozinga said. […]
On the issues, Ozinga said he opposes raising taxes and supports President Bush’s tax cuts. With motorists besieged by skyrocketing gasoline prices, Ozinga said the country needs to work hard at promoting the research and development of alternative energy sources, everything from nuclear power to clean coal technology.
He calls the Iraq war “a frustration and a disappointment that we’ve been there for so long.” He said there needs to be timelines for the Iraqi government to show improvement, but not timetables for what the American military does in that country.
“I would bring the troops home when we win, meaning when we accomplish our … goals,” Ozinga said, adding he would rely on the advice of military commanders there.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 11:25 am
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Free campaign advice: Unless you’re going for the Thurston Howell vote, drop the “III” from your handle.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 11:40 am
If the Blago recall is going to be an issue, Debbie better get off the dime.
Comment by Truthful James Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 11:45 am
Yet another Republican millionaire…
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 12:30 pm
Apparently serving “His creation” includes paving big chunks of it. Is the heavy-handed religious stuff really beneficial for a Republican candidate in the general election in the 11th?
Comment by pingu Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 1:00 pm
“‘My life, both in work and in community and in my family, is all based on a simple philosophical foundation that I exist first of all to honor and glorify God and then secondly to serve the crown of his creation which is our fellow man,’ Ozinga said.”
I think this is code for someone who is going to try to marry their religious beliefs with that of the state. Here are a few Bible quotes for this outwardly religious fellow to consider:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:5-8
“‘I would bring the troops home when we win, meaning when we accomplish our … goals,’ Ozinga said, adding he would rely on the advice of military commanders there.”
Suddenly Ozinga knows better how to handle this when his opponent, Jason Wallace, is actually a veteran of the current conflict? I don’t think so.
Comment by Squideshi Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 1:07 pm
I am so sick of these “glory to God” Pharisees in politics. If you believe in God so much, show it through your personal integrity, your devotion to doing the right thing, your hard work, and your consistent effort to be fair to all. And shut up about your religion. In the Springfield part of the state, someone who provides an excellent example of putting belief into practice is Sen. Larry Bomke.
Comment by Excessively rabid Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 1:15 pm
“Apparently serving “His creation” includes paving big chunks of it.”
Some of the benefits of the automobile:
1. job and wealth creation
2. leisure and travel opportunities
3. ability for humans to move flexibly from place to place
Hard to come up with an apt description for the types of people who would want to go back to the pre automobile world.
Comment by True Observer Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 1:17 pm
I don’t recall that General Motors claiming that autos glorify “His creation” or whatever sort of religious crock that Ozinga is selling. If Ozinga wants to be a Templar Knight, that he’s going to have to offer up more than dumb platitudes like that. True Observer, i’m not sure how you think this is about cars . . . it’s about politics and religion.
Comment by pingu Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 1:29 pm
All ozinga needs to do is put up campaign photos of the three amigos Blago Jones and Halvorson. She is part of the problem in springfield not part of the answer in washington.
Comment by fed up Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 1:35 pm
===All ozinga needs to do is put up campaign photos of the three amigos Blago Jones and Halvorson===
Except that Ozinga has contributed to Blagojevich’s campaign fund and Halvorson hasn’t. It’s not a completely clean hit.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 1:37 pm
By refusing to allow an end to ‘pay-to-play’ politics, Senate Majority Leader Halvorson benefits while her opponent who does state work on state contracts pays to play.
If she has a problem with his contributions to Democrats, she is part of the problem that causes it.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 2:28 pm
“My life, both in work and in community and in my family, is all based on a simple philosophical foundation that I exist first of all to honor and glorify God and then secondly to serve the crown of his creation which is our fellow man,”
Back in the old days when government functioned, a lot of public officials used to publically say things like this. If Ozinga is sincere, we should be open minded and value diversity enough to accept his beliefs too.
We need to start valuing our businesses in Illinois too - while we still have them around. If you would like to see Illinois once again a great business center, then we need people with business sense helping build Illinois. We cannot continue over taxing and over regulating our businesses and wonder why they leave. We rank near the bottom of all states in business climate, and this is killing us.
Ozinga is a businessperson and gets things done. Halvorson is the Senate Majority Leader but only answers to Emil Jones, her silent partner. We should not send the ‘Queen of Gridlock’ to Washington.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 2:52 pm
we can tell who Rich likes in this race.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 3:10 pm
Um, huh?
Some people just love to read into every word.
Remove tinfoil hat, please. Thanks much.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 3:11 pm
You go, Vanillaman!
Comment by thegreatmags Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 4:18 pm
I believe in political competition. I do not like seeing voters offered no choices on the ballot. We all win when there are two excellent candidates from which to choose. Thanks to Ozinga stepping in, voters will have a good choice.
If the voters feel they need an experienced political backroom player with a strong liberal record, Debbie Halvorson is an excellent choice. She didn’t get to be the Senate Majority Leader by being a dummy. She is a dependable silent partner for Emil Jones. There are pros and cons with this relationship - so be it.
If the voters feel they need to see results in Congress, then they should send a guy who has spent most of his life getting results. The Ozinga family deals daily with environmental issues, state infrastructure projects, and run an admirable business with a long history of community support.
If you don’t like businesspeople, you’ll want Halvorson. If you don’t like politicians, you’ll want Ozinga.
Lucky voters get a good choice.
Now, if we can only get a decent Democrat to run against Schock and a decent Republican to run against Hare…
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 4:52 pm
Rich she is the dem majority leader in the senate. She has stalled ethics bills last year not just this year, she is stalling recall legislation, she is with Emil one of blagos few supporters, she made her bed with E.Jones and Blago now its time for her to get in bed and snuggle with her two buddys.
Comment by fed up Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 5:13 pm
Thurston Howell III, I think we have a nickname.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 30, 08 @ 6:10 pm