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Mean season on the campaign trail

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* GOP Congresscritter Peter Roskam’s latest TV ad attacking his opponent Jill Morgenthaler plays the “Blagojevich/Rezko” card in a big way…


* Roskam’s radio ad is even tougher…


* The Daily Herald parses the TV ad. The Tribune has Morgenthaler’s response

The ads hit Morgenthaler as a “top lieutenant” of Blagojevich and accuse her of trying to help Rezko land a multi-million contract in Iraq. Morgenthaler called the ad “a blatant lie.”

Morgenthaler served as the deputy chief of staff for homeland security for Blagojevich from December 2005 until October 2007.

The ads cites as a source a letter Morgenthaler wrote on behalf of a company that had ties to Rezko.

Morgenthaler said she has never met Rezko nor accepted campaign donations from him.

“I don’t know the man,” she said.

And she said she had no idea that Rezko had behind-the-scenes ties to the firm she introduced to the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity in 2006.

* In another race, Democrat Dan Seals blasts Republican Rep. Mark Kirk on the Iraq war.

In a new broadcast ad starting today, an unnamed Iraq war veteran says Kirk was “irresponsible” in voting for the war and then voting to cut veteran health care funding.

“We fought for our country and Mark Kirk turned his back on us,” the man says.


* Watch Seals flip and flop all over the place on the rescue/bailout bill


* I’m not sure this means much, but here you go

Republican candidates Steve Greenberg and Steve Sauerberg along with GOP U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert landed on the Center for Responsive Politics list of “Wall Street’s Favorite Candidates” Thursday. […]

Greenberg, who is challenging incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean in the northwest suburban 8th District, was listed as the tenth highest candidate for congress in terms of Wall Street backing.

He has taken in more than $125,850 from the finance sector, nearly 20 percent of his total haul as of mid-year.

Biggert, who has a lot of banking interests in the west suburban 13th District, made the 10th slot for incumbents. The Hinsdale Republican raised $398,015, or 42 percent of her campaign fund, from the financial sector.

Meanwhile, Sauerberg took in nearly 16 percent of his campaign fund, more than $54,000, from the financial sector, giving him the 4th slot for U.S. Senate challengers. He hopes to unseat Democrat Dick Durbin of Springfield.

* Related…

* ADDED: Ill. Democrats expect boost from Obama, not magic

* Newspaper Endorsements Continue to Roll in For Mark Kirk

* 6th Congressional rivals differ on transportation

* Bean, Greenberg to debate Saturday — but you’re not invited

* Greenberg aims to distance himself from Bean and GOP

* Bean, Greenberg spar on federal spending

* Weller takes ‘last action to help the unemployed’

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 11:38 am

Comments

  1. Dear Mr. Seals-

    It’s the economy, stupid.

    Love, TA

    Comment by Team America Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 11:43 am

  2. Rich,

    You’re so in the bag for Seals is ridiculous. How can you live with yourself?

    Love, Not TA

    (/tongue planted firmly in cheek)

    Related, but not mentioned in the post, the US Chamber “health care” ad supporting Roskam is a laugher. Didn’t he vote not just no, but heck no, on SCHIP twice?

    If “supporting” families on health care means hanging kids out to dry that’s not the kind of support anyone needs.

    Comment by Rob_N Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 11:59 am

  3. I heard the Roskam ad on the radio yesterday. Absolutely brutal. I think Morganthaler’s uphill climb just got a lot steeper. This attack will play well in DuPage.

    Comment by Bluefish Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 11:59 am

  4. Yeesh, what bad ads.

    Facts aside, the Roskam ads are way too shrill and off-putting. “Blagojevich, bad” and “That’s shady” are laughably histrionic.

    And there’s something funny about the soldier that Seals is using. It’s a rule of testimonials that you put a name to them or they lack credibility. I’m sure the Kirk folks are tracking him down.

    Seals on the bailout is hilarious, though.

    Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 12:02 pm

  5. I like that Roskam got Betty White to do his voiceovers.

    Comment by Mike Fourcher Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 12:27 pm

  6. Wow. She does sound like Betty White. Nice catch. lol

    Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 12:30 pm

  7. Speaking of political ads, I was surprised to see an Obama ad last night on the ABC-7 Chicago news. For the Northwest Indiana/Southeast Wisconsin markets, perhaps?

    Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 12:32 pm

  8. Obama has a radio ad running on WBBM hitting McCain on his health care plan ‘taxing benefits for the first time’ as well. I wondered why, but I think you’re probably right that this is all aimed at Indiana.

    Comment by Team America Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 12:47 pm

  9. The seals campaign is a noun, a verb, and a consonant that will have as much relevance to American Politics as Bozo the clown after 1/20/2009.

    At a time when a lot of republicans elsewhere are in deep trouble in red areas, Seals is in Obama’s backyard and struggling and you have to wonder what this says about his chances given the political environment.

    Comment by shore Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 1:39 pm

  10. ===Seals is in Obama’s backyard===

    I didn’t know Lake County was so close to the South Side.

    Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 1:46 pm

  11. Not sure if the seals ad is so ugly it will work or so ugly it will backfire. Kirk’s a combat vet who still serves in the Navy and was recently endorsed by the VFW and, to quote Rich Miller, “The VFW isn’t in the habit of endorsing troop-hating, terrorist-loving commies.”

    Comment by 10th Indy Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 1:46 pm

  12. Rich,
    Hyde Park and the North Shore/Lake County are both lakefront communities - it’s a different kind of “backyard”!

    Comment by Captain America Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 2:31 pm

  13. Roskan ad shady but semi-effective-Blago still bad.

    Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 2:41 pm

  14. Seals is merely reacting to Kirk. He doesn’t stand for anything except “not” Kirk or Bush.

    Is he actually paying someone for this crap?

    Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 2:58 pm

  15. Rich, It’s all relative. IL-10 is closer to Hyde Park than, say, DC.

    VanillaMan, I suggest you take a look at Seals’ position statements. Or, put another way…

    “Kirk is merely reacting to Seals. He doesn’t stand for anything except ‘not’ Seals or Obama.

    “Are taxpayers actually paying him for his legislative malarkey?”

    Yep, sounds the same. ;)

    Comment by Rob_N Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 3:09 pm

  16. From Seals’ own website:

    “The youngest of three boys, Dan was raised in Hyde Park, and grew up attending public schools and JCC camp. His parents divorced when he was young, so he was raised primarily by his mother, a social worker of almost thirty years.”

    So, Dan is likely the same (or even more) Hyde Park liberal that Obama is. But looking at his credentials, I’d have to say that Seals is at least qualified to be a congressman, unlike ObiWan, who is hardly qualified in my eyes to be POTUS.

    Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 3:16 pm

  17. These endorsers “seal” his left wing stature:

    Democratic Presidential Nominee Senator Barack Obama

    United States Senator Richard J. Durbin

    Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

    That district might go from one exteme to the other in nothing flat, and without even realizing it.

    Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 3:19 pm

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