Too far?
Friday, May 26, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
This is one of the more blatantly political state mailers that I’ve seen since Lee Daniels was around.
Republican House Minority Leader Tom Cross fired off a letter to Democrats earlier this month that rips … Democrats.
Cross doesn’t see the missive as political, so the postage was paid by the state, not his campaign fund.
Myron Brick, chairman of the Will County Democratic Party, said it appears the letter dated May 12 was sent to all of his party’s precinct committeemen. Brick received one, too.
In the letter, Cross shreds “the Democrats” for raiding the pension fund, stuffing the budget with pork projects and continuing an “unprecedented streak of borrowing and spending.” […]
Cross said the letter was sent to about 2,000 officials of both parties in Will, DuPage and Kendall counties, just as previous reports from him have been sent to the same group. […]
Dan White, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said the letter appears to abide by a state law that prohibits using public funds on campaign literature. Cross would have had to call on letter recipients to vote for or against a specific candidate or a ballot proposition for it to be inappropriate.
Even so, Brick had one piece of advice for Cross: “If the bottom line is so important to him, he shouldn’t waste stamps.”
- Dundee - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 10:19 am:
Typical Cross move. He should probably stay in Kendall County an loose more county level races, like he has in the recent past.
- Tony LaRusa - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 10:37 am:
The real question is how long until Lisa’s daddy make her do another bogus investigation? How many workers did Sorich testify he sent her 2002 campaign?
- Skeeter - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 10:47 am:
This is exactly why I will end up voting for Blago in NOvember.
If it is going to be business as usual, I would prefer it to be business as usual with Democrats in charge.
What evidence has the ILGOP ever provided to show things would be different if they took control?
- Downstate Blue - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 11:18 am:
Skeeter–How much more evidence do you need than the previous 26 years of Republican control before the Blago administration?
- DOWNSTATE - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 11:27 am:
SKEETER you’ve voted Democrar all your life why change now.
- Skeeter - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 11:44 am:
Downstate:
You act like it is my fault that that the ILGOP is run by a bunch of right wing extremists. The state is in the current condition, and all the ILGOP can offer is “no gay marriage”? That is their best plan?
I could have voted for Jim Edgar, except for his history of denying that we need a tax increase — until right after the election.
I could vote for George Ryan — except I knew he was a crook.
I could have voted for Jim Ryan — except that he had no problems sending innocents to death row.
I could vote for Peraica for County Board Pres., except that he opposes the plans to privatize and to cut the size of county government.
The ILGOP has not given me much of an option, has it?
- Veritas - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 12:01 pm:
Cross is an ethically bankrupt liberal Rhino.
- ndpotus - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 12:12 pm:
I can understand state mailers from legislators but when you are sending them to people not even in your district is a total waste. Myron Brick lives in Frankfort which is well outside of Leader Cross’ district…Whats he thinking?
- respectful - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 1:14 pm:
Skeeter: you’re the first person I’ve ever heard call Tom Cross a “rightwing extremist.” The real RWE don’t consider him one of their tribe.
- 4% - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 2:51 pm:
The SJR on Thursday reported in Bernard Schoenberg’s column that Meeks met with a lady in his “state house office” to discuss he role in his campaign.
Where is the outrage - seems to clearly be a violation of law. Where is Lisa Madigan? The Feds?
- respectful - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 4:08 pm:
I’m sure the good pastor didn’t mean to violate the law.
- respectful - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 4:09 pm:
If the report is true, I’m sure it was an inadvertant oversight by the good pastor.
- Beowulf - Friday, May 26, 06 @ 4:18 pm:
Tom Cross is “not” one of the conservative Illinois GOP. He is a moderate in the vein of JBT. I wish he wasn’t but I respect him anyway. Everybody seems to try to “pigeonhole” the GOP membership as either moderate or conservative. I wish it was that simple but it isn’t. There are many of us in the GOP that are somewhere in the middle. I guess we could be called the “Hybrid GOP” since we have adopted bits and pieces of both the extreme right conservative faction and the far left liberal moderates.
Myron Brick recently replaced George Mushro as the Will County Chairman of the Democrat Party. Many of us are waiting to see what makes Myron Brick tick? He doesn’t seem to be the bashful type based on his clever jabs at Tom Cross.
Tom Cross sent that ill-advised letter out simply because he had reached his frustration level and felt the need to shout out to the state’s elected Democrats to start thinking for themselves for a change rather than continue to be the lemmings that they have shown themselves to be. Tom Cross had a “We are mad as hell and we won’t take it anymore” moment. I think we all can identify with being there at one time or another. Cut Tom some slack. He has tried to be a conciliator for both Republicans and Democrats over the past few years. Even though I often don’t agree with his positions, I do feel that it is a good thing that there is someone like Tom Cross to keep us all from either locking up into gridlock or killing each other.
- Anon - Tuesday, May 30, 06 @ 5:30 pm:
This was not the first such letter. I get them on a pretty regular basis, and I live nowhere close to TC’s district.