49 Comments - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 10:52 am: “The level of participation from the national Democratic Party is at a level that I’ve never seen as a state senator and Ryan McLaughlin, my campaign manager, hasn’t seen,” Roskam said. Seems like a nice way of saying, my campaign manager has not a clue as to what he is doing. - Cubs-I give up! - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 10:57 am: This is a for sure knock out for Duckworth who said yesterday that the race “is a longshot” for her (Daily Herald, 8/15/06). For someone who claims that the race is a dead heat, she sure does not have confidence in herself winning. Not the smart thing to tell the press. - Illini4 - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 10:58 am: Ryan McLaughlin has been around Illinois political campaigns for some time. As has been stated time and again in many campaigns, no one knows Illinois better than someone who lives here. The combination of McLaughlin and Roe appears to be solid. I applaud Peter Roskam for appreciating that perhaps those who live in this state deserve to be included in major campaign decisions. - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 11:07 am: Illini 4: Its hard to argue that Roskam was running anywhere near a good, or even average, campaign with McLaughlin in charge. http://www.dailyherald.com/opinion/krol.asp?id=211928 - Anon - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 11:35 am: There’s more about Roskam’s situation here: http://www.dailyherald.com/special/election/animalfarm.asp - Cubs-I give up! - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 11:36 am: HANKSTER: Note the “opinion” part in your link… - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 11:39 am: Cubs - Eric Krol has been the one guy covering this race throughout and is a straight forward writer. Of course saying a campaign manager is doing a poor job is opinion, thats about as obvious as saying the Cubs arent ever gonna win a thing! Go Sox! - Skeeter - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 12:11 pm: Cubs and Hankster, Maybe the problem with Roskam is that he and his personal injury pals don’t like baseball. As I reported on Skeeter’s Growl, Roskam’s friends in the personal injury trade are trying to push through a law to allow people to sue baseball teams if they get hit by a ball in stands. In 1992, the people of Illinois put some imits on lawsuits. One of the most reasonable was known as the Baseball Facility Liability Act. That Act provided that if you are at a major league ballpark and a ball comes into the stands, you can’t sue if it hits you. Now, however, Roskam’s pals are trying to overturn that law. They claim that if you claim to be hit by a ball at a ball game, you can sue and Roskam can make money. It is a brand new American pass time. Hit by a ball at Wrigley? Sue the team. That is the Roskam way. Who are the people of C6 going to support? The personal injury lawyer who want to make it O.K. to sue the Cubs, or the Iraqi war vet? - HA - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 12:31 pm: LOL skeeter - Walking Wounded - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 12:40 pm: Give credit where credit’s due. If it weren’t for Senator Rutherford’s challenge, White’s office would still be technologically challenged just as it’s been the past 7 years. Now that there is a serious contender in the race, White’s people “suddenly” step up to the customer service plate. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 12:45 pm: Duckworth is smart to downplay expectations and position herself as the underdog. Her quote from the Daily Herald sets a modest, likeable tone. I know that my republican friends who were walking around swaggering about how Roskam was going to mop the floor with this Rahm Emmanuel carpetbagger have stopped swaggering. In fact, every time I bring this race up, they quickly change the subject. They are nervous, and they should be. For one thing, they’ve learned that voters in this district don’t know who Rahm Emmanuel is, and they don’t care. Republicans also learned that voters care lot more about Duckworth’s values and priorities than they do about her zip code. And they’ve learned that President Bush and his failures are a fat, heavy payload to have to carry in any suburban district. - Tim - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:06 pm: Well there you have it, from the mouth of YDD, the truth. “They are nervous” but what is that based on? I’ll take a trail lawyer over someone being exploited for their injuries any day. - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:16 pm: I think running even with a Republican in a Republican district without spending any money on tv yet is a good reason for the Roskam camp to be nervous. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:20 pm: Tim, Enlighten us on this “exploited” thing. Are you claiming that Maj. Duckworth is running for Congress against her will? Tell us more about how a United States Major is being “exploited.” Tell us who is doing this to her, and how she lacks control of her situation such that she can be “exploited.” It is known as “experienced” my ambulance chaser loving friend. Major Duckworth is running on a platform that includes the fact that he has been to Iraq and served our country and has some real first hand clue as to what is going on. She did that while Roskam was in Springfield ignoring the criminal acts of his Republican pals. Moreover, Roskam is not just a “trial lawyer.” We wouldn’t hold that against him. In fact, he is a “Trial Lawyer” as the plaintiffs’ bar call itself. He’s an ambulance chaser, a guy who makes a living from people slipping and falling or getting into low speed car accidents or getting bitten by dogs. What a way to make a living. Come to think about it, Roskam and Maj. Duckworth have something in common. Both owe their lives to the work of paramedics. Admittedly Roskam only knew those paramedics from chasing them, but they both did know paramedics. - Lucas - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:20 pm: Ah, so now it’s a republican district…I thought it was a district trending Democrat…I can’t keep all the spin here straight. - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:28 pm: Lucas: trending towards dem and being dem are two very different and obvious things. - Tim - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:33 pm: She’s experienced? Yes Skeeter, that’s exactly why she was picked to run in this district…just keep telling yourself that. By the way, what are Duckworth’s views on the current “official a” working in the governor’s office? I have yet to see those. - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:42 pm: Tim: You guys dont get it. Roskam tried this already at he looked like a lost child. She is running for congress, it has nothing to do with the governor and the people know that. Also he should be the last person to say anything about ethics, especially considering he was made by Tom DeLay and has said publically that his stance on ethics is what ever Speaker Hastert decides the Republcians will support. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 1:44 pm: Tim, Are you claiming she is being “exploited” or not? What’s your story? With regard to “Official A” you may want to read Rich Miller’s blog. He had a lengthy discussion on that topic a few weeks ago. If you have yet to see her views it is because you don’t bother trying to find out those views. You may want to look that up, and also figure out how Major Duckworth has been “exploited.” Of course, if anyone has been “exploited” it is Roskam’s clients. 33% or 40% for the work he provides? That is exploitation. He would never get those amounts if he had to bill by the hour. - Cornelius - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:03 pm: Tim: Why does a Congressperson need to weigh in on a State-specific race? If TD supports or does not support the Governor is of no consequence to her A) qualifications for successfully doing her job as Congresswoman, and B) is really no business of yours. Her press guy used to work for Rod and was tossed aside when Bradley came into town. I’m sure that whether or not TD likes Rod, she supports the D ticket. Keep grasping for any kind of issue there, Timmy. - Cornelius - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:04 pm: That was supposed to read “officially supports the slated candidates on the D ticket” - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:12 pm: I’m tired of seeing Hankster’s comments. He is unoriginal. When he isn’t he’s rude. He can’t seem to let other posters have a chance without feeling like he has to rebut everything. One posting, fine. Nice to know you are alive. Two postings, ok - maybe you have another thought. But SIX? If you couldn’t say what you want the first five times, settle back out of respect to everyone else, read and learn something. I like reading most bloggers. I don’t agree with many of them, but I respect their opinions. One of the reasons I respect them is because they can say what they want, finish, and let others get a chance. I like that. This is a courtesy I recommend you learn, Hankster. - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:15 pm: VanillaMan: If I had any bit of respect for you I would care what you thought. I recommend you learn to watch your mouth. - Grand Old Partisan - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:23 pm: Skeeter: As for “experience,” and having a “first hand clue as to what is going on in Iraq,” no member of Congress has more of that then Joe Lieberman. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on Mr. Lieberman’s position on the war. I personally know several people who have recently returned from Iraq. They are all supportive of our mission there, and generally supportive of the President’s leadership. If they decided to run for Congress, as a member of any party, would you support their candidacies? Ms. Duckworth’s service was honorable, and deserving of the highest respect. But that service is completely irrelevant when discussing issues like the budget, social security and Medicaid reform, heath care, and the plethora of other domestic policy issues that Congress will be addressing in the next few years. And hey, that list might include tort reform. Hmmm…since, as you point out, Mr. Roskam has years of experience with the tort system, that means he is the better suited to deal with that issue than someone who doesn’t have a first hand clue as to what goes on in courtrooms, right? The point here, in case you missed it, is that “experience” with something doesn’t necessarily translate into you having a better position on it. If you disagree, I assume that you’d acknowledge Lieberman’s support of the President as significant and persuasive; and be willing to support my pro-war veteran friends’ potential candidacies for Congress; and differ to Trial Lawyers on all tort reform issues. Otherwise, drop the BS about “first-hand clues” and acknwoledge that your support of Duckworth is more about her position, and less about her admittedly honorable service. BTW, I’ll admit that I’m being a 100% hypocrite here, because if Mr. Roskam were a war vet and Ms. Duckworth a Trial Lawyer, I’d probably be exploiting that just as much as you are. And I’d wager dollars to donuts that you’d offer pretty much the same defense I just laid out. Do you have the “intellectual honesty” to admit the same, skeeter? - Link - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:24 pm: Clearly Peter thought he could coast to this seat with a campaign manager with little or no experience. That they’re bringing in a hired gun from DC shows right there that they are scared. Rich is right, those mail pieces were a joke. - Tim - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:28 pm: Corn-hole — I find it interesting that you’ll give TD a pass on her thoughts regarding the governor of her party in her home state. And I wasn’t asking who she liked on the ballot, try reading my post genius. I asked what she thought of Rod’s legal troubles. Tell you what, you tell me the issues she is exempt from being asked about and we’ll go from there, how’s that work for ya? - Dasani - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:33 pm: I’m not taking sides, I’m just curious. How many people posting here actually live in the 6th? - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:33 pm: Tim - Republicans are nervous because they saw Roskam’s huge money lead evaporate. They are nervous because they expected Duckworth to be handicapped by deep party divisions following a combative primary, but she has united the party behind her. They are nervous because even though Roskam is supposed to be vastly superior when it comes to handling the media and retail politics, Duckworth is holding her own. Their nervous because Ralph Reed just went down in flames in Georgia and there are zero degrees of separation between Peter Roskam and the DeLay/Abramoff scandals. And they are nervous because Roskam’s campaign has been floundering. But most of all, Republicans are freaking out because the most recent poll numbers have Roskam-Duckworth in a statistical dead heat, 35-34, in what is supposed to be a staunch Republican district, and the leading issue in the district is the Iraq war and bringing the troops home, at 26%. It’s not time to bust out the marshmallows yet, but Roskam could be toast. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:45 pm: GOP & Skeeter - I think that all of this debate about experience misses the point. Voter’s choose not based on experience, but on who they trust to make the right decisions. In this respect, experience can be a plus, but it’s not the only factor. Let’s also remember that experience can be a huge negative. Ask Tom DeLay. I think comparing Duckworth to Lieberman is farfetched. Lieberman is a politician, not a trusted authority, and I think that the reason he was tossed out and America is rejecting the Bush Doctrine is because we can see the disconnect between the words coming out of their mouth and the images in the news every day. Iraq is on the brink of a religious civil war, for Pete’s sake — even the generals are admitting that. Not to change the subject, but Miller left the best part out of the Belleville News-Dem editorial: This is all so reminiscent of former Gov. George Ryan, who initially blamed his driver’s-licenses-for-bribes scandal on rogue employees. Ryan ultimately couldn’t distance himself from his scandal; he was convicted in April on racketeering charges. As for Blagojevich: Stay tuned. I was wondering when newspapers would begin drawing parallels between Blagojevich and Ryan — not the scandals themselves, but how they have handled them. Those kind of quotes make for great direct mail and t.v. ads. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:46 pm: Following up on Link’s comment: The Roskam mailer was interesting. Pink. I get it. Duckworth is a woman, so we will send out a pink mailer with her name on it. The other mailer had the screaming woman. This shows Roskam’s view of women pretty well. * * * In response to GOP: I didn’t know that Lieberman served in Iraq. I thought he’s been in the Senate the whole time. That being said, I do respect the views of vets on military issues and I give it some deference. I also respect vets who have shown leadership. Nothing against the grunts — they deserve our respect 100% — but if we are looking for leaders for our country, I think a track record of leadership in the armed forces is great. That being said, I do agree with you that military service should not be the sole criteria. Judge Major Duckworth on her entire record on her positions and also on her service. Judge Roskam on the same criteria. With regard to Roskam on tort law: Take a real look at his record. He can’t decide what side he’s on. Over the years he’s been both strongly for and strongly against tort reform (which also goes to his leadership skills, but that’s another matter). With regard to my position if the roles were switched: I have always at best tolerated Sen. Edwards. I have a real problem with P.I. attorneys in government. I don’t trust them. I suspect I would hold my nose on that one only because Roskam’s views are just so extreme, but it would be a tough call. No dishonesty there. - Cornelius - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:49 pm: Corn hole, thats funny! What business does a Federal cnadidate have making comment on a State cadidate’s legal troubles? Seriously, Corn-hole is pretty funny… - Cornelius - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:51 pm: sorry, that was “candidate” I’d hate to get impugned for my spelling, especially when I’m being called “Corn hole” still is funny, gets funnier everytime I read it! - bored now - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:54 pm: i mostly agree with ydd — this race has tightened considerably — and duckworth is definitely the beneficiary. not sure why he thinks it’s significant that most voters in the 6th don’t know who rahm is (one assumes that this will be made more clear when the advertising begins), unless they’ve run this through a focus group and found that voters don’t care. (it’s possible.) mostly, though, the generic ballot test in the 6th is considerably different than it has ever been, and one should assume that duckworth will benefit from this. how much duckworth can benefit without a more contrastive message on issues that matter to the sixth remains to be seen. the may poll was not the last poll done in the district… - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 2:56 pm: I agree with you Corn Hole! People in the 6th are smart, they know that a Congressman/woman has nothing to do with the Governor. - Walking Wounded - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 3:32 pm: Nice try, but give it up, Vanillaman. Hankster has shown very little respect towards other commenters and even challenges Rich for how he handles his own webblog. Why you have to “watch your mouth” is a puzzlement. Nothing you’ve written has appeared to be rude or out of line to me. Hankster, can you read this without making a nasty comment? - HANKSTER - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 3:59 pm: Walking Wounded, sir: I know this is a conservative blog, there is not secret to that. I know that if I say something it is either true or I make it clear thats how I think, an opinion. I am not “nasty” to anyone who treats me the same they would a conservative on this blog. I pay my yearly fee like many of you do. I have problems when people say things that are not true. I will call anyone out who does that, and many people do. I won’t take personal attacks from VanillaMan, you, or anyone else. Attack my views that I post, thats fair game, but make it personal and all bets are off. The funny thing is I could say the exact same thing about VanillaMan as he said about me, but I didnt, and still he made it personal. I treat anyone who is honest and factual or at least is honest enough to say an opinion is an opinion with respect. - Lincoln's Logs - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 4:02 pm: Those ads were amazing Skeeter, you are right. I think that show how tired the ideas are coming from the NRCC…we’re at war (a bad one at that), the economy is bad, immigration is a powder keg…and they dusted off the “tax man is coming” mail piece. What a joke. - Squideshi - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 4:44 pm: “The level of participation from the national Democratic Party is at a level that I’ve never seen as a state senator and Ryan McLaughlin, my campaign manager, hasn’t seen,” Is this really all that surprising? The Democratic Party of Illinois is going to need some outside help in this election. - bob white - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 5:04 pm: The only reason duckworth is even in the ballgame is the fawning media coverage. She gets national story after national story because the media would like to see a democrat win. As for roskam, despite being a Republican in a Republican district, he has to fight through the tilted coverage. When voters start comprehending the full picture regarding duckworth’s extreme positions on taxes, parental notification, and the patriot act, roskam will surge ahead. She won’t be able to hide the whole campaign. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 5:27 pm: Right, Bob. It is all the fault of that damn “media.” We need stronger laws in this country. Somebody needs to start telling the media that they can’t print this sort of stuff. How dare the media rip our government or good Republicans? You with me on this Bob? Let’s just shut that media down, right? We are proud Americans. Screw the press. Shut them down. Don’t let them print it. Right Bob? - johnny anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 7:15 pm: In my opinion, mclaughlin has done a yeoman’s job in this race. After returning to illinois from washington, dc, he was able to prevent a primary, raise $2 million and secure major labor support for peter roskam. Why this issue about someone else is joining the campaign is a story, I have no idea. I heard they hired a new receptionist, maybe the press can do a story on that too! - GOPJay - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 11:18 pm: There’s no question in my mind that Duckworth wouldn’t be the HDem’s choice for Congress if she had legs. There, I said it. Can the Dems say the opposite with a straight face? As far as I know, Cegelis also met with the Dems, yet was rejected, even though she led in the race. So what gives? As for the DC operative being sent out, yeah, I guess it is a story. I’ve never seen that kind of press release being sent out on any congressional race. The fact that its a story suggests that current staff isn’t kicking the ass they should be. That newspaper ink should be proclaiming Roskam’s virtues. - NW Burbs - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 11:53 pm: Bizarre. I can remember not so long ago when it was me who was being criticized on this same blog because I was standing up for Major Duckworth and her all-American principles. Now it’s Skeeter and others who receive such criticism. More and more every day conservatives just come across looking and sounding like crybabies. Welcome to reality, conservatives. It ain’t exactly the way your bizarro world is supposed to look, now is it? Stop drinking the kool-aid for a few minutes and you’d see why Major Duckworth is garnering so much support from both within and outside of the 6th. (To be fair, it’s not like Roskam hasn’t scared up his own share of outside-the-district thanks to Tom DeLay, Dick Cheney, et al.) – GOPJay, the only lead in any political race is the one on election day (or primary day in the case of Cegelis). Given that winning the primary is the goal she failed as a candidate. She’s a great, smart person but between throwing money out the window like there’s no tomorrow and not quite cutting it on GOTV strategy her campaign flopped. Period. So she lost the primary. Besides, it’s August. Cegelis is a non-issue. She supports Major Duckworth and a good many of Cegelis’ activists are now volunteering for either Duckworth, other local Dems or both. (And it’s funny how the Republicans in the room never bring up evangelical Christian Lindy Scott. What if he would’ve come in second? What sort of oddball distractions would Republicans come up with then?) As to your point about Major Duckworth’s injuries … you may have a hypothetical, alternate-universe point if only because she’d have been less likely to have met Senator Durbin at Walter Reed and the two may never have gotten to talking about Iraq and the failed conservative policies swirling around the stay-on-the-wrong-course occupation. But her injuries don’t change her life experience prior to Iraq or her overall progressive values so I think you’d have a hard time arguing she wouldn’t be the solid candidate she is today, injuries or no. - NW Burbs - Wednesday, Aug 16, 06 @ 11:55 pm: Should read: (To be fair, it’s not like Roskam hasn’t scared up his own share of outside-the-district support and money thanks to Tom DeLay, Dick Cheney, et al.) - Bill Baar - Thursday, Aug 17, 06 @ 6:59 am: Duckworth is the Democratic candidate because the only real issue is War. The Dems are right to run her. She’s a formidable candidate and I’ve said so on this blog when she was running in the primary. Roskam, if he underestimated Duckworth, was sadly mistaken. He needs to challange to talk over and over again on War and National Security. They need to debate, Iraq, Afganistan, Hezballah, Iran, preemtive war, wars-of-last-resort. It’s really the only thing worth talking about this election. Everything else is secondary. That’s why Duckworth is running. Roskam should recognize that. He’ll lose, deservedly, if he doesn’t. - Skeeter - Thursday, Aug 17, 06 @ 7:59 am: Finally, I agree with Baar. Roskam does need to talk. We need to know if he agrees with Mr. Bush’s plan of cutting and running from the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. That’s the problem that Roskam is facing. He cannot possibly win on social issues since he really is an extremist on those issues, and if he wants to talk about defense he needs to talk about the failures of the B-Team in Afghanistan. Of course he can’t talk about ethics since he sat and did nothing while his pals Ryan and DeLay were up to their usual activities. It is a tough time to be a Republican. - Wumpus - Thursday, Aug 17, 06 @ 9:14 am: They knew Cegelis could not win, her positions were known and she wasn’t afraid to voice them. Duckworth, is pretty much an unknown outside she is a soldier, who was shot down in Iraq an dlost her legs. Outside of that, the media does not focus on much else. No one focuses on her life prior to Iraq. I went to her website and I have said before, that they need to focus on her real job. Let’s be real, this is basically the typical partisan race, her money comes from unions, laywers and aborters/thier supporters and primarily outside the district, Hollywood and NYC (unless things have changed in the past 2 weeks). Roskam’s money come’s primarily from businesses, insurance companies and individuals who live in the 6th. I agree, if she hadn’t been severly injured in IRaq, she would not have been recruited for this race. That, in no way takes away from her service for all you overly sensitive pansies. - Cubs-I give up! - Thursday, Aug 17, 06 @ 4:14 pm: Duckworth has 3% of her individual $ from inside the district. Roskam has 54% of his individual $ from inside the district. People who donate vote-Roskam Wins Big - Larry - Monday, Aug 21, 06 @ 7:51 am: No matter how much money Laura Bush brings in, it won’t buy off voters. That’s why so many fed-up Republicans like me are supporting Tammy Duckworth. To read “Why Roskam Will Lose,” visit http://republicansforduckworth.typepad.com/blog/ Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.