Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 6 & 8 roundup *** Updated x2 ***

Tuesday, Sep 26, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune: Plenty of mud, not much clarity on border debate

* The Illinois Republican Party steps into the 8th District race on behalf of 3rd Party candidate Bill Scheurer, an anti-war liberal.

The Illinois Republican Party recently flooded the northwest suburban district with a campaign mailer contrasting Scheurer’s anti-war views with the supportive positions of GOP candidate David McSweeney and freshman Democratic incumbent Rep. Melissa Bean.

The GOP flier calls Scheurer a “principled liberal” who wants the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and accuses Bean of having “multiple positions” and “no convictions” on the issue. It calls McSweeney a “common-sense conservative” who wants to “complete the mission.”

John Tsarpalas, executive director of the Illinois Republican Party, said party officials believed it was important for district voters to know Scheurer’s views on the Iraq war, which national public opinion polls have shown to be an unpopular campaign.

“We think [Scheurer] has a clear position, and voters need to know his position,” Tsarpalas said.

* Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, writes that the GOP’s use of the immigration issue in the 6th and 8th Districts will backfire.

Scapegoating is a tried-and-true recipe in the cookbook of political action. Previous right-wing frenzies against “welfare queens” and “homosexual marriage” have been whipped up, so why not aim the venom this year at “illegals” and “Islamo-fascists”? Nasty, racially charged attacks may be divisive, but what matters in politics is winning and losing and nothing else.

Here is where Speaker Hastert and the NRCC are true gamblers. They bet that they can galvanize resentful white voters and keep control of the House without destroying the long-term prospects of the Republican Party. The problem for Republicans is that the Hispanic and immigrant electorate is growing at a spectacular rate. Moreover, they live in key presidential swing states, such as Florida, Arizona and Nevada. And increasingly, immigrant voters are populating key swing suburban areas.

In just the last five years, the number of naturalized immigrant citizens in DuPage County jumped to 91,000, a 49 percent increase. That’s precisely where the NRCC is wallpapering communities with anti-immigrant mailers. In Lake County, there was a 56 percent increase in naturalized citizens.

Recent polls show that Republicans are losing serious ground among Hispanic voters–especially among those who are evangelical and socially conservative. A July poll by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center showed Republican support among Hispanics dropping by 40 percent, with almost the entire loss coming from foreign-born Hispanics.

* “Democratic Congresswoman Melissa Bean is largely opposed to privatizing Social Security, while top challenger David McSweeney says it is the only way to fix an ailing system.”

* “With control of Capitol Hill on the line in this November’s elections, the two Republican candidates in the most hotly contested congressional races in Illinois have lined up the biggest fundraiser the GOP can offer: President Bush. Invitations have been sent to Republican boosters in the area for an Oct. 12 fundraiser with Bush for 6th Congressional District candidate Peter Roskam and 8th District candidate David McSweeney in the Chicago Hilton and Towers.”

* And here’s Peter Roskam’s new TV ad.

*** UPDATE 1 *** This e-mail alert from Roskam’s campaign was passed on to me by a friend.

Have you seen this mailing from Tammy Duckworth?

It claims Peter Roskam spent taxpayer money for art therapy for criminals…

FACT:

* The program serves At-Risk Children in DuPage County.

* The program is supported by Wheaton College and the DuPage County Bar Association.

* Provides children productive alternatives from drugs and crime.

“We are gratified that [Peter Roskam] believes in the importance of our youth arts outreach,” Sally Fairbank, of Community Art Partners. “With support like yours, we will be able to continue our programs so we can redirect more youth away from negative activities…”

Tammy Duckworth thinks we should give up on at-risk children?

*** UPDATE 2 *** Melissa Bean’s campaign recently sent out this e-mail to supporters. Forwarded by a friend and all emphasis is in the original.

The NRCC spent about $23,000 to send a mailing that accuses Melissa of using our fallen soldiers as a political tool to raise campaign money. Reprinting an ad that uses a photo of flag-draped coffins, the NRCC has decided that falsely accusing Melissa of dishonoring our soldiers is the best way to win this election. Never mind that neither she nor her campaign had anything to do with the ad in question. Never mind that she has tirelessly supported our soldiers and their families. Never mind that the NRCC is shamelessly and hypocritically using the very tactic they are falsely leveling at her. None of that matters to them. They just want to win. This is just the beginning. Clearly, the attack machine has kicked into high gear…

14 Comments

- wndycty - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 8:00 am:
Roskam’s ad is touching but it does not show what type of scum he is. For him to claim that Duckworth wants to “cut and run” is beyond despicable. The woman served in Iraq and literally left her limbs on the battlefield. Its another example of chickenhawk Republicans trying to wrap themselves in the flag by attacking veterans who served this country honorably but disagree with this administration (Murtha, Cleland, Kerry, etc.).

Great ad Peter but your actions in this weekend’s debate lead me to give you a new last name RoSCUM!

http://tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2006/sep/25/il_06_roskam_calls_amputee_veteran_duckworth_cut_and_run

The Illinois Senate will be a much better place without you and I’m motivated to keep your miserable being out of the US House. Shameful, shameful, shameful.

- Wumpus - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 8:25 am:
So these veterans can attack, but they cannot be criticized legitimately? I get it now.

- Squideshi - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 8:28 am:
Bill Scheurer has the winning position on this issue. Support our troops–bring them home!

- HANKSTER - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 9:15 am:
wndycty: I dont think people are going to buy Roskams claim that Duckworth, who lost both her legs in Iraq, is a “cut and runner,” especially because while she was fighting Roskam was ambulance chasing back home.

And what a joke he is, attacking Duckworth for not debating and then backing out of the biggest debate planned. He is nothing but a hypocrite.

- blue dog - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 9:35 am:
Oh, so it is okay for the GOPers to run a negative campaign ad attacking Duckworth with a
FLAG draped coffin but g.w. et al will not allow any other flag draped coffins to be viewed through pictures or video. Kind of like releasing classified info, only if it benefits them ! What a joke !

- Old Quack - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 9:49 am:
5 billion in the hole after the Ryan years and Roskam is touting a pork barrel project that helped put us there.

I don’t get it.

- West - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 10:05 am:
What’s the Roskam TV ad called, “The Brady Bunch?” I love the little kid saying his father “talks about protecting Social Security” all the time. I’m sure that’s the dinner table conversation at the Roskam’s home. As ABC’s John Stossel would say, “Give me a break!”

- Kdruben - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 10:25 am:
I live in the 8th district and have received 6 ads from the Bean campaign in the last week. The last one, which I received on Saturday, had a picture of the Chicago Skyline on it which opens up to see a picture of an oil rig on it. The last weeks had two with a crying woman on it, another with a picture of David McSweeney in between a woman and her doctor, and that other one which was featured on here last week regarding stem cell research. All of them had this same information in them…

Support for drilling in Lake Michigan by McSweeney.
Support for overturning Roe v. Wade (great quote and very powerful)
Lack of support for stem cell research in adults.
Support for a ban on abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

While all of this is great information, it is all in the same order with a different picture on the front. I think that I would have much rather seen a piece by Bean on Abortion only… Drilling Only… stem cell research only, etc.

For a nationally run campaign, I have not been all that impressed by the mail that is beginning to flow into the mailbox.

I also happened to get the NRCC ad with the flags on it… it was one of the worst pieces I have seen in a LONG time.

- Wumpus - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 11:31 am:
Well, driling for oil may actually help clean up lake MI. Too bad Bean supports buying all oil from the Saudi’s and Iranians.

- Charles Martel - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 12:44 pm:
While Slick Pete Roskam was attempting to shake down Secretary of State employees with numbered tickets Tammy Duckworth was training to defend our country. Who has the 6th District values?

- Anonymous - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 12:53 pm:
Ask Tammy Duckworth who she will vote for on her ballot for Congress: McSweeney or Bean?

- NW burbs - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 12:59 pm:
The GOP flier calls Scheurer a â€œprincipled liberalâ€ who wants the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq …

â€œWe think [Scheurer] has a clear position, and voters need to know his position,â€ Tsarpalas said.

Wow. Scheurer’s a political genius.

He’s figured out how to get conservatives to stop calling a sensible plan “cut and run”.

Shh! Don’t tell Ken Mehlman. Let’s see if we can get this same idea of immediate withdrawal to work nationwide now that the Republicans are calling this idea “principled”.

(/end snark)

–

West, John Stossel is a conservative hack, or haven’t you heard?

Perhaps you too are surprised that Petey Roskam has decided to side with the Democrats and protect Social Security from the Destructive Conservative Privatizing Plan.

- Matt - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 1:17 pm:
Josh clearly does’t know the 6th District.

- grand old partisan - Tuesday, Sep 26, 06 @ 4:03 pm:
wndycty, please explain how Roskam is a “chickenhawk.” Which war did he avoid serving in during the years which he was eligible for enlistment?

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