* Democratic congressional candidate Colleen Callahan floated a pretty controversial proposal during a candidates debate this week…
One contrast did emerge when Democrat Colleen Callahan responded to a question asking what unpopular or controversial issue she would champion by saying she would re-institute the draft, saying it would be the “fairest way” to rebuild the military stressed from handling the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I know my campaign staff isn’t going to like me saying say this,” Callahan said. “I know from all of those who are currently serving, proud as they are of their service, many of them are coming from the National Guard and it leaves us open, at risk, here at home where we have needs from disasters.”
Any time you hear a candidate say: “I know my campaign staff isn’t going to like me saying say this,” make sure to turn on your tape recorder. What follows will almost always be newsworthy.
Billy Dennis termed her response “one whopper of an answer.” Yep.
There are something like four colleges in that district. I’m not sure it’s gonna go over well.
* Callahan is now trying to walk back her answer…
Callahan said Thursday that the question put to the candidates a day earlier was merely hypothetical and that her answer was conditional.
“I’m not advocating it,” she said of a draft. “I wouldn’t introduce legislation that says that.” But, she added, “When I’m the congressman, if that came up for my vote, would I consider it? Yes.”
* But, as Bernie notes, there’s a really big problem with that spin…
News reports and the person who asked the question said it had been more direct.
Mike Dimmick, a news anchor on WEEK-TV in Peoria, said Thursday that the question he asked was, “Can you name one tough, even unpopular issue you’d be willing to champion if elected to Congress?”
In response, WEEK video showed, Callahan said, “If you want honesty and candor, I will say reinstitute the draft. You can gasp if you want, but I believe it is the fairest way for us to begin to rebuild our military.”
* Meanwhile, as I’ve pointed out before, the issue of a proposed suburban freight railroad expansion has residents up in arms. A recent forum in the south suburbs drew hundreds of people…
The prospect of running more trains on the EJ&E Railroad line and forever altering suburban lifestyles led to another packed public meeting Monday night.
About 300 people jammed into a ballroom at the Holiday Inn in Matteson to listen and chime in on Canadian National Railway’s plans to buy the EJ&E. And once again, the plans elicited no shortage of passion. […]
CN wants to buy from U.S. Steel for $300 million the 198 miles of EJ&E tracks rimming the Chicago area and cutting through Southland towns such as Chicago Heights, Park Forest, Matteson, Frankfort and New Lenox. The towns along the tracks would see train traffic more than triple as CN reroutes trains from busier rail lines in Chicago and the inner suburbs.
* 11th District Democratic Congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson has spoken against the planned expansion. The Democratic/liberal blog Progress Illinois posted a letter that seems to show one of Ozinga’s companies supports the railroad plan…
As a candidate, Ozinga has so far been mum on the sale. But his concrete company is a different story. In a Nov. 1, 2007 letter to the federal Surface Transportation Board, one of Ozinga Bros.’ subsidiaries — Ozinga Transportation — explicitly endorsed the plan.
* I asked the Ozinga campaign for a response and initially received this…
“This is yet another misleading attack from Debbie Halvorson. The fact is, Marty Ozinga has pledged to do everything in his power to adequately address the concerns of local communities as it relates to the Canadian National proposal…”
* I sent an e-mail back asking specifically if Ozinga supports or opposes the railroad proposal. The reply…
Marty wants the concerns of the affected communities addressed before anything moves forward. That’s his position.
Clear as mud?
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the Halvorson campaign….
Halvorson For Congress Campaign Manager Brian Doory released a statement today regarding Ozinga Transportation’s November 2007statement, on behalf of Ozinga Bros. Inc, that stated “strong support” for the Canadian National Railway’s proposed acquisition of the EJ&E Railway.
“Why won’t Marty Ozinga accept responsibility for sending this letter? Why won’t he take responsibility for his company’s actions? This is a question of integrity, consistency and values and the voters deserve to know exactly who Marty Ozinga will represent in Congress: his own bottom line or the interests of the community.”
“Does Marty Ozinga deny his company sent this letter? How can Marty say that he doesn’t support the CN acquisition when Ozinga Brothers is clearly on record in “strong support” of the deal? Has Marty denounced the letter or even said he is opposed to the deal?”
“Marty Ozinga is playing games with the voters. Why does he refuse to put his mouth where his money is? Until he does, one thing is clear: Marty Ozinga is only representing his own bottom-line.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the Ozinga campaign…
In an announcement sure to spark outcry from working families across Illinois’ 11th Congressional District, Senate President Emil Jones – Career Politician Debbie Halvorson’s “father figure,” according to Halvorson herself – said Thursday that he would not call senators back to Springfield until after the November elections.
His announcement means that five state parks in the 11th District will close. And it means that the ethics reform bill will die.
Based on her own words, one can only assume that Debbie Halvorson – despite whatever she may now say out of political expediency – agrees with the Blagojevich-Jones agenda of closing state parks and killing ethics reform.
* On another front, GOP Congresscritter Mark Kirk is on the attack…
One of the leading moderate Republicans in the House, Kirk is among the wonkiest members of Congress. So when he goes full bore against his Democratic opponent, business consultant Dan Seals, it’s evident that he knows he’s in the political fight of his career. In an interview here last week — conducted just after he had finished discussing the minute details of energy policy with other moderate Republicans — Kirk leveled some harsh, personal attacks against Seals, calling him an unemployed carpetbagger who wants to raise voters’ taxes.
“He didn’t move into the district and has some résumé issues. He has no steady job. He made $5,000 in income this year. He has made a number of missteps,” Kirk said. ”One of the things my opponent wants to do is raise the capital gains tax. You don’t have to explain a capital gains tax cut in my district. They can spell it out to you in spades, what it has done for their family.”
* That prompted a response from Kos frontpager brownsox…
It’s absolutely true that Seals “made $5,000 in income this year”.
It is also true that Mark Kirk himself made $7,000 the year he first ran for Congress.
Kirk took a leave of absence from work that year…
* Related…
* Editorial: Silly ads in 11th District no help to voters
- anon - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 10:35 am:
the headline makes it look like Ozinga is defending Callhan..
- Heartless Libertarian - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 10:44 am:
3 points.
1. No matter what Callahan says, she is going to lose 60-40. She might as well be herself and lose, than be a phony and lose.
2. Ozinga and Halverson are two of the worst candidates I have ever seen. Neither is polished when it comes to policy or speaking. Neither is asthetically pleasing. If there was a “Neither” box to check when you vote, “Neither” would win in a landslide.
3. I think Kirk is a little paranoid at this point. Yes, Illinois is revved up for Barack Obama. But, split-ticket voters come through for him. And every poll I have seen have Kirk up, usually by more that 10 points. There was one I saw a while ago that had him up 20 points.
- Team America - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 10:45 am:
Dan Seals is an empty suit, and had his best chance in 2006. In trying to defend Seals, Kos and our friends at Progress Illinois actually gave a huge compliment to Mark Kirk and an even bigger diss to Dan Seals.
PI revived an old newspaper article that reminds voters just how incredibly experienced Mark Kirk was when he first ran for Congress.
As noted in one of the articles cited, Mark Kirk had the following qualifications when he ran for Congress eight years ago:
1) “Kirk formerly worked as [then-GOP Rep. John] Porter’s chief-of-staff” – Chicago Tribune, 3/23/2000
2) “Kirk…worked in Washington the past 18 years as a congressional aide” – Chicago Tribune, 3/23/2000
3) “His most recent job was counsel to the U.S. House International Relations Committee.” – Chicago Tribune, 3/23/2000
Compare that to Dan Seals who boasts a Washington internship, a part-time (and one-time) gig as a night-school lecturer, and work as a self-proclaimed business consultant with no clients as “experience.” The liberal bloggers make Mark Kirk look like a brain surgeon when compared to Dan Seals – the flunky third-year medical student still learning his way around the hospital.
Seals has given up the battle to get any earned media and is expecting Charlie Rangel and the DCCC to come to his rescue. The voters of the 10th don’t like being told what to do by people outside the district. Kirk’s record and experience speak for themselves, and Seals can buy the credentials he needs to win, no matter how much money he has available to buy ad time.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 10:48 am:
anon, thanks. I agree, so I changed the title.
- Team America - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 10:49 am:
Of course, that should be “can’t buy the credentials” he needs to win. Even Obama knows that, unless you count Joe Biden.
- convention goer - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 10:57 am:
Mark Kirk was a weekend warrior in the Navy when he ran for congress so he had a gig and made more than $5,000 even though he took time off of work. Seald still has not moved into the district on his third run. Kirk ran once and won.
- adam smith - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 11:10 am:
Kirk learned a valuable lesson in ‘06 when he saw many of his colleagues asleep at the switch get burned by no-name candidates. Don’t misinterpret Kirk’s aggressive campaign with being afraid of Seals. Kirk has the money, the positive name ID and the organization to bury Seals and send a message to the Dems in DC that they should stop listening to the limo liberals on the North Shore who Kirk has driven insane for nearly a decade. The Dems have been throwing mud at Kirk for years and he’s not about to sit around waiting for it to stick.
- rex - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 11:22 am:
Callahan is in a political meltdown.
As an ag broadcaster for 30 years she just lost the Farm Bureau endorsement and now she wants to conscript everyone becuase she knows it would be a great life experience for everyone and really make them patriotic. She isn’t going to make up any ground in the polls with that.
- shore - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 11:29 am:
Seals has been running hard for 4 years, millions of dollars raised, terrible national and local enviornments for the gop, and you’d think by now he’d have shown us a poll showing that he was going somewhere. With Palin helping shore up a lot of republicans elsewhere, and the democrats with 30 freshmen in deep gop districts it will be interesting to see if the dccc sticks with him if he can’t improve.
It’s also pretty sad that other areas of the state that are more republican and conservative, like bean’s district, hastert’s district, ect haven’t been able to run better campaigns on more friendly turf.
- wordslinger - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 11:38 am:
Kirk’s should run scared. His district is wobbly. He’s lucky he’s got Seals.
- ConservativeVeteran - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 11:53 am:
Kirk’s district shouldn’t have a democrat candidate, since he’s more liberal than many Democrats. His latest rating, from Gun Owners of America, is 0%, and his latest rating, from Planned Parenthood, is 100%. In May 2007, when 11 republican congressmen went to the White House and told Bush that they opposed the Iraq surge, Kirk was their leader. He says that he opposes congressional earmarks, but he ensured that the federal government spent money, in his district, for Metra, education, and local police departments.
- 10th Indy - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 12:02 pm:
Seals took a leave of absence three years ago to run for office and never went back - so what has he been doing for those three years besides collecting money from ActBlue? Any volunteer work? Join any 10th District civic associations? Participate? Make a difference? I’ve never met him at a block party, a school, a festival.
Kirk has always been a hard-working elected official and is all over the district. He’s talked at my kid’s school, visited my neighbor’s church and walked the streets at Libertyville days. At the same time he held BP’s feet to the fire, wrote energy legislation and did service in the Navy Reserves. Why would we trade that kind of work ethic in for a guy who has done nothing for us except run for congress for the past three years? I’ve always been a ticket-splitter and see no reason for that to change this year.
- Will Co Anon - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 12:22 pm:
Ozinga flat refuses to say that he opposes the sale of the EJ&E to Canadian National. CN’s position is clear. They believe that they should only contribute perhaps 5% of the costs to mitigate the impact of this proposed sale. So when Ozinga says communities concerns should be addressed, he is essentially saying he endorses CN’s position.
Debbie needs to shove this one down his throat. If she wins New Lenox and Frnakfurt on this issue, she wins in a walk.
- AnonPol - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 1:07 pm:
Kirk will win. Seals will loose. Simple as that. Kirk is the strongest supporter of Israel in Congress and that is important to many voters in the 10th. Seals on the otherhand advocates talking it out with Iran and will be soft on Israel and the defense of Israel. The north shore is awash with smart voters who are not afraid to split their tickets. They will also support moderate Republican candidates for State office like Beth Coulson, Tim Stratton (going for Karen May’s seat) and generally reject rabid partisanship. Beth Coulson has consistently prevailed in what conventional wisdom calls a heavily democratic district.
- Nearly Normal - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 1:42 pm:
I had a young man working for the Republicans come by my house this past Sunday. He had literature about Ozinga and was trying to get information out about him to counter all the anti literature sent out by the Democrats.
What I thought was really interesting was his comment that he wanted to make sure that those who were crossing over to vote for Obama came back to the Republicans to vote for Ozinga!
I asked him if he was hearing this directly and he said yes, several people told him they were life long Republicans but they were NOT going to vote for McCain/Palin.
And this was the weekend after the Republican convention. That really surprised me since McLean County is so heavily Republican that if an R wins the primary in most local elections, they are going to win the general election. Primaries are more hotly contested than the general election.
The thing is that people are upset with the party in control of the presidency. I do not know if it is the war or the economy or what that is causing these comments.
It really surprised me.
But, there is still a lot time before election day.
- Comedy Central - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 2:12 pm:
Kirk used almost the same stand-up routine description of Seals last time around repeatedly; with the exception of the “unemployed” part, which did not really come into focus until late in the last election, but has perpetuated itself since.
The highlight of Seals part time lecturing career occurred when he had Rostenkowski come in as a guest lecturer in a business ethics class; at the conclusion of which he stands up in front of the class and publicly announces that he is handing Seals a campaign check. That kind of maneuver really plays well with highly educated and independent minded voters.
1-Adam-12 was right on target above when he said:
{send a message to the Dems in DC that they should stop listening to the limo liberals on the North Shore who Kirk has driven insane for nearly a decade. The Dems have been throwing mud at Kirk for years and he’s not about to sit around waiting for it to stick.}
Dan Seals is the monster created out of whole cloth by interloper Dr. Frankenstein; Jan Schakowsky in the neighboring 9th, thinking that she can be a king-maker everywhere she goes. People have a quota in this area; and Larry Suffredin has already turned into more than they can take.
Eye-Gore in this continuing Brooksian comedy is dutifily played by Lauren Beth Gash; who is still in denial that she got beat in 2000 and still blames others for her loss. LBG’s gone full tilt after Kirk with straw men like Seals every two years since, and may need to be fitted with a Straight Jacket and sent to the Cuckoo’s Nest, after this year when Kirk will have the distinction of making her a 5 time loser in this district.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 2:38 pm:
I like Schock quite a bit. But he says some off-the-wall quips - or at least things that are odd to the general voting public - and Callahan should have the equal time to do the same. Her comments aren’t as off-handed as some people may think.
The DCCC will now go on the defensive. With no offense to Mr. Seals, I think they are more concerned with keeping seats and fending off “Palin-mania” than winning any more seats. They may actually lose a few seats, but it will be a “zeroed out” outcome for both sides.
- Team America - Friday, Sep 12, 08 @ 2:46 pm:
Comedy Central - I think you have LBG pegged. LOL