Peter Fitzgerald, then and now
Thursday, Oct 9, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Former Illinois US Senator Peter Fitzgerald went after Barack Obama yesterday on behalf of John McCain’s campaign…
“For Senator Obama, reform and nonpartisanship is something to campaign on but not something he does when he actually gets into office,” said Fitzgerald who served with the Illinois Democrat in the state legislature. Fitzgerald added that Obama was nothing more than “one of those state Senators from Chicago who viewed the Democratic Party as being right 100 percent of the time and the Republican party wrong 100 percent of the time.”
* More…
“I don’t ever recall him working across party lines [when Obama was in the state Senate]. He is a very partisan and ideological Democrat.”
* More…
“In fact he rode the Chicago machine to where he is today.”
* More…
Looking at Obama’s career in Springfield, Ill., Fitzgerald said, “I don’t recall him as being a reformer.” […]
Fitzgerald acknowledged that Obama has collaborated with GOP state lawmakers on legislation, but said the bills probably had prior approval of Democratic leaders. “They weren’t controversial and it didn’t take courage to do that,” he said.
GOP influence in the state is minimal, he said.
“The Republicans there, at this point, have little or no power, and they’re just not relevant,” Fitzgerald said.
* However, the Obama campaign passed around this response yesterday…
Fitzgerald, In His Farewell Speech, Noted His Two Years Of State Senate Service With Obama And Said He Was “Almost Unequaled In His Potential And Promise…He May Surprise The Political Pundits By Voting, Crossing Party Lines At Times That You Don’t Expect Him To…” In 2004, Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) said on the Senate floor, “Barack Obama, my successor, I wish him well. It was a privilege to have lunch with him yesterday in the Senate dining room. I served with Barack Obama in the State senate for 2 years. He was coming in, in the legislature in Springfield, in my last 2 years of service there. He is an uncommonly bright and talented young man.
He is 1 year younger than I. He is the first African-American president of the Harvard Law School. He is almost unequaled in his potential and promise. I am confident he will be a credit to the State of Illinois. I think he may surprise the political pundits by voting, crossing party lines at times that you don’t expect him to. It may be a challenge for him with Senator Durbin as his whip. But I see Barack Obama as possibly being a fairly moderate voice, more moderate than many people suspect.” [Congressional Record, 11/19/04]
* And conservative columnist George Will had these thoughts today about trying to use the Chicago stuff against Obama…
It is less that Obama has bad ideas than that Obama is a bad person.
This, McCain and his female Sancho Panza say, is demonstrated by bad associations Obama had in Chicago, such as with William Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist.
But the McCain-Palin charges have come just as the Obama campaign is benefiting from a mass mailing it is not paying for. Many millions of American households are gingerly opening envelopes containing reports of the third-quarter losses in their 401(k) and other retirement accounts — telling each household its portion of the nearly $2 trillion that Americans’ accounts have recently shed.
In this context, the McCain-Palin campaign’s attempt to get Americans to focus on Obama’s Chicago associations seem surreal — or, as a British politician once said about criticism he was receiving, “like being savaged by a dead sheep.”
Thoughts?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:12 am:
Saint Peter’s talking out of both sides of his mouth. Maybe he wants his old job back, that is, if his old man will take the capital gains hit and dump some of that Bank of Montreal stock.
Still, he can always take credit for bringing in the other Fitz….
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:18 am:
Obama came in with a lot of promise. He hasn’t delivered. Fitzgerald’s favorable comments occur when Obama is making his great first impressions. Today’s comments come after witnessing Obama’s lack of results.
Not a reformer. Not new politics. Just a disappointment.
- Bill - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:21 am:
Fitzgerald is just another rich chump who bought himself a federal office by running against a vunerable incumbent. When it looked like he might have some real opposition he quits and hides out in another state.
He was probably the worst senator in Illinois history. Go back to the bank and shut up,Petey. You are not even a footnote.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:23 am:
VMan, in both his earlier positive and current negative statements, Fitzgerald is referring to the same two years in the state Senate.
- Springfield Alum - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:26 am:
It sounds like Senator Fitzgerald is just happy to be asked to be part of the McCain-Palin hit squad and be relevant again.
It sure doesn’t appear as though these tactics are going to work with this election, however. It may have been sport in past elections, but most voters aren’t interested this time given the economic crisis. Case in point: the voter reaction meter CNN used at Tuesday’s debate sank when the candidates got personnally snarky with each other.
- charles in charge - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:41 am:
At last, the nation can cease its breathless anticipation of Peter Fitzgerald weighing in on the 2008 presidential election.
With heavy hitters like Fitzgerald and Cleveland Browns backup QB Brady Quinn lining up behind him, McCain’s looking unbeatable!
I say Alan Keyes’ endorsement seals the deal.
- stones - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:46 am:
Memo to McCain / Palin:
IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPID!
- Captain Flume - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 11:58 am:
Seems as though the national Republican brain trust is being tutored by their Illinois office holders on how to influunce voters and win votes. Unfortunately for the American citizenry at large, the lack of competition will lead us to the same dictatorship of the Democratic majority at a national level as we have in Illinois. It will eventually make lots of us wish that there were at least TWO parties to vote for, that we would have more than a Hobson’s choice.
- Wumpus - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 12:06 pm:
How dare Fitzgerald say something classy about his successor! The nerve. The Fitzgerald Appotiment has done more for IL politics than Obama ever has
- Tom B. - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 12:09 pm:
Echoing Bill here, if the McCain camp has to resort to Fitzgerald (btw, notice how Dillard isn’t the one doing it? You guys don’t think he was asked?), they’re toast.
- WAR DOG - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 12:15 pm:
Time and history will tell how Obama will turn out. I do know that the one time I requested some kind of help from Sen. Obama him or his staff referred me to Sen. Durbin. I was not very happy with him and it certainly changed my opinion.
- Pat Collins - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 12:18 pm:
think he may surprise the political pundits by voting, crossing party lines at times that you don’t expect him to
Well, Peter F was certainly wrong here. You can’t cite a single instance of this happening. So Fitz was wrong then and is right now.
- Bill Baar - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 12:21 pm:
Many millions of American households are gingerly opening envelopes containing reports of the third-quarter losses…
I’m sure we’ll be seeing a more relevant ad to the housing bubble burst and how Gov Blagojevich didn’t need a home equity loan for his upgrades.
- Captain America - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 12:42 pm:
I congratulate Senator Fitzgerald for his one notable accomplishment as a Senator, bucking the system, to see that a tremendously competent outsider, Patrick Fitzgerald, was appointed as U.S. Attorney to root out political corruption in Illinois.
His partisan attack on Senator Obama is inconsequential. Who cares what an obscure one-term Senator/Illinois expatriate has to say about a Presidential candidate? Absolutely no one cares what Peter Fitzgerald thinks. The conflict between his former remarks and his current attack smacks of hyprorisy.
This completely unwarranted attack will bounce off the Teflon armor of Obama. When will Republicans figure out “attack politics” will not suffice to overcome 8 years of the worst Presidency in modern American history. Each absurd attack further innoculates Obama again the mud that is flying his way.
Fear and negative attacks are not working because you can only go to that well so many times before people stop listening. McCain is rapidly losing all credibility - his personal integirty is in shreds as a result of the attacks launched by him, his surrogates, and his poor excuse for his Vice-Presidential nominee.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again for all those bloggers who are in denial - just to rub it in: This election is over. Landslide!!!
- cermak_rd - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 12:49 pm:
No, no! Sancho Panza was the member of the duo with horse sense and common sense. Quijote was the one who was insensible!
- Vote Quimby! - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 1:52 pm:
Peter Fitzgerald isn’t our senator anymore? Hmmm… I gotta stay up on these things.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 2:19 pm:
When will Republicans figure out “attack politics” will not suffice to overcome 8 years of the worst Presidency in modern American history.
Four of which were obtained by the American people re-endorsing it. Perhaps some self-flagellation is in order here, too.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 2:24 pm:
I think Petey Fitz did an excellent job. I miss him.
That being said, here’s a real question behind Fitz’s comments:
If Obama is elected president, the Dems will hold large majorities in Congress and the Senate. Will Obama work across the aisle at that point? Or will he ram his policies down our throats in the same fashion Dubya has done over the past 7 1/2 years?
It’s a relevant question. I’m not going to debate what he wants do in this venue, but what will it be like if that scenario shakes out?
- Black Ivy - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 3:15 pm:
I was surprised by from U.S> Senator Peter Fitzgerald’s recent commentary concerning Obama as well. WHy are we so intxicated by Obama being the “first” African-American andything (including Fitzgerald in 2004)? I don’t mind the intrigue, but at a time when the Dow Jones fell below 9000, we should all be interested in substantive policies, not life stories.
To be clear, I am a Black women whose siblings attended undergraduate and professioanl schools (including Ivy Leagues). Obama’s journey should be applauded, but there are other every-day “Obama” stories out there that happen everyday.
- You Go Boy - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 3:28 pm:
We are in two wars in the Middle East and an Economic War at home that has us on the ropes. We are NOT DOWN yet, and if we get knocked down, we must GET UP! We need leadership to be honest and clarify what we need to do individually and as a nation. What we have is McCain, Obama, and this Congress. Times make the man/woman, and I do believe we will be fine because someone will emerge as one to look up to, respect and follow. There is a fear panic in progress because there is no one to turn to (NO ONE!) - but it will happen. Hope springs eternal.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 3:34 pm:
Peter Fitzgerald gave us something we never have gotten from Barack Obama. Six years of actual work in the US Senate.
- Bon Chance - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 3:38 pm:
Why’d you take my comment down?
- Big Mama T - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 4:24 pm:
- Black Ivy - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 3:15 pm:
Excellent post. You seem to be one of the few who have a firm grasp on what is going on around the US and the world.
My biggest question is why are people so intoxicated by Obama? He is a great orator, but…
- Plutocrat03 - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 4:46 pm:
Bill got up on the wrong side of bed today.
PF kept sounding the alarm that the state’s finances were a sham during his tenure in office. He was an exemplary Senator who did not want to play footsie with any of the corrupt players in the state.
I thank him every day when I read a bout the pols that are being jailed or removed from office by Pat Fitz.
Look at it this way, soon you will be able to visit a whole bunch of crooks at one address.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 5:23 pm:
Give Bill a break. His sponsors didn’t have talking points prepared for this topic so he had to ad lib and his comments were off a bit.
You know, like the Messiah.
Peter Fitzgerald faught against bogus budgeting here and in Washington.
He solidified his one-term status with the combination of the Patrick Fitgerald appointment and the live on C-Span callout of not trusting Uncle George and others with the Fed $$ for the Lincoln Presidential Museum.
He was right on both counts.
Can anyone identify an Obama achievement in his State or Federal tenures either as meaningful to Illinois or as eh, gutsy as those two? Take your time, now.
Peter was not AA’s cup of tea as a Senator and was I he, I would have said nice things about McCain instead of bad things about Obama.
Having said that, he did have some achievements, which were his alone, not gifts from leadership, and knew when to pack it in and enjoy his dough and his family. I hope someday a future Congress remembers him by naming a new Club Fed in his honor.
- Quotient - Thursday, Oct 9, 08 @ 7:26 pm:
Don’t forget Peter Fitz voted NOT to bail out United Airlines. The vote was like 99-1, he was the lone dissent in the Senate. And United is in *his* district.
Obama will never, ever show that kind of leadership.
- Soy Milk - Formerly Known As Napoleon has left the building - Friday, Oct 10, 08 @ 12:17 am:
Will’s comment about the 401k statements is unbelievably spot on. Obama was probably going to win a close election before the other shoe fell, but now it’s a done deal.
We should enjoy the Tina Fey parodies of Palin while we can, in 2 years nobody will remember who she is. Maverickyish!
Note to Joe Lieberman: enjoy the rest of your career in obscurity.