13th District roundup
Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Champaign/Urbana liberals who think George Gollin is too moderate are in luck…
A third Democrat is jumping into the 13th Congressional District race, joining former Madison County Judge Ann Callis and University of Illinois Professor George Gollin.
David Green, 63, of Champaign promises an “insurgent campaign” that will “appeal to leftists in the Democratic Party, those who identify with other leftists parties, including the Green Party and anti-war libertarianism.” […]
“First of all, I’m anti-war, anti-military-industrial complex, anti-intervention in other counties, anti-military bases in other countries,” he said. “I’m anti-Wall Street and anti-big bank and the financialization of the economy. And I’m anti-business-as-usual in Washington in terms of the leaders in Washington not being accountable to the voters as much as to the corporate lobbyists and so forth. […]
He also favors “free education for all from preschool through graduate school.”
Obviously, the favorite here is the DCCC’s candidate Ann Callis.
* Meanwhile, on the other side of the district’s aisle…
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis reiterated Thursday that while he believes in climate change, he does not support a cap-and-trade law to limit carbon emissions or any other measure that he said would increase energy costs on industry and consumers.
The League of Conservation Voters has begun running television ads in the Champaign and St. Louis markets, attacking the Taylorville Republican for his position on cap-and-trade proposals. It accuses him of opposing “President Obama’s common sense climate change plan” that “would significantly cut carbon pollution from power plants, which are the single largest source of carbon pollution.”
Both Davis and his Republican primary opponent, Urbana attorney Erika Harold, said Thursday they oppose cap-and-trade laws and more environmental regulation of coal-fired power plants.
“Their agenda is clearly a cap-and-trade system which is a tax on carbon that will kill American jobs and raise our utility rates. The question you need to ask them is how much do you want citizens in Springfield, Illinois, and Champaign, Illinois, to pay to flip on their light switches?” Davis said during Republican Day festivities at the state fair and elsewhere in Springfield. “How much do you want people to actually grow the unemployment rolls, because they don’t have jobs because you have shut down our energy plants, some of the best job-providers in this country.
* Here’s the ad…
* Bernie…
The League of Conservation Voters announced this week it is running TV ads in Champaign-Springfield and St. Louis markets, saying that U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, “denies climate-change science. […]
An announcer in the ad says that 97 percent of scientists agree climate change is happening, NASA says it’s worsening extreme weather, and Davis suggested that “global warming has stopped 16 years ago.” […]
[Davis spokesman Andrew Flach] points out that the quote lifted from an Illinois Public Media interview in October doesn’t include Davis’ almost-immediate expansion on the issue, saying he would “love to see more stats. …”
“But climate change is real,” he said then. “The debate is over whether or not it’s man-made or natural.” He also said at the time that it needs to be determined how “we ensure that we continue to reduce emissions in this country at levels that we have compared to other nations, while still not putting America and the American economy and American job creation at a disadvantage.”
Sounds like he’s trying to have it both ways.
Climate change, I’m told by some Democratic strategists, is becoming a real issue for female voters. It’s a “filter” they’re beginning to use to judge candidates overall, the way gay rights used to be. If the candidates are climate change deniers, then they’re more likely to be unacceptable to those voters. So that may be one reason why Democratic treasurer candidate Mike Frerichs has been all over the climate change issue lately.
* More Bernie…
ERIKA HAROLD of Urbana, a lawyer who happens to have been the 2003 Miss America, looks as if she’ll be getting some more national publicity as she runs for the U.S. House in the 13th Congressional District, which includes part of Springfield.
At the GOP lunch at the state fair on Republican Day last week, a contract video crew for ABC News was on hand.
Harold said they wanted to record her “interacting with voters for a special” that is planned for September. She said the program is about “several people in different states, and they reached out to me,” but she didn’t want to reveal more about the show because “I think it’s a surprise.”
She’s unique, so that’s national news. But she still needs to start raising real money.
- shore - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 12:14 pm:
pre tea party I would think davis has this locked up, but all it really takes as senators mike castle and charlie crist will attest is a few hannity or rush appearances for her to catch fire. I think the fall and the coming votes on immigration and budget issues are her real chance to make noise.
- Keep Calm and Carry On - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 12:18 pm:
Harold would have made such a great candidate for just about any other office in any other district.
It’s a free country, but financial backing and local support for Harold appears to be stuck in neutral.
She would have exploded in financial and volunteer support running for an open seat or challenging a Dem. It’s sad to see, since she’s a nice person.
As to climate change? We go our answer in the first sentence of that story: “U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis reiterated Thursday that while he believes in climate change, he does not support a cap-and-trade law”
Seems clear enough.
- downstate hack - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 12:47 pm:
Climate Change is not an issue with any real traction in this economy. IMHO
- QC Examiner - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 12:50 pm:
Climate change is a historical fact—attempting to change climate via taxes is purely a Democrat invention.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 1:02 pm:
===not an issue with any real traction in this economy===
It’s not the issue per se, it’s being used by a growing number of voters, however, to screen out unacceptable candidates.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 1:16 pm:
===Climate change is a historical fact—attempting to change climate via taxes is purely a Democrat invention.===
Conservative economists since Adam Smith have favored taxing things we want less of, like carbon dioxide. Cap and trade schemes, or a carbon tax, is a way to price the externalities of energy that are not currently paid for in a gallon of gas or a btu.
It’s kind of like the health insurance mandate that eliminates the problem of free riders in the market. That used to be a conservative idea until a Democrat made it law. If you want to give the Democratic Party credit for a sensible plan to reduce the impact of climate change, we’ll be happy to take it.
- Keep Calm and Carry On - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 1:22 pm:
Interesting point, downstate hack.
While some may use climate change as a filter in deciding how to vote, many more in this economy may use an issue like cap-and-trade as a filter.
Only one of those (cap-and-trade) has the ability to immediately hit you in the pocketbook or cost your local community jobs in this economy as a result of increased operating expenses.
Climate change might have a bit more traction among voters in general once the economy picks back up.
- GV - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 1:41 pm:
David Green’s anti-everything platform just convinced me I was anti-him.
- Downstater - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 1:58 pm:
In almost all polling, climate change is way down the list of importance to voters. Climate change is real. It has been going on for thousands of years!
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 2:01 pm:
Downstater, you’ve been warned. Ignore it if you want. I’m sure the Dems will be happy to hear it.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 2:06 pm:
I’ve never understood this visceral reaction against climate change. Of course the climate ebbs and flows over the millennia. But it’s also pretty arrogant of people to think that humans have had absolutely no effect on the climate. What exactly is the harm in making an effort to have the least amount of human impact on the climate? I’m not suggesting we ban coal or anything like that but I also don’t get this extreme push back by some people on anything related to the climate. You think if you scream loud enough and stomp your feet that it will make it any less true?
- Going nuclear - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 2:46 pm:
There is a little bit of good news when it comes to the GOP and climate change. A growing number of conservatives are working on a proposal for a revenue neutral carbon tax to address the problem. It may also eliminate all subsidies for all fuels, from fossil fuels to renewables. We’ll see if they can muster enough support in the party to get the proposal on the table.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 2:48 pm:
===It may also eliminate all subsidies for all fuels===
So, they’re pulling the fleet out of the Persian Gulf?
- capncrunch - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 3:00 pm:
I would be interested in the results of a poll asking likely Illinois voters to rank the most important issues in the next election.
- Louis Howe - Tuesday, Aug 20, 13 @ 6:26 pm:
The Illinois Democratic establishment has once again offered an establishment candidate in Judge Callis. The sorry record for working families continues with democratic insiders running the game. No wonder downstaters have abandoned democratic state and federal candidates.