A dig too far?
Wednesday, Feb 11, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Illinois GOP Rep. Aaron Schock has launched his own review of tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursements he received for official use of his personal vehicle, following questions raised Tuesday about the practice.
Nearly every month since he’s been in Congress, the fourth-term Republican has received roughly $1,000 in “private auto mileage” reimbursements from his Member Representational Allowance. At the same time, he has chartered private jets on the taxpayers’ dime, incurring hefty, five-figure bills. And his campaign has shelled out upward of $50,000 for the use of his vehicle.
* The real question here is with the auto mileage, but the globe-trotting contributes to the issue. From April of 2014…
On April 6, he was in Las Vegas for the Academy Of Country Music Awards. He missed House votes the next day.
On April 19, he was in Hawaii, where a photographer posted on Instagram a shot of the chiseled Illinois Republican surfing off Waikiki Beach. He then jetted off to Asia for a six-day congressional delegation trip to China, South Korea and Japan. On April 28, he was back in New York, where he appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and Fox News.
Schock was also in Washington for 11 days that month, casting votes on the House floor.
Yet in April, Schock received a reimbursement for nearly $1,200 worth of mileage, amounting to approximately 2,100 miles on his personal vehicle. The same month, his aides received a total of $702 in reimbursements, which would equal 1,255 miles in driving.
* But is this a bad rap? Schock’s district is huge. So, getting around to events can rack up a whole lot of miles…
“Congressman Schock and his team have a well-deserved reputation for constituent service,” the second statement from his office read. “This is due to extensive travel throughout the district which is 205 towns and 19 counties. The Congressman’s staff has access to his vehicle so it is used frequently when he is both in and out of the district. For example, this weekend over 800 miles were driven crisscrossing the district for events. Congressman Schock takes his compliance responsibilities seriously and procedures concerning this issue will be reviewed to determine whether they can improved.”
Schock may look urbane, but his district is most definitely rural. And I’ve run into him around that district, so I know he works it (I think the last time I saw him, he was filling his tank at a Springfield gas station). This may not be as bad as some East Coast writer thinks.
- Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 3:57 pm:
How do rural congresscritters normally get around? If they have a personal vehicle and this is SOP, then there’s no story. As usual it’s the lack of context that hurts the reader’s understanding of whether we should care. The globetrotting is a different matter.
- LizPhairTax - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:02 pm:
Dude chummed the waters himself, but 2100 highway miles in a month of serious district work isn’t crazy.
Round trip from Peoria to O’Hare is 320. 3 of those a month and you’re already closing in on 1k.
- anon - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:11 pm:
I live in his districtand we never see him..in fact, he hasn’t said a word about the Tea Party Approp Chair that killed Futuregen, the single largest federal project in the country.
- Belle - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:12 pm:
He may be doing everything right. It’s the way this all looks.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:13 pm:
===He may be doing everything right. It’s the way this all looks.===
Which is exactly why I do not like the “perception” argument as a stand-alone.
- A guy - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:15 pm:
They’re chasing windmills on this one. I remember a story about Rosty years ago having a mobile office or a lot of mileage, I don’t remember. But at the time, his Congressional District was the second smallest geographically in the country. Hard to pin the mileage on a guy with this much territory to cover.
- Nick Naylor - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:16 pm:
=At the same time, he has chartered private jets on the taxpayers’ dime, incurring hefty, five-figure bills.=
Um, am I the only one who has an issue with a congressman chartering private jets on taxpayers’ backs?
- White Denim - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:18 pm:
It boggles the mind how it is somehow newsworthy that Schock vacations, goes on diplomatic trips across the world, and is on national news programs. That sounds like every noteworthy politician–they all do it.
I’m with ya, Rich. I see Schock floating around the district all the time. I never get the impression that he’s absent or has forgotten the people back home. Seems to me that these travel expenses are all by the book. But with the magnifying glass on him … probably not gonna be let down easy on this, either.
- The Captain - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:19 pm:
The Old Man and the Sea comes to mind and for the past week or so Schock has been tied to the side of the boat. The feeding frenzy shows no signs of abating.
- Nick Naylor - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:20 pm:
Upon further review, Political states that he spent “upward of $70,000 in taxpayer travel his office has racked up on private planes, which his office says is to help him get around the district more efficiently.”
This looks bad.
- Abe the Babe - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:20 pm:
Which is exactly why I do not like the “perception” argument as a stand-alone.
Well in politics perception is reality and this (plus his instaram account) could paint a picture that is very near the truth. A young congressman looses touch with his rural district, despite the number of “district” miles his staff logged in his car.
The dots are not hard to connect.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:21 pm:
MOCs get a car allowance. They can pay for a lease out of district operating funds. They can also pay for a car outright from their campaign funds, which is the smart and safe way to go about traveling the district (especially when official and political events happen in close proximity).
Politico is feeding into the hysteria/anger that MOCs and U.S. Senators only work a quarter or half of the year. That is both completely untrue and almost libelous. Most responsible and responsive federal officials work their districts and rack up the miles on personal or office cars. Districts like Congressman Bustos’s, Schock’s and Shimkus’s require a lot of windshield time, and you cannot use the “too far” excuse to not attend an event. Even the 13th CD is big enough to cause scheduling headaches.
I get the furor, but if Schock is paying for a lot of these trips himself then I fail to see cause for concern. And - given that he is still young and single and has no kids - he can certainly afford this kind of lifestyle.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:24 pm:
==Well in politics perception is reality===
Stupidest phrase ever.
Whose perception? Yours? Mine? The guy’s down the road?
- Abe the Babe - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:25 pm:
And I’ve run into him around that district, so I know he works it
Yeah that may be but he can be a globe trotting tax moocher while also being a hard working home district congressman. The former trumps the latter in my experience.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:25 pm:
anon–
Did you not see this on CapFax earlier? Schock has been on the coal plant issue–https://capitolfax.com/2015/02/06/massive-clean-coal-project-canceled-in-illinois/
- Abe the Babe - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:27 pm:
Stupidest phrase ever.
Whose perception? Yours? Mine? The guy’s down the road?
The perception of every voter in that district. Period.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:37 pm:
===The perception of every voter in that district. Period.===
Individually or as a whole? lol
Because I’m betting that his approval rating is pretty high there.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:40 pm:
I have been to events in the district and Shock is usually there. So he does work the district.
Some of the other traveling is a waste, does not make him better at his job. That is an element of the Washington DC culture that exemplifies how out of touch and entitled many that we send there feel. He is not alone.
Shock’s entire career has basically been as an elected official. That may help him navigate the political scene but he does not know much about anything else and it probably only adds to his sense of entitlement to the little extras that most of us see as obscene but are allowable. I am not sure why people vote for him (I live in his district) but, then again, I feel that way about most politicians.
- Rayne of Terror - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:41 pm:
I live in the district and I’ve never seen him or his people in a parade or a yard sign. He doesn’t even put yard signs outside the one polling place that serves my entire town of 4,000 on Election Day.
- Apocalypse Now - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:42 pm:
Schock is an embarrassment. The Peter Principle applies here.
- Under Influenced - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:44 pm:
He’s still going to get at least 60% in the next General Election….not so sure about a primary though.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:44 pm:
you can’t have any fun, ever, if you work in politics.
- pundent - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:46 pm:
Maybe its just me but when he says that he’s launched his own review I’m left a bit perplexed? I assume that Schlock and his staff maintain a fairly detailed calendar on where he’s at and who he’s meeting with. It would seem to be fairly easy to hand over the schedule and tell any inquiring reporter to simply do the math. Launching his own review either suggests that he doesn’t know where he’s been or has something to hide. The perception problem arises when a politician says I’ve conducted my own review and proclaimed myself innocent.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:48 pm:
===not so sure about a primary though===
If I was a betting man, and I’m not, I’d even give odds on that one.
- Belle - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:50 pm:
Rich is obviously right that perception is our own reality and not many of us are in this district. But,sometimes it is just the way the news cycle hits, something/anything seems a bit interesting, and the story becomes a “thing”—I was stunned when I began seeing this story grow and expand. I made fun of the red walls too but I never expected it to be part of a national story.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:52 pm:
“you can’t have any fun, ever, if you work in politics.”
Dope
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 4:52 pm:
“I live in the district and I’ve never seen him or his people in a parade or a yard sign.”
I saw plenty of yard signs in Springfield.
- Rufus - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 5:07 pm:
=@ROT “I live in the district and I’ve never seen him or his people in a parade or a yard sign. He doesn’t even put yard signs outside the one polling place that serves my entire town of 4,000 on Election Day”
!?! This is a bad thing?
- IrishPirate - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 5:08 pm:
70 grand for a Chevy Tahoe. MSRP of around 44G on the base model. This just looks bad.
I didn’t know it was possible to pay that much for a Chevrolet……..maybe a Vette.
Schock is a target because of his flamboyance. A quieter congressman could do the same thing and likely nobody would notice. Anyone recall Bungalow Bill Lipinski? At least publicly he lived a modest financial life and drew little attention.
Act like a reality TV star and expect to get “scrootened” like a reality TV star.
- Bigtwich - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 5:17 pm:
The IRS standard mileage rate for 2914 was 56 cents per mile. Not hard to see the numbers could easily be right. The office should have records with travel details.
- Wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 5:24 pm:
Who do you think put “Politico” on to the mileage?
That rag is a glorified gossip sheet. They wouldn’t start a deep dive into records without some serious guidance and a reasonable expectation of what they’d find.
Recently disgruntled former employee?
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 5:29 pm:
The problem is that he has played to a stereotype as being a young man obsessed with fashion, not his constituents or Congress. So these media stories write themselves. If he wants to be taken seriously then he needs to be serious.
I think he is a fine representative, but he has opened himself up an opportunity for an opponent to spin himself into an alternative to Mr. GQ.
- IrishPirate - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 5:37 pm:
VM,
he comes off as a young man obsessed with himself. In a field dominated by narcissists he stands almost alone in the level of his public narcissism.
I’m having trouble recalling anyone even vaguely similar in his need for attention. Maybe Congressman Jackson in his heyday of showing up for the SOTU address 12 hours early so he could get a seat close to the front and be seen shaking the Prez’s hand.
Perhaps Senator Cruz, but he comes off as less of a fashion-plate and more of a …. Well I can’t use profanity.
- DuPage Dave - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 6:00 pm:
Shock has topped out as an elected official. He can probably stay as a Congressman as long as he wants, but he can forget about higher office. He comes across as self-focused and fundamentally unserious. People love the retail politics they can get from their Congressman, but they expect more for Senator or Governor.
- LizPhairTax - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 6:09 pm:
Wordslinger nails it again. This feels like the death rattle of Reverend #gentrifynow.
IrishPirate, those options add up quickly. Automakers keep stretching the top end of the sport utility, truck, and minivan markets and haven’t hit the ceiling yet.
I just played around on the Ford website and optioned an F150 to $62k. Crazy.
- Jeff Trigg - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 6:21 pm:
That seat did used to belong to a LaHood.
- Sir Reel - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 6:24 pm:
I don’t get why, if his staff used his car for district work, they didn’t use their own cars, or at least account for the expenses/reimbursements as theirs, instead of Schock’s.
- MyTwoCents - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 6:37 pm:
Back in college I spent a summer as an intern with a downstate congressman and spending 1 day with him out in the district we probably put 250 miles on the car, so yeah, the mileage seems completely reasonable.
- GraduatedCollegeStudent - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 6:43 pm:
===Recently disgruntled former employee?===
Somebody in Kirk or Rauner’s camp?
- Joe M - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 6:57 pm:
I am not even a fan of his, but his district covers a lot of area. And he does show up at a lot of small town parades and other events in the remote areas of his district, and does meet with the people and will listen to their concerns. He doesn’t just stay in Peoria when he is in Illinois. I give him credit for that.
- Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 7:33 pm:
==I live in the district and I’ve never seen him or his people in a parade or a yard sign.==
I live just outside his district and occasionally drive through a fringe section that tends Dem. Nevertheless, I see lots of yard signs and he stops by the area as well. This is mostly a non-issue.
- hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 8:27 pm:
As a constituent of Schock’s, I am not terribly concerned with his mileage reimbursements in the grand scheme of things given the size of the district. This expense has a logical explanation.
But as for TeamSleep’s claim that people shouldn’t be outraged at what Schock is doing otherwise because all those other MoCs work so darn hard… maybe those other members do. But Politico isn’t giving them a bad name by reporting on what Schock has done. Schock is the one giving Congress a bad name by doing things like in the story that Rich quoted where he missed votes in the House to party at the Academy of Country Music awards! There’s no sugarcoating that Schock apparently has become a vain fameball more concerned with the trappings of wealth and status that his position in Congress provides than serving people or whatever it was that motivated him to pursue office in the first place.
Schock absolutely spends less time on his job serving his constituents than he would if he spent less time serving his partisan affiliation via fundraising and on his image and going on junkets paid for by special interests that only have a tangential relationship to this district.
It’s embarrassing having him as a representative at this point.
- walker - Wednesday, Feb 11, 15 @ 10:14 pm:
MOC or mook?