Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Dirksen Londrigan unveils three new TV ads, including one featuring the former owner of the Feed Store restaurant
Today, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s campaign released three new television ads highlighting the contrast between Dirksen Londrigan’s campaign focused on access to quality, affordable health care, beating this pandemic and rebuilding our economy, and Congressman Rodney Davis’ failure to support Central Illinois families. The 30-second ads will air in the Champaign-Springfield-Decatur and St. Louis media markets as part of a districtwide buy that includes broadcast, cable, and digital platforms.
In “Leader,” Dr. Bob Vautrain, former Chief Medical Officer for SIU Physicians & Surgeons, reminds voters of Davis’ disastrous health care record: Davis voted to strip pre-existing condition protections each of the 11 times he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. Repealing the Affordable Care Act would strip health care coverage from millions, including more than 31,000 in Illinois’ 13th District alone, and remove protections for the more than 282,500 13th District residents with pre-existing conditions.
“Problem” tells the story of Ross Richardson, the owner of a Springfield staple, The Feed Store, who got the runaround while applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans to save his family business during the pandemic. While The Feed Store, and many small businesses like it across the district, struggled to access the program, Davis’ own family got to the front of the line, receiving more than $1 million in PPP loans two days after they became available.
Meanwhile, Davis voted twice against much-needed transparency for the PPP loans. Davis voted against the TRUTH Act as well as against the formation of a House committee to oversee COVID-19 relief spending and prevent waste and abuse of the funds.
“Back” features Dirksen Londrigan laying out her plans to beat COVID-19 with access to quality, affordable health care, lower premiums and prescription drug prices. Then rebuilding the economy by rebuilding manufacturing, creating job training programs, and helping local small businesses create jobs.
Together, the ads emphasize the stark contrast between Dirksen Londrigan and Davis. Dirksen Londrigan entered this race to improve health care for families across Illinois and fight for her community in Congress. Meanwhile, Davis has spent his time in Congress supporting special interests over Illinois voters’ interests, including his repeated votes to gut health care, keep drug prices high, and put the interests of corporations over people in Central Illinois.
Betsy: This is what the coronavirus has done to our economy.
I’m Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.
It’s going to take a lot of work, but we can bring our cities and towns back.
It starts by beating this virus with access to quality, affordable health care for everyone, lower premiums and prescription prices, rebuilding manufacturing here at home, job training programs, and help for local small businesses to create jobs.
I approve this message because this is how we get Illinois open for business again.
They really seem to be leaning into the ‘Davis is in it for himself’ tag line.
But probably the most effective is the ad about getting the state back open. I think people actually want a positive message of how we’ll get through this.
- Left of the Lake - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:03 pm:
I give the Problem ad an A.
The feed store owner’s story can really hit home with small businesses.
The feed store closed because they wanted to retire, business had been declining for years because of fewer people working downtown and they weren’t sure when the foot traffic would return. Nothing here about PPP.
The “we got the runaround while Davis’ family got in line first” ad is nonsense.
The PPP program had banks begging clients to apply. If you were not in line first it was because you didn’t get off of your duff and fill out a pretty simple application.
I rate this ad entirely false. If you qualified and didn’t get PPP money . . . .you didn’t apply.
=not entirely true. Maybe you should do a bit of research…=
I lived it. I WAS in line first . . . .why? Because we moved heaven and earth to apply immediately. Fact.
Banks were calling clients and suggesting openly that their clients who qualify apply as the federal gov’t was literally giving $$$$ away. I have many banking friends who have confirmed this repeatedly. Fact.
The “whoa is me” schtick is simply inaccurate here. Sorry.
There were a lot of problems with the PPP program.
The first run of money did run out pretty quickly, and given initial implementation problems, it was hit or miss whether you got accepted, especially depending on what bank you went through.
And, for many small businesses and restaurants, the money approved usually wasn’t enough, went out quickly, or had stipulations which hurt those whose fixed cost (rent, utilities, etc) were higher than their payroll.
So it might just be more ‘misleading’ than actually false.
I found this quote from Richardson on the Illinois times site: Richardson opted not to apply for the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a loan designed to urge business owners to keep their workers on the payroll. “I thought about it, I thought about it as recently as a couple weeks ago,” he said, on the official last day of The Feed Store’s operation. “I didn’t really want to take out a loan if I didn’t know what I was going to be responsible for.”
Richardson has seen plenty of changes to downtown over the decades. He said there has been a “slow steady decline” in business, starting 15 to 20 years ago. January and February are generally “the worst possible months” for business, and combined with the pandemic and being of retirement age, it was time to close.
Here is the link-https://www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/restaurants-navigate-a-pandemic/Content?oid=12373503
It sounds like business was going downhill to begin with and he was ready to retire (which was no secret). Better luck next time, Ross and Betsy.
It will be interesting to see if there’s a response ad - considering the Feed Store owner didn’t even apply, which is certainly contrary to the implication made. Might provide a window for the point to be made that the Democratic nominee is misleading voters.
I agree that while the PPP wasn’t perfect - what are the chances a multi-billion dollar program rushed out like it was would be - it was clearly widely available. And banks were loaning more than what the applicant originally requested.
The second round of PPP funding never ran out. Still over a hundred billion available when the legislative deadline to apply kicked in. Things were sketchy in the first week but he had two months to apply.
You are correct. It turns out, however, that the business owner never applied for the PPP loan at all . . . . .hence, “Whoa is me” is oddly apropos as well. LOL
Now, while agree doing a full blown ad in retaliation makes no sense whatsoever. However, it sounds like a fact check by a news outlet would be a good start. In such a contentious race, there’s bound to be a stretch of the truth to get a point across. This ad seems to be a blatant lie though. That being said, when does the uneducated voter actually care about facts?
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- PublicServant - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 12:36 pm:
Fingers crossed for Betsy.
- Nick - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 12:52 pm:
Ads seem nice enough.
They really seem to be leaning into the ‘Davis is in it for himself’ tag line.
But probably the most effective is the ad about getting the state back open. I think people actually want a positive message of how we’ll get through this.
- Left of the Lake - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:03 pm:
I give the Problem ad an A.
The feed store owner’s story can really hit home with small businesses.
- Notorious JMB - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:13 pm:
The feed store closed because they wanted to retire, business had been declining for years because of fewer people working downtown and they weren’t sure when the foot traffic would return. Nothing here about PPP.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sj-r.com/news/20200701/feed-store-to-close-after-43-years%3ftemplate=ampart
- Go Big - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:39 pm:
The “we got the runaround while Davis’ family got in line first” ad is nonsense.
The PPP program had banks begging clients to apply. If you were not in line first it was because you didn’t get off of your duff and fill out a pretty simple application.
I rate this ad entirely false. If you qualified and didn’t get PPP money . . . .you didn’t apply.
- Gohawks123 - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:48 pm:
not entirely true. Maybe you should do a bit of research…
- Go Big - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:57 pm:
=not entirely true. Maybe you should do a bit of research…=
I lived it. I WAS in line first . . . .why? Because we moved heaven and earth to apply immediately. Fact.
Banks were calling clients and suggesting openly that their clients who qualify apply as the federal gov’t was literally giving $$$$ away. I have many banking friends who have confirmed this repeatedly. Fact.
The “whoa is me” schtick is simply inaccurate here. Sorry.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:59 pm:
===Banks were calling clients and suggesting ===
I can confirm. Mine called me. But I have a local bank. Large banks were not calling even mid-sized business owners. It was a huge problem.
(BTW, I said no, but thanked them for checking with me)
- LakeCo - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 2:11 pm:
It’s “woe is me.”
- Nick - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 2:12 pm:
There were a lot of problems with the PPP program.
The first run of money did run out pretty quickly, and given initial implementation problems, it was hit or miss whether you got accepted, especially depending on what bank you went through.
And, for many small businesses and restaurants, the money approved usually wasn’t enough, went out quickly, or had stipulations which hurt those whose fixed cost (rent, utilities, etc) were higher than their payroll.
So it might just be more ‘misleading’ than actually false.
- Concerned Dem - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 2:32 pm:
just waiting for Rodney and the Illinois GOP to come to the rescue with another round of “BUT MADIGAN!” to save the day.
- HotSauce - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 3:02 pm:
I found this quote from Richardson on the Illinois times site: Richardson opted not to apply for the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a loan designed to urge business owners to keep their workers on the payroll. “I thought about it, I thought about it as recently as a couple weeks ago,” he said, on the official last day of The Feed Store’s operation. “I didn’t really want to take out a loan if I didn’t know what I was going to be responsible for.”
Richardson has seen plenty of changes to downtown over the decades. He said there has been a “slow steady decline” in business, starting 15 to 20 years ago. January and February are generally “the worst possible months” for business, and combined with the pandemic and being of retirement age, it was time to close.
Here is the link-https://www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/restaurants-navigate-a-pandemic/Content?oid=12373503
It sounds like business was going downhill to begin with and he was ready to retire (which was no secret). Better luck next time, Ross and Betsy.
- Go Big - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 3:13 pm:
This guy didn’t apply at all and blames Rodney Davis. I will double down with “false” over misleading.
I have yet to hear of a business who to the loan for legitimate reasons being denied when they apply for the “loan” to be forgiven. It is/was a gift.
This ad is complete nonsense.
- Quenton Cassidy - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 3:58 pm:
It will be interesting to see if there’s a response ad - considering the Feed Store owner didn’t even apply, which is certainly contrary to the implication made. Might provide a window for the point to be made that the Democratic nominee is misleading voters.
I agree that while the PPP wasn’t perfect - what are the chances a multi-billion dollar program rushed out like it was would be - it was clearly widely available. And banks were loaning more than what the applicant originally requested.
- Franklin - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 3:58 pm:
The second round of PPP funding never ran out. Still over a hundred billion available when the legislative deadline to apply kicked in. Things were sketchy in the first week but he had two months to apply.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 3:59 pm:
===It will be interesting to see if there’s a response ad===
Responding to the former owner of a beloved Springfield institution would be insanity. Just take the hit and move on.
- R A T - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 4:06 pm:
This Feed Store as may prove effective but that owner was a $@%# long ago and is just proving his character has only worsened.
- R A T - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 4:08 pm:
I meant “ad” not “as”
Also, for full disclosure, I already voted and it was for Betsy.
- Go Big - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 4:28 pm:
=It’s “woe is me.”=
You are correct. It turns out, however, that the business owner never applied for the PPP loan at all . . . . .hence, “Whoa is me” is oddly apropos as well. LOL
- HotSauce - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 4:30 pm:
===Responding to the former owner===
Now, while agree doing a full blown ad in retaliation makes no sense whatsoever. However, it sounds like a fact check by a news outlet would be a good start. In such a contentious race, there’s bound to be a stretch of the truth to get a point across. This ad seems to be a blatant lie though. That being said, when does the uneducated voter actually care about facts?
- drug prices - Tuesday, Oct 27, 20 @ 7:29 am:
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