Lipinski, Newman face off at the Sun-Times
Thursday, Jan 25, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rewire…
Embattled anti-choice Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL) spoke at a March for Life-affiliated event alongside abortion foes aligned with the Trump administration’s agenda—just a day before he skipped his scheduled Friday address to the march, declining to put himself in what he called a “potentially morally compromised situation” by speaking at the same event as the president.
“So many have been driven out [of the Democratic Party]. And I have a lot of people tell me, ‘Well, just get out,’” Lipinski told the Law of Life Summit, according to an audio recording obtained by Rewire.
“And I always say, ‘Well, I think it’s important to evangelize. I think it’s important to have a voice, crying out in that wilderness, of the need to protect life,’” he continued. “And I’ve always believed, and I always say, the Democratic Party says it stands up for the little guy, and there’s no one who is more vulnerable than the unborn, who need the protection. And so I’m hanging in there.”
* Sun-Times…
The Lipinski family formula for political longevity, now spanning 36 years, has always been built upon hewing to the conservative side of the Democratic Party, finding peace with Republicans as protection for general elections.
LaGrange businesswoman Marie Newman thinks that formula has passed its expiration date for U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, who followed his father Bill into Congress 14 years ago.
“I don’t think he understands the district has changed beyond dramatically since his tenure,” Newman told the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board Wednesday in a joint appearance with Lipinski, their first of the campaign.
The 3rd Congressional District, which represents much of Chicago’s Southwest Side and the southwest suburbs, is now solidly Democratic turf that deserves a solid Democratic vote in the House, not a “squishy situation where you don’t know how the congressperson is going to vote,” Newman said.
Lipinski, 51, countered that the “pragmatic” voters of his district want a like-minded representative willing to reach across party lines to solve problems, not someone who would add to the “bickering and gridlock” in Washington.
The Newman campaign released some poll results last month which it claimed showed Lipinski is vulnerable to a challenge (click here).
* I asked for some additional results. People seem to think that this district is still full of socially conservative Reagan Democrats living in bungalows. But times change. Here are a few results the Newman campaign sent over…
Now, I’m going to read you a list of public figures and I’d like you to tell me whether you have a FAVORABLE or UNFAVORABLE opinion of each person using a scale that runs from 0 to 10. A 0 on this scale means you have a VERY LOW or VERY UNFAVORABLE opinion of that person. A 10 on this scale means you have a VERY HIGH or VERY FAVORABLE opinion of that person. Now, you can use any number between 0 and 10 to tell me your opinion of each. If you have never heard of a name, or don’t know enough to rate them, please just say so.
Bernie Sanders
Which of the following types of candidates for Congress are you more likely to support: [RANDOMIZE ORDER, RANDOMIZE PAIRS]
One last question. When it comes to the issue of abortion, do you generally think of yourself as PRO-CHOICE or do you generally think of yourself as PRO-LIFE?
And would you say you are STRONGLY [PRO-CHOICE/PROLIFE] or do you lean [PRO-CHOICE/PRO-LIFE]?
STRONGLY PRO-CHOICE 47%
LEAN PRO-CHOICE 18
LEAN PRO-LIFE 10
STRONGLY PRO-LIFE 13
(BOTH) 2
(NEITHER) 4
(DON’T KNOW/REFUSED) 6
That’s 65 percent pro-choice and 23 percent pro-life, in case you need help with math.
But, of course, Newman still needs to raise enough money to make sure people know about Lipinski’s record and her own candidacy.
