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* As I’ll show you in a moment, this is little more than an overhyped, guilt by association campaign game…
A Super PAC with ties to the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth commercials have begun airing television ads today in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District criticizing Democrat Tammy Duckworth for supporting higher taxes and more government control.
Among New Prosperity Foundation’s largest donors is Missouri Republican businessman Sam Fox, who was also a major donor to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group behind the infamous ads questioning John Kerry’s military service in the 2004 presidential race.
The foundation is also running commercials against 10th District Congressional Candidate Brad Schneider of Deerfield and 11th District Democratic candidate Bill Foster, claiming they support higher taxes and more government control.
Duckworth, of Hoffman Estates, cited the PAC money and quoted in a news release Walsh’s recent comment at a town hall, when he noted “Now I’m running against a woman who, my God, that’s all she talks about. Our true heroes, it’s the last thing in the world they talk about” to indicate that he doesn’t care about veterans.
* From a Tammy Duckworth fundraising appeal…
It’s starting. A Super PAC called New Prosperity Foundation has launched the first round of attack ads against Tammy, paid for with unlimited, undisclosed funds that threaten our democracy. This is one of the largest Super PAC expenditures to date against a Democrat in Illinois.
This race is officially a top target for right-wing Super PAC spending. Help us fight back against these unlimited, undisclosed funds by contributing $10 today.
Here’s the worst part: one of New Prosperity Foundation’s largest donors, Sam Fox, was also a major donor to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group behind the infamous ads attacking John Kerry’s military service in 2004.
We already know Joe Walsh will stop at nothing to attack Tammy. Now we know he has the wealthy allies he needs to promote whatever malicious attack he wants. We can’t let him get away with it.
* What’s really going on…
New Prosperity Foundation, a Chicago-based funding group headed by former gubernatorial hopeful Ron Gidwitz and Illinois Manufacturers’ Association President Greg Baise, yesterday began running cable TV ads in the north suburban 10th District, northwest suburban 8th District and west suburban 11th District.
The amount of money isn’t huge — around $40,000 collectively, the biggest chunk in the 8th — but the expenditure, coming fairly early, is also a clear sign of where much bigger cash is headed.
$40K split over three congressional districts is basically nothing. More people may read online stories about these ads than actually see the ads. And just because somebody gives the PAC money doesn’t mean the PAC is focusing on Duckworth’s military history. C’mon, man.
* And the ads themselves aren’t all that stellar. Here’s the one running against Duckworth…
* But this development could turn out to be really important…
Republican U.S. Rep. Robert Dold today picks up the endorsement of the National Education Association and their Illinois affiliate over his opponent, Democrat Brad Schneider.
That endorsement will go a long way to help Dold make the claim in a district known for widespread ticket-splitting that he’s a trustworthy moderate.
* Video…
* Meanwhile, Bobby Schilling was elected to Congress in 2010 as an aggressive tea party conservative, but he’s moderated himself a lot since those days. So, a press release he sent out the other day got my attention, albeit belatedly. I found it in my in-box while I was looking for something else.
As you may know, there’s a move afoot to embarrass Mitt Romney over a plan to move jobs from Freeport to China…
As Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney faces a withering attack over outsourcing and layoffs by his former firm, Bain Capital, employees at a Bain-owned company are appealing to Romney to stop their jobs being shipped overseas.
Romney has played no part in Sensata Technologies Inc.’s decision to move its auto-sensor business to China. But he owns millions of dollars worth of Bain funds that hold a controlling stake in the Massachusetts-based company.
The planned closure of its plant in Freeport, Illinois, could create further headaches for Romney, who is struggling to divert attacks by President Barack Obama and his campaign that portray him as a job killer who does not understand ordinary Americans.
Schilling sent out this press release earlier in the month…
U.S. Reps. Don Manzullo (R-Egan) and Bobby Schilling (R-Colona) today urged the CEO of Massachusetts-based Sensata Technologies to abandon plans to offshore production to Asia and instead keep the work and the jobs in Freeport, Illinois.
In a letter sent this morning to Sensata CEO Thomas Wroe, Jr., Manzullo and Schilling expressed their concerns with Sensata’s plans to shut down its Freeport plant and move the production and jobs to China. Instead, Sensata should follow the lead of other multi-national corporations who are “reshoring” American jobs — bringing back production from overseas – to boost lead times, innovation and quality. Citizens of Freeport contacted both Manzullo and Schilling for help in appealing to Sensata to keep operations in Freeport.
* But, have no fear, Schilling hasn’t gone all liberal on us…
Carl Green just couldn’t get his head around the idea of people complaining about not getting paid enough.
“I don’t know what their problem is,” the Coal Valley man said. “Why would you even go out and look for a minimum wage job?”
Mr. Green was among about 40 supporters of U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, who held a counterprotest in Moline on Tuesday.
About 30 others attended a protest organized by Action Now, based in Chicago, to urge Rep. Schilling to raise the federal minimum wage, which has been at $7.25 per hour since 2009. They said they want that rate raised to $10 an hour to make it closer to a “living wage.”
Before the protest, Rep. Schilling’s office sent a message to supporters stating, “Some astroturf, Chicago-based, rent-a-protesters are getting paid to distort the Bobby Schilling record in a protest scheduled for today. We need you to help us with a counterprotest.”
Action Now spokeswoman Veronica Resa said all the protesters in Moline on Tuesday were from Rep. Schilling’s 17th District and none were paid to attend.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 11:18 am
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Bob’s for jobs…as long as they don’t pay more than $7.50 an hour! Pizza jobs for everyone.
Comment by redrum Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 11:46 am
Those people protesting were from Peoria, part of Cong. Schilling’s new district. They were real people. Schilling calls out his troops to fight his battles every time anyone does anything to express free speech. Even Bobby’s telephone “town hall meeting” questions are severly screened. Not allowed to ask a “real” question.
By the way, I don’t know how Bobby stays in the pizza business. I have never seen more than 3 cars there at dinner time and I drive by there every day. Wonder if he pays his grown children minimum wage to run the place?
Comment by Lil' Enchilada Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 12:22 pm
=“I don’t know what their problem is,” the Coal Valley man said. “Why would you even go out and look for a minimum wage job?”=
Oh I don’t know…maybe there are no other options? Would this Coal Valley dude rather have them on the dole? I think not.
Comment by Thoughts... Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 12:35 pm
Political DM and Email are so over the top it’s a wonder that anyone gives money.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 12:48 pm
Minimum wage jobs aren’t supposed to be career deals, they’re supposed to be “starter jobs” or “first jobs” which one moves up from when one demonstrates value to employers so as to warrant higher pay in the second job (and beyond).
With extremely high teenage unemployment (particularly among underprivileged minority youth) it isn’t a good idea to mandate that the minimum be raised - it will only put/keep a lot more of these potential workers out of work.
Comment by titan Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 1:29 pm
Titan,
Welfare wasn’t supposed to be a way of life either just a helping hand but guess what some people are happy being helped their whole life.
As for Tammy I appreciate her military service and truthfully I dislike Walsh but she is wearing thin. Forced on the electorate by Rahm, Quinn and Obama if she doesn’t win this district that was drawn for her she needs start selling ice cream or get a clown job.
Comment by Fed up Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 1:52 pm
Have we heard of how Congressman Jackson’s recovery from his mood issues is progressing?
Comment by Shore Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 2:28 pm
Fed up, Duckworth is really quite unimpressive once she actually has to do the debating and campaigning herself. She hasn’t proven yet how much of what she is as a candidate is the creation of her handlers and how much is actually what she is as a candidate. There’s a very artificial factory made feel to her approach and candidacy.
Comment by Shore Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 2:30 pm
@Fed Up - That’s certainly true. And the minimum wage bump might well sentence a lot of young people to that life of welfare instead a path to self supporting status.
Comment by titan Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 2:45 pm
These rules on minimum wage and public assistance that conservatives seem to have might have been true before the big corporations sent all of our American jobs To communist China.
So much for America!!
Comment by Sally Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 2:52 pm
Shore, your question about Jackson’s condition is fair game. So is this: who is voting for Illinoisans in the Senate today on the major tax bills being offered? The had to bring Biden in to be a tie-breaker just in case. Meanwhile, Illinois plods along with one Senator and you want to ask questions about another district’s congressman?
Any chance we’ll be getting an update on Senator Kirk’s recovery before the election or is McConnell waiting to see what the new balance of power will be first?
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 4:01 pm
Yeah, that’s what minimum wage jobs are supposed to be. However, if Walmart is the only player in town, how are you supposed to move up from that minimum wage job? They don’t even like to hire full time.
Comment by Cheryl Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 4:24 pm
@Cheryl - so do you think they’d be hiring more (or fewer) people at the proposed higher pay scale?
Comment by titan Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 4:42 pm
–so do you think they’d be hiring more (or fewer) people at the proposed higher pay scale?–
You hire what you need to get the work done and make a profit.
You don’t go on a wild hiring spree if you’re paying a buck less an hour per employee. It’s a marginal rate.
You think minimum wage has any real effect on the unemployment rate? It sure didn’t during any boom economy that I remember.
If you look at the states, it’s a mixed bag among those higher than the federal, those at, and those below as to what their unemployment rates are.
And not everyone making minimum wage is some kid trying to break into the workforce. Check out your local fast food joints, convenience stores, gas stations, etc. You’ll see plenty of breadwinners there.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 4:58 pm
@titan I don’t think hiring part time workers (no benefits) at minimum wage counts for much, since I’m still paying the tab for the adults who still need LINK and Medicaid just to work at WalMart.
PS–For the record, Sam Walton paid for me to go to grad school. That was a long time ago when the company had actual people running it. He was a skinflint but I never had the impression he wanted his workers to live off a government dole.
Comment by Cheryl Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 5:21 pm
I think you have to have pretty small coconuts (or none at all) to criticize a war vet who is walking around on two prosthetic legs. I’m just sayin’…………….
Comment by Little Egypt Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 6:47 pm
=Instead, Sensata should follow the lead of other multi-national corporations who are “reshoring” American jobs — bringing back production from overseas – to boost lead times, innovation and quality.=
Hmmm…doesn’t sound like “all liberal” to me.
After what I’ve seen over the last decade or so re: ability to meet proscribed levels of quality, the difference in productivity (v. overhead) rates/costs between off-shore and US workers (even considering the often substantial differences in salary + fringe allocated to each group), AND the hidden cost of “innovative CORRUPTION,” etc., it just sounds like solid decision making that most likely WILL impact the bottom line…in a good way.
And, the “patriotic” aspect that some might claim (or see, depending on your perspective) in advocating the obvious and not so obvious strengths of OUR workforce is an added bonus.
Good for Bobby.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 25, 12 @ 11:38 pm
And I’ll add that it’s extremely difficult to argue with numbers. It’s just that some people are so into defending “ideology” and theory and/or into being mesmerized by that superficial glance at those misleading initial numbers and sales pitches from off-shore suppliers (v. looking at reality–i.e., digging into the REAL and hidden costs of off-shoring) that they probably can’t see the benefits.
However, if our jobs are making their way back, it would seem that more and more corporations are now analyzing the results of the data that’s been collected over the years…and they don’t like what they’re seeing.
“Culture” will probably prevent it from happening, but I’m sure that there is quite ALOT that companies just considering off-shoring today could learn from the business cases of those who first “rode the wave.”
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jul 26, 12 @ 12:05 am
To summarize: It’s not “liberal.” It’s for-profits returning to what they always used to do best.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jul 26, 12 @ 12:08 am