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* Schilling moves into an ignominious first place…

Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, now has spent $446,000 on mass mailings in the last two years, the highest amount of any member of the House of Representatives.

The number is revealed in the latest disclosure of congressional expenses and means that Rep. Schilling has distributed over 1.1 million flyers in the 17th District since he took office in 2011.

He has surpassed Nevada Republican Congressman Joe Heck to take the number one spot in the House in terms of money spent on mass mailings, according to the expense report for the House that covers the period up to June 30. Rep. Heck has spent $422,000 on mass mailings. […]

Terry Schilling, Rep. Schilling’s campaign manager, said the mailings have led to a doubling in the caseload handled by the Republican’s offices.

Trotting out his campaign manager to defend taxpayer financed mailers in the face of criticism that the mailers are actually campaign pieces was probably not a good idea.

Just sayin…

* From his opponent’s campaign…

“It’s clear that Bobby Schilling’s number one priority is keeping his job in Washington, not creating them here in Illinois. Congressman Schilling chose to spend nearly half a million dollars of taxpayer money to keep his job while voting to send American jobs overseas,” said Allison Jaslow, campaign manager for Cheri Bustos for Congress. “It’s clear where Schilling’s true priorities lie.”

* Meanwhile, Democrat David Gill has a new TV ad called “Dishes.” Rate it…

* The Illinois Republican Party has a new online video called “Brad Schneider: Pelosi’s Partisan Puppet”…

* And Republican state Senate candidate Barbara Bellar is getting massive YouTube love for some very funny remarks about Obamacare. When I posted this video for subscribers yesterday, it had over 770,000 views. It now has over a million views…

That has to be a record for an Illinois state legislative candidate’s video.

* Other stuff…

* Jackson, Kirk still absent as Congress ends recess

* State Sen. John Sullivan home after cancer surgery

* Surprise bipartisanship: Walsh bill also pushed by Obama: On the chamber floor, Missouri Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson extended congratulations to Walsh, noting “I suspect that he is as surprised as I am that one of his first bills to reach the floor was proposed to Congress by the Obama administration.”

* Tammy Duckworth says she’s not a rubber stamp for Obama: “There’s a lot of work to do and I think that we need to let the Bush tax cuts for people who make more than a million dollars expire, it’s one of the places where I disagree with the President. He would set that number at $250,000. I think that everyone should have their shot at making their first million, but then after that let’s let the Bush tax cuts expire on your second million dollars.” Duckworth said she would work to ease the Obamacare tax burden on small businesses who employ between 50 and 100 workers.

* Walsh, Duckworth Debate Friday

* Walsh re-introduces Federal Election Integrity Act

* Massive Database to lay bare organizations’ politicking: The Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets.org today plans to unveil a database profiling the politicking of more than 20,000 corporations, unions, nonprofits, trade organizations and other special interests. The profiles — several years in the making — will include information about the organizations’ campaign contributions, lobbying and outside spending, as well as the campaign contributions of their employees. Expect it to go live mid-afternoon.

* VIDEO: Plummer: Repeal Progressive Income Tax (Franklin County Town Hall, July 14, 2012)

* VIDEO: Plummer: Flat Tax and “Fair” Tax Both Superior (Franklin County Town Hall, July 14, 2012)

* Schock to be featured in new Gen X - geared election documentary

* VIDEO: Official Teaser: Make It Count: Electing America’s President

* Workers facing outsourcing at Freeport’s Sensata Technologies plant set up camp outside factory

* Bad Signs

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 1:18 pm

Comments

Not a Gill fan, but that is a great ad that actually hits close to home. In fact, it’s one of the few political ads that I can even relate to. Not sure it wins him election since his organization is in shambles, but it’s a darn good ad.

Those numbers for Shilling play right into the DCCC ad that’s been airing touting him as “one of them.” Not a good thing for Shilling to have done. How can you run on cutting spending and then spend more on your own office that anybody else? Congressional mailings should be looked at for a source of spending cuts anyway, I know it’s a drop in the bucket, but it would be good to get Congressman actually doing what their saying (cutting spending and balancing the budget).

Comment by Ahoy! Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 1:33 pm
Rep. Schilling is just doing his bit to keep postal workers on the job in his district.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 1:49 pm
“Pelosi’s Puppet” is being used in Republican ads around the country. Just like ILGOP associating every state-level Dem with the evil Madigan demon.

Not sure these associations work. Those who recognize and care about these supposed scoundrels, are already partisan and motivated to vote.

Comment by walkinfool Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 1:58 pm
OK, the video with Dr. Bellar is hilarious! The sad fact is that most of it is true. I didn’t know you had that many followers to push the viewer total above 1,000,000 Rich…Contgratulations!

Comment by Holdingontomywallet Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 1:59 pm
That was well done by Dr. Bellar. Having met and spoken with her previously, I never would have guessed she was capable of humor.

Comment by Because I say so... Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:17 pm
Here’s a guy (Schilling) who thumped Hare mercilessly over gov’t spending. What’s more, he convinced his tea party followers he was one of them. Now, he franks his way into homes with gov’t printing and postage. Luckily for him, his district changed and he doesn’t have to be accountable to those whose eyes he pulled the wool over.

Comment by The Difference A Term Makes... Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:23 pm
It wasn’t done as a candidate, and it’s hard to estimate all the views since to video appeared on so many different outlets, but I suspect Mike Bost’s rant last May easily broke 1 million views.

Comment by muon Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:25 pm
===I suspect Mike Bost’s rant last May easily broke 1 million views.===

Not even close. 381,217 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhbRcDZiJJc

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:33 pm
And the other videos had very few views that i could find.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:33 pm
I can personally attest that every single piece of any mass mailing I’ve received from Schilling has been thinly disguised campaign literature. Some have included “surveys” that asked loaded questions like “Are you in favor of eliminating job killing regulations?” Talk about insulting the intelligence of the constituents.

Comment by Aldyth Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:34 pm
Aldyth, and I used to get the same sort of stuff from my Deomcratic congressman who later lost his re-election bid two years later….

Comment by OneMan Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:43 pm
I saw that Bost count on YouTube as well just before I posted. But there are lots of other media outlets that posted it on their news sites including national ones like the Washington Post and Huffington Post. I also can’t tell if there were other YouTube videos that came down later, since Carol Marin cited “more than 600,000 views on YouTube” in her June 1 story.

Comment by muon Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:47 pm
One Man…
What you’re really saying is the Schilling is now one of “them,” when he promised not to be one of “them”.

Comment by The Difference a Term Makes Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 2:59 pm
OneMan, did your representative break the House record for use of the franking privelege for mass mailings? It’s annoying enough to get one or two or six of these, but it is pretty much every single month.

Comment by Aldyth Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 3:10 pm
From todays Monmouth paper Randy Friese released a poll done by We Ask America…Sullivan 47-Fries 36 . I wouldnt have put that one out. Sullivan must be blowing it out in Knoz,Warren and Henderson. I see a lot of his signs along with Bustos so I wonder if Schilling/Bustos is closing. I have seen just on Romney sign in those 3 counties

Comment by western illinois Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 3:34 pm
I don’t know if this will hurt Schilling. Tea parties are already notorious for their hypocrisy about government spending.
And BTW- Keep your government hands off my mail service!

Comment by Crime Fighter Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 3:37 pm
Any idea why there hasn’t been a non-campaign purchased poll in the IL-17?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 3:52 pm
Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth…

On Aug. 24, 2010,in the Dispatch/Argus Newspaper Mr. Schilling said, “Campaigns should be funded by donors and political parties, not the American taxpayer. We’re facing a massive budget deficit and one of the worst recessions in recent memory, yet Rep. Hare felt it was appropriate to send the 17th District pictures of himself on the taxpayers’ dime.

“Enough is enough. I believe that every taxpayer dollar should be used to the fullest. This type of extravagance has gone on far too long,” Shilling said.

Comment by redrum Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 4:15 pm
Bellars rant wouldn’t be funny it any of it was true…but she is just making stuff up.

Comment by kj Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 4:32 pm
I also get an email from Bobby Schilling every Sunday, like clockwork. I have also gotten a few third party mailings for Schilling from RetireSafe. Which is a Republican front group that pretends to be looking out for Seniors. RetireSafe recently traveled to the Quad Cities to give Schilling an award for his efforts to protect health care for Seniors. That is the RetireSafe shtick, traveling the country giving Republicans cover on Social Security and Medicare issues.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=RetireSafe.org

Comment by Paul Friday, Sep 14, 12 @ 4:49 pm