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LaHood, Weller, Johnson, Hastert and an open thread

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* I haven’t been following the “Will Ray LaHood really quit Congress to run Bradley University?” story because I’ve been too busy with other things, mainly the overtime session.

But, I also wondered if he even had a shot. The guy only has a bachelor’s degree, which doesn’t usually qualify someone for a top academic post. Still, he has been making preparations…

A LaHood fund-raising coffee scheduled for last Wednesday on Capitol Hill was called off Monday with a terse e-mail: ‘’Cancelled Till Further Notice.'’ LaHood told me it would be ‘’a little unseemly'’ to raise campaign money while he awaited Bradley’s decision, though that is common practice by congressional colleagues facing similar situations.

But Molly Parker has her doubts about the whole thing…

Since he was at the County Board meeting last week, we asked state Rep. David Leitch if he was gearing up for a congressional run [to replace LaHood].

“There’s not going to be an opening,” he drawled.

Asked later to clarify, Leitch, who was at the meeting to speak on behalf of Firefly Energy Inc., said he had no insider knowledge, just a gut feeling.

That echoes what we’re hearing across the board.

* I know that Jerry Weller is a very hard campaigner, but who else could survive press like this?

Congressman Jerry Weller is keeping tight-lipped about his wife’s finances. Weller says he doesn’t know what Zury Rios de Weller’s financial assets are, and he hasn’t asked about them. The seven-term Republican congressman married the Guatemalan senator in 2004 and they have one child. Weller says he relies on his own income he makes as a member of the U.S. House, and not his wife’s.

The two were married (her fourth) at the compound owned by his wife’s father, a former brutal dictator. She has said she has no plans to become a US citizen.

I fully understand that love is a strange thing. Nobody knows when or where it will strike, and you can’t always choose your in-laws. And while I try not to delve into personal lives too often, this has to be one of the strangest marriages in American politics today.

* From the same story above, it looks like Tim Johnson is doing well…

Financial disclosure reports show Congressman Tim Johnson took in over $226,000 in salary and pension payments last year. Johnson is a three-term Republican from Urbana who collected over $165,000 for his work in the U.S. House, plus another $60,000 in pension payments from the state — from his 24 years as a state representative.

* And this is no surprise whatsoever…

Aurora dairy magnate Jim Oberweis is considering running for U.S. Congress, but only if incumbent Dennis Hastert decides not to seek re-election.

“I would do everything I can to carry on Denny’s legacy,” Oberweis said recently at a Kendall County Republican Party meeting where he announced for the first time that he plans to form an exploratory committee.

This is an Illinois Congresscritter open thread.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 11:51 am

Comments

Jim, nobody wants you. Get over yourself. You can do more behind the scenes and you should get used to being there, because you are not and never will be electable.

Comment by Get Over Weiss Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:04 pm
I don’t see having just a Bachelor’s as a complete disqualifer in LaHood’s case. He obviously knows how to raise money and has contacts. It seems that universities are more concerned about the bottom line than anything else these days, so maybe LaHood is a good fit.

Not too many people could survive articles like the one on Weller. I’m sure a lot of this is already common knowledge (not in his district ), but in light of the “culture of corruption” so prevelant today, it doesn’t look good.

I think I saw Shimuks (my congressman) on TV the other night. Been very quiet since the whole page scandal.

As for Crazy Milkman, can we not pass a law barring three time losers from seeking public office ever again? I wish he’d crawl back into his hole.

Comment by jwscott72 Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:07 pm
I agree with jwscott—–what does having a bachelor’s degree (only) have to do with the price of eggs in china?

Comment by anon2 Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:16 pm
Are there going to be actual people on this Milkman Exploratory Committee or should we just assume it will consist of the voices in his head? If that’s the case, we all know what they are going to tell him to do.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:26 pm
How much longer will Tim Johnson serve?

Comment by Fire Ron Guenther Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:40 pm
1) When Jan Schakowsky leaves Congress (sooner rather than later I hope) is Ald. Joe Moore the heir apparent?

2) The Dems can’t find anyone good to run against Weller.

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:41 pm
RB… Priceless.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:41 pm
Re the bachelor degree. I have had professors in college with doctorates who have worked 1 year outside academia. That same professor was intmidated by questions asked of a 20 year old kid.

Comment by Wumpus Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 12:45 pm
If you were married to the daughter of a “brutal dictator,” would you ask about the money?

Comment by Fan of the Game Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 1:11 pm
Saw Hastert yesterday and he looked amazingly healthy. I wonder if he is going to actually resign. I use to be sure he would, but now??????

Comment by Leigh Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 1:13 pm
Jerry Weller is such a scuzzbag. I’m amazed that the Democrats can’t find a halfway decent candidate. Pavich had a great resume, but he was way over his head.
However, doesn’t federal law require him to disclose his wife’s assets? I didn’t think that was an optional thing?

I don’t think that LaHood’s lack of an advanced degree should be held against him. It should be a question of whether he has the fundraising and administrative skills to handle the job.

I guess Timmeh Johnson is out to prove yet again that its not just Illinois Democrats who like to double dip into the old pay trough.

As far as the Milkman goes, I used to occasionally buy Oberweiss products. Then he decided to run for office. Dean’s milk is oh-so-delicious. I wonder how many illegal immigrant’s work for the Milkman’s suppliers or his own company?

And Jan ain’t going nowhere.

Comment by Jerry Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 1:19 pm
Can we note that LaHood is copying President Poshard?
And will this mean Mr. Dreamy is headed for the Congress and Ds pick up another GA seat?

p.s. Ray would do great job and did a nice job with SPike O’Dell this a.m. Maybe the PJS should pretend to be an out of town radio station next time they call.

Comment by Reddbyrd Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 1:28 pm
Jerry - nice. I love the “scuzzbag” comment. For fear of being deleted, I will say nothing else about Weller.

Comment by Napoleon has left the building Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 1:33 pm
If Ray LaHood is put in charge of Bradley University, why not find a similar “golden parachute” for Emil Jones. How about President of Chicago State University? Afterall, Sen. Jones “knows how to raise money and has good contacts.”

Comment by Mr. Entitlement Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 1:35 pm
I agree. Emil for CSU President NOW! That would alleviate a lot of problems with the Senate.

Comment by jwscott72 Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:09 pm
It is just my opinion, but I think the lack of a Masters +, will disgualify him.

Comment by Shelbyville Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:12 pm
How many university presidents are there with just BAs? I doubt there are many, if any. Poshard has a PhD.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:16 pm
Dumbing Down of Higher Education in the U.S. Continues.

It is widely believed that the college degree of today is equivalent to a high school diploma from a generation ago.

Having the College President with the sole degree of B.A. in Sociiology and Education would be a continuation of the the dumbing down of higher education.

Question: Is it politically correct to question this?

Comment by True Observer Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:23 pm
Oberweis:

Primaries are supposed to elect the better man/woman to go into the general to win for the pary.

With Oberweis it turns out that the better man/woman was not selected because they went on to lose in the general.

Oberweis has never been tested in a general election.

It is arguable that he may have won at least 2 out of the 3 races had he been the nominee. Possibly all 3.

Comment by True Observer Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:28 pm
TO, let’s not get into that sort of woulda, ooulda discussion.

Also, elections have absolutely nothing to do with the “better” man or woman. This isn’t a meritocracy. They have everything to do with winning. He hasn’t won anything yet.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:41 pm
There you go picking on poor Jerry again. Love is blind, I’m telling you. It also suddenly makes you go “deaf and dumb” when it comes to helping the public (and the feds)follow the trail of money involving political conflicts of interest.

The Democrats only have two candidates with a snowball’s chance of defeating Congressman Weller. They would be Will County Executive Larry Walsh and Illinois State Senator A.J. Wilhelmi. Both of these guys choose to remain in their respective political offices for personal reasons. The Democrats have only been able to send lightweights with no name recognition in the past against Jerry Weller. That isn’t about to change unless Walsh or Wilhelmi have a sudden change of heart and decide to challenge Weller. Weller has always had the backing of union Local 150 with it’s 22,000 members behind him since Congressman Weller and his friend former governor George Ryan were instrumental in creating thousands of jobs for local 150 members out at the former Joliet Arsenal & Ammunition Plant 10 miles south of Joliet, Illinois. This huge industrial area that Weller and George Ryan helped create from surplus federal lands now has 3000-4000 trucks an hour traveling in and out of this area which comprises over 22,000 acres. They also placed certain union officials and members on this industrial sites board of directors. Weller has a political job for life due to the favors he pulled for the local union and their membership. Their union votes and political campaign contributions will continue to flow toward Weller’s campaign war chest.
As far as not knowing a thing about his wife’s assets or finances, I think that defense attorneys call this the “ostrich defense” when their clients take the stand in federal court and are questioned by the federal prosecutors. As Sargent Schultz on the television comedy series called “Hogan’s Heroes” used to say, “I know nothing, I saw nothing, I heard nothing”.

Comment by One of Jerry's Kids Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:44 pm
True, I think your off your rocker. Oberweis would have gone down in flames if he were the nominee for each of three cycles he campaigned in - especially the 2002 and 2004 U.S. Senate races.

Ray would be a great university president. Bradley is a private school, so there could be no real public uproar if he took a job that was funded by private money. Maybe we need some non-PhD presidents at some of our state schools so we can knock out all of the nonsense that goes on in university classrooms and board meetings.

As for Weller and Johnson, who cares? I’m not surprised that Timmy double-dips. He’s the oddest politicians I have ever met. Weller is just a jerk.

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:55 pm
Oberweis must be elected to something, and soon. It should be a somewhat innocuous post where too much potential for damage does not exist. NOT dog catcher as I care too much for our four legged friends. Maybe something like a county sanitary dairy inspector. Please folks let’s join together and come up with something for him so he just fades away in his own glory.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:01 pm
that might be a good qotd, AC

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:07 pm
Oberweis can certainly say that he has the tenacity of a bulldog when it comes to going after something that he wants. It is a shame that Jim has been reduced to a political joke very much like the Chicago Cubs and their catch phrase “maybe next year”.

Jim Oberweis is actually a pretty decent guy and very bright. His ego is his worst enemy. He wants to start off by being the Quarterback of the team instead of starting out as the waterboy like everybody else had to do. He doesn’t believe in working his way up the political ladder. He prefers to take the elevator.

You will have to give Oberweis credit though for being way ahead of the other politicians when it came to his recognizing what a hot political potato the “illegal immigrant issue” is in our country. His only problem was that Jim was about two years too early when he spoke out about it. Whatever public relations firm that advised him to do that political ad with Oberweis in a helicopter hovering over a Sport’s Stadium as 10,000 illegal immigrants streamed into the sport’s stadium certainly owes Oberweis a refund on any money that he might have paid them. It was “overkill” and made Oberweis appear to be a right-wing looney. A bit of advice for Mr. Oberweis: Don’t use the same public relations firm this time, Jim. You only have 9 lives and you have already used up 8 and 1/2 of them.

Comment by Clara "The Clairvoyant" Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:15 pm
Team Sleep

You make my point. Nobody knows how Oberweis would have done in the general.

As far as Bradley being a “private school”. You’d be surprised how much government money “private schools” get. When you start adding up the pell grants, government guaranteed loans, etc. etc.

In fact, the reason they want LaHood is to get in on the earmarks.

Comment by True Observer Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:15 pm
Rich, feel free to run with it. It was somewhat in jest but having him out of discussions would certainly raise the level of discourse. He just seems like an independently wealthy (I’m OK with that) but self serving loose cannon. He seems incapable of reflecting the viewpoints of any sector of the electorate other than the way marginalized ones of today’s political landscape.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:16 pm
- Team Sleep - Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 2:55 pm:

True, I think your off your rocker. Oberweis would have gone down in flames if he were the nominee for each of three cycles he campaigned in - especially the 2002 and 2004 U.S. Senate races.

Ray would be a great university president. Bradley is a private school, so there could be no real public uproar if he took a job that was funded by private money.
———————————————

Actually, tons of public monies go to private colleges and universities. Think of all the state and federal financial aid–the Pell grants and ISAC money and federally subsidized student loans.

The taxpayer is paying more than s/he knows for private education.

Comment by Fan of the Game Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:19 pm
Obie: Reminds me of a perennial state rep candidate we had down here. Finally the local GOP got him elected to a safe township board seat. He eventually worked his way up to a county board post for a small county, where he did a creditable job. Got him off the ballot and out of everyone’s hair.

Weller: WTF? or should I say, en Espanol, QLC?
(sorry can’t to that l’il thingy over the ‘n’.

Johnson: Is he going to retire soon? I keep hearing that. Is Dale Righter gonna run for his job? I keep hearing that, too.

Comment by HoosierDaddy Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:30 pm
Jim did get elected as a pct committeeman. He also got handed his hat when he ran for Kane County party chair.

Comment by OneManBlog Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:32 pm
A Citizen

When a candidate comes in 2nd three times for the nomination of the top elected state-wide position on the ballot in the 5th largest state in the U.S., he does not just represent “way marginalized ones”.

Comment by True Observer Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:33 pm
Lou Hankins just retired from Eastern Illinois University as President. He has a Masters and 40 years of working toward the job. He got endless grief as a non-PhD when he first went for the position from some very vocal faculty. Turned out he was the best person for the job and was terrific. I have no idea how the other state school Presidents felt about him, but on a personal basis and on campus the man was a positive PR machine. EIU is consistently ranked as a very good state school. Hard to argue the outcomes. BA level at Bradley may be really tough for the PhD and alumni money crowd to swallow.

Comment by zatoichi Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:34 pm
I wonder if anyone can even teach at Bradley with a BA/BS.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:43 pm
Rich,
When I started teaching for the Univ. of Phoenix’s on-line campus they said you needed at least a masters. It had something to do with their certifications. So I would suspect the same is true for Bradley

Comment by OneManBlog Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 3:51 pm
‘- Fan of the Game - Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 1:11 pm:

If you were married to the daughter of a “brutal dictator,” would you ask about the money??

>Well, let’s ask Patty, shall we?:-)

Comment by Let my legislation go Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:08 pm
There seems to be an undercurrent that winners of elections are better than losers.

Under that theory, Mike Nifong was better than the person he defeated.

Comment by True Observer Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:09 pm
Poshard was my Congressman. He was a great man who would do a super job at anything. LaHood is my Congressman today. I don’t agree with him on many issues. But Ray is a great person and hard worker for the district. Like Poshard both who have been grater Governors than Blago.
At least a college will benefit him their great knowledge and leadership.

Comment by decaturboy Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:12 pm
Again, TO, elections have NOTHING to do with which candidate is the “better” whatever. Elections are about winning. He hasn’t won. That’s a big reason why he is the object of so much derision, besides, of course, the goofy things he’s done.

Remember the straws?

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:13 pm
Rich will we get equal time to discuss the sordid affairs of Danny Davis,Bobby rusn, Jan schkowsky and little lipper.

Comment by fed up Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:18 pm
For most univerisities there is no formal degree requirement for professors; however, there does exist an unwritten rule that one will have a Ph.D. (or at least an Ed.D. though the Ph.D.s look down upon them).

Community college rules in Illinois require a Masters degree to teach any college-level transfer course.

Edward O’Day, Professor Emeritus and former chair of the history department at SIU-C did not have a doctorate. Rumor has that his not-quite-finished dissertation burned when Old Main flew in flames in 1969.

Administratively, there is no requirement of a doctoral degree (or any degree for that matter) to be president or chancellor of a college, but it hlps in relations with faculty. However, if the role is that of PR man and fundraiser, Ray LaHood would fit the bill for Bradley.

Comment by Fan of the Game Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:20 pm
Central Illinois used to boast Congressmen like Madigan, Arenda, Michel. Now we have Weller and Johnson.

Yuck.

Comment by Ilrino Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:28 pm
Fedup, we did those guys last week.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:31 pm
True and Fan, I know that government funds are given to private schools and that Pell Grants and other public scholarships are used to pay for tuition. In fact, I remember when Vince Demuzio got Blackburn a bunch of $$$, and the Blackburn board named the student center after him. But private schools are still under private charters are not subject to the full gammit of the law as are public schools. Yes, they must follow laws and statutes, but we are talking about a much different set of operational protocol. That being said, Ray would not face the same scrutiny attempting to take the job as he would if he tried to take over the reigns at Western or Eastern.

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 4:55 pm
TS, don’t kid yourself. There will be plenty of scrutiny at Bradley. Lots.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 5:20 pm
Ray @ Bradley, I hope not for both their sakes. If you think Washington or Springfield politics are tough, just try working at any University! They will eat him alive if he doesnt show up with the right ( dare I say it ) union card. ( remember Glen was a PhD teacher before going off to DC.

Comment by The Horse Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 5:27 pm
University of Illinois President B. Joseph White:
“He earned his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in international economics from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1969 and an MBA, with distinction, from Harvard University in 1971 and doctorate in business administration in 1975 from the University of Michigan.”

Illinois State University President Al Bowman:
“Bowman received a bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology from Augustana College in 1975. He earned a master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1976, and a Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois-Urbana.”

Northern Illinois President John Peters:
“Dr. Peters earned his bachelor’s degree in political science at Cleveland’s John Carroll University, and a master’s in government from Ohio University in Athens. In 1974, he received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.”

Western Illinois University President Al Goldfarb:
“Goldfarb earned his Ph.D. (1978) at the City University of New York (CUNY), his master’s degree (1973) at Hunter College of CUNY, and his bachelor’s degree (1972) at Queens College of CUNY.”

Just a few for reference.

Comment by kind of anonymous Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 5:29 pm
FWIW, the President of the University of Illinois, Joe White, holds an MBA and a doctorate in Business Administration. Might be interesting to watch over time how this background (and private sector experience) fares over time compared to the “straight academics” who have preceded him in the job.

As far as LaHood, if the Bradley job is like many college presidencies these days, that being chief fundraiser, lobbyist, and consensus builder as opposed to a desk-riding adminstrator, I think he would fare very well, lack of PhD notwithstanding.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 5:32 pm
We had the same silly debate about whether Paul Vallas could run CPS without the requisite certificate to be a superintendent. I believe events proved that he could.

Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 8:46 pm
Whether LaHood the politician is it or not I don’t know. But I would like to see more business climate people in educational administrative positions than educators from the academic ivory towers. The isolation academia climates force is counterproductive when it comes to practical reasoning. As with the thin blue line with the law enforcement community, there exists a smothering protectionism amongst the academics. It is time to try a new direction. LaHood may get a shot, but a lot of others should as well. The private club should be disbanded.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 9:21 pm
Lahood = who cares
Johnson = who cares
Oberweis = who cares

Comment by Illinois sucks Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 9:22 pm
The question to be answered at Bradley is not whether Congressman Lahood has the credential to teach but whether he has the personality to lead. All the evidence says he does. The single biggest strategic pothole that US Higher Ed faces is the confusion of education with “credentialing”. Bradley will make a bold move in the right direction if they choose to be lead by Congressman Lahood. His genuine real world experience is worth more than dozens of third rate degrees.

Comment by lincolnlandbubba Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 9:45 pm
Careen Gordon for Congress !!

Comment by railsplitter_68 Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 9:52 pm
I suppose Bradley has professional fundraisers and lobbyists, already. I know they have a successful alumni association.

http://www.bradley.edu/humanresources/employment.html

Comment by Shelbyville Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 10:56 pm
- Shelbyville - Don’t go giving Rich the recruitment address, we need him here!

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Jun 18, 07 @ 11:28 pm
You need a BA just to be a small town cop these days — a Barney Fife, for God’s sake. Maybe the mayor will appoint Barnie as the new school superintendent, and waive the B.A. for Otis to take over watching the jailhouse for Andy.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Tuesday, Jun 19, 07 @ 7:14 am
LaHood could offer some real leadership to Bradley. Sometimes you need a non-academic to set the direction objectively and lead. But using his ability to raise money is ludicrous to tout his candidacy for the university presidency. So he now raises a million dollars every two years. That would keep Bradley running for 10 hours. Fundraising and “development” are two different things. You are not asking someone for $2,300. You are asking for people to bequeath a chunk of their wealth in their will and you work to get other huge sums from wealthy individuals and corporations. Just not the same as a congressional campaign. There is also no way the 18th District is going to elect a dem even with Obama on the ticket and even without LaHood. Just watch wait and learn if you disagree.

Many prognosticators routinely think Weller is vulnerable and they always get their ass handed to them in election after election. Pavich was a good candidate and threw everything he could at Weller. Even in the perfect storm of 2006 Weller bottomed out at just over 55%. He gets way too much local media coverage for doing things around the district to be defeated. Voters heard all the Central America/marriage stuff from both Renner and Pavich and Weller still won in landslides. Like him personally or not he is an effective congressman. Give the guy a break though on falling in love. Who wouldn’t marry the person they love most just because of who or what her father is or was? Is it strange, yes of course. But it hasn’t done much political damage and beating that dead horse even more will defeat yet another democrat. Weller also has a killer instinct in campaigns and not many challengers want to be on the other end of that.

Just like democrats with regard to Weller, how many times does Obie have to lose to get the message?

Comment by Sentinel Tuesday, Jun 19, 07 @ 12:34 pm