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* Is the Lipper scamming contributors? Mark Brown details how former Congressman Bill Lipinski sent out a “hearwarming” fund-raising letter soliciting contributions for his “All-American Eagles program,” which purports to run various programs for kids, “including an art contest, track and field meet, bicycle races, spelling and history bees and other programs designed to build the confidence and poise of young men and women.”

There’s a catch, however…

Well, the problem, as I explained, is that I’m looking at the last two-plus years of disclosure reports filed by Lipinski’s All-American Eagles and there’s scant evidence he has spent its money on the type of youth programs described in his letter.

Instead, Lipinski uses the fund the same way most politicians use such funds: to make campaign donations to other politicians, to defray some of the incidental expenses of holding political office (even though Lipinski no longer holds any office) and in some cases for stuff that would appear personal.

Lipinski has spent some of the All-American Eagles money toward rent on an Archer Avenue office that also houses the lobbying business he started after leaving Congress. For a while, he was using it to pay for a leased car. […]

All-American Eagles has donated $1,000 to Dan Lipinski’s campaign, $5,000 to the Democratic Party of Illinois and $500 to Republican state Sen. Christine Radogno’s losing campaign for state treasurer, among others.

* Yes, he was well outside the population center, but Brady probably would’ve been a decent candidate…

Illinois State Representative Dan Brady announced Monday he will not be seeking a seat for the 11th U.S. Congressional District left open by current Congressman Jerry Weller. Brady will however be seeking re-election as State Representative for the 88th District.

* I’m thinking any endorsement by Weller could be the kiss of death, but Balderman seems pleased to have it. Good luck with that…

Weller, a Morris Republican who is retiring after serving seven terms in Congress, is supporting New Lenox Mayor Tim Balderman for the GOP nomination.

* I don’t know either of these people…

Former White House staffer Marguerite Murer of Chicago and Jason King, of Normal, also have expressed interest in the [GOP primary to replace Weller].

* From Murer’s website…

As a Special Assistant to the President at the White House and from the Texas Rangers Baseball Club Front Office, Marguerite gained unique knowledge, has communicated with millions of our citizens, and can help your organization achieve better results

If Weller’s endorsement could turn out to be bad, having a candidate who has a long history with one of the most unpopular presidents in the past 100 years probably can’t be good, either.

* Murer ran the Correspondence office for the president, which issues form letter replies to citizens, but check out how she inflates that position on her site…

With the civilian rank equivalent to a two-star general, Marguerite charged forward leading Correspondence with solid business principles. From the war on terror and securing our homeland, to Medicare, Supreme Court nominations and the devastating Hurricane Katrina, Marguerite has communicated with millions of Americans…

General Murer? Please. And as we all know, that Katrina thing went so well.

* Meanwhile…

After declaring his candidacy just three weeks ago [to replace former House Speaker Dennis Hastert], Lauzen, a State Senator since 1992, will report having raised over $210,000 from more than 265 donors. Lauzen is also kicking in a personal loan of $325,000, for a cash on hand total north of $525,000.

RCP also reported that Jim Oberweis began running TV ads during the Cubs’ playoff game. Oops.

* If Aaron Schock was at all worried that the new authors of the Peoria Journal-Star’s “Word on the Street” column wouldn’t use the same kid gloves treatment as their predecessors, he got a pleasant surprise yesterday…

State Rep. Aaron Schock has moved his congressional campaign headquarters to avoid drama within the Republican party and put a stop to the nitpicking surrounding his every move.

* Sauerberg may get clear shot…

Republican Jim Nalepa has pulled the plug on a potential run for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate and instead is backing the candidacy of Steve Sauerberg for the right to take on incumbent Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin.

* Its official, Versace will run for Congress to replace LaHood; more here

* Versace plans listening tour before addressing issues

*** UPDATE *** Oberweis’ new TV ad…

And the ad buy, from a Democratic source…

He placed 2 times in the Cubs game on 10/6. He also placed an order that runs 10/10 – 10/14 for a total of $30,318. The networks he purchased were CNBC, CNN, DISC, ESPN, FOOD, HGTV, LIFE, TBS, TLC, TNT, and USA.

He placed these on 6 systems within the congressional district. He placed in Elgin, St. Charles/Wheaton, Aurora/Naperville, DeKalb, Streator/Ottawa, and Crystal Lake.

Pretty small buy.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 8:58 am

Comments

Why anyone would tout Weller’s endorsement is beyond me, sounds like a kiss of death. Does Baldermann realize why Weller isn’t running again?

Wow, this Margurite Murer says she had the equivalent rank of a two-star general. Little bold, isn’t it?

I believe the only other candidate from Will County at this point is Chris McNeil. I just saw his name in the Joliet paper again on Sunday.

Too bad Nalepa is standing down. While he causes some friction on the GOP side, the man can speak and can get people motivated.

Comment by Super Mega Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 9:16 am
Thanks for the reporting, Rich. The Lipper must be replaced. Check out the announcement from our chair Jim Dean today. -Charles Chamberlain

Dear Supporter

With Democrats like Congressman Dan Lipinski, the Republicans don’t even need to run a candidate.

There are some Democrats - Bush Democrats - who claim to represent us, but vote with Republicans on too many issues that matter.

Send a message to Congress: You’re on notice. Regardless of political party, when Congress won’t represent the will of the American people, then DFA members will fight to replace them with someone who will.

This is one bright blue Democratic district where we can make a change; Mark Pera is the progressive in the primary. Support Mark with a contribution of $15 right now:

http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/SupportMark

Congressman Lipinski is out of touch with his district. He can’t stop himself from voting with the Bush party line to prevent life-saving stem cell research or give oil companies even higher profits. He’s even voted five times to keep funding Bush’s war and supports keeping troops in Iraq beyond 2010.

But this election isn’t just about bad votes; it’s about leadership and community. Hand-picked by the party machine to take his father’s seat in Congress, Dan Lipinski is a poster child for the culture of incumbency.

Mark Pera represents the culture of activism. He worked his way up from the local school board to the State’s Attorney’s office by taking action and engaging members of the district. Pera has built a relationship with the community and has proven his ability to lead.

Local DFA members are already on the ground supporting Mark by knocking on doors, making phone calls, and recruiting volunteers for their People-Powered Campaign. Please back up their hard work with your hard support by contributing $15 today:

http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/SupportMark

Time and again, Bush Democrats have let America down. Now, we’ll show them why primaries matter.

Thank you taking action today,

Jim Dean
Chair

Comment by Charles Chamberlain Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 9:25 am
What Lipinski is doing should be illegal. All-American Eagles appears to ba a classic bait and switch proposition. I seem to recall he blatantly and repeatedly lied about his intentions with respect to installing his son as his successor too. Not a pretty picture.

Comment by Captain America Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 9:32 am
“If Weller’s endorsement could turn out to be bad, having a candidate who has a long history with one of the most unpopular presidents in the past 100 years probably can’t be good, either.”

Yes, but the President is still more popular than Congress. I wouldn’t want to be identified with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, either.

Kind of says it all for the state of American politics…doesn’t it?

Comment by Greg Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 9:36 am
i am just excited that we finally get a top of the ticket with no trouble…the ilgop can finally unite behind one candidate and move forward…

Comment by the pug is on the prowl Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 9:46 am
Sauerberg?
A check of Cook County Court records (online) indicate that a guy with that name has been a defendant in seven lawsuits. That’s just in Cook County.
The best that the GOP can do is an M.D. that keeps getting sued?

Comment by Skeeter Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:01 am
Greg, you should look at those congressional numbers a little more closely.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:05 am
also, dan brady not running is a big thing…he would have been a great candidate

Comment by the pug is on the prowl Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:09 am
Greg, the only problem with your statement is that while Congress as a whole is unpopular, many local Congressmen and Congresswomen are very well-known and popular. Many have the unabashed support of local mayors, county board chairmen, unions, businesses, NFPs, etc. While there is lack of popularity and action that has dogged the 110th Congress, Debbie Halvorson is well-known and seemingly well-liked popular state senator who can run on her time with the state senate and tout her leadership qualities. And when the DCCC dumps in truckloads full of $$$, they can reinvent the wheel in the 11th CD.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:09 am
Also, check out the generic congressional ballot question…

===The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that, if the Congressional Election were held today, 48% of American voters say they would vote for the Democrat in their district and 36% would opt for the Republican.===

And this…

===In all, Democrats enjoy at least a nominal advantage on nine of ten issues in this update of the tracking poll. On five issues, they are more widely trusted by a margin of ten points or more.===

It’s not enough to look at the overall opinion of Congress. You have to delve deeper.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:16 am
So, I wouldn’t want to be King. With Weller endorsing Balderman and Murer having long connections to W., King has to come up with someone to trump both of them. George Ryan? Rummy? Cheney?

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:28 am
OK Once again-

These candidates are running for their party’s nomination.

The Republicans don’t need the blessings of the dem/libs to win the primary.

Like it or not, in the Republican Party, Welller casts a long shadow.

He was the only one in the delegation to put his name up for Number Four in the Republican Caucus and he came close.

Also, he didn’t win 7 elections without having something on the ball.

Comment by True Observer Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:35 am
Those Rasmussen numbers are great, but much of the Dems support comes from those in the 18-30 age bracket.

That demographic generally doesn’t turnout to vote.

Comment by Super Mega Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:41 am
True brings up a good point. No matter how toxic Weller may be, his influence and connections within the 11th CD are deep and wide. If Mr. Baldermann needs help with a parade or drawing people to a small fundraiser, all it takes a quick call from Congressman Weller to a county chairman or mayor and the problem is taken care of. And Weller can use his staff to help correct any problems with Baldermann’s candidacy. Of course, not all of this will help, but it never hurst to have a Congressman and his senior staff on speed dial.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:57 am
TS & True: Maybe, maybe not. If Weller’s support was based on fear instead of appreciation, his support could undermine a nominee even in the primary. Those local pols might be looking for a more friendly candidate to fill the seat as opposed to one who threatens your grants if you don’t toe the line.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 11:39 am
Those first numbers by Lauzen are huge. Oberweis is milk toast.

Comment by GOP Henry Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 11:42 am
===Oberweis is milk toast.===

I wouldn’t count him out yet. He can dump a lot more money into his campaign fund than Lauzen can.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 11:48 am
CA, converting nonprofit donations to this kind of personal use is illegal. If it’s a 501(c)3, making political contributions is illegal. This is all under the auspices of Lisa Madigan’s office, so I guarantee you someone within her nonprofit division is probably already looking into it. Beyond the illegalities, it just stinks, but then that’s par for the course for the Lipper.

As to “General” Murer, wow, what chutzpah! Well at least people will know she’ll be MASTER OF THE AUTOPEN!

And finally, Greg, I would strongly encourage all Republican candidates for Congress all over the country to wrap themselves around the mantle of George “Mr. 28%” Bush and his policies. It will make securing a massive Democratic margin that much easier.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 11:57 am
Team Sleep:

Do you think a call from Weller to anyone is going to get a response at this point? Either they won’t hear him because of the crackling on the line, since he’s calling from Guatemala, or he’s giving testimony in the Duke Cunningham case.

Why do you think he’s not running again? Do you really think it’s about spending more time with family? Didn’t seem to be a priority in the past.

Comment by Super Mega Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 12:10 pm
Weller had this kind of relationship with Democratic and Republican county and city officials from throughout the 11th district.

From the Ottawa Times

Palmer is the Executive Director of the Ottawa area chamber of commerce.

One concern Palmer noted about Weller’s departure is the city’s attempts at securing federal brownfields grants totaling $400,000. The city was not granted the money during the last grant cycle, and will reapply for the funding that will help pay for the environmental study of the Jordan block and a former salvage yard on West Marquette Street — areas identified as two of the city’s top 15 so-called brownfield sites. The sites are known as brownfields because of the possibility they could have been contaminated by previous industrial activity.

“So here’s this $400,000 piece of change in which we certainly need to ask Jerry to use his influence,” Palmer said. “We’ve got a lot of things happening in Ottawa, thank goodness É We’ve got Kohl’s, Heritage Harbor, International Titanium Powder, Sika Corporation É all these projects are starting that require funding — state and federal funding.”

Weller’s relationship with city officials also will be hard to top, Palmer said.

“Any time I picked up the phone and talked to Jerry about something, it got done,” Palmer said. “He’s been to every one of our legislative luncheons, and he attends all of our major events. That’s what a good politician should do.”

Comment by True Observer Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 12:25 pm
Super, trust me on this one. Many “power players” in his district will listen to him if he has a request or small demand. They may not jump off a cliff for him, but I’m sure that encouraging support for Mr. Baldermann would not be a problem if Jerry Wller got involved.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 12:30 pm
Anyone know what Geneva Mayor Burns’s $$ is at? I’m still puzzled why he is in the race? He doesn’t come $$ like Obie and Lauzen. Is he for real?

Comment by kane county doc Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 12:30 pm
The way things are looking, Baldermann may not have a legitimate, or for that matter any, opponent in the primary.

Comment by True Observer Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 12:35 pm
I wouldn’t count him out yet. He can dump a lot more money into his campaign fund than Lauzen can.

But Lauzen will have way more people walking precints and handing out stuff, yard signs, etc.

I still think a good ground game beats an air campaign, esp this race.

Comment by Pat collins Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 12:47 pm
Rich Miller wrote, “Lipinski has spent some of the All-American Eagles money toward rent on an Archer Avenue office that also houses the lobbying business he started after leaving Congress. For a while, he was using it to pay for a leased car.”

Ouch. To quote the statutes:

“A political committee…shall not make expenditures…For satisfaction or repayment of any debts other than loans made to the committee or to the public official or candidate on behalf of the committee or repayment of goods and services purchased by the committee under a credit agreement.” 10 ILCS 5/9-8.10

“A political committee may lease or purchase and insure, maintain, and repair a motor vehicle if the vehicle will be used primarily for campaign purposes or for the performance of governmental duties. A committee shall not make expenditures for use of the vehicle for non‑campaign or non‑governmental purposes.” (10 ILCS 5/9-8.10(a)(9))

“The Board shall have the authority to investigate, upon receipt of a verified complaint, violations of the provisions of this Section…The fine shall not exceed $500 for each expenditure of $500 or less and shall not exceed the amount of the expenditure plus $500 for each expenditure greater than $500.” (a href=”http://ilga.gov/legislation/ilc
s/ilcs4.asp?DocName=00100
0050HArt%2E+9&ActID=170&ChapA
ct=10%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B5%2F&Chap
terID=3&ChapterName=ELECTIONS&SectionID
=36485&SeqStart=40600000&SeqEnd=
45700000&ActName=Election+Code%2E”&g
t;10 ILCS 5/9-8.10(b))

Comment by Squideshi Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 12:59 pm
The last link in my last post is missing the closing HTML A tag, which is making it wrap funny. I don’t have the ability to go back and edit, so please accept my apology. Rich, maybe you can fix this?

Comment by Squideshi Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 1:02 pm
Squid, you’re quoting state law. Is this a federal committee?

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 1:04 pm
That depends on how the committee is operating and how its funds are being used. You can’t create a committee for the purposes of a federal election and then suddenly start instead use it for state and local purposes without complying with Illinois law. It seemed to me that you were suggesting that the committee funds were being used this way.

Comment by Squideshi Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 1:22 pm
Smart move by Dan Brady. He’s moving up the GOP leadership ladder, has a good reputation on both sides of the aisle and is positioned to move to the state Senate when Bill Brady runs for Governor or to Congress when Tim Johnson packs it in a few years from now. D. Brady works his rear off but this district included few of the people of have voted for him for years.

And why take on a formidable candidate like Halvorson under those circumstances?

Comment by Ilrino Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 2:46 pm
True: Read through your quote again. They did NOT get the 400K this time and need to reapply. He then says that Weller always comes through. A clear contradiction.

No one with money on the line will call Weller a cad. From what I have heard (sources wish to remain unnamed), Weller was notoriously unhelpful with grants, but when the money was awarded, he was always there for the photo op. No one wanted to cross him because while he wasn’t much help, he would cut you off.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 4:13 pm
The Tribune yesterday suggested that some statement Nalepa made about a moment of silence for the 30th anniversary of Elvis’ death was somehow fatal to his campaign.

Rich, or anybody; I wasn’t there, but how bad could this have been? The Governor was rewriting, rearranging, reinterpreting and performing his own versions of Elvis songs, for crying out loud.

I believe Nalepa had other reasons for declining to throw his hat in the ring.

Aside–Doctors get sued all the time. Especially in Illinois. It goes with the territory.

Comment by Colonel Tom Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 4:27 pm
The fatal blow to his campaign was the fact that he didn’t bother to put together a campaign, not that goofy Elvis statement.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 4:29 pm
Thanks for the info; which begets the next question:

What was he waiting for? He was on radio shows, and making appearances at such high-profile events, such as the State Fair.

Or, is he one of those guys who just likes the attention until it’s time to put up or shut up?

Comment by Colonel Tom Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 4:33 pm
Colonel Tom,
That’s just not the case.
I looked up all the doctors I’ve seen recently (all who have their main offices in Cook County), including a cardiologist and even the OB that delivered my kids.
No suits against them.
Face it — the man wants to be in the Senate because he is a pretty lousy doctor. I’m shocked he can find any med mal coverage at all with all of those claims.

Comment by Skeeter Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 7:06 pm
[…] [Hat tip Rich] […]

Pingback by WurfWhile » Blog Archive » GOP 14th Congressional Chris Lauzen Raises $210,000 And Makes Democrat Bill Foster Look Good Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 8:50 pm
210K with a well established donor base, none of whom should have been surprised by his run. I would agrue Lauzen’s number isn’t impressive. Heck Foster raised just about that much in donations and no one knew him from Adam a while back.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Oct 9, 07 @ 10:50 pm
Marguerite would be a strong candidate — she’s a Joliet/Illinois native, understands business and how Washington works, and was a teacher. What a solid mix of skills to represent the district well.

Comment by Moderate Mom Wednesday, Oct 10, 07 @ 8:49 am
Lipinski is just like all of the machine bred dolts who have had a chair at the patronage trough since they were old enough to walk. It is a way of life and now his son will play out the same game for years to come. Don’t blame the Lipinskis, however, blame the mindless morons who keep voting them into office.

Comment by wallace Friday, Oct 12, 07 @ 9:08 am