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* Hey, Daily Herald, you need to find a replacement for departed political reporter Eric Krol, and soon. You’re getting killed on several stories by smaller papers, like this one, for instance…
The possibility looms that a Des Plaines woman who is also a military veteran, will follow in the footsteps of another female veteran to take on U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-6th) in next fall’s congressional election.
Col. Jill Morgenthaler’s name has been mentioned just once in your paper, and that was one tiny line buried down deep in a story about Peter Roskam’s fundraising.
* And what’s with the Daily Herald using an AP story about Denny Hastert’s pending (or not) resignation? [UPDATE: The Daily Herald’s Animal Farm blog is finally back online, so that’s a good thing].
* Anyway, on to the Peoria area, where state Rep. Aaron Schock announced some endorsements yesterday in his race to replace retiring Ray LaHood. The Peoria paper copied and pasted his spin right into the lede…
State Rep. Aaron Schock said his campaign for Congress was boosted Thursday by endorsements from two dozen municipal leaders in Woodford and Tazewell counties.
* Billy Dennis adds some perspective…
Fooled me. I thought it was going to be a run-in-the-mill official campaign kickoff.
Turned out Aaron Schock wanted to show off his new acquisitions: Endorsement from some relatively minor Tazewell and Woodford county politicians, including one Democrat. Schock certainly seems to believe racking up a string of endorsements helps his campaign. But why are these guys endorsing him? Probably for the same reason the PACs are pumping money into Schock’s campaign — he’s the perceived front runner, which can be a self-fulfilling prophesy in a primary election.
I can’t help but feel that endorsements all these county party chairs, city council members and county board members mean nothing if Ray LaHood – one of the most electorally popular politicians in central Illinois — decided to, for whatever reason, come out for John Morris or Jim McConoughey.
This is a 2008 congressional campaign open thread.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 9:33 am
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Somone did a study, which I can put my hands on right now, that basically showed endorsements have little effect. it also showed you were more likely to get votes by having a supporter tell their friends they were going to vote for you. Long story short, many voters tend to vote in peer groups, i.e. they do what there friends are doing. The endorsement you really need is grass roots supporter types pushing your canidacy to their friends.
Schock needs to work on getting into other peoples five
Comment by Ghost Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 9:54 am
So, Aaron needs myspace?
Comment by Pat collins Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 9:58 am
fav 5 calling circle reference. Myspace has a lot of cultural popularity, but the real influence on an indivdiual is through their close freinds.
Comment by Ghost Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:08 am
so if a neighbors word of mouth is more valuable, wouldn’t the local mayors and city council, who people see all the time at soccer games and at the breakfast haunts, mean more than the congressman they see once a year at the town festival scooping ice cream? and to contradict Billy D., Ray already tried to get the party officials NOT to endorse Schock and they did so anyway. Maybe THAT’s why he is so disenchanted with Schock, he didn’t sufficiently kiss the ring….
Comment by Lee Corso says: Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:15 am
Who’s Eric Krol?
Comment by Seersucker Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:27 am
[…] That’s Rich Miller’s take on the Journal Star’s reporting on Aaron Schock’s big announcement yesterday. […]
Pingback by Politics: ‘Copied and pasted’ political reporting from the PJS? Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:36 am
But are people influencing their peer groups, or are they already in peer groups with a common ideology and point of view? I can certainly say that among my close friends, they are all left-of-center Democrats. So if we all vote for the left-of-center Democrat in a race, is that because we’ve influenced one another or because that’s where we stand politically?
Comment by cermak_rd Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:38 am
Congressman LaHood’s son Darin was, at the time, considering a run for the 18th District seat. Schock’s didn’t hesitate a moment to go after these endorsements, despite the senior LaHood’s stated desires on the issue. LaHood is a pragmatic man, but I’m thinking he’s still irked. In any event, the younger LaHood is instead running for Peoria County State’s Attorney, which I think is a better fit for his background and family situation. And say what you want about Congressman LaHood (and I’ve said plenty), he did a pretty good job raising his family. I like all his kids, who also seem to be doing a good job with their own kids.
Comment by Billy Dennis Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:43 am
fav 5 calling circle reference
I am painfully familiar with MyFavs. Trust me
But I guess MySpace - > MyPolling Place just doesnt have what a good slogan needs…..
Comment by Pat Collins Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:45 am
With all the excitement going on around the state it’s unfortunate that there isn’t much congressional excitement in Chicago. Or at least it doesn’t seem that way.
Comment by Levois Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:51 am
18th Summary -
The contest was done for the Democrats when John Sullivan declined to run.
The genral election was over when Tazewell County Republican Chairman Demetra DeMonte endorsed Schock.
Comment by True Observer Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:11 am
T.O.: Really? I was not aware that DeMonte was supposed to be such a powerhouse. If so, it’s news to me. And big blow to the Democrats came when Dick Versace decided to enter the race, making it too expensive for any one of several better candidates to mount a primary challenge. Former State Rep. Bill Edley had a possibly winning strategy scoped out, and it did not include a primary battle. But millionaires have their egos, and all of them tend to think their very first elected office (not to mention their very first stab at any sort of public service) ought to be in Washington, D.C.
Comment by Billy Dennis Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:37 am
cermak, keep in mind a generalization applies frequently but not always. According to the study, most of the peers who supported a canidate did so only because another friend did. They had little knowledge of the canidate themself. Thus the group identifies a couple of members whose oppinion the respect, consciously or sub-consciously, and they tend to follow that persons lead in vote decisions. If you have a group of politicaly active freinds, setting aside that they may all vote the same, if the decision to vote for a canidate is based on their own knowledge of the canidate such a peer group would not be the norm. Not that I am calling you and your friends abnormal
Comment by Ghost Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:40 am
True, Mrs. Demonte also threw all of her weight and efforts behind Daryl Dagit - and he lost by 15%. I don’t think her blessing will push Schock past the finish line.
Schock realizes the power of being a front-runner and, if and when it happens, being the incumbent. Both hats allow a politician to go after support and money from unlikely groups and donors. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the unions in Peoria and Springfield give him money because they know he will win and they know he will be in there for a long, long time. A key vote or two can be worth that $2,300 every two years.
Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:41 am
The Republican contest was between Schock and Darin LaHood.
When DeMonte endorsed Schock, it was all over and LaHood was out.
The Republicans of Tazewell County play follow the leader. Unlike many County Organizations, they are also willing to remove ineffective leaders without batting an eye.
Because of the large number of Republican votes cast in its primary, Tazewell County casts a large shadow over the Republican Primary for the 18th. LaHood knew it and that’s why he bowed out.
Comment by True Observer Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 12:13 pm
unfortunate that there isn’t much congressional excitement in Chicago.
One party environments don’t lead to a lot of electoral excitement…..
Comment by Pat collins Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 12:15 pm
Team Sleep–apples and oranges. You wrote about the general election regarding Dagit. This is a primary and DeMonte is a powerhouse in the primary.
24 municipal officials in a one area with a big percent of the vote in the primary is huge. Cynics and elitists might believe people take cues only from the top. Grassroots support is more important.
Comment by Reawaken Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 12:21 pm
Sorry guys, but I don’t buy it. For the primary, I agree Mrs. Demonte will have a big impact. But Tazewell County is fairly Republican and Aaron will win it regardless of who is county chairman.
Darin LaHood declined to run because he has three young children. Can you imagine how stressful it would be for him to be in D.C. for five days out of the week? He would miss a good chunk of his kids’ lives and he wouldn’t be able to see them grow up. I know we demand a lot from our public servants, but that is above and beyond, at least in my opinion.
Aaron, on the other hand, has nothing to tie him down - no wife or kids. His family and friends can manage his rental properties while he’s in D.C.
Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 1:05 pm
Rich Miller wrote, “And what’s with the Daily Herald using an AP story about Denny Hastert’s pending (or not) resignation?”
I hate the fact that it is next to impossible to individually contact any of the reporters writing stories for AP. I don’t think they want feedback.
Pat collins wrote, “One party environments don’t lead to a lot of electoral excitement.”
Nor do merely two.
Comment by Squideshi Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 1:26 pm
Hey, where did Krol go?
Comment by Tony Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 2:25 pm
Tribune.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 2:36 pm
“Aaron, on the other hand, has nothing to tie him down - no wife or kids. His family and friends can manage his rental properties while he’s in D.C.”
That is precisely why some people are actively opposed to Schock. He has nothing to tie him to the area, the realities of life, or experience with making it on his own. He has grown up with a silver spoon and still carries himself as such. His lack of life experience should be a concern for his handlers, er, puppet master.
Comment by the wonderboy Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 2:53 pm
Wonderboy - Huh. I thought that Schock had a job while in high school, bought his first property with that earned money, pays his own bills, has his own business, and lives on his own. How is that not “making it on his own”? Do you have any evidence to share that can disprove those facts? Sounds like jealousy.
Comment by ILvoter Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 3:32 pm
Have any of you making comments about Ms. Demonte actually talked to a Republican from Tazewell or worked as one. If you had you would understand that she is not even close to having the amount of influence you claim she does, and she is on the outs with most Republicans in her county (at least the ones who know who she is, which isn’t many).
Given the track record of the IL GOP over the last few years, I think your belief in the omnipotence of county organizations is poorly placed.
Comment by former tazewell resident Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 3:37 pm
You’re right, I am simply jealous. I am sure that his job in high school funded his first purchase just as I am sure that he paid for his own education at Bradley. Furthermore, I am positive that his $60,000 a year salary allowed him sufficient resources to loan his campaign $50,000. Your call to disprove “facts” begs the question of what you consider “facts”.
The reality of the situation is that Schock has lived off of the public dollar from day one and now wants a raise. He is without quesiton a smart businessman if you look at the numbers–his raise if he moves to D.C. will be substantial. However, let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that he has built a “business” that is paying his own bills. I own rental property, and it isn’t really going to put food on the table unless you own many properties.
The facts regarding Schock still remain questionable in my opinion. He claims to be the experienced candidate, yet how many of his bills have actually passed in Springfield? I am pretty dertain that if you talked to Springfield insiders, their impression of Dreamy would be less than positive. He remains a back-bencher with little influence.
Many people in central Illinois still question Dreamy’s dealings with Shearer. Shearer remains a shady character with 3 home addresses (depending on which best serves his current need) and a history of working with corrupt individuals (Weller, Saudi royal family, …). To assume that his influence over Schock is beneficial to the people of Schock’s district is absurd…and I judge people based upon the company they keep.
But I am just jealous.
Comment by the wonderboy Saturday, Oct 20, 07 @ 11:50 am
hey former taz resident, you ought to actually come back and see for yourself. the tazewell GOP is actually the one downstate organization that continues to make a difference. she runs the most impressive organization in downstate. if more county orgs were run like taz is, we’d be winning statewide. we’ll see who’s right on Feb 6.
Comment by Reawaken Saturday, Oct 20, 07 @ 1:51 pm
Rich Miller wrote, “Tribune.”
Well, that’s certainly consistent with the Tribune’s generally conservative outlook on life.
Comment by Squideshi Sunday, Oct 21, 07 @ 12:37 pm
[…] Monday, October 22nd, 2007 in Congressional Campaigns, Media, Republicans by robnesvacil Rich Miller noted last Friday that the Peoria Journal-Star literally copied and pasted the spin from a press release by Congressional candidate Aaron Schock. The PJ Star is the hometown paper of conservative Republican State Rep. and Congressional candidate Aaron Schock. […]
Pingback by Schocking: PJ Star Schills for Schock « Illinois Reason Monday, Oct 22, 07 @ 1:03 pm