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* Little Lip’s situation just gets more bizarre all the time. Kristen McQueary had an excellent column this week that we unfortunatley overlooked. The piece is about the all too convenient connections between Congressman Dan Lipinaksi and his father, former Congressman Bill Lipinski. Here’s a little background…
Dan and William Lipinski share office space at 5838 Archer Ave. for political purposes. The building serves as William Lipinski’s headquarters for his business, Blue Chip Consulting, and Dan Lipinski’s campaign office… The All-American Eagle Fund, which the elder Lipinski operates, also lists 5838 Archer Ave. as its headquarters along with the 23rd Ward political operation.
* According to McQueary, Bill Lipinski’s All-American Eagle Fund has made payments to both Dan Lipinski’s chief of staff, Jerry Hurckes and Dan’s former communication director, Chris Ganschow.
Little Lip’s response? “I don’t see how that is an issue.”
Strike one.
Why? Because Bill Lipinski, who runs the All-American Eagles Fund, is also a lobbyist…
You’ve got Dan Lipinski, a congressman, promising to bring a Central Avenue underpass to Bedford Park and serving on the House Transportation Committee, while his father, former U.S. Rep. William Lipinski, collected fees from Bedford Park as a paid consultant to lobby specifically for the underpass.
* Dan Lipinksi swears that he and his daddy don’t talk about official business like that project in Bedford Park, even though daddy’s lobbying firm is located in Danny’s campaign office and daddy is paying two of Danny’s advisers from his All-American Eagle Fund, which is supposed to be about helping children, but isn’t doing a lot of that, unless we’re talking about Bill Lipinski’s child.
Strike two.
* Ah, but it gets even better. Dan Lipinski’s campaign fund shows payments to his daddy’s lobbying firm…
“It was for advice I received from Bill Lipinski, just like anyone would pay a political consultant,” [Dan Lipinski] said. […]
The advice was not related to any Blue Chip clients but, rather, some pointers on how, after his election, to put together an office, Dan Lipinski said. He described the advice as “random issues that anyone goes to a political consultant for. I could not go to anyone to get better advice in my current job than to him.”
* OK, so let’s sum up, shall we? Bill Lipinski games the system to get his kid elected to Congress. The son keeps his dad’s cronies on the payroll, and two of them (includng one who remains on the payroll) are getting payments from his father’s childrens’ charity fund, which doesn’t appear to be doing a lot of charitable work except for Dan Lipinski’s benefit. Dan shares an office with his daddy’s lobbying firm and even pays that firm for advice, but he insists he never talked with daddy about a project that the elder Lipinski is working on.
Strike three.
* More congressional stories, compiled by Paul…
* Early departure for Hastert to trigger special election
* Hastert wraps up 20-year House career; more here
* Objection filed vs. ‘mystery’ candidate
*** UPDATE *** Some Oberweis stories…
* Oberweis dumps helicopter for fireplace in new TV spot
* Oberweis: hard line on immigration - GOP candidate backs border fence, rejects amnesty
* Tribbies: Oberweis returns to immigration issue
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 9:34 am
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its nice to see a US congressman only giving Lip service to the idea of ethics in politics.
Comment by Ghost Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 9:38 am
I think you are being too hard on him…
I mean, he Sleeps on the Floor(TM) of his DC office!
That shows, umm… character?
?
Comment by GoBearsss Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 9:41 am
You mispelled Caricature. Yes he is definelty a Caricature.
Comment by Ghost Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 9:48 am
If Dan was an Alderman and not a congressman, I’d say “big deal”. But when we are talking about a member of congress, the bar has to be raised higher. At what point is this not OK? At what point do people say “I have had enough!”? Is it when Bill Lipinski files to run for re-election and engineers a nobody from Cicero to run as his Republican opponent? Is it when he decides, after the filing deadline that he no longer wants to be Congressman and announces his retirement? Is when he sends a bus ticket to his kid in Tennessee to return to Chicago to take his place (surely the same bus tickets he sent his kid to return to the precinct each election day to vote)? Is it when…..oh forget it. The Lipinski’s won’t change and the voters won’t do what is right….which is throw the bum out.
Comment by Joe in the Know Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 10:25 am
People need to be more focused on the practice of using shill “opponents” to dilute the anti-incumbent vote and other illegal, dirty political tactics, such as unfounded petition challenges, which people like the Lips use to maintain their feifdoms. The press never seems to have the cojones to call them on it, which surely would nudge the powers that be to do a little investigation and prosecution in that regard.
Mark my words: the press may be very tough on Little Lipper right now, but when election time comes, they will not. Just a little huffing for now, when it doesn’t really harm them.
Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 11:35 am
The Lipinskis give nepotism a bad name. Wak up voters!
Comment by Captain America Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 1:26 pm
OH BOY. Especially because he has a tough experienced former prosecutor/Army Captain Jim Capperelli as an opponent. Watch Cap snip the Lip!!!
Comment by SouthSideSarah Friday, Nov 16, 07 @ 5:37 pm
Nothing about the engineering of Dan Lipinski’s 2004 Conressional campaign was illegal.
People should stop complaining. Where were the Republican candidates in the first place?
Aside: I thought it was hilarious when Dan answered critics that year by stating “In a perfect world, I would have run in the primary.”
Yes, right.
Comment by I Wrote In Krista Grimm Saturday, Nov 17, 07 @ 6:47 am
It is certainly time for a change. Lipinski ought to be extremely nervous. Particularly since he has a strong challenge from a Liutenant Colonel in the Reserves. Jim Capparelli actually lives in the neighborhood and didn’t need his father to hand the position to him on a silver platter. If the Aldermanic races taught us anything, the unions are playing a huge role in city elections and Capparelli has been lining up their support. GO CAPS!
Comment by asadrip Saturday, Nov 17, 07 @ 11:08 am