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Newman claims no knowledge of her supporters bombarding Welch, Harmon with calls to their private phones

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Illinois

* You knew about some of this already, but here’s WBEZ on the congressional remap drama…

Displeased by that development, some of Casten’s DuPage County-based allies in the Illinois House threatened to withhold voting for the congressional maps unless he was treated more favorably. That appeared to be why the final map that won approval on Oct. 29 moved Newman’s home in LaGrange six blocks out of the 6th, unleashing fury in her camp.

“Clearly, the folks who did that little maneuver in the middle of the night didn’t understand Marie Newman,” she told WBEZ. […]

So, in a last-ditch political Hail Mary, Newman’s backers got their hands on the personal cell phone numbers of Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and made call after call after call to protest her treatment. It was pure lobbying chutzpah, multiple legislative sources confirmed.

Ultimately, it didn’t move the needle, and it’s a tactic from which Newman seeks to distance herself.

“I know they made calls to all the legislators that had involvement in remapping,” she said, when asked whether she signed off on the move. “So I have no idea who was called or who wasn’t called. But I do know that my constituents followed all of the rules, and they were very angry about these middle-of-the-night shenanigans.”

So, wait. She says that the people who drew the map “didn’t understand Marie Newman” and yet she claims no knowledge of her people bombarding the two legislative leaders’ private mobile phones?

Right. OK.

Both Newman and Casten complain about their predicament in the article, but Illinois lost a congressional district and a Latino-influenced district had to be created. Somebody in the Chicago area was gonna end up with the short end of the stick.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 1:43 pm

Comments

Better representation is great, unless it’s my ox that is being gored…….

How did she not foresee this? Did she really expect a Black CD to be the sacrificial lamb?

Or maybe she’d like to move and Primary Jan S?

Comment by Fav Human Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 1:56 pm
Marie Newman and her supporters are political novices. Tactics like these are exactly why she is a one hit wonder.

Comment by Jack Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 1:57 pm
As a democrat, I really hope she is gone a year from now.

Comment by So_Ill Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 1:58 pm
Newman is a freshman in a caucus looking to change its makeup to adhere to VRA parameters.

Newman’s own location made the choice for map makers easier too.

Ignoring those two things, and grousing about, and her supporters … lobbying I guess… the leaders…

Politics ain’t bean bag.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:00 pm
It’s pretty disappointing to see a new member of Illinois’ congressional delegation, and one of the newer members of Illinois’ congressional delegation get into a spat like this. It’s also disappointing for Congressperson Newman, or her supporters, to do something so uncouth to try to influence a process that resembles the age old smoke filled rooms by acting like and treating it like it is an age old smoke filled room.

Serving in the United States House of Representatives is a privilege. There are lots of ways to serve your community if you aren’t in the United States house of representatives.

Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:03 pm
Talking about herself in the third person and playing dumb about what her supporters were doing… sure sounds like she is more interested in preserving her perceived entitlement to personal power than anything. I live in that district and she won’t have my vote.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:05 pm
Shocking that those tactics didn’t endear her to anyone…who mattered

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:07 pm
===“Clearly, the folks who did that little maneuver in the middle of the night didn’t understand Marie Newman,” she told===

I guess I understand her;

Insufferable and classless, ignorant of the politics of being the least senior, and a bully-type persona who thinks she’s championing something greater, but its merely championing herself.

I’ll give her this, if arrogance was a way to get a map in your favor… “Marie Newman” would have the best congressional district drawn for themselves than anyone in America.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:12 pm
Seems to me that while Rep. Newman was complaining publicly about her situation and having supporters use protest-style tactics, Rep. Casten was lining up support and GA votes to actually do something about his. Rep. Newman could have done the same if she had such support. Guess whose strategy worked?

Besides having the least seniority, what we are seeing publicly makes me wonder if perhaps the rest of the delegation’s decision on who would get the proverbial political hatchet was easy - if she acts the same with them.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:26 pm
==Tactics like these are exactly why she is a one hit wonder.==

She’s neither a hit or a wonder…

Comment by A Guy Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:26 pm
===It was pure lobbying chutzpah,===

It was electronic harassment. They can get new numbers, but Newman can’t get a new district. She won’t be missed.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:27 pm
Could’ve just stopped after “Newman claims no knowledge…”

Can’t think of a better 2022 slogan for Sean Casten’s new neighbor: “Helloooo, Newman.”

Comment by Sensitive Nancy Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:34 pm
I find it funny that Newman will not even be able to vote for herself in the upcoming primary.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:41 pm
The Indivisible folks never met a phone line they couldn’t flood.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:47 pm
I will be pulling for her in the spring. Her district outreach has been much better than her predecessor’s (and this observation predates the remap). I really have nothing against Casten, but Newman is already my rep, so why change what seems to be working?

IMO the big potential loss from eliminating the 3rd as we know it is its perpetual presence on the House Transportation Committee, due to its spiderweb of rail lines (supposedly it has the most road-rail crossings of any congressional district in the US). Marie and Chuy are IL’s two Chicago-area members on this committee; the current 3rd still has a few CREATE rail congestion mitigation projects which remain unfunded, and if our Rep isn’t there on the committee to vouch for them, I have doubts that funding is ever found.

Comment by Scooter Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 2:56 pm
Maybe we should cut her some slack, this is the first time she’s ever held elected office and her first re-election campaign.

Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 3:17 pm
first time she’s held office? first reelection campaign? oh the poor babe in the woods, propped up by oh so many lakefront liberal power women whose names you recognize. this was just the way they wanted to do it. there is no naive involved.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 3:26 pm
These Chicago-area electeds have no idea what a tough campaign is until they run in a downstate district with - let’s say - 14 counties and lots of red voters.

Comment by here we go Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 3:27 pm
I dont blame her in the least.

Comment by Blue Dog Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 3:35 pm
“So I have no idea who was called or who wasn’t called.” Note she didn’t say she didn’t give her supporters their numbers. What an outrageous breach of all protocols.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 4:04 pm
Peculiar that no one asked for her number.

Comment by A Guy Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 4:15 pm
=== I don’t blame her in the least ===

Right: She just wanted the legislature to custom-build for her a district without too many Black people, too many Latino people, or too many Republicans.

Lemme ask this: who are Newman’s current legislators and how did they vote?

Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 4:53 pm
=== Note she didn’t say she didn’t give her supporters their numbers.===
You know there are several websites that sell people’s phone numbers, most for around a sawbuck. If a person wants to keep his phone number a secret he has to contact each and every website. And new websites are always cropping up.

Comment by Da big bad wolf Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 5:09 pm
“You know there are several websites that sell people’s phone numbers, most for around a sawbuck. If a person wants to keep his phone number a secret he has to contact each and every website. And new websites are always cropping up.”

Oh cmon. You really believe she didn’t give out their personal cell phone numbers to her supporters? You wanna buy the Michigan Avenue bridge?

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Nov 9, 21 @ 6:57 pm
=== Oh cmon. You really believe she gave out their personal cell phone numbers to her supporters? You wanna buy the Michigan Avenue bridge?===
Fixed it for you.
Are you so unaware that you think people can’t buy phone numbers?
Do you think this is the 1980s?

Comment by Da big bad wolf Wednesday, Nov 10, 21 @ 6:47 am
- Da big bad wolf -

By total happenstance these folks decided to get these numbers and then decided to call?

=== “I know they made calls to all the legislators that had involvement in remapping,” she said, when asked whether she signed off on the move. “So I have no idea who was called or who wasn’t called. But I do know that my constituents followed all of the rules, and they were very angry about these middle-of-the-night shenanigans.”===

Guess Newman wasn’t too upset, while speaking about how “others” feel about “other others”

(Sigh)

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 10, 21 @ 6:56 am
Rep Newman attacked her predecessor this same way, she would not call him after first defeat. And was always bombarding his offices with nonsense. Her congressional offices are nowhere near as attentive as Lipinski’s
was.

Comment by 14th ward Wednesday, Nov 10, 21 @ 7:22 am
=== By total happenstance these folks decided to get these numbers and then decided to call?===

I don’t know what happened with regard to how some Newman supporters organized the phone calls. I was responding to the comment that said Newman gave out the numbers. There is no way anyone can come to that conclusion.

She wouldn’t have to give out the numbers. Anyone’s number is easy to obtain and it’s been that way for at least a decade, maybe more. I used to work for a company collecting commission debts (not from individuals but from companies who were trying to hide their customers so as not to pay their commissions).
It was pretty easy to locate the contact information of someone and confirm they used the service.

Comment by Da big bad wolf Wednesday, Nov 10, 21 @ 8:04 am
===There is no way anyone can come to that conclusion.===

“Sure, Jan”

Newman didn’t even condemn them.

So telling, so classless… as Newman has been through this process.

There are no accidents in politics.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 10, 21 @ 8:15 am
I was wrong about the sawbuck. Both cellphone numbers are for sale right now on a website for $4.99.
The concept of an “unlisted number” is so last century.

Comment by Da big bad wolf Wednesday, Nov 10, 21 @ 8:21 am