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* This may be a better press pop than a legal precedent…
Oberweis Dairy went to state court Thursday to try to stop the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from continuing to air ads that claimed illegal immigrants worked at its stores.
Oberweis Dairy President Joe Oberweis said claims in the political commercials directed at his father — Republican congressional candidate Jim Oberweis — are false and damaging to the business.
“Politics are politics, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to stand up and defend our business,” Joe Oberweis said.
* Here’s the ad in question…
* Illegal immigrants did work in one of his stores, but they weren’t Oberweis employees. They worked for a contractor who was fired. The ad never explicitly says Oberweis Dairy hired them. But it is an unfair hit.
* Even so, Oberweis has his own trouble with staying within the bounds of reality…
Rob Wadsworth is a firefighter. His wife, Amanda, works as an office assistant. They live in Yorkville and get by OK on $73,000 a year. They have a mop-headed little boy and a cute little girl. Take a look at their photo here. Aren’t they just adorable?
Well, life’s not all rosy for the Wadsworths. Rob likes to hit the tavern with his buddies after work, so Amanda basically has two jobs because someone has to ride herd on the kids — one’s a chronic shoplifter, the other likes to play with matches and neither of them can recite the alphabet without prompting — and Rob says he’d come home if Amanda’s hag of a mother wasn’t there all the time …
Actually, we made up that last part … but who cares? Jim Oberweis made up the Wadsworths!
He also made up Juan and Maria Garcia, a construction worker and a bank teller from Aurora who have three kids and haul in $54,778 a year. And DeKalb office manager Sheila Johnson, a divorced mother of two who makes $47,333. And Juan and Elena Marcos, who have a precious little baby boy and live on his $68,044 salary.
They’re all pictured in a mailer for Oberweis’ campaign for Congress in the 14th District.
* Oberweis himself claims the race is too close to call…
Talking to Kane County GOP leaders Wednesday, Oberweis begged for help: “This is a challenging race with significant national attention. We need your help. This race is very close. It’s within 1 or 2 percentage points either way. If the Democrats win this seat we will hear nothing but, ‘Boy, the tide has turned. Democrats are taking over all across the country, they’ve just won Speaker Hastert’s seat.’ If we can hold this seat on the Republican side, the story will be . . . a tide turning in favor of Republicans.”
* Since it’s so close, the Oberweis campaign is trying to get the dirt out on Foster. This is from ABC 7, the most widely watched news in the region…
Oberweis has earned a reputation for tough tactics in his repeated runs for public office in Illinois, and this race is no exception. But now the man Oberweis and Foster are competing to replace, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, is getting his hands dirty, slamming Foster in a radio interview Thursday morning.
“He’s had some personal problems in his life. He’s not as squeaky clean as everyone thought he was,” Hastert told WLS-AM.
Insiders say the “personal problems” Hastert referred to are veiled reference to Foster’s messy divorce a dozen years ago.
The problem with that line of attack is that Foster’s ex will defend him. This will only work as a last-minute ploy when Foster can’t rebut.
* More congressional stuff, compiled by Kevin…
* Could GOP lose Hastert seat?
* Voting problem? Call the hotline
* Changes in Dist. 14 polling places
* Foster Volunteer reports from the field
* 18th District Dems choose Callahan to run for LaHood’s seat
* Halvorson pushes airport plan
…Adding… I can’t believe I forgot to post the Sun-Times endorsement of Oberweis. Yes, you read that right. Thanks to a commenter for reminding me…
But after meeting at length with both candidates, this endorsement was not such a difficult call. Oberweis was forceful and informed, while Foster was a disappointment. Though a respected physicist, he failed to do his homework, unable to discuss important issues in anything but superficial terms.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:41 am
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For people who wage war on trial lawyers, they sure are quick to sue, aren’t they?
Comment by Skeeter Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:48 am
I’ve said it before - I really like that Cow.
Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:01 am
Can the Republicans lose the seat? Yes. Two weeks ago Repubs lost a state senate seat in conservative upstate NY in a district that is 2/3 registered Republicans. The press reports I saw played it as a referendum on the political parties.
Comment by RBD Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:05 am
Strange.
No reference to the Sun-Times endorsement of Oberweis.
Well, maybe not so strange.
Comment by True Observer Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:09 am
Oops. I forgot. Thanks for reminding me.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:11 am
Jeri Ryan also was very supportive of Jack as he fought the release of the divorce records.
She made many statements in support of Jack and also fought to keep the records private.
We know how that turned out.
Comment by Outsider looking in Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:15 am
===Jeri Ryan also was very supportive of Jack as he fought the release of the divorce records.===
Not quite. There was a real tension present.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:18 am
Campaign ads by both candidates are so negative and hateful that I’m very glad I don’t live in that Congressional district! Neither deserves to go to Congress.
Comment by Legal Eagle Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:32 am
Hastert’s comment is disappointing. I don’t recall him railing about Newt’s and Bob Livingston’s personal problems when they were all for impeaching Clinton for Monica. Of course, Newt and Bob’s problems eventually made him Speaker.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:40 am
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Denny could care less about the district. If Denny really cared, he would have put aside his differences with Lauzen. If he cared a little bit, he would have asked or even directed some of his old campaign people to work on Obie’s race. But alas, it looks as though this is the mother of all toss-ups. Maybe Obie can go from polling place to polling place tomorrow in an ice cream truck, stay far enough away to not get in trouble and pass out free cups of his delicious peanut butter and chocolate ice cream. That might make people forget how much of a doofus he is.
Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:48 am
Rich, after reading that piece of grabage the Sun-Times called its endorsement editiorial yesterday (which has left me feeling sore and sick), I can only assume that unless the paper’s editorial board is a total bunch of hypocrites (regarding their claims as to being a progressive newspaper) or are complete idiots, I can only conclude that they sold out their endorsement to Oberweis. As a result, I have stopped buying the paper, and will not buy it again until it publishes its final issue (which may take place later this year; you may wish to start looking now for another paper to publish your weekly column).
Comment by fedup dem Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:49 am
===I can only conclude that they sold out their endorsement to Oberweis.===
FD, kindly remove tinfoil hat. Also, I’ve never written a weekly column for them.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 11:51 am
Excuse me Rich, but how is pointing out that illegal immigrants worked for Oberweis Dairy an unfair hit, even if they were working there indirectly?
Oberweis based his campaign for Governor on the notion that illegal immigrants were stealing American jobs. He’s promised a crack down. Yet his company couldn’t even keep their sub-contractors in line.
Hypocrisy is always a fair attack, especially when it relates to a central theme of that candidate’s campaign.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 12:43 pm
“Excuse me Rich, but how is pointing out that illegal immigrants worked for Oberweis Dairy an unfair hit, even if they were working there indirectly?”
The fluoride must have finally caught up.
It is virtually impossible, if not illegal, to monitor a subcontractor’s employees.
Having any kind of monitoring of the subcontractor’s employees may in fact make you into the employer and thereby subject to the numerous tax consequences, including income tax withholding and social security contributions.
That is why your newspaper delivery “boy” is a subcontractor to the newspaper. The newspaper does not have to monitor who he gets to cover for him on the days he is at baseball practice.
Comment by True Observer Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 1:06 pm
True Observer,
You ever worked construction?
What do you think a general contractor is required to do?
Of course you can — and should — monitor who a sub brings on your property or your project.
Comment by Skeeter Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 1:12 pm
Apples and Oranges.
In construction, the general contractor operates under a legal contract to complete a project. The legal contract may call for the contractor monitoring all aspects, including employees, of subcontractors to make sure that the project meets quality standards and is on time and under budget.
An employer hiring a cleaning service is not the same thing.
For the sake of argument, let us say the Dairy employes a dry cleaning service. Does anyone expect the Dairy to check on the status of the dry cleaner’s employees. Of course, not.
Comment by True Observer Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 1:37 pm
They did the commercial all wrong, should have filmed an illegal immigrant with a milk mustache….
Comment by Ghost Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 1:42 pm
True, Nice try.
Your drying cleaning analogy doesn’t fly, unless the dry cleaning is actually done on premises (that being said, even if it was off-premises, I would still expect Obie, given his strong views, to check on those employees).
Ae you claiming that diary stores can be dirty and still operational? Of course not. These people were working inside the store, doing a job required for the store to function. Obie actually had more control over them than a GC has, since I suspect that most of those employees were non-union and as such, he didn’t have to worry about union regs with regard to checking on the status of those employees.
They worked on his premises, they were vital to the operation, but Obie deliberately put his head in the sand.
That sounds pretty damning to me.
Of course, it is what I would expect from a guy who claims to be against lawsuits and then files one when he feels the slightest twinge of an injury.
He’s no better than those plaintiffs in 5 mph accidents yelling MY BACK! MY BACK!
Comment by Skeeter Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 1:47 pm
True… They didn’t have to hire out the work in the first place, did they?
ArchPundit has been wondering when the lawsuits would begin. This seems like lawsuit by proxy (Oberweis Dairy v DCCC).
For those interested in peddling partisan smears about the Fosters’ divorce, keep in mind there is also an Ex-Mrs. Oberweis and that divorce was messy as all get out.
Rich is right, the only way such smears helps the Milk Dud is if they launch them with tomorrow’s headlines so there’s no time for widescale response which, one would hope, the media won’t fall for such one-side partisan chicanery. (The partisans certainly tried to launch the mud attack with Kevin’s post about IL-14 yesterday, despite Rich’s request to keep it constructive.)
Comment by Rob_N Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:08 pm
It is a little to see Speaker Denny as credible after he slimes it up with POA this week. Perhaps the GOPs did not notice that bit of razzle dazzle.
Didn’t ChopperJim have a little martial ying yang in between his various failed campaigns.
BTW Kevin is doing a masterful job. Double his pay and his ration of grog ASAP.
Maybe WackyJack McCain can be airlifted for some last minute stumping
Comment by Sock Puppet Express Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:34 pm
As Sen. Obama is trying to forget his unfortunate middle name, is the Dem’s 18th District candidate going to drop her last name as she tries to milk name recognition from her maiden name?
Comment by BehindTheScenes Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:35 pm
A True Disappointment -
That Charlie Johnston’s article on the 14th District was not linked.
Comment by True Observer Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:38 pm
I am afraid that Oberweis perhaps should be worried. It is a shame but the bitterness between Lauzen and Oberweis caused by their “clever by 1/2″ attack ads against each other in the Primary have (unfortunately) carried over to many of Lauzen’s conservative supporters. Their battle cry is “Send a message to the Milkman”. Ouch!
Oberweis would have been wise to say, “I’m sorry” to Chris Lauzen even if he didn’t really mean it. We might be about to see an anomally with this election in the 14th District. Much like Haley’s Comet, you better feast your eyes on this one because you won’t be seeing it again for a long time in this traditionally Republican congressional district.
Denny Hastert also handled this race in the 14th badly. Denny Hastert is turning out to be Jim Thompson Jr. Both started out with the respect of the members of their Illinois Republican Party. But as time went on, and their greed for the “Almighty Dollar and Power” in Illinois politics took control of them, their “respect level” within the Illinois GOP fell like a rock. They have both become political has-beens that want to believe they still can “bring in the votes” for their chosen candidates. Pretty sad, actually. I like Oberweis but I am afraid he is going to be the bride’s maid and not the bride(once again).
Comment by Aaron Slick Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 3:10 pm
I want to see marriage records. ABC didn’t hesitate suing to unseal Jack’s records. I remember Blair Hull’s info was dug up, why not Fosters’? W need to know the character of these men running for office!
Oberwies has alays been an extension of hi sdairy and vice versa. The ads were a little slimy in the fact that this was a service, a janitorial service doing thecleaning. If he fired them immediately..or within a reasonable time, he did the right thing.
Comment by Wumpus Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 5:46 pm