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* The DC publication RollCall takes a look at possible cabinet appointments in an Obama administration and comes up with one somewhat surprising name…
Transportation Secretary. Possibilities from Congress include Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Aviation
That’s the first time I’ve heard Costello’s name mentioned for the cabinet. Thoughts?
* So, do these two TV ads look alike to you?
Oberweis Dairy ad…
Jim Oberweis congressional campaign ad…
It’s probably no surprise that both eerily similar ads were produced by the same company, Aspect Media Inc.
* From a DCCC press release…
Resorting to his old tricks of using his ice cream empire to get ahead in politics, in recent days, Jim Oberweis is under fire again for releasing campaign ads resembling those of his Oberweis Dairy ads and the production company just happens to be the same for both. According to the Federal Election Commission, Aspect Media Inc was paid thousands to produce ads for Oberweis. Aspect Media Inc also produces commercials for Oberweis Dairy […]
* The FEC has previously sanctioned Jim Oberweis and Oberweis Dairy and fined them $21,000 for illegally using corporate resources for campaign purposes. [Associated Press, 7/27/07]
That sort of ad campaign really makes me uncomfortable.
Then again, the Oberweis campaign ad is one of the stronger ads I’ve seen from him to date. I’m not sure if the rebranding program will work, however.
* Meanwhile, up until now, both sides in the 11th Congressional District race have been doing mailers, robocalls and cable TV. Today, though, Democrat Debbie Halvorson’s campaign hits network broadcast TV…
Friday the race will go before a much wider audience, however, with a new commercial by state Sen. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, set to run on Chicago broadcast stations, her campaign said Thursday.
Halvorson’s aides gave few details of the 30-second spot in advance of the initial airing, including the size of the purchase or duration of the run, other than to say it will be a positive portrayal of Halvorson and her top issues.
While her Republican opponent Marty Ozinga, of Homer Glen, has already aired three cable ads and two more have come from the independent expenditure wing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,Friday’s spot will be the first on broadcast television by either of the candidates or an outside group. The move will put the Halvorson ad in more than 80 percent of the district and reach cable and non-cable television viewers, although the vast majority of viewers will not be in the 11th District. While Ozinga has bought ads on cable systems serving similar or higher percentages of the district, those ads have not reached broadcast-only and satellite television viewers.
The commercial will also mark the beginning of Halvorson’s paid communications effort. Up to now she has relied on personal campaigning, with the DCCC airing television and radio ads and producing mailers in support of her candidacy and against Ozinga.
*** UPDATE *** Here’s the Halvorson ad…
* The Tribune takes a look at how GOP “moderates” are viewing the GOP convention…
Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) says she is excited about the ultimate selection of Palin for the slot, because she’s a woman who “busted the old-boy network.”
Still, she said she was disheartened by repeated avowals this summer that McCain would suffer if he selected a candidate who supported abortion rights.
“It always bothers me that they say they can’t choose this person or that person for a running mate because they’re not pro-life,” said Biggert. “I respect all members of the party no matter what their views are, but [that attitude] does make it a little harder for us.”
Rep. Mark Kirk struck strategically at the convention, flying in briefly for a round-table discussion before heading back to Illinois to start a collection drive for hurricane victims. Like many GOP officials who are skipping some or all of the convention this week, he has a tough re-election campaign going on back home.
* Earlier this week, Congresscritter Kirk offered praise for John McCain’s veep pick…
Kirk, a leading GOP moderate, praised the Palin pick but cautioned that her socially conservative views wouldn’t play well in his affluent district in the northern Chicago suburbs.
Instead, he urged her to emphasize her record of taking on ethically tainted Republican officials in her state and challenging the controversial “bridge to nowhere” earmark.
“If she goes out and says, ‘I threw out of office another corrupt, old bull Republican,’ my voters will think anti-[former Illinois Gov.] George Ryan; they’ll like it. ‘Then I killed the bridge to nowhere’; then they’ll hear fiscal conservative,” said Kirk. “On the other hand, if we emphasize the social issues, [the voters] won’t be there.”
Kirk is facing a serious challenge from Democrat Dan Seals, one of the best-financed candidates in the country.
* That brought a strong response from a women’s political group in Kirk’s district…
To the women of the 10th District, there is nothing encouraging about Palin’s extreme political views, including her opposition to a woman’s right to choose even in the cases of incest and rape, equal pay for equal work, and gun control. Nor is her support for abstinence-only sex education, teaching creationism in our schools, and banning books from our public libraries.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 10:11 am
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Jim, Jim, Jim …..where is the helicopter to save us from the influx of illegal immigrants going to Bears games? He has two kids that respect their elders and are nice to people? That’s congressional.
Comment by Glam-Or-Party Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 10:25 am
I’m no fan of Obie but these two advertisements aren’t that similar. Certainly not enough to warrant a press release from the DCCC.
Comment by Reality Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 10:33 am
Wow. Where were the spots filmed, Mayfield? I expected Ward, June, Wally and the Beav to drive up in the DeSoto. Is there nostalgia for the 50s that never really existed anywhere save TV in the district? Very curious spots.
Come to think of it, Oberweis does remind me of Eddie Haskell.
I saw Halvorsen’s spot. She was a single mom who couldn’t make ends meet. I think Ozinga’s rich, right?
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 10:37 am
Obama would appoint an unindicted co-conspirator?
My friends, that would not be change we could believe in….
Comment by archpundit Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 11:06 am
You people were making light of my frustration with anti-Ozinga reporters and the Democrats constantly referring to him negatively as a “magnate”, “baron”, and “tycoon”. Now they have convinced themselves that they’ve said it enough to start portraying him wearing Monopoly-guy get-up and cigars!
The DCCC hates those who are successful businesspeople. They do not trust people who earn profits. The like politicians like Halvorson. It comes so natural for them to believe that Ozinga is evil because he owns something. When will this anti-capitalist crap stop? Where do they think we live?
Andy Sere needed to have his staff phone any reporter who fell into the DCCC Ozinga-speak when describing him and straighten them out. No one should have been allowed to refer to him this way. I even once read a quote from an Ozinga staffer falling into this trap.
Halvorson and her Beltway buddies are closing that trap now.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 11:33 am
LOL!!! I think I like both of those ads, but I wonder how far the tubes Obi had to go for those to now be effective. Perhaps his sons should be in politics.
Comment by Levois Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 11:36 am
I was under the impression that Ms. Palin initially supported the infamous bridge, then changed her stance when it became unaffordable for her state’s treasury. If so, I would, if I lived in Alaska, be grateful that she pulled out of the deal in favor of the taxpayers. Alaska appears to be a state which prospers economically by ripping off the federal treasury (that is, the rest of us) via massive earmarks. I doubt any politician could survive for long there without going along with this outrageous annual raid on federal dollars, at least to some extent. Alaskans are, well, big time moochers.
And will the Democrats change this rather uneven distribution of federal benefits if they win in November. Don’t count on it, despite all the hype
about governing on behalf of “the people.”
Comment by Cassandra Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 12:01 pm
Cassandra,
Alaska has done very well with return of federal dollars vs. sending of dollars to DC ever since statehood. By my count, that’s 5 Republican and 4 Democratic presidents (not counting Ike whose term was ending as AK was admitted). No radical change expected here. To be fair, AK has more than its share of military installations being on the Russian front, and it has the least developed transportation infrastructure of any state.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 12:24 pm
There will be NO Obama administration.
Comment by Just My Opinion Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 12:38 pm
Rich: Is it possible that Obama would select Carl Hawkinson as Attorney General? They were somewhat close due to their Harvard background.
Comment by One of the 35 Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 12:40 pm
I think Costello would be an interesting cabinet choice. He’s a likeable guy and gets stuff done. Isn’t that what we want/need in our public servants?!
Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 2:08 pm
Is it me or has Ozinga been running more ads on the radio as well?
Comment by Wumpus Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 2:56 pm
==There will be NO Obama administration.==
When he becomes our next governor in 2010, there will be!
Then he goes after the prize in 2012 with real experience this time. With his need for a perfect record as governor, we would have a great 24 months. Or maybe not, you know how he would need to start campaigning right away - so perhaps he would be gone as much as he is gone now.
Bleh! These political celebrities! Like moths to flames!
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Sep 5, 08 @ 3:54 pm
Cassandra, Palin favored the bridge when it was politically expedient for her to favor it, and then opposed the bridge when it became politically expedient to take that position. She had fudning for it cut off under the veil of darkness without telling any of the local officals it would affect, instead choosing to announcing it by sending a press release to east coast media outlets early in the morning.
I have a feeling that once this “barracuda” — in the Webster’s definition of the term — finally starts taking questions from those media that are not in the GOP back pocket, her sticky-sweet image will take some considerable hits.
Comment by Chris in the western suburbs but not Iowa Saturday, Sep 6, 08 @ 9:06 pm