So it's one month and a day before the election, and the Democratic Candidate for the 15th Congressional District in Illinois is still a big question-mark. I have heard precisely nothing out of Steve Cox's campaign, and the campaign "news' page is still blank. He doesn't even have a position statement about the economy, which is the issue of the election. As best I can tell, he intends to ride Obama's coattails into office which, in a gerrymandered GOP-friendly district like the 15th, seems like a daft thing to do.
That said, here's some oppo research I offer up to the Cox campaign (not that either one will see it, as next-to-no-one reads my blog). Rep. Tim Johnson (R-IL15) said of the recent bailout bill:
"I remain highly suspicious of this request and frankly resentful of the presumption that taxpayers should be put on the hook for irresponsible decisions by Wall Street money changers."Accordingly, he voted against the bill both times. However, this is a reversal of his previous position - remember the Bankruptcy Bill of 2005? The one that was supposed to "prevent bankruptcy abuse" but really was the credit card companies whining that they were getting screwed over for giving every schmo and his dog a credit card but came crying to the government when people who should never have been given more than $50 of credit had their debts forgiven by the bankruptcy courts? The entire point of that bill was to put people - ya know, taxpayers - "on the hook for irresponsible decisions by Wall Street money changers," and guess how Tim Johnson voted on that bill? He voted for it.
Let me type it again slowly, for those who did not read it the first time: Tim Johnson was for putting taxpayers on the hook for the bad decisions of financial executives before he was against it.
And yes, anyone who clicks through and reads the full text of Rep. Johnson's statement knows that I took him about 80% out of context. However, it would make a great political attack ad, and we all know that Cox needs all the help he can get right now.
5 comments:
Tim Johnson will never lose in that district. There will be no coattails for a Democratic candidate.
I'm not so sure about "no" coattails - there are two state universities in his district, and Obama should help reel in the student voters. However, with the lackluster campaigning on Cox's behalf, that's not going to do enough for him.
TJ generally wins these races by a 70-30 percentage breakdown, if I remember correctly. A close race for him would be the opponent getting 40 percent.
Regarding the site visits: I generally come on a regular basis. I've been intensely busy of late, though, and I assumed you'd be in recovery mode for a while.
For site visits, I'm more referring to the fact that on the old blog, it was a slow day when I got less than thirty hits. With this blog, it's a good day if I get more than ten. I have only my graduating, getting a life, and not blogging or self-promoting as much to blame.
I need to add this: The News-Gazette wrote a very poor editorial today about the bailout bill. It was the standard color-by-numbers reactionary response.
My primary issue is the claim that the "sweeteners" in the bill were purely pork. Not so. Some of the money will go to areas hit by natural disasters, while other money will aid with energy-generating projects like wind farms.
The N-G clearly did no research for this editorial.
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