July 2010

Speaking of Choice–Bob Dold is Being Very Cagey

ArchPundit July 14, 2010 No Comments

Apparently people are trying to sell him as pro-choice, but he was recommended by the Illinois Federation for Right to Life and the loony Eagle Forum.

Pro-choice credentials questioned in race for IL 10^th Congressional District

Chicago, IL – Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA), the political arm of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, made clear that there is only one pro-choice candidate running in the Illinois 10^th Congressional District: Dan Seals.

“Dan Seals was endorsed by PPIA because he recognizes the importance of standing up for women’s reproductive health in Washington. He unequivocally supports a woman’s right to choose and believes that all women should have access to comprehensive reproductive health care,” said PPIA spokesperson Beth Kanter.

Seals’ opponent, Republican nominee Robert Dold, chose not to fill out a PPIA questionnaire to be considered for endorsement and he declined an invitation to be interviewed by the board. Mr. Dold, however, has been endorsed by the right-wing Eagle Forum and recommended by the Illinois Federation for Right to Life.

The contrast between the two candidates is stark. While Dan Seals supported President Obama’s health care reform legislation and the inclusion of the full range of reproductive health care in the health care reform legislation, Dold “denounced” the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Seals will fight to make sure that our youth is taught comprehensive, medically accurate, age appropriate sex education in our schools. He will stand up to make sure that Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land and is not undermined by pernicious legislation that tries to chip away at women’s rights. And Dan Seals will be a leader to make sure that low-income women are able to receive the reproductive health care services they need to stay healthy.

“Dan Seals will be a champion for women’s health issues in Congress, and PPIA will be working hard to ensure his victory this November,” said Kanter.

Bill Brady Knows What’s Best for Your Uterus. Really!

ArchPundit July 14, 2010 No Comments

Personal PAC is hitting him hard on his anti-abortion views with a new flyer.

Usually such things are not the best in discussing nuanced policy, but the nice thing about Bill Brady?  No nuances–he just thinks your uterus belongs to the state.

Let me make the point though that is really important. This isn’t just about abortion, it’s about contraception.  Bill Brady voted to allow insurance companies to not cover contraceptives while they do cover Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs.

He also was against the rule and voted to overturn the regulation requiring pharmacies that sell contraceptives to actually sell those contraceptives regardless of whether an individual pharmacist is opposed to them.  No word on how he feels about Christian Science pharmacists.

Many nice people I know and respect are against abortion and I respect, but disagree with them. However, Bill Brady is backed by the ‘pro-life’ movement that isn’t just against abortion, but sex and anything that goes along with it that isn’t strictly pro-creation.

Want evidence?  Let me share with you my favorite press release of the last few months:

CHICAGO, IL, June 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – To mark the day the U.S Food and Drug Administration first approved the birth control pill 50 years ago, the Pro-Life Action League is encouraging pro-life activists across the nation to speak out against contraception.

“Contraception has radically altered sexual behavior in our culture and ultimately leads to more abortion, not less,” said Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League. “We want to empower pro-life activists to confidently articulate the case against contraception, especially as we remember the day it was first approved for use in America.”

In a press release the Pro-Life Action League outlined a number of points that it said would equip pro-life activists with the information they need to speak out against contraception.

Those points include:

– The mentality of contraception opposes life. The unborn child is not seen as the natural consequence of sex but as a “mistake” to be avoided. When a woman does become pregnant, this mentality predisposes her to abort.
– Contraception encourages risky sexual behavior, contributing to the 19 million Americans who become infected with sexually transmitted diseases every year, according to the Center for Disease Control.
– No form of birth control is 100% fail proof. Consider this – even when the birth control pill is taken exactly as prescribed, 116,000 women still become pregnant every year. What happens to these 116,000 babies?
– Just like birth control, condoms are not the answer. In fact, a comprehensive study by the Consortium of State Physicians Resource Councils found that as the use of condoms has increased, so has the rate of out-of-wedlock births.

“When the FDA approved the pill for contraceptive use in 1960, a chain of events was set in motion that led straight to the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that struck down laws protecting unborn babies in all fifty states. History has proved that – far from reducing the need for abortion – contraception only increases abortion,” said Scheidler. “We hope to educate more people about birth control and all forms of contraception and help them communicate this opposition more clearly.”

The movement isn’t about abortion, it’s about regulating sex.

A Month Late, but Hey

ArchPundit July 14, 2010 No Comments

I wrote about the bogus attack on one of Alexi’s advisors back on June 17th, the Sun Times joins in today:

Just when you thought Mark Kirk couldn’t be more disingenuous.

The Republican Senate candidate who tried to pass off a series of exaggerations in his military record as honest errors now is smearing his Democratic opponent, Alexi Giannoulias, with a blatantly misleading TV ad that links him to the Gulf oil spill.

In the ad, Kirk disapprovingly calls a top Giannoulias aide “a longtime BP lobbyist,” right after showing images of an oil-slicked bird and the gushing Deepwater Horizon rig.

It is true that the aide, Endy Zemenides, was a registered lobbyist for the BP/Bovis Global Alliance.

But it is also true that there’s a world of difference between working on landscaping and zoning issues for BP gas stations in the Chicago area, as Zemenides did, and lobbying Congress on behalf of the multinational corporation blamed for the disaster in the Gulf — even if Kirk professes to see no difference.

When challenged Monday on the fairness of the ad, Kirk said: “A BP lobbyist is a BP lobbyist.”

Right.

And what do we call a candidate who thinks the voters are too stupid to see the truth for what it is?

Insulting.

If You Want to Stop Rumors

ArchPundit July 8, 2010 No Comments

Appearing in the NY TImes Fashion & Style section ain’t gonna do it.

Especially with these bit:

REPRESENTATIVE AARON SCHOCK is explaining, again, why his torso seems to keep going viral.

First, there was the photo of him in a red bathing suit, posted on the gossip site TMZ.com. “Abtastic,” bloggers enthused.

Then, there was the picture of Mr. Schock, a Republican congressman from Illinois, in a pink-checked shirt, turquoise belt and white jeans at a White House picnic. According to the blogosphere, the image was “jamming up the gay staff listserv” on Capitol Hill.

“Obviously, it was what I thought was a sporty outfit,” Mr. Schock said of his picnic attire. “It was probably a little too bright, in retrospect.”

===

As for his personal life, Mr. Schock is single and opposed to gay marriage, and he has told reporters that he is not gay. In the interview in his office, he mentioned a former girlfriend. He also said that while he is passionate about all issues, the social ones are “not what compelled me to run for office.”

===

So, how did he feel about joining the ranks of Liza Minnelli and Lady Gaga as a gay icon, albeit for the Washington set?

He was quick to dismiss the frenzy, saying the pictures were just a distraction. As for those who admire his physique, “If they’re in my district, I’ll take votes wherever I can get them,” he said. “Who knew I could get this much attention with my shirt on?”

And he is happy to offer up the back story behind the TMZ photo, which shows him reclining with legs splayed in swim trunks by a pool, showing off glistening washboard abs. “It’s a funny story,” Mr. Schock said, and began to tell it.

===

But the best?

And back in Peoria, well-meaning constituents are eager to play matchmaker.

“Good supporters who have single daughters say, ‘Hey, you need to take my daughter out,’ ” Mr. Schock said. “And it’s awkward.”

Yes, I’m sure it is.

Ordering Padding for My Desk Where I Keep Hitting My Head

ArchPundit July 6, 2010 No Comments

Pat Quinn gives out raises of up to 20 percent for staff.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has handed out raises topping 20 percent to his staff at a time when he’s promising $1.4 billion in spending cuts because of the fiscal crisis. An Associated Press analysis of documents shows Quinn has given 43 salary increases averaging 11.4 percent since he became governor.

They include a $24,000 bump to the man overseeing state spending. Budget Director David Vaught got a 20 percent raise — to $144,000 — when he was promoted in October.

Can anyone play this game?

Via Capitol Fax

The Chewbacca Defense

ArchPundit July 6, 2010 No Comments

As far as I can tell, Sam Adams Jr & Sr are simply employing a slightly modified Chewbacca Defense:

Cochran

…ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it; that does not make sense!

Gerald Broflovski

Damn it!… He’s using the Chewbacca defense!

Cochran

Why would a Wookiee, an eight-foot tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor, with a bunch of two-foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: What does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense! Look at me. I’m a lawyer defending a major record company, and I’m talkin’ about Chewbacca! Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense! None of this makes sense! And so you have to remember, when you’re in that jury room deliberatin’ and conjugatin’ the Emancipation Proclamation, does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit! The defense rests.^[1]

Inspired from comments over at Rich’s Place

In the second use of the Chewbacca defense, he ends by taking out a monkey puppet and shouting “Here, look at the monkey. Look at the silly monkey!” causing a juror’s head to explode.

The ADHD Governor

ArchPundit July 6, 2010 No Comments

Just about everyone in Illinois politics long ago diagnosed Blagojevich as a complete sociopath, but what’s interesting in both news stories and talking with many people who dealt with him regularly, there’s more to his problems:

It was a historic day on Dec. 9, 2008; Illinois’ sitting governor had just been arrested and FBI supervisor Pete Cullen found himself keeping watch over Rod Blagojevich.

“He was in his running suit. He was stretching, running in place, animated. I couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t sit still,” Cullen said. “He kept combing back his hair.

In saying this, I’m not trying to be cute, but I seriously think somewhere in the bizarre mind of Rod Blagojevich, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is almost certainly responsible for some of his behavior

Inattention may not become apparent until a child enters the challenging environment of school. In adults, symptoms of inattention may manifest in work or in social situations.

A person with ADHD may have some or all of the following symptoms:

• difficulty paying attention to details and tendency to make careless mistakes in school or other activities; producing work that is often messy and careless
• easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupting ongoing tasks to attend to trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others
• inability to sustain attention on tasks or activities
• difficulty finishing schoolwork or paperwork or performing tasks that require concentration
• frequent shifts from one uncompleted activity to another
• procrastination
• disorganized work habits
• forgetfulness in daily activities (for example, missing appointments, forgetting to bring lunch)
• failure to complete tasks such as homework or chores
• frequent shifts in conversation, not listening to others, not keeping one’s mind on conversations, and not following details or rules of activities in social situations

Hyperactivity symptoms may be apparent in very young preschoolers and are nearly always present before the age of seven. Symptoms include:

• fidgeting, squirming when seated
• getting up frequently to walk or run around
• running or climbing excessively when it’s inappropriate (in teens this may appear as restlessness)
• having difficulty playing quietly or engaging in quiet leisure activities
• being always on the go
• often talking excessively

Hyperactivity may vary with age and developmental stage.

Toddlers and preschoolers with ADHD tend to be constantly in motion, jumping on furniture, and having difficulty participating in sedentary group activities. For instance, they may have trouble listening to a story.

School-age children display similar behavior but with less frequency. They are unable to remain seated, squirm a lot, fidget, or talk excessively.

In adolescents and adults, hyperactivity may manifest itself as feelings of restlessness and difficulty engaging in quiet sedentary activities.

Impulsivity symptoms include:

• impatience
• difficulty delaying responses
• blurting out answers before questions have been completed
• difficulty awaiting one’s turn
• frequently interrupting or intruding on others to the point of causing problems in social or work settings
• initiating conversations at inappropriate times

For a long time people thought individuals with ADHD grew out of it, but in recent years, understanding adults have ADHD symptons as well and need to be treated is far better understood.

On a less serious note, those are some crappy symptoms to have when you are sitting in a jail cell for years.

How Did the FBI Keep From Laughing

ArchPundit July 6, 2010 No Comments

When Blagojevich told them he didn’t keep track of fund raising?

During that 2005 interview, held in the offices of Winston & Strawn, Blagojevich said he maintained a separation between politics and fund-raising.

“He said he did not track who was contributing to him or how much they were contributing,” Murphy said. “This was a decision he made when he became governor,” he said Blagojevich told him.

But the ex-governor also equated politics with fund-raising in one key statement, Murphy testified: Blagojevich told him he put a firewall between politics and government. Murphy asked Blago what he meant by “politics” and Blago told him “fund-raising.”

The thing about getting Blagojevich for lying to the FBI is that he lied to everyone. It’s not like they were different….

Alexi’s Taxes

ArchPundit July 6, 2010 No Comments

On a strictly moral basis, I could care less.  You might notice I didn’t take on Bill Brady over the issue either. If you lose money overall, you don’t pay income taxes.  This makes economic sense and while the politically smart thing is to pay for your state salary, morally it has little to do with anything.  A business owner following the law is hardly something to be upset about. Even if you were to increase rates of taxes, that won’t affect someone losing money in a given year.  Overall, business owners pay a lot of taxes over time and a one year snapshot tells you very little. Obviously, if they aren’t paying year after year the law needs to be fixed or they aren’t going to last long.

All that said, it is a horrible looking situation and if you don’t pay the taxes for your state salary, it just hands opponents an easy score, so no demerits on the substance, but 10 on the political handling of the situation.  One of the issues facing both campaigns for the US Senate is everyone is set to autopilot to reply to every statement of the other campaign and to do it viciously.  The problem is you then end up attacking when you should be showing some humility and both campaigns have been doing a good job of that the last few weeks.

Cook Reports Declares IL-Gov Tossup

ArchPundit July 1, 2010 No Comments

I’m not sure if it’s for public consumption so I’ll hold back on the text of the announcement, but it’s a well done piece that captures a lot of the issues in play.

There’s no way that Pat Quinn should be competitive in this race–other than Bill Brady.