Politics: Nuclear hawk Schock chickening out of foreign policy debate
As discussed earlier, State Rep. Aaron Schock is saying he cannot attend Wednesday’s 18th District candidates’ debate on foreign policy issues. It seems that Gov. Rod Blagojevich has called a special session to find a way to bail out the Chicago’s mass transportation system.
Schock just couldn’t possible miss this session because whether or not Chicagoans have to pay more for their ride to work is of such importance to voters in Peoria County. The Journal Star has details here.
The whole thing seemed to coincidental to me. Schock just happens to be forced to miss a debate where his two opponents for Congress can revisit the most embarrassing gaffe of the Schock campaign — his plan to sell nuclear weapons to Taiwan. It would violate the nuclear anti-proliferation treaty and almost certainly create a shooting war with China. Schock was vilified in the national press and blogs all across the country. State newspapers ran editorial cartoons showing him straddling a bomb, like a scene from Dr. Strangelove:
Because this is the 21st century and there’s this little thing called “the Internet,” I was able to scour the Web looking for evidence on whether or not Schock really was needed in Springfield on the evening of this debate.
It took me, oh, about three seconds. I clicked on Rich Miller’s Capital Fax Blog, which led me to this post on the Chicago Tribune blog Clout Street,
I found these paragraphs describing this week’s “special session:”
“We are not going to vote for anything this week,” said Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), who has led two failed efforts to find money for the region’s transit agencies.
Though Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued his call for a special session before Christmas, many lawmakers are not expected to show up for Wednesday’s scheduled meeting. Included on that list is Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), who has tickets for the Rose Bowl pitting University of Illinois against the University of Southern California in Pasadena. Jones’ spokeswoman did not return calls. House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) also is not expected to turn out Wednesday.
As for the governor, he’s planning on holding a news conference in Chicago Wednesday to talk up the mass transit issue before heading to Springfield. Blagojevich has not yet scheduled any meetings this week with legislative leaders, his spokeswoman said.
The leaders of the House and Senate won’t be there. No one is going to vote on anything, because there are no meetings scheduled to create any legislation for anyone to vote on.
And even if there were any meetings, Schock won’t be part of them, because he’s in the minority party. And hold onto your hats, Schock is in reality a relatively minor player in the state GOP. He NOT in anything remotely close to a leadership position.
If he is going to be in Springfield on Wednesday evening, he won’t be on the house floor. And if he is, he’ll be very, very lonely.
Folks, this “special session” is nothing more than a photo-op for Blagojevich. Everyone knows it, except for, perhaps, the local mainstream media, which doesn’t really follow state politics all that much. And because of that lack of coverage, Schock thinks the public is so ill-informed that he can get away with using the situation to duck out of an uncomfortable situation.
And besides, shouldn’t we all just stop worrying and love the bomb?
But give Schock some credit. He plans to attend a televised debate on WEEK on January 14, even though there will be *gasp* video cameras.
UPDATE: Elaine has a run-down up upcoming joint appearances.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
Schock is simply awful. There is nothing more to say. He’s afraid and he should be. People might actually find out what he stands for…or rather doesn’t.
It doesn’t matter too much. There will probably only be about 1000 listeners. I’m sure Schock will be tuned in:)
Don’t like Schock.
That having been said, I’m not sure that a very (very!) freshman congressman needs to be 100% boned up on his foreign affairs. He just needs to hire someone that is to tell him what to do. If he spends a term or two in office, and in Washington DC, he’s not only going to educate himself on such things, he’s going to absorb a lot more just by being around there.
I would much rather spend 100% of the time discussing domestic things, such as how much pork can he bring us back??
[...] I was wondering myself if Schock really had to be in Springfield and miss the foreign policy debate, or if he was just using that as a way to chicken out. Billy has the answer. [...]
“I would much rather spend 100% of the time discussing domestic things, such as how much pork can he bring us back??”
I would rather they have a discussion on how to eliminate the pork, and stop spending our money.
Billy if I were you I’d go easy on the insults, they may cause him to go ballistic…
11Bravo,
Why would Billy stop the insults now? He’s been throwing insults at Aaron on both a professional and personal level since Schock was on the school board. It goes WAY beyond and before “missle-gate”. I’ve never seen Billy rail against someone so intensely for so long. Its fair to call it hatred.
Anonie: Funny you should mention that. Just today, my mother told me to lay off the insults. Mom is convinced that Aaron Schock is going to be president one day and she doesn’t want me to end up in a re-education camp.
I would disagree, most of Billy’s comments regarding Schock are JUSTIFIED criticism.
11Bravo,
So you agree that at least SOME of them are not justified, but are personal insults.
Billy,
I would ask if she told you that from the top of the basement steps, but I know you moved out several months ago.
Anonie! sez: “I’ve never seen Billy rail against someone so intensely for so long. Its fair to call it hatred.”
I sez: Oh, I disagree.
Kevin Lyons
Ray LaHood
The PJStar editorial staff
Cat
OSF
The Peoria Civic Center
The Amazasploraportaseum
McDonalds workers
Peoria Parking Enforment
Bill rails so much I am afraid someone is going to pull a Meigs Field on him and put a huge “X X X X” on his driveway.
You left out:
Dave “The Liar” Ransburg
Kay Royster
Buffalo Wild Wings
The Road Ranger
Ken Hinton
several Web hosting companies.
Blogger.com
Equal Opportunity Offender?
…and yet Billy refuses to allow a valid discussion of Schock’s personal attributes. I think he secretly loves Aaron.
The House & Senate have both adjourned for the day. Little Aaron could get back to Peoria with time to spare in order to attend the 7pm debate tonight.
My understanding is Schock will be back in time for the debate, broadcast live on 89.9FM, and streamed on-line at http://www.wcbufm.org.
The debate is also open to the public, so come on down to City Hall to see it in person.
What a great post. You guys stew and fester all day over the fact that Schock is “chickening out of” a debate and then he shows up and makes you all (the Schock haters) look like fools.
Maybe that’s why he actually showed up; the bloggers and “Schock haters” prodded him and made him look bad so the boy wonder had to prove them wrong.
Did anyone else notice Aaron’s reference to Ayatollah Khomeini? Please tell me I didn’t hear it correctly.
NY Times
TEHRAN, Sept. 4 — Rents are soaring, inflation hovers around 17 percent, and 10 million Iranians live below the poverty line. The police said they shut 20 barbershops for men in Tehran last week because they offered inappropriate hairstyles, and women have been banned from riding bicycles in many places, as a crackdown on social freedoms presses on.
Skip to next paragraph
Times Topics: Iran
Related
Ex-President Back in Spotlight in Iran, as He Wins Leadership of Council (September 5, 2007)
Enlarge This Image
Newsha Tavakolian/Polaris, for The New York Times
A woman viewing a home in Tehran, where property values have skyrocketed in some neighborhoods.
For months now, average Iranians have endured economic hardships, political repression and international isolation as the nation’s top officials remained defiant over Iran’s nuclear program. But in a country whose leaders see national security, government stability and Islamic values as inextricably entwined, problems that usually would constitute threats to the leadership are instead viewed as an opportunity to secure its rule.
Paradoxically, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s economic missteps and the animosity generated in the West by his aggressive posture on the nuclear issue have helped Iran’s leaders hold back what they see as corrupting foreign influences, by increasing the country’s economic and political isolation, said economists, diplomats, political analysts, businessmen and clerics interviewed over the past two weeks.
Pressure from the West, including biting economic sanctions, over Iran’s nuclear program and its role in Iraq have also empowered those pushing the harder line.
“The leader is concerned that any effort to make the country more manageable will lead to reform and will undermine his authority,†said Saeed Leylaz, an economist and former government official of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
I was hoping that someone could tell me that I heard Khomeini wrong…because it didn’t sound like Khameini. Anyone?
Okay…I just pulled up the debate on WCBU and listened again. I am pretty sure Schock doesn’t understand the current Iranian leadership.
[...] gave Aaron Schock grief for his original plan to skip the debate because he was needed in Springfield for an emergency session. Jonathan says Schock was in a no-win [...]
[...] gave Aaron Schock grief for his original plan to skip the debate because he was needed in Springfield for an emergency session. Jonathan says Schock was in a no-win [...]