What did former Peoria Congressman Ray LaHood admit , that he was traveling on lobbyists dime when he visited France? Of course not. He’s never been made to explain that (thanks complacent Peoria media).
No, what Barack Obama’s secretary of Transportation admitted is that he and the rest of the Obama administration are interfering into...
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Tags: nuclear energy institute, RayLaHood
Posted in Local | 1 Comment »
I’ve recently remarked to more than one person that with his son Darin running against Kevin Lyons for Peoria County State’s Attorney, Congressman Ray LaHood is going to have to do something especially nefarious to get any criticism from me. That’s how much I want Lyons out of office (and how much I think...
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Talk about a new way to run for office:
Democratic Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has returned more than $50,000 in political contributions after discovering the donors were lobbyists. Obama, who has pledged to change the ways of Washington, has repeatedly said he will not accept money from lobbyists or from special interest political...
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The House of representatives passed by just four votes a better-than-nothing ethics reform bill yesterday. From what I can tell from this article the major reforms in this piece of legislation seem to be requirements for more reporting by lobbyists and a few more controls over privately funded travel, as well greater disclosure of...
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Sure RayLaHood takes campaign cash from groups he does favors for. It’s exactly the same thing the JS criticizes other congressman for doing. But as long as he brings home the pork, it’s perfectly OK with the paper’s award-winning (snicker) editorial board. Of course, the editorial didn’t mention his frequent travels that were...
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If you catch a politician talking out of both sides of his mouth twice during the same interview, is he guilty of quadruple talk, instead of just double talk?
That’s the question I’m asking myself after reading Ray LaHood’s quotes in Bernard Schoenberg’s column today:
“I’m not going to be one of those that’s promoting the...
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Tags: Copley, earmarking, nei, Ray LaHood, reform, State Journal-Register, travel
Posted in Misc | 3 Comments »
For months, I’ve been been in a slow burn about Peoria media giving U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood a free ride on the issue of lobbyist-paid travel. They’ve let LaHood dodge the issue by focusing only on a trip paid for by the Aspen Group, which doesn’t lobby Congress.
None of then have demanded LaHood explain...
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Tags: Aspen Group, foreign travel, LaHood, nuclear energy institute
Posted in Politics | 7 Comments »
I just caught Ray LaHood answering WEEK’s Mike Dimmick’s questions about money from lobbyists and travel.
First, LaHood said that he proud of the fact that 70 percent of the money he gets comes from sources within the 18th Congressional District. He didn’t mention that lobbyists are the largest single source of his donations during...
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Tags: ethics, lobbyists, Mike Dimmick, Ray LaHood, WEEK
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The Journal Star did run the LaHood travel scandal story on the front page. That’s good. Nowhere in the article, however, is he asked to explain why he’s been claiming none of his trips are paid by lobbyists when they are.
LaHood added that the reporting requirements for accepting any outside perks are stringent. He...
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Tags: ethics, junkets, lobbyists, nuclear energy institute, Ray LaHood
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Ray LaHood is still trying to mislead the public about whether lobbyists paid for some of his globetrotting.
�Look, there are no lobbyists. The Aspen Institute is not a lobbying organization. They will never come to my office during the time I am a Congressman and ask me to vote one way.�
La Hood defends the...
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Tags: foreign travel, junkets, nuclear energy institute, nuclear industry, Ray LaHood
Posted in Politics | 4 Comments »
Tomorrow morning, I’m going to go out and buy a newspaper, then write a post telling exactly what page the Journal Star prints this Associated Press story, if it does at all:
From auto makers to Chicago’s Chinatown community, interest groups treated 15 members of Illinois’ congressional delegation to $129,000 worth of trips, meals and...
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Tags: congressional travel, lobbyists, nuclear energy institute, Ray LaHood
Posted in Misc | 6 Comments »
Another trip for globetrotting Congressman Ray:
U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, is joining House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Plano, and other House members on a 10-day trip starting Monday to India, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
LaHood said U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, is one of two Democrats going on the government-paid trip, which he said involves about...
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Tags: Ray LaHood, travel
Posted in Politics | 6 Comments »
Kudos to the Journal Star’s award winning editorial page for again demanding that Ray LaHood take a stronger stand on ethics:
So perhaps now would be a good time for Congressman Ray LaHood to retract his statement of seven months ago to The Hill – “the Newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress” – that...
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Tags: Corruption, delay, ethics, lobbyists, radio, Ray LaHood, travel, WMBD 1470
Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »
Do my eyes decive me? Am I reading this correctly? Did someone on the Journal Star’s editorial board actualy try to PJStar.com hold U.S. Rep ay LaHood accountable for him knee-jerk defense of President Bush?
We would remind LaHood of something a fellow Republican once said many years ago that resonates even today. “Stand with...
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Tags: Journal Star, lobbyists, Ray LaHood
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How fitting that Peoria’s own borderline corrupt Congressman Ray LaHood was one of the GOP moderates who convinced DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett to run on Topinka’s ticket:
You remember Birkett, don’t you? He’s the guy who the GOP picked to run against Lisa Madigan for Attorney General. But couldn’t shake the stench...
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Posted in Politics | 6 Comments »
What do people San Francisco; Fort Worth; Miami; Chicago; Salt Lake City; Little Rock, and Longview, Arkansas; Canton, Ohio; and even Manchester, UK have in common?
Their city’s newspapers carried this article: Free Trips Yield Bonuses for Lawmakers.
The article begins:
Globe-trotting members of Congress reap a valuable fringe benefit they do not disclose: frequent-flier miles from...
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Tags: frequent flyer miles, Ray LaHood
Posted in CitJo | 4 Comments »
The Journal Star tried to pawn this very weak and very incomplete Copley News Service article as valid political reporting.
There’s been chatter in the Illinois Blogosphere for weeks about how Illinois lawmakers are touring the world, sometimes on the dime of organizations which lobby members of Congress. The problem? That’s illegal.
U.S. Reps...
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Posted in Politics | 7 Comments »
UPDATE: How interesting that on a day I’m getting swamped by hits from the Chicago Tribune Web site that I have a story telling everyone what one of our Republican hopefuls for governor has been caught not only taking trips on lobbyists dimes, but was caught being less than accurate with his hometown constituents...
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Kudos to Willy Nilly for picking up on a Kansas City Star story of interest to River City residents:
Illinois lawmakers Ray LaHood, John Shimkus and Mark Kirk, all Republicans, are among House members who have gone on institute-sponsored trips. LaHood went on a $15,002 visit to Paris and Cherbourg, France, in 2001, while...
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Posted in Politics | 3 Comments »