Posts Tagged ‘John Morris’
Monday, March 10th, 2008
Unless noted, all links are from the Peoria Journal Star:
- I attended Woodruff High School, and walked up and down Abington Street hill more times than I care to remember. And being a stupid teenager, we goofed around. It was quite common to playfully “shove” a friend off the sidewalk and onto the street as a car was approaching. No one got hurt, no one came close to getting hurt. But it was stupid. Stupid. Stupid. It was no more or less stupid than what happened on University and Russell the other night. And had I managed to kill one of my friends through this stupid horseplay, I’d have been arrested too. Too many people in Peoria are interpreting this incident though their own agendas, from opposition to alcohol, animus toward Bradley and Bradley students and even district toward the police (there’s a coverup, dontchknow). Please. Young people are stupid and think they will live forever. As long as this is a universal truth, there will continue to be incidents like this.
- John Morris isn’t coming back to WTVP, says today’s Word on the Street. WCBU reported the same exactly one week earlier. My suggestion for future employment: Fundraiser for blogs.
- The intrepid Illinois State Police, using their keen instincts and investigative skills, have discovered that underage people sometimes rent hotel rooms and have drinking parties. I am shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED at this new and insidious form of crime. The sinister criminals discussed in this article are 20 years old.
- PANTAGRAPH: Colleen Callahan and Aaron Schock are speaking in generalities.
- WEEK: The death of a Peoria Heights baby is being called an accidental drowning.
Tags: Aaron Schock, alcohol, Bradley University, Colleen Callahan, John Morris, underage drinking
Posted in Local | 9 Comments »
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
In the 92nd District state house race, I’m wondering if Jehan Gordon just assumed the Allen Mayer camp would reveal her shoplifting conviction or if she was tipped off somehow. Mayer’s campaign manager says they knew about it, but weren’t going use it. Well, how did they know? Why do opposition research if it’s not going to be used? The graduation/college transcript thing (explained to my satisfaction) and now the shoplifting conviction (a bit harder to explain, as she was an adult) are minor events separate. But for both to come out within weeks of each other seems to be asking voters to overlook a lot of red flags at once.
Look at it from the typical Democratic voter’s point of view. Right over here in another corner, they have a guy with no such issues, who is a member of the county board, and job in state government working for a guy who enjoys a ton of good will here, Comptroller Dan Hynes.
On the other hand, Gordon is getting her name in the news a lot these days, and in some voters minds, this could all look like persecution by the media.
Jim McConoughey is rumored to running second in the polls behind Aaron Schock in the 18th Congressional District race. But McConoughey’s campaign is the one in debt, thanks to personal loans made to his own campaign. John Morris, on the other hand, seems to be doing well, but not as well as Schock. Since neither Morris nor McConoughey are releasing their own polls, one can only assume the news is not good.
The only question I have is this: Are there hard, reliable numbers showing Schock with less than 50 percent support? The answer would affect two possible scenarios of interest to those who want anybody but Schock to get the GOP nomination. Let’s say McConoughey drops out, citing money issues. Would enough of McConoughey’s support go to Morris to help him beat Schock? I don’t see Morris dropping out, as he doesn’t have the money worries, and nothing to loose by staying in. But if the aggregate “not Schock” vote is polling at less than 50 percent, nothing changes, really, by either one dropping out.
Another scenario is for current 18th District Congressman Ray LaHood to finally decide he wants to make an endorsement, and if so, that almost certainly would go to McConoughey. I don’t see LaHood making an endorsement this late in the game, especially with his likely pick getting no traction on his own. Ten days between now and election day is just too little time for that.
So, short of a scandal — a photograph of Aaron Schock training with the Taliban, perhaps — I don’t see either Morris or McConoughey winning. Had Schock been facing only one other opponent, there was a chance that Aaron could have been defeated. With two opponents, there was no one single person for the anybody-but-Schock supporters to lend their support. In a crowded ace, the safe bet is to support the front runner.
Tags: Aaron Schock, Allen Mayer, Jehan Gordon, Jim McConoughey, John Morris
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 18 Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Links via the Journal Star. The snarky commentary is my own:
- Taxed to death: There’s a lot of comment on the “death tax” in the Journal Star article on last night’s debate. John Morris wants to eliminate the estate tax. Commenters say things like this: ” Why should someone inherit $35,000,000 just because they were lucky enough to be born into a certain family.” I say we need to take that even further. Why should someone live in a nice home just because their are lucky to be born into a certain family. Why should some children be able to have expensive video gaming systems just because they are lucky enough to be born into a certain family. Why should some people be able to get attend private schools just because they are lucky enough to be born into a certain family? Hell, why should be be able to inherit ANYTHING from their parents? Wealth is evil. End sarcasm.
- Vaccine derangement syndrome: Karen McCarron was delusional and depressed because she bought into the idea that mercury in the vaccines given her daughter caused the little girl’s autism. The science, however, has shows repeatedly that there’s NO evidence whatsoever that vaccines have any link to autism. Naturally, this case will be used by the anti-vaccine wackos to “prove” their case.
- Victory for a vet:Â No, Proctor Hospital. You cannot fire an employee because their serving their nation in war makes for an inconvenient scheduling problem. How about a law saying that any institution that discriminates against a member of the Armed Services is not only ineligible for tax breaks as a not-for-profit organization? Works for me.
- A not-for-profit to promote profits? I’ve got to hand it to Craig Hullinger. The man just spews out ideas and concepts for boosting economic development. Some of them take root, some of them just lie there. The latest is the idea of creating the Heart of Peoria Development Corp., a non-for-profit corporation that would use its tax exempt status to raise money to promote economic development in the “heart of Peoria.” Here’s my problem with the idea: Real economic development (and not make-work schemes like the Peoria Civic Center) happen because of market forces and entrepreneurship. Why in the world would people donate money to grease the wheels so someone can come along and make their million? The best economic development is a low tax rate with a few government regulations as possible.
- Assigning blame for WTVP’s woes: Bank of America still wants its loan repaid in full, 14 years early, because of technical violations of the terms of its loan to Peoria’s one and only public television station. As one commenter said, I wish I had an account there, so I could close it in protest. I am convinced that the bank called the loan because they already have a buyer for the station. Also: The Journal Star Editorial Board also wonders what’s going on.
- Taking a walk on sidewalks: The Peoria City Council is going to prioritize sidewalk installation at a policy session today. Look for a bit of grumbling about using ANY money to help build a new school on the East Bluff.
- Prioritizing crime: Phil Luciano finds a few examples of the extremely low priority police are giving the anti-smoking law. My two cents: The Peoria City Council should keep it this way, be declining to pass a local ordinance, which would crate an incentive for local enforcement by directing all the fines to city hall.
Tags: Craig Hullinger, estate taxes, John Morris, Karen McCarron, Phil Lucianno, WTVP
Posted in The Wire | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 14th, 2008
I managed to catch the debate on 18th District Congressional debate tonight. Jim McConoughey, John Morris and Aaron Schock were grilled on issues ranging from earmarks to the growing power of the presidency.
Again, most of the time, the three gave remarkably similar answers to the questions. That’s not unusual, since most of the time, they are trying to position themselves as the true conservative candidates.
The difference was in style and tone. Morris is by far, the best public speaker of the three. McConoughey is the worst. He’s gotten better as the campaign has progresses, and he’s better able to think on his feet. And Schock has surprised me. He’s a far better debater than I have seen from him in the past. He spoke with more authority than the other two in his dislike of the No Child Left Behind Act.
And kudos to McConoughey for actually trying (as well as he could within time restraints) answering the questions he was asked. Morris hot on my last nerve by almost never answering a questions without some anecdote about his eight years on the council, or some dig at Schock. Asked about what he would do to improve the care given to returning Iraq veterans, Morris repeated an often-retold story about how he once escorted a group of gold star mothers, and then took a dig at Schock for joking about national security matters. The pattern repeated itself throughout the night.
Asked again for an answer to the question, Morris said he would continue to employee a veterans liaison in his office if elected, as does current 18th District Congressman Ray LaHood, which is something the other two agreed to do as well.
McConoughey’s answer demonstrated that he’s some research on the issue. VA hospitals, he said, operate under an old model of admitting most of its patients for overnight stays, which most of the services they need are on an outpatient basis. He’s also like to see more transportation for vets traveling back and forth to get the health care they need.
McConoughey also didn’t get caught flatfooted by the question (and I’m paraphrasing) ‘Well, what spending programs WOULD you cut?’ Note to Morris: “taxes” is not a spending program. McConoughey said it isn’t a matter of eliminating programs, but reducing the size of the ones we already have and by limiting the growth of entitlements.
Schock came away from the debate having not said anything to embarrass himself or otherwise turn off voters. Being the front runner, this is all he needed to do. Morris came out swinging. But I think he got caught being a politician one too many times, and his lack of direct response to direct questions seemed almost stereotypical of a politician. Granted, this has always been a problem with hearing Morris on the stump, but it was even more noticeable tonight.
While McConoughey lacked flash, he didn’t lack substance. I think any viewer looking at Morris and McConoughey for an alternative to Schock probably would choose McConoughey.
Kudos to WEEK’s Mike Dimmick and Christine Smith of the Journal Star editorial board for their excellent questions, and for following up on each other’s questions to force some answers out of these guys.
UPDATE: C.J. Thinks Schock won the debate. But he also called out Morris on a contitutional gaffe.
Tags: Aaron Schock, debte, Jim McConoughey, John Morris, WEEK
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 19 Comments »
Friday, January 11th, 2008
C.J. Summer’s — because he doesn’t work 2nd shift — has more time to watch and listen to 18th District candidates’ debates than do I. He’s really liking Jim McConoughey’s answers:
McConoughey isn’t the perfect candidate. He was a little weak on the education question, not seeming to understand “No Child Left Behind†very well. He either forgot to answer or evaded the same-sex marriage question. But of the three Republican candidates, I would trust him the most to represent me in Congress. He has the best understanding of economic and agricultural issues of the three, he’s strong on national defense, and he’s conservative on social issues.
Schock thinks Morris’ answers are too shallow and thinks Schock can’t be trusted.
Tags: Aaron Schock, Jim McConoughey, John Morris
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 6 Comments »
Thursday, January 10th, 2008
Candidate John Morris isn’t laughing at Aaron Schock’s little jest abotu maybe sending nukes to Taiwan:
MORRIS: GIVING AWAY NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
Peoria, IL | January 10, 2007
Republican John Morris, candidate for the 18th District Congressional seat, issued the followingstatement today in response to a Peoria Journal Star article in which Aaron Schock claimed hisproposal to arm Taiwan with nuclear weapons was made “more in jestâ€:
“Aaron just doesn’t get it. This is Congress, not Saturday Night Live. We are at war in two countriesand facing threats abroad from radical jihadists and dangerous dictators.â€
“In Congress what you say matters. Our next congressman will be our voice in Washington on foreign policy and have to vote on whether or not we send our soldiers into harm’s way. Our men and women in uniform and the voters of the 18thDistrict need serious conservative leadership, not a comedian.â€
“I have talked to the parents of soldiers who have served and are serving overseas and what theytell me is that this kind of ‘jesting’ could get their children killed.â€
“The people of the 18th District do get it. They know that nuclear proliferation is a serious threat andare not laughing at Aaron’s jokes. This was a reckless proposal when he said it in his announcement speech; it was reckless when he defended it as being ‘well-thought out’; and it is reckless to now to treat nuclear proliferation as a joke.â€
Tags: Aaron Schock, John Morris, nukes, Taiwan
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, January 9th, 2008
From a press release:
MORRIS DISCUSSES FAMILIES AND PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN
ANNOUNCES PLAN TO PROTECT CHILDREN ONLINE
Peoria, IL | Jan, 9 2008
Republican John Morris, candidate for the 18th District Congressional seat, announced his plan toprotect children online today at a press conference in Peoria, IL. “Children today are exposed to danger through the internet. Our laws have not yet caught up with advances in technology. Ourlaws must be updated to protect our children from predators and explicit material online,†Morris said. “As a parent, I strongly believe we must protect our children and in Congress I will do just that.â€
“The use of the internet to prey on children should carry stiff penalties. In Congress I will supportlegislation to add 10 years to the sentences of sex offenders convicted of using the internet tocommit sex crimes against children.â€
“We need to ensure that our children are not exposed to predators or pornography at the public library or in the classroom. In Congress I will support requiring schools and libraries to install internet filters before they can receive federal funding.â€
“I also believe that we need a uniform system for conducting criminal background checks for those working with children at schools, libraries, and day care facilities. We also need to know who is caring, teaching, and supervising our children—including those involved in sport teams, camps, and clubs. There needs to be a means to conduct a national wide search that will identify people with both felony and misdemeanor convictions relating to child abuse and exploitation. As your Congressman, I support such measures to review the backgrounds of all educators and people whowork with children–applicants must successfully pass the checks before we trust them with our children. â€
“The third measure I would support is the implementation and expansion of a national registry for sex offenders. I applaud Congress and President Bush for enacting and signing into law the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, but we should take this a step further. In addition torequiring registered sex offenders their physical address the registry should require sex offenders toprovide all of their email addresses, as well to allow authorities to monitor their activity online.Failure to provide all online accounts should have severe consequences—ten years in prison.â€
Tags: 18th, children, Internet, John Morris, pornography. predators
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 11 Comments »
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
From a press release:
MORRIS TO DISCUSS FAMILIES AND PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN
WILL HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE IN PEORIA IL
Peoria, IL | January 8, 2007
Republican John Morris, candidate for the 18th District Congressional seat, will hold a press conference on Wednesday January 9, 2008 in the Conference Room of the Peoria County Children’s Advocacy Center at 4:00 PM. Morris will talk about his position on families and how to ensure that we keep our children safe.
The event is sponsored by Moms for Morris.
John Morris, 39, is a conservative Republican running for United State Congress (IL-18) to succeed Ray LaHood. Morris has more than twenty years of achievements as one of the most energetic and visionary leaders for Central Illinois. Elected in 1999, he became a leading voice of conservative policymaking as a Peoria City Councilman At-Large. In his eight years on the City Council, Morris was a leader in stopping property tax increases on hard working families and reducing government waste. Morris is strongly pro-life, supports 2nd amendment rights, and believes in stopping illegal immigration.
- What: Morris for Congress Family and Child Protection Press Conference sponsored by Moms for Morris
- Where: Peoria County Children’s Advocacy Center, Conference Room, 501 E. Gift Ave., Peoria, IL
- When: Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 4:00 PM
Tags: 18th District, John Morris
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 6 Comments »
Sunday, January 6th, 2008
WCBU News Director Jonathan Ahl has his reactions to the debate he moderated Thursday (here and here). He prods C.J. and myself to hurry and and post our reactions.
NOTE: The debate, broadcast on WCBU can be heard here: HERE. John Morris, Aaron Schock and Jim McConoughey faced off on the Peoria City Council chamber floor. All three seek to replace Ray LaHood, who is retiring as Congressman from the 18th District.
I’m sorry it took so long, but I was trying to think up a decent way to phrase this question: “Jonathan, what the HELL were you thinking asking these guys about their position on trade with Canada? I’m going to go out on a limb and say they are in favor of it. And it’s not that you asked just one question about trade with Canada, you asked a follow up question asking if they would ever support Canada’s position in a trade dispute, since they are such close friends.”
I understand the value of asking a question no one expects. But this one was kinda out of left field. I suppose the question COULD have generated real news, if one of the candidates used it as an opportunity to propose arming Quebec with nuclear missiles. But this debate was intended to help voters figure out who they want to be their Congressman, and an off the wall question about supporting trade with Canada might not have been a good choice.
Nevertheless, I have to hand it to questioner Mike Bailey for asking the most inane question of the night. The editor of the Journal Star’s opinion page took a dig at all three candidates for their pro-family stances by implying that being tough on illegal immigration was akin to being anti-Christian. Because, as Bailey put it, couldn’t Mary, Joseph and Jesus be considered the equivalents of illegal aliens? Um, no. Neither were they homeless. They were travelers, which is different. I’ll leave it to those with more knowledge of the Bible to explain further.
I 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 situation because he would have been criticized for not attending the session. Exactly WHO would have criticized him? The Democrats? There were MANY Dems who skipped out, as there were many GOPers, because NO action was being planned by anyone. Most voters assume that someone running for a seat in the Congress of the United States just might have to take a day off work once in a while. His opponents couldn’t criticize him for attending, since they were standing right next to him.
So, I’m not going to apologize for giving him grief for his original plan to skip out, nor give him credit for showing up in the end. He’s running for Congress, he BETTER show up. And in the end, he did get quite a bit of criticism for his positions. I found Morris’ condemnation of Schock’s now-retracted position on arming Taiwan to be especially effective. Morris pointed out the folly of the policy, and made a point that members of Congress as seem as America’s leaders by the rest of the world, and that they have a responsibility to not use words that destabilize. Jim McConoughey also laid in a bit.
I really did appreciate the discussion on “exporting” Democracy. I’m glad that all three seemed to show a bit of maturity on the subject, with the realization that the United States can’t just reach out and pluck out world leaders it doesn’t like and replace them with those we do like. Also, I seemed to hear a reluctance to use trade as a weapon, except in the sense that free trade tends to encourage Democracy. I’m 100 percent in agreement with Morris that freedom is something every group of people in the world is capable of enjoying.
Who won the debate? Morris. Hands down. He was the better communicator. He was the most knowledgeable, and the most capable of thinking on his feet (as Jonathan learned). I cannot imagine anyone unfamiliar with the players listening to this debate and thinking that’s it’s Shock who’s the front-runner and not Morris.
Schock surprised me by out communicating Jim McConoughey, who made a couple of factual gaffes (saying Turkey is the only predominately Muslim nation to recognize Israel). I am willing to give Schock the benefit of the doubt in that he meant to say that we got rid of the Shah of Iran only to get the Ayatollah Khomeini, and not that Khomeini STILL runs Iran.
But in the end Morris won because he benefited most. Of the three, he’s the only one I think is likely to have picked up votes from the undecided. Schock didn’t screw up, which is a positive result if one really is the front runner. But McConoughey did nothing to break out of the pack, and with the primary election a month away, he’s going to have to do something.
The next debate will be televised live on WEEK from 7-8 p.m. on Jan. 14.
CORRECTION: The NEXT debate will be on WMBD-31 from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10. My apologies.
Tags: Aaron Schock, debate 18th District, Jim McConoughey, John Morris
Posted in Overset | 14 Comments »
Friday, January 4th, 2008
John Morris, the best communicator among the Three Amigos running for the 18th District, got his commercial up on the air. I saw it television the other day and thought it suited his campaign perfectly.
He touches on all the big themes, even if he is a little short on specifics. At least he isn’t saying, like Aaron Schock did last night that Iran is still being governed by the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Tags: 18th District, Aaron Schock, John Morris
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 14 Comments »
Friday, December 21st, 2007
State Rep. Aaron Schock today issued a press release claiming a commanding lead, according to a poll commissioned from Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Virginia. Via a press release:
With less than fifty days until the Republican primary election, Aaron Schock is in an enviable position. Schock has excellent name recognition with high favorables, while his opponents lack defined images. On the ballot, Schock leads his nearest opponent by more than forty points. He is well-positioned to be the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress from Illinois’ 18th District.
Key Findings
1. Aaron Schock has an excellent image among Republican primary voters.
Eighty-six percent (86%) of likely Republican primary voters have heard of State Representative Aaron Schock, with 64% having a favorable impression of Schock and 4% having an unfavorable impression. Encouragingly, Aaron’s name recognition and image have grown since August, when his image was 59% heard of/49% favorable/1% unfavorable.
Even more encouraging is that Schock’s favorables are more than twice that of his nearest Republican opponent. Jim McConoughey’s image is 65% heard of/25% favorable/2% unfavorable, while John Morris’s image is 42% heard of/15% heard of/3% unfavorable. McConoughey and Morris face an uphill battle trying to match Schock’s name recognition and favorables in the final weeks of the primary campaign.
2. Schock holds a commanding lead on the Republican primary ballot. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Republican primary voters back Aaron Schock on the ballot. McConoughey polls 14%, followed by Morris with 4% of the vote. Twenty-three percent (23%) of primary voters are undecided. By intensity, 35% definitely vote for Schock, while just 3% definitely back McConoughey and 1% are committed to Morris.
Primary voters are responding to Schock’s campaign message, and it will be difficult for Morris and McConoughey to catch him on February 5.
Methodology
Public Opinion Strategies conducted a telephone survey in the 18th Congressional District of Illinois on behalf of Aaron Schock for Congress. The survey was completed December 18-19, 2007 among 300 likely GOP primary voters and has a margin of error of +5.66% in 95 out of 100 cases.
The campaign added this statement:
Public Opinion Strategies polls for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News and for more Republican Members of Congress than any other firm. Thus, they are a highly respected firm in Washington, DC, among political and polling professionals.
“Public Opinion Strategies is the gold standard of polling firms,” said Schock campaign manager Steven Shearer. “Regarding the poll, the numbers speak for themselves.”
UPDATE: POS is not as universally respected as Shearer would have us believe. According to Source Watch:
Public Opinion Strategies (POS) describes itself as a “Republican polling firm”. It has offices in Virginia, Colorado and California.
“IRI’s annual reports for 2003 and 2004 include among their lists of volunteers a significant number of Republican pollsters, consultants, strategists, public opinion researchers, and campaign website designers, some of whom have come under fire for unethical practices.
“For example, Rob Autry and Gene Ulm are with Public Opinion Strategies, the largest Republican polling firm. POS was responsible for the “Harry and Louise” ad in the early 90’s that scuttled Clinton’s health insurance proposals. In 2001, it was charged with violating Virginia’s polling disclosure laws, and it has also been accused of using push polls to influence elections.”
I’d love to see the exact questions these pollsters asked, and I’d like to see from what group POS got the list of phone numbers. Remember, Schock has been getting a ton of pulbicity throughout the district. Very little of it was positive. It ranged fro harsh criticism from just about everyone for proposing nuclear arms sales to Taiwan to being verbally spanked by U.S. Rep Ray LaHood over campaign literature.
I’m amazed that any legitimate poll “completed” on Dec. 18-19 could show 58 percent of likely primary voters would vote for Schock.
From the beginning, Schock has gone to great lengths to portray himself as the eventual, inevitable GOP nominee. Months of bad publicity has led to not a little bit of buyer’s remorse among those who thought he was inevitible.
So Schock really needed a poll that showed him not only winning, but with well over 50 percent of the vote. The last thing he needs is for people to think that a majority of likely GOP voters want someone else, lest there be a behind-the-scenes capaign to convince either McConoughey or Morris to drop out and endorse the other.
Tags: Aaron Schock, Jim McConoughey, John Morris, Poll
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 31 Comments »
Friday, December 21st, 2007
All links via the Journal Star:
- I came away from this article on WTVP’s money woes convinced of two things: First, the station thought that good times would never end and that donors and the government would just continue to pour money into the station. So they went out and built what can only be described as a Cadillac of television production studios that surpass any of the three local television stations I’ve visited. Instead, they should have settled on a nice, conservative Buick. Second: The station was is “technical” default because of the lower than expected pledged. The bank decided to get greedy and demanded payment in full, even though the station had never missed a payment. Prediction: Unless some sugar daddy comes along, the bank is going to own that fancy-schmancy studio on State Street.
- John Morris has essentially kept his mouth shut about all this, except to say that he met all his fundraising goals when he was the station’s chief fund raiser. Today, he opens up a little bit and criticizes some of the unrealistic goals set by station management. One assumes that once the campaign is over, he’ll be looking for a new job. He’s on a leave of absence now to run for Congress.
- A poor misunderstood darling gets 8 years in prison for badly beating a three-year-old girl.
- Another misunderstood soul who fired into a crowd at Taft Homes is going to prison for 25 years.
- The Peoria County Board has essentially decided to help build the proposed downtown Peoria museum by asking legislators to give the the authority to raise taxes. I’m sure the taxpayers in Chillicothe, Brimfield and Princeville are just absolutely thrilled about this. I know of one voter in rural Pottstown who is absolutely ecstatic about it.
Tags: drugs, John Morris, WTVP
Posted in The Wire | 2 Comments »
Sunday, December 16th, 2007
Via Central Illinois Proud:
WMBD TV will provide exclusive live coverage of a congressional debate co-sponsored by WMBD 31 News and the Peoria Young Republicans.
The debate among the three confirmed Republican candidates in Illinois’ 18th Congressional District will take place Thursday, January 10th, from 7:00-8:00 pm in Dingledine Hall on the Bradley University campus. WMBD TV will televise the debate in its entirety without commercial interruption, and our own Amy Paul will moderate.
My advice to the candidates is this: Be sure you arrange for black people who support you to be in the audience. When Jim Ardis and Dave Ransburg debated on WEEK back in 2005, the Journal Star counted the number of black people in the crowd and noted whose campaign buttons they were wearing.
Tags: Aaron Schock, Jim McConoughey, John Morris, Ray LaHood
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | Comments Off
Friday, December 14th, 2007
Bernie Schoenburg has another great piece on the 18th District campaign.
It seems that Congressman Ray LaHood has sent a letter to the campaigns of Aaron Schock, Jim McConoughey and John Morris asking them to get his permission first before they use LaHood’s name or image in any campaign literature or advertisement.
While all three candidates for the GOP nomination got the letter, it is Schock who has raised the ire of the retiring Rep. LaHood:
In his letter to Schock, which he said mirrored letters to the other two Republican candidates, LaHood said: “In order that we do not send misleading signals to Republican voters, I am asking that you and your campaign seek permission from me personally before using my name, my picture or quotes from me in any written campaign materials or any material that will promote your candidacy on radio or television. This will enable me to make sure that no one in the race to replace me in Congress uses me to their advantage, or to the disadvantage of other candidates.
“If you need clarification on this request, please feel free to contact me personally. Otherwise, I assume you will comply with my request.”
LaHood said “there’s been at least seven references” to his name in Schock’s materials, and within the last week, he asked his district chief of staff, Tim Butler, who has also worked on LaHood’s campaigns, to call Schock’s campaign manager, Steven Shearer.
“He hasn’t called back,” LaHood said.
Did you get that last part? Schock’s campaign manager is too busy to call back the guy who’s so popular in his district, that an endorsement for someone else could effectively end Schock’s candidacy.
Schock is hardly a virgin when it comes to appropriating the names and images of people who do not endorse, and who have in fact endorsed others. During Schock’s 2006 race against challenger Bill Spears, Schock’s office mailed informational material with the names of Peoria City Council member Barbara Van Auken (who supported Spears) and Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard (who legally couldn’t cannot endorse any candidate).
And then there’s this:
“To make a statement that you’re going to arm one country with nuclear weapons to attack China I think shows a fairly high level of not doing your homework, and … immaturity and not using good political sense.â€
Ouch.
LaHood also told Schoenburg that he thinks Morris’ idea to close the borders and deport every illegal alien is a “silly solution” because it would be impossible to deport 12 million people back to Mexico. Morris later clarified his remarks to say he would expect this to happen overnight.
Interestingly, the paragraphs about Morris and immigration did not appear in the version that was printed in the Peoria Journal Star, nor did they appear on the PJS Website, where space limitations are not an issue. Also, the JS headline read “LaHood won’t weigh in,” while virtually the same column was headlined “LaHood raps Schock’s use of his name.”*
Months ago, a rumor was flying that LaHood was planning to endorse McConoughey. He supposedly decided against it because he didn’t to alienate Schock’s supporters against son Darin LaHood’s campaign for Peoria County State’s Attorney. He had also previously said that wouldn’t endorse anyone until after he had a chance to see how all three ran their campaigns.
Well, he’s had a chance to see. And now he’s calling one of them immature and another silly. I have to think that this effectively serves as an unofficial endorsement for McConoughey.
Tags: Aaron Schock, endorsement, Jim McConoughey, John Morris, Ray LaHood
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 21 Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
Via a press release:
Republican John Morris, candidate for the 18th District Congressional seat, will hold a press conference on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 in the Blue Room at the State Capitol in Springfield, IL at 12:00 PM. Morris will talk about his position on immigration and how to ensure that we secure our borders.
John Morris, 39, is a conservative Republican running for United State Congress (IL-18) to succeed Ray LaHood. Morris has more than twenty years of achievements as one of the most energetic and visionary leaders for Central Illinois. Elected in 1999, he became a leading voice of conservative policymaking as a Peoria City Councilman At-Large. In his eight years on the City Council, Morris was a leader in the stopping property tax increases on hard working families and reducing government waste. Morris is strongly pro-life, supports 2nd amendment rights, and believes in stopping illegal immigration.
- What: Morris for Congress Immigration Press Conference
- Where: The Blue Room at the Illinois State Capitol
- When:
Monday Tuesday, December 11, 2007, 12:00 PM
Tags: 18th District, border security, illegal immpigration, John Morris
Posted in Statehouse & Capitol | 11 Comments »
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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