Daily Archives: September 27, 2008

2008 Campaign, Aaron Schock

Schock says he’ll follow Obama

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Is Schock a leader or a follower? A Republican or a Democrat? A man or a mouse?

All are valid questions as Schock continues to dig in his heels against paying back the taxpaying citizens of his district. The Journal Star reports today:

State Rep. Aaron Schock’s campaign manager said Friday that if U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign pays the local costs of police and fire protection during a visit to Springfield last month, then they might consider doing the same for Peoria.

“If (Obama) ends up paying for it, things might change,” Steve Shearer said, referring to $38,000 in city of Peoria costs for police, fire and public works services on July 25, when President George W. Bush visited for a private fundraiser for Schock, R-Peoria.

The article goes on to explain that Springfield is getting ready to bill the Obama campaign about $50,000 for services the city provided when Obama announced Biden as his running mate. Shearer’s quote to the paper: “We’ll see if Obama breaks precedent (of not paying for local police protection).”

So for Schock, it’s not about doing the right thing, it’s about doing what everybody else is doing. If all the other candidates are sticking it to their constituents, well then it’s okay with Schock. Keep that gravy train a-comin’! He’s not going to take the lead and break a precedent of soaking taxpayers for private political events and fundraisers. Let someone else do it. Otherwise, he might be the only one standing on principle, and wouldn’t that be horrible? People might accuse him of being… responsible. Or fiscally conservative. Heaven forbid!

Is this the way Schock is going to make decisions once he gets into office? First find out what everyone else is doing, then follow? Fantastic. And he’s following Obama, no less. You know, Obama — the Democratic presidential nominee? He’s going to follow that guy.

Oh well. No one ever accused Schock of being an independent thinker…. Well, except maybe that “nukes-to-Taiwan” idea. That was original.

2008 Campaign

Facts trip up Gordon

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92nd District Representative hopeful Jehan Gordon sent out a press release a few days ago accusing her opponent Joan Krupa of being “absent from 25% of the [Peoria County Board] meetings held between April 14, 1992 and April 13, 1993.” Since Krupa had recently accused Gordon of being absent from too many school board meetings, Gordon criticized Krupa for “living in a glass house.”

Great sound bite. Unfortunately for Gordon, county board attendance records are relatively easy to verify.

The Journal Star fact-checked Gordon’s claim, and guess what?

[In] the minutes issued by the Peoria County Clerk’s Office on Friday, the actual attendance records show that of the 86 meetings held during Krupa’s tenure on the board, she attended 84 of them.

Krupa was late to a couple of meetings, including one in January 1993, which the Gordon campaign cited as one in which she was absent.

Krupa “missed only two meetings during her approximately six years with the Peoria County Board and had a 98 percent attendance rate.”

In contrast, HOI News has checked on Gordon’s attendance record on the Pleasant Hill school board:

According to District 69 Superintendent John Bute, there have been 19 Pleasant Hill school board meetings since June of 2007 when Gordon joined the board.

According to school records, since June, Gordon has missed a total of six of the 19 meetings-missing 32 percent.

Of the seven board members, on average, they missed three of the 19 meetings-missing 17 percent.

So, let’s recap:

  • Krupa: Missed 2 out of 86 meetings in six years.
  • Gordon: Missed 6 out of 19 meetings in 16 months.

In the words of the second President of the United States, John Adams, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

“She believes in what she’s saying,” Sen. Shadid says. Pretty soon, she’ll be the only one who believes in what she’s saying.