BY DAVE PARRO
Likely knowing that he won't be getting former U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert's blessing to succeed him in office, state Sen. Chris Lauzen launched a pre-emptive strike Monday by calling on Hastert to stay out of the 14th Congressional District race.
In an open letter to Hastert sent to local newspapers, Lauzen urges the former House speaker not to endorse in the Republican primary election "out of respect for the people whom we all serve and for the future unity of the Republican Party in this area." He asks Hastert, who is not a big fan of Lauzen, to let the voters decide and then back the GOP nominee.
Hastert has said his endorsement is coming soon, and all signs point to Jim Oberweis. In a tight race, that has to make Lauzen very afraid. But his letter makes him look like a sore loser before anything has even been decided.
Hastert's endorsement could be the deciding factor in a congressional district that largely adores him. Lauzen knows that, and he's trying to head off its impact. But it's also safe to assume Lauzen wouldn't be asking Hastert to stay on the sidelines if the endorsement were coming his way.
Despite asking Hastert for a huge favor, Lauzen also couldn't resist taking a few shots at the 21-year congressman, saying he "set aside the public duty to which we elected you" by resigning early and saying voters whose tax dollars will be spent on a $1 million special election "would be distressed if you re-assert yourself and use your considerable clout to influence the outcome of an impending primary." Those jabs won't make Hastert any more likely to change his mind about an endorsement.
So what does this letter accomplish? Lauzen is obviously trying to diminish the value of a Hastert endorsement by calling his service into question. That's why Lauzen's repeated claim that "we respect you" sounds so empty. This move is nothing more than a hollow attempt to soften the blow.
Lauzen would be better off explaining why he won't be getting the Hastert endorsement. There might be an opportunity there to boast about his willingness to stand up to his party and make decisions on his own instead of simply falling into line.
Instead, his transparent reaction to not getting Denny's endorsement just sounds like sour grapes.
Weather you like Lauzen or not it’s now very obvious that he is willing to wallow in the dirt. As you stated DP I would have been impressed if his letter was about why he felt he wouldn’t get Hastert’s endorsement instead of the negative tract he took. And the topper was "we respect you". How disingenuous was that. I don’t like that Hastert is stepping down early. Obviously it was a political decision. But I certainly expected more from Lauzen than this desperate letter.
Insert you own punchline here.
And if you think this is a joke, imagine what we'd get from Lauzen if he were to actually win this election.
Lauzen is merely asking the big guy to stay out of the fight.
Lauzen talks out of both sides of his mouth as well as Bill Clinton. He is quick to brag about the endorsements that he has gathered, but when he knows he's not going to get the most important one he says let the people choose and support the nomineee. Well the people will choose and Chris Lauzen will continue as state senator where he will to fail to produce notable successes in Springfield. Meanwhile Jim Oberweis will use his real world skills to work with people and get things done in Washington.
I'd also bet that Jim has the sense to realize that Congressman Hastert is doing the district a favor by giving the next rep a leg up in senority in the next class.
Sore Loser? Sour grapes? These expressions are usually used AFTER the fact, but in this case the election is anything but decided. At any rate they certainly do not accurately portray Chris Lauzen. Reading between the lines, there isn't even a snowball's chance in hades that the Beacon will endorse Lauzen.
If anyone deserves endorsements it is Chris Lauzen. In a world where it is very easy to become cynical about our elected officials, Chris is one of the very few politicians that can actually stand on his record of hard work and accomplishment.
He can also stand on his being steadfast in his convictions. This has landed him in the doghouse more than once, most notably when he earned the full disdain of then Governor George Ryan when he opposed the huge tax increases sought by the Gov that were a pay back to his cronies. We all know the rest of the story now.
Chris is a fighter for what he feels is right. There may be other public servants who work as hard as Chris, but they are few and far between. Chris has a proven record of some 14 years in office by which his friends and foes can judge him.
Through his many years of legislative experience Chris has learned how things work and what must be done to advance a piece of legislation. This is invaluable experience that he brings to the table which none of his opponents can claim.
Nevertheless we will soon see who the establishment's candidate will be. It is regretable that Chris Lauzen will probably not be their pick, because if anyone has earned the right to represent our district, it most assuredly is Chris Lauzen.
What record of accomplishment? Lauzen is one of the most ineffective state senators in the history of this state. What's even worse than his absolute record of mediocrity is his reputation as a buffoon. This letter today only serves to highlight the laughingstock he has become.
Hey, "Amused", you're a coward. You throw stupid accusations at a good man and hide behind an alias, like "amused." Don't you have a real name? And how many hours have you spent studying the history of the state to know who is the most ineffective in the history of the state?
Lauzen's request that Hastert stay out of the race is valid as are the points he raises: Hastert's selfish decision to quit the job he was JUST re-elected to perform was a bad move and all of this turmoil is of his own making. That said, Lauzen would have been better served to enlist a supporter to lend his/her name to the letter instead of signing it himself. Coming from an average citizen, the request is perfectly legitimate.
Even so, Lauzen is clearly more qualified that Oberweis. He has a long track record of fighting waste and corruption in the cesspool that is Springfield. Oberweis, a quality chocolate malt notwithstanding, is simply a rich guy looking to buy his way into SOME public office. Senator? Governor? Congressman? Perhaps Mr. O should run for State Senate when Lauzen is elected to the US House. Then he could begin to establish a record of public service and learn how to communicate directly with voters instead of making grandiose promises while flying high above Soldier Field.
WE OWE SPEAKER HASTERT AND HIS FAMILY A GREAT DEPT FOR HIS SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY DURING A MOST DIFFICULT TIME IN OUR HISTORY. WHAT WE DON'T OWE HIM, NOW THAT HE HAS RESIGNED, IS THE RIGHT TO INTERFERE IN AND PERHAPS AFFECT THE UPCOMING PRIMARY ELECTION. AT A TIME WHEN THERE IS LEGISLATION PENDING ON THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF OUR TROOPS, WHEN WE ARE BEING ASKED TO EMBRACE THE FINANCIAL AND HEALTH PROBLEMS OF MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND ALSO SECURE OUR BORDERS AND WRESTLING WITH THE CONTINUING PROBLEMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WE, THE CITIZENS OF THE 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT HAVE NO VOICE IN CONGRESS! IF THE SPEAKER IS ILL, HE HAS MY PRAYERS. IF HE IS JUST TIRED, THAT IS PERHAPS UNDERSTANDABLE. HOWEVER, HE SHOULD NOW ONCE AGAIN DO THE RIGHT THING AND REMAIN QUIET IN THE UP COMING PRIMARY JUST AS HE HAS FORCED US TO BE QUIET IN CONGRESS UNTIL A SUCCESSOR IS ELECTED! WE ARE PAYING FOR THE SPEAKERS RETIREMENT IN MANY WAYS. PLEASE PAY US BACK AS YOU HAVE SERVED US WITH RESPECT.
FRANCES SHAW
A VOTER OF 36 YEARS AND A POLITICAL SCIENCE & HISTORY MAJOR
Frances,
Good points--except we do have voices in Washington: Obama and Durbin. Unfortunately, one is too busy barnstorming other states selling "hope" while the other is so in bed with George Soros that he has baklava crumbs on his jammies.
It's obvious that many people who spend their time on this blog have truly drank the "Lauzen Kool-aid." If he doesn't want Hastert to endorse, that's his opinion. What Lauzen doesn't have the right to do is make any demands of Hastert. I've been following this election closely as I am still considering who I want to vote for, and it seems that Lauzen insults and disrepects the former speaker every chance he gets. He can't play it both ways, either he doesn't respect Hastert and the job he's done or he's just been lying to everyone in his speeches that slam Hastert's good work. It wouldn't surprise me, it seems like Lauzen lies about a lot of things. If you don't like Oberweis, keep watching, he's looking better and better everytime Lauzen opens his mouth.
What I do know is some of the people who write on this blog don't seem to know a lot about the political process. If they did, they might realize that Hastert was re-elected over a year ago and he's more than 11 months into a 24 month term. That sounds more like halfway through, not JUST re-elected. Has anyone bothered to look at history and realize that Hastert remained in office longer than any former speaker in history.
The Lauzen letter is right on. Congressman Hastert would be very unwise to insert himself into this race. I worked against many of his "endorsed" candidates and helped defeat most of them at the local level, including his college friend Lou Rathje, who finished 3rd of 3 for Supreme Court. The people at the grassroots are angry at Hastert for quitting early and holding big $ fundraisers for his library while we are stuck with the bill for the special election. I used to be proud to tell my friends across the country that "The Speaker is my Congressman." Now I live in the only CD in America without a Congressman. Vacant.
Of course you think the letter is right on, Jon. Did you write it for him?
You display the same twisted logic saying that you're proud that Denny was the Speaker and proud that you worked against "many of his endorsed" candidates. You and Lauzen can't have it both ways.
Chris writes his own stuff. Always has. And is quite good at it.
Certainly can have it both ways. Congressman Hastert has many accomplishments, and a few failures. He's a human being like all of us. I hope he goes out politically on a high note, not by endorsing a 3 time loser, who is on his way to loss number 4.
I think we are overlooking something in all of this. Why did Hastert retire in the first place? Personally, I think he retired because the republicans lost control of congress and he lost power. Since he didn't give us any reason for his retirement, this seems to make sense to me.
I really don't think his endorsement will help Jim Oberweis that much. He has alienated too many voters during his past campaigns. State Senator Lauzen may have sounded like a sore loser in his letter, but I think his intent was right.
Hastert has already forced the special election by not completing the first year of the 2 year term. He retired early so the govenor could not appoint the successor, which most likely would have been a democrat. Everything about this has been done at Denny's bidding and influence. We don't need him to tell us that Jim Oberwies is the best man to replace him. Give the voters some credit and let us think for ourselves.
Today's Chicago Trib has a story about state VIPs jumping to the head of the line to score free Rose Bowl tix. Lauzen's name mentioned. Even though he is backing down from his request, he doesn't deny asking to be put on the list in the first place.