BY MIKE CETERA
Here's what I learned during this newspaper's editorial board endorsement session Monday with 14th Congressional District GOP candidates Chris Lauzen and Jim Oberweis: In broad strokes, these two share fairly similar views on the issues of the day.
They both believe the government wastes too much of your money, although neither would offer specific programs to cut (Lauzen did name the $207 million earmarked for the Prairie Parkway as wasteful spending, but said he would like to see the money redirected -- not cut -- toward local road projects).
They both want to increase border protection, although neither would favor attempting large-scale deportation of the illegal immigrants already here (Oberweis, in particular, thinks business regulations meant to discourage hiring illegal workers would result in illegal immigrants leaving on their own).
The both generally support U.S. military policy in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
With so much in common, maybe it's the duo's rhetoric over whether Oberweis is the candidate of clout or whether Lauzen is a do-nothing senator that truly separates the two. As Rich Miller at The Capitol Fax Blog pointed out, the sniping is "going way over the top."
Aside from the frequent stick pokes Oberweis and Lauzen aimed at one another, the two candidates -- in general --stuck to their scripts during the 2-hour endorsement session on Monday.
Oberweis offered the only surprises during the meeting.
In defending his often criticized tone on the illegal immigration issue, Oberweis acknowledged his commercial during his failed U.S. Senate run was "too harsh." It was a genuine, unsolicited, admission his campaign strategy was flawed. Oberweis said he came out "way too early" on the illegal immigration issue, which has since turned into a heated national debate.
Oberweis also showed a glimpse into the pain his family still feels over the 1993 murder of Mary Jill Oberweis, the Aurora dairy man's sister-in-law. In discussing his support of 2nd Amendment rights, Oberweis wondered if his relative would still be alive today if she had a gun in the house. His face turned red as he recounted court testimony in the trial of Edward Tenney, who was convicted and is serving a life sentence for the 56-year-old woman's shooting death.
Criminals will always have guns, Oberweis said. But what happens if law-abiding citizens don't have access?
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