BY MIKE CETERA
Did you hear the one about the upstart Democrat who cruised to an unlikely victory only to see his hopes for re-election taken away? Or how about the one about the loyal Republican who was tossed under the bus by his own party?
Jokes? Nightmares? Or just Illinois politics?
9:58 a.m. UPDATE BELOW: Laesch withdraws challenge.
First, let's deal with Jim Oberweis. The results had barely come in on Saturday when the speculation began about whether the GOP would try to push him out in favor of another candidate come November.
Statements about how this affects the national outlook aren't likely to help Oberweis' case: "It was a remarkable repudiation of Republican status quo, showing that voters all across America are eager for change," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said Sunday.
Republicans were quick to downplay the significance of the former House speaker's seat being taken over by a Democrat. Instead, they focused on Oberweis. Never a good sign.
Republican strategists downplayed the importance of the race, insisting that Oberweis's past runs for office had badly damaged him in the eyes of voters. Oberweis, who owns a chain of dairies throughout the state, ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2002 and 2004, and governor in 2006. His previous primary campaigns were knock down, drag out affairs as was his primary win over state Sen. Chris Lauzen (R) earlier this year -- races that left his image among voters seriously tarnished."The one thing 2008 has shown is that one election in one state does not prove a trend," said newly installed National Republican Congressional Committee Communications Director Karen Hanretty. "In fact, there has been no national trend this entire election season....The one message coming out of 2008 so far is that what happens today is not a bellwether of what happens this fall."
Of course, Chris Lauzen probably didn't help.
At the same time, there was no healing over Oberweis' bitter primary contest against state Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora, who did not back the GOP nominee. Lauzen had difficulties as a congressional candidate, but his decision not to endorse Oberweis sidelined a potent grass-roots organization that could have helped the Republican candidate.
QUESTON: Should Oberweis step aside for the good of the party and let another Republican take a crack at the seat come November? If so, who should that candidate be?
Now, on to Foster. He won. But there's still a challenge to his November candidacy from his own party.
I'm guessing since the party bigwigs in Washington think Foster's victory is such a big deal, John Laesch is probably going to be getting a few phone calls with the not-so-subtle advice to just drop it. But should he?
QUESTION: Is it time for Laesch to give up his quest to be on the November ballot? ANSWER: Yes. Laesch has withdrawn his challenge to Foster's regular primary win. Smart move, John.
Mr Cetera
Great post game wrap up above along with setting
the stage for the run up to November's elections.
I'd say Laesch has already received several of those
calls and personal 'appeals' from local and State Party
officials. Time will tell if the messages are received.
Laesch has much to offer and could well serve his supporters
in any number of positions or posts.
As the Beacon noted in a prior editorial (if memory serves correctly)
John Laesch has earned his stripes and has a potentially bright and promising
future ahead of him. This is not the better way to prove it...and can deflate
a significant portion of his well earned and deserved local and regional support.
As to the Oberweis and GOP responses in the coming weeks and months, it will be
interesting to see what may come out of the sausage grinders. Personally speaking,
it would seem the time has come at long last to back bench Oberweis and perhaps even
Lauzen.
Now Foster needs to prove he will be a faithful and diligent servant and representative
for the 14th District. Come November the voters will have a fresh opportunity to evaluate
his performance and either renew his contract for another two years or find an alternative
representative.
In politics, there are no 'gimmes' or resting on ones laurels, Support needs to be earned;
as the saying goes, 'there is no magic just hard work' when it comes to campaigns and elections.
Saturday's election should serve as a 'not so subtle reminder' to all local area politicians and
public servants regardless of party or stature.
Best regards
He still going to run in the fall???? For what???
I believe Mr. Oberweis should step aside. While he won the primary election for the party, he is a proven loser when winning in required. He won the primary fight over Lauzen by using dirty politics, name calling and false accusations. He tried the same things in the special election with Foster but people saw through the innuendo. People are tired of seeing this man spend millions of his money to buy a seat in Congress or some other elected body. I am tired of hearing about the jobs he's created while he has never addressed those individuals who lost their jobs at his original securities firm in the 80's. Mr. Oberweis likes to tell us what he thinks we need to know and not the whole truth. I have voted for Mr. Hastert in the past and voted for Foster this time because Oberweis is not to be trusted. He should quit now so someone else has a chance to actually run a campaign with integrity.
I think John Laesch has a long and bright future in politics in my opinion. But his actions in regards to this recount will be his legacy going forward and I hope he takes the advice of those outside his campaign into consideration when considering next steps.
As to the Republicans...well, they don't need my advice.
Hastert got exactly what he wanted: "Anyone but Lauzen"
What for? Doesn't he realize the VOTERS DO NOT WANT HIM?!!!
Oberweis is the worst politician I have ever seen.
Please, replace Oberweis...NOW!
If a more moderate candidate will get the job done, then you had better act fast to see if you can get Burns back on board. Would the GOP prefer a moderate Republican that can appeal to both sides or a liberal Democrat? Time to rethink your priorities and put your money and your mouth where it will count in November.
Shame on you, Chris Lauzen. How petty and childish you are. The Aurora returns say it all. Thanks for supporting the party. If politics should be about principles, which were you standing on on Saturday. It isn't all about you, you know. You've lost my vote.
A little sympathy for the man, please. This is a capitalistic society, after all...Oberweis has certainly poured his economic power and wealth into Illinois politics. Maybe we should allow him to win one election sometime...preferably one with a fancy title and little power to limit any damage he could do?
What a joke .... Oberweis stepping down from future attempts at office is about as likely as the price of gas dropping to $1.00 a gallon - IT JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Unfortunately, as long as he has his family money and business to throw around, and has all his dairy farm backers, and as long as he cannot see the egg that remains on his face from this and past attempts, the man that is in with himself will raise up again. It's a real shame he cannot take the hint that has slapped him so many times now - his prospective constituents do not want him in any elected office, period! Sorry to be so blunt Jim, but folks just don't want a court jester dressed in a suit and tie in office here!
Hope Sen. Chris Lauzen doesn't suffer for this stunning loss.
Oberweis was So negative-and so disruptive-calling over again and over again.
Oberweis has nobody (except Hastert) to blame for this. Obnoxious (me)-Dishonest-according to The "Chicago Tribune" and if they don't love a republican, who can.
Oberweis should withdraw- but let him spend a few more millions to be rejected again by decent people. Already sloppy 4th's headed for the ugly Bridesmaid title.
What a mean spirited jerk.
Now I have doubt's about McCain too-two trophy wives and not much character-at least for The Milk Dud.
Still think McCain might be a really good guy, but why did he support this jerk?
Oberweis was not rejected by all. I do not want Foster. All the calls I recieved from Foster's camp was irrating and only led me to further know that I would voted for Oberweis. Everything I recieved from Foster was lower than whale do-do as far as I was concerned. His campaign was worse than Oberweis in my opinion. I have yet to hear that Oberweis had to have people that were electioneering removed on Saturday, but heard that Foster did. Foster contributed to the weisner campaign. I do not trust him.
Seems like this all backfired on the GOP. Hastert sticks us for the cost of a special election, all in an effort to sneek a republican in before the presidential election and a Democrat wins. And now you want to replace him on the ballot! Complain that he's a loser. Didn't he win the republican primary? Who's to blame for that? Quit your crying.
If Oberweis steps aside, does his spokesperson step down also? ;)
Well it didn't take Laesch very long to swallow his "values". I wonder what his "pieces of silver" are going to be.
Oberweis makes the best case for closing the political loophole that lets politicians ignore the "Do not call list".
The number of calls was unbelievable-and highly unwanted. What a thing to do to anyone-particularly the disabled. The man is a DOG-a DIRTY STINKING DOG!!
Let Oberweis continue to run for office so the Democrats can continue to win.
Oberweis is the epitomy of a loser. The republican party should realize that backing him is a loss. His views are archaic and border(No PUN Intended) on hate and fear induced paranoia. He should stick to making ice cream.How people continue to invest in his company despite his apparent lack of tact and personal know how is laughable. Imagine what good could have been done to this community if he had invested on third of what he spent on his pathetic campaigns on the youth or disenfranchised of this, his home city. He is a disgrace to this area that has once again rejected him. I can sleep in peace knowing two things. One: that this pasty, conniving, contrived smile, and relatively creepy power lusting man has been thwarted once again by real honest Americans who are repulsed by his near evil rhetoric and two: that someday, somehow, someway shape or form, a decendent of Oberweis will meet and fall in love with an immigrant or immigrant's decendent and reject the legacy of hate and isolationism that dear old grandpa Jim preached in his hopefully unrealized political lifespan.
We need Oberweis to step aside, HE IS NOT a Politician nor could he be. Running for an office takes more than having a has been Hastert back you and Robo callers tell you to vote for him, it ticked me off so much that I refused to vote! VOTERS are tired of negative campaigning and want to hear about fixing the roads (like RT.47) or schools, and most of all a plan to start deporting all the illegals in this country.
See no comments yet here about the fact that Foster's people got in trouble for electioneering. Notice that the Beacon has not looked into this. Nothing so far bad about Foster. Wonder why? Could it be because this City has become a certain type City for one of the issues and it benefits so many in the wrong way? The taxpayers are already overburden here do to what the buisnesses and politicans want. Our students are being neglected to this. This is why I think that there is all this negative on Oberweis.
I seriously considered not voting for Mr. Oberweis due to the four to five pre-recorded phone calls I received daily for weeks before both the earlier election and then the special election. Though I called three different times to ask to be removed from the call list, the Oberweis calls only dropped from three daily to one. The rest of the daily calls came from the Republican party. When I tried to call back its number to ask that calls cease, I got no answer. The overall annoyance and the lack of adequate response (i.e., not ONE more, but NO more calls) sent a clear message that these people don't listen and I don't what that mindset representing me. They nearly had me dead set on NOT voting Saturday. I did end up voting, however the only was that I was at the VAC (my polling place) anyway for basketball games and there were no lines.
I also hope that Chris Lauzen doesn't suffer for his lack of support for Oberweis. The failure here really is all Oberweis. The majority of voters just don't want him (Democrats, Republicans, or Independants like me). It wasn't just Democrats who voted for Foster; there had to have been significant crossover votes for him to win in a VERY heavily Republican district. Yes there were way too many robocalls & mailings by BOTH sides, and mostly negative, but I frankly found Oberweis' to be much more mean spirited. As the Tribune pointed out, that's the way Oberweis runs his campaigns, all of which have ultimately failed. He's that way to Republicans just as much as to Democrats. Lauzen's lack of support for Oberweis shows that Lauzen has character, and puts the voters ahead of the party (like a good public servant SH0ULD). I just can't understand why anyone would choose Oberweis over Lauzen in the first place. One thing to consider is that while Lauzen didn't come out endorsing Oberweis, at least he didn't bring someone in from out of state in preference to Oberweis, like the state Republican party did in one of the previous races.
Oberweis broke two republican rules...Reagan's 11th Commandment about not speaking ill of another Republican. When he slashed and burned his way to the primary win he stepped on a lot of toes. He's also not earned his stripes, so far as I can tell by working his way up the ladder. He's keeps trying to cut to the front of the line. The second rule was Richard Nixon's: Run to the Right in the primary...run to the center in the general election. Oberweis kept running to the right, expecting his negative campaigning would breed more conservatives...he was wrong, and he paid for it. So don't blame Lauzen. It's doubtful Oberweis and his consultants would have taken advantage of the help anyway...and after Oberweis screwed him in the primary, Lauzen would have looked like the biggest chump in the world by endorsing Oberweis.
What does he do next? First, he fires Bill Pascoe(who I really don't think was actually in charge of the campaign), and brings in a consultant who can soften his image...some spots about the Jim Oberweis as a kid...working his way up the ranks...typical bio stuff...maybe a couple of humorous spots making fun of some of his goofier campaign stunts...maybe some shots with kids and family members...this is the stuff that should have been done after he announced...But Pascoe apparently thought voters would start salivating the moment they saw someone remotely resembling Hastert...another blunder.
umm..didn't denny endorse jimmy?..didn't the repub's pitch in for..jimmy? aren't smear tactics the only tool jim has ever had in his bag? didn't he use them on Lauzen? didn't the nrc sorta..look the other way when all this was happening? and give his campaign even more $$ to continue the horse shite?
As far as Laesch..that is one smart, tough campaigner. Outspent by the big money guys, what, 10-1? lost by under 400 votes..and had the integrity to stand up and not have a recount. In this whole mess, he was the only one (even Chris had to give in at the end) who didn't resort to adolescent behavior when the campaign turned ugly.
... while we are talking about $$ for the election (we are, right?) here's a nifty fact:
Amount spent by 7 candidates running for President through January 2008: $306,252,456
Read it out loud everyone:
Three hundred and six million, two hundred fifty two thousand, four hundred fifty six dollars.
and that's only up to February.
We truly have the best candidates money can buy.