Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Deadbeat)
I love it when elected officials engage in hilarious political theater
like this:
A bill clearly inspired by U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh's child support issues would forbid people owing more than $10,000 in back child support from running for office in Illinois.
House Bill 3932, filed Tuesday by state Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, would require statements of candidacy to include a statement that the person running for office is not delinquent by $10,000 or more.
Walsh, a tea party Republican freshman representing the 8th Congressional District, is facing allegations in court by his ex-wife that he owes her more than $100,000 in back child support. Walsh has not been found delinquent or in contempt of court in the ongoing dispute.
Unfortunately, the bill wouldn't actually affect Walsh (at least this cycle) even if it passed, because it doesn't apply retroactively. What's more, I doubt that it's even constitutional, seeing as federal courts have routinely held that the requirements for office laid out in the constitution are a ceiling, not a floor—states can't add to them.
But of course, none of this matters: Franks is trying to score a few points here, and is succeeding, in rather entertaining fashion. Every news story that brings further attention to Walsh's malfeasance is bad for him and good for us. Of course, he could bring this all to an end by doing the right thing and paying his debts, but "doing the right thing" is not really a phrase in Joe Walsh's vocabulary. So if he won't pay up, we can at least make him pay—politically speaking.