My name is Danny Stover, and this is the first diary posting on behalf of my campaign on the DailyKOS website. I have been overwhelmed by the ongoing conversations and wishes of support to my campaign from posters on this site. In an age where support comes from every direction and every type of media, it is refreshing to see the internet being used for a constructive, and in my case, supportive way.
www.stoverforcongress.us
As many of you know, my campaign has been catapulted into the national spotlight because of the improprieties of former Representative Mark Foley (R-FL). In an ideal world, my message and platform would have been fodder enough for me to make national news and receive district-wide and nation-wide attention. Regardless, I will not pass the opportunity given to me now to detail my plans for the Illinois 19th District of the U.S. House of Representatives.
My campaign has received additional attention because Representative John Shimkus (R-IL), my opponent in the upcoming election, is the Chairperson of the House Page Board.
On Monday, October 2, Mr. Shimkus stated, "As the chairman of the House Page Board, I have a responsibility to protect the students participating in the program and former participants."
I agree 100% with Representative Shimkus. Unfortunately, he failed in his responsibility. Instead, Mr. Shimkus chose to protect allies in his own political party instead of the interests of all pages, not just those affected by Mark Foley.
Mr. Shimkus will do his best to paint his shortcomings as smear attempts and election year politics. That's a very shortsighted assessment. According to recent reports, some members of House leadership have known about Representative Foley for the past 3 YEARS! Representative Shimkus has had the opportunity for that entire period to conduct a thorough investigation.
Unfortunately, the cover-up of the Foley scandal is not a limited case of lack of oversight on behalf of John Shimkus and his allies. The Republican leadership of the House has repeatedly denied use of its powers of oversight and investigation during its tenure. Not only are they ignoring child predators, but they are blocking inquiries into oil and gas collusion, the Iraq War, torture of enemy combatants and prisoners...just to name a few.
I promise to offer appropriate insight and academic inquiry into all of the arenas where John Shimkus has let us down. Southern Illinois deserves enlightened, open-minded, and inquisitive leadership who will not succumb to playing politics when investigation is demanded.
Thank you for your ongoing support. Please stay tuned for future diaries.
http://www.actblue.com/page/stoverforcongress