Hello all, first time diarist here. I've been lurking in the corners of DK for the last few years. I've enjoyed the enthusiasm, but have never felt compelled to become an active member until recently.
I suppose it all became too much. Bush/Gore 2000. 9/11. Iraq. Katrina. Brownie. Rove. Rumsfeld. Cheney. A president who could not speak a simple declarative sentence without lying and commiting three grammatical errors at the same time. Bin Laden. Gonzales. Alito. Gitmo. Abu Ghraib. Signing statements. Habeus Corpus.
And now, Foley.
I think it may have been Olbermann who may be most responsible for my newfound passion. After hearing his brilliant commentaries over the last month, I have been inspired to do something myself. So I went to Joseph Shannon's campaign headquarters today and picked up a yard sign. I also signed up to volunteer for the last 29 days until the election and donated to his campaign.
The purpose of this diary is to see what can be done when a typical Democratic candidate takes on a typical entrenched Republican incumbent in a typican Republican-leaning district.
Illinois 13 is in the southwest Chicago suburbs. It is comprised of southern DuPage, northern Will, and extreme southwest Cook counties. It is an area that is white-collar, well-off and extremely GOP-oriented. According to Electoral-vote.com, the incumbent, Judy Biggert, won with 65% in 2004, in a year when Illinois went solidly for Kerry.
Congresswoman Biggert has represented this district since 1998. She is not a particularly loathsome candidate, unlike Schmidt in Ohio or others that could be named. Her list of accomplishments is, to be kind, unimpressive. Her website lists among others, the widening of I-55, studies of incidents of breast cancer in DuPage county, and the church pension reform law of 2004. To her credit, she has donated $1000 that she received from disgraced congressman Mark Foley to charity. But she has not (to my knowledge) taken a public stand on Hastert. As a member of the toothless House Ethics committee, it remains to be seen what action (if any) she will take. I'm betting on none. Unlike some other Illinois congressional members, such as Durbin, Obama, Jackson, or even LaHood, Biggert seems to hope that she can get by on not being noticed. I cannot remember any stand that she has taken on any issue, or even a quote by her in the Tribune on some piece of pending legislation. According to the DCCC, she has voted the party line nearly 90% of the time.
Joseph Shannon is a typical middle-of-the-road Democratic candidate. This is not meant as a slur. It simply means that he does not have some of the advantages that make people line up for other candidates. He is not a war verteran. He is not a firebrand or ideologue. He has moderate positions that will play well to this area of the state. He is an attorney, married with five kids.
In short then, this is as safe a district as the Republican party could hope for.
So let's make them sweat! The recent surveys that came out today give Dems a 21 POINT advantage over the Republicans. In that environment, it may well be that NO lead is safe, no district can be counted on to go red! If there are any Illinois Kossacks out there, head on over to Joseph Shannon's web page and donate what you can. I know that we are all tired of people asking for donations. I can empathize, since I am one of them. But let's make Biggert and the Republicans WORK for this seat. If Shannon can mount a credible challenge, that is one more sinkhole that will drain resources away from the RCCC.
29 days to go!
http://www.josephshannonforcongress.com/...