IL-14 (Sorta, Kinda) Roundups

You know, it’s very kind of bored now to keep us all in the loop by providing Roundup diaries.  Of particular interest to me is the race in IL-14, so of course when I came back for a pit stop between trips today and saw that he had posted an IL-14 Roundup #3 diary, I took the time to scan it.

Hmmm.  There seems to be very little going on in the Laesch campaign, to hear bored tell it.  Could have sworn I heard about more endorsements recently than those bored now mentions in his coverage of the Laesch campaign, which amounts to this:

john laesch woke up to good news this morning: state senator mike noland has endorsed him.

and this:

booman tribune has an old interview of john laesch that now comes up on google search. his campaign continues its periodic campaign updates here and here. laesch's former blogger also talks about Podunk,IL vs. the New Chicago Machine, the laesch youtube page covers his simmons appearance (broken into multiple videos and quentin young's endorsement.

and...

no, I guess that’s about it - all the news bored could find the space or time to bring us about Laesch...

compared to this kind of coverage of Foster:

support for bill foster has been growing on the blogs. this post notes that foster is being called the front runner in the race. i also overlooked the bill foster interview epluribus media conducted at yearlykos. another post looks at foster's energy proposals

and

foster has benefitted both from his status as a scientist and the recent cutbacks at fermilab (a major employer in the district). his science credentials are finding posts on political and non-political blogs, including Physics and Physicists: Politics & Science, and Open Science Thread: Politics & Science and another Open Science Thread. finally, Nuclear Mangos covered foster. one blogger wants you to know that he contributed to foster because of this. the cutbacks at fermilab have gotten foster mentions in the local press, Fermilab under threat due to federal budget and Federal budge so far not good for Fermilab

and

the foster campaign reports:

Bill Foster has been picking up the endorsements of local leaders in the district, including former Newark Mayor Roger Ness, DeKalb County Board member Robert Rosemier, Kane County Board members Gerald Jones, Bonnie Lee Kunkel, and Rudy Neuberger, and Aldermen Chuck Brown (Geneva), Mike Saville (Aurora), and Jim Volk (Batavia). His message that, as a scientist and businessman, he's an experienced problem solver ready to address the issues facing our community and our nation and ready to change the ways things are done in Washington, is gaining traction and resonating with voters.

they have numerous events coming up in the next week including activities in winfield township, west dundee and elgin.

Followed by a curt:

the other campaigns did not report anything new for the next week or so.

Hmmm.  Guess that means there's nothing new to report, eh?  Well, either that or bored is using that line (in reference to upcoming events on calendars) in an attempt to imply that the Foster campaign is where all the action is.

But really, bored seems to be missing a few details.

Let’s see, right there on the Laesch website I find news of several recent endorsements of Laesch that I can find no direct mention of in any (because I went back and checked them all) of bored now’s IL-14 Round Up diaries, including:

 Barbara Ehrenreich, best-selling author of "Nickel & Dimed"
 Studs Terkel (yeah, that Studs Terkel)
 nationally-syndicated radio host Mike Malloy
 Valerie Burd, Mayor, Yorkville
 Robin Sutcliff, 3rd Ward Alderman, Yorkville
 Jim Feeley, Vice-Chairman, Kendall County Democratic Party
 Ruth Anne Tobias, Chairperson, DeKalb County Board
 Lynn Schmitz, Executive Committee member, DeKalb County Democratic Party
 Jerry Sheridan, Chairman, Lee County Democratic Party
 Pat Jones, Jr., Treasurer, Lee County Democratic Party
 Karen Nelson, Whiteside County Board
 Tom Nicholson, Chair, Henry County Board
 Tim Wise, Chief of Police, Annawan

Oh, and lots and lots and lots of PCP endorsements.

Then there are some organizational endorsements that seem to have slipped by bored now in his "Roundup," like, for instance:

 Independent Voters of Illinois – Independent Precinct Organizations
 IL-14 Progressive Democrats of America
 and the Chicago Progressive Democrats of America
 and the national Progressive Democrats of America
 Democratic Action Political Action Committee
 VET PAC
 Northwestern Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council
 International Union of Operating Engineers – Illinois State Branch
 Western Regional Council of the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America
 and, of course, John's own union, Carpenter’s Local 195

At least bored now mentioned John's AFL-CIO endorsement, in passing.

My personal favorite?  Would have to hands-down be the part where bored now tells us about favorable coverage of Foster (written by, not surprisingly, bored now) by providing text links that read like this

"this post notes that foster is being called the front runner in the race,"

while, in the same Roundup, giving us wildly descriptive text-links, like this about Laesch:

his campaign continues its periodic campaign updates here and here

to Laesch campaign blogs, where if you follow the links there you will find coverage in the Chicago Sun-Times, of Dick Simpson (head of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Political Science Department, former Chicago alderman, author, progressive leader and columnist for the Sun–Times, who won his aldermanic race running against a much better financed candidate) predicting Laesch

is now headed to victory in the primary (and the March 14 special election to replace retired Hastert) over Bill Foster, a more conservative political newcomer, scientist and wealthy businessman.

But, of course, we wouldn't want to go so far as to accuse bored now of spinning his roundup diaries to favor a particular candidate.  He does, after all, provide links to things, that link to other things, which in turn cover some of these not-directly-mentioned things.

On the other hand, if I were someone whose foremost intent was comprehensive coverage of the race in IL-14, or for that matter if I were Jotham Stein’s former blogger, I think I’d be taking the time to think through the "fair and balanced" nature of bored now’s "reporting" and "analysis" in his "Roundups" and taking the time to post a few of my own updates.  But I’m not, I’m just "Laesch’s former blogger" and current supporter so I’ll stick to Laesch news.

As far as IL-14 goes, my prediction stands: Anyone who is relying on bored now for news and an evenhanded analysis of the race in IL-14 is going to be very, very surprised on February 5.

•  I don't mind partisan diaries one bit

  In fact, this is one.  

  So, please go volunteer, donate, support in some way, give a shout out, to the Laesch campaign.  They have a very little time before the February 5 special primary, and the March 8 special general.

  by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 06:36:08 PM PDT

  •  Thanks for the reminder.

    I've been meaning to donate, and I better get on that.

    by martianchronic on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 06:44:18 PM PDT

    •  Oh no

      thank you!

      by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 06:45:22 PM PDT

    •  in the next 5-days would

      be great.  books are closing for the quarter.  We have been fundraising and phonebanking all week.  Thank you to the volunteers that have come into the office and those out of state dialing for dollars also.  All of you are #1 to the Laesch Campaign.

      by jennifromthebloc on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:47:54 PM PDT

  •  this is denny hastert's seat?

    is that correct? no expert here but ANYONE has to better than denny

    by pogoalwaysright16 on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 06:53:01 PM PDT

    •  Yes, it's Denny's

      Or, rather was Denny's: he's officially gone, therefore the special election.

      by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 06:54:40 PM PDT

    •  Laesch ran against Hastert in 2006, too.

      Back when a lot of people said it was crazy to take on the Speaker.  He lost, but at least Denny had to spend more of his money and time at home and didn't get a free ride back to the House.  It also prepped the district so a Dem will have a better chance at winning there this time around.  Laesch has stones.

      by martianchronic on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:13:53 PM PDT

      •  Denny spent $5.2 million

        to John's $300,000, and saw his lowest margin in decades.  As you say, it prepped the district, which is now newly seen as competitive.

        I worked long and hard on that campaign, but I don't think any of us felt we "lost" after thinking about what damage Denny might have done by spreading all of that $5.2 million about in other '06 Congressional races - which had been his routine before '06.

        by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:18:48 PM PDT

        •  Considering all the benefits the Democrats reaped,

          I'm still a bit bitter that Laesch never got the support or respect he should have for taking on Hastert.

          I did a little GOTV phonebanking for the campaign, and I think it gave me an overly rosy outlook on John's chances.  Little bit of a heartbreaker for me.

          by martianchronic on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:27:29 PM PDT

          •  Heartbreaker

            for me too, but really, I shudder to think what that $5.2 million of Hastert's could have accomplished spread about in some pivotal districts, not to mention the (something like 34 district) fundraising tour he cancelled to come home and campaign.

            And then there are things like John endlessly recruiting precinct committee persons in places where there were none, recruiting and supporting candidates like Tim Wise in Annawan and Mary Schneider in Batavia - the party-building efforts of the Laesch campaign have definitely not taken a back seat to his own race.

            So, in many ways, I think Laesch being there in '06 to challenge Hastert, being here again, and being all over the ground building the party, is a really good example of the 50 State Strategy.

            by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:38:11 PM PDT

            •  Absolutely, I agree.

              But you know how it is -- I want the story to end with John Laesch in Congress.
              (and then maybe a blockbuster sequel! ;-)  

              by martianchronic on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:49:12 PM PDT

              •  Sounds great to me

                and I think it will end with John in Congress - March 8.  And those sequels seem to be getting better all the time, don't they?

                by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:56:16 PM PDT

        •  50-state strategy

          i would you call you winners........

          by pogoalwaysright16 on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:57:07 PM PDT

  •  It would, however, be nice to have them

    identified as such. I think bored now is a Foster supporter.

    It was interesting, though, driving around the district the last few days. Until we started getting in toward the Fox Valley on the way to my sister's place for our belated family Christmas celebration, we saw way more signs for Chris Lauzen than for Überweiß. I saw one R-n P--l sign, too.

    On our side of the aisle, I've seen a few signs for Stein, one for Foster--and none for John. Is the weather making problems, or are there darker forces afoot?

    by musing85 on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 06:54:21 PM PDT

    •  How far

      did you drive into IL-14?  Today I drove from my place in St. Charles to the library, which is fairly close, saw one Stein sign (the second I have seen actually in St. Charles, and Stein lives here a few blocks from me) and at least half a dozen Laesch signs (one of them new, I think, across from the library and right on Main Street - Route 64 - so very heavily trafficked.)

      I have yet to see a single Foster sign anywhere, but I do see the occasional Stein sign, and see lots of Laesch signs, though admittedly there are many more in Aurora, Elgin, and out west than in the tri-cities, which really are typically Republican.

      by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:00:53 PM PDT

      •  yep

        here in DeKalb, I have seen about an equal number of Laesch and Oberweis signs, one for Stein (in the window of a garden level apartment in my complex), and none for any of the other candidates. (Well,besides two for Ron Paul [in the same yard], and lots of signs saying vote yes for the referendum.)

        by flautist on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:12:46 PM PDT

        •  Huh

          Haven't seen the places you mention; the one Oberweis sign I've seen is in Sycamore. They got more plentiful the further along Route 72 we got today, and a few along Randall Road as well.

          by musing85 on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:15:28 PM PDT

      •  I live in Sycamore,

        work in DeKalb, and my sister's in Pingree Grove. There's a sign for Stein not far from my place, the one Foster sign I've seen is up the street from my office, and, despite a forest of them last year, I haven't seen a single Laesch sign out here yet.

        We were driving along Route 64, Route 47, and Route 72, plus along Randall Road in the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills-Crystal Lake area today.

        by musing85 on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:14:26 PM PDT

        •  Huh

          I know they are delivering signs daily, so will send them this comment - particularly the "forest of signs last year" part interests me, since last I heard most of last year's sign-displayers have new ones.  Hope they can get to that area, and fast, but the speed of this race (with the early primary, and not even counting the new specials) has been amazing.  Particularly trying to get people's attention over the holiday season has been a trick, just in my own precinct.

          by Downtowner on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:22:31 PM PDT

          •  I'm one of the sign guys

            and I guarantee they're out there. We've put up and given out probably six hundred. I've put signs up in front of mansions west of St Charles and more modest homes throughout the district. John's appeal is to all types of people.  I get a kick out of planting that sign. I call it planting because that's how I look at it, planting it for a better future.  They're a beautiful red, white and blue and when I'm driving away I may catch it in my rear view mirror and note the contrast against the drab winter background.  Look harder in your travels, they're out there and growing more and more each day......

            by Joseph Stupec on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 08:39:28 PM PDT

        •  We're working on putting more up

          around DeKalb this week. If you're interested in helping in this effort, please email me with your name and phone number at kristen AT john08 DOT com.

          Thanks!

          by flautist on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:26:19 PM PDT

    •  I was at the office

      to help with phone banking tonight, and on the way there (about a 4-mile trip), I saw probably 20 signs for John, 1 very sad-looking (half fallen over and flapping in the wind) sign for Foster, and none for Stein.

      But that's only what I could see in the dark.

      by edwardssl on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:01:08 PM PDT

    •  Yeah, I'd have to agree about bored.

      I clicked into what I think was the first "Roundup", and IIRC, recommended but then took the rec back.  It definitely seemed... weighted.  The diary about how Foster is the obvious frontrunner and Laesch is just "...a sentimental favorite, of sorts, to many on the blogs." was probably the worst, though, in terms of slant.

      by martianchronic on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:08:14 PM PDT

  •  Check this out

    Pardon me for butting in here but I just wanted to plug this article on:

    www.downwithtyranny.blogspot.com

    THE REALLY IMPORTANT RACES THIS WINTER-- JOHN LAESCH, DONNA EDWARDS, VIC WULSIN, RANDI SCHEURER, MARK PERA...

    by Joseph Stupec on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 09:08:42 PM PDT

•  I could hardly keep up

  with reading all the comments on bored's diary.
  <snark>

  I guess it got the attention it deserved.

  by edwardssl on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 06:58:24 PM PDT

  •  True, but ...

    according to bored now: "this series comes at the request of the democratic committees. they are trying to keep up with developments (without spending time on it themselves). i've actually been asked for more analysis, but we do that enough on the conference calls..."

    Assuming he's not blowing smoke up our skirts about all that, and I'm willing to take him at his word in this case, actually, then it's probably worth the effort to take a shot at reminding "the democratic committees," and, for that matter, anyone who reads anything bored now writes, that they should keep their spin detectors readily at hand at all times.

    Probably good advice for all of us, all the time, actually.

    by n0madic on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 07:35:30 PM PDT

•  BORRRRRING!

  I appreciate downtowner's work.  There's a TV show called "Dirtiest Jobs" where the host finds the most detestable, miserable dirty jobs done by man and does it for a day.  I'm going to write the show and suggest they have a program where the host has to go through all of boring's crap.  We all owe downtowner a debt of gratitude for exposing the fraud that calls himself "boring now".  Of course we all know his real name, not that it matters, but he insists on trying to hide behind his transparent anonymity and pretending to be a real authority on all things political. The very idea that any legitimate "committee" would ask him to baby sit a campaign and report his unbiased findings is laughable.  Go back boring where you belong...to that pit calling itself soapblox/prairiestateblue,this is a respectable site. Please don't trash it.

  by Joseph Stupec on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 08:22:53 PM PDT

•  To anyone still around

  and to boring too.  Checkout:

  www.downwithtyranny.blogspot.com

  and find the article (it's 2 down now)

  THE REALLY IMPORTANT RACES THIS WINTER-- JOHN LAESCH, DONNA EDWARDS, VIC WULSIN, RANDI SCHEURER, MARK PERA...

  by Joseph Stupec on Sat Jan 12, 2008 at 09:06:00 PM PDT

•  the reason, of course...

  is that either i've already mentioned those things (it is about what's new) OR the laesch campaign choose not to answer the questions sent out for this roundup OR doesn't come up in the google searches i do.  when i type in, as i do every time, the search terms "john laesch" illinois, i find what i find.

  i emailed each campaign this message:

  this is the third in the roundup series that is getting posted at prairie state blue, dailykos, mydd and the swing state project friday at 5 o'clock.  i need a response by 3 on friday.  if you provide brief responses to the questions i will insert them (when appropriate) in total.

  the questions i'd like you to respond to are:

  * are you ready to release your fund-raising numbers from the 4th qtr yet?  (if so, what are they?)

  * anything new that you think it's important that people know about your candidate?

  * what grassroots activities do you have planned for the next couple of weeks?  (date, time, location)

  * anything else (new) to report?

  * copies of mailers will be posted, if you want to send them to me

  thanks!

  -----

  of course, most of what dt writes above the laesch campaign has already been reported in an earlier roundup.

  it is really up to the laesch campaign whether or not they want to participate.  i can't make them.  i have already explained to them where the idea for this came from, and i was told, "if the national committees want to talk to us, tell them to give us a call."  now understand, i did not suggest that the national democratic committees wanted to talk to anyone -- and i assume they are talking to everyone they think is viable.  

  dt's complaint is not with me, because i take out a segment of time to write these.  her complaint should be directed at the place she dare not criticize.  i don't care one way or another if the campaigns participate.  i am giving them a forum to get their views across.  those who don't want to take advantage of that opportunity have missed one, but that's not my concern...

  by bored now on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 06:51:31 AM PDT

  •  don't you get it?

    nobody wants to respond to you.

    by Joseph Stupec on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 01:22:26 PM PDT

•  Let's review, shall we?

  bored now has told us "this series [of campaign "roundups" he compiles and posts at Daily Kos, MyDD, Swing State Project, Prairie State Blue, his own personal blog, and God only knows where else] comes at the request of the democratic committees. they are trying to keep up with developments (without spending time on it themselves). i've actually been asked for more analysis, but we do that enough on the conference calls..."

  When it is demonstrated that his coverage of the campaign is unquestionably misrepresenting what's really happening, all he has to say for himself is that the Laesch campaign didn't respond to his e-mail query this time and he didn't find anything else on Google.

  So, in spite of the fact that he's doing these as a service, first and foremost, for the DNC and DCCC, so they'll have an easy way to keep up, bored now hasn't even bothered to sign up for the Laesch campaign's e-mail mailing list. He doesn't even bother to look at the Laesch campaign website when he's preparing his roundups.

  This, from somebody who teaches people how to do candidate research.

  But don't worry, he tells us, "of course, most of what dt writes above the laesch campaign has already been reported in an earlier roundup." Now that sentence is badly enough written that it's unclear whether he means to say that most of what dt writes above has already been reported in an earlier roundup by bored now, or that most of what dt writes above has already been reported by the laesch campaign in one of their own updates. If he is trying to say the former, I invite any and all to read downtowner's diary one more time, then read bored now's three IL-14 roundups, and come to your own conclusions regarding whether or not most of what dt writes above has been reported by bored now.

  But if he is trying to say the latter, that he didn't need to incorporate Laesch developments into his own roundup because they had already been reported elsewhere, that begs the question of what the DNC and the DCCC learns about what's going on on the ground in IL-14 from bored now. And remember, bored writes these for IL-03 and IL-10, as well, and in the latter case he is clearly hostile to one of the candidates in that primary, too.

  What they learn from bored now, clearly, is only what bored now wants them to learn. He's not telling them the whole story. He is not even trying to tell them the whole story. And this latest roundup of his, when examined critically, is the proof.

  by n0madic on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 09:40:12 AM PDT

  •  Interesting

    John is the only website that has a list of events on his website. I went to Foster's site no events posted I went to Stein's site no events posted... hmmm so seems like bored can't read when you go to John's site go over to the right and where it says "Upcoming Events" that's your clue EVENTS.... Up until today there have been lots of GOTV events running continually and I'll bet there will be many more...coming up.

    And endorsements....guess you have a hard time read'n that one too....they are always posted on the right side pretty soon after they happen also. Need to work on the Google searches because I have been doing a lot of those on both Laesch and Foster and I will tell you much more comes up under John's name hmmm... one might think bored is not trying very hard.

    by michelle24 on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 11:12:08 AM PDT

    •  The said part is

      that boring doesn't deserve the attention he gets but we dare not ignore him.  He loves the spotlight and his self serving "roundups" are a sham. I doubt that any organization cares what he has to say.  He's in fantasyland.  Kudos to n0madic and michelle24 for pointing out this pathetic character's obvious biases. Frankly I'm bored with boring now.......

      On a lighter note, I'd like to get back to the signs.  If anyone would like a sign we'd be glad to bring one out and "plant" one for you.  Write to [e-mail] or call the office at 630/801-8900.  They're going fast.

      by Joseph Stupec on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 01:35:07 PM PDT