Schedule:
10.31.2012 =: US Senate Overview
11.01.2012 1: US House Overview 1 (Northeast, New England, Midwest)
11.01.2012 2: US House Overview 2 (West, Southwest, Texas, South, Florida)
11.02.2012 1: IN-Sen (Donnelly v. Mourdock)
11.02.2012 2: WI-01 (Zerban v. Ryan)
11.02.2012 3: WI-Sen (Baldwin v. Thompson)
11.03.2012 1: MO-Gov (Nixon v. Spence), MO-Lt. Gov, Mo-SoS, MO-AG, MO-Treasurer
11.03.2012 2: MO-Sen (McCaskill v. Akin)
11.04.2012 1: IL-10 (Schneider v. Dold)
11.04.2012 2: IL-08 (Duckworth v. Walsh)
11.04.2012 3: IL-11 (Foster v. Biggert)
11.05.2012 1: IL-17 (Bustos v. Schilling)
11.05.2012 2: IL-13 (Gill v. Davis v. Hartman)
11.05.2012 3: IL-12 (My home district, Enyart v. Gill)
11.06.2012 1 : POTUS/VPOTUS (Obama/Biden v. Romney/Ryan v. Stein/Honkala v. Johnson v. Gray)
11.06.2012 2: GOTV/Election Day diary
1 = Morning
2 = Afternoon/Early Evening
3 = Evening/Overnight
The ancestrally moderate Republican-friendly (and trending towards the Donkeys) 10th District of Illinois has a battle going on between Incumbent Bob Dold! (R) (who won against Dan Seals (D) to replace current Senator Mark Kirk) against Brad Schneider (D) (who won a heated primary back in March over my preferred candidate Ilya Sheyman).
The Issues:
Bob Dold
Abortion:
Protecting a woman’s right to choose is an important issue for me. As a pro-choice Republican, I believe that this very personal and difficult decision belongs best to each individual woman. I believe that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare, and have voted a number of times to protect this fundamental right.
Guns:
The right to bear arms is a constitutional right for American citizens. We must work to balance this constitutional right to responsible gun ownership with our obligation to keep our citizens and communities safe from senseless gun violence.
I support reasonable restrictions on gun ownership – we shouldn’t allow these weapons into the hands of the mentally ill and ex-felons. I also support closing the gun show loophole, which would strengthen our background checks system. I have worked with organizations like Mayor Bloomberg’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, to support their efforts in promoting legislation to deny firearms and explosives to suspected terrorists and have earned recognition from public safety groups for my vote in opposition to legislation that would override state laws on concealed gun licenses.
PPACA:
My position on the Affordable Care Act that was passed by Congress in 2011 has been consistent. I support parts of what was signed into law, but unfortunately I do not support aspects of the law that will have a severe adverse impact on jobs, businesses, and families in our district. I have heard time and again from employers and medical providers that this legislation is overly burdensome and will not address the real problems associated with healthcare — namely access to quality care and cost.
I believe that given the contentious nature by which the Affordable Care Act became law, the law will always be viewed as illegitimate by a large percentage of Americans and, therefore, must be replaced by something that can be embraced.
Medicare is a vital program, and I do not support forcing any changes to the system that would impact individuals 55 and older, and I am deeply concerned that the current healthcare law cuts over $700 billion from Medicare to help pay for new government healthcare bureaucracies.
Israel:
The national security of the United States is directly tied to the strength and security of the State of Israel. Israel is the preeminent, stable democracy in the Middle East as well as America’s strongest and most-trusted ally in the region. Our two nations share a proud and vital strategic, military, economic, diplomatic, and humanitarian relationship, and yet we currently face together many historic challenges in the Middle East.
Marriage Equality/LGBTQ Rights:
I support civil unions and believe marriage laws should be handled on the state level.
I am one of the few Republican cosponsors of a taxpayer parity bill for LGBT domestic partners, do not support the reinstatement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and have advocated for a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that includes protections for members of the LGBT community. I am not for discrimination of anyone in the workplace, period, and believe that everyone has the right to enjoy and expect equal protection under the law.
Economy:
Tax Reform that is pro-jobs and pro-growth – Democrats and Republicans agree that we need to push forward to fix the outdated corporate tax code. Not since before the Internet and global economy has the corporate tax code been reformed. A simpler tax code will enhance competitiveness of American businesses both large and small, and will help provide much-needed relief to American families. Instead of playing a divisive political gimmick of the 99 vs. the 1%, we should put in place a tax code driven by a firm commitment to economic growth and what makes good economic policy.
Brad Schneider:
Abortion:
I believe in a woman’s fundamental right to make her own decisions about her body and her health, free from intrusion by the government. We must diligently protect women’s access to comprehensive health care, including family planning, birth control, and safe, legal abortion. As a member of Congress, I will oppose any legislation that limits women’s access to full and comprehensive health care. I will also oppose any legislation that seeks to place limits on the full spectrum of health decisions between a woman and her doctor.
PPACA:
We currently spend 1 ½ times as much per person on health care than any other nation and still we don’t have the longer life expectancies or healthier lifetimes. I know we can do better if we come together and focus on improving our system in smart, sensible ways.
My opponent has voted not once, but twice to convert Medicare to a voucher program. He supported privatizing Social Security. As a Congressman, I will strongly oppose both efforts.
Marriage Equality/LGBTQ Rights:
As a member of Congress I will fight to institute equal recognition of marriage by repealing DOMA.
It is unconscionable to allow people to be legally discriminated against in the workplace, and I will fight to end this by supporting ENDA.
Education:
I believe there are several ways we can make immediate progress on all of our education goals:
Ending the unfair and unproductive attacks on teachers.
Increasing our investment in early learning programs.
Helping states transform their most challenged schools to ensure every child has access to quality education.
Developing shared educational standards that help provide all young people the lessons, skills and tools to succeed in an increasingly competitive and interconnected global economy.
Identifying and developing effective measures of learning and academic performance to create high, and realistic, expectations and accountability for educating our children.
Expanding programs, like Race to the Top, that allow states to opt in and compete for federal investment in innovative, transformative educational ideas.
Refining No Child Left Behind to retain those aspects that are helpful and cut down on the tendency to teach only “to the tests.”
Offering affordable pathways to technical, undergraduate, and graduate education, encompassing community colleges, colleges, and universities.
Guns:
As a member of Congress, I will pursue common-sense gun policy, including initiatives such as the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act, and reinstatement of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.
Immigration:
Rather than working to secure the border or fix our broken immigration system, this Tea Party Congress continues to play politics and kick the can down the road. We need comprehensive immigration reform because the federal government has failed to do its job. Our border must be secured in a way that promotes the practice of legal immigration. A strong border is necessary for any reform package to be effective.
Economy:
For too long, our economic recovery has been hindered by partisan bickering. Middle-class families in Illinois and across the country have been suffering while the politicians in Washington have been fighting old battles over contraception and the EPA. It’s time Congress started working for working families again.
For more than 25 years, I’ve helped small and medium-sized, mostly family-owned businesses succeed and grow. The businesses that I’ve worked with know that you can’t spend more than you take in, and this is just one of the many common-sense policies that I will bring to Congress in order to turn around the economy and put the middle class back to work.
Israel:
Here in the Tenth District, Israel is more than a foreign policy issue. Every year large numbers of our neighbors and friends, children, students, and young adults visit Israel. Many of us have family, friends and co-workers in Israel. Peace and security for Israel and her neighbors is not just politics, it’s personal.
I will be a leading voice in Congress ensuring that the US-Israel relationship remains strong, steadfast, and secure.
For all these reasons, the United States Congress has and must continue to unequivocally support the Jewish state of Israel.
Race Rating: Tilt to Lean D (If Sheyman won the Primary, it would've been rated Tossup/Tilt R)