In the race for Illinois' 18th, Aaron Schock (R) today received the endorsements of 116 mayors from cities and villages across the district. The press conference soon devolved into a love-in, as evidenced in the following snippet from the Peoria Pundit:
"116 mayors coming together is a profound expression of faith in Aaron Schock," said Metamora Mayor Paul Kouri. "This coming together is yet one more example of Aaron’s ability to bridge divides as he serves the people."
"I believe we are on the verge of something big and something historic," said Mayor Bill Glaze of Mt. Pulaski. "This incredible joint endorsement of Aaron is simply further proof of that."
"We rely on our Congressman’s office for important federal assistance," said Mayor Hap Gilbert of Forsyth. "I am confident that Aaron Schock is well prepared to take up where Congressman LaHood leaves off without missing a beat."...
"In this campaign Aaron Schock has been by our rural community more times than I can count," said Mason City Mayor Dave Knieriem. "I trust him to work hard for us in Washington. He has the track record of going to bat for people he represents and he sure knows what he is doing."
"Aaron Schock is down to earth, easy to deal with and genuine and that’s why this Democrat is proud to support him," said Mayor Joe Rusciolelli of Riverton.
"The more negative his opponent attacks him, the more Aaron soars above it and inspires people," said East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus.
"Some of us on the east side of the Illinois River have been eager for the type of representation Aaron Schock has provided his state house district in Peoria for sometime now," said Eureka Mayor Scott Punke.
Kouri concluded by saying, " Aaron—the unprecedented support of these 116 mayors is yet more weight on your shoulders to measure up to the faith expressed in you. But my friend, I know you will rise to the occasion as you have repeatedly throughout your years—few in number but abundant in accomplishments."
Probably the most over-the-top example of hyperbole came from Peoria mayor Jim Ardis:
"We are about to elect a Congressman who in a few short years will be a significant leader in Congress—never merely being an average member," said Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis. "Aaron has never been average."
and this from the blog Peoria Rocks:
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis had a cute quip that garnered a pretty good guffaw from the audience..."It seems strange to describe someone as 26 years old as a legend, but I can't think of a better word".
The Mayor of Washington, Gary Manier, had this cute story. "Aaron asked to meet with me one morning. He asked what my day was like. I told him I was visiting a First grade. Aaron asked if he could go along, and he did. After that I was invisible to the Kids - they were so thrilled to meet him".
The Mayor of Peoria Heights, Mark Allen, who admits that he tends to lean more Democrat in policy had this to say: "Aaron and I have our ideological differences, but we have talked about them, worked it out, and we maintain our mutual respect for each other. Aaron is clearly the best choice to represent our interests in Washington, DC. It's a slam-dunk"
The sad part about this is Schock could have been beaten if the Dems had had their act together. He always strikes a moderate tone at debates and other public events, but he's very far to the right (once voting against a bill to allow Illinois senior citizens to ride public transportation for free). How hard was it to point this stuff out, instead of those ridiculous daisy commercials and whining about some post-dated documents from 8 years ago.
So get ready America, barring a miracle, next January the self-promotion machine that is Aaron Schock will be coming your way; appearing on the House floor after hours on late night C-SPAN to get his face out there and making the rounds on the pundit shows as the "youngest member of Congress".