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Rep. Dan Lipinski, who is hoping for a third term in the 3rd Congressional District, is facing a tough challenge from Assistant State's Attorney Mark Pera. Lipinski's critics are unhappy with his opposition to abortion rights and stem cell research, and his siding with moderate Republicans on the war in Iraq and domestic spying. Besides his voting record, they also don't like how he came to congress: If you don't remember the 2004 general election, the elder Lipinski won renomination in the primary, withdrew during the campaign year, and then led the process to pick his replacement on the November ballot - his son Dan, a political science professor from Tennessee. Although Dan won handily in 2004, angry challenges in 2006 held him at only 54% in the primary, with the opposition split between two opponents.
Worse than being a Democrat in Name Only (DINO), Lipinski is a Machine DINO, sharing an office with his father's lobbying firm, Blue Chip Consulting. So it wasn't much of a surprise when we saw Mark Brown's column in the Sun-Times this morning. According to Brown, Bill Lipinski has been using Bill Lipinski's All-American Eagles, supposedly an organization that sponsors events for middle-schoolers, to fund political work, including paying consulting fees to two of Dan Lipinski's congressional staffers, Jerry Hurckes, chief of staff, and Christopher Ganschow, director of communications. Besides the ethically questionable fundraising methods employed by the elder Lipinski, congressional staffers are limited in how they earn outside income. Pat Corcoran, media director for Mark Pera, pointed out when Chicagoist asked about Brown's column, "it certainly raises some questions about what exactly is going on in Dan Lipinski's Congressional office."
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Another hatchet job from Kevin. Are you on Pera's staff?
You live in his district and tell me if it's a hatchet job.
I too hate the way little Dan was installed in a congressional seat. It is Crook Co. machine politics at its worst. I wouldn't mind seeing a legit challenger. Little Danny has the backing of some very powerful ward organization's 11 19th and of coursed daddys, it wont be easy to beat the little guy but a victory for true democracy if there is such a thing in cook co.
The real hatchet job was when this POS son of another powerful official was more or less handed the seat. Another farce from a region that apparently embraces modern-day monarchies--as long as the last name is right, who cares about how well they do their jobs? And they all fiddle while Rome burns (crappy transit, crappy schools, crappy police force, busted budgets, rapidly rising taxes) ....
Thank god I am out of this city next year. I wouldn't recommend this hellhole to my worst enemy. I'll take my rapidy rising income to a place that, while it may be corrupt (well, not as much as Chicago) and taxed at high rates (well, probably not as much as Chicago when all the taxes are added up), at least provides real services in return. This city can decline again, which it is gong to do, while the useless sons and daughters collect their inherited spoils.
I live in Lipinski land and it sucks. He panders to the machine's old loyalists and alienates the rest of his district, like its growing hispanic population, the near western suburbs, and well, anyone who votes based on a candidate's values and performance. The 23rd ward is one of the strongest holdouts of the old machine system and it won't die quietly. I would rather see almost anyone win his seat just for the satisfaction of watching this arrogant dynasty tumble.
Great picture - two half-wits who hold important offices for no better reason than their daddies did.
I know Mark Pera - he's a decent guy, certainly much preferable to any Lipinski.
Mark Pera sounds like he's a real progressive. Didn't he run for something before in the 90s?
I was thinking about supporting Mark Pera because he's against the Chicago Machine, but then someone told me that he's part of it.
Guess he ran for the Illinois House a decade ago, and he received tens of thousands of dollars from Madigan and Lipinski. The Democratic ward bosses for the 13th and 23rd wards.
Then after shortly he lost his race, he coincidentally got a fat paying insiders job with another Chicago Machine pol - Dick Devine, a former Daley staffer in his the Mayor's inner circle.
Theres only one thing i hate more than the machine and that's a hypocrite.
"jimmym" -- Give me a break.
Your comment echoes oddly similar (though more detailed) comments left at PSB and Illinois Reason -- all within hours of each other.
If it talks like a sockpuppet and it smells like a sockpuppet....
Pera ran for State House in 96. Madigan tried to get a bunch of Dems elected to the State House in 96. Ergo, in 96 Madigan funded a bunch of different races, incl. Pera's.
If you look at Pera's D2's from that year, he also received significant contributions from teachers, suburban Dem clubs and orgs, and even the national DSCC -- all of whom Madigan (and certainly Lipinski the elder) have little "control" over.
Get a life and stop trying to plant weak memes based on 11-year-old info that means little when put in context.
- Rob (Illinois Reason)