Greenberg Denies Rumor

Rumors are endemic to campaigning.

I remember when I was running for McHenry County Treasurer at age 23.

I was single, living at home, having just returned from a grueling job as a budget examiner at the U.S. Budget Bureau.

It was 1966, Vietnam War time.

So, why wasn’t I drafted?

My opponents started this rumor:

You know, there are only two reasons that a guy his age isn’t drafted. One is physical. He certainly looks healthy enough, knocking on all those doors and all.

The other reason is moral. You know he lives with his parents and doesn’t have a girl friend.

In short, I must be a homosexual.

A rumor impossible to refute. Nothing to do but continue campaigning.

For the record, I had a 1-Y deferment. It was physical, enough to keep me out of the Marine Reserves, but not out of the Marines, if I volunteered. (A story for another time.) I could have been drafted anytime that congress declared war, which it never did.

I understand similar rumors are being spread about at least one single young Republican candidate in Illinois this year.

8th congressional district GOP primary candidate Steve Greenberg is fighting a rumor campaign of a different nature.

He send out the following press release:

Setting the Record Straight
More Lies from the Morris Campaign

LAKE ZURICH 1/14/08— Eighth District GOP frontrunner Steve Greenberg has been the subject of lies spread by Kirk Morris’ desperate campaign and its surrogates.

Morris, his campaign and his campaign’s surrogates have spread utterly false rumors that Greenberg has been involved in business ventures that ended in bankruptcy. In fact, no company Greenberg has ever invested in or managed has ever declared bankruptcy.

Brad Goodman, Greenberg’s Campaign Manager, said,

“Steve Greenberg has spent his career creating hundreds of good paying jobs in Illinois. No company he has been involved with has ever filed bankruptcy, and he has also never filed personal bankruptcy of any kind.”

Goodman continued,

“Kirk Morris tells fairy tales. First, he told 2 editorial boards that he greatly influenced Rudy Giuliani’s immigration policy when he later admitted that all he really did was have his picture taken with the former New York City Mayor. Now, he’s lying about Steve Greenberg’s companies declaring bankruptcy. When will Morris’ lies stop?”

I talked to Greenberg and here’s what he told me,

“There’s a lot of fluff out there. They sure don’t let facts get in the way of a good story.

“For the last six years I’ve taken companies that are losing money and potentially leaving the market place, closing shop. We would acquire them, fix them up and create jobs that would not have been there otherwise.

“I have never had a business go bankrupt.

“We’ve had an 80% success rate on the turnarounds.”

He gave his brother the credit for the operating side of the business.

Bankruptcy seems to be something that someone could find if one looked for it. If anyone has any documentation, please send it to me.


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