Chicago Sun-Times Washington reporter Lynn Sweet had a column Friday entitled,
“Durbin a voice of reason; Walsh a screamer.”
Attacking freshman Congressman Joe Walsh and linking him to three-term U.S. Senator Dick Durbin makes me wonder if Lynn Sweet is trying to damage Walsh, sensing he may challenge Durbin in 2014 (assuming Walsh is re-elected, of course).
That made me wonder if she has figured out that Walsh might be Durbin’s next Republican opponent.
Why else talk about a freshman congressman in the same breath as the second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate?
Durbin is the consummate insider. When he was Parliamentarian of the Illinois Senate, working for Lt. Gov. Paul Simon, I worked with him in a campaign to elect Denny Kelley mayor of Springfield. Republican Bill Cellini was the main man behind the unsuccessful effort to beat Sangamon County Coroner William Telford.
All that talent (not referring to mine) was not enough to capture the mayor’s office.
Durbin is at all the important meetings about the budget and debt ceiling, Sweet points out.
Walsh’s only role is to use the bully pulpit on TV shows like Chris Matthews’ “Hardball,” where he presents the Tea Party viewpointas articulately as any politician I have ever viewed, even in the face of withering attacks on his position.
Chris Matthews was not speechless after the interchange with Joe Walsh when I took this image, but he was grasping for words.
And, even ideological opponents running the shows like Matthews want him to come back, because of the fire in his belly.
When Walsh is on TV, he is not boring.
“I came here figuratively to scream from the mountaintop,”
the man who beat three-term Melissa Bean told the Sun-Times reporter.
Durbin, on the other hand, who will hold a press conference at the drop of hat every times he comes to Chicago, does not throw off sparks of excitement when he talks.
Sweet mentions Walsh’s use of the Chris Matthews’ interview in a fund raising pitch: “I need your help to stand up to the liberal media and Democrats.”
I give Sweet credit for pointing out the obvious.
She ends her article with this statement: “Lawmakers run on platforms and pledges–but they are not solo acts.”
Undoubtedly, the sentence was written before Walsh gathered 86 signatures on a letter to Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
Joe Walsh for President 2012.
Yes, it would be quite refreshing for Joe Walsh to challenge our sedentary senior
US Senator. To quote a noteworthy doctor from the South side of Chicago,
“If the Republicans keep running cupcakes againt Durbin, we never really will get
any improvements in Illinois.”
Joe Walsh is not a cupcake and if he is a man of his word, he will not run in the
newly mapped 8th Congressional District.
So Durbin has been making outrageous statements and milking the seat for too long. No one in the US armed forces is remotely close to Hitler, Pol Pot or Stalin.
And, under Durbin’s watch citizens in all of Illinois have been suffering in a steady decline in both the economy and leadership. Truly the time is long overdue for a change. While Dump Durbin sounds a bit negative—- it is
not as much as an insult when Durbin ran commercials while running against,
Jim Durkin,. Like a classroom spelling bee— remember “kids” or Illinois voters,
that is D-U-R-B- I- N— that’s right, just spell it right voters. While Jim Durkin
would have had a chance to beat Durbin if the GOP got behind him, we had to suffer the disgusting spelling bee commercials to know that Durbin definitely has
a “B” in his last name.
Rich Evans CPA
Candidate fo the Congressional 8th District
evans8th@rocketmail.com
I am campaigning to win the newly mapped 8th District. My values are well known by many friends, citizens and voters in Algonquin. My wife and I raised a big family there, and I was involved in several community organizations. As a CPA and Risk Manager, I have the skill set to make the
choices needed to stop the growth of the Federal monstrosity government and to prevent reckless and unwise spending in many areas. I would sincerely appreciate a meeting with you and your team. As you can see by the new Congressional maps, my District does not
include Algonquin ( the 6th and Peter Roskam may be the Congressman for many in Algonquin now. ) I have Dundee Township and others south in to Elgin and then some of
Wayne Township— and over to the York Township near Elmhurst to the east. I lived in Villa
Park for eight years before moving to Algonquin in 1988. Recently, we have sold our home in Algonquin and so we will most likely move into the 8th District, though living in the District is not required by statue for serving in the US House of Representatives.
For me, it is important to engage support from the people who know me and my history in community service and choices for elected officials. There are many areas of opportunity to make our elected officials more responsive and to instill fiscal responsibility at all levels
of government from School Districts to the Washington DC.
I look forward to running a robust and frugal campaign and certainly would appreciate your consultations and support
Best regards,
Rich Evans
Candidate for Congress, Illinois 8th District
evans8th@rocketmail.com
cell 815-347-6377
campaign 224-356-0686
JOE WALSH,
VOTE FOR THE PRESIDENTS BILL.
RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT AND RAISE THE TAXES FOR THE CORPORATION AND WEALTHY.
I AM ONE OF YOUR VOTERS WHO LIVES IN YOUR DISTRICT…YOU SHOULD REPRESENT THE PEOPLE IN YOUR DISTRICT NOT THE TEA PARTY PEOPLE.
DO WHAT YOU ARE SUPOSE TO DUE OR QUITE YOUR JOB….IF YOU DON’T DO WHAT YOU CAN YOU SHOULD BE FIRED FOR NOT DOING YOUR JOB.
Mary, Your comment was too funny!
First, the President hasn’t put HIS own bill on the table, NADA! He is waiting to beat his chest as the ‘Great Mediator” once an agreement is reached between the House and Senate. Trouble is, both parties now see him as an obstruction and told him to basically ‘just get out of the way’ so that THEY can work things out. After all, he has no vote, simply the ability to veto.
As far as representing the people of his District, Walsh is doing exactly what the majority of the voters sent him to Washington to do, end politics and spending as usual! Maybe you weren’t one of the majority who put him over the top in his race with “Bunker” Bean. He declared when he first started his campaign that he was a tea party candidate and the last I noticed, tea partiers weren’t run out of his District (which means he IS representing his District). Why should he quit when he is doing what he campaigned to do and it won him the election? You need to get over the fact that your candidate lost and “we the people” want less government in our lives!
Well said District116.
Also I guess the will of the people is not important, let’s just rearrange the districts to get who we want elected. There should be more outrage at that.
Go Joe!!! Defeating Durbin would give the State of Illinois and its people credibility it has not had for decades and end corruption from Cairo to Rockford and Danville to McComb…
District 116- just or the record less than 400 votes is hardly a majority.
Just pointing that out.