Lies take on many forms: minimizing, embellishing, omissions, half-truths but for them to work must be shrouded in some truth

At the Bolingbrook candidates’ forum on February 10, State Senator Jim Oberweis raised a point about a Ted Gradel mailing. During his closing statement, he acknowledged the Republican primary campaign for the 14th congressional district was nearing its end, and while barbs that are true facts are acceptable, lies are not.

Specifically, Oberweis called out claims that Mike Madigan backed all of Gradel’s opponents. Lately, the attacks from both Gradel and the New Prosperity foundation have been targeting Oberweis alone.

Unfortunately, Oberweis was not clear on what a “lie” really is. Lies can take on many forms, including lies of omissions and half-truths as well as minimizing, maximizing/embellishing, deflections or feigning knowledge.

With that in mind, McHenry County Blog started to apply discernment, given a couple of commenters could not believe the claims in both the Gradel and the New Prosperity PAC mailing, which Cal Skinner had previously shown is run by a Ted Gradel ally.

Yesterday’s mailer from New Prosperity made three claims, which are highlighted below, and are consistent with claims being made on Gradel mailings which are targeting Oberweis:

The latest mailing used a baseball theme since Major League Baseball is now in spring training in Florida and Arizona. From the bulletpoint “X” above, there are footnotes, which are provided in the mailing:

Examining the three claims with discernment in reverse chronological order, starting with the 2nd one since the event took place in 2019: “Didn’t vote to stop J.B. Pritzker’s Gas Tax Hike” which is footnoted with SB 1939 of the current legislative session.

Actually, Oberweis did cast a vote on SB 1939, the capital bill funded by the gasoline tax hike and other fee increases on June 2 of last year. He voted “present” for reasons he explained twice and posted on McHenry County Blog, here and here.

So this claim, as made on the mailer, is a half-truth, and half-truths is a form of lying. While other campaigns and their supporters have criticized Oberweis over this “present” vote, most are clear to say he voted “present”.

“Opposed President Trump for President” citing a Daily Herald article from September of 2015. This bulletpoint from New Prosperity’s mailer accuses Oberweis of opposing President Trump because of Oberweis’ well-documented support of U.S. Marco Rubio (FL) during the Republican presidential primaries.

Another half-truth, along with an embellishment. Early in the 2016 Republican presidential nomination process, Oberweis backed one of the other Republicans instead of CANDIDATE, not President Trump. Most Republicans started out the 2016 presidential contest backing either Rubio, or former Governor Jeb Bush, or someone else.

At the McHenry County College candidates’ forum last month, James Marter who advertises his support for President Trump on some of his campaign signs, was called-out by Sue Rezin because Marter claimed to have always supported Trump, but Marter, like Oberweis, started the 2016 presidential nomination contests supporting supporting a different Republican candidate — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Marter acknowledged that truth at MCC, but no one has made the claim that Marter opposed President Trump.

Finally, this claim is the most pernicious attack against Oberweis given it goes back 8 years, the “Took Money from Madigan’s special interest allies…disgraced ‘Most Trusted Advisor'”

Two sources were cited, State Board of Elections campaign disclosure reports and a November 2019 Rich Miller column published in Crain’s Chicago Business about the now-disgraced Mike McClain.

Here’s the whole truth, in March of 2012, after winning the Republican nomination for the open state senate seat, Mike McClain donated $200 to Jim Oberweis’ state senate campaign. The former state legislator-turned lobbyist-turned “most trusted advisor” to Mike Madigan donated money to Oberweis with a $200 individual contribution in March of 2012.

There is no other individual contribution from McClain to Oberweis since then. But since McClain, was a lobbyist for ComEd/Exelon, and Gradel and New Prosperity have previously identified ComEd/Exelon as allies of Mike Madigan, then this is how Oberweis and Rezin are “backed by Mike Madigan” as has been inferred in previous mailers.

It is well documented jobs in Rezin’s state senate district are greatly impacted by the health of ComEd/Exelon and when the largest employer in your district threatens to close plants, Rezin worked with others to find solutions to prevent those jobs from being shut down.

But back to the latest New Prosperity mailer, a nearly 8 years old $200 donation to then freshly-minted Republican nominee for the state senate Jim Oberweis is being broadcast as accepting money from Madigan’s “most trusted advisor”, which was a phrase used in the Rich Miller column.

CONCLUSION: Republican primary voters do not need lies or half-truths to decide whom to vote for, or not vote for, in the Republican primary in 2 1/2 weeks. Apart from the Bolingbrook debate, Oberweis has ignored responding directly to Gradel and his allies’ mailings because Gradel is showing no traction in the polls.

To be clear, Oberweis and his campaign have done their share of embellishments, half-truths and omissions during this campaign. For example, citing the fact Sue Rezin lives outside of the 14th congressional district, but embellishing it with adjectives like “downstate” and “south of I-80” and a mailer saying Rezin needs a map for the district, which Rezin has responded:

• she lives four miles south of the current southern boundary line
• the district lines will be redrawn next year and she’d consider moving within the district if she is still outside of it after 2021 and
• two-thirds of her state senate district includes 14th district residents.

But as the growing scandals in Illinois bring justice, finally, closer to Mike Madigan, including the latest that has been learned about McClain since November of 2019, let justice be served, finally, on Madigan, McClain and the real corrupt officials who’ve tainted Illinois government for generations.

The whole truth alone, presents both positives and negatives, against Jim Oberweis, who by all indications/evidence is still the frontrunner in the Republican primary and why Gradel and New Prosperity have been targeting Oberweis.

Republican primary voters, remember the Scriptures about the truth, and how it really does set one free to cast an informed vote.