With quantifiable positive momentum, questions of honesty and integrity linger
Since the Huntley candidates’ forum at Sun City last Monday night through last week with 2020 fundraising and an independent poll, there is no doubt the candidacy of Catalina Lauf is seeing positive momentum.
Whether it is enough to win the nomination or too little too late remains to be seen.
As was shared in an article last week, this series of transcribed tweets from Daily Herald reporter James Fuller last Tuesday morning is particularly revealing:
“Another interesting point from last night’s GOP debate of IL-14 candidates was the attention Catalina Lauf got from the other candidates. She got some solid crowd reaction from the Sun City residents. And the candidates seemed to feel they needed to come at her.
“In particular, Jerry Evans called Catalina Lauf a liar. He said Lauf has been calling her GOP opponents “career politicians” and part of the “swamp.” Evans denied those claims in regard to himself. Put out a press release this morning to further address the confrontation.
“In the release, Evans says Lauf’s resume ‘has been significantly political’ compared to his. During the forum, Lauf addressed Evan’s comments to make it clear she was referring to Sue Rezin, Jim Oberweis and James Marter.
Daily Herald reporter James Fuller tweets 3/3/20
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The trend Fuller talked about continued throughout the week, and yesterday morning in Batavia, candidate James Marter on video talking to his supporters included call outs against Lauf’s candidacy, while his main targets were State Senators Jim Oberweis and Sue Rezin. Ted Gradel was not mentioned and neither were the rest.
Understandable, in the independent poll released on Friday, Oberweis, Rezin and Lauf are ahead of Marter. The video can be viewed on Marter’s campaign Facebook page.
But the tweets from James Fuller brought up this reaction from Evans’ campaign spokesperson, from a transcribed tweet:
“Catalina Lauf has been misleading voters by making false blanket statements for months now. Voters need to know that Jerry Evans is a true outsider who unequivocally supports President Trump.”
Jerry Evans campaign spokesperson, 3/3/20
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The “misleading voters” reference goes to the heart of the two things I personally hold higher than any ideology or anything else: honesty and integrity
So given the charge by Evans’ campaign spokesperson, is it a valid charge? This is why I now see why I was told to delay responding to the interview video of Catalina Lauf by Jeff Berkowitz.
And speaking of responses, thank you to many blog commenters for sharing their observations of the Berkowitz-Lauf interview over the past week.
Watching the nearly 30 minutes interview, one got the impression Berkowitz was trying to be Charlie Gibson thinking Lauf was another Sarah Palin. The interview even had a reference to a “Trump doctrine”, which the Gibson-Palin interview of 12 years ago featured the “Bush doctrine”, which figured prominently.
I agree with everyone that the interview between Lauf and Berkowitz was overall positive for Lauf.
Yet the Berkowitz interview of Lauf does reveal multiple observations Evans’ spokesperson made last week. Using the video and its time, these two separate parts will be pointed out. While there are minor/questionable things said on the video which will not be covered, two will be covered.
And a gentle reminder to all, I’m not hear to tickle ears, it’s to point out the truth.
The link to the video is below.
Please begin at the 2 minutes, 55 seconds mark and pause at or after the 3:35 mark.
During the 40 seconds, please focus on this exchange:
Berkowitz: “So, for the last six years, you’ve been in the workforce, much of it, most of it, all of it, except for your stint at the Department of Commerce in the Trump Administration, except for that it’s been in the private sector?”
Lauf: “Yes, with Uber Corporate in the Chicago area.”
OK, so where does her 10 months of employment with Citizens for Rauner from late January of 2018 to mid-November of 2018 fall into her timeline?
And what did Evans’ campaign tell reporter James Fuller, that Lauf’s resume’ “has been significantly political”?
Like an article last week, the timeline percentages since Lauf graduated from Miami of Ohio with her bachelor’s degree at the end of 2013, with what we know in the intervening six calendar years:
- Worked for Citizens for Rauner 10 months in 2018
- Worked for Trump Administration 8 months from December 2018 through July of 2019
Those 18 months, or a year and a half out of the six calendar is about a quarter of her post bachelor degree adult life. That’s significant.
It’s political work, not private sector work. As stated in last week’s article, Evans’ campaign was right.
But now to the final proof, please go to the 25:37 mark of the video and play until the 26:15 mark.
During this exchange, Lauf is asked by Berkowitz of Congresswoman Lauren Underwood and Israel, to which Lauf associated Underwood with the Squad and said the Squad is opposed to Israel and presumed Underwood is too.
Problem with Lauf’s assertion is that is not what Underwood’s voting record says.
On July 23, House Resolution 246 passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support with a vote of 398-17-5, per the vote grid below:
Modifications to highlight certain members’ votes by McHenry County Blog
Clearly, Underwood is in the affirmative on the pro-Israel resolution to support Israel against the “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” movement against Israel.
Yes, three members of the Squad voted against the Israel resolution but one voted for it, and many progressives in the House voted for it too, including Bernie Sanders’ national campaign co-chair, Congressman Ro Khanna (D, CA-17).
Truth is, many Democrats, including in leadership and real left-wingers like the most liberal voting record holder in Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D, TX-29) support Israel.
What was it Jerry Evans’ campaign spokesperson said of Lauf and blanket statements?
“…Lauf has been misleading voters by making false blanket statements for months now…”
Evans Campaign Spokesperson 3/3/20
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Given what Lauf did with Underwood on the Israel vote, lack of integrity, at the very least lack of due diligence is a valid point with Lauf.
Lauf’s campaign in its 6 1/2 months has shown itself capable to adapt, and it is hoped Lauf will do just that to apply correction and accept the assertion Jerry Evans made at the debate that playing fast and loose in the truth is not going to work.
Evans pointed out Underwood does this quite often and remembering Underwood in nurse’s scrub and a stethoscope in a 2018 political commercial, a lack of integrity and honesty should never again fool voters in the 14th district.
A Republican nominee is needed who has the honesty and integrity to win in November.
This Berkowitz looks like he just crawled out of a liquor bottle.
What a complete air head.
The only way she’ll get votes is to be open.
… again … the “fake it ‘till ya make it” can only go so far!
Catalina Lauf portrays herself as a super conservative. Yet she worked for Rauner over Ives before the primary, during the primary and then after. At least one supporter of hers commented on here that even though Lauf was working and getting paid by Rauner, that Lauf still voted for Ives though she was being paid by Rauner. Which is it? She has refused to clarify because either answer shows deceit on her part. Was she a traitor to Rauner who was paying her or a traitor to the conservative cause?
Lauf said she went to work for President Trump. But an 8-month stint in an obscure office in the Department of Commerce is not working on the President’s staff. What she is saying means every forest ranger and all million or so bureaucrats “work for President Trump.” No, those in the West Wing of the White House and Executive Office of the President “work for President Trump.” The rest of federal employees work for the federal government and the United States government. Not the President.
Lauf also worked briefly at Uber but left on bad terms and told Eveyln Sanguenetti she was going to sue Uber. Sanguenetti cautioned her against a lawsuit.
Lauf’s work for Rauner was so bad she was exiled by the Rauner staff to Lt. Governor Sanguenetti’s staff and after one month Sanguenetti had no use for Lauf’s incompetent skills.
Lauf says she was an entrepreneur. No, she works for daddy’s company. He is an entrepreneur. She is a lucky daughter. No more.
Lauf also told a senior Republican official that if she was the nominee she would not help other Republicans on the ballot.
She is self-obsessed, running on looks and ethnicity, and a chronic liar.
Blogger Jeff Ward put it best when he mocked Lauf for telling Mancow on the radio that she only dates “intelligent men.” Ward’s zinger is that is because “opposites attract.”
Look, you’re obviously just jealous and lashing out because you support someone else. If twisting to make your candidate look good, and Catalina bad is your game, fine.
But I worked on Rauner with Catalina and I can assure you that everything you’re saying about her performance is completely false.
There’s much more to that story as to why she was switched to Evelyn’s staff and it has nothing to do with her being exiled.
I don’t think it’s fair for you to involve the Lt. Governor, or attempt to smear Catalina by spreading complete falsehoods.
Catalina is a genuine, good person with a lot of heart, not to mention incredibly smart.
S, if you are accurate that you worked with Lauf within Citizens for Rauner in 2018, then you are the first person who worked with Lauf in one of her previous jobs to publicly come forward, & it’s in a late Sunday night comment on a blog under a pseudonym.
Leaving Shiela’s comment aside, the point in my article is Lauf usually makes it sound like she was inspired by President Trump & left private sector to work at Deptartment of Commerce within his Administration back in late 2018.
She, maybe with exception of Bolingbrook debate, always skips over the 10 months at Citizens for Rauner. Why?
And when Jerry Evans’ campaign called her out for having a political resume’ like the three people she calls “career politicians”, by the metrics used in this article, Evans’ claim is valid.
Is Lauf’s silence of her Citizens for Rauner days because trying to explain the inconsistency of Lauf being a Trumper from 2015, yet she worked for the worst never Trumper governor’s reelection and including working against Jeanne Ives back in the 2018 primary?
And why shouldn’t we involve the former lieutenant governor? An endorsement of Lauf from her would be the equivalent of a professional reference. Ms. Sanguinetti is endorsing in other contested primaries, why not the 14th with a former campaign staffer who worked with her?
While Lauf’s modest positive surge since the first of the year in the primary field is impressive, indications are she will come up a little short a week from Tuesday.
She may finish 3rd, which is a revision from when I said she’ll finish no higher than 4th, but inconsistencies of her background, in spite of how smart she is, is IMHO her undoing because of a lack of substance of her candidacy.
One more thing, her clear miss on the Israel question in the Berkowitz interview is a challenge to assertion she’s ready to be a congressional nominee, let alone a member of Congress. Sure she is smart, but lack of prep on Israel, just like ERA in Batavia back on the 30th of January, tells discerning voters she’s not ready in 2020 to be elected to Congress.
In Catalina’s response to Oberweis’ release of his poll, in early February. Catalina said to this blog that she is the ONLY candidate in this primary who supports Trump. That’s one more flat out lie. Her quote is in that post on this blog.
Marter also says that he is the only Trump supporter and used that concocted fact in what he said was his own poll asking “If you knew Marter was the only supporter of Trump…”
Does anyone think Jerry Evans doesn’t support Trump? That would be ridiculous if they did.
Sue Rezin’s Democrat opponent for re-election to state senate in 2016 sent two mailers to voters putting Rezin’s photo next to Trump’s and used a newspaper quote of Rezin strongly supporting Trump as that Democrat’s reason why voters should not re-elect Rezin. This blog said Rezin’s first newspaper she mailed in this campaign had 20 positive mentions of President Trump. Her news releases have praised the President in unique ways.
Anthony Catella has also expressed his support of the President.
Even Oberweis supports Trump, though he did say Trump was “a passing fad” sometime ago, and his 12-page mailer in October didn’t have a single mention of Trump. Nevertheless, Oberweis does support Trump.
So even with the possible exception of Oberweis, all the other candidates have gone out of their way to express their support of Trump, yet Catalina lies and says to the media she is the ONLY supporter of Trump.
So this is not jealously, it’s accountability. Catalina Lauf is a proven liar.
All ambition without having held a job for more than a year.
Catalina should answer the question: did she vote for Jeanne Ives for Governor in the primary election that was held in month 3 of her 10 months of getting paid by Bruce Rauner’s campaign? Did she tell a supporter that she voted for Ives despite getting paid by Rauner? And why if she is so pro-life did she work for Rauner who in his first campaign amorally said he had no social issue policy, and then as governor signed unlimited taxpayer-funded abortion into law? Did Catalina have no convictions or conscience? The answer is her conviction is pure opportunism.
So “S” prove me wrong with documented facts. And don’t just wave off specific, factual, documented criticisms by also saying I am just jealous.
Also “S” says Catalina is “incredibly smart.”
But besides her stupid answer on Israel in the Berkowitz interview, remember in the first candidate forum Catalina confused nuclear energy with nuclear weapons.
That’s the opposite of “incredibly smart.”
She was just too ready to bomb em with nukes but instead she bombed on her answer.
And she wonders why other commenters call her an air head.
Sentinel, great call outs in your posts. I want to address the “Trump supporter” and a pattern I’ve noticed recently.
While everyone is a Trump supporter now, not everyone was a Trump supporter from his 2015 candidacy announcement for the Presidency up to the Republican National Convention in 2016. Because of mailers or debates, we’ve learned the following of three of the congressional candidates:
– Sue Rezin first backed former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in the primaries of 2016
– James Marter first backed Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, which was called-out by Rezin at the January MCC debate
– Jim Oberweis first backed Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, and the “a passing fad” reference to then candidate Trump was during that time
So 3 of the 7 first backed someone else in 2016. The remaining 4, including Catalina Lauf, we do not know for certain, and we need to take them all at their word, including Catalina Lauf, that they support Trump, but know that may not be during the 2016 presidential primaries and supporting a different candidate at the time.
It should be noted, that in the video made Saturday of Marter addressing his supporters in Batavia on his campaign Facebook page, he makes the distinction his support of Trump has been since the summer of 2016, so at least Marter has clarified his support.
As far as Lauf and whom she voted for in the 2018 Republican primary for governor, the reference for the confusion of did she vote for Jeanne Ives in spite of being on the payroll of Rauner’s campaign committee was an overzealous supporter of Lauf in a comment he posted here on the blog.
I don’t think he knew what he was talking about. I would not take that Lauf volunteer’s statement as Lauf’s position, even if he claimed she told him herself. I give Lauf the benefit of the doubt that she voted for the candidate who was signing her paycheck back in 2018.
I had forgotten about the nuclear energy vs. weapons reference. May have to re-view the January debate, but I’m still trying to get last Monday’s video from the Huntley debate. Hopefully, it will be released by Sun City either today or tomorrow.
Hmmmm … anyone else notice that Catalina starts many sentences with the word “Look”?!
Weird that “S” above did as well and as John previously noted, is the only person to have claimed to work with her, at least on the blog!
They all supported Trump by the summer of 2016 but NONE have any proof to offer that they supported Trump early in the primaries of 2016.
No contribution record, letter to the editor, news coverage to point to or anything else.
But again, John you and I agree they all support Trump now and have since the summer of 2016.
Go back and look at your post when Oberweis released his poll results at the end of January or early February.
Catalina said she IS the ONLY candidate who supports Trump.
That’s a flat out lie.
Sentinel, I can do better than that, she told Berkowitz she thought Oberweis & Rezin were never Trumpers. And given her employment history?
Oberweis comes the closest to proving her right, by not mentioning President Trump at all in his October mailing, and only twice in his January mailing.
That was why I published the Trump count in Rezin’s first mailing which was 20.
If I were conducting the interview that Berkowitz did and Lauf answered me the way she did him, her inconsistencies would have been called out with camera running, even the minor ones, like how long Randy Hultgren served in Congress.
Boy this young looker has all the old foggys boggled. At least some of this is fun.