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Dem Primary Challenger Pera Goes After Lipinski In New Ad
Illinois Congressional candidate Mark Pera, who is running a primary challenge from the left against Congressman Dan Lipiniski (D), has a new ad set to air next week against the incumbent:
The Chicago Tribune finds some fault with the ad, noting that Lipinski voted for the funding bill that included a timetable for deployment, which President Bush vetoed. The Pera camp says that the bill did not go far enough and left Bush too much discretion in carrying out a timetable, and therefore they can still claim that Lipinski has opposed any timetable to end the American presence in Iraq.
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Since this appears to be your first post on this race, shouldn't you note that, you know, Rep. Lipinski is a terrible Dem who only has his seat thanks to Illinois machine politics and nepotism?
October 26, 2007 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
0. His father, William Lipinski, an 11 term incumbent, won the primary in 2004. Then "decides" to retire. His son, who was a Political Science professor at UT Knoxville is put on the ballot for the general election.
1. Lipinski one of the 13 Dems from safe districts who voted against McGovern Amendment tying Iraq funding to timetables. Dubbed the McGovern 13.
The district went 59% for Kerry.
2. One of 2 Ill. Dems who caved to Bush and voted for FISA "reform" in August. Other was Bean in close district.
3. Against abortion rights even in case of rape and incest.
4. Against exapanding embryonic stem cell research.
5. voted with Republicans to involve Feds in Schiavo mess.
6. According to congress.org Lipinski has the lowest power rating of all dems in his cohort elected in 2004. In the bottom 3% of Democrats overall. This after presumably inheriting his fathers network. (Same chief of staff for example.)
7. Recent news reports in Chicago papers about his father's old political campaign, which was raising money with claims about helping out kids, actually paying several thousand of dollars to the same chief of staff and other members of his son's staff for consulting fees.
October 26, 2007 11:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
correction to above:
in 7. that's his father's old political campaign committee. Here is a
link to the illinois board of elections disclosure.
http://tinyurl.com/yvel5y
October 26, 2007 11:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you to Election Central for highlighting this race. I knew nothing about it, but it is very encouraging news. Lipinski seems to deserve a primary challenger, but he seems no better or worse than all the Democratic incumbents. They ALL deserve to be challenged in their primiaries, every one of them. While gerrymandered districts may be safe for Republicans or Democrats, they should not be safe for EVERY incumbent. Primary challenges are the way to hold them to account.
I don't think Congress will ever again be responsive to THE PEOPLE, while the current leadership --- Democrats and Republicans -- are in power. They have seniority won in "safe districts" and bought with influence sold to corporate special interests.
We have a do-nothing Congress neutered by Bush's attacks on the Constitution, who are ALL enablers of the horrendously destructive, immoral Iraq War, and American abuses of human rights and International Law.
Every member of Congress should be challenged in the 2008 election, and many of them should defeated in their party primaries. Good luck to Mark Pera! I hope there are HUNDREDS more like him.
October 27, 2007 9:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rep Lipinski sounds like another DLCer. The progressive movement neeeds to purge our ranks of these Rockefeller Republicans. It is the only way that we will ever get a democratic party that is heedful of the princples that we stand for. Lets throw Rahm Emanuel into the mix also.
footsore
October 27, 2007 12:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
One thing I think needs to be said is that this race is already on the radar screen at Democracy for America, which has endorsed Pera and is encouraging its members in the district to work for him in the primary. So there are organizations out there attempting to hold the Democratic Party accountable.
October 27, 2007 9:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I waited for years as an Illinois citizen for the senior Lipinski to finally retire, so that I could vote for a more liberal person. The horrible way his son was chosen to be the Democratic nominee for his father's post was disgusting to me.
I am very glad we will have a choice in the 2008 primary, and I hope Mr. Pera will prove to be a worthy candidate. I feel so much disillusionment with the weak way the Dems have acted in Congress since they NARROWLY won both houses in 2006, however, that I must say I don't automatically trust that any Dem will be noticeably better than the miserable Repubicans we have survived for years.
October 28, 2007 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink