Friends of Peter Roskam

Sarah Palin’s “Death Panels” Named Political Lie of the Year

On December 21, 2009, in Congressional Elections, Friends of Peter Roskam, George Bush, Healthcare, Middle Class, Peter Roskam, Peter Roskam's Corporate Agenda, Wingnuts, by RSR
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Sarah Palin
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The St. Petersburg Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning website, PolitiFact, this past Friday named Sarah Palin “death panel” allegation as the “Lie of the Year“. Palin’s lie was selected by the site’s editors after a poll of 5,000 readers demonstrated overwhelming support for the choice.

PolitiFact here recounts the lie which earned the site’s coveted “Pants on Fire” designation back when it was originally promulgated:

The former governor of Alaska had been out of the headlines since she announced her resignation on July 3; the Facebook message instantly brought her back to the political stage.

“As more Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we’re saying not just no, but hell no!” Palin wrote.

“The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.”

The claim that House legislation contained anything resembling a “death panel” is demonstrably false. It did cause much needless anxiety, particularly among senior citizens, including my own parents, and seriously compromised the quality of the national discussion on healthcare reform.

Palin never renounced her lie. Instead she defended it, as in an interview with the National Review in November:

“To me, while reading that section of the bill, it became so evident that there would be a panel of bureaucrats who would decide on levels of health care, decide on those who are worthy or not worthy of receiving some government-controlled coverage,” she said. “Since health care would have to be rationed if it were promised to everyone, it would therefore lead to harm for many individuals not able to receive the government care. That leads, of course, to death.”

“The term I used to describe the panel making these decisions should not be taken literally,” said Palin. The phrase is “a lot like when President Reagan used to refer to the Soviet Union as the ‘evil empire.’ He got his point across. He got people thinking and researching what he was talking about. It was quite effective. Same thing with the ‘death panels.’ I would characterize them like that again, in a heartbeat.”

Whenever the ex-governor of Alaska distinguishes herself in this way, it warms our heart to step back and listen to noted Palinite and 6th District Congressman Peter Roskam’s reflection on Sarah Palin’s “centeredness”:

So much for Congressman Roskam’s judgement.

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Peter Roskam Receives Contributions from Lobbyists Acting for Libya

On October 1, 2009, in Foreign Policy, Friends of Peter Roskam, Libya, Lobbyists, Peter Roskam, by RSR
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6th District Congressman Peter Roskam and members of his staff were contacted numerous times during 2008 by a Washington lobbying firm acting on behalf of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, that is the government of Libya, and Roskam received 3 campaign contributions, totaling $1500, from one of the lobbyists involved. This according to information provided by the new Foreign Influence Lobbying Tracker produced in a joint venture by ProPublica and the Sunlight Foundation. The tool uses Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) disclosures filed by foreign governments and their representatives to document the influence foreign governments may have over our legislative process.

The lobbying firm involved is the Livingston Group, LLC., founded by former Republican representative and speaker-elect Bob Livingston after he resigned from Congress in 1999 having acknowledged an affair during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.  According to the disclosures, the contacts concerned the possibility of amending a statutory provision against U.S. trade with Libya.  It is not known from the disclosures what commitments, if any, may have been received from Roskam.  The full list of disclosures may be viewed here.

Roskam’s willingness to receive campaign contributions made on behalf of any foreign government is appalling to me as a constituent. That the government involved was that of Libya is outrageous.

Libya has been much in the news in recent weeks. In August, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, convicted of 270 counts of murder in the 1988 bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, was released by the Scotish Government on humanitarian grounds because of a reported terminal illness. He was returned to Libya and given a heroes welcome by the Libyan government. Then, earlier this month, Moammar Gadhafi, “Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya”, came to New York to address the 64th United Nations General Assembly. Livingston Group was reportedly involved in negotiations surrounding the Libyan strongman’s plans to visit Englewood, New Jersey and erect a bedouin tent.

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Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam Ties to Notorious Criminal Organization Exposed

On September 28, 2009, in Economic Justice, Friends of Peter Roskam, Mark Kirk, Organized Labor, Peter Roskam, Peter Roskam's Corporate Agenda, by RSR
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Anti-labor Republican Representatives Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam addressed the media today calling for the U.S. Census to sever its partnership with the  Service Employees International Union (SEIU) because of SEIU’s alleged ties to the community organization ACORN.  ACORN has been the subject of a right-wing smear campaign of late because of its advocacy work on behalf of low- and moderate-income people and particularly because of its efforts to mobilize voters. Kirk and Roskam, who use their offices to advance the interests of corporate contributors and economic elites and thus hate unions almost as much they hate poor voters, have identified an opportunity to damage SEIU by association and to distract the public from their attempts to block healthcare reform, financial industry regulation, and meaningful legislation to address the threat of global climate change.

The U.S. Census Partners are government, non-profit, corporate or community organizations that have formally pledged their commitment to share the 2010 Census message and mobilize their constituents in support of the Census Bureau’s goal of achieving a complete count. SEIU is just one of many diverse partners. Others include American Baptist Churches of the South, American Library Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, United Way of America, University of Texas, Meals On Wheels Association of America, Marathon Oil Corporation, Monsanto Company, Boy Scouts of America, Home Depot, General Mills, United Methodist Women, to name just a few.  Roskam and Kirk’s assertion that SEIU somehow presents a threat to the “integrity of the Census” is patently ridiculous.

Meanwhile, in a related development, RSR has learned of Peter Roskam’s and Mark Kirk’s shocking ties to to an actual criminal organization, whose members in recent years have been indicted and/or convicted on a variety of serious criminal charges and have been involved in all manner of sexual impropriety. Members of that organization, the Republican Party, also known as the GOP, have been implicated in numerous implicated of bribery, tax evasion, conspiracy, money laundering, fraud, and obstruction of justice and have engaged in voter suppression, frequented prostitutes, solicited sex in mens rooms and conducted inappropriate sexual chit chat with under-aged Congressional pages. Both Roskam and Kirk have maintained close personal ties with members of the GOP and it is believed that money may have been transferred between the GOP and the Roskam and Kirk campaigns.

While it is yet to be determined whether Roskam and Kirk will be forced to relinquish their offices due to their connections to this corrupt organization, it is clear that the integrity of the Census demands that Roskam, Kirk, and their associates in the GOP be banned from any participation in its conduct.

Here are just a few of the more outrageous examples of Republican impropriety from recent years:

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Jack Abramoff:  A former Republican lobbyist and influence-peddler currently incarcerated at the Federal Correction institute in Cumberland, Maryland.  Abramoff was convicted in 2006 and 2008  of multiple felony counts related to his defrauding several Indian tribes of millions of dollars in gaming revenues and his trading of epensive gifts and trips with Republican legislators in exchange for political favors for his clients.

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Bob Ney:  A former Republican Representative from Ohio’s 18th Congressional district, Ney was convicted in 2006 on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, falsifying financial disclosure forms, in connection with actions he took on behalf of an Abramoff client and a foreign businessman. Ney served 17 months in federal prison. He was released in 2008. Mark Kirk received a campaign contribution from Ney, which he later returned.

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Randy “Duke” Cunningham:  Former Republican Congressman who represented California’s 50th district. Cunningham was convicted in 2005 of federal charges of conspiracy to  commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. Cunningham used his position on the defense appropriations subcommittee to award contracts to defense contractors in exchange for bribes.  He is currently incarcerated in the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona.

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J. Steven Griles: A former coal industry lobbyist who served as Deputy Secretary of the Interior during the Bush administration. Griles was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2007 after making false statements in the Abramoff investigation. Griles pledged to Abramoff that he would use his authority to block an Indian casino that Abramoff was lobbying against. Griles was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment.

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I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby: Aide to President George W. Bush and Chief of Staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, Libby was convicted of federal charges of obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements to federal investigators in connection with the investigation of the Bush administration’s suspected  “outing” of CIA operative Valerie Plame in retaliation for her husband’s criticism of the Iraq war. Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison but his sentence was ultimately commuted by President Bush.

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James Tobin: Chairman of George W. Bush’s New England campaign, Tobin was convicted in 2005 of telephone harrassment in connection with a 2002 Republican plot to jam Democratic Party phone lines and frustrate get-out-the vote efforts. That conviction was overturned by a federal appeals court on a technical issue. Tobin was indicted again in 2008, for making false statements to the FBI in connection with the case.

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Tom DeLay: Late of “Dancing with the Stars”,  DeLay is an ex-exterminator from Texas who served as Republican House Majority Leader until 2005.  DeLay, an associate of Jack Abramoff and recipient of numerous Abramoff gifts, is presently under indictment in Travis County, Texas for conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws.  DeLay was lobbied by Abramoff to stop legislation banning sweatshops in the U.S.’s Northern Mariana Islands.  After traveling with Abramoff to the islands, Delay block a bill from consideration that would have granted wage and hour protections to workers there. No criminal charges have yet been filed related to DeLay’s relationship with Abramoff. Peter Roskam is an ex-employee of Tom DeLay. Mark Kirk’s campaign has received funding from Tom deLay’s PAC, Americans for a Republican Majority.

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Larry Craig:  The former Republican Senator from Idaho, Craig was arrested for lewd conduct in a men’s room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in 2007, after attempting a sexual liason with an undercover police officer. Craig plead guilty, then unsuccessfully tried to retract his initial plea.

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David “Diaper Dave” Vitter: The Republican sitting junior Senator from Louisiana, Vitter confessed in 2007 to having committed “a very serious sin”. That was shortly after his phone number was found to be included in the published list of clientele of the famous “D.C. Madam” , Deborah Jean Palfrey.  He was also alleged to have been a regular customer of New Orleans’ “C anal Street Madam”. Vitter is running for re-election to his Senate seat in 2010.

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Mark Foley: Former Republican Representative from Florida’s 16th District. Foley resigned his seat in 2006 after it became public knowledge that Foley had sent sexually explicit text messages and suggestive emails to under-aged males then serving as, or who formerly served as, pages in the House. During the subsequent investigation, it became clear that Foley had been previously been warned about his conduct by the Republican leadership but that nothing had been done to remove him from contact with the pages.

And that’s just the short list.

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Peter Roskam Refuses to Rebuke Joe Wilson for “You Lie” Outburst

On September 22, 2009, in Friends of Peter Roskam, Healthcare, Peter Roskam, Wingnuts, by RSR
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From reading the logs, I know that quite a number of you have visited herewanting to find out how Peter Roskam voted last Tuesday in the house resolution to rebuke Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina for shouting out “You lie!” during the President’s address on healthcare before a joint session of Congress.

The House voted to adopt the resolution by a margin of 240-179.  Peter Roskam voted “No”. The resolution was pretty simple and benign:

Whereas the conduct of the Representative from South Carolina was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedingsf the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from South Whereas the conduct of the Representative from South Carolina was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, during the joint session of Congress held on September 9, 2009.

Roskam’s refusal to vote in favor demonstrates how disingenuous were his remarks about the outburst after the speech and signals Roskam’s tacit endorsement of all of the hate and ugliness and nonsense being peddled by those who oppose the President’s efforts to make decent healthcare available to all Americans:

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The Company Peter Roskam Keeps

On September 10, 2009, in Friends of Peter Roskam, Healthcare, Peter Roskam, Wingnuts, by RSR
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If you watched President Obama’s address to the joint session of Congress last night or have seen the news since, you no doubt heard or heard about Representative Joe Wilson’s inappropriate outburst during the speech. Wilson screamed out “You lie!” when the President stated unequivocally that his proposed health care reform plan would not provide coverage to illegal aliens:

On insistence of the Republican leadership, Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, today apologized for his outburst and his apology was graciously accepted by President Obama.

I was intrigued to see at the New York Times and at TPM this morning , that our own Peter Roskam was seated directly to Wilson’s left during the speech.

It does not appear that they are seated alphabetically, or by state delegation, because  they would not fall together. They aren’t seated by Committee because Wilson is not on Ways and Means. They aren’t particularly close in seniority – Wilson was seated in 2001, Roskam in 2007.  So either they were seated that way by accident, or they chose to sit together.

I don’t know whether Wilson and Roskam are close. If they were, I would not be surprised. The two have very similar voting records – 93% out of 2318 roll call votes since 2007 were identical according to Open Congress’ nifty new comparison tool as of this writing. Both Roskam and Wilson have been working to defeat President Obama’s efforts to provide healthcare coverage to all Americans. And Roskam has not been afraid to play the illegal alien card himself when he thought it could work to his political advantage.

It would be interesting to hear Peter Roskam’s thoughts on Wilson’s outburst, the nature of his relationship with Joe Wilson, and whether he admonished Wilson himself on his behavior, having been seated right next to him.

And what’s that angry scowl about on Roskam’s face?

Addendum: I just heard Peter Roskam quoted on WBEZ a saying he “cringed” at Wilson’s remarks. But the photo’s don’t seem to show Roskam reacting negatively to Wilson. Rather his attention and his scowl seem to be focused elsewhere. Notably, WBEZ did not quote Roskam as saying he chastised his colleague. Presumably, he did not.

2nd Addendum: The Daily Herald now reports that Roskam was “surprised” and “disappointed” by Wilson’s outburst. The camera does not show that. If Roskam had been surprised we would see him reacting to Wilson at this moment. Instead his expression, IMHO, seems to be a reaction to the President on the podium. Birds of a feather, I believe.

3rd Addendum:  TPM has further background on Joe Wilson including his attacks on Sen. Strom Thurmond’s illegitimate daughter (Wilson is a former Thurmond page) and on Rep. Bob Filner who had the temerity to state that the U.S. had armed Saddam Hussein. Its a little frightening, though not particularly surprising, that Peter Roskam would hang out with this guy. Perhaps Peter would feel more at home if he joined the the South Carolina delegation. The climate is nicer (at least for the moment) and South Carolina is a better fit for a 19th century kind of guy like Roskam.

Last Addendum: It looks like, as of this writing, Miller has raised over $750,000 in campaign contributions since Wilson’s outburst on Wednesday night.

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Peter Roskam’s Ex-Campaign Manager Launches New Firm to Lie to Latino Voters

On June 5, 2009, in Congressional Elections, Friends of Peter Roskam, Gay Rights, Latino Voters, Lobbyists, Peter Roskam, by RSR
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RSR notes with interest this item from Politico yesterday. Jason Cabel Roe, Peter Roskam’s former, campaign manager, has launched a new consulting firm, Revolvis Consulting. The firm “will focus on strategies to bring Latino voters into the Republican fold”. Revolvis’ initial focus is on a number of races in California.

Jason Roe’s bio on the Revolvis web site indicates that he was Chief of Staff for Republican Congressman Tom Feeney of Florida from 2003 to 2007. It fails to mention that Roe left Feeney in 2007 to work for Mitt Romney’s Presidential campaign, then abruptly resigned in April 2007, citing family obligations, after the FBI started questioning Feeney regarding his ties to lobbyist and felon Jack Abramoff. Feeney had accompanied Abramoff on that famous golf outing to Scotland. Roe memorably defended Feeney in an email message stating “Any assertion that this office knew Abramoff paid for the Scotland trip is a g–d—– lie.”

Roe previously founded Federal Strategy Group, a Washington lobbying firm that advertised its access to to politicians like Roskam.

Roe managed Peter Roskam’s famously dirty Congressional campaign against Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth 2006.  That campaign attacked Duckworth as wanting to give “handouts to illegal aliens”:

You may recall that Jason Roe & Peter Roskam made Keith Olberman’s “Worst Person in the World” list for Roskam’s infamous remark that Duckworth wanted to “cut and run” from Iraq (Duckworth, of course, lost both of her legs while serving In Iraq) and Roe’s subsequent distortion of what was actually said.

So anyway, now Roe wants to help bring Latino’s into the fold. The Revolvis web site actualy has a “Latino Services” page. That’s impressive. The Latino Services page states that “an effective Latino program is a vital component to any public policy and/or candidate campaign”.  (Isn’t that warm and fuzzy – a “Latino program”). But Roe is right, the current Republican “Latino program” – smearing the first Latina Supreme Court nominee as a racist and calling the National Council of La Raza a Latino “KKK” – is not proving to be working, if you believe the polls. (We wonder though whether this handiwork from the Revolvis portfolio will be typical of a Revolvis “latino program”.)

How does Revolvis plan to sway Latino voters, then? Wedge issues!:

Latinos, like other voters groups are not single issue voters. While immigration is an important issue, Latinos have consistently ranked national security, the environment, education, healthcare, and the economy as issues of greater importance to them. The Democrats do not hold sway over the Latino community on all of these issues. In California, we saw Latinos overwhelmingly supporting both Obama and the gay marriage initiative (Proposition 8). Avenues exist for Republicans to make inroads into these communities.

California’s Proposition 8 (Gay Marriage Ban), and additional survey data, illustrates that Republicans don’t have to change their principles, we just need to communicate with all voters, year-round.

Charming. Roe plans to win over Latinos by demonizing gay people.

These pricks, Roskam and Roe, and Limbaugh and all their kind , they just don’t get it. Until they do, the Republican Party will sink further and further into oblivion. Their program of lying to middle class people about caring for their needs while demonizing outsiders and sowing fear is bankrupt. It won’t work anymore.

Latinos aren’t stupid. If Republicans truly want to win Latino voters, and midldle class working people in general, then they need to start viewing them as people and not just votes -  they have to learn to start doing the right thing by ordinary people and not just for big business and the very wealthy:

  • Ensuring that workers are paid just wages, have safe working conditions, and their right to organize is protected
  • Ensuring that everyone has access to affordable quality health care
  • Ceasing to demonize immigrant workers and gay people
  • Supporting policies that give consumers a fair shake against giant corporations
  • Providing services for our returning servicemen who are strugling with health problems and unemployment

Until Republicans catch on, the party is going to continue to dwindle into a southern regional coalition of religious extremists and hate groups.

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