Category — Jill Morgenthaler

In a press release dated May 22nd, 6th District Congressional candidate Jill Morgenthaler takes her opponent, Peter Roskam, to task, for his consistent failure to support legislation that would benefit Illinois veterans, including his recent no vote on the GI Bill. The release states:

Sixth District Democratic Congressional Candidate Jill Morgenthaler blasted her opponent Peter Roskam for his votes against veterans in the days leading up to Memorial Day. “What does Peter Roskam have against U.S. troops and veterans? Roskam says he supports vets and then repeatedly votes against us. When Roskam ran for Congress he said he was for our troops, but he voted against appropriations for the new GI Bill and against the future of our troops and veterans.”

“Roskam needs to keep his promises to our soldiers. He voted with President George Bush and John McCain and voted against soldiers and veterans. Our troops deserve better treatment. They deserve the healthcare and education that they were promised when they signed up,” said Jill Morgenthaler.

Morgenthaler, a businesswoman and a Colonel who served in the United States Army for thirty years, supports the new GI Bill (Post 911 Veterans Educational Assistance Act) and advocates that Congress should keep its commitment to health care and education benefits for the soldiers who have served our country. “Roskam and his fellow Republicans say they support ours troops and then vote against them. We need well trained soldiers to protect our nation. If we send soldiers in to battle, we need to keep our bargains with them after the battle.”

Amen to that. Roskam has been steadfast in his support of allowing George Bush to continue to send our young men and women in to harms way in Iraq. It’s time he offered them something more than photo ops and flowery statements when they come home. Roskam’s only interest in vets appears to be in using them as props in his re-election campaign. Speaking of which, Roskam was here in Elmhurst over the weekend for the Memorial Day Parade. I did not attend, but I understand from someone who did that Roskam used the event, not as a commemoration of those who have served and died but as a campaign event, replete with a coterie of marchers with Roskam for Congress signs.

This is the first interview with Jill Morgenthaler that I’ve seen. I like her. She seemed a bit uncomfortable but quite intelligent and articulate.

Jill clearly states a number of positions: clear goals with time-line for withdrawal in Iraq; dialogue with Iran; supports the standards of “No Child Left Behind” but opposes unfunded mandates and vouchers; pro-choice, abortion a matter for a woman and her doctor to decide; favors civil unions but opposed to same-sex marriage; says she is a gun owner and supportive of individual right to bear arms but believes in sensible controls such as on armour-piercing bullets and assault weapons; favors tighter border security, especially on the northern border.

She seems to present a clearly positive alternative to Peter Roskam.

Jill committed to coming back on the program for a face to face discussion with Roskam if he will agree. How about it Peter?

Here’s a link to Jeff Berkowitz’s post about the interview.

And here’s one to Progress Illinois’ post about the interview.

I’ve been too busy with work the past couple of weeks to spend much time on the web. I see tonight for the first time that Jill Morgenthaler’s campaign website is up and running. The site looks good and I am certainly excited that she appears to be ready now to take Peter Roskam on in earnest. She has some issues pages up and, while they don’t have a lot of depth and aren’t every progressive’s wet dream, they do begin to position her as a real alternative to the catastrophic failed policies of Bush and Roskam and company. It looks like Jill intends to speak to the ordinary folk who make up the bulk of this district and who are really beginning to feel the pain inflicted by 8 years of Bush, and not so much to the super rich and corporate elite to whom Bush and Roskam cater. I wish her success.

And thanks Jill for actually taking the trouble to make a case for yourself. I find Peter’s “I grew up in the district, I live in the district, my dog lives in the district, I have my car washed in the district, I sometimes order pizza in the district…” litany to be somewhat unpersuasive.

Got this in an email today:

VoteVets.org PAC is soliciting votes at its website to determine which of seven veterans it has endorsed in 2008 House and Senate races will be given a $5000 contribution. Jill Morgenthaler is one of the seven.

I don’t know much about this organization. These are the goals they define for the PAC on the website:

• Elect Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to public office – regardless of party. The war in Iraq is the number one issue facing the nation, and these 21^st century patriots are the only ones with personal experience in America’s most recent conflicts. Theirs is a voice desperately needed in the debate.
  • VoteVets.org PAC encourages donations to endorsed candidates through constant and proactive actions that highlight our candidates.
  • VoteVets.org PAC makes the maximum allowable contribution to each of our endorsed candidates.
  • VoteVets.org PAC supports our endorsed candidates in the media.
• Oppose public officials who have failed our troops, Veterans, and nation on matters regarding the war and Veterans’ issues.
  • VoteVets.org PAC exposes the records of the most egregiously incompetent public officials. Whether it is the failure of key Members of Congress to ask the most urgent and difficult questions on the war or those whose votes have hurt our nation’s Veterans, VoteVets.org PAC will hold a spotlight on the record for all Americans to see.
• VoteVets.org PAC is building an organization to fight for Veterans in the future.
  • VoteVets.org PAC continues to enhance its credibility by researching, and disseminating, all government actions that impact our nation’s newest servicemembers and Veterans.
  • VoteVets.org PAC will continue to be a strong advocate for legislation that fully supports our troops, military families and Veterans.

Seems like the voting is a gimmick to collect email addresses and increase their donor pool. But hey, if it might help Jill get a few thousand bucks to use against Roskam, what the hell.

Peter Roskam ranks among the nation’s worst Congressmen, at least when it comes to his voting record on issues affecting middle class Americans.

This according to the TheMiddleClass.org 2007 Congressional Scorecard issued this month by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, a non-partisan progressive think tank.

Roskam scored an F on the scorecard based upon his record of consistently voting against measures directed at improving the lot of middle class and low-income Americans including:

• Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007
• Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007
• Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
• Clean Energy Act of 2007
• Employee Free Choice Act of 2007
• Children’s Health Insurance Program Re-authorization Act of 2007
• Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act of 2007
• College Cost Reduction Act of 2007
• Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007
• Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007
• Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007

Roskam chose to spend his first year in office pursuing the interests of the wealthiest residents of his district and of large corporations while actively working against legislation that would help the majority of his constituents whose means are more modest. All the while, Roskam railed against the Democrats in Congress for their supposed obstruction. It is clear from this impressive list of no votes that it was Roskam and his Republican colleagues who were attempting to throw up roadblocks.

Illinois Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin both scored highly on middle class issues, earning an A+ and an A, respectively.

Republicans are starting to get nervous about Roskam’s prospects this fall, Given Roskam’s appalling voting record and dismissive attitude toward his constituents, I don’t think a successful challenge is impossible.

There is finally a sign of impending activity at Jill Morgenthaler’s campaign website. I hope that we will soon see her taking Roskam to task for his performance.

Congratulations, Jill, on your selection as the Democratic candidate to oppose Peter Roskam in IL-06 this fall. I did not vote for you. I take my voting seriously and I didn’t feel like you’d given me enough concrete information to believe that you intend to provide a real alternative to Peter Roskam’s extreme conservatism and use of his office to promote corporate interests at the expense of ordinary citizens.

I have to say it saddened me not to be able to enthusiastically support a candidate opposing Roskam. I hope that will change and that, now that the primary is over, you will begin to clearly articulate a set of positions and priorities that offer a clear progressive alternative. It is my hope also that you will not descend to Roskam’s level as he uses immigration as a wedge issue to frighten voters, much to the detriment of the welfare of his most vulnerable constituents. And I hope that you will reject the vision that Roskam and his party have for America’s role in the world - a vision that rejects diplomacy in favor of military force, a vision that advocates using military power to control scarce resources, the vision that led to the pointless and disastrous invasion of Iraq while the real fight against terrorism was virtually abandoned.

Good luck and best wishes with your campaign.