Category — Peter Roskam

Earlier this month, Peter Roskam voted to give a big gift to telephone companies: retroactive immunity from civil lawsuits for their role in George Bush’s illegal scheme to spy on Americans. Peter Roskam, would tell you, no doubt, that large campaign contributions from telephone companies and Roskam’s close personal ties to lobbyists for Verizon had absolutely no influence on his vote to obliterate the constitutional rights of his constituents. 

The vote came on 6/20. The bill was H.R. 6304, FISA Amendments Act of 2008. This so-called “compromise” on FISA allows the federal government to conduct mass untargeted surveillance of all communications coming into or going out of the country without any need to seek court approval, even if there is no evidence of wrongdoing. In those circumstances where court review is required, where there is a specific target, a prior court order is not required and the courts are not allowed to know who is being targeted. They may only review general procedures for establishing targets. When a court rules against the government it will be allowed to continue spying while it exhausts all appeals. The measure allows no effective check to the power of the government to spy on Americans and no effective oversight regarding the manner in which it applies that power.

The gift to the telephone companies contained in the bill is the assurance it provides that all lawsuits pending from the companies’ illegal activities in support of the Bush spying program will be dismissed. It does this by changing the standard so that the companies are not required to have received a legal order - any order is fine. ATT, one of Peter Roskam’s largest campaign contributors, and Verizon, who’s lobbyist’s Jason Roe and Kirsten Mork have close ties to Roskam, are no doubt pleased by this provision. Maplight.org, a campaign finance watchdog group , found that those lawmakers who voted for the bill received, on average, twice the amount in donations from large telephone companies.

Roskam’s vote is just one more example of his consistent pattern of giving a “rubber stamp” of approval to the worst abuses of the Bush administration and of placing corporate interests over the interests of his constituents. Voters who care about civil liberties should contact Roskam to protest his vote. Roskam can be reached at his Washington office at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

Before the FISA amendment becomes a law, it faces a vote in the Senate. That vote has been delayed until next month. Concerned voters should also contact Senators Durbin and Obama to pressure them to do the right thing and protect our civil liberties and deny immunity to the telephone companies that have broken the law.

Peter Roskam has signed on as co-sponsor to H. CON. RES. 362, a resolution intended to dramatically escalate tensions between the United States and Iran and take another step toward George Bush’s and Dick Cheney’s dream of yet another war, this one against Iran.

This resolution, if passed, would express:

the sense of Congress regarding the threat posed to international peace, stability in the Middle East, and the vital national security interests of the United States by Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony

Further provisions include:

• Declaring that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is vital to our national security interests and must be dealt with urgently
• Urging the President to impose sanctions on banks and energy companies doing business with Iran
• Demanding that the President initiate immediately and dramatically an international effort to increase pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend uranium enrichment activities by imposing a blockade
• Urging the president to “lead a sustained, serious, and forceful effort at regional diplomacy to support the legitimate governments in the region against Iranian efforts to destabilize them, to reassure our friends and allies that the United States supports them in their resistance to Iranian efforts at hegemony, and to make clear to the Government of Iran that the United States will protect America’s vital national security interests in the Middle East.

All of this language, of course, is highly ironic, given that it is the United States that has disrupted peace in the Middle East through its unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq, and that the U.S. has been attempting to destabilize Iran for years, and that the U.S. Middle East policy is pretty much all about the U.S. maintaining hegemony in the region. The U.S. has been complicit in nuclear proliferation in the region and our “friend and ally” in the region, Israel, has been a nuclear power for years. If anybody poses a real nuclear threat of obliterating anyone else it is the threat that Israel poses to Iran. Israel has a right to defend itself. But does not Iran also have that same right? Iran has no history of aggressive war in the region. Both the U.S. and Israel do. Who is posing the real threat to peace and stability?

What this is all about mostly, is winning the U.S. election this fall, even if doing so has to mean armed confrontation with Iran, or at least threatening such confrontation.

Just as when Bush attacked Iraq, this build-up is all being based as an attempt to enforce United Nations resolutions. But the chief of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency denies that there is any urgent danger. Mohamad ElBaradei told Al Arabiya television in an interview:

“I don’t believe that what I see in Iran today is a current, grave and urgent danger. If a military strike is carried out against Iran at this time … it would make me unable to continue my work,”

“A military strike, in my opinion, would be worse than anything possible. It would turn the region into a fireball,” he said, emphasizing that any attack would only make the Islamic Republic more determined to obtain nuclear power.

“If you do a military strike, it will mean that Iran, if it is not already making nuclear weapons, will launch a crash course to build nuclear weapons with the blessing of all Iranians, even those in the West.”

Just as in the case of the war against Iraq, Bush & Roskam & company are basing their campaign for a new war on lies. Iran has renounced the use of nuclear weapons as contrary to Islamic law and the United States’ own intelligence estimate concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Despite this the United States has continued feeding the IAEA incorrect reports of nuclear sites.

Bush’s war against Iraq has brought the U.S. economic misery, cost thousands of young lives, and is rapidly leading us to $5/gallon gasoline. Meanwhile it has cost Iraq a million excess deaths due to violence, almost a third of them at the hands of the U.S. War against Iran will bring more of the same, and worse.

If you live in the 6th district and want to stop this chain of agressive wars, please contact Peter Roskam and demand he renounce his support for Bush’s new war against Iran. Roskam can be reached at his Washington office at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

Peter Roskam is fond of telling anybody who will listen that high gas prices are the number one concern among residents of his district. This, of course, just goes to show how out of touch he is with the majority of his constituents. High gas prices are a concern but we haven’t forgotten about the war and all the other crimes committed by the Bush administration for which Roskam shares responsibility because of his silence and his votes.

Walt Zlotow at Heartland Progressive, another of Roskam’s constituents, has posted an excellent letter to Peter Roskam regarding his failure to acknowledge his responsibility for and his constituents’ concern regarding the war. Go read it.

Many Congressmen are cozy with Washington lobbyists but I doubt many have gone as far as Roskam did in immortalizing a couple of revolving door lobbyists in a painting in his Washington office.

According to “The Hill”, last month Peter Roskam’s wife Elizabeth, an artist, presented her husband with a painting she did depicting a scene from Roskam’s 2006 congressional campaign. The painting features the Roskams and their children as well as number of current and former staff members:

Jason Roe, a lobbyist with the Federal Strategy Group who was Roskam’s campaign manager, is also in the painting. The artist put him in a Michigan State University hat to reflect his diehard Spartan tendencies — the school wouldn’t accept him — but “humbled him” by dressing him in blue and maize, the colors of rival University of Michigan.

Other campaign aides, including Dean Thompson, Roskam’s legislative correspondent, and Brigitta Johnson, Roskam’s scheduler, are also in the painting.

David Mork, Roskam’s senior legislative assistant, and Mork’s then-girlfriend and now-wife Kirsten Mork are entwined in the painting. After meeting on the campaign trail for Roskam, the two worked together in the congressman’s office until they decided to marry.

Kirsten then landed another job as an associate lobbyist for Roe’s Federal Strategy Group.

Elizabeth Roskam is pleased her husband has the painting front and center in his office. “It’s something Peter can look at when he’s at his desk, a reminder of the fun times of the campaign.”

Isn’t that special. Seriously, it sounds like a beautiful gift, but that, of course, is not the point of my posting it here.

The point is simply to alert Peter Roskam’s constituents that there is a rather close connection between his office and the Washington lobbying firm Federal Strategy Group. Jason Roe, Roskam’s former campaign manager and Kirsten Mork, Roskam’s former Deputy Campaign Finance Director and former legislative assistant are lobbyists there. Roe is also a donor to Roskam’s current congressional campaign. Roskam’s current legislative assistant, David Mork, is married to Kirsten.

Here’s what the Federal Strategy Group has to say about it’s product:

More than any other lobbying firm, Federal Strategy Group understands what you want and we have the experience and expertise to deliver it. You want results - not process. Our team provides the access, advocacy, and advice to help you achieve those results.

First, we offer unparalleled access to top decision-makers. The abundance and strength of these relationships makes our team uniquely able to reach key public officials. Our lobbyists were selected from the top ranks of government, in part, because they have excelled in that professional arena. They bring with them relationships cultivated over years of public service. As part of our team, they grow and strengthen these relationships within government. As a result, Federal Strategy Group can open doors to get your message heard by the right people.

Maybe I’m too jaded but it sounds to me like what they are marketing is access to Peter Roskam and to other elected officials that they may be friendly with. And, as a voter and a citizen, it strikes me as wrong.

According to Open Secrets, Federal Strategy Group’s current clients include Verizon and American Airlines. Voters should bear that in mind as they examine Roskam’s bill sponsorship and voting record going forward.

Interestingly, when I tried today to verify today that David Mork is still on Peter Roskam’s staff, I found that I was unable. Neither Roskam’s Congressional website nor the House website provide any means for citizens to view a list of their Congressman’s staff members. Roskam likes to talk about transparency. He could make that happen tomorrow: a list of current staff members with bios on his House website. What about it Peter? Do we as citizens have a right to know? Roskam should also consider publishing his schedule on a regular basis so that we know who is lobbying him on what issues.

If you are a corporate executive hoping to protect your $37 million annual compensation, Peter Roskam’s got your back. If you are an Illinois worker, laid off by that executive when he off-shored your job to India or Costa Rica, and your unemployment benefits are about to run out, Peter Roskam says “tough luck”.

Peter Roskam demonstrated again yesterday his utter lack of compassion and concern for working people in his district by voting against H.R. 5749, the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008. Democrats in Congress had proposed extending unemployment benefits, on an emergency basis, by an additional 3 months for unemployed workers in all states and by 6 months for workers in states with unemployment rates higher than 6%. The Democrats were responding to the report by the Labor Department that the jobless rate had increased by 0.5% to 5.5% in May, the largest increase in 23 years. May was the fifth consecutive month of job loss.

The measure failed to pass in the house, lacking only 3 votes, one of them Roskam’s. House Democrats will continue to pursue an extension of benefits.

Peter Roskam has demonstrated time and time again by his votes his preoccupation with serving only the interests of large corporations and economic elites. Then, after after he votes to obstruct Democratic efforts to help the middle class and the underprivileged in his district, he comes home and whines and complains about the extreme partisanship in Congress that is preventing him from helping his constituents. In reality though it is Roskam who is playing partisan politics and catering to special interests.

6th District residents who have lost their jobs or fear losing them should contact Peter Roskam and demand that he put partisan politics aside and stop obstructing Democratic efforts to aid unemployed workers. Roskam can be reached at his Washington office at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

Peter Roskam was on NBC 5’s City Desk this past Sunday morning for a softball interview with host Mary Ann Ahern. Roskam opened with his usual complaints about a dysfunctional (read that as Democratic) Congress. He wants you to believe that he’s a reasonable guy who just wants to get thing s done for you but he’s stymied at every turn by less responsible members who are only interested in partisan politics and serving the needs of special interests.

Roskam is not telling you the truth. He is not only one of the most partisan members of Congress but also one of the most slavishly devoted to special interests.

During the current Congress, Peter Roskam has voted with his party 93.2% of the time. There are only 17 out of a total of 435 members, Republican or Democrat, who have voted more consistently with their party than Roskam. They are:

1. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), 93.9%
2. Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), 93.8%
3. Rep. David Davis (R-TN), 93.8%
4. Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA), 93.8%
5. Rep. Stevan Pearce (R-NM), 93.8%
6. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), 93.8%
7. Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), 93.7%
8. Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), 93.6%
9. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), 93.6%
10. Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA), 93.6%
11. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), 93.6%
12. Rep. Zachary Wamp (R-TN), 93.6%
13. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), 93.5%
14. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), 93.4%
15. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), 93.3%
16. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), 93.3%
17. Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), 93.3%

It should be noted that only 4 out of 17 of these are Democrats. So Roskam is among the most hyper-partisan representatives and a member of the most hyper-partisan party. He is upset, not because of partisanship, but because his party is in the minority. He should be reminded that this is the case because his party proved to be massively corrupt in the previous Congresses and because it launched a preemptive aggressive war against a sovereign power which posed no real threat, sent a few thousand brave American men and women to their graves in that cause, and mortgaged our children’s future to pay for it all.

As for special interests, Roskam has compiled an impressive record, voting the position of the National Association of Manufacturers 100% of the time during his first term. Doing this has meant voting against the interests of the residents who live in his district on issues like equal pay for equal work, Medicare prescription drug price negotiation, and parity in mental health benefits for members of group health plans.

Roskam also spent a good deal of time on the show talking about high gasoline prices and the need for alternative energy sources. Roskam’s record however is one of obstructing Democratic efforts in this regard and voting instead in favor of protecting the big oil companies who are currently gouging us, all the while accepting substantial campaign contributions from the energy sector.

So 6th District residents, it is not Congress that is dysfunctional. It’s your Congressman. But don’t worry, we’re going to replace him this fall.

[Progress Illinois has a post today about Roskam's attempt to justify his vote against the new GI bill on the same program]