FeedPolitics: Callahan counters elite soiree with fish fry than anyone can afford to attend
July 19, 2008 in Uncategorized
By Billy DennisThe following appears on Colleen Callahan’s blog:
Colleen’s Republican opponent announced yesterday President Bush will visit Peoria and hold a fundraiser for the GOP Congressional hopeful. Colleen is flattered that her opponent is bringing in a political heavyweight like Bush to energize his campaign and slow her momentum. It is unlikely a president, whose approval rating resides at 23 percent according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll, will have any sway with voters. With the price of gas at the pump and an economy heading into recession, hard-working members of the 18th District are not interested in paying $500 for a plate of food or $5,000 dollars for a picture with a man who owes his job to those same people. People want change, and aligning yourself with the current president is not change. Who would have thought four months ago our opponent would have to resort to bringing an unpopular president to stop Colleen’s momentum in a district which has been solidly Republican for close to a century? It is just proof of Colleen’s words: “Look how far we’ve come!”
And from Blue Ollie:
On the same day (July 25), Colleen Callahan is having a fish fry for $15.00 a plate. The time is 4-8 pm. It takes place at the Kickapoo Sportsman’s Club, 11125 Route 150, Brimfield, IL 61517. Tickets: 309-826-9900.
The flyer, circulated by the Callahan campaign, says the following:
As most of you know, President Bush will be in Peoria on this day for a private fundraiser for our opponent, Aaron Schock. According to press reports, that event is expected to bring in as much as $700,000 for this young man’s campaign. We’re offering an alternative. Please join us for an evening of family fun that’s open to all central Illinoisians–an event for all of those who cannot afford to take an afternoon off from work to pay $500.000 to spend time with a president whose failed policies have lead to the current sky-high fuel and food prices, the crumbling economy and a war that continues to drag on far too long. Colleen and other elected officials will take the time to listen to your concerns and talk about the real issues affecting all of us in the 18th Congressional district.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
What, no more password?
I believe that’s an “elite” soiree.
The fish fry is genius. She should milk the hell out of that contrast.
July 19th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Unless this is the beginning of a renewed effort by her this is insignificant. The most ironic thing is that for someone who claims to be a communications professional she lacks any effort in that area. I wish I could be excited about her since I am not a Schock fan, but she’s left everyone with little option.
July 19th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Have to agree 11Bravo - she’s less than inspiring. Nice effort on her part to counter the Schock fundraiser but let’s think about this objective for a second:
$25 to eat fried fish with a candidate for U.S. Rep or
$500 to meet the President of the United States.
No matter what your politics - meeting the President of the United States is indeed a privilege and honor and more than worth the price of admission.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
She might be willing to talk about the “real issues” affecting all of us but does she have any solutions? I haven’t heard them.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Diane, don’t honestly tell me you think EITHER of them do. That is what is so sad. On one side we have a candidate who couldn’t campaign her way out of a wet paper bag and on the other we have someone who has proven to only be good at campaigning.
I would challenge supporters of either candidate to list some fully developed solutions to “real issues” that their candidate has proposed (aside from the aaron strangelove proposal).
July 19th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
“meeting the President of the United States is indeed a privilege and honor and more than worth the price of admission.”
That is if you can afford $500 for that “privilege”. And is it really a privilege if it costs $500?
July 20th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Chef Kevin — for a once in a lifetime opportunity - sure is. Unfortunately, I won’t be there - but not due to the cost.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Bravo, I’m not an expert on either candidate that’s for sure as I have previously disclosed having the attention span of a gnat. However, I have had several conversations with Schock regarding various issues and have always found him to be very specific in his opinions and solutions to any given topic, wether it is local or statewide.
This is my personal opinion and not that of a Republican Kool-Aid drinker. My guess is that the differences between these 2 candidates will become very apparent during the “debate” portion of the contest.
I too squirm at the thought of having to pay $500 to see a President supported through the considerable amount of taxes we pay but unfortunately, the reality is we live in a money driven as well as two party society and it costs money to run a campaign.
The Democrats want their cake and eat it too. On one hand they want the political advantage of bashing our President but when it comes time to use him as an assett they cry “foul”. As my Mom used to say “you pays your money and you makes your choice.”
By the way, fried food makes my face break out.
July 20th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Bush is not an asset and after almost 8 years of his policies or lack of them, look at how this country is. Of course it is hard for some folks to see if you are still in a certain tax bracket but most working blue collar know what a $hit box this economy has become. I wouldn’t go and see Bush if it was free and I think he should be impeached at the very least. The way our veterans have been treated is a shame and the way he used 9/11 to invade Iraq is a crime. I would vote for Skippy the Clown before I voted Republican ever. They (the Republican Party) have trashed this country and its Constitution and our rights. Anyone believing this President even has a clue is one or both of two things; in the small 22% that still believe everything is honky dory (heehaw!) or drinking the Kool-Aide or both.
Schock deserves Bush and if I wanted a picture with him, I would just stand in Walgreens in the Summer’s Eve isle and have someone take my picture for free. Then I would have a picture of me with a douche bag also.
I hope I made myself clear on how I feel for Bush. Much like you Republicans felt for Clinton and his (no one killed) BJ. end/sarcasm
July 20th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Diane: Save some money and go to the fish fry. $15 is all and FREE pictures, you save $485 plus the 5 Grand for a picture. Then you could buy some ProActive for $20 for your face break out from fried foods.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Emtronics - its not surprising that everyone would blame Bush for the problems our country faces today. Of course it has nothing to do with the total lack of personal responsibility and sense of entitlement that has permeated our culture. How conveniant to lay everything at the feet of one man.
I predicted YEARS ago that our world was heading for a heap of trouble. All you have to do is watch how parents discipline and teach their children (or don’t).
All you have to do is observe how many people demand that a minimum wage job feed a family of four. There is a REASON people choose college…it should not be a level playing field for those who don’t.
Look at the apathy that exists on key issues of today - and the percentage of our citizenry that votes despite the fact they are not under the threat of death for doing so.
Look at how a couple with minimal means expects to move in to their dream home with no money down. Don’t worry if your foreclosed upon - its the banks fault and the government will bail you out. After all, Mommy and Daddy handed them everything they wanted growing up why should it be any different now?
Look at how our culture believes that we can supersize ourselves into oblivion - and just rely on drugs and bypasses and the health care premiums of healthy people to correct the damage.
Does anyone really think we could have maintained this lifestyle indefinately? The parents of the depression taught their children some valuable lessons that are never obsolete. Unfortunately, memories are short and we have lost sight of those lessons.
George Bush along with the congress made some tactical errors early in his administration but to blame the state of affairs of this country solely on him is just perpetuating the mind set that has landed us here to begin with. A correction of values and lifestyles has been long overdue.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:23 am
And thanks for the tip on Proactiv but I’ll pass… I’m only willing to pour harmful chemicals into my body if they are on ice with a lime.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:09 am
“There is a REASON people choose college…it should not be a level playing field for those who don’t.”
Hmmm…..and I wonder how many can’t afford it when the time comes to choose? I guess I should quit my middle-class job and go and get that Bachelors Degree and Masters degree that I couldn’t afford to get due to a drastic economic loss in our family when I was in high school.
“Look at how a couple with minimal means expects to move in to their dream home with no money down. Don’t worry if your foreclosed upon - its the banks fault and the government will bail you out. After all, Mommy and Daddy handed them everything they wanted growing up why should it be any different now?”
Yes the banks and mortgage brokers are absolved from any of these problems. Don’t forget about employees who falsified application information to get these people into their homes along with getting their commissions. I wonder how many employees in the real-estate industry (banks, mortgage brokers, realtors) knew that a potential buyer couldn’t possibly afford a house they were looking at, yet somehow that loan was magically approved.
“I too squirm at the thought of having to pay $500 to see a President supported through the considerable amount of taxes we pay but unfortunately, the reality is we live in a money driven as well as two party society and it costs money to run a campaign.”
Think that might have anything to do with the voter “apathy” we see today?
As long as this current political system of big money exists, NOTHING will change. All the finger pointing and “yea but look what the democrats/republicans did” isn’t going to change that fact.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Diane: You sound jaded. Why not lay it at Bush’s feet? You people were laying everything from the escape of Bin laden to Kosovo at Clinton’s feet. Now that the shoe is on the other foot?? As for demanding that a min wage job feed a family of four, well, you know that is impossible but it is the Republicans who believe it is possible. Not everyone can choose college to level the playing field even the loans that are needed are harder to come by and at higher interest rates all because of the Bush Administration’s actions. You mention healthcare and yes people eat the wrong stuff but the healthcare system is a mess unless of course you are rich and lucky enough to find a good insurance program that pays unlike most that make people pay for a simple doctor’s office visit which can cost upwards of $200 out of pocket, thus people will not go for a visit. Yet the Republicans block and ridicule any attempt at national healthcare. They are not dying in Canada or Europe yet we Americans get fatter and have more heart attacks than anyone.
To say Bush made some tactical errors early on is an understatement to say the least and sounds like something Hannity of Fox News would blow off. You also talk about apathy that too is an understatement. Someone in government says be scared and people line up like sheep and vote. That is how we got Bush in the first place, because people thought Bush was the kind of guy they wanted to have a beer with meanwhile they swift boated both Gore and Kerry and again people lined up like sheep and believed every word. Maybe this time, there are enough people to think clearly and decide on a change. We only have to choices and McCain is McCain which is a Republican with the same agenda as Bush except McCain changes his opinion every other day. I’ll take my chances with Obama but watch how the Right will clearly equate him with the Muslims simply because his name sounds like one and how they will scare the voters into voting McCain. Another swift boat is coming.
Your profession may be responsible for some of those home failures luring un expecting people into buying more than they could afford. If the government can bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac why not a US taxpayer?? If we can bail out the government of Iraq, why not help our own first. That’s right, because the party of the people, Republicans, doesn’t believe in helping anyone other than their own.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I sound jaded? Umph.
And before you jump on the “you have a silver spoon in your mouth” please consider the fact that I paid for my own college education.. every penny.. nothing from Daddy, the government or grants.. (not that there is anything wrong with that).
The fact is I started working when I was 12 years old - babysitting, nannying, cosmetics at Osco Drugs, waitressing through college and holding 2 jobs after graduation to pay off student loans.
It is possible to live the American Dream- but it is contingent upon a pattern of personal responsibility and discipline. Of course there is always room for error, and often we have to step back and re-assess. I believe that success in America allows room for that.
And sorry, I just have to laugh at your charges that Realtors and lenders prey upon people spending too much money on a home. I’m sure you also believe that McDonalds and Nintendo are to blame for our obesity problem - which brings me back to my above post about personal responsibility… yada yada yada….
July 20th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I don’t mean to imply all Realtors prey on custiomers, but some do. I had one, maybe you know of them, Geerhearts, that tried to over sell me and so did Vicary. If I hadn’t had a lawyer friend with us, (wife used to work for the State’s Att’y office Barra days) I would have been suckered right into a deal that was out of my league at the time. He called them on it and we walked out of the sale. In fact where do 90% of the people buying house go? Realtors.
Also, I too laugh at your silver spoon thing, and I am sure you paid your way through college, but some of the ills you mention in society today, your husband makes a living off of.
BTW, McDonald’s never called me at home and offered me a Big Mac. yada yada yada
July 20th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Emtronics: ” … but some of the ills you mention in society today, your husband makes a living off of.”
Yeah. All lawyers are scum. Until you need one.
Full disclosure: I’ve never met the guy. But he buys an ad that runs in the upper left-hand column of this blog.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Emtronics, I cannot figure you out. I never know wether to hug you or slug you. Probably slug…
July 21st, 2008 at 5:01 pm
SO many of the “poor, lazy people feeding off the government” tales are myths made up by Republicans to scare people into voting for them. Ask anyone who works with low-income families, the homeless, immigrants, etc. 95% of them are working their asses off.
I am none of the things you describe above, Diane, and I’m a liberal Democrat because I believe that the government is built to “serve the people.” Not just to command our military (which Bush & Co have done a royal mess with) and tax us. What the hell is government for if not to regulate and improve the lot of all citizens?
I don’t expect anything from my government but to keep corporations from fleecing me by regulating things like mergers and monopolies (again, Bush & Co have relaxed these rules), helping me out if a major natural disaster comes along (Katrina, nuff’ said), indeed organizing a military to protect me (of which there is barely one left after they invaded Iraq), and taking care of stuff like roads or transportation. I suppose there’s more, can’t think of anything else off the top of my head.
I do want them to stay the hell out of my bedroom (something Bush & Co have nosed into many times so far), and out of my private family matters (Hello, Terri Schiavo, although that was his brother), and refrain from unnecessary wars that take their toll on my wallet (rising gas and grocery prices since Iraq’s oil fields aren’t running at pre-war capacity, if at all, since the invasion).
And I wonder why the US is failing compared to almost all other industrialized nations in terms of our health? The US and Lesotho are two of three (always forget the third) of all industrialized nations on the planet that DO NOT provide some form of universalized health care. I don’t find it funny or a result of our attitudes that we are fatter than anyone else. You know what, if you’re on the gov’t dole for food, you know what you get? Processed cheese food and canned fruits and veggies. Processed white bread. Juice “drinks” loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Wanna know what’s making a lot of poor people fat - there’s your answer right there.
You’re a smart writer Diane. I don’t care what you or the hubby do. But this decades old lie that liberals want the government to pay for everything and support them just pisses me off to no end! I have never been and will never be dependent upon my government. I expect very little from anyone and have always worked my slightly rounded ass off, starting by waiting tables at my Catholic church bingo at 13 and babysitting, worked all through HS and college. My parents paid for my undergrad (I went cheap to a state school in Jersey) and I am still paying off my grad school loans.
There’s a great piece about the republican ethos since Roosevelt’s new deal from dailykos, I know you probably hate it, but it’s pretty interesting stuff:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo.....93041/0587
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Giselle,
My arguments were non-partisan. In this case, I was speaking to the behaviors, not the party affiliation.