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What does it mean for the voters of the 10th Congressional District when the Tea Party decries Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) and Democratic challenger Brad Schneider of Deerfield just won a spirited primary after being labeled as “Republican Light” by one of his opponents?
Local party leaders along with both Schneider and Dold expect it to mean an issues-based campaign for the seat in the Nov. 6 general election.
People like Northfield Township Democratic Committeeman Mike Kreloff of Northbrook and Moraine Township Republican Chairman Lou Atsaves of Lake Forest also think it will mean a contest between moderates with broad appeal.
“The Tea Party members aren’t very enthralled with Dold,” Atsaves said. “When the extreme right wing of my party calls him a moderate, he must be one.”
Kreloff, who was one of the first Democratic officials to try to temper the bickering between supporters of Schneider and Ilya Sheyman, thinks Schneider has the credentials to attract voters with Democratic values who supported Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park) as a congressman.
“The way we win is by addition,” Kreloff said. “Brad exhibits the kind of person who can attract that kind of voter as well as maintain the base. Those are the people we need. Let’s hope it happens.”
Schneider came under criticism from Sheyman and a number of groups supporting the Waukegan community organizer for donations made to Kirk and a few other Republicans. The contributions were made in support of the United States Israel Relationship.
Kreloff Led Effort to Cool Primary
While Kreloff led the Northfield Township Democrats effort to endorse no candidate in the primary, other Democrats want some persuasion from Schneider to offer enthusiastic support in the fall.
“We worked for 10 years to unelect Kirk and Brad supported him,” Nancie Blatt of Lincolnshire said. She was one of the founders of the Tenth Congressional District Democrats. She plans to vote for Schneider though she did not support him in the primary.
After supporting former state Rep. Lauren Beth Gash (D-Highland Park) in her narrow loss to Kirk in 2000, Schneider displayed independence when he started to support Kirk. He did not support Dold.
“He was a leader,” Schneider said of Kirk. “He had a keen understanding of the U.S.-Israel relationship. It wasn’t for nothing he was mentioned at the Aipac conference,” he added referring to the group’s annual Policy Conference earlier this month. “(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu mentioned him three times in his speech.”
Dold Breaks With Party on Transportation Bill
Earlier this week, Dold showed his own independence by sending a letter to House leadership along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Charles Bass (R-NH), Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) and Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale) supporting the Senate version of the transportation bill.
“After talking to people in the District we determined what small business needs is certainty,” Dold said explaining his reason for breaking with party leadership. “A series of short term extensions provides too much uncertainty.” Funding for mass transit was a key reason for Dold’s decision.
Both Schneider and Dold plan a positive campaign distinguishing themselves to citizens on the issues. “I hope it will be about how we are perceived on the issues by the people who will vote,” Dold said.
Some of Schneider’s ideas for general election contest echo the same concern for small business voiced by Dold. “What is the best way to get small business investing in the future again,” Schneider said of his concerns. “Is the government working? Is Congress working?”
Atsaves does not expect negative campaigning to come from either Dold or Schneider, but he worries about the effect of special interests.
“Outside groups are the ones who could turn it negative,” Atsaves said. “I’ll be sorry to see the super pacs come in here.”
RB
7:52 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I would label Dold as part of the problem in Congress, as a Freshman Republican who signed the Grover Norquist pledge never allowing him to compromise on new revenue. I want a Congessman who is willing to compromise. Until and if, Dold renounces his allegiance to Norquist...he is part of the problem.
The budget will never balance without spending cuts, tax reform and new revenue. Dold has sold his position on new revenue, thus unwilling to compromise. Compromising is how things get done in Congress.
Ross Ray
8:17 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
RB, if you would get your head out of your you know what and look at facts rather than leftisit extreme talking points, you would see that Congressman Dold is one of the few centrist congressman supporting the LaTorrette-Cooper budget plan. That takes the recommendations of the Simpson-Bowles. See think link: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/218361-centrists-offer-bipartisan-bowles-simpson-budget-amendment-
Wasn't Brad Schneider calling himself a bold progressive just a few days ago. Brad also was very clear is arguing that these donations had everything to do with pro-Israel positions and that he now wishes that he had never donated to Mr. Kirk, and not an indication of moderation on other issues.
RB
11:13 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
If Mr. Dold is so intent upon 'really' being a moderate, he should ask to revoke his signature to the pledge that he would never ever (strong limiting words) vote for tax reform that includes $1 of new revenue. He appealed to the Tea Party to get elected, and of he want to appeal to a moderate base in his District, he needs to void that pledge! Is he really okay with revenue increases? If so, he should be front and center to revoke his pledge. How can he not, if he is actually moderate and actually willing to listen to all sides. Remember, he pledged he would not listen to anything that included a revenue increase. He can't have his cake and eat it too! He's a fake unless he takes back his pledge.
F.M.
9:30 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The flaw in Sadin's premise here is that Brad went to great lengths to prove himself as a "progressive" - Bob never cloaked himself in tea party rhetoric nor sent out a dozen mailers calling himself a tea partier. You can only say Schneider is a moderate if you for some reason choose to ignore the progressive label he repeatedly gave to himself and went to great lengths to stress, and instead base it on the attacks from a primary opponent he and others roundly condemned for being off base. His campaign manager said there's no ideological difference between him and Ilya!
Louis G. Atsaves
4:53 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
RB is fixated on the Norquist matter and thus, by staring at a grain of sand, misses the entire beach. Sadly, that is what "political debate" has degenerated into these day.
RB
5:01 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I'm centered on this issue with Mr, Dold because I want a representative who did not sell out his ability to compromise. If its such a small deal why does he not release a PR piece to the Patch that he takes back his alliegence to Norquist and is willing to at least consider new revenue if deemed necessary to help get the budget mess straightened out. I could be 'fixated' about his vote to allow the default and credit rating reduction, but that's for another day.
Ross Ray
8:22 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
RB, you aren't paying attention. You are fixated on one pledge and give it way more significance than it actually merits. You need to stop regurgitating DCCC talking points and start paying attention. You are probably too lazy to read the link the the Hill article titled: "House centrists to offer Bowles-Simpson plan as budget substitute" but here is a quote- "The fiscal commission’s recommendations, authored by former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson (Wyo.), would reduce the defict through a combination of spending cuts and revenue increases from tax reform." http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/218361-centrists-offer-bipartisan-bowles-simpson-budget-amendment-
RB
1:51 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012
I understand about Simpson Bowles- very well thank you. I don't need to read your link. My point remains...he can't be for new revenue (whether part of SB or not) until he renounces his alliegence to Grover Norquist. He's afraid to. He can't have his cake and eat it too. Is he okay with new Revenue as you state or is he a liar for signing a pledge that he would never consider it? I guess one is a contract he signed to get elected before and one is campaign rhetoric to get elected this time around.
If he removes his support for Norquist then I might listen about his 'support' of SB.
Ross Ray
8:23 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
What is more interesting are all the hyper-partisan pledges of spending increases Brad Schneider has made to all the liberal special interest groups.
Ellen Beth Gill
8:47 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
I love Dold's new label as a moderate. He ran against Coulson as the tea party candidate in the 2010 primary. He was a candidates of the Palatine Tea Party. He ran so far to the right of Coulson that even Lake County's Corporationist Republican blogger endorsed Coulson over Dold in 2010.
Louis G. Atsaves
9:15 am on Friday, March 30, 2012
Ellen Beth Gill as usual rewrites history. At no time did Dold EVER run as a Tea Party candidate. Other candidates during that GOP primary were much further to the right than Dold. But all that is now conveniently forgotten by extremists like Ms. Gill.
Of course, with the positions that Ms. Gill takes, 99% of the public's views are extreme right or tea party views. Bet she would never ever dream of being part of the 1%! Nice to see the U.S. Supreme Court asking some hard questions on that unpopular national health care bill the Democrats rammed through, you know the one that Ms. Pelosi stated that we could read after it passed!
RB
9:31 am on Friday, March 30, 2012
Bush's Political Supreme Court. Bush 43, the gift that just keeps on giving.
Mr. Dold signed a contract that he would never vote to increase revenue. So, how could he suddenly be for Simpson - Bowles? It's election season that's how.
Tony
6:23 pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012
RB - I am a conservative but I am not beholden to Grover Norquist. But I can see why politicians are. Raising taxes is never popular and it is rarely a winning election strategy. Others are on this comment chain are correct in that it's a distraction by you to be so obsessed with it. The reason for the pledge is simply that no serious steps will ever, I mean ever really be taken to reduce wasteful spending as long as we have access to new "revenue" by those evil rich people. If you don't believe that there are countless examples of bureaucratic redundancies going on in Washington, multiple departments working on the same issues, fraud, cronyism, etc, then you are blinded by your ideology. There is no revenue problem with our federal government.
Sam Joesph
6:46 am on Monday, April 2, 2012
Dold has proven to be an Independent. Schneider and the extreme Progressives have been disingenuous at best. Also, raising taxes won't fix the record high debt we've built up over the past three years, and it won't fix our entitlement programs that are driving this debt.
http://www.cq.com/graphics/weekly/2012/01/16/wr20120116-02prezsupport-cht4.pdf
http://www.nationaljournal.com/voteratings2011/searchable-vote-ratings-tables-house-20120223
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/bob_dold/412420