Monday, December 18, 2006

Better than Monday Night Football: Sen. Rauschenberger on Obama and DeReg

Senator Steve Rauschenberger [R-Elgin]:If Barack Obama asked my advice, I would [tell him] not to get into the Presidential race. He will inherit seven or eight very powerful enemies...who are going to make much more of his record than he may want made of it now...

Jeff Berkowitz: What is the weakness in his [Obama's] record? If you were working for John Edwards and he said, show me what to argue about in his record, what would you show him?
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Jeff Berkowitz: It sounds like you are saying Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is wrong when he says he wants to freeze residential electric power rates?

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: Absolutely, he is wrong
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Tonight’s City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs, airing throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV], features fourteen year State Senator, 2004 Republican Primary Candidate for U. S. Senator and 2006 Republican Primary candidate for Lt. Gov. Steve Rauschenberger [Elgin]. You may also[Watch the show with Sen. Rauschenberger here].
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The "Public Affairs," podcast page gives you a choice of more than twenty-five episodes of “Public Affairs," including our recent shows with tonight's guest, State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger [R-Elgin], Former Chicago Public School Board President and 2004 Dem. U. S. Senate Primary candidate Gery Chico, State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston] and Chicago Mayoral Candidate Dorothy Brown [D] as well as interviews, discussions or remarks with or by U. S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giulianiand many, many more pols on our video podcast page[Watch here].
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For more about tonight's show in the City of Chicago,including a summary of topics discussed, background information about the featured guest, Senator Rauschenberger, partial transcripts of the show, and links to same, see here.
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This week's suburban edition of Public affairs features former Chicago Public Schools Board President Gery Chico. See here for a "Public Affairs," suburban airing schedule.
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Jeff Berkowitz: …People say timing is everything in politics. Is this Barack Obama’s time? He’s caught on.The buzz is about Barack Obama. This is a time in which there is no Vice-President lined up to run on the Republican side for President, no President lined up to run. It is a completely open race on the Democratic and Republican sides. If Senator Obama waits now, it could be eight years [before he could run again]. He is 45- sure he would [only] be 53…

Senator Steve Rauschenberger [R-Elgin]:If Barack Obama asked my advice, I would [tell him] not to get into the Presidential race. He will inherit seven or eight very powerful enemies, including Hillary Clinton and Edwards and others who are going to make much more of his record than he may want made of it now. Barack Obama has the opportunity to stay focused and to become a leading senator in the Senate. If he were asking my advice, if I were working for him, I would tell him-- let this cup pass. It’s the wrong time, this is what the media wants, not what the voters want.

Jeff Berkowitz: What is the weakness in his [Obama's] record? If you were working for John Edwards and he said, show me what to argue about in his record, what would you show him?

Senator Steve Rauschenberger: Well, they’ll look up his legislative record in Springfield and they will highlight the fact that he carried some extraordinary liberal bills when he was in the majority. That will position him in a way that’s not—[he is] better off building his record, [he should] do some more international travel, stay focused on what the point of being a good U. S. Senator is and prepare, if he is serious about the Presidency.

Jeff Berkowitz: And, wait eight years, if it is necessary?.

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: For a forty five year old, eight years is a walk in the park.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Electricity. It sounds like you are saying Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is wrong when he says he wants to freeze residential electric power rates?

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: Absolutely, he is wrong
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Jeff Berkowitz: They have been frozen for 10 years. You were on the Energy Committee. You were extensively involved in De-Reg ten years ago.

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: Yes, I was one of the authors [of the Energy De-Regulation bill]. I am very proud of---

Jeff Berkowitz: You lowered rates, you froze them for ten years and you said competition would ensue—

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: It has.


Jeff Berkowitz: Has it on the residential level? Because, that is what people say—there is no competition on the residential level.

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: We never expected competition on the residential level.

Jeff Berkowitz: You didn’t?


Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: [Not] until after the price freeze.

Jeff Berkowitz: So once the rates go up, providers will come in and compete? Is that your point?

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: We wanted two things in the first ten years: We wanted to see an active wholesale market, where power producers competed against each other and a network to distribute that electricity. And, second, we wanted to see commercial customers enter the marketplace and see competition. Half of the commercial customers that were on the ComEd system ten years ago are now off of it. There is a robust, commercial competitive market and there is a robust, wholesale, electrical generation market.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, it is working.

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: Now is the time--

Jeff Berkowitz: De-Reg is working?

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: On the commercial level and it would work--

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: It is working on the wholesale level—

Jeff Berkowitz: And it would work on the residential level

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: It will.


Jeff Berkowitz: If rates were to increase which would attract companies to come in, ultimately driving down rates? Or keeping them at a competitive price, whatever that is. Is that your point?

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: And improving the service. I mean cell phone service is not about the lowest $9/month; it is about the best service.

Jeff Berkowitz: [It is about] the choices? What people want and the kinds of electricity and how much to invest and to make sure there aren’t brownouts and all of that stuff.

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: Absolutely. What kind of power they want. Do they want green power?

Jeff Berkowitz: So, this should be the vision that the Republican Party should be articulating on the electricity side?

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: Absolutely. Well, I am talking about it here on [Public Affairs]. We’ve saved billions of dollars nationally with electric deregulation because we are no longer constructing power plants that we don’t need. So, that’s a healthy thing.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, Gov. Rod Blajojevich is wrong when he stands up and says that you have to freeze rates?

Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: He’s right for politics.
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State Senator Steve Rauschenberger [R-Elgin], as was recorded on Dec. 3 and as is airing tonight[8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21, CANTV] on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. You may also[Watch the Rauschenberger program here]. ***************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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