Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Pearson gets half of it right; Senator Lauzen and Rep. Chapa LaVia Streaming

Revised and links added at 12:55 pm on Thursday
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Rick Pearson reports tonight at the Chicago Tribune newsblog:

Conservative Carpentersville businessman Jack Roeser is siding with state Rep. Chris Lauzen of Aurora over the man he backed last year for governor--if former House Speaker Dennis Hastert opts not to seek re-election to Congress.[See here].

Of course, it is State Senator, not State Rep., Chris Lauzen. Indeed, Pearson discusses, in another portion of the article, that Lauzen was one of the Fab 5 State Senate Republican candidates who ran and won in 1992. Maybe the Tribune should start editing its newsblog—a lot of bloggers actually edit their copy before posting their items. You would think the MSM could do the same.

Senator Lauzen has been in the State Senate for fifteen years. He lost when he ran for State Comptroller in 1998 against the office’s current office holder, Dan Hynes, but he kept his State Senate seat. He remembered, “Don’t ever give up your base. Senator Lauzen is a consistent economic and cultural conservative. Those are his principles. He believes in them and is much admired by the Republican Party conservative base for doing so.

You can watch Senator Lauzen [R-Aurora] give some of his views on the 14th Cong. Dist. race and issues, as well as on state legislative issues, by going here.

Because Public Affairs is fair and balanced, you may also watch State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia [D-Aurora] give some of her views on the 14th Cong. Dist. race and issues, as well as on state legislative issues, by going here. However, the odds of Rep. Chapa LaVia jumping into the 14th CD race, even if Cong. Hastert jumps out, seem to be falling rapidly.

Roeser wants Oberweis, who Jack Roeser has supported in the past, to sit this one out so that the conservatives don’t split their vote and end up nominating a moderate again, as they did in 2006 when Senator Bill Brady drained sufficient votes from conservative Oberweis to hand the Republican Party gubernatorial nomination to "moderate," Topinka, who went on to lose by ten points to incumbent Democrat Rod Blagojevich.

Oberweis came in second to State Rep. Jim Durkin in the 2002 Republican Senate Primary; came in second to Jack Ryan in the 2004 Republican Senate Primary and came in second to Judy Baar Topinka in the 2006 Republican Gubernatorial Primary.

Jim Oberweis, the Sugar Grove dairyman [Oberweis ice cream, milk, etc.] and money manager entreprenuer [Oberweis Securities, Oberweis Asset Management and Oberweis Funds] had the support of then Speaker Denny Hastert [R-Plano] in his first primary run for the Senate in 2002.

Hastert, however, became disenchanted with Oberweis' strong anti-illegal immigration position which conflicted with the gentler and kinder comprehensive immigration reform efforts of President Bush and the Republican establishment, an individual and group who were near and dear to the accidental, but longest lasting, Republican Speaker. Oberweis lost the Speaker's support in 2004 and it is doubtful he could get it back.

On the other hand, Senator Lauzen, with his unflagging opposition to pork and strong support for reform and efficiency in government is not someone the former Speaker can tolerate either. Former Speaker Hastert is more of a go along, get along kind of politician. While espousing conservative economic principles, Hastert believes those in government need at least some "grease," to make the system work. Senator Lauzen, on the other hand, is not a "grease," kind of pol. And, Lauzen's questioning of the desirability of the Speaker's beloved Prairie Parkway project is perhaps the final blow against Lauzen winning support from the Speaker. Thus, it would appear that the Speaker is still in the hunt for a candidate he would like to succeed him.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox and many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
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