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Below is from 2006 races
(Official Laesch Web Page)
(Official Zamora Web Page) Defeated in primary
Ruben Zamora (D-Aurora), John Laesch are the announced candidates to challenge Speaker Dennis Hastert. In the thread discussing corruption allegations against Hastert Zamora offered to take questions. - Aug 5, 2005
Map mouseover text:
IL-14 Kane, Kendall, DeKalb, Lee, Whiteside, Henry counties
John Laesch
vs Rep. Dennis Hastert
Diaries:
Third hat flung into CD 14! by Kankakee Voice - On Joe Serra entering the race against Dennis Hastert
Serra withdraws
The 411 on Laesch
Click to see full
Site-Meter report.
At about 4:00 pm, Thursday November 3rd, SoapBlox/Chicago got an unexpected visit. It seems that someone was using Speaker of the House, and Illinois 14th District Representitive, Dennis Hastert's personal high-speed internet connection to check out the competitors. (No J Dennis Hastert doesn't really live in Plano Texas. That's just an address that Ameritech uses to register his internet addresses.) They were on the internet googling newly entered Democratic primary challenger Joe Serra. (Hastert was in Washington at the time, busy delaying the vote on U.S. treatment of suspected terrorists).
The visit gives us the opportunity to say hi to the Hastert campaign (Hi guys!) and to more fully examine both his record as well as the positions of his challengers: Reuben Zamora, John Laesch, and Joe Serra.
Say Hello to the Hastert Highway
Imagine what would happen if each member of Congress would give up a prize slab of bacon so the government would be able to use the money to shelter hurricane victims and rebuild New Orleans.... Speaker Dennis Hastert could defer his prized Prairie Parkway, a $200-million-plus project dismissed as a behemoth Sprawlway by hometown critics, and use the money to repair the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
It is fitting that the president is signing the Congressional Highway Transportation Bill in Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert's district, Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense said, "because the speaker's district has the third highest amount of highway pork in the nation."
The bill contains more than 6,371 special projects valued at more than $24 billion, or about 9 percent of the bill's total cost, he said. The distribution of the money for these projects "is based far more on political clout than on transportation need," Ashdown said.
Incredibly, there's even a porcine portion for the transportation committee chairman's state. Imagine that. Better yet, imagine spending $50 million for each constituent this will serve:
Alaska, the third-least populated state, for instance, got the fourth-most money for special projects -- $941 million -- thanks largely to the work of its lone representative, House Transportation Committee Chairman Don Young. That included $231 million for a bridge near Anchorage to be named "Don Young's Way" in honor of the Republican.
That's right. This pig of a bridge project will serve only about 50 people.
New York Times Editorial, Sept. 8, 2005
In searching for an appropriate name for my (50 Miles Out of the Loop) blog, as a voter in the 14th CD, it occurred to me that there was nothing more appropriate than to name it after the sentiment most projected by the man second in line to the Presidency. He always seems to be out of the loop. This epiphany occurred when someone I met described himself as "lonely as a Democrat in Nebraska." When I described myself as "lonely as one of the 11 Democrats in Denny Hastert's district," my Nebraska friend responded, with a quizzical look, "How in the world did THAT happen?"
I knew exactly what he meant.
The Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, or "The Coach," as he is known all over northern Illinois, is very popular in his district. A couple years ago, he moved a ways down the road to a little hovel on 192 acres near the town of Plano, Illinois. Plenty of room for the large, antique car collection, we hear.
And rumor has it that he paid cash for the property. It's nobody's business, from what his spokesmen tell you. All undisclosed. All "spokesmen," too.
"Denny" grew up in the little town of Oswego, the oldest son of a local merchant and restaurant owner. In these parts, and in those days, that was privilege. The better known (and shorter) story of his humble beginning as a successful wrestling coach at a small town high school is a great cover for a middle class guy who used to sleep in his classroom during tests, and who later cashed in on a career in politics.
He has been a great front man for what his Republican colleagues now cynically call the party of Lincoln. A big, 300-lb., affable lug. Shucks. He's known as a quiet back-room dealer who shuns the limelight.
Right.
Hastert has been carrying water for the real speaker, Tom DeLay (that's French, isn't it?) and every corporate interest looking for a seat at the table of power for years. But he's the first to play dumb when it comes time to answer for his actions.
A great example of this is when the Illinois Republican Party, which has been in shambles since the late 90s, voted to draft stark-raving lunatic Alan Keyes as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Hastert claimed he was out of town that day. Not at the meeting. Nope. No Coach. Didn't even know they were going to draft someone that day. Wasn't invited.
We all were born yesterday, right?
So it really is quite a paradox, no? Hastert claims he's out of the loop when the GOP goes over the top (OK, so that's his daily schtick). The press gives him a pass saying he's the quiet, back-room dealer who doesn't like all the attention. And we're the ones who are out of the loop. Did anyone reading this think it was OK when the debt ceiling was raised, when we went over $4 trillion in debt? Anybody reading this think the Speaker of the House of Representatives was supposed to be a mute rubber stamp for any president?
Remember: common criminals don't like attention either. Hastert wants to be known as "The Coach," and that's fine. But we should fire this coach. A source close to Abramoff who asked not to be named because of the continuing Ohio grand jury investigation, said Abramoff lobbied DeLay's office to organize a June 2003 letter -- co-signed by DeLay, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Deputy Whip Eric I. Cantor (R-Va.) -- that endorsed a view of gambling law benefiting the (Indian tribe) Coushattas' desire to block gambling competition by another tribe. Hastert has gutted and emasculated the House Ethics Committee. One would have to wonder if there 'just might be' personal motivations or concerns behind such moves. Between 1999 and 2004, nearly $600,000 from Indian Tribes with Gambling interests, went to the campaign coffers of House Speaker Hastert. One fundraiser, in June 2003, was paid for by notorius lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. BusinessWeek Online reported that Hastert failed to pay for the fundraiser for several years, until a reporter began asking questions.
Chances are pretty slim that this district will ever elect a non-Republican (it hasn't happened since the Civil War). But Paul Hackett's four months in politics sure scared the living hell out of Republicans across the country. As did the recent Democratic wins in Virginia and New Jersey. Hastert's inside loop to Abramoff and DeLay are being exposed more every single day. We can only hope that maybe that will be what finally puts him really out of the loop and 50 years into a prison term.
--(by HRC)
Ruben Zamora's personality shines through in his photograph, he's got attitude, intelligence, passion and grace. He is direct and straight forward, on his Campaign Website, he states that "I am not a politician." It shows. See for example, in the sidebar at right, part of his statement of political values. "Every individual has the right...
To safety at home, in the community and in the world.
To free speech and assembly.
To civil liberties, including the rights of trial by jury, effective counsel, and due process of law.
To privacy, including protection from unwanted invasion or surveillance and unreasonable search and seizure.
To vote and have his or her vote count.
To equal opportunity and protection, with an end to discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, physical or developmental ability or sexual orientation.
To economic justice, including decent and safe work that pays a living wage and the right to organize for better working standards.
To security in retirement, including guaranteed, inflation-proof Social Security.
To affordable and comprehensive health care.
To an affordable quality education at any age.
To a clean and healthy environment where pollution is no longer a threat.
To full reproductive privacy.
To a foreign and military agenda that is responsible, achieves goals that are shared by our global allies, and promotes international cooperation.
To a government that promotes freedom, democracy, justice, and peace in domestic and world affairs."
Zamora is not afraid to tell you exactly where he stands on an issue - a refreshing quality in someone running for a political office in these culturally devisive times in America. While many running for office strive for the middle ground of mediocracy and blandness Zamora was quite forth-right in answering questions put to him at Soapblox Chicago:
Carl Nyberg, Soapblox Chicago:
What did you learn about organizing from your last campaign that will allow you to do better this time?
Ruben Zamora:
Thank you. I have to start earlier and raise more money. I had a volunteer staff that worked their butts off for this campaign and I feel a great debt of gratitude for them and my family. I had the right people, I just didn't have the finances and the time (6 months).
Someone mentioned he/she did not get any material from my office, it is probably true. If you were to breakdown the number of votes I received divided into the money spent to get them, it came to 25 cents per vote.
I spent close to $26,000 in 6 months of campaigning and I threw in $8,000 from my personal funds. I don't think we could have run a more efficient campaign for 87,000 votes. Not many people know that I ran after being unemployed for over one year because I no longer qualified to teach because of No Child Left Behind.
My campaign debt was approximately $4,500 at the end of the day. Although it may seem low compared to others, this campaign was a major committment from my family. I worked 17-20 hours per day the last month of the campaign. I had to, there was so much work!
The promise to my family this time is that I will run only if I get the financial support necessary to run a winning campaign. I believe this should be $350,000. This will enable my staff and I to work full-time and enable the campaign to get out the message.
Once again, I cannot thank all the people that came forward that volunteered with fundraising, answering phones, event support, and lit drops. I also want to thank the many voters who trusted me. I will always be grateful. But it comes down to whether people want new leadrship in Congress or more Hastert. What's it worth to you?
Michael in Chicago, Soapblox Chicago:
What do you see as the most important issues facing the 14th District, and what plans, if any, do you have for addressing them?
Ruben Zamora:
There are many pressing needs in the 14th district, but foremost are jobs. We have lost many manufacturing jobs to outsourcing, NAFTA, and WTO. I am especially angered by the laws that allow companies to steal pensions as part of bankruptcy proceedings.
I believe we need to create new opportunities. We need to take advantage of federal funds for small business start ups and encourage residents to become entrepreneurs.
We have concerns about traffic congestion and I Here are Zamora Values:
"A nation ruled by hope, not fear.
A democracy where the citizens are the first priority instead of corporations.
Security at home through diplomacy and mended international relationships.
Protecting human, civil, and immigrant rights.
Campaign finance reform.
A fair, re-prioritized system of taxation." propose a network of electric rails to transport commuters and products. Alongside the rails, we could bury internet and DSL cables to reach areas currently without service.
I also believe we need to create a system of renewable sources of energy. Wind and solar technologies would be best. Although I could harp on what we don't have, I believe we should concentrate on what can be. Although other issues such as healthcare and education are prominent, jobs are still foremost.
Zamora's biography states that he is the fourth youngest of a Mexican-American, migrant family of 11 children.(That right there proves he has the skills to survive and thrive in Congress.) In his biography he is emphatic about his family sacraficing to educate Ruben and his brothers and sisters. He knows the value of an education, he learned it the hard way - he and his family worked for it.
Ruben and his wife, Nadia, have been married 18 years and have two teenage sons, ages 17 and 14. They live in Aurora, Illinois.
--(by Kankakee Voice)
A Fighting Dem?
"The Majority Report's Sam Seder and Markos Moulitsas of DailyKos.com will be introducing and checking in with soldiers who've had enough of Republican Washington and have decided to fight back."
John Laesch has to be a complicated personality. He grew up for 12 years in Africa as a child of Christian missionaries. After moving to a small farm in central Illinois, he became a soccer athlete in high school and then went into the Navy. Laesch graduated as an Intelligence Analyst for the United States Navy and served in the Middle East for three years.
A life exposed to realities such as he must have witnessed growing up in Africa will have a strong progressive pull. Very probably that pull is what led him next to go to Illinois State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in History and minors in Political Science and Communications, and then after that to join the 2004 campaign of Dr. David Gill for Illinois' 15th Congressional District seat.
We here at SoapBlox/Chicago first learned of the Laesch campaign on October 16 from a Lefty Blogs article from WurfWhile . A quick scan for Laesch's issues (See Sidebar) quickly revealed a solid progressive stance.
Our only concern was the way he had worded his Iraq war approach. Calling for something named a "Success Strategy" leaves room for a lot of possibilities, some that even a Lieberman could support.
So in an Oct. 20th article we made a comparsion between the looming Brown vs Hackett race in Ohio, with the easy comparison of Laesch and Hackett.
Laesch Issues Page
• A health care system that ensures every American has access to affordable healthcare without overburdening government resources.
• An economy that puts the needs of Main Street before the desires of Wall Street while defending the American Dream for future generations.
• An education system that expands upon the dedication of family, promotes responsibility, and rewards achievement while opening the door to infinite possibilities.
• A national energy policy that focuses on reducing foreign energy dependence and national consumption, promotes alternative energy sources and strives for sustainability
• A foreign policy that includes a Success Strategy for Iraq in the short-term and respects other nations; safeguards our security, the environment and workers rights in the long-term
• A political system that works to ensure the integrity of our electoral system, increases voter turnout and reduces the influence of special interest groups.
We were soon challenged on the assumption that Zamora might be more "progressive" than Laesch by a newcomer here at SoapBlox/Chicago.
Clint Raulsten:
"Laesch not progressive?!? (0.00 / 0)
ROFLMAO Sorry I had to get that out of the way. Now can someone please tell me why they believe that Laesch isn't as progressive as Zamora. I mean really, the guy backed Kucinich and Doc Gill. If anything I think that Laesch has shown more commitment to the progressive cause by traveling to work on other progressive campaigns before deciding to run for office."
A quick google of Clint showed that he was John Laesch's campaign manager. A request to add that information to his signature was readily done. And so was a response to our concerns about Laesch's Iraq postions. Clint Raulsten again: "The clarification is in response to questions raised here on Soapblox/Chicago, and John and I both look forward to a friendly and open dialogue on the issues." The response included the following: Iraq War
The situation in Iraq is a quagmire. As a Naval Intelligence Analyst, I had access to the same Top Secret documents that the Bush Administration manipulated to pound the drums of war. The war with Iraq was unjust, and has only made our country less-safe. To "succeed" in Iraq, we must:
- Put an end to "no-bid" contracts and war profiteering by corporate friends of the current administration
- Engage the United Nations and the Arab League in developing a government free of oppression for the Iraqi people
- Set-up a clear timetable for an honorable withdrawal of our men and women in uniform and communicate this timetable to the people of Iraq
- End the construction of permanent U.S. military bases in the region
- Forever abandon the doctrine of pre-emptive war
--(by Jeff Wegerson)
Joe Serra is a lifelong liberal who has found his activist voice in the last few elections. This is his first campaign as he has decided to "put his money where his mouth is" so-to-speak. He is a lifelong Illinois resident and has lived in the 14th district since he was 10 years old. He currently lives in Geneva with his wife Janet and their six children.
Serra Issues Page
I promise to focus all of my energy towards serving everyone of Illinois Congressional District 14 as well as focusing on these issues which are important to the well being of our country; * Secure our homeland by increasing the size and scope of our Military, but most importantly today, bringing our military back home where they belong to guard our borders and our cities and restore honor to our foreign policy. * Provide real tax breaks to for low and middle-income families, especially those that are struggling to raise children. * Promote fiscal responsibility in our government and reduce the national debt so that we can meet our responsibilities to our children's future. * Support small businesses, by providing tax breaks that would give small business owners, who have been devastated by Hastert's Big Business Only policies, new opportunities to not only survive but to grow. * End tax breaks to businesses that have Dennis Hastert in their pocket and that send your badly needed jobs overseas. End all tax breaks for companies that break their promise and cut retiree benefits. * Work with Pharmaceutical Companies to establish lower costs for the Medicare prescription drug benefit. * Provide universal health care coverage for every American. * Invest in technologies of the future like alternative energies that will create thousands of jobs. * Support organizations such as The Apollo Alliance that researches ways in which America can become energy independent.
Joe Serra's entry into the race was first publicized here with a diary by Kankakee Voice entitled Third hat flung into CD 14! The diary itself was derived from a comment, "Well this is getting interesting!", by poemless on a story about the IL-14 Democratic primary, "Zamora/Laesch campaign proposal?", and its similarity to the '06 Ohio Senate Democratic primary.
The original post, Joe Serra for Congress 2006 (CD14), was made on a Democracy for America / Illinois blog. Joe's campaign is still in its infancy, but he has a web site up (that is continually being updated) at www.serra06.com. We also offered him the forum to answer some of our questions, which he gladly took us up on.
When asked about his goals in running, Joe referred to his issues page and focused his thoughts, but also provided the following as a hint as his top priority.
I will Provide real tax breaks to for low and middle-income families, especially those that are struggling to raise children. Dennis Hastert gave the wealthiest Americans a gift while he gave the middle class and the poor a lump coal. The poor in this country, which I consider myself to be, have taken a beating by Hastert and his gang Delay, Cheney and Bush. But we are still here and we are worse off than before. I am going to take away the tax breaks for the rich and provide a tax break for the poor and middle class - the deserving members of our society - the people who actually sweat and toil and do the work in our Country. This is a priority issue for me. (by ltsply2) |
