IL-14: Hastert Is In

[ccharles000]

http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/5085/il14-hastert-is-in

No, Denny the Hutt isn't looking to abort his retirement... but his son, attorney Ethan Hastert, is gearing up to challenge Democratic Rep. Bill Foster for his dad's old seat. From Roll Call:

Attorney Ethan Hastert (R) has filed to run for his father's former Congressional seat in 2010. The son of former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) announced Monday that he has opened a campaign committee for his bid in the 14th district, according to a report in the Kane County Chronicle.
The junior Hastert told Roll Call prior to his announcement that he has discussed the bid with his father, who "knows I'm doing it for the right reasons."

The Hastert name carries some force in the district, so young Ethan will have that on his side. However, the 14th CD -- like much of the suburban Chicagoland area -- is not the reliable GOP turf as it used to be. Foster won the district twice in 2008 by convincing margins (including a 57% win in November), while the district embraced Obama over McCain by a 55-44 margin. Ethan will have to bring more than just a pretty name to the table... but so far, his lines of attack fail to rise above vapid platitudes:


Ethan Hastert, 31, is the only Republican so far to announce a bid in the western suburban Chicagoland district. He has never run for political office before.
"Generally, what I've been hearing is that people are not happy, not satisfied with our current leadership in Washington," he told the Kane County Chronicle. "Quite frankly, people are ready for the next generation of leadership."

Good luck with that, Ethan.


http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/5085/il14-hastert-is-in

[Raine1967]

1. Oh dear lawd -- pass me some beef.

really?

Can we stop generational politics already? I am SO tired of it.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. It's really gotten bad in Illinois.

I'm in the next district over from IL 14 and it's getting almost comical here.

[Kittycat]

2. I'm in IL14

and dreading the shitstorm of mailers and crazy robocalls. We thought Oberweis, the perennial loser was a slimeball... I can't wait to see what this fucker has up his crooked sleeve.

[dalaigh lllama]

6. I'm in IL14, too, and was ecstatic when Foster won

It's such a pleasure having someone with a brain representing us. I've only been here two years, tho, so not sure how well-regarded Hastert Senior was at the end. I know some weren't too thrilled with him leaving in the middle of his term, sticking us with the cost of a special election.

[Kittycat]

7. Not to mention the nightmare of dealing with...

The Prairie Parkway.

[jaxx]

3. I wish they let the whole state vote for each district reps.

Hastert is a no win down this way. We have someone going against Hare in the 17th.

[riderinthestorm]

5. I'm in IL14 and I'll say it, Foster needs to get his shit together to hold the seat.

4 weeks ago I emailed him to express my views regarding my desire for single payer healthcare.

I got a form letter back thanking me for articulating my pro-choice position and assuring me that Foster is also pro-choice. :wtf:

So I called. Got a nice lady. Told her there must be some kind of glitch and that I had emailed about the health care situation and got a form letter about abortion. So I was calling to 1. inform them about the glitch and 2. express my views on single payer. They said they understood.

So last Friday, I emailed Foster again to express my views on DADT - just trying to get my voice out there on that subject.

Got the abortion form letter AGAIN today. There's been some ugly rumors about access to Foster - that he's very uh, restrictive (ie. only sees those connected to big bucks). Now I'm sure every politician grubs with the money if they have a choice, they have to raise big bucks. I get that. But the two times I've tried to connect via email haven't been very encouraging.

Don't get me wrong, Foster's my guy and I'll vote for him. Gawd forbid we ever go back to a Hastert (and I really hate generational politics as well, this nonsense has got to stop) but Foster's got some communication issues percolating that he better take care of....

[Hippo_Tron]

8. Find out who his Legislative Correspondent is and ask if you can speak to that person

And when you call, just inform them of the problem, don't bring up any other issues.