From The Hill:

The FBI and U.S. Capitol Police are investigating an online threat made against Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.) offering a $75,000 reward for his assassination.

Schilling learned of the threat in an email alert Tuesday night, according to his spokeswoman, Andrea Pivarunas. Sherriff’s deputies reportedly responded to the congressman’s district home, and have passed the matter on to the FBI and Capitol Police.

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A friend from Northern Virginia reports that, much like toadstools in the rain, a large number of “Republicans for Connolly” signs sprouted with the opening of the polls.  The signs are in the same color scheme as the more traditional Connolly yard signs.  Apparently, the Connolly campaign gets discounts for bulk printing.

A “Republicans for…” organization would not be a bad strategy for a Democrat in this climate.  However, you would a) want to actually have a few Republicans to point to and b) you would want to launch the organization sooner than 12 hours before the polls close.

Nice try Gerry.  I hope lobbying works at better for you.

A much more shameless act of elephant envy occurred here in Illinois on Friday.  Every ten years, State Supreme Court Justices have to be “retained” by the voters.  Nobody else is on the ballot.  The ballot simply asks whether the Supreme Court Justice should be retained, and sixty percent of the voters have to say “yes.”

In the history of Illinois, no justice has ever not been retained.  These guys die in office.

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When I learned over the weekend that the Free Vietnamese Mutual Association of Quad Cities will support Illinois Republican Bobby Schilling in his bid to unseat liberal Democrat incumbent Phil Hare in the 17th Congressional District race, I was reminded of a story I published Aug. 19.

That story focused on the hardships, past and present, endured by Thi Nguyen. Now going by her American name, Teresa Pershall, she told me some incredible things about the hardship and oppression that accompanied communism in her native Vietnam. In addition, she drew my attention to hardships she is enduring today as a small business owner in St. Peters, Mo.

An excerpt from that article appears below:

Asked to describe what it was like to live under communism, she said, “It’s a really wonderful life for people who work for the government and a really horrible life for those who work outside the government.”

Comparing government officials to “sticks” who are willing to cover up for each other and accept mediocrity as long as it allows them to enrich themselves, she went on to highlight corruption as one of the biggest problems she saw in Vietnam.

“One stick, you can break it,” she said. “One chopstick, you can break it. But one-hundred chopsticks, you cannot break.”

In other words, it’s hard to get rid of crooked politicians once corruption becomes the norm.

Though I’ve not had no direct contact with the FVMA, I have been told by people in Illinois’ 17th CD that the group is comprised of individuals who, like Pershall, fled their homeland for many of the same reasons as Pershall and eventually landed in the heartland of the United States: They wanted to escape oppression and enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That in mind, it should come as no surprise to anyone that members of the FVMA are backing Schilling, a small business owner with labor union experience, instead of Phil Hare, the man who has been described as having lived a “year of foolishness” and said, among other things, “I don’t worry about the Constitution to be honest.”

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Barely one week before election day, it’s time to review what I like to call the “year of foolishness” lived out loud by U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, a liberal Democrat running for reelection in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.

On Dec. 16, 2009, Hare told Chris Matthews’ MSNBC audience he would welcome terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to Thomson, Ill., essentially placing “economic stimulus” for a small Illinois town above proven national security benefits of the secure facility in Cuba.

Almost four months later, he uttered words that would elevate his nationwide visibility for all the wrong reasons: “I don’t worry about the Constitution to be honest.”

On June 3, Hare was told by real veterans that he needed to stop calling himself a veteran and, a day later, news of his threats against a veteran made the news.

Two months later, Hare was passed over for “promotion” when a Sgt. John F. Baker Jr. endorsed his opponent, Bobby Schilling. In response, one of his supporters devalued the Medal of Honor recipient in a letter to the editor of a district newspaper.

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There are only 13 days left until Election Day and I need your help to flip this district.

The latest poll shows us leading Congressman Hare 44% – 41% and according to Politico, this is the 5th hottest race in the country.

The Hill just published a story that said that we are beating Hare by 7 points.

Our message of creating jobs, not more government, is resonating with Americans.  We have momentum and will work around the clock to ensure victory.

However, groups like the Democratic Congressional Committee and the SEIU are spending more than $1 million to promote false advertisements against me and this race will come down to the final day and dollar.

We need real change.  Our economy is hemorrhaging jobs, spending is out of control and small businesses around the country lack the certainty needed to expand.  Sending out-of-touch, career politicians back to Washington will not fix these problems.

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Since the advent of YouTube, a number of politicians have seen their political careers derailed after some boneheaded comment was caught on tape. Rep. Phil Hare has outdone everyone though, by having TWO separate boneheaded statements caught on tape.

Given his terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad polling numbers and the fact his attempt at reelection has become a nationally targeted race, its no wonder he is trying to deny want we can see with our own eyes.

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If you saw the front page of the latest edition of QUAD CITIES LABOR NEWS, you probably noticed an article under the headline, WHAT’S WITH ALL THE BILLBOARDS? Unfortunately, the article beneath the headline fails to offer a truthful answer to the question and, in fact, stinks of desperation.

The article begins with the following inaccurate description of the nonprofit group behind the placement of election-focused billboards in the Quad Cities area:

Perhaps you’ve seen them. They disparage Phil Hare while saying little about who is paying for them. The group behind the billboards on 11th Ave. in Rock Island and River Drive in Moline is a front group for Bobby Schilling called Veterans4Schilling.

In the remaining paragraphs of the labor union rag, truth seems to be an afterthought.

In the second paragraph, for example, it’s claimed that “The Federal Election Commission has already filed a complain against Veterans4Schilling for unethical practices” and it’s alleged that the group changed its name to Veterans4Constitution after the complaint was filed.

First, everyone knows the Federal Election Commission did not file any complaints. It was an operative of Hare — one James L. Moody — who filed the Aug. 27 complaint with the FEC. Second, one needs only read the complaint to see that Moody directed his “beef” at Veterans 4 Constitution, not Veterans 4 Schilling.

As for the claim that appears in the third paragraph (i.e., that none of the Republican candidates endorsed by the veterans group were veterans), I’d love to find out why Robert Enriquez, the GOP candidate for Illinois Secretary of State, doesn’t qualify as a veteran in the eyes of the labor folks. After all, he served as a Marine Corps officer and completed two overseas tours.

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Uh, oh! Phil Hare, the incumbent Democrat running for re-election in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, is at it again, apparently sore at veterans like Medal of Honor recipient John F. Baker Jr. who are supporting his opponent, Republican Bobby Schilling.

With the help of James L. Moody, chairman of the Sangamon County (Ill.) Democratic Party, Hare — the same guy who said, “I don’t worry about the Constitution,” when asked about the Constitutionality of ObamaCare — filed a complaint Aug. 27 with the Federal Election Commission.

Hare’s target: Veterans for the Constitution, a group of military veterans whose stated mission is to seat Conservative leaders who truly represent the people and do not see the Constitution as an obstacle but as a document the founding fathers intended be upheld at all costs. The group, according to spokesperson Ken Moffett, is comprised of only a handful of active members who have managed to raise a whopping $6,000.

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On Aug. 1, I reported here and on BigGovernment.com the fact that Bobby Schilling, the Republican challenger to Democrat incumbent U.S. Rep. Phil Hare in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, had received the endorsement of Army Sgt. John F. Baker Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient from Illinois. Now, it appears, at least one female supporter of the stumbling, bumbling Hare thinks Baker’s endorsement means little.

In a letter to the editor of the Quad Cities Online® web site, Janet Casillas Ortiz wrote that she was not impressed by Baker’s endorsement of Schilling, because Baker no longer lives in Illinois. In addition, she inferred that Baker’s endorsement is no more meaningful than the endorsement of any other veteran — her husband, daughter and brother, included. Finally, she wondered in writing if “a puppeteer named ‘Bill’ was pulling Mr. Baker’s strings.”

While I appreciate the fact that members of the Ortiz family have served in the military, I must take issue with Mrs. Ortiz — who, it appears, did not serve her country in uniform — and her willingness to discount the value of the service of Baker, a retired Army sergeant and Vietnam veteran who earned his nation’s highest honor for service above and beyond the call of duty on Nov. 5, 1966.

Perhaps, Mrs. Ortiz should read the award citation that President Lyndon B. Johnson read in the East Room of the White House when he paid honor to Baker.

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Hare-brained Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) told constituents this past weekend at an event in Springfield, Illinois that questions about the US Constitution were, “Silly stuff.”

Hare was also asked why the American socialists consider him a member in their ranks. He wouldn’t answer.

This was just one more example of the complete arrogance we see coming from our elitist radical representatives in Washington.

The last time we heard from Phil Hare he told us, “I don’t care about the Constitution.”

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Individuals for whom government buildings, highways and bridges are named usually fall into one of four categories.  They are:

1. Politicians;

2. Wealthy benefactors;

3. War heroes who died on battlefields far from home; or

4. War heroes who lived to tell about their experiences.

As a small token of appreciation, the folks at the Quad Cities Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America held a ceremony Saturday morning in Rock Island, Ill., to dedicate the I-280 bridge in honor of one of those individuals — John F. Baker Jr., a man who, without a shadow of a doubt, falls into the fourth category above.

Baker, a retired Army sergeant and Vietnam veteran, earned his nation’s highest honor — the Medal of Honor — for service above and beyond the call of duty on Nov. 5, 1966. The award citation read by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the East Room of the White House included the following language:

“Sgt. Baker’s selfless heroism, indomitable fighting spirit, and extraordinary gallantry were directly responsible for saving the lives of several of his comrades, and inflicting serious damage on the enemy. His acts were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.”

Ironically, a man who falls into the first category above was invited to join in honoring Baker but did not. That man was U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, the stumbling, bumbling incumbent Democrat from Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.

Take a look at this video, and you’ll understand why Sergeant Baker used the words below in a letter endorsing Hare’s challenger, Republican Bobby Schilling:

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“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States…”

Rep. Phil Hare, January 3, 2007, Washington D.C.

“I don’t worry about the Constitution…”

Rep. Phil Hare, April 1, 2010, Quincy IL

Three years after my opponent Rep. Phil Hare took his first oath to defend and uphold the Constitution, he voted in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi and other left coast liberals to take away individual freedom from every citizen in the United States.

When he was recently asked at a town hall meeting in Quincy, Ill. why he so stridently supported the Pelosi-Reid Obamacare bill, even though it unconstitutionally forces every U.S. Citizen to buy government approved health insurance or face a state imposed penalty, he stated that he didn’t worry about the constitution.

His decision to knowingly disregard his oath to defend the constitution so that he could support the now infamous Obamacare bill and the Chicago-style, strong-arm tactics that made it’s passage possible reveals a troubling and radical belief that our rights as Americans are not God given but are based on his power as our congressman.

This elitist, out of touch mentality that representative Hare has espoused and which has taken hold in our nation’s capital, I believe, must be forcefully rejected.  I am running to replace Representative Hare in Congress in order to get rid of Obamacare, the elitist ideology that it represents and to restore the trust of the people of western Illinois

My name is Bobby Schilling. I am the father of 10 beautiful children, a small business owner and I care about the constitution.

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As Moe Lane at Redstate noted, Rep. Phil Hare has forgotten the first rule of holes. When you find yourself in one, stop digging. As Big Government readers know, Rep. Phil Hare (D-Labor) is the Congressman who said he “doesn’t worry about the Constitution” and then mixed up that document with the Declaration of Independence…then said neither of them mattered to him because, well, ObamaCare is important! Or, something like that. As expected, this sparked a firestorm, so Rep. Hare cut his own video. It is below for your viewing pleasure. Our main tip to Hare: Memorize your lines next time. It looks really bad if you have to look at your notes to remind yourself to say that you love the Constitution.

Oh yeah, you can find info on Hare’s opponent, Bobby Schilling, here.

All over the country, voters have been flooding their representatives with calls, letters and emails urging them to kill the current healthcare bill. Instead of killing the healthcare bill, Congress is now talking about the “Slaughter solution.”

Don’t be confused. The “Slaughter solution” has nothing to do with killing the bill. It is actually named after Democratic congresswoman Louise Slaughter, chair of the House Rules Committee. It is a backdoor, parliamentary procedure in which the House can pass the healthcare bill without even voting on it. Certain members of Congress think that the American people are so stupid that this backdoor trick will actually work in fooling them.

It won’t work.

In 1994, the Democrat controlled Congress tried to pass the same type of healthcare overhaul, except this time they called it “Hillarycare.” While Hillarycare didn’t pass, it led to the biggest overturn in power since President Truman. Voters were outraged that Congress even tried such a power grab. I can’t imagine they will react any differently if Congress actually goes through with this overhaul—let alone pass it through a cowardly backhanded technique.

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