John Laesch news from The Hill. It'll make you smile.

[BuyingThyme]

In the days since Foley resigned, Democrat John Laesch raked in $40,000 from online contributions. He has had to reorder yard signs and install new phone lines in his campaign headquarters in Yorkville, Ill.

"Over the weekend, there were 20 to 30 people in the office that I’d never seen before," Laesch told The Hill. "People were coming in with a $100 check and asking for a yard sign."

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/100506/campaign.html

http://www.john06.com/

ON EDIT: Laesch (D) is challenging Hastert (R).

[barb162]

1. That's great

(But I still think Hastert will hold that seat. He's pretty popular in his district; at least until a few weeks ago)

[Erika]

2. How can Hastert be popular after his dereliction of duty?

Beyond me.

[barb162]

5. I saw some interviews this weekend with people in his

district. Trust me; he's extremely popular in his district and brings a lot of pork projects back to his district

[EST]

3. So cool!

What does this represent?
Fence sitters who are finally convinced that the prevailing crooks are a complete disaster?

Closet dems who found the courage to "come out?"

Desperate poor people who are now willing to gamble the Christmas money or put off needed purchases in order to try to turn the country around?

Interesting to speculate.

[madfloridian]

4. Mother Jones has a great article and pic and audio about him.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2006/10/laesch.html

[BuyingThyme]

6. Love that John Laesch headshot.

For $40,000 you get this:



For $3,600,000 you get this:

[madfloridian]

7. He's a cutie.

:hi:

[PhilYerHead]

8. And Hastert "rooms" with who? Oh, yes, of course his chief of staff,

"chief of Staff", Scottie Palmer. Oh my.

Where are the "Christian Conservatives" on this??

[flyarm]

15. Where are the "Christian Conservatives" on this??PhilYerHead ..THEY ARE

THEY ARE HYPOCRITES...

plain and simple..they are hypocrites!!

It seems they only care about unborn children ..BUT SERVE born CHILDREN UP TO THE REPUB PARTY FOR PEDOPHILE republican representatives AND MURDER IN IRAQ for a lie of a war to protect their party with no regard to life!!

AND they dish up the world's children for PROSTITUTES IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS..FOR republican corporate PROFIT! and closet republican pedophiles!

think Tom Delay and Abramoff and the christian coalition!!

fly

[mucifer]

18. Exactly I think the Marianas Island scandal is much more horrible

than the foley one. The press however doesn't seem to think so. Forcing girls into prostitution and making abramoff delay republican dollars off of it and the only time I hear about this issue is on Air America Radio.

[cui bono]

16. it's a common practice to share apts since costs are high...

there's no speculation or evidence that they're lovers.

Let's not act like freepers please.

[never_get_over_it]

23. I heard today that it is NOT common for a member of Congress

to room with their chief of staff - but other members of Congress - it was on a radio show most likely AAR - and in fact whoever was saying it they said they knew of NO other case of a member of Congress sharing an apartment with staff. I have no idea what it means about their relationship - but it apparently IS unusual.

[kestrel91316]

26. Hahahahaha.......... hahahahahaha.............

[helderheid]

9. made me smile

[Beetwasher]

10. What's The Latest Poll Numbers on that Race?

Haven't seen any.

[riderinthestorm]

12. heh. Jinx!

[riderinthestorm]

11. Can anyone find any links to recent polling in this race?

I tried a quick search this morning, didn't spend a lot of time, but couldn't find anything recent.

[BuyingThyme]

17. I haven't seen anything in the past week or so, but they're

still trying to write John off.

[Renew Deal]

13. Laesch (R) is challenging Hastert (D).

[KharmaTrain]

14. I Was One Of 'Em

Glad to throw some money in the district with more on the way.

boooosh and hastert are supposed to appear with Roskum...I wonder if that party is still on and if there's some DU'ers who will be checking out the fun...

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

19. I am seeing Laesch signs EVERYWHERE

Driving to work this morning I saw probably a dozen, and I don't remember seeing more than one or two Hastert signs. I don't know how reliable a predictor this is, and I'm probably in one of the more Democratic areas of his district, but I think it's a good sign. As the election approaches, more and more people are going to hear about these scandals, and either decide not to vote at all, or to vote for Laesch over Hastert.

[BuyingThyme]

20. I'd love to see this race up close.

You've got to be wondering what Hastert did with that $3.6 mil.

[Tinksrival]

27. Well he made these spiffy pamphlets.....

He is actually starting to campaign for the first time.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

29. Oh yes, I loved that pamphlet.

So much that I used it to line the cat's litter box.

[Vidar]

21. Good for Laesch.

[riderinthestorm]

22. Has Rahm woken up and given this guy some funding yet?

He may not beat Hastert this time, but he will pull within striking distance with just a bit of cash from the DNC.

Which means next time (when Haster DOES retire), Laesch will be primed for takeover. So many Chicagoans are moving west and they are bringing their Democratic sensibilities with them. Laesch is a natural candidate. Please tell me Rahm et al are thinking ahead and giving this guy some cash!

[never_get_over_it]

24. I spoke to the campaign manager

late last week and as of then no money from the DCCC which pisses me off....I sent both DCCC and DNC an email telling them to get out there and help John and just got form letters back not even sure if anyone even read it - I think I'll call tomorrow instead....

[threadkillaz]

25. Dennis Hasbeen soon.

nt

[Bushfire]

28. Great article from the Chicago Reader on Laesch

http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/johnlaesch/

snip

Having hoisted more than a few bales of hay during high school in Kendall County, he enjoys campaigning in the most rural and most Republican parts of the district. “Out there it’s who you are that matters.”

His strategy’s been pieced together from a stint as a labor organizer for the Service Employees International Union, from reading the blogs of political activists across the country, and from the Republicans’ technologically sophisticated get-out-the- vote efforts in 2004 battlegrounds like Ohio. Earlier this year he helped overthrow what he calls a “stagnant” Democratic Party leadership in Kendall County. The new party machinery now claims to have precinct committeemen in 47 of the county’s 64 precincts, though bad feelings linger from the changeover and from Laesch’s primary battle with Zamora. Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, an NIU alum and the uber-blogger of dailykos.com, has described Laesch as a “living example” of the recommendations he and Jerome Armstrong made in their book Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics. Zuniga summarized them on his blog: “Organize locally, take over moribund Democratic Party organizations, and leave no district behind. Challenge everyone, everywhere.”

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