Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Dirty tricks and scandal in the 8th?

Friday, Jun 23, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I just got off the phone with third party congressional candidate Bill Scheurer (running against Melissa Bean). He confirmed everything that was in this post by Jeff Berkowitz. This could turn out to be a huge story.

Scheurer said someone came to him, about a month ago, offering to help with the petition signature process. The person said his name was Anthony R. Constantine and he claimed to head A R Consulting, giving Bill a business card with that information on it. For a certain sum of money, he said he would obtain 8,000 to 10, 000 signatures to help get Scheurer on the ballot.

Scheurer was counting on the signatures from AR, but learned earlier this week he would get none, with vague, peculiar stories about health problems, etc. He also learned that one Anthony Constantine works in the legislative office of Cong. Dan Lipinski, and Constantine has a company named A R Consulting, but Constantine told Scheurer earlier this week that he did not meet with Scheurer previously and he is not the person who Scheurer met with and spoke with over the last month, and who committed to the 8,000 to 10,000 signatures to support placing Scheurer on the ballot in the 8th CD race.

Scheurer estimated he has about 9,000 signatures now and he would like to get 6,000 more in the next three days to get some buffer over and above the requisite 13, 950.

The guy appears to be screwed, and this is certainly a bizarre story. He says he will have at least 60 volunteers in the street this weekend, but that may not be enough to gather all those signatures. Stay tuned.

33 Comments

- Tom B - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 1:47 pm:
Out of curiousity, any info on if he paid the guy?

- Phocion - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 1:52 pm:
Why is Lipinski involved? Why would any Dems or any unions want to jeopardize taking the U.S. House back? Are the unions THAT stupid?

God I hope Bean wins. Then she really won’t owe anybody anything and she can truly represent her constituents.

- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 2:08 pm:
The last guy you want representing you in Washington is a guy who thinks Democracy is something you can just buy on some street corner.

- Dionysus - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 2:16 pm:
Phocion raises a good point but I think he pushes us towards another. Are they that stupid? You wouldn’t think so, so who is really pulling the strings here. Union people are definately upset with Bean about CAFTA, but could they really want Mcsweeney, Even politically vindictive unions have the common sense to not hang themselves over retribution.

Or do they?

- annoyed all the time - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 2:28 pm:
always be careful who you do business with…i think his lesson has been learned.

- Establishment Republican - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 2:30 pm:
Phocion, it sure sounds like the Lipinksis are trying to help Bean survive by taking the Scheurer campaign for a ride and not delivering what they promised.

How could Scheurer be this naive and trusting? Is Bean’s campaign complicit in any way? Might be an interesting story.

- Lovie's Leather - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 2:41 pm:
Wow! What a twist…. but it is just footnote in the Illinois political history. Prediction: nothing will come of this…

- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 2:48 pm:
Access to the Capitol Fax blog during the work day is a rite of state employment, kind of like group health insurance.

- Cassandra - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:02 pm:
If Scheurer is this gullible, maybe the voters would be better to stick with Bean or McSweeney.

- Lee - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:05 pm:
YDD…you just described most of congress.

- Bill Baar - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:23 pm:
great… Scheuer wants to go soft with Kim II Jong and Ahmadinejad but gets snookered by Lipinski.

- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:27 pm:
Why is an employee of Congressman Lipinski allegedly running a consulting business while working for the good Representative?

- Goodbye Napoleon - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:35 pm:
Scam or not, this story points out how completely stupid Scheurer is for thinking that a complete stranger would help him get 8,000 signatures. Seriously, he thinks he can be in Congress? My 3 year old thinks she can drive.

- zatoichi - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:48 pm:
Would you really want someone this naive representing you? Dumb. I got this bridge…..

- NW burbs - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:53 pm:
It’s been said before… Scheurer is just noshing on sour grapes after losing the 2004 primary to Bean. He went on to agree to run for a state rep seat on the Dem ticket in ‘04 but sat on his behind the whole campaign because he was bitter with Bean’s primary win.

The fact she then actually beat Crane means little to Scheurer. Even Cegelis isn’t that bitter about her primary loss.

(And all the points about gullibility… demonstrate that Scheurer is concentrating more on the sour grapes than the actual election.)

—

Anonymous - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 3:27 pm:

Do you have any idea how many Congressmen have their own businesses? Republican Duke Cunningham just got sent to jail for his side business of collecting gilded antique toilets and the like.

- Lee - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 4:00 pm:
The fact she beat Crane means very little to a lot of people NW Burbs…he was an absentee landlord so to speak, any Democrat in her position would have beat that mope.

- Just Oberving - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 4:40 pm:
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!

- Just Oberving - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 4:47 pm:
BTW… How does a candidate using a consultant to collect petitions not ask to collect the petition sheets on an ongoing basis? Didn’t he have continued communication with this guy? This is the funniest thing I ever heard.

- The Watcher - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 6:16 pm:
Caveat Emptor

- Laughing in Lakeview - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 6:24 pm:
Word was out long ago that Scheurer was trying to hire “consultants” to buy the signatures he couldn’t get for himself. Now, months later, he “discovers” this plot??? Sounds more like another planned Scheurer attention-grabber to try and embarass Bean! And McSweeny pledging not to challenge Scheurer’s store-bought signatures? Looks like the scam or plot is the two of them working together to do anything to try and beat Bean - something neither can do alone.

- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 7:29 pm:
Some people just love a conspiracy theory.

- Papa Legba - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 7:31 pm:
That’s too bad. It sounds like this guy has the mental acuity to be an excellent congressman.

- Wumpus - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 9:56 pm:
Too bad, naivety is shown. He did not have the DNC holding his hand like Bean, so he was fit to be taken.

- state worker #1 - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 10:19 pm:
I am a state worker (IDOT) with internet access. I can get to the home page of the Capitol Fax but I am blocked when I try to go to the â€˜blogâ€™ site (I have tried this during my lunch hour). I regularly check out the Springfield Journal and really like the â€˜reader commentâ€™ option for the posted stories. However, I am not political and would have a tough time explaining why I am looking at your site at work (since you donâ€™t praise the Governot (not misspelled), instead you report the real facts.
IDOT has a news feature on their internal website. The news website list transportation related articles from newspapers across the state in addition to â€˜goodâ€™ stories about Blagojevich. Take note, no â€˜badâ€™ stories about Blagojevich are reprinted from any of the newspaper articles and out on the IDOT internal website.

- Jeff Trigg - Friday, Jun 23, 06 @ 10:42 pm:
Figures YDD would have another stupid comment. The last person you want in Congress is one that does not believe in democratic elections or political competition.

“4) Throughout all U.S. history, there are only four individuals who have ever successfully overcome a signature requirement greater than 10,000 signatures in order to gain a place on a ballot for U.S. House of Representatives. They are Frazier Reems, an independent member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio who had to collect 12,920 valid signatures in the 9th district in 1954 in order to run for re-election; Jack Gargan, the Reform Party nominee for Florida’s 5th district in 1998, who had to collect 12,141 valid signatures; Steven Wheeler, an independent candidate in California’s 22nd district in 1996, who had to collect 10,191 valid signatures; and Steve Kelly, independent candidate for Montana’s At-Large seat in 1994, who had to collect 10,186 valid signatures.”

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.1941.IH:

And it has NEVER EVER been done in 90 days, with or without paying for signatures. No one has ever done it when they needed more than 13,000 valid sigs like Bill needs. After re-districting in years ending with 2, “other” US House candidates only need 5,000 sigs, so what’s the point of requiring 14,000 if 5,000 is enough 20% of the time? The Anti-Democratic Party of Illinois is just dispicable.

It figures YDD has no problem with the worst ballot access laws of any democratic jurisdiction IN THE WORLD. Illinois is right next to Cuba and North Korea for lack of democratic elections. YDD maybe you’d be more happy in one of those countries.

- Anonymous - Saturday, Jun 24, 06 @ 10:14 am:
It’s shameful that MJM would sacrifice fundamental principles of democracy for the sake of enhancing power.

To prevent spoilers he could have chosen to be inclusive rather than exclusive, allowing almost any citizen to run for public (not private) office. Fringe candidates will still lose, but at least their voice wasn’t excluded and many would enhance the marketplace of ideas.

Instead MJM chose to raise signature requirements to absurdly high levels and plug up a critical safety valve.

A system of exclusion and loyalty to power instead of principles is a dangerous threat to democracy.

The consequence of this exclusion is more centraliziation of power that leads to less sunshine, more corruption, more extremism, and increasingly dangerous monopolies on unilateral power.

The whole point of our Constitution was to divide and limit government power over the people to prevent the abuses of power so common in history.

Is it any wonder voters are ready to throw the bums out? Too bad for MJM, who chose power instead of the principles of freedom and democracy.

- Long Time Reader; First Time Poster - Saturday, Jun 24, 06 @ 1:52 pm:
I’m shocked, shocked I say, that the Illinois Democratic Party would do such dirty tricks! I thought they were the most honest bunch of selfless public servants on the face of the planet. I thought they truly cared about helping their citizens.

(yeah, right)

- Anonymous - Saturday, Jun 24, 06 @ 2:51 pm:
A democracy should err on the side of too many parties and candidates than not enough, especially when nearly everyone acknowledges the current system is neither open nor fair.

- grubnednarb - Saturday, Jun 24, 06 @ 7:48 pm:
I don’t support chicanery or dirty tricks, but I am not sympathetic to Scheurer’s candidacy. I read an article on Scheurer’s dilemma on Alternet. At best, his campaign is extremely ill-advised. He also seems to be politically incompetent. Another commenter suggests that Scheurer is bitter about his defeat by Bean in a primary and is nothing more than a spoiler.

Melissa Bean beat a political troglodyte, Phil Crane in a Republican district. Scheurer never could have done so.

Bean has been the #1 target on the GOP hit list since the day she defeated Crane. Since her district is fairly conservative, she can’t afford to vote progressively on many issues if she wants to be re-elected.

Bean is a moderate Democrat in a conservative Republican district. Her Republican opponent Mc Sweeney will have a zero voting record on all labor issues, and will support the Bush administration 100% of the time on the war and all other issues.

Anyone with any practical understanding of politics understands why Bean votes the way she does on particular issues, whether or not progressives agree with those votes. Sheurer’s “principled” candidacy is a classic example of progressives cutting off their noses to spite their face.

The best possible thing that Democrats can do to check the extremes of the Bush administration and future Republican administrations is to become the majority party in the House of Representatives. Map and money are the critical factors preventing a Democratic takeover of the House. Democrats can take over the House in 2006 or,more likely, 2008, if we work hard to elect moderate Democrats in conservative districts.

METHINKS THAT SOME BLOGGERS HEREIN DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH!

I am a bona fide progressive and a Democratic Party activist, who attended the anti-war demonstration last September in Washington. I despise almost everything about the domestic and foreign policies of one of the worst Presidents in American history. As such, I’d be proud to participate in a petition challenge to keep Scheurer off the ballot because a relatively small number of votes will be the difference in this election.

And if the situation was reversed, every red-blooded, true blue conservative Republican activist would do the same thing that I would.

- The Conservative - Sunday, Jun 25, 06 @ 9:25 am:
“I am a bona fide progressive and a Democratic Party activist, who attended the anti-war demonstration last September in Washington. I despise almost everything about the domestic and foreign policies of one of the worst Presidents in American history. As such, Iâ€™d be proud to participate in a petition challenge to keep Scheurer off the ballot”

So much for “good government” This is all about win at all costs. Your worst president is my Best Ever President. However I do not believe winning at all costs and LIEING to the voter to win is the best answer. All this does is show us you Liberals are just what we think you are and I won’t put that into print. As a Vteran, a God fearing man I won’t waste my time on what I personally think of your beliefs. However you have every right to say them, just don’t be surprised when you are defeated again in 2006.

- A. J. - Sunday, Jun 25, 06 @ 7:48 pm:
Unfortunately, the filing deadline is tomorrow (also the day I turn 25). In 2000, this resulted in an excellent birthday present.

In 2006, this is resulting in chaos. This is enough to make anyone sick.

- Snidely Whiplash - Monday, Jun 26, 06 @ 7:31 am:
Who does this guy think he is to believe he has a right to run for Congress? Did his daddy work hard at suppressing all opposition in his district for 25 years so that he could leave “his” district to his son??? Let one peasant own a little plot of land, and before you know it, serfdom is abolished, and all the nobles have to work for a living again.

Trackback University Blog - Tuesday, Aug 29, 06 @ 11:56 pm:
Signature Sunday

(For the moment, I’ll leave you with the latest disturbing news report from Capitol Fax - it also pertains to this topic.)

Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.