"Will it play in Peoria?" means one thing for the rest of the country, but something a lot more personal for Republican Congressman Aaron Schock. Although Schock was born in Minnesota, his family moved to Peoria when he was in the 4th grade. He graduated from Richwoods in 2000 and from Peoria's Bradley University in 2002 and was serving on the Peoria School Board by the age of 19. By 23 he was the youngest school board president in Illinois history and the same year became the youngest member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing, of course, Peoria, which he shares with very conservative Democrat Cheri Bustos. He represents IL-18 and the biggest county in it is Peoria County, which he won last year with 72%. (At the same time, Obama won the county 51-47% over Romney.)Schock is popular and well-liked in his district, although Club for Growth is trying to find a tea bagger to primary him. THeir Primary My Congressman website: "Aaron Schock likes to portray himself as a defender of economic freedom, but his record is not consistent with that portrayal. His website claims that he’s focused on “fighting the massive expansion of government spending and debt.” However, one of the first votes Schock took in the House was against cutting all of the spending projects from Obama’s failed $800 billion stimulus bill, joining only 43 Republicans. He voted for the August 2011 debt limit deal that gave Obama a $2.1 trillion increase in the national debt, and he’s been a consistent supporter of keeping Davis-Bacon wage requirements for federal projects, nothing but an anti-free market giveaway to big labor."So far no teabaggers-- and no Democrat-- has setpped forward to take on Schock. He wasn't worried when he voted to shut down the government each time Boehner and Cantor brought it up. Tuesday the Peoria Journal Star came out loud and clear for a clean CR. They're a "it's both parties fault" kind of centrist paper but this time they're taking leaning very much against Schock's position.
There is an easy way to deal with this impasse. Both House and Senate can vote on a bill that addresses only one issue: funding for the federal government. Not ObamaCare. Not a medical devices tax. Not the health care program members of Congress themselves should be on. Not the Keystone pipeline. Not any other subject. All of those can be dealt with in their own, stand-alone bills, on their own merits without any consideration of the other clutter. How often have we heard over the years, from Republicans and Democrats alike, how much they hate it when members of Congress lard on these unrelated measures? Now is the time to be consistent. Now is the time to keep it simple.We believe that a clean continuing spending resolution-- to fund the national parks so that veterans on an Honor Flight can see the World War II memorial before they die, to ensure people who need food stamps get them, etc.-- would pass the House, as it has the Senate, if Speaker Boehner would just call that vote. Until that happens, he, his chamber and his Republicans own this shutdown, no matter what talking points they've adopted to try to deflect the blame for triggering yet another unnecessary crisis.If Americans can't be allowed this simple vote, well, the inescapable conclusion is that these members of Congress aren't serious about doing their jobs, in which case the honorable thing to do would be to resign to make room for others who are interested in governing.
And that includes Aaron Schock who has never appeared, even briefly, on any lists of mainstream Republicans ready to vote for a clean CR. The Democratic controlled legislature tossed every Republican they could find in central and western Illinois into Schock's district. With a PVI of R+11, it's one of only two Illinois congressional districts with a PVI above R+10. Obama didn't even get to 40% there in 2012 and had already lost to McCain in 2008. Aaron Schock feels immune from pressure, even from his biggest hometown newspaper. He will continue doing exactly what John Boehner and Eric Cantor tell him to do… and continue hoping no photos of him every show up online doing anything he shouldn't be with other boys.
