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PI Original
by Matthew Blake
7:12pm
Tue Oct 2, 2012
1 comment

Climate Change On The Election Backburner

Election 2012

Climate change is now a peripheral issue in American politics, mentioned elliptically by President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney in their calls for clean energy investments. Meanwhile, the issue is almost nonexistent in the competitive Illinois races for Congress.

Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
10:53am
Mon Oct 1, 2012

Schneider Looks To Labor Voters For Help In Defeating Dold

Union members’ votes in the general election may make or break whether Democrats take back control of the House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9) said at a labor rally in Lincolnshire Saturday morning.

Dozens of organized workers in Illinois’ 10th congressional district met with Schakowsky for a pep talk in support of Democrat candidate Brad Schneider, who’s looking to defeat first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R), before they branched off for a door-to-door canvas of fellow union members in the area.

“We cannot win this race, and we can’t save our country, without organized labor,” Schakowsky said at the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America’s Region 4 office.

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PI Original
by Steven Ross Johnson
1:12pm
Tue Sep 18, 2012
1 comment

Lobbying For Wind Energy Tax Credit Intensifies As Expiration Nears

U.S. Congress

Supporters of wind energy are predicting that what happens in Congress over the next several days could be crucial to the fate of the industry, warning that more than 37,000 jobs could be in jeopardy if lawmakers fail to extend a vital tax credit for renewable power producers. Meanwhile, supporters and opponents of the tax credit are intensifying their calls for the credit's extension or demise. 

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
2:50pm
Thu Aug 23, 2012

Walsh Veers His Own Way, Partly Defends Akin

In a debate before the Chicago Tribune editorial board last Thursday, U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-McHenry) suggested that he might rein in some of the outlandish remarks that have characterized his campaign. Walsh acknowledged that he got a “little ahead of myself with my language” and needed to balance “straight talk and responsible talk.”

The 8th district lawmaker stated earlier this month that “radical Muslims” are “trying to kill Americans every week.” And in July, Walsh suggested that his Democratic opponent Tammy Duckworth was not a true hero because she made frequent reference to her military record. Duckworth lost both her legs in the Iraq War.

Walsh has not said anything quite so provocative over the last few days. But there are new signs that the freshmen incumbent is adrift from his own party, including on what should be done about U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri). Read more »