Bobby Schilling, the Republican candidate for Illinois' 17th Congressional District recently got some advice about what he should pursue in Washington should he defeat the district's incumbent Democrat, Congressman Phil Hare, this November. The idea? A caller to a radio program says Schilling should work to shut down "any progressive agency" created by the federal government, going back to Teddy Roosevelt's presidential administration. Schilling chuckles at the suggestion and then says, "OK, I love you guys, man," to the caller. The Hare campaign posted the clip. Listen:

Presuambly the caller's definition of progressive agencies includes the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Education, both of which are often targets of the insurgent Republican right. How about the Social Security Administation and the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers Medicare? Of course, it was Teddy Roosevelt who pushed through the nation's first food-safety law, providing for federal inspections of meat. Perhaps Schilling's take whether these agencies should stay or go will get flushed out at the next 17th District congressional debate. It's scheduled to air October 27 at 6:30 p.m. on WQPT, a PBS affiliate for the Quad Cities. Which begs a question: would Schilling push to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?