Aaron Schock

Schock's Holiday Mailer

Adam Doster — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:53:30 -0800

Congressman-elect Aaron Schock isn’t asking for much this holiday season. After ousting Democrat Colleen Callahan by a healthy 20-point margin in the 18th congressional district race, the 27-year-old Republican sent a letter to supporters on November 21 requesting for a bit of assistance to pay down his campaign debt. Here’s an excerpt from his plea (PDF), courtesy of the State Journal-Register’s Bernard Schoenburg:

The decision I had to make was to risk losing this seat from a carefully coordinated and perfectly timed attack coordinated by a biased journalist and insiduous, non-stop attacks by my opponent, or stand up to them by matching their burst of extra late campaign ad spending to hold our own in a campaign where so many volunteers and contributors had sacrificed enormously for 15 months to elect me to succeed Ray LaHood in serving you in Congress. [...]

I had to go against every fiber of my being in going out on a limb financially by $80,000 to keep from being overwhelmed by these coordinated attacks on top of the Obama tsunami.

What’s screwy about this appeal (besides the abundance of run-on sentences)? For one, Schock outspent his Democratic rival by over $1.5 million. Sure, the DCCC added Callahan to its list of Emerging Races in June, but for Schock to suggest that he was under siege by Callahan or the national party is a joke.

So is the timeline Schock sketches for his supporters. As the congressman-elect tells it, he resisted the urge to put his own skin in the game until his opponent’s relentless attacks at the tail end of the campaign forced his hand. But FEC disclosure records tell a different story. Schock dropped $50,000 into his own campaign fund in September of last year, well before the general election race even got underway. Going against every fiber of your being, Aaron? Hardly.

Equally interesting is Schock’s desire to recoup $80,000 of his own dollars. The $50,000 he spent last September was his only personal contribution. He didn’t donate any money to his leadership PAC, either. Where the extra $30,000 comes from is unclear.

UPDATE: One possibility is that Schock isn't referring to an $80,000 personal contribution (though the language he uses certainly suggests that), but rather $80,000 in last-minute spending that exceeded the campaign's cash-on-hand. That seems unlikely, however, as the "pre-general" report he filed with the FEC -- which includes receipts up to October 28 -- showed him with $266,000 cash-on-hand. And none of the supplementary filings issued by Schock's campaign between that date and November 4 show a loan. Is it possible Schock spent that $266,000 plus an extra $80,000 in the six days prior to the election? I suppose. But there's no paper trail to prove it at the moment.

Schock On MSNBC: "Ready Or Not Here It Comes"

Josh Kalven — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:10:24 -0800

Following his election to Congress in the 18th District, GOP State Rep. Aaron Schock hit the national stage yesterday with an appearance on MSNBC. At the top of the segment, anchor David Shuster asked him, "Are you ready for this?" Shock's response: "Ready or not, here it comes."

Well, that's encouraging.

Schock went on to tell Shuster he looks forward to working with his "Democratic colleagues," adding: "Having the president from my home state as a freshman congressman certainly has its benefits." This is a slightly different perspective on Obama than the one Schock put forth earlier this week from the friendly confines of WLS' Don Wade & Roma Morning Show. Listen to this excerpt from Wednesday's program:

Internal mp3

ROMA: Barack Obama is the president-elect, which means it's a whole new world. So anything can happen, Aaron.

SCHOCK: Well, it is a whole new world and it's I think a little scary depending on what kind of changes are made. You know, the last guy that ran on the theme of change was a man named Rod Blagojevich, who ran for governor in Illinois, who said he was going to change the way business is done in this state. And we all know what that means. You know, change for the sake of change does not mean it's positive.

You know, the economic slump that we're in right now can get better or worse depending on what kind of tax policies are promoted at the national level. And I'm really concerned about which direction we may be heading.

Speaking of Obama, we can't overlook Schock's warning back in August about the Democratic nominee's "level of socialism." I'm guessing he isn't going to take that rhetoric to the cable networks. But we'll see.

Finally, it pretty hilarious to see Schock casting a wary eye at Obama's change message, considering that his campaign tried to co-opt it earlier this year. From a July 20 Peoria Journal-Star article:

[Campaign manager Steve] Shearer said Schock is like Obama in that he represents change and people are inspired by him.

And let's not forget that the state delegation's slogan at the Republican National Committee this year was "Change For Illinois."

States Attorney Investigating Schock (UPDATED)

Josh Kalven — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 08:07:17 -0700

As both Capitol Fax and Peoria Pundit noted yesterday evening, local media are reporting that the States Attorney office in Peoria has decided to investigate evidence that 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock notarized a backdated document for his parents. The alleged incident -- which may amount to a misdemeanor -- occurred eight years ago and was recounted by Schock's father in court proceedings.

When initially asked about it, Schock claimed it had simply been a "clerical mistake." But his father's testimony makes clear that the backdating was absolutely intentional.

Democrat Colleen Callahan brought the evidence to the states attorney's attention and has been hitting the issue hard on the campaign trail. But all sides seem to acknowledge that no charges are likely to brought, even if they do find wrongdoing:

During an appearance of Callahan's supporters in Peoria, attorney and former congressional candidate Doug Stephens said the statute of limitations is likely up on any misdemeanor charges that could arise from the alleged backdating.

As Rich Miller has repeatedly argued, the real issue here should be that Shock responded by misleadingly downplaying his act, rather than owning up to it:

To me, the alleged misdemeanor is no big deal. What I found appalling was that the local media allowed Schock to claim without challenge that the apparent back-dating was a “clerical mistake” when his own father testified under oath that it was a deliberate act.

I guess it really is always the cover-up that gets you.

UPDATE: The states attorney quickly concluded the investigation on October 20 after he "reviewed the allegations and not only found no information to show official misconduct by a notary public."

"A Clerical Mistake" (UPDATED)

Josh Kalven — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:17:31 -0700

As we noted yesterday, 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock is taking some heat from his Democratic opponent over the revelation that he notarized a back-dated document for his parents in 2000. The initial AP article quoted a notary public from New Jersey saying point-blank that doing so is "illegal." Meanwhile, Schock contends that the job of a notary is simply to verify the identity of the signer. Now he's describing the source of the controversy as a mere "clerical mistake":

“The fundamental role of a notary is to verify the person signing the document. Now, if there was an incorrect date on it, that was a mistake that I made. It was a clerical mistake and it was made over eight years ago. The relevance that has to the United States congressional race now, eight years later, I'm not sure”, said Shock.

A clerical mistake suggests that the back-dating was unintentional. But the AP article makes clear that Schock's parents knew exactly what they were doing.

Capitol Fax's Rich Miller rips into the Peoria media -- and rightfully so -- for failing to hold Schock accountable on this issue:

It’s truly unfortunate that the local media doesn’t seem to be calling Schock out on this fabrication, allowing the arguments to be played as a he said, she said affair without providing factual context.

Meanwhile, Colleen Callahan is calling for a criminal investigation:

Terry Towery, the campaign manager for Democrat Colleen Callahan, says she has asked Peoria County State's Attorney Kevin Lyons to investigate, and believes Lyons has agreed. Lyons' office declined to answer questions.

UPDATE (2 pm): Billy Dennis weighs in:

[T]he whole “youthful” indescretion” thing isn’t washing with me either. He was old enough to BE a notary public in the first place, which means somewhere along the line he willingly assumed the responsibiity to vouch for the honesty of the documents he was notarizing. He was also a member of the Peoria School District 150 Board at the time. Presumably, somewhere along the line, he told voters to trust him despite about his age.

Now that he got caught screwing up, he’s playing the “youthful indescretion” card like he was caught shoplifting or something.

My advice — and he’s taken my advice before — is to just say “I screwed up” and stop blaming others and stop making excuses. The underlying offense isn’t all that bad. And as both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon learned, its not the crime it’s the coverup that willl bite you in the ass.

Schock's Notary Problem

Adam Doster — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:39:13 -0700

In politics, it's all about timing. For 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock, a new AP article -- which suggests he may have committed a misdemeanor in his capacity as a notary public -- couldn't have come at a more inopportune moment.

Here's the gist of the piece. In 2000, Schock's parents, under the guidance of some tax specialists later accussed of tax fraud, put some of their money and property into a variety of corporations and a charitable trust beginning January 1, 2000 as a way to reduce their tax burden legally. Despite repeated requests, the specialists failed to provide some of the documents for the couple to sign until spring of the next year. Once they received the documents, their then 19-year old son Aaron, who became a notary while working at a gravel company in high school, watched his parents retroactively sign the document with the January 1 date, denoting the time themselves when the tax shelters were formally established. This was verified during his father Robert's testimony at the fraud case this past July.

A trial transcript shows Richard Schock was asked, "And your son, Aaron, would not have signed this on January 1 of 2000; isn't that correct?"

"That's correct," he replied

Robert denies he intended to defraud the government and indeed prosecutors did not suggest Schock benefitted financially during the questioning either. Meanwhile, Aaron told the AP his actions weren't improper. From his point of view, a notary simply verifies the identity of the person signing a document, not whether it's filled out properly. Others disagree:

But notaries also declare that they witnessed a signature on a specific date. Schock's notarization said the documents were "acknowledged before me this 1st day of January, 2000" -- which his father testified was not true.

"That's illegal," said Gerrie Pierre-Fleurimond, a longtime notary who runs a New Jersey-based training school for notaries. "To backdate a document ... is illegal. You have to notarize for the current date."

In Illinois, knowingly committing official misconduct is a Class A misdemeanor while doing it "through recklessness" is a Class B misdemeanor. Democratic candidate Colleen Callahan said voters deserve an explanation:

"Serious questions have been raised about Aaron Schock's conduct and judgment while serving as a notary public. The heart of public service is honesty, openness and trust," Callahan said.

In New Ad, Callahan Brings Back Daisy

Josh Kalven — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:16:03 -0700

Wow. Colleen Callahan, the Democratic candidate in the 18th congressional district, has a TV ad out this week and let's just say it's a bit of a throwback. The spot hits GOP State Rep. Aaron Schock for his ridiculous suggestion last year that we should consider selling nuclear arms to Taiwan if China doesn't cooperate with U.S. policy on Iran:

(H/T TPM Election Central)

Schock And McCain: Inner-City Republicans?

Adam Doster — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:29:24 -0700

Last night, State Rep. Aaron Schock became the only Illinoisan to grace the stage at the Republican National Convention. The 27 year-old, two-term state representative, who is running for Ray LaHood's open seat in the 18th Congressional District, is widely considered an up-and-comer in the party. In fact, he'd become Congress' youngest member if elected. But the topic of his two-minute speech -- that John McCain reaches out to Americans of all backgrounds, including inner-city residents -- seemed a bit surprising. Watch it:

I'd like to see some examples of how McCain is bringing inner-city Americans into the Republican fold. Back in June, the Center for New Urbanism noted that McCain's campaign website made no mention of urban policy. More recently, the Center for American Progress' Wonk Room pointed out that his site also lacks any plan to combat poverty. And in early August, during an appearance before the National Urban League, McCain advocated fighting inner-city crime in the same ways that the U.S. military has "clamped down" on neighborhoods and cities in Iraq. I'm sure that went over well ...

Meanwhile, Schock gleefully welcomed a recent fundraising visit from President Bush, who has not taken urban issues too seriously while in office.

Also, memo to the Daily Herald: Schock hasn't actually been elected to Congress, so you might want to change this headline:

Fun At The State Fair

Josh Kalven — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:47:51 -0700

The Illinois Republicans appear to have put on quite a display at the state fair this year. We already noted the ramblings by 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock (above left) about Barack Obama's "level of socialism." Meanwhile, as has been noted on numerous other sites, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna (above center) also put his foot in his mouth, saying that if Abraham Lincoln "were here today, he would have to tell a story of a house divided that’s even more outrageous than the one that lived in his time," referring to the political climate in Springfield these days. The Rockford Register-Star's Aaron Chambers rightly skewers McKenna's suggestion that the current standoff between Illinois Democrats is somehow "more outrageous" than the fight between the North and South over slavery.

But it doesn't stop there. Earlier in the week, Rep. John Shimkus (above right) took to the stage on Agriculture Day and railed against the Democratic leadership in Congress for not allowing a vote on offshore drilling prior to the August recess. Maybe it was all the hay laying around, but Shimkus couldn't resist building a strawman. Check out his suggestion that his favored energy proposal is "in conflict to those who say, 'Let's do nothing'":

Internal mp3

But who has said we should "do nothing" about the energy crisis? The Democrats? To the contrary, they've put forth various energy proposals, only to see them blocked by the GOP. Moreover, the Democratic leadership has recently indicated that it is willing to compromise with the Republicans on a comprehensive energy bill. But the House Republicans like Shimkus have refused to come to the table, as Grist's David Roberts recently pointed out:

Now Republicans have gotten the idea in their head that drilling for oil in protected areas in the U.S. is a political winner, so they are camping out in D.C., throwing a hissy fit, demanding that Pelosi bring Congress back into session and allow them and up-or-down vote on drilling.

They are packaging this fiasco as an "all of the above" energy strategy -- as in, they support renewables and efficiency, but they also want drilling. Sounds so reasonable, right?

So a group of 10 legislators, five from each party, has put together a compromise bill, which would do exactly what they Republicans say they want: it would open up protected areas to drilling, while also boosting efficiency and renewables.

Obama and Pelosi have both signaled in the last week that they would be willing to support the bill. They will give a little ground on drilling, which they don't favor, in order to put in place measures that support renewables, which they do favor. For their efforts, the media has now said they've "flip-flopped" on drilling.

Meanwhile, McCain has refused to support the compromise. House Republicans have refused to support the compromise. Rush Limbaugh and his band of dittoheads are going absolutely ballistic on the compromise, flooding the legislators responsible with angry phone calls and claiming that it's going to sink McCain's presidential campaign.

Schock Warns Of Obama's "Level Of Socialism"

Josh Kalven — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:19:21 -0700

One minute Aaron Schock's congressional campaign is likening the 18th District GOP candidate to Barack Obama, the next they're playing up the nominee's "socialist" leanings. Bernard Schoenberg has the goods:

“If ever there was an election with consequences, this presidential election is a case in point,” Schock said while speaking at the fair’s Director’s Lawn at the Republican Day rally.

“The last time we had this level of socialism being proposed and inexperience at the helm was Jimmy Carter,” said Schock (who was born four months after Democrat Carter left office in 1981).

When pressed by Schoenberg, Schock distorts Obama's positions on health care and education:

“Well, he’s promoting what I would term a government takeover of the health system,” Schock said. “He has said he wants to mandate free college tuition for every student in America.

“Unlike Ted Kennedy (he meant Jack Kennedy, of course) who said, don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country ... he (Obama) says, we’re the wealthiest country in the world; you should get this, you should get that. You’re entitled to this, you’re entitled to that. To me, that’s a move toward socialism.”

You can compare Schock's characterizations to Obama's actualy policies here and here.

Schock also said Obama's "socialistic" policies extended back to his days in Springfield:

“And he has supported what I would consider to be socialistic moves on health care as a state senator.”

“I don’t remember the exact bills,” he said.

Well, that's convenient.

So where is Schock getting these talking points? Well, the right-wing blogs love this meme. And the Republican presidential nominee has shown little interest in dispelling it. When asked whether he thought Obama was a socialist, McCain recently answered, "I don't know." In response, The New Republic's Josh Patashnik pointed out the GOP's ridiculousness:

Is Barack Obama a socialist? Well, let's see. His campaign platform makes no mention of proletarian revolution or nationalization of industry, and he trumpets his belief that "America's free market has been the engine of America's great progress. It's created a prosperity that is the envy of the world." Not quite Leninesque. On the other hand, Tom DeLay has made a logically rigorous counter-argument sure to convince second-graders everywhere: "I have said publicly, and I will again, that unless he proves me wrong, he is a Marxist." No word on whether DeLay proceeded to put his fingers in his ears and hum loudly.

The Young Buck And The Lame Duck

Adam Doster — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:06:25 -0700

For 18th District GOP congressional candidate Aaron Schock, it doesn't matter that President Bush is one of the least popular sitting presidents in modern history; the 26-year old was thrilled to play host to the nation's commander-in-chief last Friday regardless:

“It’s an honor to have the president of the United States here,” Schock told members of the national media pool traveling with Bush. “We had a great event today. It’s great that he made the time to come here today. It’s the second time in the second term. It says a lot about our community.”

The New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg also reported on the "beaming" Schock:

Here in Peoria, more than 1,400 people bought tickets to the Schock for Congress reception, meaning the event raised a minimum of $700,000, although some of that will go to national party committees in Washington.

Mr. Schock’s campaign secretary, Steven Shearer, called the event “a smashing success,” and the candidate was beaming after his ride in Mr. Bush’s motorcade to escort the president back to his plane.

But while the amount raised at the event will give Schock a serious fundraising boost, it seems rather light considering the magnitude of the guest. MyDD's Jonathan Singer provides some context:

But just how great is that largesse? According to the article, this is a $500 a plate fundraiser -- less than a quarter of the maximum $2,300 contributions Bush used to be able to demand for such appearances. The $500 donations being asked for to get into this event are the types of contributions that a former Governor or a campaign event featuring one of those '70s bands you kind of, but don't totally, remember are able to pull in. But a sitting President? Only $500 for a sitting President? That certainly seems a bit underwhelming.

Money aside, it will now be much easier for Democratic rival Colleen Callahan to connect Schock with the failing policies of the administration. Which begs the question: is the Bush brand worth the risk?

(H/T Prairie State Blue)