Martin Ozinga

Southtown Star Catches Ozinga Push-Polling (UPDATED)

Adam Doster — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:57:32 -0700

The Southtown Star's Kristen McQueary has done some solid reporting on Marty Ozinga's congressional campaign, including her column picking apart the Republican's comments downplaying America's health care crisis. In yesterday's paper, she had another great catch: the Ozinga camp is running push polls.

McQueary recalls how Frankfort resident Bruce Monstovich received an innocent sounding call from a pollster recently. After a few standard questions -- what were his feelings on President Bush, had he heard of Ozinga and Democratic rival Debbie Halvorson -- things got a bit fishy:

The so-called pollster then asked if Monstovich's opinion of Halvorson would change if he heard a statement from her indicating she supported gays and lesbians getting married or that she supported "giving illegal aliens Social Security benefits," Monstovich said.

"Of course I said if I heard something like that, I would be unfavorable," he said. "But then I asked the guy, 'Are these statements true?' He said he couldn't vouch for whether they were true or not."

McQueary explains why push polls are a different animal than traditional forms of campaign advertising:

They are clandestine. With mailers, radio and television advertisements, campaigns are required to include a small notation or message indicating who paid for the material. At least you know the messenger.

The plan may have backfired, too. Monstovich, an independent union carpenter, says if Ozinga sanctioned the calls, he's lost one vote:

"People are busy and getting these calls and making decisions based on being deceived. My opinion is anyone using these types of practices to get elected obviously can't get elected legitimately."

The news of Ozinga's push poll comes two weeks after we reported on the robocall he put out attacking Halvorson. The call hit district residents at the same time that Halvorson was visiting her stepson at Walter Reed Hospital after he was seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan. Both local and national veterans criticized the campaign's timing.

UPDATE: Reader TB points out that technically this type of phone survey shouldn't be described as a "push poll":

That was a message testing poll, very different from a "push poll."

A push poll calls every single voter with a misleading question pretending to be a regular poll.

What that guy caught was a real poll. Calling some statistically significant number (at least 400 for a congressional race) of voters with positive and negative questions designed to simulate what happens when voters hear arguments on behalf of candidates.

If a push is happening, you don't get a few complaints, you get thousands.

One problem is we don't know how many 11th District voters received this call. But as TB notes, if it were a bonafide push poll there would probably be many more complaints reported by now.

Also, I would classify the illegal immigrants/Social Security question as misleading. This was a common line of attack in the 2006 midterm elections. Here's FactCheck.org's pushback:

[N]obody's proposing paying benefits to illegals, not until and unless they become US citizens or are granted legal status.

11th District Vets Hit Ozinga For "Petty Campaign Tactics"

Josh Kalven — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:09:11 -0700

On Thursday, August 7, when the news surfaced that 11th District Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson's stepson, Jay Bush, had been seriously in injured while serving in Afghanistan, Marty Ozinga's GOP campaign told reporters it would suspend attacks on their opponent, though they didn't specify a timeframe. The following Tuesday, while Halvorson was visiting Bush at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C, the Ozinga camp put out a robocall in the district attacking her (which you can listen to here). VoteVets.org -- a political advocacy organization headed by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- subsequently put out a statement from chairman Jon Soltz, who blasted the robocall as "one of the most tactless moves I've ever seen in politics."

Well, today Ozinga received some additional criticism from Jim Wasser, Jeff Bruno, Glen Becker, and Mervin Gossman -- all veterans who reside in the 11th District. In a letter sent to Ozinga via email, the group asserted that his "personal attacks against Debbie last week were some of the most disrespectful and tasteless political tactics imaginable." They added that Halvorson "deserved a chance to deal with this family emergency without your underhanded personal attacks." Click the image below to read the full letter.

And one more thing ...

In a post on Monday, Capitol Fax's Rich Miller wrote that our original reporting on this matter was "not entirely correct" because we didn't make clear that the robocall came in response to a recent Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) mailer that accused Ozinga of supporting "tax breaks for Big Oil." As long as we're getting into the nitty-gritty, there's a distinction that gets glossed over in Miller's post.

The mailers in question were sent out by the DCCC's "independent expenditure" (IE) arm, which is completely walled off from Halvorson's campaign. Indeed, by law, Halvorson has no control over or knowledge of the IE's plans. In fact, my understanding is that the Halvorson camp is yet to directly attack Ozinga in any paid communication. The Ozinga robocall, on the other hand, came directly from the Ozinga camp. Indeed, the ad's disclaimer states: "Paid for by Ozinga for Congress."

Herald News Hits Ozinga For Fake Mailer Family

Josh Kalven — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:09:31 -0700

Today, the Herald News editorial board blasted 11th District GOP congressional candidate Marty Ozinga for sending out a mailer that featured an image of a smiling, attractive, young family beside text reading: "We're supporting Marty Ozinga for Congress." The problem? The family members pictured were paid actors.

From the editorial:

Too bad that political ads don't follow the phrase, "truth in advertising." By running a stock photo of the supposedly perfect family, Ozinga and his campaign coordinators were knowingly being less than truthful to the people of this district.

Surely, Ozinga could find one real family in the 11th District that supports his cause. Ozinga's slogan is "I'm not a politician." Unfortunately, using a canned family photo leaves him acting like one.

Ozinga Camp Said It Would Suspend Attacks On Halvorson

Josh Kalven — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:01:23 -0700

Here's an interesting twist to our story surrounding Marty Ozinga's robocall attack on Debbie Halvorson yesterday. It turns out that when the news surfaced last Thursday that Halvorson's stepson had been injured while serving in Afghanistan, the Ozinga campaign told the Daily Journal that they would be suspending their criticism of their Democratic opponent:

The campaign of Republican congressional candidate Martin Ozinga III of Homer Glen today suspended all criticisms of Halvorson, campaign manager Andy Sere said. Ozinga is facing Halvorson in the 11th Congressional District race to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Sen. Halvorson and her family," Sere said in a statement issued today. "We have the utmost respect for Mr. Bush's service to our country and we hope for his speedy recovery."

Now obviously the Ozinga campaign did not specify exactly how long they intended to lay off. Nonetheless, on Tuesday -- as Halvorson visited her stepson at Walter Reed Hospital -- Ozinga distributed a robocall attacking her.

VoteVets.org Blasts Ozinga Over Robocalls

Josh Kalven — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:45:18 -0700

Late last night, we reported that 11th District GOP congressional candidate Marty Ozinga put out a robocall attacking his Democratic opponent Debbie Halvorson at the same time she was visiting her stepson, Jay Bush, at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. Bush was flown there after being seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan.

Today, VoteVets.org -- a political advocacy organization headed by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- put out the following response:

“This is one of the most tactless moves I’ve ever seen in politics,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org. “The pain and anxiousness that family members feel when their loved one is injured, wounded, or lost in combat cannot be overstated. At times like these, military families deserve some time and space, even if they are candidates for office. It wouldn’t kill Ozinga to show some class by wishing Ms. Halvorson and her stepson well, and laying off the attacks for a couple of days. It’s just a simple sign of respect to do so when your opponent is going through a time like this.” [...]

“We obviously wish Captain Bush a speedy recovery, and we thank him for his sacrifice to our nation and for our security. And, our thoughts are with Ms. Halvorson and her husband as they tend to their son,” added Soltz. “I only wish Marty Ozinga would have some class and show the same respect to our troops and military families.”

While Halvorson Visits Injured Stepson, Ozinga Attacks (UPDATED W/AUDIO)

Josh Kalven — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:38:55 -0700

This entry was originally posted on August 12 at 11:28pm.

Last Friday, we learned that State Sen. and Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson's stepson, Jay Bush, was seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan. According to an account in the State-Journal Register today, Bush "had been riding in a truck that came under fire at night ... Ordered to evacuate, Bush jumped out of the side of the truck. He did not realize the vehicle was parked on a bridge, so he fell 25 feet, landing on rocks." The Register also reported that Halvorson and her husband were visiting Bush at Walter Reed Hospital in D.C., where he was flown over the weekend. Before heading East, Halvorson said that Bush had "broke his back, and they think his neck."

If you're the GOP candidate in the 11th District race, common sense should instruct you to lay off your opponent until she's gotten through this ordeal.

Well, think again. At least if you're Marty Ozinga.

That's right. While Halvorson is in Washington dealing with a family emergency, the Ozinga campaign has apparently put out a robocall attacking her. We have it on good authority from a contact in the field that the call hit district residents' phones earlier today.

Pretty despicable when you think about it. Especially from a guy who claims he "not a politician." To the contrary, it looks like politics are foremost in his mind.

But we already had an inkling that Ozinga lacks a certain ... decency.

For instance, there were his now-infamous comments downplaying the health care crisis in this country: "There are very few people nowadays that have no health service at all. Almost anybody -- I don't care who you are -- you go to the hospital and you get taken care of." Southtown Star columnist Kristen McQueary responded: "I hate to break it to him, but our fellow man is dying on the floors of emergency rooms and getting dumped at homeless shelters by overwhelmed hospital staff"

Then there's his suggestion that injured Illinois laborers don't "hurry to get back to work" because the worker's compensation policies here are so generous. Meanwhile, Ozinga complimented Indiana's system, which the head of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission characterized as unfair and inhumane.

There's also the 2005 Tribune investigation suggesting that Ozinga's concrete company exploited a City of Chicago affirmative-action program to win lucrative contracts set aside for minority business owners. Shortly after launching his congressional bid, Ozinga said he was "proud" of those efforts.

Finally, there are Ozinga's questionable business dealings in Henry, IL, where he sued 83-year-old family farmer Raymond Kunkel over a 190-acre plot of land. Ozinga's account of negotiations regarding the land were contradicted by five other individuals, leading him to shift his "recollection."

We're trying to get our hands on audio of the call and will post it when we do.

UPDATE: Here's the audio of the robocall, recorded off an answering machine:

Internal mp3

To be clear, this call went out to 11th District residents on August 12.

UPDATE 2: VoteVets.org responds.

UPDATE 3: Ozinga camp originally said it would suspend attacks on Halvorson.

I Trust Marty Ozinga ... To Sign My Paycheck

Mose Buchele — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:11:22 -0700

The Republican strategy in the 11th District this election year has been largely focused on depicting cement magnate Marty Ozinga as a blue-collar everyman. Indeed, Ozinga's own employees have been repeatedly used in political ads, testifying to his worth as a candidate. While it's fine for the campaign to point out that Marty has the support of some of the hundreds of people who work for Ozinga Bros. Cement, one has to wonder about the ethics of getting those who depend on you for a paycheck to appear in your campaign ads.

Take this campaign mailer posted today by Capitol Fax. It features a lifelong Ozinga Bros. employee, Ed Jongsma, standing in front of one of the company's cement trucks alongside the caption: "I don't trust politicians ... but I do trust Marty Ozinga. He's a good man and my friend." In his testimonial, Jongsma points out that Ozinga Bros. has "given me a paycheck for almost 30 years."

While there is no reason to doubt this man's sincerity, the fact that he relies on the candidate's company for his livelihood certainly colors his endorsement.

Meanwhile, if voters want a full picture of where Ozinga stands in regards to working Illinoisans, they might want to look into his own statements about labor laws. For instance, it was just a few months ago that Ozinga complained about the overly generous worker's compensation policies in the Prairie State.

Halvorson Calls Out Ozinga On Health Care

Mose Buchele — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:25:42 -0700

A few weeks ago, Progress Illinois drew attention to 11th District GOP congressional candidate Marty Ozinga's misguided view that there are "very few people nowadays that have no health service at all." Ozinga's callous assessment of the U.S. health care crisis was based on the idea that anyone who can drag themselves to the emergency room will get some type of care.

Criticism of the remark included a pointed column from the Southtown Star's Kristen McQueary, who asked how Ozinga's apparent disregard for the uninsured jived with his self-declared Christian values. In a Star article published today, Ozinga's Democratic opponent, State Senator Debbie Halvorson, responded directly to the remark as well: "When I heard that, I was appalled. ... It proves how out of touch he is."

As detailed in the article, Halvorson grew up uninsured and watched her own mother suffer the indignities faced by Americans who can't afford health coverage. She recently highlighted her health care credentials before the Illinois Nurses Association in Kankakee:

According to her campaign, while in the state Senate, Halvorson worked to provide health insurance to uninsured children and veterans, create a first-in-the-nation program to provide affordable prescription drugs to seniors and the disabled, and require insurance companies to cover preventive care screenings like mammograms.

At the event in Kankakee, Halvorson laid out proposals to help reduce costs and improve health care including: allowing small businesses to bargain collectively to reduce health insurance premiums; expanding funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program [SCHIP]; increasing funding for preventive care and screenings; ensuring that mental health ailments have the same coverage as physical ailments; and allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs.

Among the issues named by Halvorson, SCHIP is one that voters will want to look at closely in the run up to the election. On his website, Ozinga comes out forcefully against government involvement in providing health insurance. But state health care programs tend to be popular with voters, especially when that coverage is going to uninsured kids.

Sun-Times Covers Ozinga's Late Taxes

Josh Kalven — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:21:32 -0700

Earlier this month, we documented how 11th District GOP congressional candidate Marty Ozinga's concrete company was late on tens of thousands of taxes in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, leading to legal action in each state. The story then got picked up by the Politico, which noted that it had been covered by local "newspapers and bloggers." This characterization was later corrected, however, after someone pointed out that no newspapers had actually reported on Ozinga's late tax payments.

Well, that changed today. Abdon Pallasch has a story in today's Sun-Times headlined "GOP congressional candidate's firm owed $49K in taxes":

Concrete mogul Marty Ozinga's companies racked up $59,000 in unpaid taxes over the last 20 years, according to documents provided to the Sun-Times by political operatives.

The tax liens have been filed against the Republican congressional candidate's companies in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Some are fines on his trucks that pour concrete in Chicago. [...]

"This is shaping up to be pattern of ignoring and breaking the rules for his own personal gain, which raises a question: If he's going to break the rules for his own business, how can you trust him to carry out the people's business?" said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Ozinga Camp Claims Health Care Quote Taken "Out Of Context"

Josh Kalven — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:38:38 -0700

Today, the Herald News picked up on 13th District GOP congressional candidate Marty Ozinga's recent statement during a CAN-TV interview that: "There are very few people these days that have no health service at all. I don't care who you are, if you're sick or you get hurt, you go to the hospital and you get taken care of." Reporter Patrick Ferrell noted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's release yesterday hitting Ozinga for the "out of touch" remark and also got a response from the Republican's campaign:

In the rest of the cable access interview, Ozinga discusses health care with the host for about five minutes. The rest of his quotes are similar to the views on the health care issues page of his Web site.

Andy Sere, Ozinga's campaign manager, said the candidate's quote was taken out of context. He even brought up an example of a Halvorson quote from a downstate paper in December, which if taken our of context, appears to show she is casting doubt on health care being an issue.

Ozinga favors expanding healthcare accessibility, but not through government-run programs. Instead, he believes government should pave the way by providing such things as tax deductions for individual insurance and allowing insurance pools to cut costs for small businesses. Ozinga also supports negotiating with drug companies for cheaper drugs and importing prescriptions to shave costs, according to his Web site.

Ah, the old "out of context" defense.

While it's true that Ozinga said a lot more about health care than just those two sentences, the theme that arises from his broader comments is also quite disturbing. He focuses largely on shifting the insurance burden from the employer to the individual. He emphasizes that "individuals ought to be responsible for themselves and they ought to take the responsibility and realize that just because you're healthy today doesn't mean that next year, to some surprise, you might find yourself sick and in need of health care."

Anyway, watch the video below (the health care conversation starts around the 38:00 mark) and judge for yourself whether he was taken out of context.