Politics Involves Fracas on Illinois Senate Floor, Lawsuits, Trials and Tribulations

Political stories in the 17th congressional district of Illinois, site of a hard-fought campaign by Bobby Schilling (R) against incumbent Phil Hare, reported in the Thursday Moline (Ill.) Dispatch that new Congressman Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., is named in a lawsuit that alleges his son, Levi Schilling, and four friends filled a toy dump truck with gasoline at a birthday party for young Schilling four years ago (Levi is one of 10 Schilling children), and rolled the flaming truck at Thomas Reese III, now 18, who was burned over one-third of his body and spent 5 days in a Springfield hospital when he was 14.

Both Levi Schilling and Mr. and Mrs. Schilling, as well as Levi's friends Blake Croegaert, Matt Dragolovich and Andrew Walters are named in the lawsuit. The freshman Congressman (who was reported to have voted on the wrong bill in early voting this session) said in a written statement: "Some kids were over at the house. They were horsing around. An accident happened."

Mr. Schilling is also facing potential challenges for his seat from at least 6 other candidates, including Mike Boland (best known for his Citizens' Utility Board activism), Cheri Bustos (an East Moline City Council member) and, most prominently, two-time Senator Dave Koehler of Peoria 46, who said he was running because there was "an extreme agenda coming from Congress that isn't fair to ordinary families." Mr. Schilling was endorsed by the Quincy Tea Party during his successful run against the man who had succeeded long-time Congressman Lane Evans. Evans retired due to the ravages of Parkinson's disease. Hare had been Evans' legislative assistant and served as aide or Congressman for 27 years.

Mike Jacobs vs. Kyle McCarter

Also making news was a shouting match June 1, 2011 on the floor of the Illinois Senate which, according to reports, got physical when East Moline Senator Mike Jacobs (D, IL), whose father Denny retired in 2005 (contingent upon his son inheriting his seat) was taken to task publicly by Kyle McCarter (D, Lebanon) for sponsoring a bill that would allow Commonwealth Edison to raise their rates 2.5 percent. Jacobs is chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and his father, Denny, is a registered lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison.

McCarter told the Chicago "Sun Times," "He (Jacobs) stood in front of my desk while I was completing a bill -- then he proceeded to verbally just curse at me, then he punched me in the chest with his fist." Many Quad City editorials have decried the conflict of interest that has Jacobs the younger sponsoring a bill that would financially benefit Jacobs the elder, but Jacobs response to Fox News was, initially, that McCarter, was "full of (deleted)."

Later, Senator Jacobs issued an apology. One individual offering a written statement supporting McCarter's version of events was newly appointed Republican Senator Darrin LaHood , 42, who was sworn in as a senator on Feb 10 to replace 67-year-old Risinger from the 36th Congressional District. (Darin LaHood is the son of Obama Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.) During the debate, McCarter had said, "I know it's just the way we do things and it's just the way Illinois politics is. The sponsor's father is a registered lobbyist, lobbying for, who else, but ComEd." Gingrich Goes Down

Back on the Iowa side of the Mississippi, the wheels came off the Gingrich wagon as all 6 staffers and the head of Newt Gingrich's Iowa campaign, Craig Schoenfeld, quit. Schoenfeld, in resigning, said, "I needed him to invest in Iowa and there didn't appear to be a commitment to invest that kind of time and energy and resources to be successful here." It is beginning to look like that's the strategy that front-runner Mitt Romney may employ, as well. The Gingrich family left for a Mediterranean cruise and could not be reached for comment, but the August straw polls in Iowa (and elsewhere) are going to be avoided by Romney and possibly others. Romney spent a considerable amount of money on the Ames event during 2008 only to lose.

And, of course, we have the jury deliberating the fate of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who finally stopped his stroll down memory lane long enough for the prosecution to drive home the fact for the jury that "Hot Rod" is already a convicted liar.