I got an e-mail from Aloys Rutagwibira in response to our post from a few days ago, which picked up on the Daily Herald story by Russell Lissau which asserted that Rutagwibira was ineligible for Congress because he did not have seven years of citizenship as required under the U.S. Constitution. Here's what he wrote:
Dear blogger at Teamamerica.
I read your blog concerning my constitutional ineligibility to serve in US Congress, that is having been a Citizen of the United States for at lead 7 years. here is what my Certificate of Naturalization says : " Be known that pursuant to an application filed with the Secretary of the Homeland Security at Chicago, Illinois. The Secretary having found that: Aloys Rutagwibira then residing in the United States intends to reside in the United States when so required by the Naturalization Laws of the United States and had in all other respects complied with the applicable provisions of such naturalization laws and was entitled to be admitted to Citizenship, such parson having taken the oath of allegiance in a ceremony conducted by the US district court northern district of IL at Chicago, Illinois on July 06, 2006"
I was compliant with Citizenship requirements and entitled to be admitted to Citizenship in 2005, not in July 2006 when the Certificate was issued. There is no ambiguity in this statement.
By January 20, 2013 I will have over 7 years of Citizenship. I am not a person living in a fantasy world.
Thank you.
Aloys Rutagwibira
and the Campaign to Elect Aloys Rutagwibira for US Congress.
Ahem. Well, first off, thanks to Mr. Rutagwibira for writing in. You are very polite. We're always happy to hear from readers, although you could have also left your message directly in comments. No matter.
As far as I can tell, Mr. Rutagwibira's point is that he was 'eligible' for citizenship before he actually took the oath and became a citizen. Using the date of his claimed 'eligibility' gives you more than seven years until the date upon which he would be sworn in as a Congressman, if elected. I will grant that it may be that the eligibility requirement in the Constitution may in fact only apply as to the date of the swearing in to office, since the language says:
No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.
In other words, can you collect petition signatures, run a campaign and get elected, as long as you meet the citizenship requirement by the date of your swearing in to office? I think that's an interesting issue that I will leave to the Con Law scholars to debate; unless there has already been a court decision on that or something, which there may well have been already.
But in any case, that doesn't save Mr. Rutagwibira, as far as I can tell, as he still needs to win on his theory that "eligibility for citizenship" equals being a "citizen" under the Constitution to get his seven years by January 2013. Mr. Rutagwibira should consider the fact that, of course, at some date, you are going to 'meet the requirements' for citizenship before you actually take the oath and become a citizen (unless somehow you took the oath of office on the exact first date of eligibility, perhaps). The authors of the constitution knew that, and they did not caveat the requirement with a date of "eligibility," they said you had to be a citizen for seven years.
IMHO, I think Rutagwibira is going nowhere with this contention, but by all means keep at it. The chances of him even winning the primary are tiny enough that I think we're never going to know the answer, at least in this case, since no one previously challenged his petitions on that basis.
And thanks for writing in.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
For the Inside Scoop on the IL-10 Primary, Sometimes You Simply Have to Go to A Dem Blog
While I always have some hesitation about linking to Ellen of the Tenth, the counterpart to Team America over in the mirror universe that is the Dem side of the Tenth Congressional District, sometimes to really get the flavor of who's stabbing who in the back on the Dem side, there really is no substitute for checking out what Ellen has to say. After all, as you might expect, not a lot of Dem primary mail shows up at Team America headquarters based on my voting profile, since they are clearly not going to waste a penny on mailing to a 'hard R' like m'self. And while I have been known to show up to Dem events in the past (sometimes just to get a reaction), lately I haven't felt like playing that game, so except for what Russell Lissau tells us in the Daily Herald, one of my best sources is the person who originally inspired me to start Team America, after kicking me off her blog since she couldn't stomach the debate (of course, I am hardly the only Republican that's happened to, just ask Lou Atsaves).
But today, Ellen brings us up to date on the major contenders for the Dem nomination, which are Ilya Sheyman, Brad Schneider, and John Tree.
Boiled down, Ellen's opinion is (my synopsis):
Brad Schneider is really good at sending out mail pieces (although they all apparently sound exactly the same);
Ilya Sheyman is really good at bringing a bunch of high schoolers wearing his shirts to various events (even though they can't vote for him); and
John Tree (although from what I can tell isn't good at much of anything campaign-wise) is just an honest-to-goodness business, military and humanitarian demigod.
Of course, Ellen has endorsed Tree, so you have to take all of that with a grain of salt. But it's really fun to read her cut the other Dem contenders down, and she even takes a few pokes at President Obama for being a disappointment compared to her liberal yardstick (noting especially Obama's new capitulation on the contraception issue). Given that Tree is not nearly as liberal as Sheyman, I wonder what she really thinks of Tree's positions on Obamacare and other Dem causes, if even Sheyman isn't good enough.
Go check it out if you want a few yucks.
But today, Ellen brings us up to date on the major contenders for the Dem nomination, which are Ilya Sheyman, Brad Schneider, and John Tree.
Boiled down, Ellen's opinion is (my synopsis):
Brad Schneider is really good at sending out mail pieces (although they all apparently sound exactly the same);
Ilya Sheyman is really good at bringing a bunch of high schoolers wearing his shirts to various events (even though they can't vote for him); and
John Tree (although from what I can tell isn't good at much of anything campaign-wise) is just an honest-to-goodness business, military and humanitarian demigod.
Of course, Ellen has endorsed Tree, so you have to take all of that with a grain of salt. But it's really fun to read her cut the other Dem contenders down, and she even takes a few pokes at President Obama for being a disappointment compared to her liberal yardstick (noting especially Obama's new capitulation on the contraception issue). Given that Tree is not nearly as liberal as Sheyman, I wonder what she really thinks of Tree's positions on Obamacare and other Dem causes, if even Sheyman isn't good enough.
Go check it out if you want a few yucks.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Lake County Board Candidate Dan Donahue Doesn't Like Him Some Government Golf
Today, Russell Lissau at the Daily Herald takes another look at the contested primary for Lake County Board in District 15, which includes all or parts of Libertyville and Mundelein. Dan Donahue, who is challenging long-time incumbent Carol Calabresa, thinks the Lake County government should dump the golf courses it owns and stop competing with the private sector. Calebresa thinks it's OK for the County to operate golf courses unless it's clear they are a money pit. Both candidates are against building a new course at Fort Sheridan, however.
I've known both Carol and Dan for a long, long time and both are great people and great candidates, but I have to go with Donahue in this race. We need some new ideas and people on the County Board, and Dan's fiscal conservative philosophy and business smarts (not to mention good ol' South Side Irish street smarts) would be a great addition to the Board.
Dan was the clear favorite in the Libertyville Township Republican endorsement just a few weeks ago and gained their endorsement with over 70% of the vote.
I've known both Carol and Dan for a long, long time and both are great people and great candidates, but I have to go with Donahue in this race. We need some new ideas and people on the County Board, and Dan's fiscal conservative philosophy and business smarts (not to mention good ol' South Side Irish street smarts) would be a great addition to the Board.
Dan was the clear favorite in the Libertyville Township Republican endorsement just a few weeks ago and gained their endorsement with over 70% of the vote.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Great News for Senator Mark Kirk
The reports today are that Senator Mark Kirk's doctors successfully put the portion of his skull that was removed to allow for brain swelling, back together. I hope this is the start of Mark being able to get on with rehab and get back to full health and functioning.
The party, but more importantly, the country, can't afford to have a guy like Kirk out of commission for too long.
Hurry and get well, Senator!
The party, but more importantly, the country, can't afford to have a guy like Kirk out of commission for too long.
Hurry and get well, Senator!
Monday, February 6, 2012
From the "Doesn't Know When to Quit" Files: Dem Candidate Rutagwibira Vows to Run as a Write-In for IL-10 Race
Call this guy persistent, but even after the Daily Herald unearthed some pretty convincing evidence from the public records showing that Dem candidate Aloys Rutagwibira does not have the required years of citizenship under the Constitution, he still insists on running as a write-in candidate, the DH reports.
Now, to be sure, Rutagwibira was not kicked off the ballot because of the citizenship issue, which was not raised by whoever challenged his nominating petitions (although I'm sure whoever that was is really kicking themselves now). But, why would anyone bother trying to run as a write-in with this issue just waiting to be raised?
TA's sources tell him that Rutagwibria is disputing the claim of the DH, apparently claiming that his years of living in the country legally years before he attained citizenship in 2006 is good enough.
As a public service, we provide the following excerpt from the actual U.S. Constitution, a document that Rutagwibira might just want to try reading someday if he wants to be in Congress:
No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.
There's lots of ambiguous clauses to debate in the Constitution, but this is not one of them.
This has been a Team America public service announcement.
The Dem field in IL-10 sure continues to do itself proud, doesn't it....?
Now, to be sure, Rutagwibira was not kicked off the ballot because of the citizenship issue, which was not raised by whoever challenged his nominating petitions (although I'm sure whoever that was is really kicking themselves now). But, why would anyone bother trying to run as a write-in with this issue just waiting to be raised?
TA's sources tell him that Rutagwibria is disputing the claim of the DH, apparently claiming that his years of living in the country legally years before he attained citizenship in 2006 is good enough.
As a public service, we provide the following excerpt from the actual U.S. Constitution, a document that Rutagwibira might just want to try reading someday if he wants to be in Congress:
No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.
There's lots of ambiguous clauses to debate in the Constitution, but this is not one of them.
This has been a Team America public service announcement.
The Dem field in IL-10 sure continues to do itself proud, doesn't it....?
Cash Dash in IL-59; Voting Records Troublesome for a Few IL-10 Dems
Someone yesterday suggested to me that incumbent State Rep. Carol Sente may be facing a bit of a funding problem come this November when she faces fellow State Rep. Sid Mathias in a race that pits two current legislators against each other. (Two legislators enter, one legislator... well, you know how that works). The issue is whether, in a race that looks like it will probably be very close, will Michael Madigan spend what he needs to in order to ensure a win for Sente in the face of some pretty stiff competition?
Last Friday night, Mathias held a well-attended fundraiser that was planned to raise some big bucks. Looking at the A-1's that have already been filed, it seems like it was a success, and obviously we will have to wait to see the final reports next quarter, but TA understands from the Mathias team that they did well. According to Mathias' end of year report, he had almost $40K in the bank. Sente, on the other hand, had only about $14K available at the end of the same period, and no recent A-1's filed.
Of course, the real issue is whether Madigan will come in full force for Sente -- if he does, Sente will have as much money as she needs. Still, even if Madigan does not come to Sente's rescue with cash or goons to work the district, Sente still has friends, notably some of the local unions.
Sente famously vowed to be an independent voice in Springfield and break up the 'old boys' club' (how's that working out, Carol?). We'll have to see if Madigan is willing to invest heavily on such a self-proclaimed 'independent,' and perhaps more importantly, if Sente is willing to accept the help, if offered.
Meanwhile, over in IL-10, Russell Lissau at the Daily Herald continues to mine the records and reports of the Dem candidates, and talks today about the voting records of the some candidates, such as John Tree and Brad Schneider. Tree doesn't have much of a voting record, especially in primaries, but attributes that to his military service, for which he claims this kind of voting record is not uncommon. Fair enough. Tree probably doesn't have much of a chance anyway, based on polling and his fundraising thus far.
Brad Schneider, on the other hand, seems to be a lot closer to front-runner Ilya Sheyman, with Schneider's poll numbers and fundraising much more in Sheyman's ballpark. Schneider may be confronting many more serious issues with his voting record than Tree, however, as the DH article reveals that he once pulled a Republican primary ballot and voted in that election, and perhaps more seriously, previously contributed to Republican and then-Congressman Mark Kirk's campaign. Based on the report over at Ellen of the Tenth, there are a lot of anti-Kirk Dems for whom that's pretty much the kiss of death.
So, again, it seems like the also-rans are paving the way pretty nicely for a Sheyman victory. If only that comes to pass!....
ADDING.... Let's cut out the name calling in comments. Calling Sheyman a 'commie' was sort of funny, a little, the first time. The 30th time, not so much. Let's move on and spare the ad hominem labeling, and we'll all be much happier. I have my delete key finger warming up, so be warned... (as everyone knows, gratiuitous name calling is allowed here only when I do it, because it's always funny, unless I think your comment is funny.)
Last Friday night, Mathias held a well-attended fundraiser that was planned to raise some big bucks. Looking at the A-1's that have already been filed, it seems like it was a success, and obviously we will have to wait to see the final reports next quarter, but TA understands from the Mathias team that they did well. According to Mathias' end of year report, he had almost $40K in the bank. Sente, on the other hand, had only about $14K available at the end of the same period, and no recent A-1's filed.
Of course, the real issue is whether Madigan will come in full force for Sente -- if he does, Sente will have as much money as she needs. Still, even if Madigan does not come to Sente's rescue with cash or goons to work the district, Sente still has friends, notably some of the local unions.
Sente famously vowed to be an independent voice in Springfield and break up the 'old boys' club' (how's that working out, Carol?). We'll have to see if Madigan is willing to invest heavily on such a self-proclaimed 'independent,' and perhaps more importantly, if Sente is willing to accept the help, if offered.
Meanwhile, over in IL-10, Russell Lissau at the Daily Herald continues to mine the records and reports of the Dem candidates, and talks today about the voting records of the some candidates, such as John Tree and Brad Schneider. Tree doesn't have much of a voting record, especially in primaries, but attributes that to his military service, for which he claims this kind of voting record is not uncommon. Fair enough. Tree probably doesn't have much of a chance anyway, based on polling and his fundraising thus far.
Brad Schneider, on the other hand, seems to be a lot closer to front-runner Ilya Sheyman, with Schneider's poll numbers and fundraising much more in Sheyman's ballpark. Schneider may be confronting many more serious issues with his voting record than Tree, however, as the DH article reveals that he once pulled a Republican primary ballot and voted in that election, and perhaps more seriously, previously contributed to Republican and then-Congressman Mark Kirk's campaign. Based on the report over at Ellen of the Tenth, there are a lot of anti-Kirk Dems for whom that's pretty much the kiss of death.
So, again, it seems like the also-rans are paving the way pretty nicely for a Sheyman victory. If only that comes to pass!....
ADDING.... Let's cut out the name calling in comments. Calling Sheyman a 'commie' was sort of funny, a little, the first time. The 30th time, not so much. Let's move on and spare the ad hominem labeling, and we'll all be much happier. I have my delete key finger warming up, so be warned... (as everyone knows, gratiuitous name calling is allowed here only when I do it, because it's always funny, unless I think your comment is funny.)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Congressman Bob Dold Saving His Shekels In IL-10, Waiting for an Opponent to Emerge (UPDATED x2: Hinz Calls Dem Fundraising "Puny"; Now It's 4)
Russell Lissau takes a great comprehensive look today at the fundraising going on in the 10th Congressional District. Congressman Bob Dold is sitting pretty with over a million bucks in the bank that he can save for the general election, since he doesn't have a primary opponent, while the B team over on the Dem side continue to try to out-left each other to please the Dem base.
As Lissau notes, Dold outraised the top two Dem competitors combined:
Ilya Sheyman, a Waukegan resident who at 25 is just old enough to run for Congress, collected $178,904 in campaign donations between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, according to newly filed campaign disclosure reports.
Brad Schneider finished second in the quarterly money race. The Deerfield resident’s campaign committee received an estimated $134,262 in donations.
But incumbent Republican Bob Dold of Kenilworth outraised both of them combined, collecting $355,831 in the quarter, records show.
Lissau also notes:
Schneider ended the quarter with about $451,787 in the bank, which made him the best-funded candidate at the start of 2012. The sum includes a $100,000 loan from Schneider.
We all know how 'self-funders' seem to fare in this District -- usually poorly. I also always like to see if guys like Schneider actually spend their campaign account down to the last penny in the final weeks if it seems clear that he's not going to win -- in other words, will Schneider dip into his "own" loan money and put it at risk, as opposed to gleefully running on OPM (other people's money).
John Tree is a distant third in fundraising (but hopefully he'll have enough to pay his high-priced consulting team) and the other two guys in the race appear to be talking to themselves, or something.
UPDATED: Greg Hinz at Crains's also takes a quick look in on the fundraising efforts of the candidates in the 10th, and labels the collective efforts of the Dems "pretty puny" in comparison to Congressman Bob Dold. Hahahahahahha!
UPDATED x2: The Daily Herald reports that the least known Dem candidate, Aloys Rutagwibira, has been kicked off the ballot for not having sufficient valid petition signatures. So much for Russell Lissau's hard work in determining that Rutagwibira was ineligible on citizenship tenure anyway.
As Lissau notes, Dold outraised the top two Dem competitors combined:
Ilya Sheyman, a Waukegan resident who at 25 is just old enough to run for Congress, collected $178,904 in campaign donations between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, according to newly filed campaign disclosure reports.
Brad Schneider finished second in the quarterly money race. The Deerfield resident’s campaign committee received an estimated $134,262 in donations.
But incumbent Republican Bob Dold of Kenilworth outraised both of them combined, collecting $355,831 in the quarter, records show.
Lissau also notes:
Schneider ended the quarter with about $451,787 in the bank, which made him the best-funded candidate at the start of 2012. The sum includes a $100,000 loan from Schneider.
We all know how 'self-funders' seem to fare in this District -- usually poorly. I also always like to see if guys like Schneider actually spend their campaign account down to the last penny in the final weeks if it seems clear that he's not going to win -- in other words, will Schneider dip into his "own" loan money and put it at risk, as opposed to gleefully running on OPM (other people's money).
John Tree is a distant third in fundraising (but hopefully he'll have enough to pay his high-priced consulting team) and the other two guys in the race appear to be talking to themselves, or something.
UPDATED: Greg Hinz at Crains's also takes a quick look in on the fundraising efforts of the candidates in the 10th, and labels the collective efforts of the Dems "pretty puny" in comparison to Congressman Bob Dold. Hahahahahahha!
UPDATED x2: The Daily Herald reports that the least known Dem candidate, Aloys Rutagwibira, has been kicked off the ballot for not having sufficient valid petition signatures. So much for Russell Lissau's hard work in determining that Rutagwibira was ineligible on citizenship tenure anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
