When the debris and corpses settled after the 2010 midterms, Illinois was a rare source of Democratic strength. They ran every branch of government. They could control redistricting, and make life painful for a maximal number of Republicans in Congress. They did so. Next week, longtime Rep. Don Manzullo has to destroy Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a young Iraq War vet who had been tipped as a star – a future statewide candidate, an Aaron Schock without the weird shirtless magazine cover.
Here’s one of the ads Manzullo is using to discredit Kinzinger.
The attack that leaps out at you: Kinzinger was “one of seven Republicans who voted to PAY FOR OBAMA’S APPOINTMENTS!” What does that mean? Just that Kinzinger opposed a summer 2011 amendment that would have denied a salary to anyone recess-appointed by Barack Obama. Really. That’s it. That’s the proof that he’s not conservative enough to represent a mostly-Republican district. It’ll be fascinating to see if this works.
