Saturday, January 9, 2010, was particularly eventful as far as this competitive, spirited campaign goes. As a Democratic candidate for Congress from the Seventh Congressional District, here in Illinois, I was in attendance in Chicago at the 43rd Ward’s Candidates’ Fair. Michele Smith, the 43rd Ward’s Committeeman, provided tables for the candidates to display their campaign literature and to speak to the voters who came out to meet the candidates. It was a small room, crowded with campaign volunteers and a relatively small group of voters stopping on a very cold and snowy day to ask questions. I was the only candidate representing the 7th Congressional District who appeared to be there to answer the questions of voters. Darlena Williams-Burnett, who is Chief Deputy for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and also a candidate for the Congressional seat, attended the Candidates’ Fair only briefly — she entered and walked around the room for several minutes and then left. Neither Congressman Davis nor 24th Ward Alderman Sharon Dixon appeared at all. Committeeman Smith announced that after the Candidates’ Fair, the 43rd Ward organization would make endorsements. Later it was announced that the organization had endorsed Congressman Davis. Who knows how that choice was made, since no attempt was made to report or publicize what the group may have considered or discussed? Regrettably, politics as usual in the 43rd Ward continues without change – as I have said throughout this campaign, I think that the voters of the 7th Congressional District deserve better.

The next event was sponsored by the West Side NAACP. It was held in a large auditorium with a stage and candidates who appeared were to speak for two minutes and later answer questions from the audience. In attendance at this event were Congressman Davis and Alderman Dixon. Each of us made our respective two-minute presentations and answered voter questions. What stood out at this forum was Congressman’s Davis response to a question asking whether he would support legislation, proposed by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., to amend the Constitution to mandate educational funding from the federal government. Incredibly, Congressman Davis indicated that he already had a full plate of issues to address and had no time to either consider or support Congressman Jackson’s educational agenda. The audience’s irritation over this response was palpable, even in a room generally considered to be friendly toward and supportive of the Congressman. In response to another audience question, Alderman Dixon pledged that she would work to ensure the fair distribution of the federal government’s economic stimulus funds. When the same question was put to Congressman Davis, he dismissed the issue, stating that the responsibility for the allocation of those monies was not in his domain and was a decision better left to Mayor Daley. Remarkably, the Congressman did not even feign interest in how the stimulus dollars might be distributed, or whether there were particular projects that he might recommend or encourage be funded for the improvement of one or more of the communities in the District. With due respect to the seven-term Congressman, I think that is part of every representative’s responsibility to his constituents – to work at every opportunity that might improve their communities and their daily lives. That’s the kind of advocacy that we are entitled to expect from our elected representatives and what I have promised to provide at every campaign appearance which I have made. As of this writing, there has been no announcement from the West Side NAACP as to which candidate, if any, that organization may endorse.

While I was at these events, my campaign volunteers were busy making calls to voters and walking door to door in the 25th ward telling voters about my plans to bring jobs and economic development to the district and urging them to come out to vote in the Democratic Primary election on February 2, 2010. These volunteers are ordinary folks who want a change to the usual politics, who are tired of the same old political process that results in the same tired and cynical politicians returning to Washington. They want a government that works tirelessly for the citizens that elect them to office. While Congressman Davis was blatantly ignoring the concerns of constituents at the NAACP forum and going through the usual motions of cynical politics and pretending to be interested in the lives of those constituents, my grassroots volunteers were out in the cold talking to people about the issues that matter to them. We cannot keep electing the same representatives through the same channels with the naïve hope that we will get different results. Of course, getting out a grassroots message and a prescription for positive change is difficult when the usual political games continue to be played. The media has largely ignored the 7th District Congressional race, apparently having concluded that the result is fait accompli. By their silence they may as well have conceded the race to Congressman Danny Davis. Will the voters of the 7th district do the same – well, each of you who read this message will have to answer that question.

If the citizens of the 7th Congressional District re-elect Congressman Davis we can expect more of the same – occasional appearances in the district, reassuring words of general interest and absolutely nothing in the way of results. After seven terms in Congress, that much must be clear!! We can continue to elect someone who is a bench warmer for another two years or we can make a change on February 2nd. There is so much at stake for each of us in this district – and in this country – that we can no longer afford to have our congressman sit back and be disengaged from the legitimate concerns of the people of the 7th Congressional District — because he has too much on his plate, or wants to defer the difficult decisions to a higher authority, like Mayor Daley. We need a congressman who cares enough about the concerns of his constituents to never back down from a fight, who is willing to never let pass an opportunity to make a difference.

To add insult to injury, the New York Times recently reported that Congressman Davis was enlisted by one of his contributors – a significant donor who does not even reside in the congressional district — to visit governmental officials in Chinese Mongolia to help seal a deal for a latex glove manufacturing plant to be built in China. And what was the Congressman’s response when confronted by the newspaper about this effort on behalf of an old friend and political supporter? He didn’t deny doing a favor for an old friend, said he found nothing wrong or inappropriate in lending his political support to the Chinese project and even acknowledged that the business deal wouldn’t bring a single job to Illinois. Did the Congressman try to convince his friend that the factory should or could be built in the 7th Congressional District or elsewhere in Illinois or that local residents and communities could or should be entitled to benefit from the Congressman’s efforts on behalf of his friend? No one knows if Congressman Davis ever considered doing any of those things on behalf of the constituents he represents.

It is our choice how we want to be represented in the 7th Congressional District. We need to set a term limit for Danny Davis. Perhaps he needs to clear his plate so that he can attend regular meetings of the Cook County Board or other organizations in which he has sincere interest. We need engaged, passionate leadership on behalf of the citizens of the 7th Congressional District and it’s time that the citizens of the 7th District demand it.

Vote early or on February 2, 2010.

Sincerely yours,
JIM ASCOT