What Do The Pope, A Former Republican Party Chairman And Senator Durbin Have In Common?

They all want corporate, anti-Choice Democrat, Matt Goetten, to win the race for Illinois’ newly drawn 13th Congressional District.

Illinois’ 13th District is poised to be the Illinois showdown between a progressive and corporate-backed Durbincrat… and, the progressive, Dr. David Gill, is going to win.

The Villain: Goetten identifies himself as a “pro-choice catholic who always chooses life.” The political translation means that, he will say and do anything to get elected and he will probably turn on women when it comes time to push the “yes” button on issues of Choice and equality. He chose not to fill out the Planned Parenthood questionnaire. To round out his right-leaning social agenda, he opposes equality in marriage. If you think his social agenda makes him sound like a Republican, wait until you hear his clear intentions to serve the1% on economic issues.

During a Depression, the bread-and-butter issues probably matter most to voters and what really bothers me about Goetten is that he openly admits that he will take money from Goldman Sachs and the entire banking industry. He was cornered at a public event in Champaign County and asked if he would refuse money from corporations, banks and their associated Pacs. He laughed at the notion and said that this is what you have to do to get elected. That's exactly the kind of answer the DCCC loves to hear from their corporate shill candidates-- and that's exactly why voters can't tell which party is worse when it comes to DC's Culture of Corruption. So... no Mr. Goetten. This is why you should not be elected.

If you can stomach the conservative economic and social policy positions, you should take a good look at who is backing him politically. I don’t know who bothers me more. He was recruited by Dick "I have not found a progressive I like yet" Durbin, but I was more shocked to find out that former Kendall County Republican Party Chairman, Dallas Ingemunson, sent Goetten a $500 contribution. I guess Goetten used the State’s Attorney’s position to earn a favor or two from Dallas… or, they simply agree on the Republican agenda.


The back-scratching, favor-trading in Southern Illinois is common place; explaining the long list of Goettens who depend on patronage jobs. Good folks like Ben Goetten who was appointed to the States’ Attorney’s Office in Jersey County or Nate Goetten who works for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Goetten is a business-as-usual candidate who views public office as a means towards career advancement and personal gain. In sharp contrast is progressive independent-minded Democrat, Dr. David Gill who has given himself fully to his family, to his patients and to his community.

The Victor: From the Heart of Illinois comes a physician with a huge heart, passion for public service, and clear progressive agenda that stems from his childhood. As a youngster, David Gill lent his favorite books out to other kids in his neighborhood. He called it the neighborhood public library and, at a very young age, stepped into the role of public servant. I will never forget hearing this story for the first time from Gill’s sister. His childhood public library defined who David Gill is to this very day. He has always cared about the people in his community, the people in his campaign, the people in his family and the people who walk through the emergency room where he works as a physician. I asked an old friend from Illinois who knows Gill well about the man's character and commitment to progressive values. This is what he wrote back:

As a volunteer for David Gill during my college years, I remember the countless people who came into the office to share personal stories of how David went above and beyond to make sure that the broken insurance system didn’t get in the way of quality healthcare. He opposed the Iraq War from day one. He marched for women’s rights and served as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood. He opposes NAFTA, supports EFCA and has been talking about wealth inequality since I first met him in 2004. A Nation-reading progressive, Dr. Gill was outraged at the Bush tax cuts and Cheney bailouts for big oil companies. But, it was the injustices he encountered in the emergency room on a daily basis that drove him to run for office. Imagine how different the healthcare discussion would have been if we had a single-payer physician at the table.

Gill and I stayed in touch in the years following that first run for public office. Even though I was recently laid off, I sent David a couple bucks in response to a fundraising e-mail from a friend. He called to say thanks and I decided to investigate his opponent a little bit-– what a waste of space that guy is.

Gill has run three times before (in fairness, his first wife passed from cancer during his second run) and I was not sure if Gill supporters were still enthusiastic. I had my answer very soon as I began counting the 8-page list of Democratic Precinct Committeemen and municipal leaders who had stepped up to back David. Really, you should read the list; it is impressive!

Perhaps most impressive was the unanimous endorsement of the Macon County Democratic Party (Decatur is a union town) after Dick Durbin came out publicly to support Gill’s opponent and long-time family friend. It was a sound, rejection of Durbin’s opinion in a town that played a crucial role in first electing Dick Durbin to congress years ago.

It occurred to me that this was it. This was the Illinois showdown between a progressive and corporate Democrat. This was the showdown between the grassroots (We the People) and the Washington insider’s club. This was the year that we were going to win. Three cycles of relentless campaigning and suffering a huge personal tragedy have not deterred David Gill. As I spoke to him on the phone this afternoon, I could hear the determination and wear in his raspy voice. He was on the road, dawn-till-dusk pounding the pavement for us, "We the People." And when he does win, Illinois voters will finally have one congressman who is affectionately known by his supporters as, “incorruptible,” two if he and Ilya Sheyman both win.

He deserves our support and the citizens of IL-13 deserve him as their congressman! When he takes his seat, he won't be there as a party zombie; he'll be there as a smart, independent-minded progressive. We need more like him and less of the partisan hacks we have on both sides of the aisle.

If you can, send David some money, he needs it to run TV ads and get out the vote. If you know people who live in Illinois’ 13th District, please call them and ask them to vote and turn their one vote into as many as they can.