Illinois New Dem Bill Foster Doesn't Beat His Wife-- So What Kind of Senator Would He Be?

Illinois Democrats can do a lot better

Illinois is one of the most Democratic-leaning states with a vulnerable Republican seantor-- Mark Kirk-- up for reelection in 2016. Local fave Hillary Clinton is likely to sweep the state comparable to how Obama did in 2008, when he thumped McCain 3,419,348 (62%) to 2,031,179 (37%). Kirk himself was elected in the 2010 midterm, low voter turnout, with just 48% of the vote against a weak Democrat who got 46%. But so far, Illinois Democrats have come up with an even weaker cast of characters to take Kirk on than Alexi Giannoulias. Beltway media seems determined to refer to conservative congressional hacks Cheri Bustos (Blue Dog) and Bill Foster (New Dem) as front-runners. Both have awful voting records that won't inspire grassroots Democrats to even bothering to vote. And if Tammy Duckworth decides to run, she's probably the instant fave. She's neither a Blue Dog nor a New Dem but her voting record is just about as bad a Foster's and Bustos'. These are the 3 ProgressivePunch lifetime crucial vote scores:

• Tammy Duckworth- 64.91
• Bill Foster- 55.25
• Cheri Bustos- 43.72

Of course, instead of covering the race as though policies, vision and records were in any way relevant, Beltway media has its own sick perspective on how to look at candidates. Let's take Bill Foster. Foster has a very mediocre voting record, a lifetime ProgressivePunch crucial vote score of 55.25, even worse than reactionary Blue Dog Dan Lipinski's. In this new session he's already voted with the Republicans-- twice-- to deregulate dangerous Wall Street practices that put taxpayers on the hook for bankster shenanigans. But an article in one of the Beltway trade papers prefers to focus on his personal life when talking about the Senate run.

Three-term Rep. Bill Foster, who won easily in November, and his ex-wife Ann, say there is no truth to allegations in their 1996 divorce that the congressman abused her, the Chicago-Sun Times reported on Friday.

...The court document shows that Ann Foster asked her husband to move out of their house because “the Defendant has pushed, shoved, and caused physical abuse and emotional harm of the Plaintiff, thereby putting her in fear for not only herself but also for the parties (sic) minor children."

But Ann Foster said she did not read the filing before signing and she told the judge there was never any abuse and the judge allowed her husband to remain in the house.

She said that the divorce filing has generated round-the-clock calls from reporters during Bill Foster's election campaigns, including robo calls asking voters if they are aware of Foster's history as a “wife-abuser.”

“Ever since Bill decided to go into politics, every single campaign season since 2008, there are a number of months when I am plagued by constant phone calls," Ann Foster said.

Not a whisper about Foster's stand on any policies or anything of any importance to a voter interested in knowing what he or she would be voting for.