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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
“The woke left is coming after me for peeing on a tree during my college days,” state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) told me not long ago.
I’ve told you about this race before. The 102nd Illinois House District is one of a handful of southeastern and southern Illinois Republican primaries that might slow or intensify the Republican Party’s rightward lunge. They’ve featured far-right candidates trying to fend off or battling with more mainstream Republicans. US Rep. Mike Bost’s race against the much further-right Darren Bailey has been another.
Niemerg, an anti-union, anti-abortion, pro-gun Illinois Freedom Caucus stalwart, was responding at the time to an opposition report I’d seen about him. That research eventually found its way into a TV ad from an Illinois Education Association-funded group helping Niemerg’s Republican primary opponent Jim Acklin, a former school superintendent.
The ad is paid for by Illinois Working PAC, an independent expenditure committee which spent more than $100,000 on the race and received all of its funding from the IEA. The teachers union and other unions directly contributed another $120,000 to Acklin’s campaign. That gave Acklin almost twice the spending power as Rep. Niemerg.
“Adam Niemerg sure talks a lot, but what is he not telling you?” the ad’s announcer asked. “Well, there’s the DUI Niemerg got, more than twice the limit. And how he pleaded guilty to obscene conduct.”
OK, let’s stop right there for a moment. Niemerg was busted in 2003 for DUI, speeding and possession/consumption of alcohol by a minor. He paid a fine and had to go to treatment. Then, on 4/20 (heh) of 2006, Niemerg was busted for obscene conduct. He pleaded guilty, paid a fine and was given 90 days supervision.
Niemerg has not addressed the claims via his own advertising, even though “obscene conduct” can conjure up quite a large number of scenarios. Also, a lot of homeless people charged with peeing on trees end up in a heap of legal trouble, so it’s not that funny to them. The anti-Niemerg ad is also being pushed hard online, and as of last Friday afternoon it had 232,000 YouTube views, which is more than twice the total population of a House district.
A group called American Action Fund, however, punched back on Niemerg’s behalf with social media ads on another topic. “Jim Acklin failed to act when complaints were filed against his friend and chose to blame the victim while superintendent. Acklin looked the other way and let a predator roam free in his school for years, now he wants to be your State Rep. Our State Rep. should stand up for us, not their buddy.” The ad links to a 2016 news story (which was basically an opposition research report released when Acklin was running for a House seat) entitled, “In sexual misconduct suit, State Rep candidate said female student was responsible for relationship with teacher.” According to Facebook, the ad generated up to 40,000 impressions by last Friday.
Acklin brushed off the attack, noting that the lawsuit “was based on entirely false allegations,” and was, “so unfounded that it was ultimately dismissed with prejudice against the plaintiff, which means that I can never again be sued for that false allegation. I was exonerated because I handled the situation exactly as it should have been handled; I suspended and barred the employee involved from school property within minutes of learning of the allegations. The individual in question will never be able to teach in Illinois again because of the action I took.” But Acklin hasn’t specifically countered the claim that I can tell.
This has been, without a doubt, the meanest primary in Illinois this spring.
Let’s go back to the Acklin TV ad: “Niemerg voted to allow minors convicted of serious crimes to be paroled. And remember those Obama DACA aliens? Niemerg voted to allow them to become police officers. I guess with Adam Niemerg, it’s not what he says, but what he doesn’t say that’s important.”
Niemerg has denied that he voted to allow DACA recipients to become police officers. But he did vote for the bill when it applied to non-citizens. Niemerg and a few others voted “No” after it was amended to explicitly include DACA folks.
And a recent Niemerg mailer features some rather incendiary quotes from American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates and ties them to Acklin. “Jim Acklin is completely funded by the radical, left-wing extremists,” the mailer blares.
I’ll let you know how it plays out.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 11:18 am
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The woke left holds it until they can find a bathroom. They dont just “chiggle” it where ever they want.
Comment by Jerry Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 11:33 am
If he gets the votes of everyone in the district that’s gotten behind the wheel after drinking or relieved themselves on a tree, he’ll be fine.
My guess is that given a choice between using a gender neutral bathroom or just peeing on a tree, Niemerg was more than happy to use the tree. Probably wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those new woke bathrooms.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 11:54 am
==peeing on a tree during my college days==
Combined with the DUI, he’s either entitled, oblivious, or both.
Comment by Jocko Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 12:01 pm
I am very disappointed that the IEA has chosen to use the parole of minors as a “negative” in the political races they are involved in Southern Illinois. An organization that is supposed to be improving the educational environment, negatively promoting the opportunity to provide our incarcerated youth (many of which are from the black and brown communities) a second chance is wrong. The bill referenced was unanimous in the House. The progressive caucus should be outraged! IMO the IEA has crossed the moral line in their desire to win.
Comment by Wrong to Cross the Line to Win Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 12:09 pm
Wrong to cross the line to win, either Niemerg or Wilhour literally called IEA money blood money on the house floor when debating (partially) elected school board.
Comment by Macon Bakin Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 12:17 pm
Agree that the IEA messaging here (even if indirectly) is pretty awful. Anyone putting a dollar up to use the phrase “those Obama DACA aliens” needs to rethink their personal values.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 12:24 pm
The infuriating thing about Nimburg is if someone on the “woke left” peed on his lawn, they’d get the death penalty.
Comment by Jerry Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 12:34 pm
“more mainstream Republicans” doesn’t mean much these days when the national GOP platform is basically basically Bircher-ism at this point.
Comment by Homebody Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 12:36 pm
Kam Buckner got a Dewey and no there was no prog/lib indignation about that.
Comment by Bohemian Rap City Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 12:53 pm
=prog/lib=
Tell us you do not know how to spell big words without telling us.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 1:03 pm
I’ve peed on many a tree in my time, but I never got arrested for it.
I guess I just know when and where to do it.
Comment by Bruce( no not him) Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 1:04 pm
Jim Acklin is a great guy, was a terrific Administrator and fantastic coach.
He would be a very substantial upgrade from the current genius who couldn’t muster the intellect to fill out the paperwork correctly. One has to get up pretty early in the morning to mess up being an unopposed incumbent.
Comment by Um, no Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 1:09 pm
Relieved myself many a time outdoors. Takes about two seconds to see if anyone is around.
You do it in a public place, you face the consequences, then and later.
Quit sniveling.
Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 1:31 pm
The biggest surprise in all of this is that Niemerg went to college.
Comment by Manchester Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 2:20 pm
===Kam Buckner got a Dewey===
He got 2.
However, he never pleaded guilty to obscene conduct.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 2:44 pm
Once I hear a candidate refer to the “woke left” or “radical, left-wing extremists,” I tune out. Same for when I see “radical right-wing extremists.” The same lazy phrasing is so unoriginal, I pretty much have no interest in what else they have to say. If you’re going to insult your opponent, at least be creative.
Comment by ??? Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 3:06 pm
==Kam Buckner got a Dewey and no there was no prog/lib indignation about that.==
If a big part of your platform is “law & order,” you should expect to get called out on the times you did not follow the law or respect public order.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 3:37 pm
===I’ll let you know how it plays out.===
I’m here for the infighting. It’s great. I just wish they were better at sparing on social media.
===The woke left is coming after me for peeing on a tree during my college days===
There’s peeing on a tree and then there is peeing on a tree in a manner that leads to being arrested and charged with obscene conduct. The tree probably isn’t an issue. That being said, he should have been upfront about this when he first ran to make it a non-story. That’s how one handles criminal charges for youthful shenanigans.
He made poor campaign choices in a prior cycle, and now he is paying for it.
Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Mar 18, 24 @ 4:09 pm