I'm Running for Congress in IL-5

I'm running for Congress in the Fifth District of Illinois.

As a Chicago lawyer for thirty years, I have fought for working people in the Fifth District and throughout the city. I have represented unions as well as people with no unions to protect them. In plant closings I have helped them recover health and pension benefits. I obtained health care for the uninsured. I've been pressing the State of Illinois to crack down on payday lenders.

In my life as a lawyer I have lived out a commitment to one cause above all - to bring economic security to working Americans, in our District, in our country. That's the same commitment I will bring to Congress.

(Please stay in the loop with my campaign: www.geogheganforcongress.com )

We're deep in an economic crisis unlike any other we've known. It may last years. We need new and creative ways to protect working Americans, especially our older working people who have no real pensions to live on.

For years we've heard the doomsayers: "We can't afford Social Security." "We can't afford 'single-payer' national health." One thing we all learned from the $700 billion bail out: We've got the money to do all of this and more.

At the moment, the Federal Reserve is literally printing money, to give not billions but trillions to banks and financial firms. To the people of this District, the banks and others have gotten their money. Now it's your turn. Here's the bailout I will go to Congress to get:

First, I want to expand Social Security, our public pension system, to replace - not overnight but in stages - the private pension system which has collapsed. Social Security now pays about 38 to 39 percent of your working income. In other developed countries, it averages 65 percent. That's where our fiscal stimulus should be: a commitment to reach this goal, a public pension that ordinary working people can live on.

Second, we have to move to a single payer health care program, at least in phases: we might begin with extending Medicare to children, but the government should ultimately be the single payer for all. That's not because single payer is the only ethical and efficient way to protect us all. No, it's also because it is crucial to making us competitive globally. Through single payer and expanded Social Security, the goal is to pick up the "non-wage" labor costs that employers now have to pay. That's already how other countries out-compete us: they have the government and not the private employer pick up these non-wage health and pension costs.

Unless we have government pick up the costs of pensions and health care, our companies can't compete, and we'll go on piling up huge trade deficits. We'll have debacles like GM, which has collapsed in part because of the health and pension costs that the federal government should have been paying all along.

For years, the conservatives have said: "We can't do this. The money isn't there." Well, the money is there. It was there for the Iraq war, a colossal waste of money - and for the bailout, the first half of which has been a colossal waste as well. And if we now have the government pick up non-wage labor costs with the use of general revenues, we will in fact make it cheaper and easier for our companies to hire. This is in fact the best and most realistic approach for a long term recovery.

Additionally, we have to put limits on returns to financial firms. We should re-enact the usury laws, the interest-rate caps that were in place in America up till the 1970s. We need to stop the rates of 30 to 35 percent, the hidden fees, the hundreds of ways that banks pull our money out of industry and into gambling and speculation.

In my campaign, I will have a single minded focus on the economic security to working Americans, that's why I so strongly support the Employee Free Choice Act and other changes in our labor laws. And that's why I support policies that will reduce the debt of working Americans. Overall, the plan I am setting out here will help make our country more competitive.

I'm a strong supporter of President Obama. Yes, I strongly support his program to repair our infrastructure. Even so, we don't have to pave the streets with gold. If not the meltdown, then the bail out should have opened our eyes. The real fiscal stimulus has to be the kind that brings financial security to the middle class. The message of this campaign is: We're moving beyond the bailout. Now it's your turn.

Please stay in the loop with my campaign: www.geogheganforcongress.com

Comments

[Recessionista]

I know Tom as a great labor lawyer and a fine author. We are so lucky that someone of his intellect & passion is willing to run for Congress and try to contribute during these tough economic times.
Tom is very much a friend of the working man, as demonstrated by his defence of plantiff sin his labor law practice. I agree with the previous commentor. Tom's book "Which Side Are You On?," is required reading for anyone interested in the state of the American labor movement. I stil cherish my autographed copy of that book!
GO TOM! I am going to www.geogheganforcongress.com
to support you even thought I live in Los Angeles and can't vote for you.

MH, The Recessionista™ Blog

[2warvet]

The fact of the matter is that we don't have the money for the Iraq war and the bail outs, nor do we have money for the trillion dollar "stimulus package" suggested by the POTUS-elect.

The problem is that the elected officals (dem and repub alike) have gotten sucked in to one-ups- manship and it has broken the bank. What can I give to the people in the form of welfare, social security, medicad/medicare, handouts to corporations? What happened to the American that worked hard and took responsibility for his/her family and community? Why is it that we are now looking to the federal government to come and "save us?" Have you been paying attention to what these politicians are doing? Have you seen how they can't balance a budget, cut out wasteful spending (pork projects), how they can't fix social security to ensure it will not go bankrupt, etc. Do you really expect that these clowns will be able to manage health care? I don't think so.

John Kennedy said it best when he said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." This country has become a cespool of the give me crowd and I find it disgusting. If you want to live well get a job, work hard and save your money. Take care of yourself and your community and stop looking to the feds to give you what you need.

[jsgaetano]

Deficits dont matter, man.

If you are going to spend money you don't have, you may as well accomplish something with it. The last eight years have seen Republicans continue their mismanagement of government... but on a a truly epic scale.

The Democrat response, aside from appeasement and forgiving Republicriminals, has been to start being fiscally reponsible- raising taxes to pay off the Republican-made debt. But this cycle has to stop, the country can't take having another Republican come in who continues the trend of being even worse than the Republicriminal before him. Bush was so bad, he may or may not have broken the nation. Having a Repub come in and out-squander GWB... well, that just can't happen.

The only way to break the cycle is to not raise taxes, continue pushing the plans America needs, and unfortunately continue to deficit spend. Once our agenda is fully implimented, and America's economy is fixed... then we can start paying down the debt. That's the only way to get anything done in the face of America-hating Republican obstructionism.

[scooperss]

Good for you. I hope you win and I sincerely hope you can do what yow wrote about here.

Unfortunately, voters usually don't vote for the guy they should but they do vote for the guy with the most money behind him.

[vstar]

Right ON.

[Trebor1]

THANK YOU - finally somone talking like a REAL DEMOCRAT.

[2warvet]

A real Democrat? When did the dems become socialists? I seem to recall that before the give me crowd took over that a great Dem said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." That is how a "REAL DEMOCRAT" speaks

[DuPageDem]

Speaking of "the give me crowd," how's those tax breaks for the top 2% working for you? Now, there's some fiscal responsibility -- Republican style.

[Rumplestiltskin]

"I so strongly support the Employee Free Choice Act "

What do you have against secret ballots?

[Bellator]

Read:http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/beat_the_press_archive?month=12&year=2008&base_name=the_employee_free_choice_act_a

[LITNUP]

why is choice only for the termination of unborn children for democrats and not work and schools and who should be senator

[najablah]

The Employee Free Choice Act doesn't remove secret ballots.

What is up with you getting your talking points from Chris Wallace?

[pm247]

Why can't the economic security reforms (single-payer and social security) come before the infrastructure spending? People are dying and going bankrupt every day in the U.S. for lack of those reforms. And relieving employers of such burdens would surely be the best possible economic stimulus.

[sdskelton03]

I'm going to vote for you. I am sick of working at would much rather live off the fat of the taxpayers.

[najablah]

I assume you have health insurance or else you wouldn't talk so blithely about policies like a single payer health care system. 43 million Americans don't have health insurance. Policies like those described by Mr. Geoghegan may literally mean the difference between life and death for those individuals.

[sdskelton03]

My wife and I pay $650 a dollars a month for our coverage.

[DuPageDem]

Are they still hiring at Halliburton? They like that, too.

[lovethesinner]

You had me at your reasons for single payer universal health care. In the long run, it's the best way to turn the economy around, and it RESTORES CONFIDENCE in the American dream. I don't live in Illinois, but I plan to support your campaign. Good luck, Tom, we need more guys like you in congress.

[Deparis]

This man might be on to something. Keep up the good work Mr. Geoghegan, if your opinion piece truly represents who you are, then I believe you may earn a few of my hard earned $$$ to help put out your words during the campaign leading to the IL 5th district April 2009 election to replace the Chief of Staff-designate, Congressman Rahm Emmauel. We need more progressive Democrats in Congress than just Democrats. Good luck Sir, I will be watching the campaign closely and hopefully in the weeks and months ahead, I will still have this impression of you. May your opponents come forward and declare themselves, and let the campaign be civil for the good of the people of Illinois and of this country.

Thank you for your piece.

[michaelsmolder]

I agree totally! We need true progressives, who don't mind sticking their necks out for what is best for the USA.

[PATina]

Wow... if you really mean what you say... I hope the citizens of IL-5 elect you.

[machinegunmonkey]

You claim "Well, the money is there." That's simply not true. If it were, the Fed wouldn't be "literally printing money." Neither the Iraq War or The Bailout have been financed with money that is there. This is part of the reason our economy is in a mess. If the government could learn to live within its means, then we would free up untold amounts of money to fund programs. What is the Congressional payroll? That looks like the best place to start to find some of this money to me.

U.S Congress - The largest negative return on investment ever.

[sdskelton03]

Social Security is a giant ponzi scheme that will surely collapse under the weight of the baby boom, and you think it's a good idea to expand it?

If the Employee Free Choice act was anything like it's name, it wouldn't strip workers of their right to a vote by secret ballot to decide whether or not they would like to form a union.

Lastly, I am tired of all of our politicians "fighting" for or against this and that. I would be most interested in electing representatives that work on solving problems rather than "fighting."

[michaelsmolder]

And how's your stock portfolio doing these days?
The only thing wrong with Social Security is that the Uber-Ritch don't pay their share!

. Employee Free Choice (Card Check) has nothing to do with "secret ballots. Equate it to Regestering to Vote. All union elections are secret ballots. IDIOT ! If you were a Union Member, you'ld know that.

Lastly, we need Politicians who will FIGHT for the people they represent.

Have a nice life.

[sdskelton03]

So the only fault you find is it doesn't steal enough money?

[csavage]

Good luck.....America needs to foster a "us" mentality and get rid of the 'I got mine so screw you" mentality of the conservatives. We all go down together but we only rise together with a lot of work...
As for announcing on Huffpost...how is this different than a press conference?
The MSM has miserably failed liberals for decades and I read my paper for local news and sports coverage only.Don't even get me started on broadcast media.....

[Mike Doyle - Huffpost Blogger]

I feel really funny for a HuffPost blogger to use this pulpit for political purposes. In fact, is this the only reason Geoghegan is blogging here? Totally not cool, IMHO.

[Shawn0965]

I'm sorry but I have to whole heartedly disagree with your "funny feeling" Mike. What exactly is the purpose of "this" HuffPo? I have yet to read a news article or a blog that isn't for political purposes.

Besides, if I can click on an article and see a politicians position paper, that saves me time watching press conferences where they answer no questions. Just curious but did you follow the recent presidential campaign at all? I think Obama pretty much changed the relevence of the internet and politics to mainstream.

[poomplet]

There's a HUGE difference between reading about something @ HuffPo and having an "official" blogger/commentator use that position/power for their personal agendas, no matter HOW well-intentioned they may be.

I love reading stuff from all kinds of people here, but if I saw Alec Baldwin promoting a special episode of "30 Rock" here...I'd be a bit peeved (though I love them both). I seem to like Tom, and I'd vote for him iffen I lived in the 5th, but this is not the right way/place to announce his candidacy (maybe he could have engineered it as a news blurb instead).

News items are news items, but those boxes on the LH side of this site with the bloggers' photos really should not be used for things like this

[Bitsko]

I agree. It smells. Will HuffP0 run anything by his prospective opponents?

[Deparis]

Mike,

I thought every blogger here was using the pulpit for political purposes. Or not? I believe you misspoke, so I will give you a pass. It would be more on point to say self-political campaigning, but again Mr. Geoghegan has done no harm with his op. ed and I am sure the pulpit will be opened to his opponents if they wish to make their own voices heard. Well, so I hope, at least.

Notwithstanding, the man sounds even more concerned and in tune with the average hardworking man out there than 3/4 of the entire US Congress, or at least he gives the appearance of being on the side of the regular working folks at least on some domestic issues of great importance to the well being of our nation at this very moment. I do not know him personally, but I get what he says in his piece. IMHO.

[jugganaut]

LOL, you're kidding, right?

The vast majority of articles on this site have a decidedly progressive political agenda. Nearly every blogger who posts on here is attempting to influence readers' opinions on their particular agenda. Are you telling us you don't have any particular political agenda in posting to your blog?

Is there any difference between announcing a candidacy online and calling a news conference or issuing a press release?

Loosen up.

[oafishcad]

What do you think almost every article is? A pulpit for Obama. Why is it "cool" for him and not for others? Just because the articles aren't written by him personally, They are still his pulpit.