Oberweis ads rile immigrant groups

Chicago Tribune ^ | 2-25-04 | Liam Ford and Oscar Avila

[JustPiper]

A pair of controversial new campaign ads from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis has enraged immigrant rights advocates, who contend the message decrying illegal immigration is racist and relies on misleading data.

In the spots, which began running on television stations statewide this week, Oberweis warns that the nation is being overrun by illegal immigrants.

"Illegal aliens are coming here to take American workers' jobs, drive down wages and take advantage of government benefits such as free health care, and you pay," Oberweis says in one of the spots. "How many? Ten thousand illegal aliens a day. Enough to fill Soldier Field every single week."

Advocates for immigrant rights were swift to criticize the ads.

"It is men like this gentleman who continue to project the old Archie Bunker mentality. Those stats are prostituted and fabricated," said state Rep. William Delgado (D-Chicago). "They're very irresponsible."

Oberweis enraged the party's right wing with criticism of abortion-rights opponents when he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate two years ago. In his current campaign to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, he is determined to make his appeal to conservatives crystal clear. Key to his strategy has been his strong opposition to President Bush's plan to grant legal status to many undocumented workers now in the country.

[JustPiper]

What irks me is EVERY candidate has now jumped on the ice-cream bandwagon here! They are all saying the same things now! It has become the Illinois running platform!

[JustPiper]

Ping!

[goldstategop]

I'm so pleased to see people like Jim Oberweis and Howard Kaloogian running for office. Some people still have their priorities right about what needs to be done in this country.

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

If he gets that far, the ad might hurt him in the general election. The ice cream cone replaced with the "I" in Oberwies (I have partaken in his products AND inhaled them) leaves me wondering. Is he running for senate or selling his wares? Good ice cream.

[Happy2BMe]

I like it - I like it a LOT!

"In the spots, which began running on television stations statewide this week, Oberweis warns that the nation is being overrun by illegal immigrants.

"Illegal aliens are coming here to take American workers' jobs, drive down wages and take advantage of government benefits such as free health care, and you pay," Oberweis says in one of the spots. "How many? Ten thousand illegal aliens a day. Enough to fill Soldier Field every single week."

Dubya - pay attetion.

[international american]

BTTT

[international american]

BTTT

[Missouri]

John McNeal, a former Republican state central committeeman, said Oberweis' radio ads have drawn many positive responses from callers on radio shows McNeal has been on recently.

Those who look askance at illegal immigration make up "a solid phalanx, and I think it crosses over to what used to be called the Reagan Democrats," McNeal said.

Reagan carried Illinois two times. Maybe Oberweis is on to something here.

[international american]

These numbers are astounding!

[Missouri]

Ping.

[Missouri]

Four out of the seven Republican canidates oppose legalize status/amnesty for illegals.

Link to Illinois Senate race debate

I keep hearing Ryan has the lead there JP. At least he's one of the four.

[EagleMamaMT]

We need to clone this guy!

[Happy2BMe]

Outcry on Right Over Bush Plan on Immigration

Jim Oberweis - Republican In-Depth Profile Campaign Contributions The Issues Links

Occupation	Dairy Magnate, Investment Manager
Company	Oberweis Securities, Oberweis Dairy
Website	http://www.oberweis2004.com/
E-Mail	jim@oberweis2004.com
Age
Marital Status	Divorced
Ethnicity
Address	Oberweis For U.S. Senate 44 1/2 W. Downer Place Aurora, IL 60506-5124
Phone	877-603-2004
Fax	630-301-7502
Education	B.A. from UIUC, M.B.A. from University of Chicago.
Notes	James D. Oberweis, In addition to a B.A. from UIUC, also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. While he began his career as a junior high school teacher in 1968, in 1970 he became a stockbroker with a large retail brokerage firm. Mr. Oberweis then went on to manage a branch for a N.Y.S.E. member firm. In 1976 he developed The Oberweis Report, a monthly investment advisory newsletter specializing in emerging growth companies. This gave Mr. Oberweis the opportunity to implement and monitor a model portfolio, developing one of the best track records in the industry. In 2000 the Hulbert Financial Digest rated The Oberweis Report in the top five of all stock investment advisory letters. In 1978 he and his wife, Elaine, founded their own brokerage and investment management firm. In 1986 he purchased the 60 year-old family business, Oberweis Dairy. He then started the "Oberweis Emerging Growth Fund" and has been President and Portfolio Manager since its inception in 1987. In 1996 the "Oberweis Micro-Cap Portfolio" and "Oberweis Mid-Cap Portfolio" were added. In 1997, along with his son and other partners, he started Oberweis.net, Inc. (since renamed Oberweis Securities), an on-line trading and full service stock brokerage firm. Mr. Oberweis was the host of the TV show "Catching Winners Early" which appeared weekly on Financial News Network for three years and appeared on "Ask an Expert" in Chicago for over twenty-five years. He has been interviewed on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg TV and various other television stations. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Investor’s Business Daily, Fortune, Money Magazine, and a variety of other financial periodicals. Mr. Oberweis is currently President of the Oberweis Funds and Chairman of the Board of both Oberweis Asset Management and Oberweis Dairy. He is past President of the University of Chicago Executive Program Alumni Association, the Illinois Chess Association and The Oberweis Foundation. Also, he has served as a trustee of the Compassion Foundation, the American Chess Foundation, the U.S. Chess Trust, and the Prestbury Citizens Association. He has served as a director of both public and private corporations and the Chicago Presidents’ Organization. In 2002, after receiving the endorsement of the Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert, Mr. Oberweis was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate.

Links

[DumpsterDiver]

Oberweis: Ten thousand illegal aliens a day [cross the border].

Those stats are prostituted and fabricated," said state Rep. William Delgado (D-Chicago).

So, Oberweis underestimated?

[janetgreen]

How many illegal aliens do you think live in our area, DD? Care to make a guess? County of Los Angeles?

[DumpsterDiver]

How many illegal aliens do you think live in our area? County of Los Angeles?

A couple of million. I lost count about ten years ago.

P.S. It started raining here about 10 minutes ago. So far, no gusts of wind (which I hate).

[Clintonfatigued]

Isn't Jim Oberweis a latter-day Charles Percy? I thought that he was the most liberal candidate in the Republican field.

[Kuksool]

Oberweis is running on the Rush Limbaugh show saying he's against gay marriage and illegal immigration.