PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Hometown, Illinois – October 5, 2012
Rich Grabowski, Republican candidate for the U.S. Congressional seat in Illinois’ 3rd District, has sent a letter to his opponent in the race, Dan Lipinski, challenging him to two debates.
“The voters in this district have a right to hear where their candidates for Congress stand on the issues,” Grabowski said. “I’m confident that after hearing about the big government, tax and spend policies that my opponent repeatedly supports – such as Obamacare and various bailouts – they will back the small government, lower taxes approach that I advocate.”
Grabowski has proposed two debates between now and the election on November 6, 2012. The debates would take place at different geographic locations throughout the newly drawn 3rd District.
"Let's bring this discussion to the people and let them determine whose values best reflect the 3rd District of Illinois" Grabowski said. "The time-honored tradition of free and open debate will make the policy differences between Dan and me very clear. We've seen what happens when decisions are made in back rooms - the people of Illinois lose."
The son of a Chicago metal worker and a forklift operator, Rich grew up in the lower- to middle-income neighborhoods on the Southside of Chicago, spending his youth in the Back of the Yards, Brighton Park, McKinley Park, and Marquette Park neighborhoods. For more than 25 years, Rich advanced his way from blue-collar warehouse floors to management of union and non-union workforces. He is currently a Materials Supervisor for a manufacturer.
Grabowski said he would work with the League of Women Voters to work out the debate formats. He hoped time would be allocated to discuss the doubling of the national debt during the past six years, as well as regulations that are destroying jobs.
A vote against repeal is, plain and simple, a vote for Obamacare. Like a lot of his votes (in which he'll vote "present" rather than take a position), Lipinski is attempting to please everyone. To conservatives, he'll say, I don't like Obamacare and voted against it. To liberals, he'll say, I voted against repeal, so I'm a team player by supporting Obamacare. Bottom line: he has no backbone and both sides shouldn't support him.
But 10 of their colleagues who opposed the bill back in March — Reps. Ben Chandler (Ky.), Jason Altmire (Pa.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Heath Schuler (N.C.), Larry Kissell (N.C.), Tim Holden (Pa.), John Barrow (Ga.), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Stephen Lynch (Mass.) and Dan Lipinski (Ill.) — voted against repeal. Lipinski can't say he voted against it once out of four votes, but throw away the opportunity to repeal and defund it.