BOBBY SCHILLING -- REGULAR GUY (AND NOT A GOP LACKEY!)

(Photo courtesy of WikiMedia.)

GOP ex-Rep. Bobby Schilling is seeking his old seat against Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos in Illinois' 17th District. In a recent radio interview, Schilling said:

"These increases, these are on our working poor, our middle class, hardworking taxpayers here across the United States of America. And now these folks are going to have to decide am I going to pay this premium or am I going to go buy some milk and groceries for the house. It's really getting tough for everyone. Everyone that I talk to, I don't hear them saying 'Hey, I'm doing great!'

And the folks that are living paycheck-to-paycheck, which is most Americans, including myself, is that, you know, this is not something that you want to be putting out when you've got a kid that wants to play sports or you want to take a trip for vacation. Instead, you've got to funnel your money over to Obamacare, which is something you might never have to use."

Keep in mind that Schilling earned $174,000 per year when he was in Congress. He has made $100,000 annually since he left Congress, too. 

And Schilling's no slouch in the assets department, with listed assets amounting to between $245,000 and $660,000, according to financial disclosure forms submitted by him. According to income statistics for the district in which he lives, the median income earned by potential constituents is $42,500 per year.

Yet Schilling feels justified in complaining about "Obamacare" to people who will be voting for, or against him, as if he's just one of the regular folks who struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis. I'd venture a guess: most of the people Schilling hopes to represent just WISH they had his problems.

Most of his constituents don't debate the pros and cons of whether they can afford to "take a trip for vacation." Most of his constituents don't get to go on vacation, though some may enjoy a "stay-cation." Many of the people living in Illinois' 17th District actually DO know what it's like to be forced to decide whether to buy milk and groceries, or to pay the electric bill in full this month. For Schilling to associate himself with the "working poor" is an affront to people who really work their asses off and yet still fail to breathe easy about money, even for a little while.

And what really gets my goat is the way that Schilling breaks with a common GOP theme to benefit himself -- the GOP clearly believes that the "working poor, our middle class" are among those categorized as "TAKERS." The working poor who need the subsidy provided by the ACA, those who receive food-stamps, those who get a tax break for EIC and who get a tax refund that exceeds the amount of taxes paid during the tax year are all lumped together under the tag "TAKERS."

In addition, after researching the question of whether Schilling is bionic or immortal (the answer is no, he is not), I find no evidence suggesting that his claim that Obamacare is "something you might never have to use" has any validity. MOST OF US WILL, IN FACT, HAVE TO USE THE DREADED OBAMACARE TO RECEIVE HEALTH CARE AT VARIOUS TIMES IN OUR LIVES. MOST OF US ACTUALLY FILL PRESCRIPTIONS, NEED BIRTH CONTROL, GET PREGNANT, HAVE KIDS WHO GET SICK, OR DEVELOP CANCER OR ASTHMA OR DIABETES, OR... well, the list goes on.

In fact, Schilling's representation of himself as a regular guy with regular concerns is most certainly the kind of act one puts on to deceive the voters, as he surely will continue to beat the GOP drum if he is elected. If elected, WHO WILL SCHILLING SUPPORT? WHY, SCHILLING AND THE GOP AND THE CORPORATE INTERESTS THAT THE PARTY LOVES SO MUCH, OF COURSE!

Why would anyone expect him to become a man of the people, when being a GOP tool has been such a gift to him?