Tammy Duckworth: Illinois Senate campaign targets 'war hero' veterans record

[webfact]

Illinois Senate campaign targets 'war hero' veterans record
SARA BURNETT, Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Rep. Tammy Duckworth lost both legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq, then went on to hold leadership roles in the Illinois and U.S. Veterans Affairs departments.

Yet, the Democratic Senate hopeful now finds her record on helping military veterans under attack by her opponent, Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, as he tries to hold on to a seat Democrats believe is key to their efforts to regain the Senate majority.

Kirk, one of the Republican's most endangered incumbents, has accused Duckworth of failing to protect veterans in her care and putting her political ambitions ahead of her duties. He's also touted the more than two decades he served in the Navy Reserve and his own high-profile efforts to highlight problems at the VA.

This week, Kirk's campaign launched an online ad featuring a hearing on a lawsuit two Illinois VA employees filed against Duckworth, accusing her of retaliating against them when she led the agency— complaints that have twice been dismissed. Kirk also has repeated claims by two whistleblowers who say Duckworth ignored their reports of misconduct at a federal VA hospital west of Chicago.

Trying to take down Duckworth on veterans' issues is a bold move for Kirk, with even some Republicans saying they don't think voters will buy it.

The strategy also could backfire. Kirk acknowledged during his 2010 Senate bid that he had exaggerated some of his own military record. And he risks alienating voters who see Duckworth as a hero.

Duckworth was born in Thailand to a Chinese mother and an American father, who fought with the Marines in Vietnam. She joined ROTC during graduate school and later signed up with the Illinois National Guard. She was co-piloting a Black Hawk in 2004 when Iraqi insurgents hit it with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Garrett Anderson, who lost part of one arm and suffered traumatic brain injury in a roadside-bomb attack in Iraq, said Duckworth was the first service member the U.S. Army sniper spoke to when he woke up from a coma at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2005.

The 39-year-old University of Illinois graduate student plans to vote for Kirk this fall for a simple reason: Anderson is a Republican. But he said the ads targeting her are out of bounds and called Duckworth "a nice person" who has a strong track record of looking out for veterans.

"I've seen a few of (the ads) and I don't like them because she served her country very well, and she's a decorated war veteran," Anderson said.

Kirk's campaign says Duckworth's record is a legitimate area for criticism, and that there's no shortage of people who agree.

They point to two employees at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital near Chicago who say they took their concerns to Duckworth and other Democrats but heard nothing, and to an Illinois Auditor General report of the state Department of Veterans' Affairs that found inadequate financial controls and programs that were supposed to be implemented but weren't during the time Duckworth was leading the office.

The two other employees, whose lawsuit is in court Thursday, say she tried to fire one employee and gave another a bad review that cost her raises after the women complained about facility leadership at an Illinois VA home, where they still work. Duckworth was appointed to lead the Illinois VA in 2006 by now-imprisoned ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"Of course Duckworth is a war hero, and that's what makes this entire court case even more tragic," said Kirk campaign manager Kevin Artl. "These VA employees only wanted to prevent veterans from being abused, but instead were ignored and punished by Duckworth while American heroes suffered,"

Deputy campaign manager Matt McGrath called it "a cynical and desperate ploy." He said Duckworth gets most of her own health care at Hines and is "deeply familiar" with issues at VA medical centers.

Among Duckworth's accomplishments, her campaign says, is launching the first 24-hour hotline for suicidal veterans and introducing legislation to improve mental health treatment that was signed by President Obama.

Jon Soltz, who leads the liberal political action committee VoteVets, which is backing Duckworth, said the group is prepared to spend significant money to attack Kirk.

"It's just a very dangerous strategy for them to continue to try to define Tammy Duckworth in this way, when if you just look at a picture of her you can see she's a war hero," Soltz said.

Anderson, who works at the University of Illinois' Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education, doesn't believe either candidate has clear offered a plan for veterans.

"They haven't given us a blueprint of what their objectives are," he said.

___

Associated Press reporter David Mercer contributed from Champaign, Illinois.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-12

[billd766]

Go on line and look up Republican Sen. Mark Kirk's military service record and compare it with Tammy Duckworth's, Time served was almost the same. Combat service however was totally different.

Tammy volunteered to fly helicopters as it was one of the few combat roles open to women.

Mark Kirk had one flight over Iraq and claimed they were being shot at which not true at all. He was reprimanded by the Pentagon twice for conduction political business whilst still in the USNR. He also spent 3 two week detachments in Afghanistan.

If I had a vote there I know who I would vote for and it wouldn't be for Mark Kirk.

[Boon Mee]

Genuine heroine this Tammy Duckworth. Too bad her politics are skewed so far to the Left she's negated her effectiveness in public life.

[sgtsabai]

If one checks carefully one will find it is Kirk that ignored VA problems. Tammy is the real deal, Kirk is right wing scum. Tammy has been quite effective in representing her state. I just read a couple of days ago about this latest cowardly, well he is a Republican, attack on a real hero. Yea, I support Tammy, can't vote for her but I damn well support her. Too bad some peoples politics are so skewed to the right wingnut, faux (not the) news crowd that can't see their hand in front of their face, oh wait, I forgot where they usually have their head. Makes sense they can't see.

[LawrenceN]

Genuine heroine this Tammy Duckworth. Too bad her politics are skewed so far to the Left she's negated her effectiveness in public life.

Says the guy with Ted Cruz in his profile photo. Because Cruz is SOooo selfless and "effective."

[Boon Mee]

Genuine heroine this Tammy Duckworth. Too bad her politics are skewed so far to the Left she's negated her effectiveness in public life.

Says the guy with Ted Cruz in his profile photo. Because Cruz is SOooo selfless and "effective."

I'm getting ready to change it - maybe Oliver North?

Or, how about the next POTUS? The Donald!

Edited May 12, 2016 by Boon Mee

[arjunadawn]

Veterans issues are like a 2nd rail in US politics, though not off limits. Finally, the issue of her military service should be irrelevant. Her VA (Veterans Affairs) time is fair game.

Under the past x years Veterans have suffered more under the VA then they had as soldiers in the military. I cannot think of any data which suggest anything has improved for Veterans over the past x years, even after the scandals and outright lying and malfeasance was revealed. If she was at the VA it was after her service time. There is no continuation or deference to her for this (except hiring preference).

A similar subtle argument intrudes with McCain. He was x therefore y is off limits. Wrong all should be measured on their actions separate from emotional appeal to the Warrior Narrative.

[riceyummm]

"Kirk's campaign says Duckworth's record is a legitimate area for criticism, and that there's no shortage of people who agree."

Apparently they found four, that sounds like a shortage to me.

[sgtsabai]

arjunadawn, quickly before we loose power again, lots of lightning, rain. Tammy shouldn't be given any favors for her time at the VA although I can find little damning evidence, power does keep going off. My understanding is that Kirk on the other hand did know of problems. McCain is one of the biggest enemies of Veterans. He has one of the if not the worst voting records of blocking programs, money etc. for Vets. The Trump on the other hand owes McCain one hell of an apology. Lights flickering, gotta' go.

[riceyummm]

Veterans issues are like a 2nd rail in US politics, though not off limits. Finally, the issue of her military service should be irrelevant. Her VA (Veterans Affairs) time is fair game.

Under the past x years Veterans have suffered more under the VA then they had as soldiers in the military. I cannot think of any data which suggest anything has improved for Veterans over the past x years, even after the scandals and outright lying and malfeasance was revealed. If she was at the VA it was after her service time. There is no continuation or deference to her for this (except hiring preference).

A similar subtle argument intrudes with McCain. He was x therefore y is off limits. Wrong all should be measured on their actions separate from emotional appeal to the Warrior Narrative.

In my life I've had military dependent, military, expensive private insurance, and now VA. The VA care is by far the best of them. I've spoken to many other vets in the system and they all agree with me, EVERY ONE!

The big stink about poor VA care was promoted and paid for by corporations interested in privatizing the VA healthcare system. In a system that big you can always find some horror stories but to define the whole system by a few cases is ridiculous. Read about it here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/scamming-the-countrys-vet_b_9774944.html

Or Google: "privatization of VA healthcare".

The VA computerized record system keeps all of a patients doctors aware of what the others are doing in order to avoid conflicting treatments, a system that private insurance companies are just now attempting to copy

Upon arrival you check yourself in at a computer kiosk and proceed to a waiting room. There's a sign on the wall saying "If you are not called within ten minutes after your scheduled time go see the appointments secretary". I have never had to "go see the appointments secretary". Think about that next time you're cooling your heals in a private doctor's waiting room.

Unfortunately I am currently a bit far from the nearest VA clinic.

Edited May 12, 2016 by riceyummm

[Publicus]

The Veterans Administration has always been large, its always been national, and it has always had separate but related local, state, federal jurisdictions. It is literally a single payer national health and medical care system, the single payer being the taxpayer. It is socialised medicine for veterans which is fine. The US military health and medical care system is 100% socialised medical care too.

So it is probably safe to say no VA administrator has escaped complaint.

That Tammy Duckworth got a few complaints against her by dissatisfied employees is routine, normal, expected. Complaints by employees. So one needs to look at the nature of the complaints. How many patients died because of something Duckworth did or did not do? None. Incompetence? No. Corruption? No. Indifference? No.

Sen Kirk is just another sleazebag politician trying to save his own ass for reelection. If Kirk himself knew anything about it he'd stay away from this kind of gutter campaigning because it can only come back at him to bite him in the ass. There is no mention or evidence that Kirk himself has used VA health and medical facilities, or that he cared enough about it to become employed by the VA.

It is an emotive issue so looking at who is trying to exploit it shows unmistakably who the guy is that's losing in this Senate contest in Illinois. The guy lucked out to get elected in the first place.

[chilli42]

How do you know when a politician is lying? His lips are moving.