At AAUW Forum, Duckworth Draws Sharp Distinctions with Republicican Candidate

AT AAUW FORUM, DUCKWORTH DRAWS SHARP DISTINCTIONS WITH REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE

Tammy Duckworth said that State Sen. Peter Roskam's attacks on academic freedom demonstrate that the Republican candidate's views are far out of the mainstream and that he cannot accurately represent the people of the 6th District.

Duckworth said the question of whether the people of the 6th district are represented by someone who will stand up for mainstream values-- including "the power of education"-- or someone, like Roskam, who will push for an extreme right-wing agenda is "what's at stake in the general election," she said.

During a forum sponsored Wednesday night by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Duckworth said that the distinctions between her and the two other candidates in the Democratic Primary "pale in comparison" to the sharp distinctions between them and Roskam.

She said that Roskam's extreme views are most evident in the areas of academic freedom and academic interference, and cited his attempts to ban books, including classics of literature.

"Peter Roskam holds some very extreme views, which he wants to impose on our schools and classrooms," Duckworth said. Duckworth cited separate attempts from the early-1990s when Roskam worked to remove books from area schools. In one instance, Roskam supported organized right-wing efforts to demand that a particular textbook series be removed from the Wheaton-Warrenville public schools. This was part of a highly organized nationwide attack by radical Conservative groups, including the Eagle Forum, Focus on the Family and the American Family Association.

Roskam used this effort as a campaign issue when running for a state legislative seat. He campaigned in support of a failed effort in Springfield to tighten the screening of educational materials - a clear legislative response to the school textbook controversy.

Once elected to the state legislature, Roskam took his efforts even further.

In 1992, Roskam sponsored a proposal to outlaw material that "expressly counsels for suicide." Opponents said that Roskam's law could outlaw famous films and books such as "Romeo and Juliet" which are taught in classrooms across the country. His proposal was rejected in committee.

Duckworth said these attempts show "Peter Roskam's extreme, right-wing ideology."

Duckworth said that the issues of allowing for academic freedom are at the heart of the upcoming general election campaign.

"That's what's at stake in the November election. And I promise you that, if I'm successful in the March 21st primary, I will fight as hard as I can to provide a different kind of representative for our district - one who respects the power of education, and who will defend the freedom to pursue it," she said.

In recent days, Duckworth has focused attention on Roskam's close ties to Republican leaders in Congress, including the financial backing he has received from Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) and the two Republicans who succeeded him as Majority Leader after he was ousted from that position.

On Monday, Duckworth called on Roskam to disclose his views on the highly-flawed new prescription drug program that has caused massive confusion for seniors and their families. In a letter she sent to Roskam, she urged him to "publicly state whether you support the current program or whether you have proposals for repairing it." Duckworth's letter coincided with a fundraiser for Roskam in downtown Chicago featuring House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL).

Last week, Duckworth challenged Roskam to call upon the Republican House Leaders--who are backing his campaign for Congress including DeLay, Hastert and current Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio)-- to quickly enact new ethics and lobbying rules.

In recent days, Duckworth has received a string of newspaper endorsements. All three of the area's major daily newspapers-- the Daily Herald , the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times--have endorsed Duckworth, as has the Pioneer Press newspapers. In addition, Duckworth is endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Citizen Action/Illinois, Planned Parenthood of Illinois and by Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin.

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