Illinois Senate campaign targets Duckworth’s ‘war hero’ veterans record
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this March 16 photo, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to supporters and reporters in Springfield, Ill., a day after winning the state’s Democratic primary.
CHICAGO >> 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, who grew up in Hawaii, 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 graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu and attended the University of Hawaii. Duckworth 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.
25 responses to “Illinois Senate campaign targets Duckworth’s ‘war hero’ veterans record”
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Swiftboating against a patriot. How very…well…
Republican.
So totally agree. Despicable tactics.
What’s more ignorant, a walking Duck or Illinois voters?
Sadly, the Illinois voters who’d vote for a walking duck!
She walked out of the Benghazi hearings when the victims(PATRIOT relatives) was going to testify. UNPATRIOTIC action no matter how you view it.
Duckworth is a hero if there is one. Consider how the horrible President Bush, who did so much to weaken America, evaded duty even in his sloppy Texas Guard. Republicans are truly despicable.
allie is ignorant and despicable. Why did this DUCK wallow out of Benghazi hearings prior to victims (relatives) testifying???
Hillary is flawed but clearly we will all have to vote for her. Trump is too much of a threat to America.
If you want to know what a hero really is, google Herbert K. Pililaau. That’s a hero.
Sad thing is that the average American voter is so stupid and directed by Fox news, that Swiftboating works. As of today, I will start contributing to Tammy D’s campaign. Please, all you stupid republicans out there: PLEASE RESPOND! I always need a good laugh.
Duckworth’s military record is not being questioned. she sacrificed a lot personally and i would never criticize her military service no matter what her politics. but she is a politician and her political record is fair game. you are right. the average American voter is stupid. the fact that they put Obama into office twice proves that. the majority of Americans don’t want open borders, don’t want to be losing billions of dollars in unfair trade deals, don’t want our country bowing down to Iran, China and Russia, don’t want a Hillary who openly says that she will work to rescind the second amendment and then confiscate the guns of all citizens. yes, Obama and you stupid voters have created Trump. our country is messed up. have a good laugh about that, you ‘smart’ democrat.
“Kirk acknowledged during his 2010 Senate bid that he had exaggerated some of his own military record.” Another Chicken Hawk?
yup…as Bush boasted, “Mission Over!” What a joke.
“He’s also touted the more than two decades he served in the Navy Reserve”. – Navy reserve huh, this is what politicians do when they want to be identified as a military veteran during war time but don’t actually want to fight or be put in harms way.
Mr. Kirk is just plain pathetic. He will say or do anything – anything – to hang on to what he considers his lifetime job. Pathetic.
So what makes her a “Hero”? Specify what particular action/mission/event that makes her a Hero. Just because she lost her legs doesn’t make her one. Bad things happen in war and she’s not the only veteran who had such injuries. But a big thanks for her service.
Really? You ever serve?
Myself served 2 hitches back in the mid ’40s and there were many heroes who were receipients of the Purple HesrtMedsl. Must agree with “scooter” that heroes are accorded medals by the military and not self generated or by the media. It would be a disservice to claim oneself a hero especially to those that have earned theirs posthumously. That’s not to diminish Duckworth’s contribution or injuries.
Pardon for not proof reading my post. Misspelled: Heart and Medal. Could also be typo as “a” and “s” are adjacent to each other..
Two can play at that game. Wait until the ads start coming out: Who wants a draft dodger as Commander in Chief?
We’ve already had one in Clinton.
Acts of desperation from someone who by his own admittance “…exaggerated some of his own military record.”
Sounds like he’s losing his race.
Weekend warrior. A hero in his own mind.
Sounds like he’s already lost the race.