Meltdown Mike Bost must be allergic to the 12th Congressional district. The evidence is stacking up that he just doesn’t want to spend any time there – or that he doesn’t understand what’s where.
On Wednesday, Bost talked to a radio station in Rockford, which is actually in the district of Congresswoman Bustos, not where he is running. Since Bost seems to have a hard time remembering where his district is, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has helpfully highlighted his campaign misadventures on a map below.
“So Meltdown Mike Bost bailed on a debate in Carbondale – an event that is actually in the district – but instead goes outside the district to campaign in Rockford because actual voters will reject his agenda: lowering the minimum wage while taking a $3,100 pay raise from taxpayers,” said Brandon Lorenz of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “After 20 years in Springfield, it’s clear that Mike Bost has lost touch with voters at home if he’s taking a raise while arguing against the minimum wage and he can’t even find the right district on a map anymore.”
Rockford, IL
Bost Holds Campaign Interview in Rockford.In 2014, Capitol Faxreported:“And in “news” from another district, for some reason Mike Bost thought it was a good idea to spend 15 minutes talking to a Rockford radio program about his infamous blow-up video. Rockford is at the opposite end of this very long state from Bost’s district.” [Capitol Fax, 9/17/14; WROK 1440, 9/17/14]
Chicago, IL
Bost Voted for an Illinois State Budget that Included Hundreds of Thousands Dollars of Spending for a Skating Rink and Golf Course. In 1999, Bost voted for Governor George Ryan’s budget that the Chicago Tribune reported included $380 million worth of pork barrel spending that “included $305,000 for infrastructure improvements and a skating rink in Libertyville” and “$500,000 for improvements at the Sheppard Crook Golf Course in Zion.” The budget passed 115 – 0. [HB 2518, Adopt Conference Report, No. 29, 5/27/99; Chicago Tribune, 5/30/99]
Springfield, IL
Bost Voted for Gov. Ryan’s Plan that Underfunded State Pensions. In June 2001, Bost voted for a bill that would an “early retirement incentive” for state employees. The bill would allow eligible state employees to purchase up to five years of service to qualify for early retirement. The Chicago Tribune reported, “Since the funding plan began in the mid-1990s, the Legislature provided more than $5.8 billion in benefit increases and giveaways that weren’t paid for…By far, the largest of those increases came in the form of a 2002 early retirement incentive aimed at trimming the state’s workforce during tough budget times.” [Gov. Ryan Press Release, 6/25/02; HB 2671, Motion to Concur, 6/01/02; Chicago Tribune, 12/15/11]
Bost Voted for Plan Allowing Gov. Ryan to Borrow Hundreds of Millions. In June 2002, Bost voted for House Bill 2828. The State Journal-Register reported the bill was “known as the tobacco securitization bill and allows the state to borrow up to $750 million against future funds from the national legal settlement with tobacco companies.” [State Journal-Register, 6/29/02; HB 2828, Motion to Concur, 6/02/02]
Carbondale, IL
Bost was Accused of Derailing Efforts to Debate. In 2014, the News-Democrat reported: Paula Bradshaw, the Green Party candidate in the 12th Congressional District race, is criticizing one of her opponents, state Rep. Mike Bost, for being too busy to commit to a third debate before the Nov. 4 election.” [News-Democrat, 9/1/14]
Lawmakers Collect an Additional $3,100 in Public Pay. In 2014, Reboot Illinois reported that Illinois lawmakers would “collect an additional $3,100 each.” [Reboot Illinois, 6/9/14]
- Headline: Lawmaker furlough days are cut creating a pay increase for state legislators [Reboot Illinois, 6/9/14]
- Illinois Budget did not include the Twelve Furlough Days per Year. In 2014, the News Gazette reported “The 2014-15 spending plan approved by the [Illinois] General Assembly last week did not contain the 12 furlough days per year, essentially a pay cut, that had been approved by lawmakers in the five prior budget years.” [News Gazette, 6/5/14]
Bost Said the Minimum Wage would “Hurt the Middle Class.” In 2014 Bost said, “I know this might not be a popular statement, this is the way I feel. You cannot lift up the middle class by to continuing to have over burdensome regulations on the job creators. That’s one. Two, as they try to push forward with a minimum wage, that minimum wage will actually hurt the middle class.” [Bost Tele Town Hall, 7/16/14; Capitol Fax, 7/23/14]
- Headline: Bost: “minimum wage will actually hurt the middle class” [Capitol Fax, 7/23/14]
Bost Said Illinois “Suffers” with a Higher Minimum Wage. In 2014 The Southern reported, “Bost said Illinois suffers with its higher minimum wage of $8.25 per hour compared to the federal level of $7.25 per hour. Jobs around the Illinois borders with neighboring states are lost because of the state’s higher minimum wage level, he said. He said when the minimum wage level is raised, it hurts middle-class wage earners because the cost of living goes up. [The Southern, 5/21/14]
Union County, OH
Bost Tweeted Picture of County Fair From Wrong State. In August 2014, Bost tweeted a picture of Anna’s county fair, commenting on the size of the fair. Bost mistakenly tweeted a picture of a county fair in Ohio, rather than Illinois. [Capitol Fax, 8/19/14]