Letter from Your PAC Chairman

Transcription

1 Letter from Your PAC Chairman ICSC PAC Prize Opportunity for RECon 2013 Ask A Member of Congress Open Seat Political Candidate Program Cook Report: Pendulum Swings Quiz July 9, 2012 Letter from Your PAC Chairman Dear ICSC Member, With the elections only four months away, I, like most Americans, find it almost impossible to avoid the party rhetoric, advertising and political discourse which seem to start earlier and earlier with every election. As we move from summer into fall it will only become more heated, from local and state elections and on up to the presidential. But spirited campaigning is part of our DNA and is what makes this country great as we have the freedom to choose the candidate we deem best suited for the job. To date, we ve received a great response from ICSC members throughout the United States that have decided to invest in our shared industry by supporting the ICSC PAC at all levels. In this election year we need your support more than ever. ICSC is working hard to represent our industry on a state, local and national level and we must have a strong PAC to ensure we are supporting candidates that support our industry. I urge you to contribute to the ICSC PAC today, NOW, by visiting the ICSC PAC website or sending in your contribution. [To visit the ICSC PAC website click here and then click the ICSC PAC button located in the upper right corner of the page.] There is power in our collective voices. Sincerely, Gary D. Rappaport, SCMD, SCSM, SCLS, SCDP Chairman, ICSC PAC

2 ICSC PAC Prize Opportunity for RECon 2013! Congratulations go to Mark C. Lake, CDP with Midland Commercial Development in Waukesha, WI for winning the ICSC PAC RECon 2012 drawing! Thank you to everyone who contributed during RECon by visiting our ICSC PAC booth. Now there s even more of a reason to contribute to ICSC PAC TODAY! Contribute a minimum of $100 to ICSC PAC and be entered for a chance to win a FREE RECon 2013 Registration! Every multiple of $100 enters you for another chance to win! To make your contribution today visit the ICSC PAC website or send in the contribution form. [To visit the ICSC PAC website click here and then click the ICSC PAC button located in the upper right corner of the page.] Contributions to ICSC PAC are completely voluntary. Contributions to ICSC PAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. Only personal and partnership contributions are permitted. ICSC PAC cannot accept contributions from corporations, national banks, labor organizations, business entities with federal government contracts and foreign nationals. You must be a U.S. Citizen or green card holder to contribute to the ICSC PAC. Contact: Please contact Rachel Kelley in the Washington, DC Office of Global Public Policy for any questions regarding ICSC PAC or rkelley@icsc.org Ask A Member of Congress Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL-18) Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL), 31, is the youngest member of Congress and represents the 18th District of Illinois. He currently serves on the highly coveted House Ways and Means committee and as a Deputy Republican Whip. He is also a member of the Conference Advisory Committee. Before coming to the House of Representatives, Schock served two terms in the Illinois House of Representatives. Upon graduation from college, Schock secured investors and started a small business in Peoria. He made his first real estate purchase at age 18 and continues to manage his real estate investments today. He began his public service by serving in the Peoria School board when he was 19 years old. At 22, his school board colleagues voted to make Schock vice president of the board and a year later they voted unanimously to make him board president of one of the largest school districts in Illinois. Schock graduated from Bradley University in Peoria with a B.S. in Finance. Q: Why is it important for individuals to contribute to PAC s like ICSC PAC? A: By contributing to your PAC, individuals are investing in themselves. So many decisions that are made in Washington have a large impact on employers and job creators, like shopping centers. So by ensuring that your voices are heard, you can have an impact on the debate and issues facing Congress. Q: Why did you decide to run for office? A: This sounds cheesy, but I decided to run because I really believe that I can make a difference. Q: What do you think will be the biggest issue that the United State will face in the next decade? A: Hands down the biggest issue facing the US is our mounting deficits and our runaway entitlement spending. House Republicans are trying to get both under control.

3 Q: In your opinion, what is the single most important vote you have ever cast? A: My vote in January 2011 for Speaker John Boehner. He has changed the way the House has worked and the way business is done in DC. Under his leadership, the conversation has changed from where to spend, to where we can cut. Q: Who is your Favorite Founding Father and why? A: How could anyone not say George Washington? He s the father of our country. Q: What is one thing most people don t know about you? A: I could eat ice cream for every meal. Q: Where is your favorite place to shop? A: Online. Kidding my favorite place to shop is a store called Running Central in my hometown of Peoria. It s a great storefront where I purchase all of my workout gear. Q: What is one thing you cannot live without? A: Air. Q: If you were stranded on an island what 3 things would you bring with you? A: Easy sunscreen, rum and a blender. Q: Have you ever owned your own business? If so, what was it? A: Yes, I owned a sand and gravel operation, I started a business called Garage Tech, which built California Closets for garages, and I was involved in real estate development. Open Seat Political Candidate ICSC PAC s Political Candidate Interview Program enables ICSC members and staff to grow and develop relationships with political candidates vying for open federal seats. Through this program we are able to introduce and discuss the issues that affect ICSC members with candidates for federal office. ICSC PAC is able to help with all aspects of this program from setting up the meetings with the candidates, providing issue information to connecting you with other ICSC members. ICSC PAC Committee needs your help! We need ICSC members that have open seats in their state to meet with candidates from both parties to help them make a determination. Please contact Rachel Kelley rkelley@icsc.org or for more information or to participate in the Political Candidate Interview Program for open seats in your state. Arizona districts 1, 5 & 9 and Senate seat Arkansas district 4 California districts 1, 2, 8, 21, 26, 29, 41, 47 & 51 Connecticut district 5 and Senate seat Florida districts 6, 9, 19 & 22 Georgia district 9 Hawaii district 2 and Senate seat Illinois 12 & 13

4 Indiana 2, 6 & 6 and a Senate seat Kentucky district 4 Massachusetts district 4 Michigan district 5 Missouri district 2 Montana at large district open Nevada district 1 & 4 and Senate seat New Jersey district 10 New Mexico district 1 and Senate seat New York districts 6 & 8 North Carolina districts 9, 11 & 13 North Dakota at large district open &Senate seat Ohio districts 2 & 3 Oklahoma districts 1 & 2 Pennsylvania districts 4 & 17 South Carolina district 7 Cook Report: Pendulum Swings By Charlie Cook, June 18, 2012 Just like the ocean s tides ebb and flow, the pendulum of conventional wisdom on the way a presidential race is widely perceived swings back and forth. At some points, the conventional wisdom is at variance with the political realities. For a long time, the conventional wisdom seemed to be locked into the view that the fundamental dynamics and extraordinary rhetorical skills that elected Barack Obama as president in 2008 would more or less continue, making him a clear favorite for reelection. Now, conventional wisdom seems to be shifting dramatically: In some minds already, he s toast. This election is likely to be a very close one. To suggest that it is unwinnable for Obama is a folly. In the 15 presidential elections going back to 1952, six victories were runaways: 1952 and 1956 (both Eisenhower); 1964 (Johnson); 1972 (Nixon); and 1980 and 1984 (Reagan). Four more were competitive, but not that close at the end: 1988 (George H.W. Bush); 1992 and 1996 (Clinton); and 2008 (Obama). The remaining five, or one-third of elections during that period, ended up being extremely close: 1960 (Kennedy-Nixon); 1968 (Nixon-Humphrey); 1976 (Carter-Ford); 2004 (Bush-Kerry); and of course, the split Electoral College-popular vote decision of the 2000 election (Bush-Gore). Obama s Gallup approval numbers for the week of June were 46 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving. They are demonstrably better than President Carter s and President George H.W. Bush s ratings were at this point. They are pretty close to where President Ford was in mid-june 1976, at 45 percent; he was 2 points higher, at 47 percent, in May of that year. Obama s usually just a touch behind. He occasionally matches the 48- and 49-percent level where President George W. Bush was at this point, but is nowhere near the five incumbents who won comfortably. Obama s base is high enough to ensure that losing by a moderate-to-large percentage is extremely unlikely, as the numbers argue strongly that this will be very close. And "close" means either candidate can win. Because Obama s 2008 victory margin not the win itself, but the 7.3 percentage point margin was predicated upon unusually high turnout in his base, particularly among young and Latino voters, it s awfully hard to replicate with this economy and other circumstances. Polling by both Gallup and NBC News/Wall Street Journal show very clearly that conservatives and Republicans are more motivated than liberals and Democrats to vote. And, for that matter, older voters are far more motivated than younger voters and white voters more motivated than Hispanics to vote. The good news for Obama is that the African-American vote, in both share and enthusiasm, looks right on target for him. Overall, the turnout dynamics at this stage look far more like a normal election than the rather extraordinary and unprecedented turnout of four years ago. That doesn t mean that Obama loses. But the odds of this election turning out like his win four years ago are very low.

5 In his 2004 run, George W. Bush faced a group of independents and undecided voters who didn t look particularly receptive to him. Due to state-of-the-art micro-targeting and a well-organized organizational effort, his campaign was able to turn what easily could have been a loss into a very narrow victory. Obama is also trying to use technology and organization to overcome fundamental forces; however, the forces today look even more imposing than the ones that Bush faced eight years ago. Voters were uneasy about the Iraq War; 9/11 and the fight against al-qaida helped the Bush campaign shift the election from a referendum on the Iraq War to one on terrorism. The campaign tried to move the question to, "Who will keep us safer?" Obama is unlikely to be able to deflect the issue of the economy. His shot is to shift the question to: "Who will look out for us during this economic turmoil?" Obama saw his job-approval numbers among independents drop from 62 percent in the Gallup Poll for January 2009 to 46 percent in December They also dropped to 42 percent in December Last week, his Gallup approval rating among independents was just 41 percent. Among "pure independents," those who don t lean toward either party, it was just 34 percent. The bottom line is that the odds have gotten tougher for Obama. Only those going to their first rodeo, though, would believe that this thing is over. There was a point just after the Democratic convention in 2004 when John Kerry seemed to have an edge over Bush. John McCain even had a nice little bump just after the Republican convention, abruptly terminated by the fall of Lehman Brothers, and, some would say, by the focus on his running mate, Sarah Palin. Beware of the pendulum of conventional wisdom; it may be about to swing too far once again. Quiz Be the first to answer the following questions correctly by sending an to rkelley@icsc.org and you will receive a prize. (No Googling!) 1) On what date in history did both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die? 2) Every revolution worth its salt has a flag for its supporters to display. What do you call a person with an expert knowledge of flags? ICSC PAC ICSC Office of Global Public Policy, th St. N.W., Suite 660, Washington, DC For more information about the ICSC PAC or to make a contribution please contact Rachel Kelley rkelley@icsc.org or Contributions to ICSC PAC are completely voluntary. Contributions to ICSC PAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. Only personal and partnership checks are permitted. ICSC PAC cannot accept contributions from corporations, national banks, labor organizations, business entities with federal government contracts and foreign nationals. You must be a U.S. Citizen or green card holder to contribute to the ICSC PAC.