Foster, Oberweis spar in run-up to special election

In their second-to-last appearance together before next week's special election, the two 14th Congressional District candidates sparred on health care, immigration and other issues Wednesday.

Meeting with members of the Daily Herald's editorial board, Republican Jim Oberweis and Democrat Bill Foster outlined their platforms and took potshots at each other.

On health care, Oberweis reiterated his support of de-coupling health care from employment and of using free-market principles to drive down health care costs.

Foster, who reiterated his support of a public-private hybrid universal health care system, said Oberweis' plan benefits only the "healthy and wealthy."

On immigration, Foster said Oberweis' "inflammatory" statements on illegal immigration from his 2002 U.S. Senate campaign will make it impossible for Oberweis, if elected, to work with other lawmakers to reach a compromise on the issue.

Oberweis, a dairy magnate and financial professional from Sugar Grove, disputed that argument, saying his experience brokering a deal between management and a labor union at his family's milk business demonstrates his negotiating skills.

Foster, a businessman and retired Fermilab physicist from Geneva, also responded to a new Oberweis TV ad that began airing Wednesday. The commercial, which paints Foster as a tax-and-spend liberal, shows a clip of Foster at a Jan. 8 candidates' forum saying, "There's nothing in life that you can't improve by throwing money at it."

The statement was taken totally out of context, Foster said, adding that he was arguing in favor of spending money wisely.

At least two local TV stations pulled the 30-second spot Wednesday because Oberweis failed to include the now standard "I approved this message" statement at the end of the ad; the disclaimer appeared only at the beginning in violation of Federal Communications Commission regulations.

Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe said the campaign was fixing the problem.

"It's being redone right now," Pascoe said Wednesday.

The special election to fill former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's unexpired term is March 8. Oberweis and Foster also are competing in the Nov. 4 general election for a new 2-year term.

The candidates will square off side-by-side once more this week. Both are scheduled to appear at WMAQ-TV Channel 5 Friday morning to record a segment on the station's "City Desk" Sunday morning news show.