Thanks for keeping us updated on this political issue of Rep. Lane Evans
(IL) being attacked over his health vs. his job ability.

I believe Ms Andrea Zinga has hung herself politically on this one!

Peggy


----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda J Herman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 11:18 PM
Subject: NEWS ARTICLE on Lane Evans


> The Associated Press State & Local Wire
> January 26, 2004, Monday, BC cycle
> HEADLINE: Incumbent's health becomes an issue in Illinois congressional
> race
> DATELINE: ROCK ISLAND, Ill.
>
>   " A challenger's accusation that longtime U.S. Rep. Lane Evans is unfit
> for
> another term because of Parkinson's disease has touched off a rancorous
> start to
> a U.S. House race that won't go to voters for more than nine months.
>
>    Evans, a Rock Island Democrat who has battled the neurological
> disorder since
> 1995, denies Republican Andrea Zinga's allegation, which also has sparked
> debate
> over whether health is fair game on the campaign trail.
>
>    "Should it surprise us that this kind of boundary has been crossed?
> I'm
> afraid not," said George Gordon, an Illinois State University political
> science
> professor.
>
>    Zinga, a former television news anchor and reporter, raised questions
> about
> Evans' health as she launched her campaign during a series of news
> conferences
> across the 17th district, which covers 23 counties in western and central
> Illinois.
>
>    She claims the disease has slowed the 11-term congressman, preventing
> him
> from spending enough time in the district to understand all its issues
> and from
> working in Washington to solve them.
>
>    "As the disease advances, his sheer ability to do those things is
> going to be
> further diminished," said Zinga, who is unopposed in the March primary
> and will
> square off with Evans in November.
>
>    Evans said that medication and exercise are controlling the disease,
> which he
> said has made him move a little slower but has not affected his job
> performance.
>
>    "He's upset about it and feels that it shouldn't come up because he's
> able to
> do his job. The election should be about issues. It certainly shows a
> lack of
> ideas on her part," said Steve Vetzner, a spokesman for Evans.
>
>    Parkinson's support groups criticized Zinga, arguing that health
> should not
> be a campaign issue because most victims of the disease continue to work
> effectively for 20 years or more.
>
>    That includes several members of Congress, including the late Morris
> Udall of
> Arizona and Joe Skeen of New Mexico, who died last month after a long
> battle
> with the disease, said Jeff Martin, chairman of the board of the
> Parkinson's
> Action Network.
>
>    "I think she should apologize and move on to the issues. I'm a
> Republican and
> I don't like it when Republicans do things like that," said Martin, a
> lawyer who
> served in the first Bush administration and was diagnosed with
> Parkinson's eight
> years ago.
>
>    Political observers said the contentious race is just another example
> of an
> ongoing trend in American politics.
>
>    "Studies seem to suggest that negative campaigns work, so it shouldn't
> surprise anyone that health could become an issue. Almost anything is
> fair game,
> " said Frank Mackaman of the Dirksen Congressional Center, a nonpartisan
> research and education facility in Pekin.
>
>    But accusations generally surface through whisper campaigns rather
> than
> announcements by the candidates themselves, said Keith Boeckelman, an
> associate
> political science professor at Western Illinois University.
>
>    "It's probably a sign that she's a strong underdog. This is a way to
> get
> attention probably and get some name recognition. The risk is that some
> people
> are going to see this is as mean spirited," Boeckelman said."
>
> LOAD-DATE: January 27, 2004
>
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