My name is John Laesch, the Democratic Nominee running against Dennis Hastert.
We are standing outside of the Kane County Republican Party Headquarters with the intent of drawing a clear line between the tactics used by the Republicans and the Democratic Party.
During the 2004 election cycle, supporters of George Bush put together a "Swift boat" advertisement that was based on lies about John Kerry. Many political experts believe that these lies led to Kerry's loss of the Presidential election.
Both letters claim that I have never voted prior to the 2006 primary election.
Folks, a voting record is public information and should be obtainable by either political party or campaign. For some reason, the Republicans found it easier to make up a false voting record and use a pack of lies to attack my background.
Now, I'm no John Kerry - I'm John Laesch and I don't care too much for dirty politics or people lying about my voting record.
The reason we are here today is to offer the truth and make it easier for the Republicans to find a voting record - I will give it to them - and you.
The letter written by Young Republican, Brandon Yaniz, who is close enough to Hastert to have attended his fourth swearing-in as Speaker, and published in the Daily Herald and Elgin Courier News, states that I did not vote in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004.
For the record, I voted absentee in 1996 and did not vote at all in 1998 while I was deployed overseas with the United States Military. I have no way of double-checking an absentee ballot, but we did ask the Kendall County Record to provide that information.
The records provided in the press conference show that I voted in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 and of course in 2006. Not only do I vote, but I voted Democratic - I am proud to be a Democrat!
Because the "lie and deny" Republican Party is bound to go back to their dirty tricks, I also thought that this would be a good time to say that I believe in open and honest government and complete transparency, so the next time Hastert's surrogates invent a smear a simple phone call to me will clear it up one way or the other, because you will get an honest and complete answer from me. I want a campaign that is focused on the issues and issues alone.
I believe that the American people are ready for open and honest government. As your next Congressman, I will ask you to only judge me by my voting record in Congress.
The only reason that the Republicans "lie and deny" is because they cannot stand on their Congressional voting record.
Dennis Hastert doesn't want you to know that in 1994 he voted for NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement that has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs and opened the gates for millions of illegal immigrants to enter the county.
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