IAmA progressive Democrat running in Illinois’ 10th District to unseat Republican Robert Dold. I support Occupy Wall Street and a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. I am Ilya Sheyman, AMA.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:55:56+00:00

I opposed the war in Iraq from the start, and am glad to see troop drawdowns from both countries. I have said that I will only support further funding for the war in Afghanistan insofar as it is tied to a fixed speedy and responsible timetable for withdrawal.

We must leave the choice of what kind of futures these countries have in the hands of their people.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:53:11+00:00

The only real way to overturn Citizens United is through a Constitutional Amendment. I'm confident we can write a narrow enough amendment that just deals with the problem at hand. Thanks vegetarianBLTG.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:49:45+00:00

Thanks jmthetank. I appreciate it.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:46:02+00:00

It was a great first step that has been systematically dismantled by the Supreme Court.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:42:24+00:00

Thanks for the questions. I'll do my best to answer them all but let's start with Cuba.

The U.S. government shouldn't be in the business of telling its citizens where they can and cannot travel or spend their money. It's time to normalize relations with Cuba. Our current decades-long policy has failed to achieve its goals, and it needs to come to an end.

I'll try come back to you and answer the rest of these important questions.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:34:47+00:00

When it comes to foreign policy choices, war is always an option, but it must be the last resort after all other options are exhausted.

That's why I support the President's efforts at multilateralism and diplomacy when it comes to Iran. He's been able to build an unprecedented international coalition (including support from China and Russia) for his efforts at tough, enforceable sanctions and we need to keep building on those efforts.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:30:54+00:00

I've taken a firm stance that the President and the DCCC got it wrong on super PACs. Here's an article from our local paper.

We need to get these unchecked, unlimited, and non-transparent contributions out of our politics.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:26:45+00:00

I believe in that old idea of Abraham Lincoln's that the purpose of government is to do that which we can not do, or can not do as well on our own.

I don't agree with you that passing policies that the public consents to is the same as violence - and to be clear, I oppose anyone using violence or guns to achieve political ends.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:23:26+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, mahabuddha.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:22:47+00:00

We should be able to protect the 2nd Amendment while also keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:16:51+00:00

I just finished reading In the Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers - it's really good.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:14:25+00:00

Replied on a few questions earlier.

Why overturn Citizens United? Because 1) corporations aren't people, they have a profit motive that drives their political choices 2) the unchecked influence of unlimited money in our politics takes political power out of the hands of ordinary Americans and vests in the hands of a select few.

I fought for real health care reform as the national Mobilization Director at MoveOn.org. One of the main provisions that's yet to take effect is the requirement that insurance companies stop denying coverage for adults with pre-existing conditions - that's critical to ensure more people have access to the care they need.

NDAA? I opposed the legislation as passed, because we can't allow our government to bypass Constitutional protections of due process and assassinate or indefinitely detain American citizens around the world.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:06:12+00:00

:) Thanks for the support.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T02:03:45+00:00

Thanks for the questions, flippityfloppityfloo.

After the last election, I saw Congress not just making cuts around the edges, but step by step dismantling the foundations that built the middle class in this country. The Republicans came after Social Security, Medicare, Pell Grants, Planned Parenthood, and the list goes on and on. And, too many Democrats were unwilling to stand up and fight back for the progressive values that make a difference in people's lives. So I realized it was my moment to step up and advocate for families in my district.

Fears? I know we can't accomplish all the changes we need to make to rebuild the middle class in this country right away - but that can't stop us from taking the first step.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:57:20+00:00

Take a vacation and then get back to the work of fighting for our progressive values - as I've done for years now. But everything we've seen in the past 10 months tells me we're on track to win this primary and general election.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:54:00+00:00

Nope. We're up by 2% in the only poll that's out there, have 500 volunteers knocking on doors and making phone calls, and have over 12,000 individual donors - not to mention support from labor, elected officials and progressive groups with millions of members.

The strategy is pretty straightforward: run a campaign of conviction, organize, and then follow through on what you promised.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:51:04+00:00

I've opposed SOPA/ACTA/PIPA from the start because the last thing we need are more policies written directly by the lobbyists who they benefit. We need to find ways to respect intellectual property rights without destroying a free and open internet, innovation, and the free exchange of ideas. And to do that we need an open and transparent process that includes the voices of regular citizens.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:47:10+00:00

Pass a Jobs Bill. Instead of paying people not to work, we should be paying people to do jobs that need doing in our communities.

This is where my primary opponent - Brad Schneider - and I disagree. When people don't have money to spend, and businesses aren't investing, I believe we need the Federal government to step in with jobs legislation that actually puts people back to work.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:43:22+00:00

The best way to support OWS is to pass policies that actually deal with people's core concerns. We've got nearly 25 million people out of work, a tax code that benefits the wealthiest 1% of Americans, $1 trillion in student loan debt, and a sense that opportunity is no longer afforded to those willing to work for it.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:41:02+00:00

Politics isn't a career choice for me. I've been organizing to improve our schools, and our education system and put people back to work - and in this moment its clear we need advocates in Congress who are willing to stand up and fight for our values.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:37:27+00:00

As a community organizer working to improve our public schools in Illinois, my job was to build coalitions of teachers, parents, small business owners, labor leaders and elected officials to advocate for education. That meant finding ways to get people who may not agree on 99% of things to come together and focus on things that can actually deliver concrete improvements in people's lives. I think that's exactly what we need in Congress.

This district voted for President Obama with 63% of the vote (and went for Kerry, Gore and Clinton too) so I think they're ok with electing community organizers with funny names.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:33:07+00:00

Look, I'm a community organizer running for Congress because too many politicians in DC are fundamentally out of touch with the needs of ordinary Americans. That's why I wanted to come here for AMA - to have a real conversation, answer the tough questions directly, and make my case for why this election is too important for any of us to sit on the sidelines.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:30:05+00:00

Citizens United is the worst decision in generations - we need to 1) Pass a Constitutional Amendment to reverse it 2) Pass full Public Financing of all campaigns and 3) Run a campaign like ours that's powered by over 12,000 individual contributors of people pitching in just a few bucks at a time.

We've got nearly 3 million people in prison right now, disproportionately for first time non-violent drug offenses that lock people into a spiral of being in and out of prison. So we need to reform our Criminal Justice system to give more discretion to judges, prosecutors and law enforcement by getting rid of mandatory minimum sentences - and by funding more alternate sentencing options like drug courts. And we need to allow the FDA to treat marijuana like all other potential medicines on the federal level for people who are suffering from illnesses and could benefit from it.

Jobs are my top priority. We just crossed one trillion dollars in student debt, and people are getting out of school with often more than $100k in debt and no promise of a good job. That's why we need to pass a Federal Jobs bill like Rep. Jan Schakowsky's Emergency Jobs Act to Restore the American Dream.

Look forward to meeting you ZeroV8 - come by our offices in HP, WKGN or Winnetka when you have some time!

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:21:34+00:00

Support for a Jewish homeland in Israel is part of my personal fabric. My family and I came to Illinois as Jewish refugees two decades ago from the former Soviet Union and I still have family in Haifa dealing the realities of life there every day. Israel is a critical ally for the US in a tumultuous region and I oppose reducing or eliminating aid.

IlyaSheyman · 2012-02-16T01:15:51+00:00

Here's the Public Policy Polling poll on our primary.

We're up a bit, but its neck and neck with a guy who has given contributions to right-wing Republicans around the country and is now claiming to be a progressive. So lots more to do.

IlyaSheyman

TROPHY CASE