Marathon Pundit: Rep. Lipinski's real strength is his chief of staff?

There is just so much dreck in Cook County, scroll down one post, that it is impossible to keep up. Which is why I'm glad Erick Erickson of Red State sent me the below e-mail.

Before we get to that, I'd like to add that this is just another example of Chicago political nepotism. In the spring of 2004, Bill Lipinski, a longtime Democratic congressman in a district covering Chicago and its southwestern suburbs, ran in the Democratic primary and easily won a ticket to the general election. But he apparently had no intention of running in that contest--Lipinski engingeered it so his son, Dan, then a college professor, would take his place on the ballot. Had the younger Lipinksi run in an open Democratic primary on his own credentials, he would have had a tough battle. Since Illinois' 3rd Congressional District is heavily Democratic, Dan Lipinski coasted to victory that fall.

From Erick's e-mail:

Let's have some fun this morning.

Remember how the Democrats ran against the Culture of Corruption in 2006? Well, get a load of this story:

Congressman Dan Lipinski's Chief of Staff, Jerry Hurckes, has been sitting on the Board of Trustees of Oak Lawn, IL since 1999. During that time, and each time he's campaigned for re-election, the chief of staff has campaigned on how much bacon he's brought home. Again, this is not a Congressman, but a chief of staff to a Congressman.

Things have come to a head in Oak Lawn after a meeting last week. The Board of Trustees wanted to consider hiring a lobbyist and Hurckes went ballastic, hurling accusation at the Board that they were trying to do an end run around him.

This guy has never been elected to Congress, but he has been taking credit for things his boss has done.

I say we all call Congressman Lipinski this morning at (202) 225-5701 and ask when his Chief of Staff became Congressman Hurckes. When they tell us he has not, we should be sure to ask why then is Jerry Hurckes taking credit for bringing home the bacon to Oak Lawn. Is the Chief of Staff more powerful and influential than Congressman Lipinski?