WASHINGTON--Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), a Tea Party leader, is boycotting President Obama's jobs speech Thursday night, hold instead a small business town hall in Schaumburg which Democratic House contender
Raja Krishanmoorthi intends to attend.

Walsh is skipping the session because he said it is a "political" speech. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) encouraged his GOP colleagues to attend. Krishnamoorthi is running in the eighth district, locked in a Democratic primary with Tammy Duckworth. Walsh represents the eighth district under the current map but is likely to run from the 14th district in 2012 under a new map. But for now Walsh hasn't said where he will run from, which makes it possible for Duckworth and Krishnamoorthi to piggyback on Walsh's ability to get press attention.

While Krishnamoorthi heads to Schaumburg, Duckworth sent out a fund-raising appeal linked to the Walsh boycott.

Wrote Duckworth, "Did you see the latest from Congressman Joe Walsh? He's apparently decided that when the President of the United States comes to Congress to share his plan for creating jobs in the midst of a deep recession, he doesn't need to be there.

Congressman Walsh seems to think it's all a big game, saying that he refuses to "be a prop" for the President.

Well, Congressman, I have news for you: The people of Illinois are taking this jobs crisis much more seriously than you are. And they expect their Congressman to take seriously a proposal from the President. Disagree if you must, but at least listen to the proposal."