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Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Subscribers know that I’m shutting everything down for a few days to attend a family funeral. Someone passing in a no-passing zone slammed head-on into my niece’s car. My niece is out of the hospital, but her husband and two-year-old daughter were both killed…

Please keep my niece in your thoughts.

* While I’m gone, you can head to Illinoize…

I’ll crank the blog back up on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Not sure yet.

No video. I’m too depressed.

*** UPDATE *** Thanks for all the kind e-mails, text messages, faxes and phone calls about my family’s tragedy. The funeral ordeal was one of the saddest experiences of my life. But your lovely sentiments helped lift my spirits, so many thanks.

*** UPDATE 2 *** We’re all gonna miss her…

On behalf of her family and friends, I am saddened to report that former State Senator Adeline J. Geo-Karis passed away Sunday evening, February 10, 2008, of natural causes, at Glenbrook Hospital.

Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced shortly.

For further information, please contact:

Louis G. Atsaves
atsaves@aol.com
847-401-1674

You can read more here.

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This just in…

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 12:55 pm - Bad news, budgeteers. The state’s investment income is gonna be way down…

Like investors everywhere, Illinois is watching its investment income shrink along with the swooning financial markets.

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias warned lawmakers today the stock market decline will “trigger a significant reduction in interest income” in the current fiscal year.

Giannoulias said the state probably will collect $38 million to $50 million less in investment income during the 2008 fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Things will get worse next year, when the treasurer expects the state to collect $243 million, at best, from investments. In the last full budget year, Giannoulias’ office made $426 million in investment income. The treasurer’s office invests surplus state funds.

* 1:12 pm - Big money…

Democrat Barack Obama raised $7.2 million in less than 48 hours post Super Tuesday and rival Hillary Rodham Clinton collected $4 million, giving him a financial edge that’s caused consternation within a Clinton campaign clamoring for attention-getting debates.

It emerged yesterday that Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million last month, so it’s probably only a matter of time before some reporters question whether this little deal is somehow connected to that action.

* 1:14 pm - From a press release…

Governor Blagojevich today announced that more than 50,000 seniors across Illinois have pre-registered to receive free public transportation since he first launched the toll-free hotline and website two weeks ago.

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Question of the day

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

What, in your opinion, was the most overlooked story of Tuesday’s Illinois primary? Explain.

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Daley blows top at six who refuse to play ball *** UPDATED X1 ***

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* As expected the Chicago city council approved the real estate transfer tax yesterday with some minor adjustments…

Aldermen held their noses, swallowed hard and demanded that members of the military and disabled veterans get free rides, but ultimately voted to complete a Chicago Transit Authority bailout by hitting city property buyers with a 40 percent transfer tax increase.

Some senior citizens will catch a break, but the City Council’s approval by a 41-6 vote means that Chicago’s real-estate transfer tax will climb for most everyone from $7.50 per $1,000 of sale price to $10.50 beginning April 1. On a $300,000 home, the result would be a $900 increase.

People 65 and older who buy houses priced at $250,000 or less and attest that they will live in them for at least a year will get a refund of the transfer tax increase but will be required to apply to receive it.

* The vote was overwhelming, but Mayor Daley was angry at the half-dozen aldermen who voted against it…

The vote was 41-6 — and the six “no” votes had the mayor seething. They were cast by Aldermen Robert Fioretti (2nd), Sandi Jackson (7th), Sharon Denise Dixon (24th), Rey Colon (35th), Brian Doherty (41st) and Bernard Stone (50th).

“If Ald. Fioretti believes they don’t need the CTA in his ward, then stand up and say, ‘CTA, bypass my people.’ . . . You’ll last about a half a day. They’ll have to send . . . police and fire to protect you and your families,” Daley said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

* And…

Daley continued his diatribe, finally saying, “Those who want to run for higher political office, vote ‘No,’” a dig at some aldermanic opponents who are rumored to be seeking higher office.

* When you serve in a legislative body run by an absolute control freak, any dissension is deemed traitorous. And, while I hate to say it, Ald. Stone made a pretty good point…

Stone dismissed the senior exemption as a “showpiece” that “isn’t worth a damn,” noting that most seniors are sellers — not buyers.

The showpiece comment was on the money. There aren’t many houses in Stone’s ward selling for less than $250,000.

*** UPDATE *** WGN has posted Mayor Daley’s entire snarky rant on YouTube. It’s a must-see…

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On second thought…

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This came in from the Illinois Republican Party yesterday. It’s the number of Republican primary ballots cast statewide since 1988…

Year GOP Ballots Cast
1988 899,153
1990 805,381
1992 878,438
1994 729,372
1996 868,030
1998 759,102
2000 781,318
2002 946,339
2004 702,658
2006 751,627
2008 883,647

Except for 2002 (when there was a super-hot Republican primary for governor), Tuesday was the biggest primary for the GOP since 1988. So, perhaps drawing too many conclusions from Tuesday’s huge Democratic turnout is premature.

* And this was forwarded to me by our blog friend JakeCP…

Chicago ‘04 GOP Primary vote 27,729
Chicago ‘08 GOP Primary votey 41,535

Those aren’t huge numbers, but it’s a lot of growth - almost 50 percent.

* Still, this meme will not die soon. From the AP…

It could be a long, long year for Illinois Republicans. Their U.S. Senate nominee is virtually unknown. They’re playing defense in at least four congressional districts. Illinois voters cast nearly 1.1 million more Democratic votes than Republican votes in Tuesday’s primary.

Things are definitely bad. No doubt about it. And - besides the primary turnout stuff - most other signs point to them heading for a lousy year. But the big Dem vote should be taken in some context, and so there you have it.

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Illegal immigrant issue brought up by Sauerberg

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sauerberg attacks Durbin right out of the gate…

Dr. Steve Sauerberg, who won Tuesday’s Illinois Republican primary for the U.S. Senate, said Wednesday that Sen. Dick Durbin is out of touch with his constituents. […]

Sauerberg, of Lombard, also said that Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, had his chance to end illegal immigration but instead made it worse.

I know a lot of people like to bloviate about illegal immigration on blogs and on talk radio, but this is from Tuesday’s Illinois GOP exit poll…

Which ONE of these four issues is the most important facing the country?

Category % Total

Illegal immigration 19

The war in Iraq 20

The economy 43

Terrorism 16 -

And…

Should most illegal immigrants working in the United States be:

Category % Total

Offered a chance to apply for citizenship 30

Allowed to stay as temporary workers 25

Deported to the country they came from 43

* So, when it doesn’t even seem to be a dominant issue for Republicans, can it be used in a general election here? Also, remember, there are a whole lot of Latino and other immigrant voters in this state. Tons, even. Irish, Polish, Lithuanian, etc. And many of them know or are related to illegal immigrants.

Please, make sure to read this: I’m really not interested in your own personal opinion of illegal immigration. Try to have a civil debate or your comments will be deleted and you could easily find yourself banned. This topic often brings out the crazy in some people, and I’d rather avoid that today. Thanks.

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Quote of the day

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Um, is this what is known as talking out of both sides of your mouth?

[11th Congressional District Democratic candidate Debbie Halvorson] said Wednesday she wants to talk about issues and not be negative as she traverses a district that stretches from Chicago’s southern suburbs to Bloomington-Normal. Key among the issues is the economy.

“Everybody is frustrated with the Republicans,” Halvorson said.

* Runner up goes to Bernie Schoenburg, who, after noting that the Green Party ballot total was less than two-tenths of a percent in Sangamon county, wrote…

This does not bode well for a Green takeover of the state.

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Morning Shorts

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Alvarez revels in upset, more here

* Peraica comes out fighting vs. Alvarez

* Decoding Rezko: Breaking down his pending trial; the prosecution’s evidentiary proffer

* Stroger claims foes ‘smacked in the face‘ by election results

* Stroger’s new plan: Cut budget, hike tax; more here

* DOE official apologizes for mocking FutureGen site, Illinois

C.H. “Bud” Albright says he’s sorry for saying the federal government isn’t interested in “building Disneyland in some swamp in Illinois.”

* Illinois awards grant for sculpture to mark race riot

* Crowded ballots, economy spell disaster for proposals

Of the 14 Will County referendum requests on Tuesday’s ballot, 12 failed - some by margins of 40 percent or more.

* Wrap-up Wednesday

The surprise on Super Duper Tuesday in Illinois was at the state level, not the national level. Illinois still played a significant role February 5 by doling out more than 200 presidential delegates to the Democratic and Republican candidates, but the state got lost in the mix of 22 states that held primaries that day.

* Jim Oberweis already campaigning, though opponent in doubt; more here

* Democrat won’t concede yet in race for Hastert seat

* Congressman Mark Kirk’s father dies of pulmonary fibrosis

* Handley leaving state job to join cable TV group

* Blagojevich Announces State’s First Court Victory For Equal Pay

* Can Obama, like Harold, get Latino lift?

* Obama’s Rezkopportunity knocks

* Little-known ballot name Illinois son

Sen. John McCain may have won Illinois Tuesday, but Republican presidential candidate James C. Mitchell walked away from Super Tuesday with 456 votes.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Still no final tally in House race

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Will Burns’ win

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - The Latino vote

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Legislative roundup

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of what’s left of the day

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

What makes you happiest…

* Sen. Ira Silverstein defeated fading hack Bernie Stone for 50th Ward Committeeman

* Ald. Sandi Jackson trounced fading hack William Beavers for 7th Ward Committeman

* Ald. Pat Dowell destroyed state Rep. Ken Dunkin for 3rd Ward Committeeman

* Mary O’Connor edged out the invisible and absentee former state Rep. Ralph Capparelli for 41st Ward Committeeman

Explain.

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Is the Republican Party dead?

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Much has already been made of this and more will be, I’m sure…

Spurred on by two presidential candidates with local ties and a primary that actually meant something, suburban voters were picking Democratic ballots in potentially historic fashion Tuesday.

Across the region, voters were consistently pulling more Democratic ballots than Republican in an area once considered a GOP Eden.

Early results showed nearly 30,000 more Democratic ballots than Republican cast in both Will and Lake Counties. In DuPage County, nearly 16,000 more Democratic ballots were pulled.

Kane was the only suburban county where Democrats weren’t clearly favored. And there it was essentially even.

* Also…

Last night on CL-TV in Chicago, Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson declared doom for the Illinois Republican Party for the next 20 to 40 years. He reviewed the George Ryan administration and the 2004 Alan Keyes debacle, saying the party lacks direction and leadership.

Then, he said, with a smug expression, “It may take a generation for the Illinois Republican Party to rebuild its strength in Illinois.”

* Steve Sauerberg’s Senate campaign, such as it was, has to be a huge disappointment for the IL GOP, even though he won.

* The 14th Congressional District was not a terribly bright spot, either. In 2004, George W. Bush won the district with 56 percent. This year, the two parties split it about even. And in the congressional primaries, the Republican candidats got about 2,500 more votes than the Democrats, or about 51 percent of the total vote. The Obama Effect may not carry into November, however, so these raw numbers may not hold up. Still, Democrat Bill Foster may end up giving Jim Oberweis a real run for his money, if he can survive any potential recount.

* Cook County is a mess for the GOP. The Democratic vote there was overwhelming.

* But it wasn’t all death and destruction for the Republicans. Aaron Schock’s monumental win over two candidates was a definite bright spot. There weren’t many others.

* Here’s a broad roundup of congressional stories to chew on…

* Lipinski, Shock likely headed to victory

* Schock wins 18th District

* Davis surpasses opponent for nomination to Congress, will face Shimkus

* Another war veteran to face Roskam

* Morgenthaler, Greenberg To Face Roskam, Bean

* Geneva millionaire gets edge for Democratic nomination in 14th Dist.

* Biggert breezes to win in campaign for sixth term

* Baldermann takes on job as candidate

* Sauerberg wins GOP Senate contest to face Durbin

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No Greening of Illinois

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Illinois Green Party primary was a bust. The party has not been able to build on its showing from the 2006 governor’s race, where its candidate scored about ten percent of the vote and kept the incumbent from breaking 50. It’s now an “established” political party, so it was entitled to hold an honest to goodness primary.

Trouble is, nobody showed up.

* Take a look at the presidential ballots. With 97 percent reporting, just 2,555 people took a Green ballot yesterday. Sure, there may have been some confusion and misdirection at the polls, but 2,555 people? Statewide?

* In the Cook County precincts of Illinois House District 41, Green Party candidate Kevin M. O’Connor got 14 votes. Jerome Pohlen, the IGP’s candidate in the 3rd Congressional district, got 41 votes in the city. And the ward committeeman contests were a joke…

GRN - Ward Committeeman, 5th… Christian K. Wedemeyer 11 votes

GRN - Ward Committeeman, 6th… Beverly Neely 2 votes

GRN - Ward Committeeman, 7th… Nathan Peoples 2 votes

It goes on and on like that.

The Green Party isn’t “dead.” There’s still a chance that the politics of this state are so messed up that they can make some minor inroads in November in one or two races. But yesterday’s exercise in party building was an abject failure. So far, the IGP appears to be little more than a “none of the above” choice, rather than a party that people actually want to belong to.

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Women, Latinos gaining strength in Democratic Party here

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* These numbers come to us courtesy of Emily’s List. It’s the Super Tuesday breakouts by gender…

* According to the Illinois exit polling, white men were 23 percent of the Democratic electorate, while white women made up 34 percent. The gender gap went across all races. Black men were 9 percent of the total Democratic vote while black women were 15 percent. Latino men were 8 percent and Latinas were 9 percent.

* There is one other important demographic to consider. Latinos made up 17 percent of the Democratic vote, while blacks were 24 percent. So they’re gaining fast. Congressman Luis Gutierrez got about 61,000 votes yesterday, which was far higher than the 37,382 votes he got in the last presidential primary. Some of the state legislative contests in Hispanic districts also saw a near doubling of the vote from four years ago.

Black voting was up as well, but not nearly as much as the Latinos. About 143,000 votes were cast in Congressman Bobby Rush’s primary, for instance, up from about 102,000 in 2004, when he was unopposed.

* And then there was the Cook County State’s Attorney race, where Anita Alvarez fit the growth demographics perfectly. She’s a woman and is also Hispanic. From the Sun-Times…

Alvarez appeared to have won with support from soccer moms and Latinos and in wards run by old-style bosses. She won the city vote with 25 percent to Allen’s 24 percent. Of the 50 wards, she won 15 — including those run by Cook County Commissioner John Daley, Ald. Ed Burke (14th), House Speaker Michael Madigan and Ald. Dick Mell (33rd). She also won nine suburban townships, while Allen won 12.

Those so-called “Machine” wards are heavily Latino, and the boys are losing control. Mell went all out for Rep. Rich Bradley against Sen. Ira Martinez, but Martinez won big.

* I would add that Joe Berrios’ big win for Board of Review was certainly helped by the strong Latino vote. They have become a force to be reckoned with.

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Mansion up for bids

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Hey, somebody wants to spend time there…

Supporters of one of the largest high school districts in Illinois — Township District 214 in Arlington Heights — are auctioning off 49 “experience” packages on eBay this week. One of the items is a four-course dinner for as many as 10 people at the Executive Mansion in Springfield.

* But this is all they’ve bid?

High bid on the mansion package was $360 Tuesday evening after nine bids. The auction ends at 7 a.m. today. […]

[Mansion curator Dave Bourland] said the cost for dinner at the mansion is $34 per person. Tours are free.

Discuss.

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Late morning shorts

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Sen. Durbin hot over DOE’s remark about Illinois

A Washington bureaucrat’s disparaging remarks about a scuttled coal plant downstate has a pair of Illinois lawmakers burning.

After the feds nixed a $1.8 billion clean-burning coal plant in Mattoon known as FutureGen last week, an Energy Department official said his agency wasn’t interested in “building Disneyland in some swamp in Illinois.”

* FutureGen developers say they’ll still go for federal funds

* Daley opposes aldermen seeking to influence CTA, force plastic-bag recycling

* It’s time to bag all that plastic

* Most school questions rejected

* Mixed reception for condom program

* Chicago polls go well — despite punches, broken machines, wrong ballots and ‘invisible ink’

* State-by-State Votes; map here

* Super Tuesday: Democrats divvy it up, McCain up

* Obama, Clinton neck and neck

* Obama candidacy spurs activism

“A lot of people who got involved because of Barack Obama will continue to be involved in politics,” says Kevin Roos, 26, of Glenview.

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Some things to discuss while I take a nap

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Barack Obama and John McCain both won every single Illinois county.

* How does Democrat Bill Foster win the special election primary in the 14th Congressional District by 3,700 votes and then win the regular primary by only 327 votes?

* I’m of the opinion that the Democrats ought to just forget about putting anyone up against Aaron Schock after he won 71 percent in a three-way primary race. Am I wrong?

* Does Tony Peraica have a snowball’s chance against Anita Alvarez? Consider this: With almost all the votes totaled in the city and the county, Peraica won 130,622 votes running unopposed. Alvarez, who scored 26 percent in a six-way race, got 226,043.

* Did you see anything interesting in the Illinois exit polls?

That ought to keep you busy for a while.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Gordon; Connelly; Jacobs; Gay politics; Steans (Use all caps in password)

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Break time

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’m gonna try to get a few hours sleep, but the blog is on autopilot, so you can continue viewing results using the pull-down menu below the big red box in the upper right corner, or just click here.

* Congressional and Cook County discussions are going on here.

* Subscribers can click here for some analysis.

* National news feeds and discussion can be seen here.

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