* The Sun-Times tries to be even-handed today with its criticism of both Democratic gubernatorial candidates’ TV advertising. But the effort fails miserably. Here’s how the editorial begins…
Gov. Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes, who are squaring off in the Democratic primary race for governor, are both smart and substantive candidates.
Not that you would know that from their recent campaign ads.
If those ads are setting the tone for what’s to come, we dread turning on the television for the next three months until the primary.
And then the newspaper goes on to chide Hynes for not immediately paying state bills for tourism contracts. Not a single word is ever mentioned in the editorial about any of Hynes’ TV ads. The Sun-Times just said Hynes should’ve paid the bills, which he did after resubmitting them to the governor.
So, the top of the editorial has nothing to do with the bottom, at least in regards to Hynes. The paper did take a whack at Gov. Pat Quinn, however…
The nonsense from Quinn: He has begun running a campaign ad knocking Hynes for vowing to weed out waste in the state’s budget line by line but still signing off on “every single” state check.
Which, to repeat, Hynes must do by law — and Quinn knows it.
That’s a fair critique. And it directly relates to the subject of the editorial. But if the paper is planning to hit both candidates on their TV advertisements, then shouldn’t it at least say what they find objectionable in both candidates’ ads?
You’d think that would be elementary.
* The DSCC has been doing this for weeks, and Pearson has now called them out on it…
In a highly unlikely pairing, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee joined with FOX News [yesterda] to promote criticisms of Republican U.S. Senate contender Mark Kirk made by a GOP candidate who dropped out of the contest.
The DSCC trumpeted a FOX News story that one-time Republican Senate candidate Eric Wallace had dropped from the race to avoid splitting conservative votes in the effort by conservatives to challenge the socially moderate Kirk, a five-term congressman from the North Shore.
The DSCC has been “trumpeting” every tiny right-left split in the Kirk race, even though most of it can’t be taken seriously, like that goofy Fox News story on Wallace, who, as Pearson rightly notes, was barely an also-ran…
Not mentioned by the Democrats or FOX was Wallace’s failed 2006 run for an Illinois Senate seat in which he got 23 percent of the vote against Democratic state Sen. Maggie Crotty of Oak Forest.
Also not mentioned was the financial viability of Wallace’s U.S. Senate candidacy, which reported less than $3,000 in cash on hand to start October, coupled with $11,795 in debts, according to the Federal Election Commission.
His candidacy was a joke, at best.
* Jim Ryan won’t give back the money contributed to him by convicted felon Stu Levine…
Ryan also said he also does not plan to return the hundreds of thousands of dollars Levine once contributed to the former attorney general’s political efforts.
“No, no. The reason I haven’t done that is because, when I had that money, I didn’t know that he had a problem,” Jim Ryan said. “There was never, when I was associating with Stu and he was helping me (with) my campaigns, I mean, there was never a hint of any scandal or problems or impropriety.”
As I told subscribers today, the hole in JRyan’s logic is that Levine was indicted twice for alleged illegalities that occurred in 2002 - while Levine was raising and contributing boatloads of cash for and to JRyan’s gubernatorial campaign. Those contributions are definitely tainted.
* Phil Kadner calls out Gov. Quinn…
Quinn talks about the need to adequately fund the public schools in Illinois, to decrease property taxes and raise the income tax to fund state programs. He said he testified on behalf of a bill sponsored by state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) that would’ve done all of that.
He says that when the bill passed out of the Senate, he called House Speaker Michael Madigan and said “let’s shoot for the moon” and pass it.
“After a long pause on the other end of the phone, Madigan said, ‘No,’” the governor said.
But the truth is Quinn really had a different tax plan he wanted to pass, and he didn’t endorse Meeks’ bill until it had been watered down and passed out of the Senate.
“He did testify in front of a House committee in support but didn’t lobby for it at all,” said a supporter of the Meeks bill.
* And, finally…
Tuesday night, Hynes’ campaign fired off a press release accusing Quinn of hypocrisy for releasing an ad criticizing Hynes for taking a trip to D.C. then boarding a plane to D.C. himself for a fund-raiser and a meeting with legislators from Illinois.
On Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin’s office released a notice for a Quinn meeting in Washington, D.C., Wednesday regarding federal funding for Illinois projects. It offered reporters an “opportunity for b-roll and spray.” That’s a term used mostly for national press meaning camera footage but no questions.
Hynes’ campaign shortly released a notice that their candidate will be holding an economic roundtable with small business owners in Chicago Wednesday that will offer “B-roll spray” and a press availability afterward.
* More campaign stuff…
* Full text of Jim Ryan’s campaign announcement speech
* Ill. gov. candidate Jim Ryan’s kickoff shadowed by Rezko figure
* Ryan returns to run for governor
* Ryan announces candidacy for governor
* Wallace drops out of Senate race
* Miller making run for comptroller
* Supporters, including Attorney General Madigan, turn out for Flider fundraiser
* As filing period ends, GOP hopefuls lining up in hopes of changing trend
* Bean has plenty of challengers — and not just from the GOP
* Congressman Davis files in 2 election races
* Political Dominoes Will Soon Fall in 7th Congressional District
* Green Party has full slate of candidates for state races
* Lake County ballots to have touch of Green
* Lottery held to determine ballot positions in Kane Co.
* Primary races shaping up in the Fox Valley
* Kane County treasurer faces challenge
* Even Democrats have primaries in DuPage County
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 11:14 am:
–He (Quinn) says that when the bill passed out of the Senate, he called House Speaker Michael Madigan and said “let’s shoot for the moon” and pass it.
“After a long pause on the other end of the phone, Madigan said, ‘No,’” the governor said.–
That’s an interesting revelation of a private conversation. I think that’s the first public admission by someone in the know that Madigan killed the tax increase.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 11:17 am:
Jim Ryan is getting off to a very bad start and it won’t get better—he won’t be able to turn things around.
He won’t be able to shake his Stuart Levine ties, especially with Blago’s trial looming.
Ryan will find it very hard to get his message out. But, I fear the republican masses in the land of lincoln won’t be able to see past his name recognition, which he is banking on to see him through the primary.
I don’t know to what extent Brady or Dillard can hit Ryan and get enough media attention from it so that the republican masses who might be inclined to vote for Ryan based on name recognition wake up before Feb. 2.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 11:21 am:
==“No, no. The reason I haven’t done that is because, when I had that money, I didn’t know that he had a problem,” Jim Ryan said. “There was never, when I was associating with Stu and he was helping me (with) my campaigns, I mean, there was never a hint of any scandal or problems or impropriety.”==
Um, what? The money was tainted but because he didn’t KNOW it was at the time it’s ok to keep it? So if someone robbed a little old lady down the street, and gave that money to Mr. Ryan, he wouldn’t return it when he eventually found out how it got to him? This guy’s campaign is cooked before it even gets going.
- washmyhands - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 11:33 am:
Mr. Miller, I am relying on your genius for this answer. Why would Ryan run? He has a tepid (and I think I’m beng generous in that description) campaign style…Levine ties/Nicarico case as issues. Certainly a descent man with much tragedy in his life - but how do you make a campaign ad about that? Now there are three candidates from DuPage County - who I guess would be splitting the vote. Is Ryan’s bid a hopeless non-starter looking to undercut a more viable candidate? I am at a complete loss here.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 11:36 am:
I fear the republican masses in the land of lincoln won’t be able to see past…
Voters, regardless of political affiliations, are not stupid. If you are worried about the Republicans being fooled, take a good look at the last gubernatorial candidate twice endorsed by the other political party.
Voters have real reasons to vote the way they do. If you want to start questioning voting results, you need to recognize that you are also questioning the basic tenents of democracy itself. Don’t do that. It just is what it is, and for the past few centuries, it has done a pretty good job.
Blagojevich told voters that he won’t touch their little piece of a shrinking economic pie, and the plurality of voters gave him their votes. They didn’t think he could hold the wolves from their doors indefinately, but did vote for Blagojevich because they hoped for a couple more years of protection before their roofs fell in. That’s not stupid reasoning.
Ryan will appeal to those who pine for the pre-Blagojevich era. They want a do-over if 2002. That is perfectly reasonable. We’ve seen this kind of voter behavior repeatedly, and it isn’t anything new.
It isn’t a matter of being fooled - it is a matter of making a different decision than you, based on a different diverse set of priorities. That’s a good thing.
- shore - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 11:59 am:
The most important thing that happened yesterday was the republican surge in the wealthy social liberal fiscal conservative suburbs of NOVA and new jersey-places the gop has been killed in since 1996. This is the best news team america, louis astaves, baxters mom and other sane republicans have had in more than a decade because it means the gop is going to do well again in the wilmettes and winnetkas o the world again.
This has been a major rich miller talking point for years about the gop’s problems and I’d just like to be the first to say to the julie hamos’s, karen may’s, dan seals, susan garrett’s, schoenbergs, links and every other democrat on the north shore, get your resumes in line because this is the beginning of your end. And the candidates in new jersey and virginia didn’t have the benefit ofrunning against blago, stroger and were not as moderate as mark kirk.
I’m also hearing that blago babe beth coulson is going to be a target of hardline conservative groups waking up to her record (she makes the liberal woman they destroyed in upstate new york look moderate).
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:01 pm:
===This is the best news team america, louis astaves, baxters mom and other sane republicans have had in more than a decade because it means the gop is going to do well again in the wilmettes and winnetkas o the world again.===
Maybe, but NJ had a very unpopular Democratic governor. I wouldn’t say - as you do - that anything is automatic here yet. Plus, our own election is a year away.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:17 pm:
Shore,
If the same people you suspect will take out Beth Coulson line up to run against May, Link, Schoenberg etc., then your argument falls apart completely.
The only thing the right will accomplish if they defeat Coulson in the primary is to ensure a Democratic victory in the 10th. You can’t extrapolate what happened in NJ/VA to the North Shore.
The North Shore is not a bastion of conservatism. Never has been, never will be. Keep nominating conservatives and Democrats will keep winning elections.
- JonShibleyFan - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:24 pm:
Shore, to borrow from a joke favored by our ex-gov (no, not the mayor Daley joke): Keep digging, I’m sure there’s a pony in there somewhere.
You’re reading an awful lot into off-year elections in other states.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:26 pm:
Rich, how was corizine so unpopular when days going into the election he was tied with Christie and looking like a winner?
Was it that he was unpopular personally or that he was likely and rightly holding the bag for the state’s problems because he was governor?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:27 pm:
===Rich, how was corizine so unpopular when days going into the election he was tied with Christie and looking like a winner?===
Look at his fave/unfaves and his job approval. Not good.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:27 pm:
===he was tied with Christie and looking like a winner===
NJ is one of the weirdest states to poll in the country. I never believe polling there. The people are just somehow different.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:29 pm:
OK, enough with other states. This is Illinois, not NJ or VA or NY. Move along.
- Dnstateanon - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:31 pm:
So Ryan couldn’t tell there was ever a hint of any scandal or problems or impropriety when Levine was his closest friend and fundraiser. So now Ryan wants us to make him the corruption fighting governor so he can clean up Illinois? Well will Ryan be able to tell if there is any hint of scandal or problems or impropriety any better now then back then?
- The Doc - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:33 pm:
My goodness, Shore - consider slipping a xanax into your stein of jolt cola.
Your predictions are wildly premature. Tying the Virgina governor’s race to the IL-10 and other North Shore-area is highly suspect, at best.
Christie’s win in NJ is just as likely a referendum on Corzine and a bleak jobs outlook as it is a flock to the GOP in a decidedly blue state. The Garden State has suffered more than its fair share of recent high-profile corruption scandals as well.
As Rich pointed out, much can, and often does, change in the course of a year. And you need look no further than November 2008 for proof.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:40 pm:
Doc, I disagree with you slightly. Sure Christie’s win reflects voter dissatisfaction with the incumbent, but it also suggests that the electorate is less than impressed with Obama.
The state did go for Obama last year.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:48 pm:
sorry, I hot the submit button and didn’t finish my previous post.
for the people of New Jersey all that glitters (e.g.,Obama) clearly is not gold. We currently have a gubernatorial candidate in Illinois on the democratic side positioning himself as charismatic, fun and brimming with joie de vivre in comparison to what some call dry and boring.
The former is only doing so because he has nothing of substance to discuss at this juncture of his incumbency.
Obama was supposed to seal the deal for Corzine, but didn’t.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:53 pm:
=========
You can’t extrapolate what happened in NJ/VA to the North Shore.
=========
Good call, 47th. I think many are trying to apply this to instances where it won’t stick.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 12:55 pm:
Anon 11:21, can you get a new handle, please? Thanks.
- JonShibleyFan - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 2:31 pm:
“We currently have a gubernatorial candidate in Illinois on the democratic side positioning himself as charismatic, fun and brimming with joie de vivre”
You mean someone besides Quinn and Hynes is running?
“it also suggests that the electorate is less than impressed with Obama. ”
The exit polling, in fact, suggests precisely the opposite.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 3:27 pm:
jonShibleyFan,
Well eeeeexxccccccuuuuuuuuuuuuuussse me!
If the polling data do in fact suggest that, then I stand corrected.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 3:31 pm:
WCW, check the data first. It’s always a good rule of thumb.
- Will County Woman - Wednesday, Nov 4, 09 @ 4:33 pm:
will do, thanks.