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Who is this guy?

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This quote in yesterday’s Daily Herald story regarding Barack Obama’s somewhat misleading claims about his health care accomplishments in Illinois jumped out at me…

Robert Rich, director of the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs, considered it a stretch and questioned Obama’s credentials as a health care reformer.

“He was not the prime mover and shaker for health care in Illinois,” Rich said.

If I was on Hillary Clinton’s campaign, I’d cherry pick that “He was not the prime mover and shaker for health care in Illinois” quote and put it on TV. Heck, I’d do it if I was on John Edwards’ campaign, or a Republican campaign.

But here’s the rub: Robert Rich is a virtual unkown at the Illinois Statehouse and appears not to have been involved in the push to expand health care.

I talked to Sen. Willie Delgado (D-Chicago) last night about Rich’s quote. Delgado worked on health care legislation with Obama and chaired the House Human Services Committee at the time.

“I’ve never heard of him,” Delgado said about Rich. In all his years traveling to health care conferences, sponsoring bills, chairing his committee, Delgado never once ran across the guy.

Jim Duffett of the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care is pretty much the health care guru for the Blagojevich administration. When asked today whether Professor Rich was involved with the health care legislation that Obama is taking credit for, Duffett said: “Not at all.”

Sen. Carol Ronen, who sponsored the governor’s massive health care expansion bill last year, said today that she has never heard of Rich either.

Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, a Republican who is also involved in health care legislation, has heard of Rich, she thinks, but doesn’t know what he has done to pass health care bills in the state other than perhaps testifying occasionally on legislation.

Rep. Mulligan agrees with Rich’s assertion, by the way, and I also think that’s still open to question.

But my problem with this whole thing is that Rich is presenting himself as some sort of insider expert when most actual honest to goodness insiders say they’ve never even heard of the guy or that he wasn’t involved in the process.

I’ve long had a problem with college professors who think they know what’s “really” going on in Springfield but who never show their faces at the capitol. Paul Green is an exception because when he was regularly pontificating on state issues he kept in regular contact with many of us, including myself.

I tried calling Professor Rich today, but he’s out of the office. I left a message and sent him an e-mail. I’ll post his reply if he ever responds.

In the meantime, here’s some unsolicited advice: If you’re clueless, don’t act like you’re an expert.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 12:37 pm

Comments

what about kent redfield, professor out at uis and former (madigan, i think) staffer? he seems like the go-to-guy for quotes on IL politics not only for ch. 20 but also the new york times.

Comment by marginal Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 12:50 pm
Whew!…the messianic image hasn’t been tarnished…I can sleep well tonight…

Comment by Anonymous45 Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 12:54 pm
lol

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 12:55 pm
“If you’re clueless, don’t act like you’re an expert.”

Boy, that advice might really cut the comments section

Comment by Jon Shibley Fan Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 12:57 pm
Hey, Rich, can you pass along the same advice for WMAY. Like, don’t bother calling unless you know what you’re talking about.

Comment by Huckleberry Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:00 pm
Perhaps I should have said, “When reporters call you to ask your opinion for a story and you’re clueless…”

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:01 pm
You’re dead on about the whole professor angle, but with respect to his statement, he’s right. sort of. While involved in the issue, Obama was not THE prime mover and shaker on the issue. Semantic issue but true

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:13 pm
If you go to Rich’s profile at U of I

http://www.law.uiuc.edu/faculty/directoryresult.asp?name=Rich,+Robert

there’s a gap from 1997-2005. It would be nice to know what he was doing in 2003 when the action on the Health Care Justice Act and the CHIP expansion took place.

I knew Rich in the 90s and he was a credible and knowledgeable guy, at least around Chicagoland, but he was certainly out of the loop in Springfield in the time frame upon which he’s now commenting.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:16 pm
Robert Rich is the Director of the U of I Institute of Government and Public Affairs and has organized various health care seminars that I have attended. Although he may not have been directly involved in the legislative process related to universal health care, he has been closely monitoring the issue. He is NOT clueless. Yours was an unfair characterization.

Comment by HANAL Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:23 pm
This is an odd one. What, now college professors can’t theorize or form opinions about IL politics?

Kinda like how Roger Ebert shouldn’t critique movies since he’s not out west *making* them?

Sorry, Rich — but this is absurd. A college prof has a right to say what he thinks about healthcare. I do — and I certainly wasn’t involved in writing legislation.

Wow. Weird one. Give the guy a break. And an apology.

Comment by Macbeth Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:27 pm
I bet he’s also a good hookup for Rose Bowl tickets.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:29 pm
Macbeth, opining about a health care bill is one thing. This was something else entirely. No apology will be forthcoming. Ever.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:30 pm
I read the article, and the quote posted was the only one attributed to Rich in it. He doesn’t directly claim or imply to have been part of the process of passing that legislation.

My question is this: Is his statement true? If it is not, then he should be called on it. If it is true, that Obama was not the “prime mover and shaker” on the health care issue, then what is the beef?

Comment by Fan of the Game Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:31 pm
Miller–you’re wrong and you sound like a staffer–if they don’t know you don’t exist… I was in state govt for years and there are many many people advancing issues using govt/politcal front men/women..some of whom end up believing they “invented” it. Where have you been? 99% of the white papers and concepts floating around in SPI were anonomusly conceived and adopted.

Comment by anonno Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:35 pm
So let me get this straight: a lowly college prof “questions” Obama’s claims — and a line in the sand is drawn and the dude is villified?

Shades of Ann Coulter, no?

Comment by Macbeth Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:37 pm
anonno, it’s not just me who doesn’t know him. It’s pretty much everyone who has anything to do with health care in the GA.

And Macbeth, he isn’t a “lowly professor.” Not by any means. He runs the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:39 pm
Ever since Rich won that best statehouse reporter in Illinois, it’s gone to his head.

Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:41 pm
Sounds like he’s taking a page out of the govs book. Feigning knowlegde where none exists.

Comment by Hmmmmm? Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:43 pm
Odd. I know him and have a lot to do with health care in the GA.

Comment by HANAL Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:47 pm
House and senate staffers are notorious for “rebranding” — it’s the law of the jungle down there where every body has to be smart, hip and in the know to get ahead. Lots of those staffers end-up trying to manage large agencies in later years using the same model. If they don’t know him in SPI means that he probably wanted to stay outside of the political circle at the time–a common strategy for career types.

Any way, the worst thing ever invented was the word processor– copy/paste/copy/paste ad infinitum. The best thing ever invented was the word processor’s internal Date Stamp which knows the truth–but it ain’ talkin.

Comment by anonno Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:48 pm
LOL. I think I got two votes in that “election.” That’s why it was buried in Morning Shorts. Silliness.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 1:53 pm
i first met obama when he was a state senator—he was at a neeting on healthcare hosted by quentin young and his band of universal healthcare advocates—obama was informed, thoughtful about the issue and dedicated—the question is about obama’s involvement–and the answer seems to be he was involved whether the professor was or not

Comment by publius Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:01 pm
…it’s not just me who doesn’t know him. It’s pretty much everyone who has anything to do with health care in the GA.

That may say more about the GA than anything else.

If you’re not a contributer, I’m not sure they pay much attention to you or your credentials.

He [Rich] is the founder and former director of the Office of Public Leadership at IGPA, which offers educational programs to elected and non-elected local government officials. In addition, he serves as the coordinator for the local and state government strategic initiative of the Partnership Illinois Program.

Professor Rich has recently received several honors. He has been named a “Faculty Fellow” in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement and Institutional Relations for the 2003-04, 04-05, and 05-06 academic years. The Office of Public Engagement and Institutional Relations’ faculty, staff, and students collaborate with communities, agencies, organizations, business and government to address critical societal issues and to share the University’s intellectual and cultural assets.

If you don’t kick in, I think you can keep your intellectual assets to yourself in Illinois.

Comment by Bill Baar Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:06 pm
I think Miller has an Obama sensitivity…scratch test anyone?

Comment by anonno Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:12 pm
LOL. No, but I do have a real sensitivity about state government professors.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:22 pm
Know what you mean.. they’re all tweed jackets and leather arm patches…some of ‘em even smoke pipes! Pipes!

Comment by anonno Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:25 pm
And, to be more specific, it’s not really even the professors so much. It’s the reporters who overly rely on them to fill a blank space in their stories.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:31 pm
Was Prof. Rich lying when said that B.O. was not “the prime mover and shaker on health care in Illinois”? Apparently not. Has the reporter, Nick Shields, been called to task for soliciting a comment from Prof. Rich, or how the professor was chosen fro comment? Maybe Mr. Shields reads this blog and can answer that question. Still, why pick on the messenger, if the message he delivered is essentially correct?

Comment by anon Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:35 pm
There’s an totally unreliable newspaper reporter source if I ever heard of one. A professor with credentials.

Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:36 pm
If Mr. Obama wishes to paint himself as some kind of health care guru, then he will have to endure the comments of those who question him on it.

Its called running for president.

If it is too much for him, let him cool his heels and learn the job he was elected to in 2004 before running for a bigger job next time.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:37 pm
Miller starrrted iiiit!

Comment by anonno Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:43 pm
Notwithstanding all that has been said about sources, Obama’s OWN claim of helping provide healthcare in Illinois is so very weak in its reality that using it as a barometer of his other “accomplishments” is very damning indeed! I expect more and better from him. Very disappointing - and such a minor comment that yet reveals so much.

Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:48 pm
Clinton could use the quote if she wanted to, but I’d advise against it.

According to the Sangamon County Clerk’s records, Professor Rich is a Republican, and not even a very good one.

He skipped the 2002 and 2004 primaries, but voted Republican in 2006.

Not a very reliable source on health care reform in the Democratic primary.

BTW, while even Mitt Romney is praising Obama, leave it to Rod Blagojevich to make Obama’s pending victory all about THE HAIR. From the same story:

“We’re glad Senator Obama shares Governor Blagojevich’s vision of making sure every person has access to affordable health care, and are encouraged by his determination to advance the cause at the national level,” said spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff. “The governor has been pushing over the last year to give everyone in Illinois access to health care … but the legislature hasn’t acted. … Every bit of pressure for action helps.”

I love and admire Abby Ottenhoff, and hate to be the one to point out that Gov. Blagojevich’s health care plan is more like Hillary Clinton’s, with bigger mandates and less choice for patients and employers.

I find it hilarious that while every political pundit in the country has finally realized that what America wants this year is candidates who make the election about “we” not “me” and unite us for a higher purpose, Blagojevich remains hunkered down in his self-serving, self-centered bunker.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 2:59 pm
Who is this guy, speaking without the authority of being an insider in the insider game? Sad comment there Rich. It unmasks you and alienates your readers.

Comment by Vole Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:00 pm
Vole, most of my paying readers are insiders. Or close to it. lol

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:02 pm
A Citizen -

Maybe you think Obama should be more like Hillary and run on his spouse’s record of accomplishments, instead of his own?

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:03 pm
Broken Heart, The problem isn’t so much that professors are or are not credentialed, knowledgeable, etc.

The problem is that many of them come with checkered backgrounds in terms of bias. Just look at how many professors, experts and guest advisors get quoted from “conservative” or “libertarian” or “free-market” or “progressive” sorts of academies, think tanks and institutes. It’s how Victor David Hanson got his Stanford position, for one.

Heck, maybe Prof. Rich himself is trying out for a chair at the U of I’s new Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government, funded by conservative alumni.

Comment by Rob_N Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:03 pm
Where does he say he was a “pusher” for healthcare? I dont think the guy had anything to do w/ it…so we shouldnt even bother discussing it.

Comment by scoot Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:07 pm
marginal, Professor Redfield does a lot of good work on many important issues. He’s also a good guy. But I’ve questioned some of his stuff, too.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:07 pm
I’m not a fan of the “college professor as expert” concept either. Possibly, someone gave the good professor this information since he wasn’t around in person. That’s fine, but he should mention that it was lawmakers or sources or whatever. Reporters just let these guys say whatever and take it as gospel.

Comment by higher ed Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:08 pm
If party registration disqualified professors from speaking about another party’s public policy, then it would be pretty tough to find anyone to comment on gop primaries. I can’t argue as to the insider issue, but I think public policy analysts can be credible and still vote.

Comment by Greg Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:08 pm
Greg makes a very good point. I’m not sure his alleged GOP party affiliation means anything, YDD.

The problem is he wasn’t here yet claims to know what happened.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:10 pm
Scratch that - according to my research, 2.5 million Americans LOST their health care coverage during the Clinton years.

A Doer not a Talker? Hardly.

Source: Professor Paul Frostin, U.S. Census Bureau

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:10 pm
- Yellow Dog Democrat -
“…record of accomplishments…” I know of no such record. He wrote a couple of books. Served uneventfully in Illinois and D.C. Accomplishments? Well he is a good motivational speaker. That’s good, but not enough for POTUS!

Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:18 pm
I don’t think it disqualifies Prof. Rich from offering an opinion about Obama or his policies, I just don’t think I’d quote him in an ad if I was doing Clinton’s p.r. Or a news release.

Note that Jim Duffett seems to be supporting Obama for his work in the same article.

Attack Obama in an ad like that, and you’re going to have a press conference led by Dr. Quentin Young and featuring a bunch of families who got health care coverage “Thanks to Barack Obama” on your hands.

More importantly, just like 1992, this election is not going to be about resumes or platforms. Ads attacking Obama’s resume are a waste of money.

If Clinton has a hope of winning, its building herself up, not tearing Obama down. That approach is what got her third place in Iowa. Obama is rubber, she is glue.

Unfortunately for her, the one word that sums up Clinton’s campaign message isn’t “Experience”, it’s “Me”. That seems to be what she thinks the campaign is all about, Her, and she relishes being in the center of a fight and the center of attention.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:25 pm
“Vole, most of my paying readers are insiders. Or close to it. lol”

No wonder the peoples’ business isn’t getting done.
They’re screwing around here, inside the boxing way, all day.

Comment by Vole Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:29 pm
Vole,

Capitol Fax Blog is where the people’s business is done, by insiders passing cryptic messages. Oops, maybe I’ve said too much.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:43 pm
I have obviously ventured blindly into a domain of insider elites. So excuuuuuuzzze me! Do you insider dudes really pay to play here?

Comment by Vole Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:52 pm
Only when Rich remembers to bill us…

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:57 pm
:)

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 3:58 pm
A lot of staffers appear to do their research on google. I’d take a bill from Prof. Rich any day and Sunday, no matter how out of the “loop” he is.

His comment about Obama and healthcare, however, is out of line if he doesn’t have any personal knowledge on the subject.

Comment by Morning's Minion Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 4:07 pm
I really can’t believe this conversation has gone on so long. Obama sponsored and negotiated, renegotiated and renegotiated and then got passed the Health Care Justice Act. To suggest he wasn’t in the thick of it is just foolish. He was absolutely central. Anybody who says otherwise, wasn’t there. He was.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 5:40 pm
The scrutiny (screw-tiny?) that the professor’s comment is getting should be given to every quote in a news article. Obama’s assertion in his quote was apparently inaccurate, or disingenuous, and has been questioned. Every commenter on that assertion, hen also needs to be questioned as not only to their knowledge of the subject on which theu are commenting but their motives for the comment they make. If this kind of scrutinty had been given to the Governor’s assertions from the moment his candidacy began and teh people who commenting on those assertions, he might be an also-ran. But this is not the press’s strong point and never has been. This blog and others can serve as journalism reviews, but are not mass media influence-peddlers (yet).

Comment by anon Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 5:43 pm
And how many people have health care as a result of the Health Care Justice Act?
I’m pretty sure the answer is zero.

Comment by Frank Booth Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 5:43 pm
“Paul Green is an exception because when he was regularly pontificating on state issues he kept in regular contact with many of us, including myself.”

after all, how often you talk to Rich Miller is the number one criteria of competence to speak on Illinois issues

Comment by Hugh Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:15 pm
“Robert Rich … appears not to have been involved in the push to expand health care.”

did he claim he was?

Comment by Hugh Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:16 pm
Rich is an Illinoisan. He’s qualified to comment. God help you if you try to take the professor or director title to mean anything.

Comment by Hugh Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:18 pm
“In the meantime, here’s some unsolicited advice: If you’re clueless, don’t act like you’re an expert.”

oh, so now you’re some kind of expert on cluelessness?

Comment by Hugh Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:19 pm
“Rich is an Illinoisan. He’s qualified to comment.”

Not as an expert.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:20 pm
===oh, so now you’re some kind of expert on cluelessness?===

I ccover the GA. lol. Also, I’ve been reading your comments. That alone… oh, nevermind.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:21 pm
rich has a crush

rich has a crush

Comment by Hugh Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:48 pm
Hugh, you’re cracking me up.

Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 6:52 pm
I took Professor Rich’s Health Care Law class at U of I last fall. He is an expert - more on the federal level than the state level, but an expert nonetheless.

Comment by Rayne of Terror Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 9:13 pm
Health care theory is one thing. Knowing facts on the ground is quite another.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 8, 08 @ 10:20 pm
Certainly having been first hand witness to anything, including the activities surrounding Obama’s claims related to health care legislation while he served time in the GA, is an excellent means by which one can recite what happened. However, how many scholars are there in the world that can accurately describe events that took place outside of their presence, even outside their time line? Knowing facts on the ground, presumably by having been there, is certainly important. But if the only people that are qualified to speak to an event are those that were actually in attendance, then that means many people (likely including most posters on this blog as well as most members of the media) aren’t so qualified. This may not mean that, in this case, Prof. Rich knows of what he speaks. But many in this posting seem to agree with him, if not directly disagree.

Comment by AnotherAnon Wednesday, Jan 9, 08 @ 12:20 am
Shelby Foote, who is this guy? He DIDN’T EVEN SERVE in the Civil War! What does he know?

Comment by Hugh Wednesday, Jan 9, 08 @ 12:23 am
Isn’t IGPA where a former governor works? Given his role in elections since leaving Springfield, wouldn’t there still be some inside connections in IGPA? Was that former governor personally aware of Obama’s past voting record?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 9, 08 @ 12:31 am
Obama chaired the Health & Human Services Committee. All the bills went thru him. I can’t see how anyone can possibly make a statement like the professor’s and remain credible. That was his thing.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jan 9, 08 @ 7:20 am

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