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* Democratic US Senate candidate David Hoffman has a new video blasting away at Alexi Giannoulias’ resumé. From a press release…
The video cites numerous public reports about Giannoulias, including his irresponsible loans to convicted felons as Vice President and Chief Loan Officer at Broadway Bank; his role in putting Broadway Bank on its current path to failure; his stewardship over the $85 million dollar losses suffered by investors in Bright Start; his purchase of an SUV for his use with Bright Start funds, and skirting his own ethics policy to not take contributions from banks while treasurer by taking more than $90,000 in campaign contributions from bankers and bank PAC’s.
* Republican 10th Congressional District hopeful Robert Dold is running his first TV ad. From a press release…
The campaign of Republican Robert Dold, Congressional candidate for Illinois’ 10th District, launched their first television ad Thursday. The 30-second spot, called “Economy,” makes the case for why Dold is the clear choice to represent the 10th District of Illinois in Congress. The television ad will air during primetime on the top-rated cable stations.
From The Hill…
Look for these themes to continue to play out in more ads: small businessman, no bailouts, cut taxes, Pelosi bad, Reid bad. Dold hits all these points in an ad that has the feel of a newscast.
By the way, fellow 10th CD GOP candidate Bill Cadigan has dropped out of the race, citing his inability to raise money…
“Political support gets you part of the way but money is required to do the rest,” he said. “We had financial goals and weren’t meeting them, and didn’t see how we would between now and the end of the campaign.”
Cadigan was endorsed by Patrick Collins.
* The Tribune editorial board has posted its video of the Cook County Board presidential candidate debate…
* WTTW’s Elizabeth Brackett interviewed Comptroller Dan Hynes yesterday. Unfortunately, some of the interview is based on old info about the governor’s secret early release program that we’ve since discovered is incorrect. Have a look…
* Thom Serafin handicaps the governor’s race on Fox Chicago…
* Congressman Don Manzullo was all over cable TV yesterday talking about the proposed move of Gitmo prisoners to Thomson. He’s posted several interviews on his YouTube site. Here’s the CNN interview…
* Related…
* Governor candidates all over map on how to fix Illinois’ economy
* WSIU to host, air gubernatorial primary debates
* SIU gets additional $16 million to cover payroll; $900,000 for additional bills: The university received $17.1 million from Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes’ office Wednesday, $16.2 million of which will go to help SIU meet its Jan. 1 payroll, including the more than 7,000 people who work on the Carbondale campus. The remaining $900,000 will be used to pay various vendor bills, SIU spokesman David Gross said. Combined with the $15.5 million received in November, SIU has received about $32.6 million from state appropriations for the 2010 fiscal year that started in July. The state, however, still owes the university more than $100 million.
* GOP leader: Sell prison for $250 million: Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said that amount could cover the costs of construction and the mortgage payments that have been made since the prison was completed in 2001, as well as account for increases in labor and materials. “I believe we ought to get a premium,” the Lemont Republican said.
* Gitmo and Thomson prison become issue for Quinn and Illinois governor race
* Quinn’s right to sell prison questioned
* State GOP leader: Thomson prison worth a lot more than gov’s price tag
* Quinn: Illinois Not Scared Of Guantanamo Prisoners
* Illinois Republican Says Thomson is at Risk
* Sen. Dick Durbin once voted against moving detainees
* Terrorists in the heartland? Chill
* High noon in Illinois, and GOP wants to run
* Thomson plan worthy of support, not risky for area
* Pros and cons of having Gitmo prisoners in Thomson
* The right thing for Thomson
* Gitmo in Illinois The Quinn bin . . . If Sneed were a betting person, she’d lay down odds President Obama forced the Thomson terrorist prison deal down Gov. Quinn’s throat.
* White House background briefing on buying Illinois prison for Guantanamo detainees. Transcript
* Democratic treasurer race: Robin Kelly vs. Justin Oberman
* Schoenburg: Schock’s views on torture draw fire
* Ariz. candidate’s spot similar to Bean’s ‘06 ad
* Hoffman emphasizes ‘trust’ in Senate campaign
* Hoffman rips rival Giannoulias on bank ties
* Giannoulias and Hoffman trade accusations in debate for Democratic Senate primary
* Giannoulias and Hoffman argue over bank issues
* Dem U.S. Senate candidates debate in Chicago
* Sexual Orientation Enters Senate Candidate Debate
* Three reasons to run for Senate
* A Test for LGBT Equality: Why I Support Dan Hynes for Illinois Governor
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:53 pm
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David Hoffman says he’s going to be a fighter in Washington.
He continues to be vague on what he’s going to fight for.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:00 pm
oh geez - why do R’s go on Chris Matthews - that guy is certifiable.
Comment by anon Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:06 pm
Carl,
I think Hoffman’s been very clear what he’s fighting for and what he’s fighting against. If you see him at an event or listen to one of these debates, he’s very deep in his policy positions. Take a look at his Trib questionnaire. It looks like a Master’s Thesis while his opponents’ look like they filed eighth grade term papers.
Take a look for yourself. Don’t just judge what he advocates based on his one 30 second ad.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:24 pm
Hoffman has the right idea here, but it would be a lot more effective if it weren’t so amateurish.
The negative stuff at the top is very strong. A tying it all up and moving it along would have helped (”Given his record, it’s understandable why he doesn’t want to talk about his resume.”)
Maybe it’s just me, but the guitar riff is annoying and distracting.
Plus, why did he use footage of himself from the debate? It’s too ponderous, formal and not really on message. He could have come back with a scripted turn into the camera like “I’m David Hoffman and resumes do matter. I didn’t give loans to mobsters, I helped put them in prison…..”
If he wants to turn this pretty good idea into a spot for network or cable, he needs to really tighten it up. Doesn’t he have the old Axelrod crew running his show? You wouldn’t know it from the production values to date. Wayne and Garth put out more polished work.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:34 pm
The old Axelrod crew aren’t that good anyway, though in their defense, I don’t think they had anything to do with this video. WS, your points are all very well taken.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:36 pm
No one has commented yet, but I really thing the Dold commercial was excellent.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:47 pm
Hoffman’s video has a good idea but it is lost in very amateur production values.
Seeing Alexi and Hoffman just makes me think I’m watching the debate for student-body president. It’s the kind of phony earnestness you see in guys on the college debate team.
The Dold ad looks pretty good. Kind of general in themes but well made and presents an attractive candidate in general.
Comment by Abe Froman Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:49 pm
Setting aside the production-parsing that seems to be so popular here, the content of the David Hoffman video is devastating to Alexi.
David Hoffman is a strong Democratic candidate with no baggage and a clearly articulated positions that appeal to progressives.
Progressives need to get out of their zombie support of Alexi just because he got in front of this race early.
Comment by Devastating Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:49 pm
–David Hoffman is a strong Democratic candidate with no baggage and a clearly articulated positions that appeal to progressives.–
You gotta sell it, brother.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:51 pm
LOL @ WS
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:55 pm
the hoffman thing is bad. Putting white writing on a background is hard to see. The video is also unclear. He needs to hire quinns people.
the only republicans elected to congress for the first time in the last 10 years in the suburbs were kirk and roskam who were both lawyers. I am not sure that message works and dold ran a failed startup and inherited a company so I don’t know what credibility he has.
Comment by shore Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:57 pm
“Devastating” captures the fundamental problem with Hoffman and his camapaign. It’s not about who the smartest or cleanest kid in the class is. It’s about the best political campaign. Production values in commercials and campaign materials matter.
Voters want to know what time it is, not how to make a watch. Hoffman has taken off the gloves and is going negative, but he still doesn’t seem to know how to behave in a street fight.
They are both rich kids, but Alexi has much more of a blue collar edge to him which gives him the upper hand in this battle.
Comment by Abe Froman Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:01 pm
What do you think Rich?
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:03 pm
I read Hoffman’s answer on the banking industry questions posed by the Chicago Tribune editorial board.
It’s a long answer that has one specific in it.
“I would also reject the massive loophole to the CFPA that the banking industry has successfully lobbied for in the House of Representatives, which would exempt the vast majority of banks (98%) from oversight and transparency mandates by the CFPA. Any bank — regardless of size — that lends money to people should be subject to consumer-based regulation and public disclosure obligations. The threshold needs to be lowered and the reach of federal protection for ordinary citizens and consumer borrowers must be broad.”
Other than this point it’s all vague.
He talks about institutions that are “too big to fail” as needing more regulation. He’s vague on what specific regulations he favors.
I’m in the Bernie Sanders camp. If an institution is too big to fail, it’s too big to exist. Hoffman clearly isn’t talking about breaking up financial institutions. And since Hoffman avoids advocating any specific regulations, I suspect that he’s going to advocate weak regulations.
And his whole “trust me” shtick is annoying. I don’t want a Senator I can trust; I want someone who gets stuff done. And even if I wanted a Senator I trusted, I wouldn’t trust the guy who spends all his time saying I should trust him.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:09 pm
Dold had a good ad, kinda energy like he is actually going to get some stuff done—not that I hope he gets anything done, but the ad is pretty good.
Comment by paul the blue lib Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:09 pm
This spot is right on. Alexi was sneering at Hoffman for touting his “resume.” He must think we’re stupid. Sorry, Alexi, we *are* gonna hire the guy with the best resume! Sheesh . . . .
Comment by Veritas Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:10 pm
Giannoulias takes some pretty hard hits in that video - it was amateurish for sure, but after watching it all anybody can mention is production value?
Comment by process Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:11 pm
The message is there, but it’s diluted because it’s packaged so terribly.
The guy’s running for U.S. Senate. The TV spot is a crucially important means of communication. There’s no honor or nobility in putting out junk. If you’re a smart and serious candidate, show it by bringing your A-Game to the medium. Why in the world wouldn’t you?
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:16 pm
The Hoffman ad is sloppy and steps all over it’s message with it’s poor production.
The Dold ad is slick and attractive, but he is banking too much to the right wing. He should have stuck with “common sense”, and not have added “conservative” to that sentence. It was also pretty predictable stuff. Dold also needed to have been doing something besides looking like someone removed his tie and told him to speak to the camera.
And regarding Thomson, I will echo what wordslinger mentioned regarding Hoffman - with poll numbers showing that the vast majority of voters do not want terrorists in Illinois:
“You gotta sell it, brother!”
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:22 pm
Point taken - agreed
Comment by process Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:28 pm
Dold ad was good and brought all the points home. Dold has an advantage in that he is a good and natural sounding public speaker. The Hoffman video first half was good, then kind of became all jumbled up during the second half. If the first half is the 30 second spot used for TV, it will work fairly well.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:32 pm
I know I’m nitpicking but did anyone else see the irony in Dold’s ad when he said “getting out of the way” while the words “Lets get back to work” popped up on the screen?
Comment by SweetLou Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:38 pm
Hoffman can’t say three words without saying he is an independent or how independent he is.
When I go to the poll in the Democratic primary I want to elect a Democrat who stands up for Democratic beliefs and values, not an independent.
I want a Senator who I know will support our President.
Democrats don’t need another independent in the Senate like Joe Lieberman.
Comment by (618) Democrat Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:57 pm
618, he’s saying he’s independent of the Illinois power brokers, not independent like Joe Lieberman (who is only independent of Democrats, not of his insurance company masters). I mean Hoffman was head of the law school Democrats and has been a lifelong Democrat.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:14 pm
Dold ad slightly less impressive than the Greene add.
Comment by 10th_District Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:14 pm
Christine Radogno has it right. If I remember correctly, Thomson has capacity in the 1,600 cell range, so the $250 mil price tag would work out to be around $156,250 per cell. For a fully 100% ready-to-go maximum security facility, that’s probably in the price range.
Background on Thomson: http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/facilities/information.asp?instchoice=tom
Originally, the facility was tagged at $145 mil, but there’s quite a bit of added costs, including financing. Plus, honestly, there’s a ready premium here because the State does have to sell, but the fed’s are under real pressure to buy. It’s not an even deal, and shouldn’t be.
Looking forward to seeing how this deal gets cut. I’ll be extremely interested in the comps (especially any “comparable sales” for maximum security facilities) they use in trying to get a handle on the value.
Comment by Judgment Day Is On The Way Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:45 pm
Correction:
“the State does have to sell” should read as “the State does not have to sell”
Comment by Judgment Day Is On The Way Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:47 pm
CC, I am a life long Illinois Democrat.
I have been involved in Illinois Democrat politics for thirty years plus. I had never heard of Mr. Hoffman until he declared himself as a candidate.
I know the difference between a Democrat and an Independent.
Mr. Hoffman is an independent as far as I am concerned. He will not get my vote in the Democratic primary.
One more thing. Does Mr. Hoffman know there is more to our great state than Cook county? I have never seen him in southern Illinois.
Comment by (618) Democrat Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:51 pm
618,
His wife is from Alton and he’s spent a fair bit of time in southern IL. He wasn’t allowed to be active in democratic party politics in the 9 years when he headed up the gang crimes division of the U.S. Attorney’s office or the four when he was City of Chicago IG. Not sure why that should disqualify him from consideration.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 5:00 pm
Giannoulias carries really toxic baggage and is very vulnerable. He will be shreaded by Kirk, and there goes that senate seat. Hoffman has a clean background and has a real advantage with his excellent track record as a prosecutor to win that senate seat.
When he says he is independent, I interpret that to mean no ties to PAC and corporate money. I trust his credentials as a Democrat as well as his intelligence to get the right things in the Senate.
Comment by georger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 5:37 pm
This just in……..
An opinion drafted specifically to meet the desired conclusion:
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/2009/09-003.pdf
Seems like the same scientific approach that went into the global warming research
Comment by Quinn T. Sential Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 6:11 pm
Quinn,
So it’s a well-reasoned, thoroughly researched effort backed up by thousands of scientists all over the world? Oh, I’m guessing that’s not what you meant.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 6:29 pm
The AG’s office has been saying for weeks that this was legal. If you think it isn’t legal, I’d like to see your citations, rather than bloviations.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 6:38 pm
Dear Hoffman campaign:
The problem with your message, which I think a few other people alluded to, is that it does not seem to match with someone who is running for FEDERAL office. Hoffman says he will be independent. Okay, if he is running for Alderman that means independent of Daley, if he is runing for state legislator it means independent of Madigan. But since he is running for U.S. Senate does it mean independent of Nancy Pelosi? Of Dick Durbin? What does your claim of independence have to with with your future job in the FEDERAL government?
Similarily when you talk about fighting corruption you reference Blago and the City of Chicago — how does that translate to your potential job in the FEDERAL government? Will you be fighting against corrupt fellow congresspeople? Against corruption in the White House? Against corruption in contracting? Corrupt influencse by big corporations? What?
Honestly it is the most bizarre campaign message I have ever heard. It’s like if I wanted to run for dog catcher and all I did was talk about my record on farm subsidies.
Comment by Lakefront Liberal Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 7:09 pm
Serafin couldn’t handicap a horse race with one mare racing.
Comment by Please Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 8:15 pm
Serafin’s analysis is a bit strange. His take is a bit off kilter. His so called “insight” is anything but acurate.
Comment by a downstater Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 8:35 pm
Lakefront Liberal,
That is really good advice. Well said.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 9:26 pm
Rich, they have been saying for weeks that this was legal I suspect because they were advising the Governor’s office on how to do this procedurally in order to make it so.
The conditions at Thomson have not changed since it was built. Do you think it is a coincidence however that now it will show up as surplus property by IDOC in its annual report all of a sudden this year? Quinn kept this quiet for as long as he could; but not from the AG’s office.
If this opinion were an academic thesis however it would get returned stamped as INCOMPLETE, as the AG’s only answered two of the three questions posed. The rationale they gave for not answering the third however was that the Governor’s office has not provided them with sufficient information to do so.
That’s hwere I have to call BS!. If the AG wants the information there are other resources that could provide it beyond the Govenror’s office, or they could press the Gov.’s office for it indicating the need for it in order to issue a complete opinion.
Let me ask you a question; if you were a bondholder and the asset owned by the State of Illinois that was in effect collateralizing your bond was about to be sold; which would you rather have; full repayment, or an IOU backed by the “full faith and credit” of the State of Illinois?
Now; let’s assume for the moment that the Gov. gets a check for $160 million from the fed’s tomorrow for Thomson. Do you think for a second that this cash strapped state intends to pay off the bonds with those proceeds, or does the Gov. have some other sweetheart arrangement as to how to distribute that money?
The money frpm this sale has already been spent, and the money will be disbursed before the bondholders are even aware of this, and the AG’s office may not want to render an opinion about whether that is permissable or not until the money is out the door.
Comment by Quinn T. Sential Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 10:17 pm
Again, you didn’t say what state law required GA approval of the sale. Your imagination isn’t a reason.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 18, 09 @ 7:36 am