Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2007

Thursday, Jul 12, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* A new press release from Gov. Blagojevich…

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced new rules his administration is filing to address urgent health insurance problems for the growing number of Illinois families without job-based health insurance. The rules will prohibit insurance companies from basing premium increases on health status for individual policies and will require them to disclose to state regulators detailed information on premiums and expenses.

Download the full thing here.

* Ha! Somebody played a funny today. Click the pic for a larger image…

If you don’t get the joke, go here and scroll down.

Maybe you can come up with your own special session proclamation ideas in comments.

* A few months ago, I had never heard of Gatehouse Media. Now, it’s an Illinois empire. Click the pic to check out the map…

* Former Ald. Troutman’s superseding indictment can be downloaded here.

* Rep. Harry Osterman’s floor speech yesterday…

[audio:OstermanSpeech.mp3]

* Rep. Osterman’s post-speech press conference…

[audio:OstermanAfter.mp3]

* OK, I’ve held my tongue, but no more. When is this guy ever gonna realize that his “sources” were dead wrong before and are probably at the very least not worth listening to now? I can just imagine what he’d write if Michael Sneed tried to publish a non-retraction retraction like that. Oh, wait.

And on another topic, using two tired gasbags like Geraldo Rivera and Mark Fuhrman to buttress an ongoing diatribe against Eric Zorn doesn’t exactly make the argument look stronger, however much I might agree with it. Eric can defend himself, of course, but that was a bit of a stretch, dude.

* Connecticut governor approves pension bond proposal

* And, finally…

US Senator Dick Durbin says he hopes Governor Rod Blagojevich and other Illinois officials exercise leadership to end a state budget impasse that could jeopardize federal transportation funds. […]

Durbin also says he won’t play any role in settling the state budget. He joked that he would rather mediate in Iraq than get in the middle of the Springfield disputes.

55 Comments

Question of the day

Thursday, Jul 12, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

Some legislators have asked that you help come up with a “theme song” for the overtime session.

Bonus: Propose theme songs for each chamber (or even each caucus) and the governor as well.

167 Comments

The AP interview

Thursday, Jul 12, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This may have been unintentionally ironic in the AP’s interview of the governor. First, the setup…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich insists he knows what he’s doing as the state budget deadlock drags on and on, even if others have their doubts.

In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, he dismissed griping from lawmakers that he is deepening the impasse by, for instance, dragging the contentious issue of gun control into the mix. Some say Blagojevich’s approach seems random.

“It’s not at all. It’s totally what I envisioned was going to happen in January, February and March,” Blagojevich said, adding that the confrontations could grow even more public.

* And, now, the payoff…

Blagojevich would not take a position on whether he would sign another [one-month budget] extension. “I haven’t thought that far ahead,” he said.

[Emphasis added.]

Actually, as I told subscribers this morning, many of his private predictions have, indeed, come true. But that was too funny to pass up.

* More from the Q&A. On why this is “the only chance we have” to pass a health care bill…

“You know better than I do that it becomes more difficult doing those things in an election year. … It only gets harder. It doesn’t get easier. I do believe this is the year of opportunity. I said it when I gave my speech on the seventh of March, that we must seize the moment now. My readings of history tell me that the great accomplishments and the things that really matter happen when people seize the moment.”

Q: Next year is an election year. And the year after that?

A: “The year after that the pension problem gets worse. We dig ourselves even more into a hole and it becomes a lot more difficult. And quite frankly as a Democrat, who knows what the next election is going to hold for Democrats. Why would we risk what we believe in and push it back and find ourselves with fewer of us and not have as many who are willing to be for these things as we have now?

* On his “confrontational approach”…

“Not talking to the press a lot over the last couple of months was an attempt to work quietly behind the scenes and … be more diplomatic and get things done. We thought that might be a good first effort to achieve something. Unfortunately, that didn’t work so now it’s a little more public, and it will be a lot more public as the days and weeks unfold.

Well, that’s something to look forward to.

* More overtime stuff, compiled by Paul…

* Budget fight signals deeper rift

* Schoenburg Column: ‘Lot of frustration’ behind rep’s ‘madman’ comment

26 Comments

A united House rebuffs the guv

Thursday, Jul 12, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Illinois House as united as it was yesterday…

The governor’s call to spend an entire special session on gun control (the eighth special session) backfired Wednesday. One sponsor of the gun control legislation, Chicago Democratic Rep. Harry Osterman, repeated what he’s been saying for the past few days: He will not call the legislation for a vote until it has enough votes for approval. That will take 71, to which Osterman said, “This bill will not get 71 votes … It would be irresponsible of me the sponsor of this legislation to call this bill for a vote, knowing that it’s going to fail.”

In fact, if the bill is amended to need only 60 votes, as Osterman intends to do, the effective date will be June of 2008. “June of 2008,” he repeated on the House floor. “So if passed with 60 votes, it won’t take effect until June. So there is no need to rush a vote today or tomorrow.”

Osterman will have to work to gain the votes on the controversial measure, but, he said, “Today is not that day. We need to be focused on the budget of our state. That is our collective priority.”

House members clapped as he closed his comments.

The governor responded with a letter to House Speaker Michael Madigan that said, “I urge you to convene a Committee of the Whole to limit access to deadly large capacity ammunition clips. Giving the full House an opportunity to hear from law enforcement officials, anti-gun violence advocates and victims’ families will help us move closer to consensus on this important issue.” He said he looked forward to working with the sponsor and the speaker’s office to get the bill approved.

I seriously doubt that Osterman will ask that a Committee of the Whole be convened. Such a move would be far too divisive, and almost the entire House seems focused on keeping the pressure on Gov. Blagojevich to cut a budget deal.

* Rep. Osterman also repeated something yesterday that he had told me earlier this week…

Osterman said he talked about the gun bill with Blagojevich advisers over the weekend, before the governor called the special session.

“I suggested that I didn’t think a special session on this or a Committee of the Whole at this point in time, given that we’re in a budget impasse, would be the most productive thing to get the bill passed,” Osterman said.

He also insisted that Madigan has in no way blocked approval of the measure, noting, “He’s been supportive all the way through.”

* More from the Tribune…

The governor has declared that lawmakers must remain in Springfield until they reach a budget deal, calling them each day into special sessions that have dealt with issues mostly linked to fiscal matters.

But his call for passage of the gun-magazine bill in the middle of the budget debate angered lawmakers on both sides of the gun-control debate. They said Blagojevich’s efforts were aimed at splitting House lawmakers over the budget. Democrats and Republicans have stood solidly against the governor’s plans for major increases in spending but are sharply divided over gun control.

14 Comments

GOP “straw poll” at the State Fair

Thursday, Jul 12, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The state GOP is aiming for some national relevance…

The Illinois Republican Party announced Wednesday it will host a straw poll on Aug. 16 at the State Fair in Springfield, an event that may challenge the influence of the Iowa GOP straw poll held five days earlier.

Illinois is one of the new “super Tuesday” Feb. 5 states — having moved the primary from March — and the state party wants to be a player, if for no other reason than to rally the grass roots in a Democratic state.

For presidential contenders, Illinois will also provide a more level playing field than the GOP straw poll in Iowa, the state with the leadoff presidential vote. The GOP presidential campaigns are just getting organized in Illinois, and there is no entrenched front-runner in Illinois.

State GOP party chairman Andy McKenna said with a boost from the straw poll on “Republican Day” at the fair, “Illinois will play a central role in choosing the Republican presidential nominee.”

* But there is some risk involved…

It’s unclear whether the campaign of Arizona Sen. John McCain, who also is skipping Iowa, will take part. “Straw polls are for those who can stuff the most people in a van or bus and get them there a certain time of the day. Not real scientific,” said Republican state Rep. Jim Durkin of Westchester, who is heading up McCain’s Illinois effort.

McKenna is guaranteed at least one campaign with an Illinois organization will be taking part: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is in. “It will allow the campaigns that are serious the ability to practice their organization,” said Republican state Sen. Dan Rutherford of downstate Chenoa, who is Romney’s Illinois chief.

If only one candidate competes, does it really mean anything? We’ll see how it progresses, but anything that could spark interest in the State Fair’s Republican Day, which has been almost dormant since George Ryan’s tenure (with the possible exception of last year), would probably be welcomed.

“The local leadership of the campaigns are excited about it,” McKenna said of the straw poll. “They have pretty good organizations in place. They indicate they’re going to work hard to be successful. We’re hoping that it gets competitive and entices one or more of the candidates to speak.

Thoughts?

19 Comments

Morning Shorts

Thursday, Jul 12, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson

* NEW Former Chicago alderman indicted on more charges

* CTA to tackle ’slow zones’ and rider complaints; more here

* Man arrested after threat on Sen. Bill Haine

* CTA warns over a thousand about job cuts; more here

* Romeoville mayor hit with DUI; more hereand here

* State moves into Top 10 in seatbelt usage

* Sun-Times Editorial: Cook Co. prosecutors deserve their raises now

* IIS: Guns, sex offenders, seatbelts

* Chicago Public Radio: Madigan goes after sex offenders again

* Global warming mandates still in the works

Members of a state task force on global warming are in the late stages of drafting a report to Gov. Rod Blagojevich but so far have avoided a final vote on especially controversial mandates on industry.

* Editorial: State should meddle with metal law

12 Comments

« NEWER POSTS