Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2007

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 1:15 pm - Um… Not exactly anything to report from GOP Day. Everyone got along and the crowd wasn’t bad considering the weather. I may have straw poll details later.

* 4:30 pm - Romney, who bused a ton of people in, won the IL GOP straw poll with Fred Thompson, who had nobody here, in second. Ron Paul, who had a bunch of young supporter here, placed third. Giuliani was 4th, and McCain was 5th
.
Percents…

Romney 40
Thompson 20
Paul 19
Rudy 11
McCain 4
Huckabee 3

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This just in… GOP Day will continue as planned

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 11:20 am - Just talked to Mike Z with the IL Republican Party. Mike’s at the fairgrounds for GOP Day.

It’s starting to rain there and people are being advised to seek shelter. I’ve been hearing thunder at my house. Here’s the radar image from a minute ago. You can click on the pic for the updated radar…

Right now, we’ll have to wait and see if there will be a delay in the program. But if you were planning to leave soon, you might want to wait and check the blog. Mike said he’d call as soon as he knows whether anything will be delayed.

* 11:29 am - The Republicans do have a great big tent near the stage, so a bit of rain will not cancel the event. Right now, they’re waiting for everything to blow over. People have already started voting in the straw poll, and that voting location is under the tent.

My plan is to wait in my office to hear from Mike before I head over there. Y’all can do what you want.

* 11:36 am - State Fair officials have told the party that the storm has passed them to the south, so they’re getting ready to restart the program as I write this. Head on over there.

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Question of the day

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

In honor of yesterday’s race, the question today is: What do you think is the future of horse racing in Illinois? It always seems to be in trouble. Can it survive? How? Should it survive? Explain fully.

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State Fair notebook - Plus, race pics

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* As usual, hypocrisy reins supreme…

Earlier this year, Blagojevich said high-priced lobbyists in “Gucci loafers” were working to defeat his health care ideas.

Just happened to notice that Blagojevich wore Lucky Brand Jeans to open the Illinois State Fair. Those jeans start at about $100.

* And while the State Democratic Party formally endorsed Barack Obama’s presidential bid, there were some objections…

Shirley McCombs of Petersburg, secretary of the state party, voted against the resolution because she supports U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for the presidency.

“In my lifetime, I want to see a woman get elected,” McCombs said after the meeting. “Women have been in the shotgun seat so long, and it’s time for the move to the driver’s seat, and the person to do that is Hillary Clinton.” […]

Also voting against the endorsement was Julie Kennedy Beckman of Darien, who helps represent the 13th Congressional District on the central committee. Beckman said after the meeting that she backs Obama for president, but knows that many in the party support Clinton. […]

Neil Hartigan, a former state attorney general and appellate court judge, spoke on Clinton’s behalf earlier Wednesday at a Springfield breakfast sponsored by the Democratic County Chairmen’s Association. At that breakfast, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias was among those who backed Obama.

* Blagojevich said he plans to take his time with the electric rate relief bill…

“I’m suspicious when a company like Ameren is telling me there is a deadline for signing the bill,” said Blagojevich, who likened it to being pressured by a used-car salesman. “When Ameren is saying you’ve had the bill for four, five days and sign it by Friday or else, I think it is prudent to be a little suspicious and to take a good look and look at the fine print in the deal. We’ll see if we can make the deal better or not.”

* Sneed has a preview of Republican Day…

A Romney report: Craig Romney, son of GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, will stump for his dad at the Illinois State Fair today and, ostensibly, be queried by the press why none of the candidate’s five adult sons has ever served in the military.

• • Translation: Romney, whose son is here to see if dad will emerge victorious in Illinois’ first Republican straw poll, drew criticism following his straw poll win in Iowa from his response to his sons’ lack of military service.

• • Romney’s response: “. . .one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected.”

• • Romney’s response to the question whether they are going over to Iraq: “No, they are not.”

My. My.

* And, as promised, here are some photos from yesterday’s celebrity horse race…

✪ The contestants gather (Dave Dring was a late scratch, by the way)…

✪ Rich and his driver, Jamaica Patton, prepare for the race…

✪ They’re at the Gate…

✪ Here they come, spinning around the turn…

✪ Dismount…

✪ The winner glows…

✪ And we made the SJ-R…

Wednesday’s card featured a celebrity race that was won by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch and co-driver Marcus Miller, Ervin Miller’s 18-year-old son.

Rich Miller, publisher of the newsletter Capitol Fax and Jamaica Patton placed second. Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, and Andy Miller were third. Cindy Davidsmeyer, spokeswoman for Senate President Emil Jones, and Williamsville High School graduate Brandon Simpson finished fourth. Patty Schuh, spokeswoman for Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson, and Springfield’s Tom Simmons took fifth.

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A complete lack of communication

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* If you want a good idea of how the leaders don’t communicate or listen well, just take a look at this…

Despite disagreeing with the legality of Blagojevich’s maneuver, Madigan did sound an optimistic note about the health care plan [before the State Fair events].

Madigan said he could support an increase in the cigarette tax to pay for an expansion of the Medicaid program.

“I said from Day One it’s a good idea,” said Madigan. […]

Blagojevich was surprised to hear Madigan say a cigarette tax hike could be an option.

“When did he say that?” Blagojevich asked reporters.

Hmmm. Well, let’s see. This is from WBBM AM’s website on July 20th, almost a month ago…

House Speaker Michael Madigan tells WBBM he’ll support a plan that adds more people to those already covered in Illinois. But, Madigan says that plan should be funded by a hike in the cigarette tax

I wrote about Madigan suggesting the cigarette tax hike for health care here on July 25th.

Madigan’s comments were made on WBBM’s “At Issue” program. Listen here if you want.

Madigan had been suggesting this privately for quite a while before the At Issue program. And I know I’ve had it in the Capitol Fax at least twice.

In other words, Blagojevich could have had his $500 million for health care weeks ago if he’d been paying attention, or if Madigan had made his intentions known to him personally. This goofy, divisive veto wasn’t needed. The bizarre antics were uncalled for. The “war” could have been over.

All because the leaders don’t communicate.

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Report: Gutierrez will run again *** Updated x1 ***

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

From a subscriber who is at the meeting this morning…

US Rep. Luis Gutierrez just announced, at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, that he has reversed his prior retirement plans, and will indeed run for re-election to represent Illinois’s 4th Congressional District.

This is hardly a surprise. I’ve suspected it for months, as have many others. And Mark Brown wrote about the possibility earlier this week…

A letter imploring Rep. Luis Gutierrez to stay in Congress — signed by 10 elected officials from his district including one of his would-be successors — has provided the strongest sign yet that the eight-term House member is rethinking his decision to retire from office.

In fact, I’d say it’s now likely Gutierrez will run for re-election, although I couldn’t wheedle an admission out of him.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Gutierrez told me Friday. The letter “has had an impact. We’re thinking about it.”

Discuss.

*** UPDATE *** From the AP…

Congressman Luis Gutierrez says he’s changed his mind and he will seek another term in Washington.

The Chicago Democrat had said he wasn’t going to run, partly to spend more time with his wife, who had been having health problems.

But during a morning appearance in Chicago, Gutierrez said she’s better and he wants to run again because he still has work to do on immigration reform.

Gutierrez says a letter from community groups and other elected officials urging him to run helped change his mind.

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Disunity Day

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I doubt the Republicans will be able to top yesterday’s Democrat Day events for newsworthiness…

Warring factions of Illinois’ Democratic Party turned unity day Wednesday at the Illinois State Fair into a display of name-calling, booing and apologizing for a feud that almost shut down state government.

Organizers tried to focus on their common goal of electing Sen. Barack Obama president, but the diversion couldn’t paper over deep cracks within the party, fissures caused by the caustic 10-week budget stalemate between Democratic leaders.

“It’s embarrassing — it’s not the way people envision their leaders acting,” Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias said. “I think the public is getting sick and tired of this.”

House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) accused one another of being untruthful.

* And, as I told you yesterday, there was plenty of jeering…

Members claiming to be from a Chicago job training group that’s received hundreds of thousands of dollars in state contracts courtesy of Gov. Rod Blagojevich showed up at a Democratic rally Wednesday to boo the governor’s chief political rival — House Speaker Michael Madigan.

“Veto Madigan,” the nearly two dozen people chanted when Madigan, also chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, took to the microphone during the annual Democratic rally at the Illinois State Fair.

The group immediately left the rally and headed to buses bearing signs for United Services of Chicago. Group members said they were told not to comment to reporters but said they were with United Services and that Blagojevich paid for the bus trip. […]

United Services of Chicago was awarded a nearly $775,000 contract this year from Blagojevich’s economic development agency. And last year, state auditors red flagged nearly $30,000 in state payments to United Services by the state’s transportation department. The department was missing files and could not explain why United Services got a potentially $900,000 job training contract over others.

United Services is led by Eddie Read, a key supporter of former Cook County Board President John Stroger and chairman of the Black Independent Political Organization. That organization gave $2,500 to Blagojevich’s 2006 campaign.

The governor’s campaign denied any involvement, which nobody really believed, of course.

* There was also some booing yesterday in Chicago…

Mayor Daley accused Gov. Blagojevich Wednesday of engineering a legally shaky and “dangerous” end-run around the General Assembly that threatens to jeopardize the mayor’s chances of getting sorely needed funding for the CTA and Chicago Public Schools.
One day after Blagojevich vowed to cut $500 million from the new state budget and redirect it toward his failed health care initiative, Daley openly questioned the legality of the maneuver as well as the political wisdom of it.

“Something like this really kind of separates people. . . . You’ve got Democrats and Republicans in the House. Once you start dividing them and divide the Senate, that is very, very dangerous in regards to — not only politics, but government,” he said.

* Madigan and Jones went after each other as well…

Senate President Emil Jones has promised to use his power to protect the governor from any attempt to override a half billion dollars in line item vetoes to free up money for the governor’s program, but House Speaker Michael Madigan vowed to try anyway and he accused Jones of reneging on a deal.

“I’ll be kind and I’ll say that I think Senator Jones changed his mind. For myself, I plan to keep my word and move to override,” Speaker Madigan said.

Jones fired back saying, “He’s not a man of his word, Keep his nose out of the [Senate’s] business, period.” When asked if he feels like the speaker double-crossed him, Jones answered emphatically, “Yes.”

* More on that topic…

Jones, who is also a Chicago Democrat, accused Madigan and Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson of “a collusion” to breach the leaders’ agreement by derailing a capital bill for state construction projects. The bill failed last week in the Senate.

“So that’s why I changed my mind. That’s a fact,” Jones said Wednesday. “(Madigan) should not have interfered in what we were doing on capital.”

Madigan said Jones’ assertions are untrue.

* More on the Democrats’ “Disunity Day” activities…

After acting like carnies who claim their games are legit, Democratic leaders have developed such a surfeit of mistrust over a monthslong budget battle that Comptroller Dan Hynes decided to make a public apology.

“We’ve let you down, and there is no excuse for this,” Hynes said in opening the day at the traditional Democratic County Chairmen’s breakfast. “It’s supposed to be a day of unity. It’s certainly supposed to be a day of celebration. Frankly, I don’t feel there’s a lot to celebrate today.”

But even Hynes’ act of contrition became the subject of squabbling. Gov. Rod Blagojevich contended that Hynes apologized for “standing in the way” of state worker paychecks, which the comptroller has denied. The governor said he had nothing to apologize for as long as he kept pushing plans for expanding health care.

* The Hynes vs. Blagojevich feud was an interesting side affair…

“In a best-case scenario, he is going to expand our Medicaid deficit by $500 million,” said Comptroller Dan Hynes. “In a worst-case scenario, he is defying the Constitution.”

* And things got plenty weird…

A day after Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, infuriated legislators in his own party by vowing to go around them for health care expansion, he seemed to thumb his nose at them — in fact singing about the issue at one point in a Democratic Party rally at the Illinois State Fair.

“I’m just a red-blooded boy and I just can’t stop thinking about health care! Health care! Health care! Health care!'’ Blagojevich sang to the tune of Elvis Presley’s “Girls, Girls, Girls.'’

* More stuff compiled by Paul…

* Editorial: One man’s pork is another man’s health care plan

* Democrats clash on budget

* Editorial: State salaries bumped in the middle of the night

* Eric Zorn: State balancing act not for the faint of heart

* Internet predator law now in effect

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

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Morning shorts

Thursday, Aug 16, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* After meeting with foes, BP says it’s moving ahead; more here

* Sun-Times Editorial: Perfect water comes out of the taps

* Illinoize: HB 1 has been locked down for 111 days

* Editorial: Stable ACT scores can’t mask concerns

Illinois legislators already have made the smart move of toughening basic high school graduation requirements; high school administrators and counselors need to press the issue even further in their own schools.

It’s not necessary — or even desirable — that every single high school graduate go on to college. But something is wrong when so few are fully prepared for an increasingly competitive world in which highly educated U.S. students and American success must walk hand-in-hand.

* West point grad weighs running against Durbin

* Tollway has let cheats off the hook

* Count of 24 homeless was based on just 12-block area

Acting Housing Commissioner Ellen Sahli said a separate count conducted between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. on a cold night in January — in a much broader swath that includes all four community areas that take in parts of downtown — turned up 995 homeless people.

Of that number, 352 people were living on the street and in public places. The remaining 643 people were staying in shelters.

* Feds join in probe of city’s elite police

* McHenry Co. leaders to hold rally for road funds

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