Quinn takes on Blagojevich… again
Friday, Jan 25, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I had a bit about this yesterday in “This just in…” but I think it deserves its own post today. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn told reporters yesterday that strong ethics legislation needs to be approved before a statewide capital construction plan is passed…
“We can’t be giving out highway contracts and then having the governor the next day say, ‘Hey, how about contributing to my fundraiser?’” Quinn told reporters at the Statehouse. “That’s trouble with a capital T.”
Quinn also said Gov. Rod Blagojevich should disclose exactly what services his campaign has been buying from the Chicago law firm of Winston & Strawn. Campaign reports filed this week brought billings by that firm, where former Gov. Jim Thompson works, to more than $2 million. “This should not be some kind of mystery,” Quinn said. “This is not healthy.”
* The LT was also asked when he had last spoken with the governor…
“I don’t think he’s talked to too many people, other than his very close palace guard,” Quinn said.
Thoughts?
- He makes Ryan Look like a Saint - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 10:37 am:
He’s Right, 100% Right. Not much left to say.
- Ghost - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 10:41 am:
I think Quinn wants to run for Gov. These pot shots over the govs bow are interesting, but they are really nothing more then the governance by procolomation of the gov himself. These press releases are nice, but is there an actual bill on the table quinn is supporting? he needs to make it more clear if there is, and if there isn’t then he needs to offer up more then just procolamtions himself.
he is right, but he needs substance not just critiscm.
- Anon - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 10:42 am:
I cant wait to start picking through the donors of those who have criticized the govs fundraising. It takes money to run for governor. People who held themsemves o high with regards to accepting money will be held to far greater scrutiny.
- Macbeth - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 10:45 am:
A great point: what *is* there left to say?
Not much.
Blagojevich’s strategy is clearly to keep a low profile and ride it out. He’s assuming — probably correctly — that by the time elections roll around, he’ll have no problems getting votes.
As much as I despise what Blagojevich has done — and continues to do — I understand that this is, indeed, an optimal strategy.
There’s a lot of “game theory” thinking that can be applied to Blagojevich’s methods here — the idea of maximizing the minimal gain and minimizing the maximal loss — and it’s clear (to me, at least) that he’s at a kind of equilibrium point now.
Now, this may be by choice or by necessity — but either way, I don’t think there’s much left to say either until something nudges the equilibrium. Some folks hope it’s some indictment, others hope it’s some weird compromise on the part of Madigan — I dunno. It really doesn’t matter what the nudge is — but until it happens, everything will remain in limbo.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 11:01 am:
Leave it to Quinn to hold a press conference to grandstand on somebody else’s work.
- Niles Township - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 11:06 am:
Pat is right, no doubt. It is amazing to me in a few years how Pat went from a joke to one of the more thoughtful politicos in the state. He should be considered by Lisa as her Lite Guv or as a replacement for Jesse White as S.O.S. if he retires.
- Levois - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 11:06 am:
Blago laying low? For what’s been going on the past year that doesn’t look like a man laying low. I suppose avoiding the press counts, but if he wants to lay low he might want to consider doing more than that!
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 11:06 am:
Pat Quinn is correct. We’re so far in debt that we cannot afford a bunch of projects steered by campaign money, shakedowns and possible intimidation tactics. A capital plan/bill would open the floodgates to a pay-to-play scenario from hell.
- anon - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 11:20 am:
Quinn has zero credibility. He said Rod was honest when it was in his interest to get re-elected on Rod’s ticket. He shut his mouth while all this stuff was going on and rode all his dirty pay to play money to get re-elected. NOW, he’s speaking up. He’s a fraud.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 11:46 am:
Nice to see Quinn find his voice on this subject after what, six years of near silence?
- steve schnorf - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 12:00 pm:
Yes, I really think we should halt about everything government is doing until we get some really good ethics laws. If we had very good ethics laws, our problems would be solved. We wouldn’t even need more revenue to balance the budget, because we would have all the savings from the corruption tax. We could probably give rebates.
- KGB - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 12:10 pm:
“…his palace guard.”
The Emperor has no clothes!
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 12:19 pm:
Regardless of his motives, he’s right.
As for reelection, the voters might forget (I’m not convinced they will), but the big money donors won’t. Some won’t play, some will contribute, but in much smaller amounts. A lot of people have been burned and they do not forget.
It will be very hard for Rod to shove his reelection campaign down our throats (like he did last time) without a lot of cash.
- tunes - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 12:31 pm:
I’m just glad that somebody is saying something about the way this poor excuse for a governor manages himself. …and Mr. Quinn is right- Blago is protected from the press and hides behind every curtain he can find…unless of course he has some new fangled political dot point that he wasn’t publicized. Please indict this guy or get Obama elected so we can get somebody with an “nth” of ethics in our Governor’s mansion.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 12:37 pm:
All this may be true about Quinn’s timing, but as they say, halitosis is better than no breath at all. I’m glad he’s taking appropriate shots - Blago has a certain knack for arranging a circular firing squad (he being the firing squad), and be the target as well. What a master of “art of politics”.
- barry enders - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 12:42 pm:
Why would Blago want to talk to Quinn anyway? One, he pulls these antics all the time. Two, he is not in charge of any programs nor does he have the power the power to pass legislation. He is a joke.
- GettingJonesed - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 12:54 pm:
Right after H’wood Hendon takes SB750 from Meeks
He can grab HB1 and run it off to the gov for signature….Perhaps Pat could call Hollywood with the idea….POA would really be mad then.
- Commonsense in Illinois - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 1:10 pm:
Ghost is right. In January 2011 when (potentially) Governor Quinn is asked when he decided to run, his response is going to be, “Remember when I did that ethics press conference in January 2008…I all but announced my candidacy then.”
He’s running boys and girls. And, whoever would have thought the words Pat Quinn and “reasonable” would ever be seen in the same sentence? But with Rod Blagojevich that’s exactly what’s happening.
- Glen Gary Glenn Ross - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 1:11 pm:
I love Pat Quinn, he’ll make a terrific caretaker governor when Blago gets indicted and has to step down. Quinn would also make a dynamite SOS after Jesse; his good personality, diplomacy, dynamism, populist views and good-government themes, coupled to an office with real power, could produce some transformative results for Illinois. Depending on what Lisa and Fitz the g-man does, he should seriously consider that.
- Just the facts - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 1:18 pm:
Typical Quin demagogery. Where was his voice during the first four years of the administration? It’s only now when he, Quinn, is safely in office for another three years, and Blago is tanking in the polls that he is now daring to speak out against the Governor.
Why wasn’t Quinn making these statements in January of 2006? Oh yea, he might have been dumped as Lt. Gov. for the second term . . . .
- Up North - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 1:28 pm:
Quinn has spoken up often in the past five years; he’s just picked his spots. Can’t fault him because he hasn’t made a cause of attacking the governor from the Lt. Governor’s office.
- dc - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 1:45 pm:
Steve, your point is very well taken. The state cannot afford to sit still waiting on HB 1 to move out of the Senate Rules Committee. To paraphrase Rod, the GA needs to hold their nose and continue moving forward on an emergency budget session, put forward their plans for stabilizing government spending and revenue, and adjourn on May 1st without requiring a super-majority of votes.
The Gov’s ethics issues will not go away, even if HB 1 is miraculously revived and passed. Your reality-break post was well received, at least by me.
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 5:06 pm:
That’s right, Pat. We need some more Ethics Acts, since the last one all you goo-goos were so proud of did a fine job of corralling Stu Levine, Tony Rezko, Chris Kelly, and The Pope.
Quinn doesn’t deserve election to any office higher than Mosquito Abatement District Commissioner.
- some former legislative intern - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 5:15 pm:
Quinn is technically correct, but I don’t think more ethics laws will solve the problem. There is a difference between giving to my campaign fund after getting a contract, and going to you and saying, if you want this contract, you better give to my campaign fund. Or, I want 2% of the value of the contract contributed. This is why Kelly, Rezko, etc. are in trouble now and is why Blago will probably not finish out the term.
- I'll SAY ! - Friday, Jan 25, 08 @ 10:06 pm:
“We cannot afford a bunch of projects steered by campaign money, shakedowns and possible intimidation tactics.”
Anyone investigating the Illinois Tollway lately, what do you think built the I-355 Extension. Believe you me, a lot of money exchanged hands in the last five years.