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Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Carol Marin lauds House GOP Leader Tom Cross and state Rep. Julie Hamos for their legislative work this year and concludes…

Someday, Cross may run for governor. Someday, Julie Hamos may be speaker of the House.

Both of them have earned a shot at those posts because, in the end, they served the people of Illinois more than they served themselves.

* Over at the Tribune, Mary Schmich sang Hamos’ praises…

If Chicago’s long mass transit soap opera has a hero, it’s Julie Hamos, a woman with a unique idea of fun.

“Believe it or not,” she said Friday, sitting in a Chicago cafe, “I find transit sexy.”

Hamos, the state legislator behind last week’s new transit law, calls herself a wonk. She likes her issues the way some people like martinis — dry. She reads policy reports as avidly as other women devour O magazine, though she does watch Oprah’s show some nights at 11.

* Question: Rate the likelihood that Tom Cross will one day be elected governor and Julie Hamos will be House speaker. Explain.

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Will gridlock slow Wrigley Field sale?

Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The quick sale won’t be so quick…

When Sam Zell’s $8.2 billion deal to take Tribune Co. private was announced on Opening Day last April, former Cubs President John McDonough said the ballclub probably would be sold by the end of the year.

But a proposal to sell Wrigley Field to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority has slowed progress on the Cubs’ sale, and team Chairman Crane Kenney said Saturday the company likely will own the team for the upcoming season.

And what’s the reason?

Kenney later told reporters any deal with the ISFA could take time because the Cubs need to gather political support from Mayor Richard Daley, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, Ald. Tom Tunney, state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz and state Sen. John Cullerton. Kenney said the company hoped to get a deal done on the ballpark by Opening Day on March 31.

I wouldn’t bet on it being that soon, considering all that’s happened with the transit bill, the gaming bill, the electric rate relief bill, the health care expansion, the budget vetoes, etc., etc., etc. Also, notice that Kenny didn’t mention Senate President Emil Jones. Jones may now feel slighted, which could complicate matters [just kidding… mostly].

The Wrigley Field sale is one reason to support gridlock. This is a goofy idea all around.

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Sick of mass transit? It ain’t over yet

Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Southern Illinoisan belatedly editorializes in favor of holding transit riders hostage in an editorial entitled “Downstate lawmakers should have stuck together”…

As long as downstate votes were needed to OK the mass transit bailout, there was at least a chance to link the bailout to a long-needed capital improvement bill - which would fund school construction in Southern Illinois, allow the work to begin on a nearly $50 million Transportation Education Center for Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and fund highway and infrastructure improvements.

We had leverage as long as the bailout and capital bills were inseparable, and the Southern Illinois lawmakers who refused to consider one proposal without the other should be thanked for their determination and perhaps remember favorably on Election Day.

That assumes that a capital bill was ready to go by January 20th. It also assumes that a gaming bill was ready to go. Those are both false assumptions. So, what were legislators to do? Allow Chicagoland’s public transit to crash and burn?

* But now, even Chicago legislators are eager to see a capital plan, so progress is expected some time relatively soon…

While the CTA and Pace averted steep service cuts and fare hikes with passage last week of the $530 million transit funding package, slow and crowded trains and buses — commuters’ biggest complaints — won’t disappear.

The money will go to keep trains and buses operating, not to finance vital construction projects or buy new trains, buses and related infrastructure, officials said./blockquote>

* But a cleanup bill for that aforementioned transit bailout is apparently needed…

The free rides for seniors proposal was supposed to apply to all transit systems in the state, but the way the bill was drafted it eliminates any city with a population under 50,000.

* Meanwhile, my syndicated newspaper column looks back…

While I still think things will eventually calm down and Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s insistence that senior citizens be given free rides on all mass transit systems will one day be viewed as a welcomed entitlement, it’s obvious that lots and lots of Illinoisans don’t feel that way right now. […]

Blagojevich’s amendatory veto of the transit bill to insert the senior freebie resonated loudly throughout every region of the state. Legislators reported receiving dozens, even hundreds, of calls and e-mails from furious constituents urging that the freebie be rejected. Even many senior citizens were angry.

It was as if the entire state had morphed into the Illinois House, which always has a negative reaction to anything the governor does and draws together whenever Blagojevich makes one of his goofy plays.

* And ahead…

The fall from grace isn’t over yet. Blagojevich, Jones and the House and Senate Republicans risk irking voters again with their push to expand gaming in Illinois and Chicago in order to pay for a capital construction plan.

The public is not happy with this expansion plan. According to that Fako & Associates poll, just 38 percent say they back a plan for a Chicago-owned casino along with two more boats, slots at tracks and expansion at current riverboats, while 57 percent oppose the idea. The poll of 801 registered voters was taken Jan. 3 to 6 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.46 percent.

Moreover, the public is incredibly cynical about how the cash will be spent and how the new casinos will be operated. For instance, 60 percent of registered voters agreed with the statement: “Politicians in Springfield and Chicago can’t be trusted to keep their promise to actually use profits from–casinos for mass transit and infrastructure projects,” while 67 percent agreed with this: “Politicians in Springfield and Chicago cannot be trusted to expand gambling in Illinois and would be influenced and corrupted by stakeholders in the new casinos.”

Sixty-seven percent said they thought organized crime and gambling addiction would increase with expanded gaming, 72 percent said Chicago can’t be trusted to run a casino without scandals and corruption and 71 percent acknowledged that casino revenues aren’t a stable funding source.

The numbers likely show one reason why House Speaker Michael Madigan has dragged his feet on gaming expansion during the run-up to the Feb. 5 primary. This is not a popular idea. And it’s just one more public opinion bomb waiting to go off in the governor’s face.

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Morning shorts

Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Black and white congregations come together to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

* Jesse White, others dislikes King statue

* The reluctant mayor

* Sawyer, Chicago’s 2nd black mayor, dead at 73

* Friends, foes pay tribute to John Stroger

* Casino talk surfaces in Illinois’ south suburbs

* Political power grab vs. patronage haven?

* Prosecutor race divides Dems

* Dumbing Down The Electoral College

* Elections officials defend safety of technology, watchdogs say it invites fraud

* Sticks, stones might break bones, but will attack ads hurt hopefuls?

* Running for office in 14th district? Better remember to bring your sling - Dueling GOP candidates are trotting out dead cows and felonious donors in effort to pull ahead in competitive congressional race

* Crowd rallies for 10th district

* In Our View: Lauzen and Foster the best options

* Durbin endorses Democratic businessman Dan Seals for 10th Congressional District

* Seals takes another shot at Kirk, but first must get past Footlik

* Manzullo gets a serious case of tax rebate fever

* Sauerberg’s position on abortion

* Sweet column: Obama tackles Bill Clinton on negative hit man role.

* Obama donates money linked to indicted developer

* Race hides campaign’s bigger issues

* 7 Jewish senators reject ‘malicious attacks’ on Obama’s faith

* Does Clinton have a shot in Obama’s state?

* Lawsuit against 2 Downstate doctor groups dismissed

* Two legislators earned our thanks

* Landfill’s methane gas leaks pose worry to neighbors

* Is Springfield recession-proof?

* Dead Cubs

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Complete Poll Results; Burns; Gordon (use all caps in password)

Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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

Monday, Jan 21, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Nevada caucus coverage *** Another Obama Loss ***

Saturday, Jan 19, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Comments opened because the weekend is over.]

*** UPDATE: Networks call Nevada for Clinton ***

*************************

*** Track Nevada Democratic caucus results here ***

* My fellow Hotline Political Network participant in Nevada is PolitickerNV.

* The Nevada caucus entrance poll is here. As you can see, Clinton has a big lead.

* News feed…

* Track how the Obama-Rezko story is spreading today…

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Sun-Times source claims Obama mentioned in Rezko case - Dirty money linked to Obama intern’s father

Saturday, Jan 19, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Comments opened because the weekend is over.]

* Can you imagine what the Hillary Clinton campaign is gonna do with this single-sourced story?…

For the first time, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama has surfaced in the federal corrupton case against his longtime campaign fund-raiser, Tony Rezko, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The Illinois senator isn’t accused of any wrongdoing. And there’s no evidence Obama knew contributions to his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign came from schemes Rezko is accused of orchestrating.

The allegations against Rezko that involve Obama are contained in one paragraph of a 78-page document filed last month in which prosecutors outline their corruption and fraud case against Rezko, who was also a key money man for Gov. Blagojevich and other politicians.

* And here’s what the paper’s source claims…

Obama is not named in the Dec. 21 court document. But a source familiar with the case confirmed that Obama is the unnamed “political candidate” referred to in a section of the document that accuses Rezko of orchestrating a scheme in which a firm hired to handle state teacher pension investments first had to pay $250,000 in “sham” finder’s fees. From that money, $10,000 was donated to Obama’s successful run for the Senate in the name of a Rezko business associate, according to the court filing and the source.

Rezko, who was part of Obama’s senatorial finance committee, also is accused of directing “at least one other individual” to donate money to Obama and then reimbursing that individual — in possible violation of federal election law.

* Obama denies knowing anything about this, and it’s doubtful that he would have. But this past week, Obama said this…

“I think it’s fair to say that the Republicans were the party of ideas for a pretty long chunk of time there over the last 10-15 years in the sense that they were challenging conventional wisdom”

* And Bill Clinton twisted it into this…

“Her principal opponent said that since 1992, the Republicans have had all the good ideas.”

So, we can only imagine how they’re gonna spin that Sun-Times story.

* You can read the document referenced in the Sun-Times story by clicking here. And this is the paragraph referenced in the story…

Another $10,000 of the $112,000 transferred into the pizza company’s bank account was used to make a political contribution in Individual D’s name to a political candidate. Rezko was a fundraiser for that political candidate and directed at least one other individual to make a political contribution to that same candidate, which Rezko then paid back.

…Adding… This gets closer to Obama than I first thought. Guess who “Individual D” is? Apparently, he’s the father of a former Obama intern…

In addition to a land deal, Sen. Barack Obama’s ties to indicted dealmaker Antoin “Tony” Rezko include an internship the senator provided the son of a contributor at the request of Rezko, an Obama spokesman confirmed Saturday.

John Aramanda served as an intern for Obama for about a month in 2005, said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs. His father is Joseph Aramanda, a Rezko business associate who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal corruption case against Rezko. Aramanda has contributed $11,500 to Obama since 2000, Gibbs said.

“Mr. Rezko did provide a recommendation for John Aramanda,” Gibbs said. “I think that it’s fairly obvious that a few-week internship is not anything of benefit to Mr. Rezko or any of his businesses.” […]

Aramanda was identified by the Sun-Times as “Individual D,” who allegedly received a $250,000 kickback tied to a scheme to steer lucrative state pension deals to firms and consultants that donated to Blagojevich. Aramanda is not specifically named or charged with criminal wrongdoing in the court papers.

* Obama has already divested his campaign fund of Aramanda’s contribution.

* If you’re reading the proffer for the first time, “Co-Schemer A” has been previously identified as Bill Cellini. “Co-Schemer B” is said to be Blagojevich fundraiser Chris Kelly. “Co-Schemer C” ~~has not yet been identified in press reports~~ has been identified by the Sun-Times as “Sheldon Pekin: Consultant who allegedly agreed to kick back $250,000 in fees in return for getting TRS business.”

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Reader comments closed for the weekend

Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

Glad that one’s over. Head to Illinoize for more blognewstainment…

Here’s something to keep you warm over the cold, cold weekend ahead…

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Schock; Hendon; Radogno; Froehlich; Madigan; Lindner; Jacobs; Riley (Use all caps in password)

Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

With the transit bill finally behind us, there is still a whole of unfinished business left on the table.

Question: How will this year’s session end? Or will it ever end?

…Adding… Notice I didn’t ask how you “want” it to end. I asked how you thought it would end. Big difference.

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Registration tanks in DuPage

Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This report on new voter registration numbers is a bit odd…

Kane County’s voter registration numbers jumped more than 39,000, or 17 percent. Will, Lake and McHenry counties had increases of about 11 percent, 8 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

But registration in DuPage County dropped nearly 48,000, or 8 percent.

Also from the story, Cook County’s registration is down slightly. Statewide, though, numbers are up, apparently driven by the suburban surge…

Registration is up by nearly 34,000 registered voters, or about half a percentage point.

Thoughts on why the numbers are so far down in DuPage?

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Goofy Rod and even goofier complaints *** UPDATED X1 ***

Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is just a ridiculous quote from the governor about the mass transit fiasco…

“I think the wait was well worth it because the result is very, I think, significant for the people in the Chicagoland area as well as for our senior citizens all across Illinois who are going to see an improvement in their quality of life.”

The governor’s refusal to support a package of tax hikes and worker pension reforms is what caused the wait in the first place. In the end, everything he opposed became law. The only thing he did was anger the Legislature and the public with his senior freebie idea. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of commuters throughout Chicagoland were on pins and needles for months wondering how they’d get to work every day, or the store, or school, or the doctor. And it turns out their anxiety was all about a silly press pop that has badly backfired on the governor.

Worth the wait? Hardly…

If the bill had passed in May, the CTA already would have realized more than $60 million in savings

That would have more than paid for the senior discount.

* Truly, the man has no shame…

“I know some [legislators] are angry at me, but they really ought to take a deep breath and stop and look in the mirror and frankly realize what we’ve gotten done here: Transit systems are solvent. They shouldn’t be so angry. They ought to be happy,” he said.

It’s not just legislators who are angry, governor. You’re dilly-dallying has caused a lot of unnecessary anxiety and your blatantly political move has backfired badly with the public…

“I did not get one phone call in support of the governor’s action,” said Rep. Harry Osterman, D-Chicago. “I would assume most of the people in the state saw right through his action.”

* That being said, the opposition to and anger about the senior freebie seems mean-spirited and entirely illogical. Reporters seemed to key in on this statement by Senate President Jones…

“When I go to McDonald’s and get my coffee, I get a senior discount,” said Jones, who is 72. “They don’t ask me how much money I make.”

That’s not all he said. Jones also pointed out that Chicago gives a discount to every senior regardless of income for their car stickers. Seniors get a discount regardless of income on their property taxes. The list goes on and on. Almost nobody complains about those things. Heck, seniors already get a discount for many transit rides. When has anyone ever grumbled about that?

* Jones also made this point, which I think is probably valid…

Jones said lawmakers were angry only because they didn’t think of the free-ride idea. “Had it been included in the bill (originally), some of these same folks would have jumped up and praised it,” Jones said.

* And even the city council is looking to help out the oldsters…

To sugarcoat the bitter pill of yet another tax increase, Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th) and Police Committee Chairman Isaac Carothers (29th) are talking about following the governor’s lead. They want to exempt seniors from a transfer tax increase that would amount to $900 on the sale of a $300,000 home. […]

“You’re in the twilight of your life. Your income is fixed. You’re not working. Why burden seniors even further with another tax if they decide to sell their property? If [the tax is applied to] a senior buyer, maybe they could be exempt as well,” Carothers said.

* Some comments posted here about letting seniors ride free have been ridiculously over the top. It is not right and really stupid to make such derogatory comments about old people when what you’re really angry about is Rod Blagojevich. Cool it or go away if you can’t contain yourselves. My blog, my rules. If you don’t like it, go to a public park and scream to your heart’s content.

[The last paragraph from the original post may have been in error, for which I apologize. Until I find out for sure, consider it gone for good.]

*** UPDATE *** On a much lighter note, Mike Flannery at CBS 2 showed an image of our “Overtime in Hell” t-shirt last night. Click here for the story. Click here to buy a shirt.

Thanks, Mike. You made my day. (Hat tip: OneMan]

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This just in… John Stroger dies

Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From CBS 2…

Longtime Cook County Board President John H. Stroger Jr. has died at the age of 78.

Mr. Stroger suffered a stroke in March 2006, shortly after winning the Democratic primary for what would have been a fourth term as County Board president. He had also battled diabetes, prostate cancer and heart disease.

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Morning shorts

Friday, Jan 18, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Panel defies mayor, rejects hotel plan

* Don’t risk losing Illinois’ share of federal money

* Federal appeals court orders trial in challenge of death row interview ban

* Program at East St. Louis prison ‘writing the book on meth treatment‘

* Bloomington alderman faces fine for faulty campaign reports

* Fresh faces in Congress - Phil Hare

* Bill Baar: Il-14th: Wealthy Scientist Trying to Buy a Seat in Congress

* Daily Herald Endorsement: U.S. House 9

* Divided Republicans reach end of an era