Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2008

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 1:59 pm - Well, actually, I’m coming a bit late to the game so it isn’t “just in,” but it’s still news.

Colleen Callahan may be the Democrats’ choice to take Dick Versace’s place on the 18th Congressional District ballot…

A familiar voice to WMBD radio listeners wants to go into politics. Former WMBD Agri-Business Director Colleen Callahan tells 1470 WMBD she had been asked to consider being the Democratic nominee for the 18th District congressional seat being vacated by the retiring Ray LaHood and she’s interested in running. Callahan admits it was a tough decision to make, but she thinks her agriculture and communications backgrounds will suit her well in Congress, if she’s elected.

* Billy Dennis has more…

“I was asked to consider it by people in the district,” she said. “I have consulted with members of my family and decided it was the right thing to do.”

She owns Colleen Callahan Communications, but is better known as a agriculture reporter and commentator on local radio and televisions. Her Website says that for 24 years, she hosted an award-winning daily feature segment on WMBD-TV (Peoria, IL) and WCIA-TV (Champaign, IL).

* 2:02 pm - Not good at all…

The Illinois Association of Realtors said Thursday sales of single-family homes and condominiums fell 27.7 percent last month to 7,719 compared to December 2006, while total 2007 sales were off 16.9 percent to 137,133.

In the Chicago metro area, home sales in December fell 33.2 percent from a year ago to 5,033. For the year, sales were down 20.5 percent.

* 2:14 pm - Kiyoshi picked up on this today and we missed it. Ray Hanania interviews Speaker Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown. Listen here.

* 2:34 pm - Pat Quinn takes a couple of swings at Gov. Blagojevich…

Ethics legislation needs to be approved before the Illinois General Assembly passes a statewide building program for roads and schools, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said Thursday.

“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 .

* 3:10 pm - Man, they’re really stretching it now…

Barack Obama angered fellow Democrats in the Illinois Senate when he voted to strip millions of dollars from a child welfare office on Chicago’s West Side. But Obama had a ready explanation: He goofed.

“I was not aware that I had voted no,” he said that day in June 2002, asking that the record be changed to reflect that he “intended to vote yes.”

That was not the only misfire for the former civil rights attorney first elected to the state Senate in 1996. During his eight years in state office, Obama cast more than 4,000 votes. Of those, according to transcripts of the proceedings in Springfield, he hit the wrong button at least six times.

Apparently, there is no penalty to pay for using Blair Hull oppo.

* 4:43 pm - I hadn’t noticed this before, but Chicago Tonight is putting video snippets on their website now. Hat tip: Larry.

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Watch the 14th District Democratic debate tonight right here

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Democratic congressional candidates Bill Foster, John Laesch, Joe Serra and Jotham Stein will debate tonight. The festivities will be hosted by The Beacon News and CBS 2 and you can watch it here live starting at 7 o’clock…

CLICK HERE AT 7 PM to watch the 14th District Congressional Debate

* Here are a few recent stories on the race…

* Foster campaign focusing on Oberweis

* Hopefuls take on racism, education and each other

* Race at center of 14th Dist. Congressional debate

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Looking for something to do tonight?

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

My brother Devin is playing a solo gig in Chicago tonight at 9 o’clock at Reggie’s Music Joint, 2105 South State Street. Be there or be square.

You can sample some of Devin’s music at his MySpace page.

If you’re closer to St. Louis, you can find him Saturday night at Lemmons.

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Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the Day

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[From Rich Miller: This is Kevin’s first QOTD, and I think it’s a good one.]

There has been a lot of controversy lately over Hillary Clinton changing her campaign song.

If Rod Blagojevich runs for reelection, what should his campaign song be?

Have fun.

102 Comments

Present votes and Rezko

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Some of you know that I was interviewed by NPR yesterday. They wanted to talk about Barack Obama’s “Present” votes in the Illinois Senate. The issue has become a contentious one on the campaign trail…

“In the Illinois State Senate, Senator Obama voted 130 times ‘present,’” [Hillary Clinton said in Monday night’s debate]. “That’s not ‘yes.’ That’s not ‘no.’ That’s ‘maybe.’”

* Here’s part of what I told the NPR reporter…

To register a vote in the Illinois General Assembly, lawmakers have a choice of three buttons on their desk. The “yes” button is green. The “no” button is red, and the “present” button is yellow, says Rich Miller, who writes and publishes The Capitol Fax, a daily newsletter and blog on Illinois politics.

“There’s a saying in Springfield that there’s a reason why the present button is yellow,” Miller says.

But Miller says that not all “present” votes are cowardly, including those cast by then-state Sen. Obama.

“After having put some thought into it, I don’t think that Barack Obama was necessarily a coward for voting present on those bills. In fact, I think he believed that he was doing the right thing, because something, in his mind, might have been unconstitutional,” Miller says.

Miller points out that, at times, Obama was the only lawmaker voting “present” on bills winning near unanimous support, even on issues he supported and on one he sponsored.

* The rest ended up on the cutting-room floor. What I tried to get across was that Obama kinda hovered over everything when he was in Springfield. He seemed to play by his own rules, which he appeared to believe were more thoughtful or ethical than everyone else’s.

So, to his mind, voting “Present” on some of those bills was wholly justified. Whether it was part of an organized effort by abortion rights groups, or because he thought something in the bill was unconstitutional, or whatever, I think he believed he was doing the right thing.

The problem is that he has to answer for those votes in the real world, not in his own mind. Clinton is using a very common political attack. It’s happened many times before in Illinois, and will happen again.

The bottom line is Obama likes to think too much. He’s enamored with his own intellect to the point where he does things that don’t make political sense, like voting in the US Senate against an interest rate cap on credit cards because the cap was too high. Well, that was the only cap on the table. He should’ve known he was gonna get raked on that one.

He talks about bringing people together and finding concensus, but that usually means taking a somewhat distasteful vote when the final product hits the bricks. Too often, he gets all high-minded and decides he won’t play the game he signed up for.

* Meanwhile, the Sun-Times has been going wall-to-wall on Tony Rezko lately, and today was no exception…

* 8 things you need to know about Obama and Rezko

* Mark Brown: Time for Obama to come clean - To dismiss Rezko as ’somebody who I knew’ just isn’t going to cut it

* Why do civil rights heroes cheer ‘Rezko card’?

* Hope hype won’t get us anywhere

* ArchPundit is doing the same thing, but in a less hyper manner. Go check it out here.

* Larry also has video from Lorna Brett, the former Chicago NOW president who had been supporting Hillary Clinton. Brett claims she was angered by Clinton’s attacks on Obama on the choice issue, which is directly related to Obama’s “Present” votes. Brett is now endorsing Obama.

26 Comments

Congressional roundup

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I can’t help but wonder if the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board knew that Rep. Aaron Schock was gonna file this bill when they endorsed him for Congress…

Carrying a concealed firearm would be legal in Illinois under legislation state Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, has proposed.

Schock, a congressional candidate, recently introduced the Family and Personal Protection Act, which would require individuals to complete a training course in handgun use, safety and marksmanship before they could receive a permit to carry a concealed firearm in the state.

The proposed legislation, House Bill 4544, also would require an applicant to be at least 21 years old. Anyone convicted of a felony or with a history of mental illness, addiction or habitual alcohol use would be prohibited from obtaining a permit.

“I believe we are behind the times in being one of the last few states in the country to do this,” Schock said. “There have been a number of constituents that have contacted my office wanting to carry a firearm for their own personal protection. When states have implemented the conceal-carry law, their crime rate has decreased.”

The Trib endorsed Schock on January 17th. Schock introduced his bill a day later.

Either way, I’m told that polling shows Schock is way, way ahead in this race. It’s gonna be very tough to stop him almost no matter what.

* More congressional stuff, compiled by Kevin…

* Special congressional election is a go

* Lauzen goes on defensive in radio ad in race to succeed Hastert

* Endorsements: 14th Congressional District

* Complete list of Sun-Times endorsements

* Robert Themer: Campaigning by Facebook

* Election judges needed — voter turnout likely to be big

* Three vie for GOP nomination for Congress

* Seals our choice in the 10th District

* 6th District Democrat hopefuls court crowd at forum

* Lipinski sides with Bush: foes

* Hanania: Semantics Shell Game Over Politics, Ethics

27 Comments

Governor’s fundraising tanks

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* There are some big ommissions in this AP story about the governor’s fundraising…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is rebuilding his prolific fundraising machine, but close in his rearview mirror are several prominent Democrats who could be eyeing a run for his office in 2010.

The AP notes that Blagojevich raised about $2 million during the last six months of 2007. What’s not mentioned, however, is that, on the whole, 2007 was by far the worst fundraising year the governor has had since before 2001, the year before his first run for office.

Blagojevich raised over $3 million in 2001, about a million more than he raised last year. He raised over a million in 2000, about half what he raised last year.

* And then there’s this…

Attorney General Lisa Madigan brought in $811,000 between July and December and has more than $2.1 million in the bank — slightly more than Blagojevich and much more than other recent gubernatorial hopefuls have had three years ahead of the next race.

Comptroller Dan Hynes was not far behind with $1.7 million. Even newcomer Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who ran and won for the first time in 2006, brought in $516,000 and had more than $650,000 overall.

Actually, when you subtract out the million dollars or so in legal debt the governor is carrying on his books, Attorney General Madigan has twice the on-hand cash as Blagojevich does. Hynes’ available cash is about $700,000 more than the governor’s.

* Something else to consider: Almost half of every dollar raised by Blagojevich last year was eaten up by legal bills from Winston & Strawn. Half.

One of the theories I have about why the governor hid his mountain of legal debt is because he didn’t want his contributors to know what was going on.

During the first six months of last year, Blagojevich raised $379,000 - the majority of which was either refunds from his pollster and a charity and a loan repayment from his inaugural committee. He actually only pulled in $127,000 in “real” contributions.

We found out this week, however, that he racked up $555,000 in legal bills during that same period - far more than he raised and a lot more than he could pay, since he ended June with $289,000 in the bank.

That’s not something you want your contributors to know about. His big fundraiser was last fall, and it was a bust in comparison to previous years. It would’ve been much worse if those contributors knew that they were bailing his campaign out of a mountain of legal debt and that almost 50 cents on their dollar was going to Winston & Strawn.

* No wonder he doesn’t want to talk about any of this…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich refused to answer questions Wednesday on why his campaign fund has racked up more than $2 million in legal bills.

* And…

The governor kept silent when followed outside by reporters, offering only a shrug before entering a waiting SUV bound for the funeral of former Cook County President John Stroger.

* Meanwhile, it looks like the governor won’t be punished for hiding those legal bills from the public and from his potential financial backers…

Despite heavy criticism from a top watchdog group, Gov. Rod Blagojevich may not get questioned on his late disclosure of a half-million dollars in campaign legal bills.

“This is the sort of thing the (election) board does get casual about,” said David Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. “But it seems pretty clear the governor was not being completely forthright with his disclosure.” […]

Rupert Borgsmiller, campaign disclosure director for the Illinois State Board of Elections, says that at first blush it dosen’t appear Blagojevich’s campaign broke any rules by not including the $555,255 legal tab in finance records last year.

Because Blagojevich eventually amended the earlier report to reflect the debt, he said the campaign could be in the clear.

Obviously, we need a new law.

39 Comments

Morning shorts

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Rockford mayor returns to council for first time since son’s death

* AT&T Looking at Internet Filtering

* Ryan appeals to Supreme Court

“Here for the first time in the history of American jurisprudence a federal district court significantly changed the composition of a jury over defense objections eight days into deliberations,” the petition said.

* Part-time job raises eyebrows in DuPage - Election chief works for vendor that does business with county

* CTA Pitches Tax Hike -Are Aldermen Buying?

* Chicago Public Schools plan draws anger

Parents, ministers and students jammed the Chicago Public Schools headquarters Wednesday, pleading to save some of the 19 schools swept up in what officials say will be the largest wave of school shake-ups in CPS history.

* The harsh truth

The first round of students affected by the state’s Truth-in-Tuition law could have sticker shock when they open their bills this fall. Students at state schools with a locked-in tuition in the past are now vulnerable to a fluctuating economy because the state law does not guarantee a set tuition beyond four years unless a student’s academic program is designed for five or six years.

* 2 Illinois pols try to expand manufacturing tax break

“Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Rockford, and Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Chicago, are co-sponsoring a measure to accelerate a scheduled increase in an income tax deduction for domestic manufacturers.”

* ‘He cared about people his whole life’

* Family, politicians honor Stroger

* State centralizes job opportunities at new site

* Blagojevich renews efforts to keep F-16s in Springfield

* Plasma screens coming to ‘L’ car near you

* About 4,000 seniors have pre-registered for free transit rides

* Talking Transit

* Transit vote may have killed construction funds

* Tax refund anticipation loans are costly

* Former assistant state’s attorney faces discipline

* Rochelle voters to decide on home rule

* Weisner campaign rakes in more than $150,000