Morning Shorts
Monday, Mar 24, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* Stroger’s cousin gets 12% hike
* CTA to expand bus tracking system
Using the system, anyone with Internet access via a computer or hand-held personal digital assistant can determine the real-time location of buses on a route and also the expected arrival time at a specific bus stop.
* Chicago Children’s Museum ramps up effort to move to Grant Park
* Virginia sisters sell Illinois-shaped corn flake for $1,350 on eBay
* Fawell moved to halfway house
* Aurora crime at 22-year low
* Old State Capitol celebrates anniversary
Taking the building down, then reassembling the exterior around a modern framework while building a new interior wouldn’t be cheap. Kerner challenged Springfield to come up with $250,000. If citizens did that, he promised, he would ask the legislature for $1.6 million to finish the job. The fundraising started on June 4, 1964. The money was in the bank by the end of September.
* State mulls smoothies for 6th-graders
* Cyber bullies could face penalties
* The buzz over alcoholic energy drinks
* Law makes city unions easier
* Ryan, Blagojevich added to book on state governors
“It was more challenging writing about Blagojevich than Ryan,” Pensoneau added. “Ryan had full closure. With Blagojevich, we’ve got a long way to go.”
* Madigan’s office doesn’t back down from student’s FOIA request
* Lisa Madigan: ‘Sunshine laws’ work, but they must be strengthened
* Bernard Schoenburg: Dem county chairmen don’t want governor meddling
But one chairman who has heard the rumor that Blagojevich or his folks are trying to influence the selection of the new leader is JAY BRINEY of Havana, who heads Mason County Democrats.
* Hastert takes consulting post at Naperville firm
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has been hired as a consultant and strategic adviser for a Naperville-based firm that contributed to some of his congressional campaigns.
* For Weller’s seat, it’s sauce or cement
* County Democrats see hope in Foster’s victory
* Speculation about who might fill Obama’s Senate shoes
* Can a senator really fix our financial mess?
As the California real estate market sinks into the Pacific Ocean and the New York financial markets slip into the Hudson River, the American electorate is asking one crucial question: Which presidential candidate — John McCain, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton — is best equipped to float America’s economic boat?
* Former Romney campaign co-chair endorses Obama
- Crimefighter - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 9:20 am:
The Illinois Corn Flake –
It’s not the only one for sale, there’s also the Illinois Potato Chip:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2008/03/20/woman_sells_chip_on_ebay_to_help_ferret/2437/
- so-called "Austin Mayor" - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 10:23 am:
“Stroger’s cousin gets 12% hike”
Won’t some enterprising journalist find out how Todd Stroger’s sister, Yonnie “$99K-a-year” Clark, is making ends meet during this economic downturn?
– SCAM
so-called “Austin Mayor”
http://austinmayor.blogspot.com
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 11:06 am:
Great quotes from Doug Kmiec, who’s not just a former Mitt Romney co-chair, but served as White House counsel on Constitutional law to President Reagan and Bush the First:
“I believe him [Obama] to be a person of integrity, intelligence and genuine good will. I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides and to return United States to that company of nations committed to human rights. I do not know if his earlier life experience is sufficient for the challenges of the presidency that lie ahead. I doubt we know this about any of the men or women we might select.”
AND
“…as Republicans, we are first Americans. As Americans, we must voice our concerns for the well-being of our nation without partisanship when decisions that have been made endanger the body politic. Our president has involved our nation in a military engagement without sufficient justification or clear objective. In so doing, he has incurred both tragic loss of life and extraordinary debt jeopardizing the economy and the well-being of the average American citizen. In pursuit of these fatally flawed purposes, the office of the presidency, which it was once my privilege to defend in public office formally, has been distorted beyond its constitutional assignment.”
- Levois - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 11:13 am:
I want to get that book about Illinois Governors.
- The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 11:17 am:
It’s a good time to be a Stroger family member or friend..
- Hickory - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 11:19 am:
Illinois, Arizona and New York have only had one Senator in DC for months. Why change anything.
- chiatty - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 11:51 am:
One can speculate in a cynical fashion about whom the Gov would appoint to fill Obama’s seat, but if one looks at this from a dispassionate point of view, the following observations might be germane:
1. The person ought to be from “upstate” since Obama is a Chicagoan and Durbin is a downstater.
2. The person ought to be someone who is genuinely interested in running for a full term and who would be a legitimate statewide candidate.
3. Obama should have a voice in the selection.
4. Diversity would be a significant factor, but in light of the “race” speech by Obama, maybe he’d be happier with a white appointee.
With those considerations, one could look to the congressional delegation and think Jesse Jackson, Jr. or Jan Schakowsky. One could look to Illinois constitutional officers like Dan Hynes or Lisa Madigan.
I suppose there might be a State Rep or a State Senator who could fit the bill, but the name doesn’t come to mind.
If Obama does have input, I’d lean toward Dan Hynes because they’ve grown close in the past few years. If it’s just Rod’s decision, I’d lean toward Jesse Jackson, Jr. because it fits Rod’s penchant for a showy selection. Given the nature of the friction with Mike Madigan and given the fact that Lisa just had her second child, I don’t think she’ll get it. I have no idea, obviously, but it’s fun to speculate.
- Blue Girl - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 1:09 pm:
Mark Gately, Kane County Chairman, wants the County Chairman position really bad. He has been very tight with Blagojevich, and a thorn in Speaker Madigan’s side. He also has the powerful Mayor of Aurora backing him.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 1:37 pm:
Mark Guethle hasn’t been a thorn in anyone’s side, except Republicans.
Guethle has fought hard to elect Democrats in the suburbs, from the Illinois House all the way to the White House, and at every level of local office.
If Guethle is closely aligned with anyone, its Rep. Jack Franks (Guethle made a name for himself helping elect Franks in 1998, when nobody else thought he had a prayer), so calling him a Blagojevich ally is absurd.
- let's not jump the gun - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 2:18 pm:
we should not jump the gun on filling Obama’s Senate seat. A seat that he has yet to fill nor produce any work on behalf of Illinoisians………
- fed up - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 3:15 pm:
If obama wins blago(if he is still in office) should appoint jessie white to the senate and then make Hynes the Sec of State and combine the comptrollers ofc with the tresuriers ofc and claim to have saved the state money and eliminated overlapping jobs. This would mean that 2010 would be a wide open year for state elections
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 3:18 pm:
Gun Jumper –
Just what is it that you think Obama hasn’t done for Illinois that you think he should be doing?
Yeah, he’s missed votes in the U.S. Senate while he campaigns. But let’s be intellectually honest: nothing is going to shift overwhelmingly in Iraq or Washington D.C. as long as George Bush holds the veto pen.
That said, Obama’s passed ethics reform, fought for common-sense immigration reform, opposed torture, helped to secure loose nukes, reformed energy policy, expanding education, and improving health care for veterans. Not bad for a freshman Senator in the House of Lords, and alot more than Hillary or McCain have done this decade. Unless you consider invading Iraq to be an achievement.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 3:19 pm:
fed-up:
Jesse White has already said he’s not interested in the job and plans to run for re-election as SOS.
Try again.
- Snidely Whiplash - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 3:50 pm:
Hmmm … in an intertwined kind of manner, I’d like to ask: Why has everyone so conveniently forgotten Obama’s endorsement of Stroger????
- donna dunnings - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 4:39 pm:
todd stroger should get the senate appointment, it’s perfect for him and cook county
- new idea - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 4:43 pm:
If Obama wins, Rod should appoint Senator Kwame Raoul, he is doing a great job replacing Obama in the state senate!
- The Mad Hatter - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 4:54 pm:
I say we annoint Todd Stroger to take St. Barack’s place in the Senate should the latter win the nomination. It’s just the Peter Principle at work, and wouldn’t Irkl look positively statesmanlike as he made his way around Capitol Hill? The mental images boggle!
- Chicago Dem - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 5:24 pm:
Would Jr. want the appointment?…he doesn’t stand a chance of winning outside of his district when the time comes to run in the primary whne he would be up for re-election…he’s got way too much baggage for a statewide race…how about appointing Rhom Emmanuel?…but, then again, it may be too early to speculate and the exercise may be for naught…
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 5:52 pm:
…because there’s no guarantee Rod will still be Governor in January, 2009? Good point, Chicago Dem.
- fed up - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 6:14 pm:
YDD,
and barack said himself he wasnt interested in running for president, I believe he even made the point he was to inexperianced, politicans lie its in there blood.
- tomk - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 10:04 pm:
Guethle has been an outstandng ally to the Governor and ALL of our statewide dems. He’s not been one to get in the middle of dem fights and I have never heard that he was interested in this post.
He’s been busy. Since he took over as chairman, Kane County has picked up a congressman, 2 senators, a rep, additional countyboard members and a sheriff. As for Franks, I believe he feels like most union leaders do, disapointed. Blue Girl should not try to pretend she knows anything about a guy whose name she can’t even spell.
- tomk - Monday, Mar 24, 08 @ 10:05 pm:
Guethle has been an outstanding ally to the Governor and ALL of our statewide dems. He’s not been one to get in the middle of dem fights and I have never heard that he was interested in this post.
He’s been busy. Since he took over as chairman, Kane County has picked up a congressman, 2 senators, a rep, additional countyboard members and a sheriff. As for Franks, I believe he feels like most union leaders do, disapointed. Blue Girl should not try to pretend she knows anything about a guy whose name she can’t even spell.
- LineAce - Friday, Apr 11, 08 @ 1:22 am:
Your previous posts were real rubbish, but this is good. This one is brilliant. Your blog is getting really better.