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Bill Daley for guv?
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
*** 12:47 pm *** I’ve been telling subscribers for a week or so now that mayoral brother Bill Daley is considering a bid for governor in 2010. Mayor Daley was apparently asked about this possibility at a press conference today. Chicago Public Radio will have raw audio posted soon and I’ll have a link.
*** 12:58 pm *** The Sun-Times now has a Bill Daley story online…
On Tuesday, the mayor laughed out loud when asked whether he would like to see his younger brother in the governor’s mansion.
“I don’t know. It will be up to him if he makes that decision. He’s doing very well in the private sector. He was secretary of commerce under Bill Clinton. That would be up to him — not to me,” the mayor said. […]
“Bill would be good at anything that he does…He’s very dedicated and passionate about what he’s done — both in public and private life,” the mayor said.
Bill Daley could not be reached for comment. Asked last week whether he was exploring another race for governor, the mayor’s brother advised a Chicago Sun-Times reporter to “call me next year.” He said it was too soon to discuss the issue.
One caveat, the story claims I wrote that Bill Daley is reaching out to Downstate lobbyists. I wrote that he had spoken to lobbyists. I didn’t identify their regional base. They were Chicagoans.
*** 1:50 pm *** You can listen to Mayor Daley’s full press conference by clicking here.
*** 2:50 pm *** The governor sidestepped a question about a possible Bill Daley bid during his press conference today, saying “This is America. I think everyone should have an opportunity to run.”
*** 2:54 pm *** Asked whether he planned to run for reelection in 2010, the governor said he loves his job and has no reason to want to stop doing it.
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This just in… *** Guv’s plans outlined ***
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Bumped up for obvious reasons.]
* 10:05 am - We’re expecting some word on the governor’s budget decision later today. From a press release….
CHICAGO – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich will brief the media with an update on the status of the FY09 budget.
WHO: Governor Rod R. Blagojevich
WHAT: Gov Blagojevich holds media availability on FY09 budget.
WHEN: 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Governor’s Office JRTC, 16th Floor
[The Bill Daley post has been moved here to keep these issues separate.]
*** 1:14 pm *** No surprise, but the governor’s press conference has been moved back to 1:45 pm.
*** 1:17 pm *** This is mostly correct. From Fox Chicago…
Governor Rod Blagojevich plans to make a staggering $1.5 billion in cuts to the state budget lawmakers approved last month unless legislators step in with money to prevent them. […]
The governor will also try to use the cuts to pressure the House to soon send him two ideas that would spare more than $1 billion in the proposed cuts.
They are plans to borrowing money for pension funding and sweep money out of special state funds. Blagojevich doesn’t plan to call lawmakers back into special session right away.
He’ll urge the House to come back to pass the revenue ideas that will start being felt when the new budget year starts July First.
Blagojevich will urge the House to reconvene and pass the revenue generators and the capital plan by July 9th, which is when the Comptroller claims is the date that he won’t be able to pay bills. No special session yet.
*** 1:36 pm *** From the AP…
Blagojevich does not plan to call lawmakers back into special session right away but will urge the House to come back to town soon to prevent the cuts that will start being felt when the new budget year begins next Tuesday.
Blagojevich will make the reductions if no new revenue is passed, the aide said.
*** 1:38 pm *** So far, Mayor Daley has been publicly opposed to the governor’s capital plan because of the gaming component. He threw a tiny bit more cold water on it today…
Mayor Daley also said even if state lawmakers approved a Chicago casino, it would take 2 to 4 years to be constructed. Late last year, state lawmakers were talking about as a Chicago casino as a possible way to raise revenue for mass transit and other needs.
*** 1:50 pm *** You can listen to Mayor Daley’s full press conference by clicking here.
*** 2:03 pm *** Well, the guv’s presser was pushed back to 1:45 pm, and now it’s after two o’clock and he still hasn’t started. Comcast is coming over yet again to try and fix something they should’ve fixed weeks ago, so I’m beginning to worry about my Internet access. I’ll figure something out.
*** 2:08 pm *** OK, the press conference has finally begun and I told Comcast to come back tomorrow.
*** 2:12 pm *** The governor said he can’t sign the budget as is because it would be like signing a check he knows would bounce. He called on the House to pass the revenue generating bills (pension obligation bond and fund sweeps) that the Senate has already approved.
*** 2:14 pm *** Once again, he’s calling on the House to pass the capital construction package, which would allow him to free up about $600 million for the budget.
*** 2:18 pm *** The governor said he will be “forced to make a decision” if the House doesn’t act by July 9th, but hasn’t yet specified what that decision will be.
*** 2:24 pm *** The press release handed out to reporters makes no specific mention of the $1.5 billion in cuts…
[If the House doesn’t act] I will not allow the people of the state to be pushed into uncertainty by putting off tough decisions until later in the year, or asking
lawmakers to start from scratch at the last minute. Instead I’ll use my constitutional authority to match spending to available funds.
Reductions should not be made because they will mean pain and harm in most areas, including those where we worked hard to invest and make progress over the past few years.
*** 2:37 pm *** The guv said that ” lawmakers would be acting irresponsibly if they override the vetoes.”
He also blamed Speaker Madigan for refusing to participate in the budget discussions.
“I think the House Democrats should be honest with the people that they’re setting it up to sock it to them with a big income tax increase,” the governor said.
*** 2:39 pm *** More from the press release…
A lack of additional revenue would mean:
• Significant reductions in staffing throughout State government at agencies such as Department of Natural Resources, Department of Human Services, Department od Corrections, and others.
• Increased workload for DCFS caseworkers.
• A $110 million reduction in education spending.
• Nearly $260 million in reductions to social services programs. Over 100,000 individuals would see a reduction in services or access to community health and prevention services; 21,000 individuals with developmental disabilities living in the community would face reductions in service; mental health services and programs for individuals with developmental disabilities would be reduced; rates for foster parents would not increase.
• A $257 million reduction to economic development and transit. More than 100,000 workers will not receive job-skills training, and state support for RTA fare subsidies for students and people with disabilities would be eliminated.
• More than $600 million in healthcare reductions. This includes a $530 million Medicaid reduction resulting in healthcare providers such as hospital and pharmacies waiting an additional 20 days for payment from the State, on top of the 70 days they already wait; 20,000 outpatients would not receive service at Oak Forest Hospital; and up to 10,000 uninsured residents who are unaware of their HIV status would not be identified and linked to healthcare.
• More than $106 million in reductions to services for seniors and Veterans. Expansion of the Elder Abuse Line would not be funded, despite a 25 percent increase in calls to the line since its inception. An additional 40 bed expansion at the LaSalle Veteran’s Home would not open.
*** 2:44 pm *** The governor has left, but a budget spokesperson is still taking questions.
*** 3:01 pm *** The full press release can be seen by clicking here.
*** 3:05 pm *** The Tribbies have a piece up, but it’s mostly about the governor’s current options.
*** 3:53 pm *** Statement from Senate President Emil Jones…
“On May 31st the Illinois Senate passed a spending plan and sent the revenue bills (Senate Bill 788 and Senate Bill 790) to the Illinois House, in addition to a bipartisan capital plan (House Bills 6339, 1496, 2651, 4723, and 5618). The inaction of the Illinois House has put funding for vital programs at risk.
“I urge the House to work to pass the revenue bills sent to them by the Senate in order to avoid cuts to the spending plan that the Governor will be forced to make unless they take action. The House knew when it did not pass the revenue bills that they were playing a dangerous game in which the people of Illinois could lose.
“The solutions to the state’s challenges including passing a jobs program, balancing the State’s budget and providing funding for a well-constructed spending plan have all been addressed by the Senate and are all sitting in the House Rules Committee. These aren’t easy votes to make, but they are necessary to finish the people’s work.”
*** 4:03 pm *** Crain’s has Madigan react…
Mr. Madigan’s spokesman said there are “substantial defects” with each of the revenue measures favored by the governor. “Absent some effort to fix the defects, I can’t imagine the Legislature would go along.” […]
The governor also opened a new front in his war with the speaker, suggesting that Mr. Madigan is plotting to approve a big increase in the state income tax after the November election. […]
Mr. Madigan’s spokesman said the speaker does not have plans to push an income tax hike shortly after the November election.
*** 5:52 pm *** More from Madigan’s spokesperson…
A spokesman for House Democrats responded to the governor’s assertions, saying that speaker Mike Madigan does not have a plan to raise taxes “not this year, not next year.”
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Regardless of the complete lack of direction from the Illinois Constitution, what do you think should be the minimum standards for impeachment of a sitting governor?
Try not to focus in on the current governor, please. Keep it general. I’m not interested in an endless rehash of grievances. Thanks.
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Quote of the week
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Actually, it’s two quotes, both by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn during an interview by Bob Reed…
Q: Let’s consider this: Obama wins the presidency. The governor has to appoint a new senator. Would he name you?
QUINN: Well, it would be snowing in Hell. If it were up to me, I’d rather the governor appoint himself, and we could get a fresh start in Illinois . I think enough people on the Democrat and the Republican sides would say, “Hallelujah.”
Q: Would you make a good governor?
QUINN: I know I could get people in the huddle, and we’d come up with a play that everyone would carry out.
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Heckuva job? Maybe not
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Associated Press gave FEMA a glowing review yesterday…
Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina turned the Federal Emergency Management Agency into a punchline, many homeowners, politicians and community leaders in the flood-stricken Midwest say that so far, the agency is doing a heckuva job — and they mean it.
* Oh, really?
As their neighbors across the river begin to recover from the disastrous Flood of 2008, displaced Illinois residents are expressing frustration with the lack of assistance coming their way.
More than 10 days since Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich made a state declaration, residents are still awaiting the presidential disaster proclamation already given to more than 70 Iowa counties.
“We were totally misled, totally misinformed and completely ignored by this government,” said Anna Patton, Gulfport, Ill. “We’re not asking them to dig in their billfold. We’re just asking them to dig into our pot that we put the money in.”
* As I’ve told you before, the governor may be too optimistic about federal help…
“Every time we’ve asked President Bush for federal disaster relief … they’ve always complied,” Blagojevich said. “I have no reason to think they’ll do anything but what they’ve done in the past.”
That’s just not true. And if the past is any measure, then the governor needs to be a lot more vigorous in pushing the feds to act. Happy talk ain’t gonna do it.
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All Kids and AFSCME
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times continues its high-profile push to sign families up for the governor’s All Kids program in a big editorial today…
We’re pleased that 1,217 additional children joined the rolls of All Kids during Saturday’s daylong enrollment drive sponsored by Resurrection Health Care and the Chicago Sun-Times. We couldn’t have achieved our goal of signing up at least 1,000 kids without nearly 400 volunteers at more than 40 enrollment centers. These caring individuals dedicated space and volunteered time to help families fill out insurance paperwork to gain access to modestly priced insurance.
Aside from the journalistic integrity question, that’s a pretty big ratio of volunteers to enrollees - roughly one volunteer for every three kids enrolled in the insurance plan.
Getting kids signed up for insurance is a good thing, even though the All Kids plan has its downsides, including the problem of specialists not signing up to treat the patients. We also don’t know how many of those 1,217 children actually qualify, so it’s tough to accurately measure the drive’s success.
And why the Sun-Times editorial page would associate itself with a governor who is under at least nine separate federal investigations is just beyond me, but I suppose “good works” outweighs the rest.
* But while the governor and a major Chicago PR firm tout their success at helping kids in the Sun-Times, the Blagojevich administration is asking for huge concessions from the state’s largest labor union. That union turned out thousands of workers yesterday in Springfield to protest the lack of a new contract…
AFSCME called for the rally and a noontime march through downtown Springfield to draw attention to what the union feels is an unfair contract offer from the Blagojevich administration. State negotiators want AFSCME workers to pay more for health insurance premiums, co-payments and pensions without offering salary increases as compensation, union leaders said. […]
Under the state’s offer, health insurance premiums would increase by 50 percent and co-payments would go up 75 percent for some union employees, Bayer said, at a time that costs of gasoline, utilities and food also are on the rise.
* Lots of folks have little use for state workers, but many of them do jobs that most of us wouldn’t touch, like working in a prison or a facility for the criminally insane or caring for aging veterans. A flood of early retirements at the start of the Blagojevich administration has meant more work for fewer people, so mandatory overtime is taking a toll.
I’ve found over the years that the knee-jerk reaction that all state workers are lazy and overpaid is often just misplaced jealousy, or ideologically motivated, or ill-informed cynicism. My uncle, for instance, worked for the state until he took advantage of the early out plan, and I’m here to tell you that the man worked hard just about every day of his career. My mother at one time was a social worker at a facility for the criminally insane. Not a great job.
* I also have a tough time with this “race to the bottom mentality” out there. To some, we should just cut their pay, cut their benefits and slash payroll ever deeper, to mirror some real or imagined private sector trend. They say this as if it’s supposed to be a good thing, but how is making the lot of working people worse off a good thing?
“But they’re sucking off my taxes!” is often the reply. Well, we have one of the lowest state income tax rates in the country. State sales taxes aren’t hugely out of line. And state payroll per capita is by far the lowest in the nation.
* More from the rally…
Local union leaders and members gathered at the Capitol wearing green T-shirts and waving signs that said, “Governor, don’t cut our health care.” Marion Murphy, caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services, AFSCME Local 2806, is on the bargaining committee and spoke during the rally. She cited Blagojevich’s priority to ensure all residents can access quality and affordable health care. “But I guess he forgot about us,” she said. “Why should we be left out in the cold? He’s got the All Kids program, but what about our kids?”
* One thing rarely mentioned in articles like these is that AFSCME refused to endorse any gubernatorial candidate in 2006, after being knocked around by the administration following its 2002 endorsement. The union also enraged the Senate Democrats by putting up candidates.
So, it’s definitely political payback time.
* There are, of course, fiscal considerations. Health care and pension costs are out of control, and if they aren’t somehow reined in a more drastic alternative may have to be implemented down the road. The budget is broken, full of gaping holes and insufficient to finance much of a pay raise.
Still, the governor was elected on a promise not to “balance the budget on the backs of working men and women,” a pledge he has made time and time again since then. Apparently, AFSCME is exempt.
Thoughts?
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Rep. Watson
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As I told subscribers this morning, “Lawmakers with Mark McDonald,” produced by Springfield’s PBS station WSEC-TV has an interview with Illinois state Rep. Jim Watson, who is currently stationed in Iraq. Here it is…
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Monday flood reports
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’re expecting a crest today, so there will be no rest for the weary…
Emergency crews are working on and keeping a close eye on a 52-mile levee along the Mississippi River near Quincy.
Officials with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency say National Guardsmen, prison inmates and others continue to sandbag the Sny levee. They say workers are also using a bulldozer to push the base of the levee to make it higher.
IEMA spokeswoman Patti Thompson says the levee is expected to crest Monday or Tuesday. She says crews will remain at the levee after it crests to make sure it holds.
* The Quincy Pundit points to some posts about what happens to sandbags after the flood passes
* While sandbaggers work, the governor’s office continues to try and link the flooding to the capital bill…
“These floods are causing extensive economic and physical damage to areas of our state,” said spokeswoman Kelley Quinn. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to pass a capital bill — a comprehensive plan that would not only put people to work, but fix our roads and bridges.”
* Same article, very next paragraph, …
The state might end up helping individual communities back on their feet financially but those dollars probably won’t be added to the capital program, said Marcelyn Love, spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources.
* The AP points out the obvious political advantages to “Flood Week”…
The floods that have devastated the Midwest couldn’t have come at a politically better time for Blagojevich. After months of staying mostly out of public view, the governor has spent the week touring flood-ravaged areas and lobbying for relief for homeowners, businesses and communities.
* Aaron Chambers asks, “Will the great flood of 2008 save Rod Blagojevich’s political career?” No…
It’s doubtful, given the Illinois governor’s extreme unpopularity (his popularity rating neared 13 percent in recent months) and his ongoing troubles (continuing federal probe of his administration, talk about possible impeachment and his fundamental difficulty with managing state government).
* Related…
* Illinois Farm Bureau Flooding Google Map, Photos
* Flood of 2008: Help is on the way
* Flood of 2008: River levels still falling
* Flood of 2008: Hundreds attend Red Cross picnic
* Forecaster: End is near to Mississippi River rise
* No rest for weary on levees as battle against river rages
* Crews keep working at Sny levee, south of Quincy
* Farmers express frustrations, concerns to Corps of Engineers leader
* Corn falls as dry weather expected in Midwest
* Animals from flood-soaked river bottoms find home at Adams County Fairgrounds
* Photos of the Week: June 16 - 22, 2008
* Two 500-Year Floods Within 15 Years: What are the Odds?
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Question of the day
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
Kristen Williams doesn’t normally make a habit of breaking the law.
But the 17-year-old admits she hasn’t been following the statewide teen curfew.
“I guess if (police) were to really start cracking down and ticketing, I would have to start following the law,” said Williams, a Limestone Community High School student. “But as of right now, being home before 10 or 11 (p.m.) really just isn’t appealing to me.”
Illinois’ new curfew law, which went into effect about six months ago, says teens 17 and younger can’t be driving past 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and past 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. During the school year, the curfew is easier for teens to follow. But now that summer has arrived and weekdays blend into weekends, Williams isn’t making any plans to start following curfew.
* The question: Is this a sound statewide law? Explain.
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Advocacy journalism
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You have to make sure to closely read stories like this…
Marlon Pendleton walked out of an Illinois prison a hopeful man after more than a decade locked up for a rape he did not commit.
Cleared by DNA evidence, he sought a pardon from the governor and about $140,000 in automatic state compensation. Two years later, he’s still waiting, his optimism frayed by poverty that has him sleeping on his sister’s couch in Indiana.
“They say once you pay your debt to society, it’s over,” said Pendleton, his voice bristling with anger. “But I didn’t even owe a debt to society, and I paid it, and it’s not over.”
* It’s indeed odd that the governor seems to be procrastinating so much on pardons and clemencies, particularly when he can expedite a politically expedient pardon for Rev. Jesse Jackson.
However, after reading 952 words of the Trib’s story, we get this nugget…
But Pendleton’s case isn’t clear-cut. In addition to the 1992 rape for which he was exonerated, he was convicted in 1994 in a separate sexual assault. Pendleton was convicted after the victim identified him as the attacker in a police lineup.
Pendleton claims he’s innocent on that one, too, but there’s no DNA evidence so it’s fairly easy to see why Blagojevich has been reluctant to use his pardoning powers with this particular case.
* We’ve talked about this before, but the Sun-Times has really crossed the line on this one…
The state’s All Kids insurance program for children now has more than 1,200 new applicants.
On Saturday, hundreds of volunteers at locations throughout the city and suburbs processed 1,217 applications for All Kids, exceeding the goal of the 1,000 Healthy Kids & Families campaign sponsored by Resurrection Health Care and the Chicago Sun-Times.
No mention of the well-known defects in the All Kids program (difficulty signing up specialists, for instance), and no mention of the political firestorm surrounding the governor’s numerous health care expansion plans. Just pure PR.
Resurrection Health Care’s PR firm is the Haymarket Group. The firm’s principals meet often with Sun-Times honchos to pitch ideas during notoriously long lunches at Gene & Giorgetti’s. This looks like a Haymarket special.
* They even had a gimmick to promote the plan, duly noted in the Sun-Times…
Gov. Blagojevich is promising a free $50 gas card for the first 1,000 families that enroll at least one child in the state’s All Kids insurance program today as part of the “1,000 Healthy Kids and Families” campaign.
* OneMan sardonically notes…
Any bets on if the cards have Rod’s name on them? Looking forward to what other state programs will give you incentives for participating.
If nothing else what does this say about us as a society when we have to offer a gas card to get people to sign their kids up for a state child health program or what does this say about our governor?
* Meanwhile, speaking of advocacy journalism…
The Huffington Post is planning to expand into local news across the US, founder Arianna Huffington said last night, beginning with a site edited for the community of Chicago.
Huffington said the Chicago site would aggregate news, sports, crime, arts and business news from different local sources as well as contributions from bloggers in what will be the first of a series of projects in “dozens of US cities”. The Chicago site will initially be curated by just one editor.
“We are aspiring to be a newspaper in that we want to covering all news, not just the political blogging the way we began,” said Huffington, speaking at Guardian News & Media’s internal Future of Journalism conference.
Competition is good, but Chicago is a very tough market. Chicagoans prefer the familiar, which is why we’ve seen the same old faces on our teevees for decades.
It’s also a highly complicated political environment. Newbies are routinely eaten alive.
Still, it’s a big market so there’s plenty of room for another publication. I think it’s an exciting development. Thoughts?
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Impeachment roundup
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* After saying for weeks that he had nothing but “love in my heart” for everybody, Gov. Rod Blagojevich finally let fly on Speaker Madigan over the weekend…
“I just think it’s the same old kind of politics that he’s been playing,” Blagojevich said. “It’s unfortunate that he wants to hide behind impeachment memos where he is directing his candidates to essentially lie to the public about their role in things when we have so many big issues that we need to take care of, especially getting the jobs bill, the capital bill, passed…. That’s where the focus ought to be.” […]
“He can do as many impeachment memos as he wants, and if he wants to spend his time doing that, that’s his choice,” Blagojevich said. “But we sure would like him to start coming to some meetings, which he has not done, so we can pass this jobs bill that passed the Senate with bipartisan support. You know, it’s really unfortunate, we want him back.” […]
“We have a $2 billion budget deficit that Speaker Madigan is largely responsible for, because unlike the state Senate, which increased spending (but) also has revenue to pay for it, the House failed to provide the revenue for the spending,” the governor said.
* But others are warning the governor to tread carefully this summer…
“No good can come out of hitting the red button that launches the nuclear warheads,” said Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston). “Any hint of last year’s conflict would definitely be the tripwire for a far more explosive situation.”
* Even so, House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie tried to throw some cold water on the whole idea…
“Though some might not like his style of governing, I don’t think what we’ve seen, in my mind, rises to the level of an impeachable offense,” said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), a frequent Blagojevich critic.
* Springfield Republican state Senator Larry Bomke backs impeachment, but somehow manages to trust him on the capital plan…
My differences with the governor don’t mean I don’t support a capital plan,” said Bomke, who voted for the plan in the Senate.
* The SouthtownStar’s Tom Houlihan thinks impeachment might backfire, despite a recent poll showing a majority want the process to begin…
Personally, I think impeachment might accomplish the impossible. It could turn Blagojevich into a sympathetic figure. With his approval ratings hovering about 25 percent, many Illinois residents want this governor to just go away, which is why that unsuccessful recall initiative sounded like a such good idea. In the aftermath of super-insider Tony Rezko’s federal conviction - and criminal proceedings against other Blagojevich cronies - it’s entirely possible the governor is under investigation. But we don’t know that for sure. Without criminal charges, I’m not sure what an impeachment attempt would accomplish.
* Related…
* Governor’s cheerleader jumps off out-of-control train
* Governor Aspirants Seek Role as “Tumor Remover”
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Somebody finally notices
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Buried way down deep in this budget article is a key item that’s been missing from most reportage about the two revenue streams (pension obligation bond and special funds sweeps) that the Senate has passed and the House has not yet voted on…
Madigan isn’t the only dissenter. Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, said he opposes both ideas and Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, said he doubts the bills have a chance in the House even if Madigan allows a vote on them.
“I don’t think those revenue measures would pass if they called them,” Leitch said.
Leitch is correct. The two revenue bills will require extraordinary majorities now that we’re in June. The Republicans don’t have any votes for either of them, yet nobody seems to want to report this.
* From the same story…
A total veto, though, would also leave the state without a budget, and that could threaten a shutdown of state services if there is a protracted stalemate. It could also alienate Jones, one of the few consistent allies Blagojevich has in the General Assembly.
“We’re trying to encourage the governor not to veto the spending plan,” Davidsmeyer said.
A total veto also could put Senate Democrats in a politically embarrassing situation over pay raises. If the Senate meets four more times, scheduled pay raises will automatically take effect unless the Senate votes to reject them. A total budget veto could force the Senate to be in session for those days, with public pressure mounting on the chamber to reject the raises.
Those are both things that I’ve been stressing to subscribers for weeks. Jones doesn’t want to come back to town for any length of time, and neither do his members. The lack of a Sente backstop has been frustrating for the governor.
* As I think I’ve mentioned before, Doug Finke’s Sunday column is a good window on the Statehouse press room groupthink…
For a couple of weeks now, the Blagojevich administration has been organizing dog and pony shows around the state to pump up support for the capital bill. They generally star Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, Blagojevich’s floor leader in the House, and a bunch of local lawmakers from both parties to show that there is bipartisan support for the plan. Toss in some local labor leaders and some local mayors or other elected officials for good measure. Then dangle in front of the cameras a long list of projects that could (repeat, could) be done in the area if a capital bill passes, and let the show begin.
It was the Springfield area’s turn last week. The site was Breckenridge, a tiny community along Illinois Route 29 between Springfield and Taylorville. Why there? Because that’s where the highway is still only two lanes, and the capital plan, naturally, promises to make it four lanes. Well, at least the news release promised that, and as you may be aware, a news release from the governor’s office is pretty much an iron-clad legal document.
These stunts are a continuation of the tactics used by Blagojevich before. Run around the state promoting some program or other and expect that to make Madigan and other lawmakers cave into the pressure. Hasn’t worked before, and there’s no reason to think it will now.
If Finke is once again reflective of the press room conventional wisdom, then that general attitude among Statehouse reporters about these publicity stunts will eventually work their way up to editorial boards and to local reporters who are covering these events. We’ll see.
* Related…
* Spin, frustration, talk … just another day for Gov. Blagojevich
* Illinois government failing, religious leaders say
* The coming state and municipal financial crisis
* Study urges wariness of state gambling revenue: “People don’t have as much discretionary income,” O’Shea said. “It’s going into their gas tanks.”
* Illinois: Paving with I-O-Us
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Sandoval plays footsie with McCain
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My syndicated newspaper column for this week…
Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) was one of just a tiny handful of Illinois Democratic state legislators who backed Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid instead of local favorite Barack Obama.
Sandoval’s district and most of the Chicago area’s Latino precincts went for Clinton in the February primary, so it probably was a smart move. Plus, Sandoval has been engaged in a full-blown Statehouse war with Senate President Emil Jones for well more than a year, so backing Clinton against Jones’ political Godson had its “stick in the eye” advantages.
Unsurprisingly, Clinton’s defeat hasn’t automatically put Sandoval in the Obama camp.
Sandoval met privately with Republican presidential candidate John McCain last week, and he told The Associated Press the next day he was leaving open the possibility of endorsing the man.
Sandoval told me last week the meeting went well and said McCain promised to be an advocate for Latino issues. McCain, Sandoval said, did not ask him for an endorsement, but did ask that they continue to meet, which Sandoval agreed to do.
McCain also apparently was aware Sandoval was on the outs with many of his Senate Democratic colleagues because of the fight with Jones, and McCain used that division to his advantage during the meeting.
Immigration reform has been a political problem for McCain. His push last year for a bipartisan solution to the situation earned him heaps of scorn from the right wing of his party and just about killed off his candidacy. He started to gain ground about the time he flipped a bit on the issue.
McCain reminded Sandoval that the last president to do anything major about immigration reform was a Republican, Ronald Reagan. Sandoval claimed McCain told him that the immigration issue would be “one of the hallmarks of my presidency.” Reagan’s immigration policy included an amnesty program for those here illegally, but McCain never uttered the “A” word.
“I’m a Democrat, but I’m not wedded to any political party,” Sandoval told me. “You need to reach out to us, meet with us, make us part of the strategy. If that’s not there, then I’m not with them,” he said of Obama’s campaign.
Sandoval dismissed a recent poll of 800 Latino voters in 21 states that showed Obama with a huge 60-23 lead over McCain, claiming the numbers would be a lot closer once Latino voters were in the privacy of the voting booth.
Sandoval also dismissed Obama’s recent hiring of Chicago Latina leader Patti Solis Doyle, who was forced out of the Clinton campaign after several missteps.
If hiring Doyle, the sister of a Chicago alderman, is Obama’s “gesture to the community,” Sandoval said, that won’t be nearly enough. Obama, he said, “needs to reach out to Latino community leaders, people like myself, and have a dialogue.”
Doyle’s brother, 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis, teamed up with Ald. Manny Flores a couple of years ago to back a primary candidate against Sandoval, which probably explains Sandoval’s harsh attitude toward Doyle (Clinton’s personal touch likely overcame this problem for Sandoval). Sandoval has been a longtime supporter of the now largely invisible but still existent Hispanic Democratic Organization, and Solis has been at war with the HDO for the past few years.
There’s little doubt McCain would love to have a Democratic legislator from Obama’s home state on his campaign team. The propaganda advantages would be enormous, regardless of the reasons for Sandoval’s defection.
Right now though, Sandoval still is hesitant to make the big move, while blatantly telegraphing his message to Obama that his needs ought to be considered.
Sandoval’s flirtation with McCain while his hand is stretched outward (palms up) toward Obama isn’t a particularly new thing in politics. It’s as old as politics.
But it’s a marvelous confluence of opportunities for Sandoval. He can help himself either way he chooses. He can be the shining star of McCain’s Latino outreach effort or secure some influence within the Obama campaign, while sticking it to his nemesis Jones yet again no matter what he does.
Cynical? Yep. Opportunistic? Oh, yeah. But that’s hardball politics, my friends.
Come to think of it, there is one downside. The Obama campaign could dirty Sandoval up in an effort to make him too radioactive for McCain. That would be the “Chicago Way.”
We’ll see how it goes.
* Related…
* A McCain flip-flop on immigration?
* Analysis: McCain hampered by campaign missteps: The following day, he met with a group of Hispanics in Chicago. Aides who had kept word of the event secret were placed on the defensive within hours after one participant criticized some of McCain’s comments.
* McCain meets with Hispanic leaders
* The piece that started it all: Juan McCain and Illinois Hispanics
* Nader says he’ll get on Illinois presidential ballot
* Vice Is Nice
41 Comments
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Morning Shorts
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* Campers surprised by fee hikes
* Brown: Wide reach of mortgage crisis hits home
* 1,000-plus people show up for giant ‘Save Pontiac Prison’ photo
* Bear Stearns Fund Prosecutors Reveal `Lot of Evidence’ of Fraud
* Bear Stearns Illinois Background…
* Firm with a past gets state biz
* Donor to gov reaps state contracts
* Obscure Board Spawns Illinois’ Biggest Scandal
* For civil unions
* Mississippi River level rises beyond forecasts
* Could flooding’s bite be felt all summer long?
However, Szyska, along with the Illinois Department of Public Health, warn that climbing temperatures combined with stagnant water left behind by flooding and heavy rains create ideal mosquito breeding conditions, particularly for the Culex species that’s the most common West Nile carrier.
* Gov. Blagojevich declares Monroe, Randolph and Whiteside counties state disaster areas for flooding
* Governor’s flood-area tour boosts image
* Aging levee poses threat to impoverished city
* River reclaims its natural floodplain
* Freedom for Bacino: ‘Whether We Like It Or Not’
* Stroger, banking on Palatine
But Cook County residents who want this tax hike repealed, and who want a government more efficient than the mess that Stroger’s Friends and Family Plan of nepotism and patronage tolerates, ought to spend more time plotting their election strategy for 2010 and less time imagining secession.
* A truth check on Stroger
* Daley urges NU grads to stick to ideals, promotes 2016
* Future city workers could lose out on lush pension plan
Newly hired employees would shift to the 401(k) plans favored by private industry — instead of the “defined benefits” enjoyed by their older co-workers — under a plan being pushed by the head of Mayor Daley’s pension reform commission.
* The disinfection debate: How clean should the Chicago River be?
* The Decline of Chicago: The City that Doesn’t Work
* Want that 7% property tax cap? Apply by June 30
* Ameren execs change minds about charging customers for consultant expenses
* Drilling for Oil Independence and Lower Gas Prices?
* Great Lakes drilling an idea to be delved
* Sears Tower tenants mull moves
* Wallace opposes Peotone airport
* Illinois lawmakers see world on others’ tab
Members of the Illinois congressional delegation — including two who announced their retirement — have reported nearly $157,000 in travel expenses picked up by taxpayers or private sponsors since last year, according to an Associated Press review.
* Taxpayers pay $20,000 for Hastert travels
* Durbin joins fight against pest
* Halvorson, Jackson clash on airport
* Hearing Is ‘Wake-up Call’ for Horse Racing Industry
* New Lenox 122: Hire me. Please.
* Few county school districts screen all new hires for drugs
* The coming state and municipal financial crisis
12 Comments
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