* Earlier this week, Carol Marin interviewed Sen. Dick Durbin on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight…
“Is [Gov. Blagojevich] talking to you now, are you talking to him?” Marin asked.
“No,” said Durbin. “We have, maybe, once every two or three months he’ll call about something and I’m there to take the calls, but we have not had a close relationship.”
The two went on to talk about the stalled capital plan, and Durbin bitterly complained about the Springfield gridlock. [Hat tip: PI]
* Last night, Marin had a devastating take-down of Blagojevich’s “pay to play” politics on NBC 5, which isn’t yet online.
*** UPDATE *** Marin’s NBC 5 report is now online….
Marin wanted to take a closer look at who was giving and who was getting, so she looked at just one day in the governor’s fundraising life: June 17, 2008.
That night, at an unpublicized fundraiser, the governor’s campaign took in nearly $167,000. Of that total, $102,000 — about 60 percent — came from companies doing business with the state. On this day, they were mostly engineering firms.
“I think that we’ve seen a lot of trumped up contracts,” Canary said.
That night, 23 companies that have state contracts gave money to the governor.
Remember Dudley Do-Right? The jut-jawed Canadian Mountie cartoon character on “Rocky and His Friends” and later, the subject of a 1999 Sarah Jessica Parker movie?
Dudley Do-Right had lots of hair and always got his man despite the cunning Snidely Whiplash’s efforts to do him in.
Gov. Blagojevich, as a Monday press conference proved, is now close to becoming that cartoon.
Asked by WTTW “Chicago Tonight” reporter Rich Samuels if he was going to sign the ethics bill that’s languishing on his desk, the governor declared he might take his amendatory veto pen to the legislation. With the slash of his mighty amendatory sword and the help of a goofy new slogan, Blago boldly declared he will, “Rewrite to Do Right.”
As state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) acidly told Samuels, when the General Assembly unanimously passed the measure out of both houses, lawmakers viewed the governor’s desk as a “final destination, not a suggestion box.” […]
But the governor needs to give up the games, abandon the “Rewrite to Do Right” nonsense, and sign the ethics bill before he walks into the special session he’s called for next week.
Say what you will about Dudley Do-Right being just a cartoon. At the end of the day, he got the job done.
And some people think I’m busy.
Discuss.
* Related…
* Tribune: Blagojevich should try a novel approach—stop sloganeering and just sign the ethics bill. That would help to build legislators’ trust in him, and build the public’s trust in the whole bunch in Springfield. Just sign it.
* Illinois ethics bill still awaits governor’s signature: Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, a top House official who was in on the talks, said last week that such a move might soften some opposition to the plan, but she stopped short of agreeing to it. “One of the concerns is whether the governor is looking for a capital plan as a way of rewarding his friends,” she said. “Whether (signing the ethics bill) is enough to solve the problem of trust, I don’t know, but it’s a good first step.”
* Radogno: Blagojevich seems to think he’s ‘king’: Radogno said Blagojevich is egging on lawmakers he has feuded with by changing bills. She said it would be a misuse of authority if Blagojevich makes wholesale changes to bills that lawmakers didn’t intend when they passed them.
* State needs law against ‘pay to play’ now more than ever
* Frank Watson: There’s been some misinterpretation of what I’ve said. There was an editorial in the Champaign News-Gazette saying that I was tying this to the capital bill. That’s not what I said at the meeting at all. I said it’s the ethics concern that [the Senate Republicans] have, and I said [Blagojevich] ought to sign House Bill 824, and that would end some of the ethics concerns that we in the Senate have. I’m not tying ethics to capital. That’s what he said. He said he would sign the ethics bill if the capital bill passed. I said, ‘You ought to sign it now and put that issue behind us.’
BAsed on the content of this clip, shouldnt she be focusing on why the capitol bill isnt moving and what impact that will have on future federal transportation funding? It seems like this is the most serious issue that would deserve attention when you havethe state’s senior senator in your studio for an interview. Her insistence on pounding away at blagojevich demonstrates the fact that she doesnt care to investigate, but ratrher to castigate. Some day we’ll look back at this and wonder why we focused so much on the governor while our roads, bridges, and schools crumble. Why did we let our government off the hook?
There’s simply no impetus for Blagojevich to sign HB 824. He’s hit rock bottom, and likely needs the campaign contributions to pay his attorneys in advance of criminal indictments. The people despise him, and his colleagues don’t trust him. The only friends he’s left are the contractors looking for jobs. He’s a man with little, if anything, left to lose - so why not fill the vault with as much cash as possible for the impending rainy day?
Hey, guess what?
The Governor will use his amendatory veto power to improve access to healthcare in Illinois today, but which bill does not go far enough?
The problem is you need the house and the Senate to overide the Gov’s “re-writes”. The Gov is basically promising to violate the seperation of powers created by our consitution and undertake the authority given only to the legislative branch to create law. BUT if Jones does not call the Gov’s “re-writes” up for a vote, then they effectively become law.
Here is a good place for a con-con measure. How about changing the constitution so that a veto by the Gov is automaticcaly over riiden if it is not called for a veto ovveride vote within x days. No more letting vetos become effective by Jones sitting on the veto override votes.
Basically the Gov is telling the legisalture that he is going to take any Bill they send him and create his own law, thus they can not send him any bills.
Lets take this re-write slogan to its realistic concsuion. Picture if you will a shiny new capital plan with all kinds of built in safe guards reuiring money to be spent on designated projects, requiring the release of those funds etc. i.e. a capital bill with provisions that keeps the gov from abusing his authority over the money to continue pay to play schemes or to blackmail legislative members in order to get release of funds. No imagine the Gov decides to re-write all those mandates on spending for projects and release of funds to take away those preventive members and return to himself full control and discretion over the 25 billion. Remeber the protections passed by the legislature are only good if they remain in the bill. Those provisions get removed by the Gov, thus completely negating the legislative intent to protect the capital bill. The Gov promises Jones billions for whatever Jones wants funded in exhcnage for not calling those vetos up. Or alternatively the Gov promises large chunks of that 25 billion to certain senate memebers to guarntee his veto removal of safeguards can not be over ridden. The Governors promise to rewrite bills means no capital bill can ever be passed, the Gov has just promised to remove any safeguards that may be placed, and this should stirke fear in the heart of every republican calling for the capital bill, Poshard, and every elected Dem who wants to hold their job. The Gov just promised to remive any attempts to limit his control of the capital plan by rewriting the bill.
No bill should ever pass while the Gov is in office. The Govs threat to usurp legislative authority shoudl send chills through all lawmakers who the Gov is now rendering meaningless. Impeach now. No capital plan ever while this re-writer of law is in power and backed by Jones. ANd since Jones word has no meaning, that means the only safe approach to a capital bill is to not pass one while Blago is Gov.
- He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:00 am:
If the Gov office was engaged in the process at the beginning and help draft the bills, they would not have to Re-write the bills.
These will go to the Courts to decide whether he is overstepping his authority, which I expect them to rule he is.
The ethics “deadlock” is an A-1 reason why we need a con-con. Period. If anything else is a bad reason to have a con-con - cost, uncertainty, length - the pure need for ethics and campaign contribution reform outweighs all detriments.
We don’t need a “comprehensive” capital plan to receive gobs of matching federal funds. We need spending plans that are feasible and have tried and true revenue generators.
A couple of things:
1.) If he hasn’t already, Sauerberg and his staff need to study how Dick “Let’s be honest” Durbin answers questions. Marin punctured his balloons a number of times, but as a journalist, couldn’t score points after doing so. Sauerberg will need to approach Durbin knowing how buttery smooth his bloviating style keeps Dick “Let’s be honest” Durbin looking good. And speaking of Durbin, let’s take his oft-repeated debating twist of “let’s be honest” and be honest - Durbin has had too easy a ride in this campaign. Perhaps Sauerberg can’t take Durbin down, but he could at least demand less nuanced puffery from Illinois’ own Care Bear senator by exposing the Senator to real dialog and demanding real answers.
2.) Blagojevich is a mess, and we all know it. He has been a mess for years. Yet we have seen the Illinois Democratic Party make a Faustian Bargain by supporting his re-nomination and re-election. After years of this party’s two-faced claims to reform this corrupted state government, it should be clear to all that the Illinois Democratic Party has no interest in delivering it’s oft-promised mandate.
Do you see any push to get this guy out of office? We depend on our parties to self-clean and to remove buffoons from the nominating process. Instead they have accommodated him, begged him, and capitulated to Blagojevich’s chaotic administration. Madigan has been the only person effectively countering this destructive governor, and in turn, making himself political fodder for spineless Democrats unwilling or hiding to demand that Blagojevich deliver or be removed from office. The Illinois Democratic Party has failed Illinoians by refusing to defuse their party’s own governor. They selected him, they supported him, they fed his ego, and they helped create this monster. Voters need to remember this November that the Illinois Democratic Party has been party to our neverending governmental disaster.
By putting the heat on the Democrats for their own governor, perhaps we may finally see them reign him in and put him in his place. The Democrats have become too complacent in their political power trip in this state and it is time for all voters to remind them that they can be replaced.
3.) Finally, remind me once again why we shouldn’t do our civic duty and call a constitutional convention. Remind me again on how good we have it in Illinois by putting concentrated power into the hands of a handfull of career politicians and a drama queen. Remind me again of how well our educational system is funded and how low our property taxes are. Remind me again on how progressive our government is in rebuilding Illinois’ infastructure and attracting new business. I, and millions of other Illinoians, need to be reminded because we don’t see any of these things. And we are angry!
P.S. Tom Cross, get off your duff and start reflecting the anger we have against this administration and government or you will not be whom we wish to see heading a reformed one. Time to get angry sir, and show us that you have had enough too!
The federal government shouldn’t give matching funds to any other government. Some tax money that, is earned in Illinois, is sent to Washington, DC, and is returned to Illinois. Some money that is earned in Illinois is sent to Washington, DC, and is later sent to the governments of many other states and cities, although few Illinois residents will benefit from that spending. Each year, the federal government gives about $350 billion (about 8% of the federal budget), to state and local governments. Congress should eliminate that spending and pass an across-the-board 8% tax rate cut. Each state and local government could change their tax rates, to ensure that they receive enough money.
Ghost — an amendatory veto has to be approved by a majority of both houses to become law. A line-item or reduction veto to an appropriation becomes law unless overridden. So an amendatory veto of the ethics bill will have to be voted on by the Senate or it’s treated as a vetoed bill.
- Captain America - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:41 am:
Unfortunately, It appears our Governor is Dudley -Do-Wrong. Just do the right thing Governor A and sign the ethics/anti-pay-to-play bill now!
…..just rename ‘Illinois’ to ‘Political Farce, USA’ ?
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 11:41 am:
The biggest scum bags in this country are the pay day loan predators. They take the last cent from the working poor and leave them hungry and struggling to survive.
How is this even legal? By paying off politicians who have no conscience.
Where do they pay the most pols off? Illinois.
Who is the biggest recipient of their ill gotten gains? Governor Blagojevich.
Just another bullet point in Governor Dudley’s ever growing list of accomplishments.
- ChampaignDweller - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 11:49 am:
Vanilla Man–you’re right, but as a Republican, I want to take the Illinois Republican Party to task as well. I realize that they’re in the minority, but since they have so little power, there’s not much benefit to allying themselves, on any point, with the most unpopular, corrupt governor this State has ever seen. Rather than capitalize on Blago’s unpopularity, they act as if they want to try to get something from him, as if they could trust him in the first place.
People here are really sensitive to this, hence Watson’s reference to our local paper’s editorial.
I’m insulted to think that Blago is being compared to Dudley Do-Right. Dudley did right, even though he mounted his horse backwards and rode into the sunset. Does this mean that my collection of vintage Rocky & Bullwinkle VHS tapes will now be worth something? OK, probably not.
- anon - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 9:04 am:
BAsed on the content of this clip, shouldnt she be focusing on why the capitol bill isnt moving and what impact that will have on future federal transportation funding? It seems like this is the most serious issue that would deserve attention when you havethe state’s senior senator in your studio for an interview. Her insistence on pounding away at blagojevich demonstrates the fact that she doesnt care to investigate, but ratrher to castigate. Some day we’ll look back at this and wonder why we focused so much on the governor while our roads, bridges, and schools crumble. Why did we let our government off the hook?
- Levois - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 9:15 am:
Didn’t he rewrite to do right the transit bill only to cut off funding to transit agencies?
- Dan S. a Voter and Cubs Fan - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 9:20 am:
IMPEACH NOW
- The Doc - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 9:21 am:
There’s simply no impetus for Blagojevich to sign HB 824. He’s hit rock bottom, and likely needs the campaign contributions to pay his attorneys in advance of criminal indictments. The people despise him, and his colleagues don’t trust him. The only friends he’s left are the contractors looking for jobs. He’s a man with little, if anything, left to lose - so why not fill the vault with as much cash as possible for the impending rainy day?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 9:26 am:
Hey, guess what?
The Governor will use his amendatory veto power to improve access to healthcare in Illinois today, but which bill does not go far enough?
- Ghost - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 9:47 am:
The problem is you need the house and the Senate to overide the Gov’s “re-writes”. The Gov is basically promising to violate the seperation of powers created by our consitution and undertake the authority given only to the legislative branch to create law. BUT if Jones does not call the Gov’s “re-writes” up for a vote, then they effectively become law.
Here is a good place for a con-con measure. How about changing the constitution so that a veto by the Gov is automaticcaly over riiden if it is not called for a veto ovveride vote within x days. No more letting vetos become effective by Jones sitting on the veto override votes.
Basically the Gov is telling the legisalture that he is going to take any Bill they send him and create his own law, thus they can not send him any bills.
Lets take this re-write slogan to its realistic concsuion. Picture if you will a shiny new capital plan with all kinds of built in safe guards reuiring money to be spent on designated projects, requiring the release of those funds etc. i.e. a capital bill with provisions that keeps the gov from abusing his authority over the money to continue pay to play schemes or to blackmail legislative members in order to get release of funds. No imagine the Gov decides to re-write all those mandates on spending for projects and release of funds to take away those preventive members and return to himself full control and discretion over the 25 billion. Remeber the protections passed by the legislature are only good if they remain in the bill. Those provisions get removed by the Gov, thus completely negating the legislative intent to protect the capital bill. The Gov promises Jones billions for whatever Jones wants funded in exhcnage for not calling those vetos up. Or alternatively the Gov promises large chunks of that 25 billion to certain senate memebers to guarntee his veto removal of safeguards can not be over ridden. The Governors promise to rewrite bills means no capital bill can ever be passed, the Gov has just promised to remove any safeguards that may be placed, and this should stirke fear in the heart of every republican calling for the capital bill, Poshard, and every elected Dem who wants to hold their job. The Gov just promised to remive any attempts to limit his control of the capital plan by rewriting the bill.
No bill should ever pass while the Gov is in office. The Govs threat to usurp legislative authority shoudl send chills through all lawmakers who the Gov is now rendering meaningless. Impeach now. No capital plan ever while this re-writer of law is in power and backed by Jones. ANd since Jones word has no meaning, that means the only safe approach to a capital bill is to not pass one while Blago is Gov.
- He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:00 am:
If the Gov office was engaged in the process at the beginning and help draft the bills, they would not have to Re-write the bills.
These will go to the Courts to decide whether he is overstepping his authority, which I expect them to rule he is.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:07 am:
The ethics “deadlock” is an A-1 reason why we need a con-con. Period. If anything else is a bad reason to have a con-con - cost, uncertainty, length - the pure need for ethics and campaign contribution reform outweighs all detriments.
We don’t need a “comprehensive” capital plan to receive gobs of matching federal funds. We need spending plans that are feasible and have tried and true revenue generators.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:28 am:
A couple of things:
1.) If he hasn’t already, Sauerberg and his staff need to study how Dick “Let’s be honest” Durbin answers questions. Marin punctured his balloons a number of times, but as a journalist, couldn’t score points after doing so. Sauerberg will need to approach Durbin knowing how buttery smooth his bloviating style keeps Dick “Let’s be honest” Durbin looking good. And speaking of Durbin, let’s take his oft-repeated debating twist of “let’s be honest” and be honest - Durbin has had too easy a ride in this campaign. Perhaps Sauerberg can’t take Durbin down, but he could at least demand less nuanced puffery from Illinois’ own Care Bear senator by exposing the Senator to real dialog and demanding real answers.
2.) Blagojevich is a mess, and we all know it. He has been a mess for years. Yet we have seen the Illinois Democratic Party make a Faustian Bargain by supporting his re-nomination and re-election. After years of this party’s two-faced claims to reform this corrupted state government, it should be clear to all that the Illinois Democratic Party has no interest in delivering it’s oft-promised mandate.
Do you see any push to get this guy out of office? We depend on our parties to self-clean and to remove buffoons from the nominating process. Instead they have accommodated him, begged him, and capitulated to Blagojevich’s chaotic administration. Madigan has been the only person effectively countering this destructive governor, and in turn, making himself political fodder for spineless Democrats unwilling or hiding to demand that Blagojevich deliver or be removed from office. The Illinois Democratic Party has failed Illinoians by refusing to defuse their party’s own governor. They selected him, they supported him, they fed his ego, and they helped create this monster. Voters need to remember this November that the Illinois Democratic Party has been party to our neverending governmental disaster.
By putting the heat on the Democrats for their own governor, perhaps we may finally see them reign him in and put him in his place. The Democrats have become too complacent in their political power trip in this state and it is time for all voters to remind them that they can be replaced.
3.) Finally, remind me once again why we shouldn’t do our civic duty and call a constitutional convention. Remind me again on how good we have it in Illinois by putting concentrated power into the hands of a handfull of career politicians and a drama queen. Remind me again of how well our educational system is funded and how low our property taxes are. Remind me again on how progressive our government is in rebuilding Illinois’ infastructure and attracting new business. I, and millions of other Illinoians, need to be reminded because we don’t see any of these things. And we are angry!
P.S. Tom Cross, get off your duff and start reflecting the anger we have against this administration and government or you will not be whom we wish to see heading a reformed one. Time to get angry sir, and show us that you have had enough too!
- PhilCollins - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:31 am:
The federal government shouldn’t give matching funds to any other government. Some tax money that, is earned in Illinois, is sent to Washington, DC, and is returned to Illinois. Some money that is earned in Illinois is sent to Washington, DC, and is later sent to the governments of many other states and cities, although few Illinois residents will benefit from that spending. Each year, the federal government gives about $350 billion (about 8% of the federal budget), to state and local governments. Congress should eliminate that spending and pass an across-the-board 8% tax rate cut. Each state and local government could change their tax rates, to ensure that they receive enough money.
- Anon - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:36 am:
Ghost — an amendatory veto has to be approved by a majority of both houses to become law. A line-item or reduction veto to an appropriation becomes law unless overridden. So an amendatory veto of the ethics bill will have to be voted on by the Senate or it’s treated as a vetoed bill.
- Captain America - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:41 am:
Unfortunately, It appears our Governor is Dudley -Do-Wrong. Just do the right thing Governor A and sign the ethics/anti-pay-to-play bill now!
- Levois - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 10:49 am:
Heh, wasted opportunities for federal infrastructure dollars.
- Couldn't we..... - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 11:30 am:
…..just rename ‘Illinois’ to ‘Political Farce, USA’ ?
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 11:41 am:
The biggest scum bags in this country are the pay day loan predators. They take the last cent from the working poor and leave them hungry and struggling to survive.
How is this even legal? By paying off politicians who have no conscience.
Where do they pay the most pols off? Illinois.
Who is the biggest recipient of their ill gotten gains? Governor Blagojevich.
Just another bullet point in Governor Dudley’s ever growing list of accomplishments.
- ChampaignDweller - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 11:49 am:
Vanilla Man–you’re right, but as a Republican, I want to take the Illinois Republican Party to task as well. I realize that they’re in the minority, but since they have so little power, there’s not much benefit to allying themselves, on any point, with the most unpopular, corrupt governor this State has ever seen. Rather than capitalize on Blago’s unpopularity, they act as if they want to try to get something from him, as if they could trust him in the first place.
People here are really sensitive to this, hence Watson’s reference to our local paper’s editorial.
- Little Egypt - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 12:01 pm:
I’m insulted to think that Blago is being compared to Dudley Do-Right. Dudley did right, even though he mounted his horse backwards and rode into the sunset. Does this mean that my collection of vintage Rocky & Bullwinkle VHS tapes will now be worth something? OK, probably not.
- Capitol View - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 1:28 pm:
I always thought of the gov more as Bullwinkle, rather than Dudley Do-Right.
But perhaps Daffy Duck is a better cartoon parallel to our beloved governor. Lots of squawking, with nothing getting done…
- Big Mama T - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 3:00 pm:
No, I think Elmer Fud is a better comparison.
- Cat - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 5:31 pm:
Rodney Re-Write is another option, sounds dopey enough to be a cartoon - but certainly not interesting enough for one!
Impeach Now!!!!!
- Bubs - Wednesday, Aug 6, 08 @ 11:39 pm:
Rod could be playing a larger game - he looks more like George Ryan every day.
Go for it, Governor! Rack up some Do-Good Brownie Points . . . before the Hammer hits.