*** RAW AUDIO *** WBEZ has posted the raw audio of the entire Blagojevich press conference.Click here to listen.
*** 1:44 pm *** “Rewrite to Do Right” has begun. The governor kicked off his series of amendatory vetoes by AV-ing a health insurance bill and taking a whack at his favorite target…
…Blagojevich rewrote a House measure originally designed to let college students stay on their parents’ health insurance for a year if they leave school due to medical problems. In his amendatory veto, the governor included new language to allow those aged 19 to 25 to stay on parents’ policies. Military veterans can remain insured through their parents until they turn 30.
Sponsoring Rep. Chuck Jefferson (D-Rockford) said shortly after Blagojevich’s news conference that he would try to override the governor’s changes. If that move failed, the legislation would die.
Jefferson said Blagojevich aides asked him ahead of time if he would be amenable to the changes and he told them no, but the administration went ahead anyway. […]
Reinforcing the political bent of his news conference, the governor attacked Madigan, saying the speaker has gone so far as to be “aggressive in preventing access to healthcare.” The governor also went after House Democrats, saying they are all reading from Madigan’s “music book.”
*** 1:51 pm *** Apparently, Gov. Blagojevich took some swipes at Mayor Daley while he was at it. A reporter friend of mine was at the presser and said the guv quoted Desmond Tutu, and said something like: If you are on the sidelines in a war between justice and evil and you remain neutral, you are evil.
Just when you think things can’t possibly get any weirder, they do. I love this state.
*** 1:59 pm *** Something to think about…
Rep. Jefferson says he will try to override the veto. He’s the sponsor, so it’s his call. If the attempt fails, the AV is dead but the underlying bill also dies.
So, in essence what Blagojevich is doing with this and every other bill he “improves” is to risk killing them. He essentially just killed a decent health insurance bill today. More deaths to come.
Yet, somehow, in his own mind, he’s “doing right.”
What a crock.
*** 2:14 pm *** Another Blagojevich quote…
“They kill jobs. They kill education funding. They try and take away health care from people… There is no excuse for us not doing the right thing.”
*** 2:20 pm *** IIS has posted some raw audio. I doubt they’ll have many of the juicier quotes, but give it a listen [fixed] or download it.
*** 2:36 pm *** Another Blagojevich quote, this one from the IIS audio…
“Here’s another thing that Mr. Madigan keeps killing every year, and that’s fundamental education funding reform. There are several ways to invest millions and millions of new dollars in or schools and solve the school funding issue without raising taxes on people. And we’ve tried for six years to get Mr. Madigan and the House Democrats to properly fund our schools.”
Um, really? Yes, he’s put more money into K-12. But he proposed nothing this year other than a few extra bucks.
This statement is a complete, boldfaced lie. He proposed a hinky gaming expansion plan for schools last year. Other than that, he’s never proposed a fundamental restructuring of education funding. Never.
One more Blagojevich quote…
“The only thing Mr. Madigan and those House Democrats support are tax increases on people.”
Keep in mind, the Illinois Supreme Court has on at least three occasions ruled that governors cannot wholesale rewrite or change legislation via the amendatory veto. Those rulings have been cited over the years by House Speaker Michael Madigan in explaining why certain amendatory vetoes are never considered.
But that’s part of the point here. Blagojevich gets to champion his efforts to expand health care, even if few of them ever result in success. And if his plan is blocked by the House, even for legit reasons, he gets to bang on Madigan, his chief political rival.
All of this misses one important point: because of today’s actions, there’s the very real chance that next year, a college student will be diagnosed with cancer, catastrophically injured in a car crash, or suffer some other ruinous medical condition, have to leave school and, as a result, lose insurance coverage that would have been guaranteed if the state’s Democrats could just get along for five minutes.
Well said.
*** 2:58 pm *** This is a bit odd. As of today, Gov. Blagojevich (or his brother, since the name is “Rob”) is now chairing his own campaign committee, according to the State Board of Elections website.
But if you click the “previous officers” tab you’ll see that Jeanne Arens was named chair of the committee earlier today. Arens is the guv’s campaign advance person. Two chairs in one day? [Hat tip to a commenter]
*** 4:09 pm *** Former Ald. Arenda Troutman pled guilty today. Click here to read the plea. Here’s a brief excerpt…
Defendant used her official position as the Alderman of the 20th Ward to solicit, directly and with and through others, and to obtain, for the benefit of herself and others, including co-defendants Boone and Gilbert, with their knowledge and participation, payments and other things of value from persons who were involved in real estate work, with the implicit and explicit understanding that, without such payments and other things of value, her support for land use requests, zoning changes, alley access, sale of City-owned real estate, and other requests that required local government action would either not be forthcoming or would be delayed.
Defendant and others acting at the direction or with the knowledge of defendant, including Ward Office Worker A, solicited contributions from persons who asked defendant for assistance in her official capacity, such as a letter of support for a specific land use, a zoning change, or alley access.
“I think it’s time for Mayor Daley to start helping to get this done. And when he gets back from China I’m going to seek to talk to him about this…” added Blagojevich, later comparing Daley’s stance with a quote he attributed to Bishop Desmond Tutu about neutrality equating to siding with “the oppressor.”
*** RAW AUDIO *** WBEZ has posted the raw audio of the entire Blagojevich press conference.Click here to listen.
* It’s a pretty tiny buy, but the DCCC is reportedly spending $39,000 or $46,000 on this TV ad for Sen. Debbie Halvorson…
* Martin Ozinga’s campaign unleashed an attack on the ad that probably has all the negative talking points they’ll use in the campaign…
1. As hundreds of longtime civil servants were being laid off, Halvorson got her 23-year-old daughter a $40,000-per-year job with Rod Blagojevich.
2. As working families were struggling, Halvorson voted to raise her salary and Rod Blagojevich’s salary.
3. As electricity bills were set to skyrocket, Halvorson opposed the electric rate freeze after taking $20,000 from the big utility companies.
4. As voters were demanding ethics in government, Halvorson voted to forgive her own campaign finance fines that she had received for violating election law.
5. As taxpayers were being squeezed, Halvorson accepted illegal campaign contributions from a taxpayer-funded park district.
6. As Illinois was reeling from Rod Blagojevich’s failed agenda, Halvorson stood with Blagojevich every single time to curry his favor and climb the political ladder. She voted for his job-killing Gross Receipts Tax, opposed and bottled up the ethics reform bill, sabotaged the recall amendment, and voted with him to raid veterans’ home funds.
It’s only the second ad the DCCC has aired so far this election. The decision to go up so early with a positive spot suggests that Halvorson’s campaign could use a re-branding. She’s been taking her share of hits – fueled by the state GOP – for her connections to ethically-troubled Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
* Notice that the ad never mentions her experience as an Illinois state senator or her Majority Leader job…
“The Middle Class is getting squeezed. Debbie Halvorson knows we’re working harder and getting less, that’s why she led the fight to lower prescription drug costs for Illinois seniors, and Halvorson helped give thousands of children and working families affordable health insurance. Now she wants to take our fight to Congress. She’ll take on George Bush’s Policies. And bring common sense back to our government. Debbie Halvorson, a fighter for us.”
* The very early DCCC spending and the possible “rebranding” could mean some polling weaknesses, particularly against Martin Ozinga. Back to the Politico piece…
Her opponent, GOP concrete magnate, Marty Ozinga has already been up with two television ads of his own defining himself as an independent politician.
* And Ozinga’s campaign is slamming Halvorson for her fundraiser tonight with embattled Congresscritter Charlie Rangel, and mixes in the House GOP “debate” on oil prices…
How can Debbie Halvorson claim – with a straight face – that she’s looking out for the middle class if she’s happily lapping up campaign cash from the same people who have shut down Congress while working families are struggling with high gas prices?
Halvorson has never demonstrated a penchant for standing up to Rod Blagojevich or big-money special interests in the state Senate. But we remain optimistic she’ll do the right thing in this case – an election tends to bring out the best in politicians with guilty consciences.
One thing is certain: If Debbie Halvorson doesn’t find the courage to stand up for working families now, then she needs to find something else – a job other than “Representative.”
* Meanwhile, what does it say about our national political discourse when a woman best known for a leaked porn video releases a mock political ad that’s more statespersonlike than either presidential candidate? [Just kidding… kinda]
* And what does this say about our national reporters?….
After this morning’s campaign event here with Sen. Barack Obama, this state’s junior senator [Sen. Evan Bayh, who has been suggested as a possible running mate for Obama] lingered to shake hands with supporters and graciously took a couple questions from this reporter….
What did you pick up from the body language today?
“I don’t know how to comment on that. I’m not an expert on body language,” he said.
* So many of today’s posts are bigtime downers, so let’s try something different. The new NFL code of behavior for fans includes these banned activities…
• Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal.
• Drunkenness and signs of alcohol impairment that result in irresponsible behavior.
• Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.
• Interference with the progress of the game, including throwing objects onto the field.
• Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.
• Verbal or physical harassment of fans from the opposing team
* The Question: How about we come up with an Illinois politics fan code of behavior?
Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said the governor does not intend for lawmakers to take up the $1.4 billion in state budget cuts he made last month during this session.
“Unless they find the funding, there’s nothing much more to do with the budget,” Guerrero said.
* Perhaps the most controversial of all the governor’s budget vetoes was his slashing of funding for alcohol and drug treatment centers. Today’s SouthtownStar has a wonderful guest column by Hope Larkin Barzowski, a former resident and then employee of A Safe Haven, which is being forced to eject residents because of the cuts…
I came to A Safe Haven on July 28, 2005. I walked in the door of its Damen facility on Chicago’s North Side beat up and broken down. I had only the clothes on my back and nothing more. I was desperate for help with my alcohol and drugs addictions. I had been addicted to crack cocaine for eight years. I had been incarcerated several times on drug-related charges. I had been homeless - literally on the street - for more than seven months. A Safe Haven was the only facility in Chicago willing to take me in without any money in return.
Because of the government-funded program, I was able to stay for six months. I learned how to live without the use of drugs and alcohol. A Safe Haven put a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my stomach. It taught me stability, structure and self-discipline. […]
I worked there until August 2007, when I was offered a management position, at a much higher salary, at another company. This company was not in the recovery field, and it was very scary for me to leave A Safe Haven. However, I had the solid foundation I needed to go out into the world and make a new life for myself. […]
Because of A Safe Haven, I am now an upstanding, law-abiding, employed contributor to the community. I pay taxes, I pay rent, I pay bills, I have checking and savings accounts, I pay for everything I take out of the store, I own a car, furniture, clothes, electronics, appliances, etc., all of which stimulate our economy. I vote in every election. I am a trusted and loyal employee, wife, daughter, sister and aunt. People are proud of my accomplishments, and so am I. I still live in the south suburbs because my experience with the Alsip facility was so positive I didn’t want to leave the community.
* A Safe Haven is running a full-court press to try and convince people to pay attention to this issue. If you have any heart whatsoever, you should watch this video produced by the organization. I’d like to see Gov. Rod Blagojevich tell this woman and her children who are being forced into a homeless shelter why he cut that funding…
Under the state’s complicated system, lawmakers are in line to automatically receive a recommended 7.5 percent pay increase unless both the House and Senate reject it. The House did that, but Jones and some fellow senators have sought to avoid a vote on the hot-button issue before the November general election.
Now [Senate President Emil Jones] faces the prospect of the raises taking effect while the Senate is in session, opening him and other Democrats to criticism if they do not act.
Jones spokeswoman Cindy Davidsmeyer said it will be up to the president and his leadership team to decide whether the issue will be addressed next week.
* And check out the second excerpted and highlighted graf from this Sun-Times story…
Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) said she is “willing to do cartwheels and handsprings” to pressure Jones to let the anti-pay increase resolution she is sponsoring be called for a vote.
But Jones spokeswoman Cindy Davidsmeyer wasn’t willing to concede when the increases would kick in, saying no one on Jones’ staff is keeping track of the running clock on the pay raises.
The comptroller will have the final say, I think, but watch for much motion and little movement on this topic. Still, how embarrassing.
Blagojevich is trying to increase pressure on his chief nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), to support a statewide public works program that has had tentative backing from other legislative leaders. Madigan has been a steadfast opponent of the governor’s plans, blocking a more expensive version the Senate approved in May.
It’s all about the MJM. Watch how this plays out. It’s gonna be a hoot.
House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego said it’s fitting the session comes during the fair because this debate has become like riding the tilt-a-whirl: “You go around and around, going nowhere, but get sick to your stomach.”
State support for public schools in Illinois dropped to an all-time low at 29.6 percent of the overall education budget in 2006, placing a greater burden on property owners to finance the schools.
That’s the first time the state has dropped below 30 percent in decades of recordkeeping. […]
The National Center for Education Statistics says Iowa funds 45.6 percent of the cost of public education, Indiana 49.1 percent, Michigan 57.3 percent and Wisconsin 44.1 percent - compared to Illinois’ paltry 29 percent.
Blagojevich has repeatedly opposed any income tax or sales tax increase to help the schools, claiming he doesn’t want to place another tax burden on working families.
But by failing to change the school funding system in Illinois, he has caused homeowners’ property tax bill to skyrocket. He has forced small-business owners in some of the poorest south suburbs to either close up shop entirely or move to Indiana.
Public schools in Illinois spent $22.3 billion overall in 2006, with $13.8 billion coming from local sources, $6.6 billion from the state and $1.86 billion from the federal government.
* I’m going to excerpt more than I should, and I’ll take it down if the SouthtownStar objects. Kadner gives us a history lesson…
In 1994, Dawn Clark Netsch, a Democrat, ran for governor, calling for an income tax hike to fund public education in Illinois and reduce property taxes.
Incumbent Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican, denounced Netsch’s plan and said school funding reform wasn’t needed. Edgar trounced Netsch in the election. But two years later, Edgar asked the Legislature for an income tax increase to fund the public schools.
To really appreciate Edgar’s hypocrisy, you have to go back to 1992, when a constitutional amendment was on the state ballot that would have forced the state to adequately fund the schools. The weekend before the election, Edgar announced on a radio show that he would vote “no.” The measure, which needed to get 60 percent of the vote to become law, failed by two percentage points.
When members of the state board of education and the state school superintendent complained about inadequacies and inequities of the school funding system, they were all replaced - first by former state Senate President James “Pate” Philip (R-Wood Dale) and then by Blagojevich, a Democrat.
* Now, today. There’s a couple of good points about next week’s special sessions in the Tribune…
Critics immediately cast doubt on the likelihood of resolving either long-standing issue, but the moves could provide at least short term benefit for the embattled governor by playing to his strongest political supporters—organized labor and African-American voters. […]
Blagojevich’s decision to order a snap, one-day special session on education funding raised questions about his expectations on an issue that has been debated and studied countless times over the decades with little change.
* The Sun-Times also makes some very good points about Tuesday’s education special session, which the official proclamation states will be about “increasing school funding, improving the school funding structure and eliminating any current inequities”…
The effort to focus on a decades-old malady in one day followed a demand earlier Tuesday for a schools-related special session by key African-American lawmakers, including Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago). He is leading a call for Chicago schoolchildren to boycott the first day of classes to protest school-funding disparities. [Emphasis added]
* Besides the Madigan-bashing politics and the capital bill (which I’ll discuss in another post), that threatened boycott by Meeks and other ministers is partly behind this special session call. A bit of recent history…
Reverend Ira Acree is the second Chicago preacher to call for the first-day-of-school boycott… Acree says the more participants, the more attention the school funding issue will get, which could only benefit Chicago’s cash-strapped schools in the long run.
[…]
Acree says he is trying to get 25 additional city pastors to get on board with this protest. So far, another seven have agreed. Acree added there will be a protest on Thursday at noon in downtown Chicago about the funding issue. And after the first day boycott, ministers say they plan to hold classes in the lobbies of downtown buildings to get the business community to pay attention.
* And this is from the governor’s spokesman in today’s SJ-R…
“This is really for them,” Guerrero said of [African-American] lawmakers who pushed for the education focus. “We think it is a good idea.”
Little more than two years ago, Blagojevich dissuaded Meeks from making a third-party run for governor by offering to lease the state lottery to pump money into schools—a proposal that went nowhere. In May, Meeks voted for Blagojevich’s larger public works proposal, which, like the governor’s current plan, counts on money from a lottery lease. Meeks said he won’t vote for a lottery lease again.
* More on the specific policy proposals from Rev. Sen. Meeks…
State Sen. James Meeks said Springfield needs to “strike down the way we currently fund schools and start all over again.” Meeks has called for a boycott of Chicago Public Schools on the first day of classes, saying parents whose kids go to under-funded schools should instead use the day to try to enroll their children at public schools that have more money. […]
It’s unlikely there will be an agreement on whether parents should be allowed to pick any school for their children, NBC5’s Mary Ann Ahern reported.
“Unlikely” is an understatement, to say the least. The idea about dumping the property tax for education funding is more interesting, but it’s probably not going anywhere, either.
We’ll get more into the politics of this special later this morning. Thoughts on all this?
* 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.’
Since 1999 the payday loan industry has flooded state lawmakers with campaign contributions in an attempt to fend off efforts to reform predatory lending laws. No state politicians have benefited more from this windfall than those in Illinois, according to a new report (PDF) from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
In response to the violence, parishes have sponsored anti-violence marches; offered opportunities for young people to get off the streets and into activities, such as playing basketball at a church’s gym; and helped people find employment by holding job training and mentoring programs.
Dubbed Project Exile, the program forms the foundation of a series of local, state and federal law-enforcement partnerships. It focuses on the city’s most violent areas and hands out harsh sentences for any crime involving a firearm, a move that runs counter to traditional city tactics of barring gun stores and crafting onerous licensing requirements.
With concern over crime rising amid budget cuts to local law enforcement, a small but growing number of law-enforcement officials view Project Exile and the cooperative efforts in Richmond as a way to further accelerate the decline. Other cities, including Springfield and Peoria in Illinois have visited to see what Richmond is doing.
Asked whether officers would be willing to take a pay cut or unpaid days off, he said, “If the city can convince my members of the dire necessity of such a move, the membership would be willing to listen.”
Within a few days of my blogging about the coalition’s error, the group’s Web site was changed significantly. The question about Joseph being admitted in his condition was removed and replaced with the statement, “People at the shelter called police after he became verbally abusive to them for being denied entrance.”
According to a 2007 survey by career information Web site Vault.com, 66 percent of workers say their colleagues discuss politics at work, and 46 percent say they’ve seen it turn into an argument.
Worsening congestion is causing commutes in the six-county region to take longer, costing drivers and businesses $7.3 billion a year in wasted fuel and lost time.
* Legislators hear testimony on EJ&E sale Commuter line in danger, no money for crossings
And from the members of The Regional Answer to Canadian National, a group of roughly 40 communities opposed to the deal, legislators heard that the sale will back up traffic, will endanger schoolchildren crossing the tracks, and will delay emergency-response vehicles from getting sick patients to hospitals on time. Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner spoke against the proposal, as he has done for months.
“Two million dollars is not something that the Department of Aviation has to spare right now….Not given the state of the industry and where the city is at right now. Absolutely not,” said Aviation Commissioner Richard Rodriguez.
