The second annual “celebrity” harness horse race featuring the four legislative spokespersons and myself will be held today at the Illinois State Fair.
We’ve been told that the contest will start after the 2nd race, which puts it at about 3:30 pm.
I came in second to the governor’s office last year, and we all had a major blast.
There is no “legal” betting on this race since it’s just an exhibition, but you might wanna check around the stands anyway.
* The setup: Secretaries who work for House members have been sent to the House floor today to clean out their bosses’ desks because of a “big mouse infestation.”
The infestation was apparently caused by legislators leaving food (mostly candy) in their desks. A Republican House member announced the problem last night during session, and there are no reported mouse problems on the Democratic side of the aisle as of yet.
This is not a good thing, considering the millions of dollars spent on a truly stunning remodeling of the House chambers.
Traps will apparently be set after the desks are cleaned out.
Not even a former United Nations ambassador could quell feuding among Illinois Democrats Wednesday.
With former diplomat and current New Mexico governor Bill Richardson on hand for a day of Democratic rallies, the sniping that’s marked Democrats tenure at the helm of state government continued.
* The “first African-American governor of Illinois” continued the schtick…
“Like the civil rights activists who’ve given Barack Obama a chance to run for president, they didn’t take no for an answer. We shouldn’t take no for an answer when we push to create jobs and give every family in Illinois a chance to be able to have a job and live the American dream,” the governor said.
* The governor did his best to avoid direct confrontation with Speaker Madigan. The two men started out on a positive note…
‘’Let’s come together, put aside our differences,'’ Blagojevich said. […]
‘’Our goal is to bring Democrats together. That’s always my goal. Division just helps the opposition,'’ said Speaker Madigan.
House Speaker Michael Madigan says he’s taking a new look at the governor’s idea of privatizing the Illinois lottery to pay for a statewide construction program.
* The Republicans didn’t see things in such a “positive” light…
But as Madigan spoke optimistically, state Republican leaders held a rival news conference to blast the Democrats for calling special sessions then taking no action. They even drew up a “Help Wanted” sign with a picture of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, inviting him to take over here because there is an executive mansion in Springfield “available for immediate occupancy … hasn’t been used in six years.”
Blagojevich has suggested bringing lawmakers back to work throughout September to get education funding and the capital program resolved. But Madigan stressed his chamber won’t be rushed in its work.
“Speaking for the members of the House, we’re not prepared to have things dictated to us, and everybody in the building ought to understand that,” Madigan said.
Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair, featuring an afternoon rally of the Democratic faithful, indeed had Gov. Rod Blagojevich in attendance.
Missing, though, was the chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who has had sharp differences with the governor for the past two years.
Also absent were Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Comptroller Dan Hynes. Quinn was attending the funeral of an Illinois soldier killed in the Middle East. Lisa Madigan said she had to tend to work at her office. Hynes said he simply didn’t want to go.
“I really don’t want to participate in some sort of campaign demonizing Democrats,” Hynes said. “It’s lost its traditional role of being an event where Democrats come together and unify and speak of our common values and goals. Now it has become the governor’s latest tactical maneuver.”
Hundreds of state government workers showed up at Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday to protest the Blagojevich administration’s demand that they pay a lot more for their health insurance.
Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees clustered around entrances to the fairgrounds passing out leaflets detailing their objections to paying higher health insurance costs. […]
“They’re lucky to have a job, and they have health care,” Blagojevich said of the state workers. “They’re going to keep their jobs and keep their health care. Now, start helping us create jobs for other people and provide health care to other people.”
After his speech, Blagojevich said AFSCME’s complaints about health-care coverage “is a negotiating ploy. There’s no question they will keep their health care.”
It’s not about losing health care, it’s about paying a whole lot more for the health insurance they have.
* If you were following the blog last night, you saw that the House voted to accept both of the governor’s recent amendatory vetoes…
The Illinois House on Wednesday approved new versions of legislation that Gov. Rod Blagojevich had rewritten to cut taxes for disabled veterans and lower insurance costs for college students. […]
Asked if approving the governor’s changes was meant as an olive branch, Madigan said, “You could take it that way, if you wish.”
House leaders originally indicated the governor was going too far in revising legislation, but they reversed course Wednesday. The House supported both amendatory vetoes, with leaders indicating it was possibly time for courts to weigh in on just how much authority the governor has to change legislation.
“It’s time to get more clarity from the court,” said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.
Republicans criticized approval of the vetoes as setting the wrong precedent.
* The Senate now has fifteen calendar days to accept the AV. If not, then the entire bill dies…
Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, said before senators left town Wednesday night that he wasn’t sure they would come back to take up those vetoes. Blagojevich said he planned to talk to Jones today about bringing the Senate back soon.
* Madigan had been expected to kill off the AV’s as he has done in the recent and the distant past. Bethany Jaeger takes us back to a 1999 article…
[Gov. George Ryan’s] amendatory veto of the generic drug bill, along with others he has issued, will set in motion a process that House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, has followed for a decade because he believes governors sometimes abuse their authority in changing legislation. “What he’s concerned about is a preemptive strikes by the governor’s office on the work of the legislature,” said Madigan’s spokesman, Steve Brown.
* Three things essentially happened last night. 1) Madigan tossed the AV hot potato into Jones’ court and avoided being tagged yet again as an obstructionist; 2) Jones may now be forced to call his members back to town - not a popular idea - or risk knocking out the first legs of the governor’s much-vaunted “Rewrite to Do Right” campaign, which would be a big embarrassment; 3) A lawsuit over the guv’s AV powers is pretty much certain, which is probably a good plan since the governor is expected to roll out 50 of these AVs in the coming days. Let’s get some clarity.
“I think that the lack of clarity from the court decisions may mean that it’s time for a second crack for the judicial branch. Maybe we ought to invite the question before the courts whether this particularly amendatory veto, for example, does go beyond the scope of that authority provided in the Constitution. For that reason, I would suggest that an aye vote may help us answer this question that has been so contentious between the two branches ever since 1971.”
llinois home sales dropped 25 percent in the second quarter, a real estate trade group reported Wednesday, and the median statewide price of a single-family home or condominium fell 6.8 percent from the year-ago quarter.
Chicago has a $425 million budget gap that will require a “paradigm shift” in services the city provides, the way they are delivered and the number of employees and agencies responsible, top mayoral aides told organized labor on Wednesday.
In a closed-door meeting with 40 union leaders, Mayor Daley’s chief-of-staff Lori Healey, Chief Financial Officer Paul Volpe and Intergovernmental Affairs Director John Dunn promised that redundant layers of middle management would share the burden of employee layoffs.
“They are asking our people for concessions, yet giving their bosses a raise,” said Chicago Federation of Labor leader Dennis Gannon. “It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It’s just not rational.”
“Mr. Governor,” said Mulvey, pointing his camera at Blagojevich and getting his question in despite the competition from older reporters, “I’m a junior at Rochester High School and I’m still wondering — three years ago, you came to our school and told us we were going to get our money. I was just wondering where it is. We’re still on the top of that list.”
Mulvey was referring to the March 2006 visit Blagojevich made to Rochester High. At that time, Blagojevich traveled to the school as part of his public relations attempt to get the General Assembly to approve a $3.2 billion construction plan — which seemed like a lot at the time. He entered the school gymnasium through a column of cheerleaders and urged students to contact their legislators, particularly GOP lawmakers. Senate Republican Leader FRANK WATSON hadn’t had any contact from the governor in more than a month, a spokeswoman said at the time.
And — surprise, surprise — the program did not pass.
“Um, yes, yeah, look, I want to work with you,” Blagojevich said Wednesday after Mulvey’s question. “We got to call those legislators and free up that money. I’m dying to do it.”
* 5:37 pm - The House plans to vote tonight on two of the guv’s amendatory vetoes. Rep Chuck Jefferson has reversed course and will move to accept Blagojevich’s AV of a health insurance to allow people to stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 29.
The other AV is of a TIF bill to exempt disabled vets from paying property taxes. That’s a GOP bill and the HGOP is caucusing at the moment.
The House is also planning on running a “mini capital bill” tonight.
* 6:08 pm - The House Republican sponsor of the second, vets-related AV will move to accept the governor’s amendatory veto.
* 6:15 pm - The Senate has adjourned, so if the House votes to accept these amendatory vetoes, the Senate won’t be around to vote on them. They’re all going home.
* 2:25 -Huge turnout. Speaker and Lisa Madigan are no-shows after all. Secretary of State White and Comptroller Hynrs are also absent.
Nothing but cheering so far but there are lots of AFSCME fills are here.
• 2:50 pm - A few boos when Senate Prez Jones was introduced but the crowd is still mostly well behaved if a bit bored and talkative. Several have already left.
• 3:00 pm - Guv’s speech drowned out by AFSCME members shouting “don’t cut healthcare.”. Blagojevich re protesters: “Theyre lucky to have a job.” Union members walked out and guv is continuing his speech.
Not sure why AFSCME walked out because they had stepped all over the guv’s speech The governor did extend an olive branch after they left, saying they’re on the same side.
* 10:20 am - Comptroller Dan Hynes received a standing ovation at the Democratic county chairman’s event today when he said that a capital plan is going nowhere and substance abuse funding is being slashed not because of some outside force, but because of a personality clash.
Also, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White both received standing O’s when they were introduced.
I ran into the new chairman of the organization last night, and he said he wanted to make sure today’s event, which features New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as they keynote speaker, runs smoothly and without controversy.
House Speaker Michael Madigan was introduced earlier, and the reception was a bit tepid. But there was no booing. Same for Senate President Jones, but Gov. Blagojevich received a rousing standing ovation.
* 10:41 am - Gov. Blagojevich: “I’m glad that the Speaker is here, and I’m interested to see if we can work together to get things done for people.”
More Blagojevich: “I didn’t become a Democrat because some Chicago boss knocked on my door and offered me a job.”
Um, huh? He married his alderman’s daughter, for crying out loud.
* 10:48 am - I told you about this earlier today, and I tipped off subscribers about this possibility last week, but here’s more from the Tribbies…
House Speaker Michael Madigan drew applause at Wednesday morning’s Democratic county chairmen’s brunch when he said “good progress” had been made among his members exploring the lease of the Illinois Lottery to fund a new statewide construction program.
Madigan has blocked Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposed $25 billion public works program largely due to a lack of trust of the governor among House Democrats. But the powerful Madigan, who also chairs the state Democratic Party, said House Democrats have been meeting for the past two days to discuss a lottery lease—the basis for funding Blagojevich’s plan.
“Today, the prospects look very, very good,” Madigan said to applause, largely from representatives of labor organizations who back the construction bill. Madigan said “good progress” has been made in reviewing the details of a lottery lease but also said work remains in developing an agreement.
Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), who has joined with Blagojevich in repeatedly attacking Madigan and House Democrats for stalling the public works measure, said he was heartened by the speaker’s comments.
“The good news today is we’re going to move a capital bill forward,” Jones said.
* 11:17 am - An e-mail from the Better Government Association arrived just in time for Governor’s Day…
The hearing for oral arguments in the BGA’s Freedom of Information lawsuit against the Governor to obtain copies of federal grand jury subpoenas was just scheduled by the 4th District Appellate Court. The hearing will take place on September 16th at 10:00 a.m. at the U of I law school in Urbana.
Apparently the 4th District hears a handful of cases at the law school each year and the BGA’s case is one of this year’s selections.
The BGA won at trial and the governor is appealing.
* 12:07 pm - The governor just spoke to reporters and brushed off repeated attempts by the gathered scribes to get him to say something negative about Speaker Madigan. Blagojevich instead said that since it looks like things are starting to get close on the capital bill that he would rather not go into that sort of attack.
Interesting.
I wonder if his “volunteers” at the State Fair will be following the governor’s lead. Stay tuned.
* The governor was also asked about Comptroller Hynes’ speech. Hynes said that this was “the best of times and the worst of times” for Democrats. “Best,” meaning Obama, “worst,” meaning Illinois.
The guv said he had read a lot of Charles Dickens and claimed that if the author of A Tale of Two Cities was alive today he’d love the All Kids program.
The man knows how to stay on-message when he wants to.
A legislative review panel unanimously rejected Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s idea to move about 140 state jobs from Springfield to Harrisburg, three hours apart. But the vote isn’t binding, and the governor maintains that he intends to move the jobs as an economic boost to the southern Illinois town.
But the bipartisan, legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s six-hour hearing last month and the “pounds of evidence” generated might not go to waste, says Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat chairing the commission and author of the law setting a review process for closing state facilities. The legal and economic data provided as a result of this process could be used as evidence in court.
Legal challenges could come from the state legislators representing the Springfield area, as well as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 or the local Teamsters union representing the affected employees in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Public Safety. […]
Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican on the commission, said the process has highlighted questions about the fiscal merit, the political motivations and the human impact on the employees.
The administration, however, is looking at other evidence to the contrary, suggesting the move will save money and help out an economically depressed area. Here’s the governor’s statement, provided by e-mail this afternoon: “We will be moving forward with the geographic relocation of IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety to Harrisburg, as previously mentioned. We’ll be working with the employees who do not choose to relocate, within the terms of their contracts, to find positions for them in Springfield. We will follow all appropriate timelines and guidelines as we move forward.”
* The question: Where do you stand on this concept of moving state jobs out of Springfield to economically depressed areas of the state? Please explain fully. No drive-bys. And try not to focus solely on Gov. Blagojevich. Thanks.
* The AP has a pretty good summary of what’s going on in Springfield this week, but they also tread lightly, particularly on the last point…
Q: What do black lawmakers say about the [special session on education]?
A: That Blagojevich called it, so it’s his responsibility to present an agenda. […]
Q: Hasn’t Blagojevich ordered special sessions before?
A: Yes. This week’s sessions will be the 23rd and 24th so far in the current two-year legislative cycle. […]
Q: Why does Blagojevich keep calling special sessions if nothing ever happens?
A: A governor only has so many ways to exert pressure on legislators. With the state budget deep in the red, there’s little money for pork projects in the districts of cooperative lawmakers. With federal investigators probing his administration, he can’t award jobs to political allies.
Two things Blagojevich can do are use his veto power to amend legislation - which he’s doing increasingly often - and order special sessions. Even if lawmakers do nothing, he can point to their inaction as evidence that they’re obstructionists.
* Erickson asks a question that is on a whole lot of minds this week…
The question of the day for many state lawmakers Tuesday was: Why are we here?
Called into special session by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, members of the House and Senate were directed to do something about the state’s school funding formula, which allows wide disparities in funding levels among the state’s 800-plus school districts.
But nearly everyone agreed the topic simply cannot be handled in a one-day, hours long session.
“It’s absurd,” said state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth. “We know we can’t accomplish anything.”
* And Rev. Sen. James Meeks blasted away with both barrels…
In the Senate, Democratic Sen. James Meeks of Chicago sounded a similar theme, accusing Blagojevich of “calling us down here for absolutely no reason at all.”
“Everybody at home thinks that we’re here dealing with some educational matters, when in actuality we’re not,” said Meeks.
“When the governor calls a special session, the governor is supposed to have an agenda. One, two, three, what we’re supposed to do,” Meeks said. “He calls a special session on education without a plan, any ideas on education, and I just think it’s appalling.”
Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen responded that the governor’s previous proposals to the legislature have been rejected.
‘’He’s sending the same one he sent in 2006 by making a promise and not keeping it — That this is not his priority,'’ said Meeks, a leading critic of the school-funding system.
The governor said he was not happy with lawmakers’ actions Tuesday.
‘’I'm disappointed that after lawmakers asked for a Special Session to fund education, the House called it quits after just a half-hour,'’ Blagojevich said. ‘’There are a number of solutions and proposals that I have introduced that could have been discussed, but instead, some members used their time to point fingers and offer excuses.'’
Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen said in an e-mail that Meeks had requested the special session.
[Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) called it “appalling” and “disappointing” that Blagojevich failed to present an education reform plan Tuesday. The senator, pastor of a large South Side church, has called for a boycott by Chicago Public Schools students on Sept. 2—their first day of school—saying they should try to enroll in the wealthy north suburban New Trier Township High School District. The governor instead headed in late afternoon to the Illinois State Fair cattle barns for the annual grand champion auction—a decision that angered lawmakers.
“He did not call a special session to deal with cows,” Meeks said. “He called a special session to deal with kids.”
* And the Daily Herald looks at what the legislative per diem buys at the Illinois State Fair…
What $129 buys you at the Illinois State Fair:
Corn dogs:
43 small ($3)
25 large ($5)
Lemon shake-ups:
43 small ($3)
25 large ($5)
Vinegar fries:
43 small ($3)
32 medium ($4)
21 large ($6)
Deep-fried Snickers:
36 ($3.50)
Soft-serve ice cream:
28 ($4.50)
*Editor’s note: Recommend dipping deep-fried Snickers into soft-serve ice cream!
* Related…
* Kass: This week, Gov. Rod “The Unreformer” Blagojevich revealed himself to be something of a madman, perhaps even a dangerous madman.
* State records show that Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s campaign coffers have raked in more than $314,000 in donations from companies and individuals doing business with the state over the last six months — a practice that many critics contend creates at least an apparent conflict of interest.
* You already know this from yesterday, but check out how harsh the Tribune’s coverage is today…
The Illinois Senate rejected a 7.5 percent pay increase Tuesday in the face of withering criticism from voters who feared lawmakers would sneak the raises through after they were safely re-elected in November.
But don’t cry too hard for state lawmakers—they just got a 3.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment July 1. The mere possibility that they could so quickly raise their own pay again served as a focal point for citizen outrage.
Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) had angled for more money this spring, unabashedly declaring: “I need a pay raise. I need a pay raise.” But with lawmakers unexpectedly in town this week, Jones changed his mind and allowed the vote.
Illinois Senate President Emil Jones gained a bit of infamy in May when he told reporters, “I need a pay raise. I need a pay raise.”
He didn’t get one. He didn’t get one.
Oof.
* The Sun-Times ran an AP story, but headlined it: “No raise for Emil“…
Even after the 47-0 vote against the raises, state officials still get a 3.8 percent cost-of-living increase.
Senate President Emil Jones, (D-Chicago) voted ‘’present'’ on the raise and called opponents ‘’hypocrites'’ for objecting to the money while accepting a 3.8 percent cost-of-living increase included in this year’s budget.
* Not unexpected, but hadn’t heard about the Speaker Madigan part. Lisa Madigan didn’t attend last year’s festivities, either…
Sneed is told neither House Speaker Mike Madigan nor his daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan — who is eyeing a gubernatorial bid — has any interest being on stage with Governor Blago todayduring Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE - 9:39 am *** I just talked to Speaker Madigan’s spokesman, who pointed out that Madigan will share the stage with the governor at the county chairmen’s event this morning and at the state party convention at 11 o’clock. The spokesman said that Madigan then needs to go back to the Statehouse to prepare for the 5 pm special session, so he will be unable to attend the Governor’s Day festivities at the fairgrounds.
Convenient.
Also, the spokesman stressed that he believed the news of the day was that the House was making significant progress on refashioning the Lottery lease bill, which will fund the capital plan. He did say, however, that there wouldn’t be a vote on the plan today.
*** UPDATE - 9:44 am *** OK, well, the Speaker’s spokesman just called back to say that Madigan told a Chicago reporter he plans to be at the State Fair’s Governor’s Day event today.
“I’ve got good customers and good friends that happen to be Democrats. Not everybody I know is a Republican. They’re all enthused about their candidate or whatever, and they’re doing a big fundraising effort. I’d like to be able to respond positively to my friends or customers,” he said.
This is a revolving door system that special interests are happy to exploit - last year, they paid nearly $3 billion to hire Washington influence peddlers. That’s $17 million for every day Congress was in session.
