Discuss election results as they come in. We’ll have live CBS video soon.
My dad just called from downtown Chicago. As I told you earlier, he’s driving the Obamalac. While I was on the phone with him I heard someone yell, “Hey! You’re Rich Miller’s dad!” He got a kick out of it.
Afternoon updates are here. Morning updates are here. Those posts are now closed to comments.
Anyway, chat to your heart’s content. I’ll post some updates soon.
* 12:34 AM - One other thing before I get back to the “real” gig. This post is probably the most disgusting piece of garbage written by an Illinois blogger this year, and that’s really saying something. I guess I’ll just never understand how people can write such crazy-horrible things.
* 12:32 AM - With everything else going on (mainly in the subscriber section and on the phones), I forgot to point out that Congressman Mark Kirk appears to have won by a large margin. Also, Jim Oberweis lost. Again. Will he finally go away?
* 12:29 AM - Cook County Clerk David Orr needs to either fix his system or let someone else have his job…
Engineers from the company that sold ballot counting hardware and software to Cook County are still trying to figure out why systems aren’t working. […\
Election results are being held up because of a problem with the system that converts the voting data into properly formatted resuts.
The vice president of Sequoia, the company that built the hardware and software the county’s using for vote counting, says two teams of company engineers are working on the problem but aren’t yet sure what is wrong or how long it will take to fix it.
* 11:29 PM - After seeing some late poll numbers on Sunday, this is about what I figured…
Question - Constitutional Convention - General
November 05, 2008 - 12:22AM ET
Illinois - 10549 of 11585 Precincts Reporting - 91%
Name Votes Vote %
No 2,736,270 68%
Yes 1,303,758 32%
* 10:52 PM - From a press release…
With the con-con referendum declared defeated, the Alliance to Protect the Illinois Constitution offers the following statement from Nancy Kaszak, Executive Director of the Alliance.
“This campaign was a unique opportunity for organizations and individuals from across the political spectrum to come together and provide real leadership.
Voters saw through the rhetoric and rejected opening up our state’s foundational document to wholesale re-write. We look forward to working with leaders of every political persuasion to solve the challenges facing Illinois.”
* 10:30 PM - The AP has called it for Peter Roskam. Not sure when. Just noticed it.
A white Cadillac painted with ‘Obama O8′ and ‘Obamalac’ in red, white and blue drew laughter and cheers from the crowd on an unseasonably warm night in the ‘Windy City.’
* 10:02 PM - CBS just called it for Obama.
* 10:02 PM - No surprise: Halvorson declared the winner.
“Marty just conceded,” said Andy Sere, Ozinga’s spokesman. “It was a hard-fought race. At the end of the day we were outspent two to one by the other side. It’s a tough political environment. With the Obama factor at the top of the ticket, it was too hard to overcome. Marty is proud of the campaign he ran.”
State’s Attorney - Cook County - General
November 04, 2008 - 10:54PM ET
Illinois - 1840 of 4865 Precincts Reporting - 38%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Alvarez , Anita Dem 508,154 74%
Peraica , Tony GOP 143,875 21%
O’Brien , Thomas Grn 34,738 5%
* 9:40 PM - Some of the polling I saw showed that Republicans and downstaters were the most opposed to the constitutional convention. Check out these results from DuPage so far…
YES - 84,605 - 31.36%
NO - 185,177 - 68.64%
* 9:25 PM - Looks like a Halvorson stomp at the moment. 406 of 613 precincts counted, Dem congressional hopeful Debbie Halvorson leads Republican Martin Ozinga 58-35 with 7 for the Greenie.
* 9:18 PM - Only 10 precincts counted, but still funny…
Precincts Counted: 10 of 86 (11.63%)
Candidates Votes %
Emil Jones, III (DEM) 2,035 51.62%
Ray Wardingley (REP) 1,907 48.38%
* 9:16 PM - Tribune Twitter: Barack Obama is on the move to Grant Park, with several dozen police cars in tow
* 8:54 PM - Excerpt from a statement by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. which was sent from an official government [not campaign, a government] e-mail address…
“The election of Barack Obama as President is a defining, shining moment in our country’s history. We, as a nation, move closer to the mountaintop.”
* 8:48 PM - Cook County totals usually come in a flood. Right now, it’s hardly a trickle. From the Cook County Clerk’s website: Precincts Counted: 13 of 2,290 (0.57%)
* 8:31 PM - From Steve Sauerberg’s concession speech…
“I didn’t enter this campaign because I had a burning desire to be a United States Senator. “I didn’t subject myself and my family to the rigors of a statewide run because I liked seeing my face on TV or hearing my voice on the radio. No, I entered this race because I believe in Illinois, and the people of Illinois, and because I believe our government can and should do better.”
* 8:07 PM - With 495 of 11,585 precincts reporting (4 percent), the constitutional convention question is running 36% “Yes” and 64% “No.” We’re looking at about a 60,000 vote margin.
* 7:51 PM - According to the exit polling data posted by CNN, Dick Durbin won every demographic except two: Republicans and conservatives. But, Durbin got 25 percent of the Republican vote and 35 percent of conservatives.
* 7:48 PM - According to the CNN exit polling, Obama won white Illinoisans 54-45, he won white independents 55-43. He won 29 percent of conservatives. McCain won among white men 50-48.
* 7:45 PM - CNN has released Illinois exit polling for the presidential race. Click here.
* 7:33 PM - The only congressional results we’re getting so far is the Foster vs. Oberweis race. 29,367 for the Democrat Foster, and 18,001 for Oberweis.
* 7:19 PM - From the Chicago Board of Elections…
In terms of voting, the evening rush was FAR slower than anticipated — absolutely nothing like the morning rush of voters.
The only wards in our recent phone sampling that are showing any sizable changes since 3:30 p.m. are in the far outlying sections of the city. The phones have been dead for the last hour.
We’re now anticipating slightly lower turnouts (right at or slightly below 80%?), as there appears to have been a Grant Park rally effect where it now appears that most of the voters who were determined to participate did so this morning.
This also will mean far fewer lines and returns earlier in the evening.
* 7:17 PM - Links to live results, radio broadcasts, and individual election authorities are in the pulldown menu on the upper right side of the page.
* 7:01 PM - The polls closed at 7 o’clock, and the networks have called Illinois for Obama. Not exactly a surprise. New Hampshire was also called for Obama.
* 6:58 PM - The CBS 2 banner on the right gets you live election coverage. Click it, or just click here.
A stroke suffered more than two weeks ago by a top Illinois Republican was apparently more serious than his staff initially reported.
Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson’s speech and movement were affected by the stroke, which occurred while he was campaigning in southern Illinois last month, said state Sen. Dave Luechtefeld.
“It wasn’t just a slight stroke,” said Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, who visited the Greenville lawmaker at a St. Louis-area rehabilitation facility Sunday.
Along with Watson’s speech, his face, leg and arm were weakened by the incident, Luechtefeld said.
Watson’s spokeswoman had previously described it as a “very minor stroke.”
I suppose “very minor” could be a relative term, but if Luechtefeld is right, then it looks like we’ve been misinformed.
So nice of them to tell us after the election is over.
Even so, I’ll close this post with: Get well soon, Frank!!!
* Post your afternoon voting experiences, your observations of campaigns you may be working, general observations, discuss the news updates, etc., etc. etc. below.
…Adding… Somebody else asked me this earlier today and Marc Ambinder poses the same question on his site: (W)on’t long lines discourage voters voting for a candidate they think is going to lose? Discuss.
That cool Google gadget on the right side of the page appears to automatically refresh itself, so you won’t need to reload the page to see updates. We’ll have live TV coverage later today as well, and that’ll load in a separate window.
* 5:36 PM - From CBS: An Associated Press exit poll finds six in 10 voters across the country picked the economy as the most important issue facing the nation. None of four other issues on the list - energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care - was picked by more than one in 10. More state exit poll results are here, but beware not to put too much trust into horse race numbers.
* 4:46 PM - From the Cook County Clerk: Three suburban Cook County precincts that opened up to an hour late this morning will stay open until 8 p.m. Clerk David Orr asked the Cook County Circuit Court to allow the three precincts to stay open an extra hour and the Court agreed. The precincts are: Orland Township, Precinct 60, Parkview Christian Church o Cicero Township, Precinct 32, Woodbine School, 3003 50th Court, Cicero o Evanston Township, Ward 6, Precinct 2, Willard School, 2700 Hurd Ave., Evanston… In all three cases, the delay in opening was due to election judges not reporting for duty. Replacement judges from our suburban on-call pool — 175 were stationed around the suburbs — were dispatched to open the polls as quickly as possible.
* 4:41 PM - Gapers Block at Grank Park: The lines stretches from Congress Pwky and Michigan Avenue in three rows to Harrison.
* 4:34 PM - This is from much earlier today… Poll watchers in Madison County precincts say voter turnout is “very high,” as much as or more than 50 percent in some areas. Bob Hulme of Edwardsville is observing voter activity in several Collinsville precincts and said that on average voters are waiting between a half hour and an hour in line to vote. The precincts he is watching are known to be strong Democratic areas.
I voted. And man, the new fill-in the circle ballots are sooooo much better than those expensive and time wasting electronic ballots we used in recent years. They’re even better then the old school punch cards we used to use. I was in and out in 10 minutes and it only took my something like two minutes to vote. Keep it simple, stupid. The only complaint I have now is the writing surface in the voting booths are too low now. I had to hunch over to fill out the ballot. But I’ll still take it over what we had before.
I agree.
* 4:27 PM - Sun-Times Twitter: At Obama rally coffee and hot chocolate $2
* 4:25 PM - Beacon News: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office reports about 90 calls to election hotline. Nothing out of the ordinary among the calls.
* 4:24 PM - I talked to a Democratic state senator a little while ago who said: “I’m starting to think I should’ve been nicer to Barack.”
* 4:23 PM - Man, that’s a long line into Grant Park
* 4:14 PM - I must’ve missed that Joe the Plumber quit his job: Joe the Plumber is short on cash and unemployed but that’s not stopping him from opening a new charitable foundation and penning a book on American values. “I got no financial offers. I am broke,” Joe Wurzelbacher said Monday…
“I almost missed voting on the Con-Con referendum. After I thought I had completed my voting, I wondered where the Con-Con question was. I even thought it was missing. Then I found it at the very beginning of the ballot, right where I was instructed to ‘Start Voting Here.’
“It was shaded in blue, though, almost like a space for official use only or instructions. My guess is others will miss it too - and not go back looking for it.”
Cate Plys sends me this message:
“Bad news, you DID miss the con-con question. I, too, completed the question in blue at the very beginning - but that was just an example. I realized that when I got to the very bottom and found the real Con-Con question, which I almost didn’t see. Wonder if they did that on purpose? I checked with the election staff and they confirmed that the blue one was just an example. I checked with them because I was afraid filling out the sample one would ruin the ballot.”
* 2:20 pm - Official video of Mayor Daley talking about Obama
* 2:02 PM - My dad always said he regretted not checking out the scene during the 1968 Democratic convention. So, it didn’t surprise me when I got an e-mail informing me that he and the Obamalac are driving to Chicago for the rally. I can’t possibly imagine where he’s gonna park that beast.
* 1:54 PM - Grant Park eyewitness: “Have you ever seen a column of ants milling around their one entrance to their ant hole? That’s what it’s like,” David Penn said. “An absolutely incredible amount of people.”
* 1:52 PM - LakeForester: Lake County Clerk Willard Helander predicts voter turnout in the county could reach as high as 85 to 90 percent for Tuesday’s presidential election.
* 1:51 PM - Mark Blumenthal at Pollster.com: Ignore leaked exit polls tonight.
* 1:44 PM - Tribune video of Obama’s neighbors…
* 1:42 PM - From an “America’s Voice” press release : The Latino vote is expected to increase from 7.6 million in 2004 to 9.2 million this year and is growing not only in size, but in influence – especially in key battleground states. Efforts such as the We Are America Alliance have registered over 500,000 new citizen votersand mobilized one million to vote in 13 key battleground states.
* 1:40 PM - From a press release: Through last night, SEIU members and staff made 16,137,541 phone calls in battleground states and key races across the country
* 1:35 PM - From the AP: Chicago Board of Elections spokesman James Allen says voters are chatting patiently as they wait in long lines to vote…. He’s encouraging voters to take advantage of an expected lull between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m… Of the city’s more than 2,500 precincts, only seven got a late start _ though all were open by 6:50 a.m.
* Mayor Daley speaks: Daley said an Obama win today would boost Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid. But asked what specifically Chicago would get from an Obama administration, Daley urged patience, given the economy. “I know everybody wants something, but we’d better have patience,” Daley said. “I’ve told even mayors, we have to have patience. He is taking over a very difficult, challenging budget.”
* State Rep. Dan Brady on working for McCain in Illinois: “Illinois is Illinois in this particular election,” he says. “I think Sen. McCain is going to do well here in Central Illinois and southern Illinois. But north of (Interstate) 80, we don’t anticipate that much.”
* AG’s office isn’t finding many problems: Natalie Bower, spokesperson for Attorney General Lisa Madigan, says the problems so far have been few and include late opening polls, supply problems and equipment malfunctions.
* Beacon News: Aurora police said they had several calls about electioneering, all of which have been unfounded
When it rains, it pours. Hard drive crash in the server. We’re going to be down for about ten minutes starting at one o’clock. Sorry about this. Can’t be helped. There will be another very brief downtime at midnight.
If you voted today and were not handed a notice about the change in the ballot langue for the consitutional convention referendum, please download and fill out this form and then fax it to the Chicago Bar Association at (312) 554-2054, or e-mail it to them at: pollwatcher@chicagobar.compollwatcher@chicagobar.org .
Also, the lieutenant governor’s [campaign] office has requested that if you were not given the official notice, please disclose your polling place, approximate time of voting, etc. in comments on this thread.
Polls are about to open and i have 65 people in line to get in. 3 precincts share this building. I’ve been the captain here for 5 years. Never seen more than 2-3 people wait before the doors open.
Describe your morning voting experience, or other state/local political stuff. Please disclose your approximate location, time you voted, presence of electioneers, etc. Thanks.
* CONTINUAL UPDATES …
* 11:51 AM - The PeoriaPundit reports a big problem with his voting machine: When I got to the end of the process, I start to cast my ballot and notice that my choice for president is … no choice. And the entire list was in small print and a barely noticed it in time. Fortunately, I was allowed to go back and cast my vote AGAIN. That time it took. At least, I think so. How can one tell with electronic voting?
* 11:45 AM - IL GOP Network to host live “blog radio talk” at 4 pm
* 11:42 AM - Just in time for lunch: Companies give free coffee, ice cream for election
* 11:40 AM - RedEye: Monday’s late-night wrap-up of election jokes… And a list of words to retire after election day
* 11:36 AM - AP: Long lines at polls as Illinoisans vote
* 11:18 AM - Watch what you wear: In McLean County, if you show up to your polling place in a T-shirt displaying your favorite presidential candidate, for example, you’ll be asked to leave and come back with the shirt turned inside out, said McLean County Clerk Peggy Ann Milton.
* 10:55 AM - Lynn Sweet: Bill Ayers shows up at Obama vote site to vote; Obama not there
* 10:53 AM - Vote fraud not a concern in Kane County: “Most of the complaints I’ve gotten are unfounded.”
* 10:52 AM - Sweeny: Will Blagojevich ties drag down some Dems today?
* 10:50 AM - Database to help ensure one vote each: For the first time in a general election, the database will give election officials throughout the state a way to make sure voters cast only one ballot.
* 10:49 AM - CBS 2: Impact Of Early Voting On Election Day
* 10: 41 AM - Mark Suppelsa is looking for political questions from WGN viewers
* 10:39 AM - IMPORTANT: If you did not receive an official notice at your polling place about the constitutional convention question language change, you should fill out this affidavit.
* 10:30 AM - WBEZ Twitter: Spoke w/ State’s Attorney reps on NW Side. They say turnout is huge. They report senior citizens were waiting to vote at 5:30am
* 10:29 AM - Group Plans To Conduct Exit Polls Of Immigrant Voters
* 10:27 AM - MetroMix has an election night party list
* 10:25 AM - From the Aurora Beacon News: Aurora Election Commission says it is unaware of problems with polls opening late. Two people have complained to us about this
* 10:22 AM - If you’re in Chicago, show your voting receipt and get free stuff
* 10:17 AM - Obama’s grandmother voted by absentee ballot before she died yesterday. Her vote will count.
* 10:14 AM - From the Cook County Clerk: There is no estimate for what time results reporting will begin, as data consolidation upon polls closure at 7 p.m. is not instantaneous. In many cases, polls will stay open to accommodate any voter in line by 7 p.m. The Clerk’s office will post up-to-the-minute results on voterinfonet.com for all 2,290 SUBURBAN Cook County precincts as they become available.
* 10:11 AM - Ten Reasons Why You Should Ignore Exit Polls
* 10:08 AM - Pantagraph election day blog: In LeRoy, almost 600 voters had reportedly cast ballots at the three precincts at the Water Tower Place polling place, 212 E. Pine St., election judges said, estimating much higher turnout than in recent years.
* 9:59 AM - I’ll keep this up as long as it doesn’t slow down my site. This is a live view of Grant Park from the Sun-Times [had to delete it]…
* 9:48 AM - From EMILY’S list: The EMILY’s List home page – www.emilyslist.org – will feature full results for all our women across the country… Follow-along online or catch the latest on my twitter feed at http://twitter.com/votefem
* 9:46 AM - ABC 7’s report looks at the Obama Effect on suburban congressional races: Congresswoman Judy Biggert was encouraging her phone bank troops Monday afternoon in Downer’s Grove, where she’s openly worried about the effect of Democrat Barack Obama on her re-election campaign.
* 9:43 AM - WBEZ has a nifty election day photo gallery
* 9:42 AM -Tweet the Vote, which was supposed to help monitor election problems, is apparently overloaded with traffic and inaccessible right now.
* 9:39 AM - People are already showing up for the Obama rally: The first person in line was Tom Krieglstein, who arrived Monday at about 7:30 p.m., he said.
* 9:25 AM - IL Congressman Rahm Emanuel considers White House chief of staff job: As of Monday night, sources said Emanuel had not yet made a decision. While some described Emanuel as “agonizing” over the decision, others said he seemed ready to jump — especially if he can take some of his congressional staff with him.
* 9:13 AM -GOP effort to segregate Lake County ballots fails: The Illinois Republican Party’s legal attempt to stop thousands of Lake County ballots from being counted on Election Day essentially ended Monday when a judge didn’t schedule a hearing on the matter.
* My last pre-election syndicated newspaper column focuses on (what else?) the constitutional convention, plus some other observations about the election season. The last column of the election is always tricky to write since there are over a hundred weekly newspapers in the syndicate which will print the column after e-day. Here it is…
Yet another bizarre year of Illinois politics has been duly capped by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s recent stated opposition to a constitutional convention.
Only in Illinois, perhaps, could voters be shocked into voting “yes” on the convention referendum because their own governor strongly urged a “no” vote.
The big business and big labor opponents of the constitutional convention referendum surely cringed when the governor told reporters last week he wanted people to vote “no,” and said he thanked God that the current Illinois constitution grants him “a lot of power to get around the legislative branch.”
The reality is the current state constitution is absolutely riddled with gigantic loopholes, and Blagojevich has taken full advantage of all of them.
Blagojevich has abused his veto powers by doing things never imagined by the constitution’s drafters.
The governor has called endless special sessions for no special reasons, and took House Speaker Michael Madigan to court over Madigan’s refusal to go along with every single word in the a special session proclamation.
Blagojevich has expanded the concept of executive orders to the point where some of them look a whole lot like laws, and he strongly believes (supported by a too-broad reading of the constitution) that he can create state programs without the General Assembly’s approval.
Recent polls all show Blagojevich’s job approval rating at historic lows, with 60 to 70 percent saying they disapprove of the way he does his job. The feds are chasing him like a cat with a new toy; his only major legislative ally, Senate President Emil Jones, has retired; Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley called him “cuckoo” in public; and almost nobody else wants to get anywhere near him.
Simply put, the man is radioactive.
Despite the polling, the House Republicans played ball with Blagojevich all year, to the chagrin of most Democrats in that chamber who opposed the governor at almost every turn. At one point last summer, Blagojevich told reporters he was frightened by the very real prospect that his own party could win more House seats come November.
But you’d never know the House Republicans were the governor’s bestest buddies by the way they ran their campaigns this fall. “Blagojevich, Bad” was their simple, and pretty much only message in every race.
Over and over and over again, they pounded the message into voters’ heads that a vote for a House Democratic candidate was a vote for “Bad Rod.” They even ran a radio ad urging voters to remember Blagojevich when they cast their ballot.
But it was the House Republicans, and not the governor’s mortal enemy Madigan, who trusted Blagojevich to honestly dole out contracts for one of the largest construction programs in Illinois history. The Republicans did this despite the fact that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is investigating Blagojevich and has succeeded in convicting people close to him for “pay to play” politics.
The irony of the Republicans’ subsequent campaign message that a vote for them was a check on Blagojevich’s power and corruption was deeper than a southern Illinois coal mine, but it was all they had. With Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, using Blagojevich’s spectacular unpopularity was the one thing the Republicans could do that might stop voters from electing Democrats all down the line. Ergo: “Blagojevich, Baaaaad!”
The governor must’ve gotten a big chuckle out of all this.
Imagine the entertainment value for Blagojevich while he watched his fatally wounded public image used to defeat House Democratic candidates - who, if elected, would ally with Madigan against him - in order to elect Republicans who would work with him. I’m sure the Blagojevich headquarters was a barrel of laughs throughout the fall.
Blagojevich: “Didja see this one? The Republicans called me a crook! That’ll teach Madigan!”
Yep. Nonstop hilarity.
It’s also admittedly weird that people like myself who pushed for a “yes” vote on the constitutional convention referendum were giddy as school girls when the governor urged a “no” vote last week. After the governor made his “vote no” comments, I wrote this on my blog: “If he was standing here right now I’d kiss him.”
Yeah. It was a bit yucky. I know. But that’s politics, man. Especially in Illinois. Whatever works. Too bad the governor has never really figured that one out yet.
The Grant Park Election Night rally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will be held in two sections of the park — a southern portion on the softball diamonds at Hutchinson Field for some 70,000 ticketed guests of the campaign and a smaller non-ticketed event farther north near the Petrillo Music Shell in Butler Field. […]
There will be only one entry point for both parties in the park — at Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenue, said Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication director Raymond Orozco. Entry into Hutchinson and Butler Fields will begin at 8:30 p.m.
If the park fills up beyond a safe capacity, people will be turned away, Orozco said, although he declined to say how many people would be too many.
“We don’t want to give people coming down with false expectations,” Orozco said. It wouldn’t be like the 4th of July or the Air & Water Show.
At Hutchinson Field, expect metal detectors. Don’t bring cans or bottles. Security may view them as projectiles. Blankets are OK. No alcohol, coolers, chairs, strollers, signs or large bags allowed. Hot dogs, pizza, hot chocolate and merchandise will be sold. Portable toilets will be provided.
Those without tickets will be sent north to Butler Field, where they can watch the event on a Jumbotron, officials said. If Butler Field gets too crowded, the city will close it, Orozco said.
The crowd at Butler Field won’t have to submit to metal detectors. Here too, blankets are OK. And no alcohol, coolers, chairs, strollers, signs or large bags allowed. Water will be sold at Butler Field, where 200 portable toilets will be ready, Orozco said.
Don’t try to use Millennium Park to get to Grant Park. Millennium Park will close at 6 p.m. today for security reasons.
* You can apparently forget about a hotel room near the site…
Rally-goers looking for a place to crash after Barack Obama’s Tuesday night event will have to traipse farther from Grant Park for a hotel. Rooms at hotels immediately surrounding the park began disappearing soon after the presidential candidate publicly announced the location for his party about two weeks ago.
* Hopefully, mass transit won’t be too much of a mess…
The Chicago Transit Authority says it will run longer trains and expand service into the evening tomorrow to accommodate the more than 1 million people expected to turn out for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s Election Day rally in Grant Park.
Agency officials say six rail lines – the Brown, Pink, Green and Orange, Purple and Yellow – operate at rush-hour levels of service after the rally through 2 a.m. Blue, Red, Orange and Brown line trains will run with eight-car trains throughout the evening.
In addition, eight bus routes (#3, #4, #6, #12, #14, #126, #146, #147) will operate in the Loop until 2 a.m.
Due to street closures around Grant Park, boarding for most northbound buses will take place at LaSalle Street and boarding for southbound buses will occur on Madison between Dearborn and Clark.
• Metra is providing additional cars on its late-night trains for riders heading home to the suburbs between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.
• Metra will run extra trains between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. today for workers heading home early. The agency will also offer extra trains into the city for people heading to the rally.
• Metra will provide extra security at stations and on late-night trains. The agency is banning all alcohol and glass containers on trains.
• Passengers on Metra can take advantage of a $5 round-trip Election Night fare, which can be purchased on trains. Ticket offices downtown will be open late.
• The additional service is available on all Metra routes except the Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service and North Central lines.
• For more details on Metra schedules, contact metrarail.com or call (312) 322-6777.
The state Ethics Commission will allow Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s staff to review former tollway chief Brian McPartlin’s request for a waiver from the “revolving door” law to take a new job.
McPartlin’s last day with the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority was Oct. 24. He left the agency to accept a job with McDonough Associates Inc., an engineering and architectural firm that’s received more than $30 million in contracts with the tollway.
“Eddie has dodged so many bullets for so many years, it’s a shock that he ever got nailed, let alone at this point in his life. Everybody thought he was playing ball with the government. I guess you can’t trust anybody these days. Or maybe he just let his guard down.”
Asked to describe the mail fraud conspiracy in his own words, Vrdolyak, who had deep circles under his eyes, told the judge: “I didn’t know at the time they were going to be mailed. I was hoping my client would get the deal.”
If Barack Obama wins the White House on Tuesday, Gov. Blagojevich will appoint a search committee to advise him on who he should appoint as his replacement in the United States Senate, I learned Monday.
I’m told that Blagojevich will host a press conference later this week in Chicago in order to discuss the appointment, the criteria and give some insight into the process to replace Obama, elected to the Senate in 2004. […]
Blagojevich will not limit the pool of potential Obama replacements to elected officials.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Whoever takes this appointment could very well be doomed. The whiff of Blagojevich’s stank has so far been the kiss of death in legislative and congressional races this year. I can’t see his popularity getting much better in the run-up to 2010. It may get much, much worse if the feds catch up to him.
Enjoy your two years in the Senate, whoever you may be (if, of course, Obama pulls this out), because that may be all you get.
The only way out of this impending disaster (or, if you’re a Republican or a Democratic primary opponent, a gift from God) is to allow Obama to make the pick. Get this choice as far away from the governor as possible. A blue ribbon panel just won’t do the trick.
* Also, in case you care, Rasmussen Reports has a new poll showing Obama leading John McCain in Illinois 60-38.
Private funeral services for Christine Ann Durbin, the daughter of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Loretta Durbin, will be held this Thursday in suburban Maryland outside Washington, D.C. The services are limited to family and close friends.
Chris Durbin, 40, passed away on Saturday from complications related to a congenital heart condition. She is survived by her parents, her husband Marty Johnson and son Alex; brother Paul (and wife Jamie); sister Jennifer (and husband Michael).
In lieu of flowers the Durbin family has asked that a charitable donation be made to:
Children’s Heart Institute
Adult Congenital Heart Research (in honor of Chris Durbin)
Children’s National Medical Center
111 Michigan Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20010
Constituents wishing to express their condolences to the Durbin family can access an online condolence book at www.durbin.senate.gov. Books of condolence will also be available at the Senator’s offices in Illinois and in Washington, DC (details as to location of each book can be found at www.durbin.senate.gov). Handwritten or personal condolences may be sent to the Senator’s Springfield office at 525 S. 8th Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62703.
“Chris was a remarkable woman who was deeply committed to her family and deeply loved in return. The Durbin family is so grateful and has been touched by the outpouring of sympathy and support from those who have sent along their prayers and good wishes,” said Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker.
* Your endorsements (not your predictions) for tomorrow’s election. As far down the ballot as you can go. Explain fully without any predigested (or even undigested) talking points. Thanks.
* The Evans & Novak Political Report has moved Republican Congressman Mark Kirk’s race to “Leaning Democratic.” No explanation was offered.
ENPR has freshman Democrat Bill Foster’s race against Republican Jim Oberweis as “Leaning Democratic” as well as Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson’s contest against Republican Martin Ozinga.
* Mike Murray takes a look at the Oberweis vs. Foster race and finds Oberweis coming up short…
Independent groups have seen the writing on the wall, as $4.7 million was spent on the competitive special election. However, nothing has been has been spent for the fall rematch, a clear indicator that Foster is the favorite.
Perhaps the best indicator of Foster’s victory comes from Oberweis own pocketbook. In spite of his rhetoric, Oberweis has only contributed $475,000 to his fall campaign compared to the $2 million he shelled out for the special election.
* Adding to the GOP’s problems, early voting was huge in Illinois and election day may set a record…
Election officials counting ballots throughout Illinois say the state has set a new record of more than 821,000 early votes cast.
Authorities say that includes almost 484,000 early voters in Chicago and suburban Cook County.
The previous state high was set during the February primaries, when about 220,000 people voted.
Cook County Clerk David Orr says election judges alarmed by large crowds called fire marshals to several polling places Thursday.
Illinois election officials hope that record turnout in advance of the actual Election Day means shorter lines on Tuesday, when many expect turnout to be about 80 percent.
Still, there’s worry that many of the state’s remaining 6.9 million registered voters could clog the polls.
About 220,000 people cast ballots before Election Day in the February primaries in Illinois.
* But Steve Sauerberg bravely soldiers on, albeit in a boat aimlessly floating up the River Nile…
One poll of 800 likely voters released this week by Maryland-based Research 2000 found that [Democratic US Sen. Dick Durbin] had a 59 percent to 34 percent lead, 7 percent undecided. But Sauerberg is undaunted: “Our internal polls are not as bad as some other polls.'’
Operative phrase: “Not as bad.”
* PI has posted an excerpt from a CBS News report on veterans running for congress that features Illinois Democratic candidate Jill Morgenthaler…
* Walking precincts can be scary at times, or it could just involve navigating through a maze of Halloween decorations…
Life as a campaign foot soldier can be brutal.
Doors slammed in your face; shouting; aggressive dogs. And for April Wong Loi Sing, loud, scary Halloween prop noises.
That’s what the married mom of four and Marty Ozinga volunteer encountered Saturday morning after wading through a front yard of elaborate Halloween decorations, searching for a front door to knock on.
“The homeowner and I had a big laugh afterward,” she said, after a loud, high-pitched noise piped into the front yard had her screaming with shock and fright.
* Elections a miracle: Before you make fun of senior citizens who act as judges on Election Day, or anyone else who serves in that capacity, I suggest you take one of the training sessions offered free of charge by the office of Cook County Clerk David Orr. Those judges earn every doughnut they eat on Election Day.
The federal judge in the trial of former Chicago alderman and power broker Edward Vrdolyak told prospective jurors this morning that Vrdolyak will plead guilty to a kickback scheme involving the sale of a medical school building.
Sources have said for weeks that Vrdolyak was staunchly resisting any sort of plea bargain, even after the feds reportedly offered him a very sweet deal in exchange for testimony on other matters. His attorney reportedly urged him to talk, but he refused. Until now, perhaps.
Fast Eddie probably knows where a whole lot of bones are buried, so this could get interesting.
*** 10:47 am *** I’m hearing from a good source close to the action that Vrdolyak will plead guilty to the above charge, but will apparently not testify on other matters that the feds have professed interest in, at least for now. 16 months is the prison term floating around.
In a statement to reporters, Vrdolyak’s lawyer, Michael Monico, said Vrdolyak had been discussing a possible guilty plea with his family for some time. “And on Saturday the government suggested a reduced charge,” Monico said.
Vrdolyak had been indicted on mail and wire fraud, but prosecutors agreed to charge him with conspiracy, which carries a shorter prison term. […]
The plea agreement states that the U.S. attorney’s office would not file any charges against Vrdolyak in relation to accusations leveled against Springfield powerbroker William Cellini, who was indicted last week and accused of trying to extort a campaign contribution for Gov. Rod Blagojevich. […]
“I didn’t know at the time they were going to be mailed,” [Vrdolyak] said of certain documents that were part of the fraudulent deal. “But I was in fact hoping my client would get the deal.”
* As I told you yesterday, Paul Vallas won’t run for governor, or, apparently, anything else in 2010…
Saying he still has work to do to improve New Orleans schools, Paul Vallas said Sunday he won’t run for governor of Illinois in 2010.
Vallas, who was the first Chicago Public Schools CEO, is a major player in education. He heads the New Orleans school system and used to run Philadelphia schools.
* Vallas held the Sunday press conference to announce his support for the constitutional convention ballot question. The suburban and downstate pollling I’ve seen lately is all bad for the “Yes” folks, so it probably didn’t do much good.
When a politician can singlehandedly stop school funding reform in Illinois, or ethics reform, then there is something fundamentally broken about the governing charter that does nothing to intervene in that insult to democracy.
When a governor can use his amendatory veto power to add to, not just subtract from, a piece of legislation, effectively acting as a program-creating, revenue-allocating Legislature unto himself, then there is something grievously wrong with the all-too-ambiguous Constitution that allows that to happen. When just three people can essentially craft and agree on a budget that is then passed overwhelmingly by 175 largely clueless others who serve as mere props to the main play, then you don’t have representative democracy.
For those reasons - all real indiscretions committed by representatives of both major parties - Illinoisans should vote “yes” to a ballot measure that calls for a constitutional convention to address that which ails the document passed to much acclaim in 1970. Given the most dysfunctional, incompetent and arguably corrupt state government in memory, that Constitution desperately needs some tweaking.
Yep.
* The Tribune takes another crack at the issue today…
Insult and indignity are complete: Rod Blagojevich, governor of Illinois, wants you to vote against calling a constitutional convention. He frets that delegates might propose limiting the executive powers—real or goofily imagined—by which he pays for his obsessions at the expense of taxpayers. Without legislative approval. Without our approval.
He might have added: Delegates also could propose letting voters recall pols who accept fat salaries but won’t do their jobs honorably. Inept governors included.
So this settles it: Virtually all of the insiders with claims on power and money in this state fear losing clout. That is, for once the insiders are worried about you.Some opponents of a con-con sincerely believe that today’s citizenry isn’t as astute as, well, the citizenry that approved our current constitution. Other opponents sincerely believe only in their own entitlement.
* But this is a big reason why the numbers are breaking heavily against the con-con…
The opposing sides in the debate over whether Illinois voters should call a new constitutional convention are waging a lopsided battle when it comes to raising money to promote their messages.
About $1.7 million has been contributed so far to political funds affiliated with the referendum question that will appear on ballots Tuesday. Of that amount, almost all of it — more than $1.5 million — has been directed to a group that wants Illinoisans to vote “no” when they’re asked if they favor a constitutional convention.
* Con-con career starts: The last time Illinois voters decided to rewrite the constitution, way back in 1969, the state ended up with a bumper crop of new political leaders. Here are a dozen people whose political careers began at the 1969 convention, when they were among the 116 delegates.
An uncanny likeness of freshly indicted political power broker William Cellini is pictured in an oil painting at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.
Dressed in a natty black suit, Cellini — a longtime state government insider who was indicted last week on corruption charges — is standing over Lincoln’s right shoulder, gesturing as if to make a point to the president as vote totals come for Lincoln’s 1864 re-election.
The museum won’t confirm that it’s Cellini in the picture — but it’s not denying it, either, since the artist has acknowledged putting friends and acquaintances in his work at the museum.
Look, the federal indictment against Cellini may not be as strong as it could be, and he most definitely deserves his day in court, but he’s always been a controversial figure in Illinois politics and completely associated with this state’s “pigs at the trough” image. He and Jim Thompson re-invented “pinstripe patronage” here
So, indictment or no indictment, forever memorializing him at the Lincoln Museum - of all places - is an abomination.
If you’ve ever read Paul Simon’s book “Lincoln’s Preparation for Greatness,” you know that back in the days when Lincoln was in the Illinois House, businesses which wanted to incorporate had to pass a bill through the General Assembly. As a result, lots of legislators got in on some free money by being made corporate directors. Lincoln never did.
Also, at a time when Illinois was still mostly undeveloped, the General Assembly routinely passed legislation opening up public lands for private developement and legislators usually were in on the scam. Lincoln only participated once, and he ended up losing money.
So, putting the king of pinstripe patronage in a painting of Abraham Lincoln that’s hanging at the Lincoln Museum is just wrong, on every level.
And when the Sun-Times asked if the Museum would remove the painting if Cellini was convicted, the paper got this response…
“It’s a piece of art, with no one saying it’s him or not. So no,” museum spokesman Dave Blanchette says.
What a crock.
Cellini and his wife have raised a ton of money for the museum, and Mrs. Cellini essentially oversees the museum via her chairmanship of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Cal Skinner discovered in January of last year that Julie Cellini’s visage is also in a painting at the museum.
These paintings cement our state’s reputation as almost beyond reform. Or, since it’s Cellini, perhaps it should be “asphalts” our reputation.
*** UPDATE *** Scott Reeder notes the irony at Gov. Blagojevich’s firing of Richard Beard, the director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, who was accused of shoplifting…
But the governor hasn’t been charged with any crime — so far.
If he ever is, let’s hope he holds himself to the same standard that he held Mr. Beard. Blagojevich fired him before a jury had ruled. Guilt or innocence was irrelevant — only the unseemliness of the accusation mattered.
Yes, it would be nice if politicians held themselves to the same standards they hold others. But, if I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath — just my nose.
According to The Center on Budget Policy and Priorities’ report The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families in 2007 nine states tax the income of two-parent families of four earning less than ¾ of the federal poverty line ($15,902). Only nine states do that. And Illinois is one of them.
Average statewide reading scores released Friday show 53.3 percent of 11th-graders in public schools met state standards, down from 54.1 percent in 2007 and the third straight year that high school reading scores dropped.
State pension assets dropped almost $14 billion between Oct. 1, 2007, Sept. 30, 2008.
What this means is that pension systems — under-funded by the state for years — face an even bigger gap between their assets and what they’ll ultimately need to pay out to retirees.
For example, in June 2007, the Illinois Teacher’s Retirement System (TRS) was funded at 64 percent, making it one of the most underfunded public pension systems in the nation.
But the bear market has sent TRS investments into a tailspin and a June 30, 2008, audit found it funded at just 56 percent, TRS reported on Thursday.
The pensions are far from broke. The TRS, for example, had $34.1 billion at the end of September, even after its assets plunged $8.2 billion, or 19 percent.
In 2007 California had the 2nd lowest number of full-time equivalent state government employees relative to population among all states. California had 103 state employees for every 10,000 residents while Illinois had the lowest ratio at 97.
Inmate disturbances at Menard Correctional Center in Chester which have forced the Illinois Department of Corrections to place the maximum-security facility on lockdown status concerns the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said Wednesday afternoon that Menard is on a lockdown status due to incidents Friday, Saturday and Monday in the inmate dining rooms in the maximum-security unit of the facility.
“This is an example of the crisis that DOC is creating all over the state by closing down Pontiac Correctional Center. Pontiac is a perfectly good facility but it is being closed and that action is creating new complications everywhere else in the system,” said Lindall.
“I’m very concerned about my condominium community and the impact this will have on their financial bottom line. We on one side have given condo refuse rebates and now, we’re going to go back and tax the container….We’re sending out some really conflicting messages,” Tunney said.
