* I was on Chicago Tonight last night to talk about yesterday’s events. Watch it here.
* And I’m profiled in this week’s edition of the Illinois Times…
Years ago, when I was new in town and causing trouble, Rich Miller phoned me, out of the blue, and invited me to lunch. As I recall, he gave me something like 15 minutes notice to show up at a downtown restaurant. I figured his real lunch appointment must have canceled and I was a last-minute sub, but so what? I wasn’t about to miss a bull session with a guy who has, for the past two decades, devoted heart and soul to covering Illinois politics.
Miller started his career in 1989 here, at Illinois Times, making $50 a week and living in a basement coal bin; he now makes a very comfortable living writing a syndicated column for about 150 papers (including IT), a weekly column for the Chicago Sun-Times and churning out a thrice-weekly hot sheet called Capitol Fax, a subscription-based enterprise he launched in 1993. He also produces a juicy up-to-the-minute blog. Did I say he covers Illinois politics? He’s all over it.
Not surprisingly, lunch with Miller isn’t for the faint of heart. He’s a big, loud, hairy dude with a wardrobe of tie-dyed shirts and a vocabulary that could give Gov. Rod Blagojevich a run for his money on the bleepometer. “Do you mind if I smoke?” Miller asked me. “Because, if you do, you can just go sit way the [bleep] over there.”
So I wasn’t entirely unprepared when I called him the other day and asked if I could interview him for my column. His answer was the word “no” artfully arranged as the thematic motif in a fresco of profanity. I talked him into it anyway.
…Adding… Dusty also managed to get an explanation about that cartoon image I use of myself…
Former Illinois Times cartoonist Mike Cramer penned this portrait of Rich Miller sometime in the early 1990s. “He’s looking at the underside of the Capitol like a kid looks under a log searching for slugs and bugs,” says Cramer, who is now an attorney in the Chicago office of Ogletree Deakins. “I’ve seen Rich recently, and I think it’s still a fairly accurate likeness.”
When the morning’s arctic chill smacks the Carmex off your lips, when you’re gassing up the snowblower more often than the Chrysler and the dog would sooner burst than set a paw outside, it’s reasonable to question the geographic choices you’ve made.
Why live here? Why tolerate the worst winter in decades—not to mention this morning’s icy wind, a meteorological affront to all right-thinking people?
We posed the question, “Why do you live here?” to readers of the Chicago Tribune’s Web site on Wednesday, and they responded in droves, like bitter, blue barflies seeking a sympathetic ear.
Preliminary talks are under way that could lead to John Harris, the former chief of staff to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, cooperating in the federal corruption case against the governor that snared both last month, sources said Wednesday.
Harris has not yet reached a deal to help authorities, sources with knowledge of the situation said, but cooperation by the former insider would be a boon to federal investigators. Blagojevich and Harris were arrested Dec. 9 on charges they leveraged the governor’s powers in pay-to-play schemes and tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
John Harris — the highest-ranking employee under Gov. Blagojevich to be hit with federal corruption charges — has been providing information to federal prosecutors, the Sun-Times has learned.
Harris’ defense…
Ekl would not discuss details, but sources say that among the things Harris has discussed is how Blagojevich liked to talk big to his staff, but they didn’t always do what he asked them to.
…federal authorities are scrutinizing communications between the governor and Lucio Guerrero, his chief media spokesman. Sources said investigators seized paperwork while conducting a search warrant at the governor’s Thompson Center offices.
Not unexpected. George Ryan’s former spokesman testified at Ryan’s trial. The first thing I told Guerrero after he took the job was “Get a good lawyer.” And I’m not the only one who gave him that advice.
The government tapped cell phones belonging to Gov. Blagojevich’s brother and the governor’s chief of staff as part of its corruption probe, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
About 58 percent of Illinoisans believe Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s alleged corrupt behavior is common among the state’s public officials, according to findings of a new statewide poll released Thursday by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. […]
According to the survey, 78 percent of residents say a ban on campaign contributions by corporations will make a difference, and 76 percent say a similar ban on labor union contributions would make a difference. Similar sentiment (74 percent) was expressed for setting limits on the amount of contributions that could be given by individuals.
* So far, Senate President John Cullerton rates an almost perfect “A+” for how he has handled things, so I agree wholeheartedly with the SJ-R today…
…something very profound in Illinois politics happened on Wednesday.
When Sen. John Cullerton succeeded Emil Jones Jr. as president of the state Senate, Illinois effectively witnessed the return of a bicameral legislature to state government. By providing political cover for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Jones gave Blagojevich the power to put the state into the bind it now finds itself. Especially in the last two years, Jones’ complicity with Blagojevich fomented a paralysis in state government as Blagojevich and the Senate locked horns with the Illinois House and both sides refused to budge.
While we believe the Senate must remove Blagojevich from office for Illinois government to start its healing process, we also lament that Jones’ refusal to act as a check on Blagojevich’s power helped bring about the current situation.
It was genuinely reassuring to hear Cullerton directly address this crisis after assuming the Senate presidency. As the governor hotfooted it away from the Senate chamber after handing the gavel to Cullerton, the new president did not soft-pedal the work ahead.
“The demand for change is a mandate that we must address,” Cullerton told his colleagues.
And change we are getting. You’ll have to subscribe to Capitol Fax to read the list of changes I compiled this morning, but take it from me they’re quite sweeping so far. And it’s only just started.
Also, Cullerton just announced on the floor that his intention is to start every day “on time.” We’ll see how that one goes, but it got a loud round of applause from the members.
The new president of the Illinois Senate isn’t closing the door on a potential tax hike to help ease the state’s financial woes.
Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat who took the reins from retiring Senate President Emil Jones, said Wednesday that some kind of tax hike might be considered in the coming year.
“We have to have everything on the table and I’m not ruling out any tax increases,” Cullerton said. […]
“I will tell you the Republicans will not support a general tax increase, like an income tax,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont. “I don’t know that we’re going to go down that road.”
She didn’t, however, rule out support of some other, smaller targeted tax increase.
If you read Cullerton’s inaugural address, you’ll see, as I told you yesterday, that he doesn’t seem too enthused with the idea of cutting the budget…
In recent years, we have seen all the gimmicks and listened to all the quick-fix promises. But we know they won’t solve our problems.
If you think you can just cut waste out of state government, keep in mind that currently we have the lowest ratio of state employees to population in the nation by far. We have nearly the same number of state employees that we had in 1972. […]
And if you think we can cut healthcare costs - the largest expenditure of state government - then what do you say to those families who would no longer be eligible? Or, what do you say to the newly unemployed who have just lost their jobs?
That makes sense, but he never mentioned the word “pensions.” We’ll see what happens there.
* And if you read between the lines in Kadner’s latest column, you may see that Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn appears to agree with Cullerton’s logic…
There’s a fiscal crisis of state government, not just here, but throughout the nation. Ohio just announced it’s facing a $7 billion deficit. States all over the country are facing deficits because there’s not as much sales or income tax revenue coming in.
Kadner’s column is jammed with information, so I’m going to excerpt more than I should…
Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn says his top priority will be restoring the public’s faith in government once Gov. Rod Blagojevich is removed from office, and that means removing department heads who aren’t doing their jobs.
“There’s no question some of the people he (Blagojevich) brought in don’t measure up,” Quinn said during a telephone call from Springfield Thursday.
“I don’t think any person who is doing a good job and is honest has anything to fear. But those who don’t always live up to the standards of integrity or are not doing a topnotch job, they shouldn’t be there. Diligence and honesty is what the public requires.”
On Madigan…
Despite suggestions from some, including myself, that House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) might not be anxious to work with him, Quinn said he believes legislative leaders are eager to break the political logjam that has stymied Illinois government during the past two years of the Blagojevich administration.
A source close to Madigan echoed that sentiment, saying the speaker actually is worried that people will believe all of the state’s problems have been solved once the governor is removed from office.
“Once Gov. Blagojevich is gone, we can’t keep blaming him for everything because that solves nothing,” a state lawmaker told me. “Madigan knows that. He’s ready to work with someone he can trust. But Quinn has to realize, once he’s the governor, that he has to work with other people. He has to be a political pragmatist, but his strength has always been as a political idealist.”
Quinn has many challenges ahead. Hopefully he learned his lesson from the special elections fiasco. First he was for it, then he was for an appointment (made by himself) then he favored a hybrid of a temporary appointment and a special election. He needs to learn to pick a lane and lead.
* Gov. Rod Blagojevich made some brief remarks to the Illinois Senate yesterday while he awaited Senate President John Cullerton to make his way to the podium. What stood out for me was when he said he hoped the Senate would “find the truth and sort things out” - a clear reference to his upcoming trial.
Here’s the video…
That reminded me of this quote from the governor last year…
“Let me tell you something, I know the truth of things and I have nothing to fear but the truth, OK?”
* Ed Genson is blowing more smoke. This time it’s about the Senate’s impeachment trial rules…
The governor’s lawyer, Edward Genson, says the rules are “rigged” in favor of impeachment, and it is certainly true they are stacked against the governor — as are the facts, of course.
Yeah, OK.
The Illinois Senate’s rules are almost identical to the US Senate’s rules for Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.
Clinton was not convicted under those very same rules.
Saturday, January 17, 2009:
*(12:00 noon) Governor to file his appearance and answer to article of impeachment.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009:
*(4:00 p.m.) Governor to file motion to dismiss, if any, under Senate Impeachment Rule 14.
*(4:00 p.m.) House Prosecutor to file reply to Governor’s answer to article of impeachment.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009:
*(4:00 p.m.) All parties to file requests, if any, under Senate Impeachment Rule 15.
Friday, January 23, 2009:
*(4:00 p.m.) House Prosecutor to file response to any motion to dismiss under Senate Impeachment Rule 14.
Saturday, January 24, 2009:
*(10:00 a.m.) All parties to file responses to requests, if any, under Senate Impeachment Rule 15.
The trial will begin on the 26th.
The only hope Genson has is if a court steps in and declares the procedure or our Constitution unconstitutional under the federal system. Anyone can sue anyone for anything, but it’s highly doubtful that a judge will stop this trial or throw out the results.
* Speaking of over the top, check out this op-ed in the Tribune today…
In the tragedy surrounding Gov. Rod Blagojevich, one person’s culpability has been entirely overlooked—U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald’s. He poisoned the water, resulting in a tsunami of national condemnation of the governor.
A former Justice Department official, Victoria Toensing, has written that “Mr. Fitzgerald violated the ethical requirement of the Justice Department guidelines that prior to a trial a ‘prosecutor shall refrain from making extrajudicial comments that pose a serious and imminent threat of heightening public condemnation of the accused.’ ” Fitzgerald’s inflammatory comments at his Dec. 9 news conference—where he stated that Blagojevich’s conduct was “appalling” and that he had gone on a “political corruption crime spree”—were entirely out of bounds. And Fitzgerald should never have permitted Robert Grant, special agent in charge of Chicago’s FBI office, to say to the media that “If [Illinois] isn’t the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor.”
We are reminded, similarly, that the Durham, N.C., Police Department posted a bulletin declaring Duke University lacrosse players “criminals,” and we need say no more about the extrajudicial and prejudicial comments by then-prosecutor Mike Nifong.
I think I was the first Illinois reporter to point out that Fitzgerald was over the line. But comparing his comments to Nifong’s misdeeds is a bit much.
* I took a quick look at some of your comments on Rep. Deborah Mell’s “No” vote on impeachment yesterday and thought many of them were unfair.
This is her brother-in-law, people. Cut her a bit of slack. Can you imagine what she might be going through?
Also, I highly doubt there will be any political problems in her district. Who’s gonna beat her in a primary? She’s Dick Mell’s daughter, for crying out loud.
On her first day as a state lawmaker, Rep. Deborah Mell found herself facing a highly personal vote: the impeachment of her brother-in-law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich. […]
Asked whether Mell should have abstained because of her relationship to the governor, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan said it’s up to individual lawmakers to decide how to vote.
She could’ve abstained, but members are not barred from voting on issues where they have a conflict of interest. But hitting the “yellow” button would’ve been the easy way out. Frankly, I appreciated her guts, even if I strongly disagree with her vote.
House Majority Leader Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), who led the impeachment panel, said she was “not surprised” by Mell’s vote and doesn’t think it “will have any impact on my continuing relationship with her.”
BFC is almost assuredly correct. The vote is over, the House is moving on. Mell will not be ostracized.
“Given my unique relationship to the governor, this is a vote to which I have given a great deal of consideration,” Mell said in the statement. “I have known the governor for more than 20 years and the charges in the impeachment were difficult to reconcile with the man and brother-in-law I know.”
“I could not in good conscience vote for his impeachment,” she wrote. “I regard him as innocent until proven guilty and many of my constitutents have expressed this view.
Again, I disagree with her vote and at least some of her stated reasoning, particularly that last paragraph. But, whatever.
Congratulations! On your very first day in your very first official act as a member of the General Assembly, you cast a vote that was simultaneously arrogant, ignorant, blind, cowardly and corrupt.
Sometimes it takes our lawmakers years to hit all those bases.
* Sorry for all the typos in yesterday’s impeachment live-blogging. I was blogging with my iPhone and that often leads to problems. I didn’t realize how many typos there were until early this morning. Oops.
* There’s been a problem for the past couple of days with our automated news feeds. New stories aren’t appearing, and it has frustrated me to no end. The company responsible for generating the feeds is working on it, and they promise to have it fixed soon. Sorry about that.
*** UPDATE *** The feeds are working again. Thanks for your patience.
* Senate appointment process deserves to be questioned … over and over
* Former workers at Republic Windows and Doors heartened by possible sale of Goose Island factory
A month after Republic Windows and Doors workers won a rare labor victory after a six-day sit-in at their shuttered Chicago plant, former workers held their breath Wednesday in hope of an even bigger achievement.
Against long odds created by a staggering economy and a plunging housing market, a potential buyer for the factory had been found, one that promised to reopen the Goose Island plant and eventually offer new jobs to the more than 300 workers left unemployed by the plant’s abrupt closing.
The deal was not yet done, cautioned the union and Serious Materials, the California building materials company that has made the offer. But the potential outcome—a reopened factory in a time when millions are out of work—was far beyond what the workers could have imagined when they began their occupation of the factory last month.
Last spring, Cook County prosecutors began noticing that juvenile cases took two months to get to the Markham Courthouse. Typically, it took three weeks.
Today, as a result of a significant jump in juvenile cases, it takes four months. […]
Juvenile crime is down in Chicago, but the south suburbs have seen an explosion, law-enforcement officials said. In September, the Markham Courthouse had 218 juvenile cases. In comparison, all four other suburban Cook County courthouses—Bridgeview, Maywood, Skokie and Rolling Meadows—saw 8 to 21 cases.
An injunction prohibiting the demolition of more than 600 Bensenville buildings in the path of a new O’Hare International Airport runway is back in effect after an Illinois Appellate Court ordered a DuPage County judge to deal further with the question of environmental issues raised by the planned demolition.
Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo is cutting cut more than $1 million from its $21 million annual budget, which means cuts in programs and elimination of staff positions.
* Expediter charged in Chicago City Hall bribery probe
Federal prosecutors have quietly brought charges against a City Hall permit “expediter” who became a government mole at the center of a wide-ranging bribery probe.
* Cook Forest Preserve District agrees to let hiring monitor watch for illegal patronage
