* Earlier today, I showed you a video of Gov. Quinn nodding off during a question asked by a woman whose pregnant daughter-in-law died because she had no health insurance.
Well, the Quinn campaign has countered with a video of their own. Apparently, the governor approached the woman after the event and told her she had given a “beautiful, beautiful speech,” adding “If I can help in any way, I’m the governor and I get around. I want to help tell Jenny’s story.” Class move.
The governor also hinted that he might help her with a call to the Chicago police since she may have been harassed at home by “the teabaggers.” Take a look…
From the governor’s campaign…
Yesterday, at the Campaign for Better Health Care forum, Governor Pat Quinn heard Midge Hough tell the heartbreaking story of Jenny, her 24-year-old daughter-in-law, who died nine weeks ago – along with her unborn child – because Jenny and her husband did not have health insurance.
While listening to Midge’s story, Governor Quinn took notes, looking down as he did so, as a deceptively edited video clearly shows. […]
To learn more about Midge Hough, Jenny’s needless death, and the reasons that Governor Pat Quinn believes that access to affordable, quality healthcare is a basic human right, please take a moment and watch this video from the Campaign for Better Health Care.
We all commend Midge Hough for her extraordinary courage and her indomitable belief that this personal tragedy may ultimately serve to help millions of other people, like Jenny and her baby, who still do not have health care coverage.
He nodded off. They should’ve either ignored that or admitted it. Either way, he clearly nodded off.
Unemployment in Illinois jumped to 11 percent in October of this year, the highest it has been in 26 years.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security said the unemployment rate for October was 11.0 percent, up from 10.5 percent in September, and up from 6.8 percent in October of last year.
“While the slowing pace of job loss and other leading economic indicators bring with it cautious optimism, they are of little comfort to those seeking meaningful employment during this national recession,” department Director Maureen O’Donnell said in a news release. “Past economic recoveries suggest the nation will begin to benefit from a growing economy before unemployment rates in Illinois begin to retreat.”
Progress Illinois has a chart showing how Illinois’ unemployment has tracked with the national rate. Ours is higher, but fairly consistent with national trends…
* Sen. Bill Brady thinks the GOP gubernatorial race is a two-person battle…
Jim Ryan “is really the only competition we see in this race,” Brady said.
But then goes on to make two points about why Ryan can’t win…
“His name ID is good and bad, and we all know why,” Brady said. “Two people for every one think he was George.” […]
“Who’s most electable in the general election? It’s a downstate businessman who’s not tied to the past,” Brady said. “Let’s face it: Republican voters are smart enough to realize that Jim cannot disassociate himself from George.”
In response to Channel 7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie’s report last night concerning the cost of operating the state fleet of 16 aircraft, Republican candidate for Governor Adam Andrzejewski says he would ground the aircraft, and then sell the $22 million fleet with the exception of the two helicopters and specific planes used by the Illinois State Police. (Story Online at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=7126679)
Andrzejewski re-emphasized his plan to conduct a forensic audit of the state’s expenses. He pointed out that Channel 7’s report indicated that state employees are using the planes regularly at a cost of $3,000 per hour totaling $4 million per year.
* We have two very interesting legislative stories of note today.
The first is about a couple of apparent put-up candidates out south. Rep. Jim Brosnahan (D-Evergreen Park) is retiring, and he and Speaker Madigan are backing Michael Macellaio to replace him. Macellaio was up against just one candidate, Kelly Burke, president of the Evergreen Park Library Board, until the last day of filing when two other women with Irish names filed within moments of each other. Kristen McQueary takes it from there…
So the Democratic Party quickly rounded up two other Irish gals to siphon votes away from Burke - Angela McMahon, of Evergreen Park, and Karen Sullivan Casey, of Oak Lawn.
Neither of them circulated a single petition sheet herself nor gathered signatures from neighbors or even their husbands. Most of the folks who got McMahon and Casey on the ballot live in the 13th and 23rd wards of Chicago, home to Madigan and his allies. […]
The idea is to dilute Burke’s chances, and confuse voters, by having two other women on the ballot with Irish names.
“Yeah, I’m angry,” Burke said Wednesday. “I just worked my tail off to give people a choice and get on the ballot, and I’m against somebody backed by outsiders of the district. It galls me that this is happening.
* Our second is a bit ooky, but it’s out there, so we should take a look.
The coverage of Rep. Deb Mell’s primary race has generally focused on two things. First, Rep. Mell’s nominating petitions are being challenged and she might be kicked off the ballot.
The other item of note that the major media has touched on is that both Ms. Mell and her opponent, Joe Laiacona, are gay. For instance, the Tribune ran a blurb not long entitled “‘Gay primary’ will be no big deal,” which included this graf…
But don’t expect the fact that Mell is a lesbian — the first openly gay woman to serve in the Illinois General Assembly — to be an issue. Laiacona is also openly gay. And neither candidate mentions it in online campaign bios.
CBS2 noted that Laiacona is also an amateur genealogist, and linked to a Windy City Times interview for backup evidence. Also in that story was this tidbit about Laiacona…
You have worked for a gay publication [as columnist “Jack Rinella” for Gay Chicago magazine] .
As I’ve told subscribers, Rinella/Laiacona is a BDSM and “leather” expert. He has written books including “Becoming a Slave” and has his own website, which is probably not safe for work, unless you work out of your home, like me - but there’s still the issue of my wife coming upstairs and seeing what I’m doing, so I probably won’t keep that site open for long.
Anyway, the Chicago Reader has a cover story about Laiacona this week. “A Kink in the Campaign” includes this quote from Laiacona…
“I live an honest and authentic life, and I’m not ashamed or guilty about anything I’ve done in that regard,” he says. “I’ve written about healthy sexuality of a consensual adult nature, and I don’t believe the government has a role in my bedroom. That’s the end of the discussion.”
And…
As part of his fund-raising efforts, Laiacona is reaching out to fellow sadomasochists. He hasn’t said what he would do specifically for the community if elected, though he has referred to “antiquated laws” that, if enforced, could be used against it. But he says he raised $1,800 at one leather party, and he pitched members of the Next Generation Chicago, a pansexual BDSM group for the 18-34 set, at one of their meetings at the Leather Archives & Museum in Rogers Park. He’s also used his column to enlist supporters by drawing parallels between being a reformer and a practitioner of sadomasochism.
Rep. Mell is as blunt as Laiacona…
But Deb Mell wonders how effectively Laiacona can work within the state legislature given his kinky past. “We can’t get a civil unions bill passed and here’s a guy who’s . . . into bondage and sex slaves?” she says. But she also accuses Laiacona of “hiding” his ties to the kinky community. “It’s a conservative bunch out here in the 40th District, so it probably works in his favor not to mention it.”
Even some people in his own community are debating Laiacona’s political viability. In the inaugural edition of DungeonPlace.com’s FetishCast podcast, after a segment on whether sadomasochists should be considered experts on military torture, hosts Meow, Gryphon, Goddess, Tutivillus, and DarlingEvil discussed his campaign and what impact his work might have on his bid for state representative.
“This is a man that’s been open in the community,” said DarlingEvil. “[I]s the mainstream . . . going to look at that and say, ‘Is this someone we want representing us in our government?’”
Let’s try to watch ourselves in comments, OK? I don’t want things getting outta hand or I’ll have to crack the whip. Oh, wait. I shouldn’t have said that. Nevermind.
A Cook County judge today set a Dec. 18 date for Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone to learn the name and address of the person who allegedly made nasty — and anonymous — comments about Stone’s teenage son on the Daily Herald’s Web site.
But an attorney for the online poster, listed as “John Doe” in legal proceedings, vowed to appeal Judge Jeffery Lawrence’s ruling.
Experts and attorneys are keeping a close eye on this modern-day First Amendment case in which Stone filed legal papers asking the Herald’s publishers for the identity of the commenter known as “Hipcheck16.” The online poster made a series of unflattering comments on the Herald’s Web site earlier this year as Stone was running for trustee and just before she took office.
In his six-page ruling issued last week, Lawrence said the poster’s name and address can be turned over to Stone, but she is not permitted to distribute the information publicly. Lawrence had asked Stone’s attorney, Stephen Tyma, to write an order specifying how to carry out his ruling, which was presented today in court.
* The Question: Should people be allowed to compel news websites to turn over the names of anonymous commenters in these sorts of instances? Let’s exempt cases where the commenters may threaten someone’s life or limb. So, this would apply only to allegedly defamatory comments. Explain.
* Gov. Pat Quinn appeared to nod off several times during yesterday afternoon’s debate with Dan Hynes while a woman explained how her pregnant daughter-in-law died because she didn’t have access to health insurance. The Hynes campaign sent me this video which they call “Asleep at the Wheel.” Have a look…
Not good at all.
* Progress Illinois has a short video compilation of some of yesterday’s afternoon debate between Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes. Have a look…
More from PI’s coverage…
Because he knows the consequences of bad budgeting, the comptroller emphasized “his obsession with financial responsibility.” As governor, he said he would push to make the higher reimbursement rate for Medicaid, which was established under the stimulus, permanent and continue to push for stem cell research at the state level (as he did in Illinois when President Bush eliminated federal funding). Quinn repeatedly reminded the audience of his 2001 walk across the state with Dr. Quentin Young, an ardent public health advocate. Quinn also suggested that voters look at his record fighting for the All Kids and Veterans Care programs as well as his veto this summer of a budget that would have eviscerated social service programs throughout the state.
HYNES: There’s something wrong in the state of Illinois when the comptroller’s wife gets a collection notice from her physician because the state hasn’t paid them on time.
Quinn in turn charged Hynes with ducking hard decisions, and played up a record of leveraging federal money.
QUINN: We were able to get the legislature to pass some legislation that will allow us to get over a billion dollars of new health care money from Washington.
* The candidates had two debates yesterday, the first was early yesterday morning…
Responding to an audience member’s questions about how it is “really painful” to watch the [TV ads run by both candidates], Hynes said his commercials were meant to “educate” Illinois voters about the main difference between the two Democratic candidates for governor.
“The ads we’ve run have been based on the central issue in this campaign — the budget and how to deal with it,” he said.
Hynes added that Quinn’s ads have targeted his family vacation over the July 4th weekend and his salon-quality haircut.
Quinn responded that Hynes was trying to “demonize” him and his proposed income tax increase in his campaign ads.
“I think it’s important to defend yourself if you’re attacked,” Quinn said.
“Really painful”? Heh. Wait until January. And I dunno about demonizing the governor himself. And his tax hike is what it is.
The two traded shots on budget policies. Hynes accuses Quinn of “using the same gimmicks” that got the state in the financial mess it’s in now. But Quinn says Hynes’ plan doesn’t have much to stand on.
QUINN: The comptroller is $3-4 billion short. It’s not a plan. It’s a blank piece of paper.
When it comes to free rides for seniors and funding the Chicago Transit Authority, Quinn says he’s worked out a careful agreement with the CTA. But Hynes says major cuts are still on the table.
HYNES: You didn’t solve the CTA crisis. You came in, offered borrowing on top of borrowing to avoid a fare increase for two years to get through the election.
Quinn, who inherited the governor’s job in January when Rod Blagojevich was ousted from office, called Hynes a latecomer to the progressive tax idea.
“All of a sudden when he’s running for governor he’s found the faith. Oh happy day,” Quinn said.
Sometimes, the governor really can be a funny guy. “Oh happy day.” You gotta chuckle at that. Too bad he has trouble staying awake in the afternoons.
* Related…
* Dillard walking narrow middle ground in GOP gov race: Similarly, he not only defends but brings up himself his vote for a series of sales-tax hikes last year that kept public transit running and helped fund public safety and other operations in DuPage County. While conservatives groaned, “We kept millions of people going to work every day,” Mr. Dillard says.
* Rep. Jim Sacia (R-Pecatonica) represents Thomson, Illinois. Sacia pens a regular column for newspapers in his district, but I thought you might like to read his latest work, which, of course, is about the proposed sale of the Thomson state prison to the feds…
At the request of Governor Quinn, I, along with Senator Bivins, arrived at Thomson Prison on Monday to find a daunting number of reporters, heads of local municipalities, law enforcement officials and others with a need to know more about the proposed plan to sell the prison to the federal government. We were immediately ushered to the front of the briefing to join Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley and my good friend State Representative Pat Verschoore (D-Milan).
The briefing itself lasted about two hours. It was impressive and thorough, and it answered much of the “coffee shop spin” that was already gripping Northwest Illinois. It was conducted by the Governor’s Chief Operating Officer Jack Lavin, Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle, Jonathon Monken the Director of the Illinois State Police, Harley Lappin the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and Phil Carter U. S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs.
Without this briefing, there would still be far more questions than answers. Several very important considerations have influenced my strong stand in favor of the state of Illinois selling the Thomson Prison to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
First, the 1600-bed maximum security facility in Thomson has sat nearly vacant since its completion in 2001, breaking the hearts and dreams of those in the surrounding community who invested their life savings and all they could borrow into businesses to support the anticipated opening of the prison. Many are now bankrupt.
Second, as a state legislator I have no control over President Obama’s decision to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO). If the detainees now housed there are coming to American soil, I’m all in favor of housing approximately 100 at Thomson and filling the remainder of the facility with maximum security federal prisoners. Both Mr. Carter and Mr. Lappin assured us that the GITMO detainees would never be co-mingled with other federal prisoners. They would have their own segregated wing under the control of the U.S. military.
A fact not known to many of us before the proposed sale of the Thomson Prison is that there are already 340 former GITMO detainees currently being housed in federal prisons in the United States, 40 of them at the federal facility in Marion, Illinois. It wasn’t made clear this week how many may be housed at other federal Illinois facilities in Greenville, Pekin and Chicago. It appears the transfers of those prisoners weren’t newsworthy because they weren’t tied to the closing of GITMO.
No, the transfer of detainees here won’t result in the creation of terror cells in Northwest Illinois. Detainees are not allowed visits from anyone other than clergy, lawyers and the Red Cross. Other prisoners at Thomson would retain normal visiting privileges.
Please remember folks, we are not breaking new ground here. Our federal facilities already are housing 340 of the worst of the worst with no problems. Thomson would simply fall in line, but of course, it is tied to the closing of GITMO, so the politics have gotten out in front of practical reality. This is an opportunity for up to 3200 new, direct and indirect jobs - many of them federal law enforcement positions. There will be local hires and transfers from the state system to the federal system. The facility will have an $85 million per year operating budget. - that’s money pumped back into our local economy.
Thomson prison is new, it’s practically vacant and our state can’t afford to fully open it. Yes, you can make an argument that we need it open. I, along with the citizens of Thomson have been making that argument for eight years. It’s time to plow new ground.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk were both on Fox News one right after another in a pretty fascinating interview. Watch it…
* The late Chicago School Board President Michael Scott had gunshot residue on his left hand (he was left-handed), his own gun was found under his body, his money clip - with his cash, ID and his credit cards - were found in the water of the Chicago River, yet some folks continue to insist he didn’t kill himself…
Many, in fact, questioned whether he killed himself at all and challenged the medical examiner’s conclusion.
“We are not going to rest until we find out what happened to him,” said community activist Harold Davis.
Davis was joined at the Starlight Missionary Baptist Church on the West Side by Chicago ministers and others activists who called for a state or federal investigation into Scott’s death.
According to ABC7, the ministers believe that Scott was murdered…
“We believe it was a murder, and we are saying to all the brothers that are out there on the street, we need your eyes and ears because we are going to get to the bottom of this.”
Asked who would have murdered Scott, they said they don’t know because he didn’t have enemies.
“This looks like a murder, and then trying to make it look like a suicide,” said fellow community activist Harold Davis, who said he shares that view with one of Scott’s wired-in City Hall friends, Phil Krone.
So, the ministers believe Scott couldn’t have possibly killed himself, and he also didn’t have any enemies, so he must’ve been murdered.
Grandstanders. Plain and simple.
If you really want to see something disgusting, and I don’t think you do, try looking at some of the comments that the Tribune has allowed to be posted on the death. Morons.
* Mayor Daley went off on a reporter yesterday who brought up the ministers’ allegations…
The mayor’s news conference after Wednesday’s City Council meeting took a bizarre turn — and came to an abrupt end — when a TV reporter [Tera Williams of Fox Chicago] quoted the ministers as claiming that the mystery surrounding Scott’s death would have political fall-out for Daley.
“What? Death? It’s a personal thing. That has nothing to do with my public career. That’s an insult to me,” Daley said.
“My son died …’Cause someone that you love dies, that changes your public career? …What a silly question to ever ask anybody. If your mother died, does that change your life? What’s wrong with you people? Don’t you have any respect for people anymore? I know you want to make a lot of money. You want to be on TV. You want to ask me a lot of questions. But, do you have any respect for anyone? I guess you don’t. It’s kind of a sad comment. You owe me an apology.”
I have walked past the spot where Scott’s body was found a number of times, around 2 or 3 a.m. when my old job called me in due to problems with the computer system. Not once in 15 years did I fear being by myself so late at night. Of course I was cautious, but I never saw the spot as dark and isolated. The railroad bridge where Scott’s body was found faces two huge apartment buildings, as well as a smaller group of condominiums whose backside are composed of floor-to-ceiling window areas.
That likely refers to a John Kass column from earlier this week which claimed the area was dark and unnavigable. Some of his commenters took him sharply to task for that column, but there’s been no retraction as of yet.
Any stupid tinfoil hat comments will be deleted here. Don’t push your luck.
