Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2009

Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Maine voters overwhelmingly rejected a TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) referendum this week. Here are some details…

* growth in annual expenditures of the General Fund, the Highway Fund and Other Special Revenue Funds are limited according to increases in population and inflation

* revenues exceeding the expenditure limitation must be distributed by directing 20% of that excess to a budget stabilization fund and 80% of that excess to a tax relief fund […]

* a state tax increase would require a majority vote of each House of the Legislature and majority approval of the voters

This is the third time that Maine voters have turned thumbs-down on TABOR in the past five years.

* The Question: Let’s change the final provision to make a tax hike receive a three-fifths majority in both legislative chambers and no direct voter approval. Could you support this idea? Explain.

29 Comments

Cillizza bumbles - No explicit Palin endorsement request

Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I probably should’ve known better than to believe the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza yesterday when he wrote…

Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk penned a memo to Republican poobah Fred Malek hoping to secure an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for his Senate candidacy, according to a copy of the memo obtained by the Fix.

If Cillizza really did see the memo, as he claimed, then he would’ve known that nowhere in that memo does Congressman Kirk explicitly ask for an endorsement. How do I know this? Because I now have the memo…

Memorandum

November 3, 2009

To: Fred Malek
From: Mark Kirk
Re: Gov. Palin Visit to Chicago November 16th

Governor Palin is scheduled to appear on Oprah November 16th in Chicago. The Chicago media will focus on one key issue: does Gov. Palin oppose Congressman Mark Kirk’s bid to take the Obama Senate seat for the Republicans?

We would hope Gov. Palin could say something quick and decisive:

Voters in Illinois have a key opportunity to take Barack Obama’s senate seat. Congressman Kirk is the lead candidate to do that. Kirk, the first member of Congress to deploy into combat since 1942, voted against the Stimulus, Omnibus and Pelosi health care bills. He announced he will oppose Cap & Trade and is the key House national security hawk on Iran. Kirk is a unique Republican candidate who has become the number one pro-Israel fundraiser in America, Republican or Democrat.

The memo then goes on to detail Kirk’s position on specific issues, including his oppositon to the Obama budget, “card check,” the Ledbetter [gender pay equity] bill and the stimulus, as well as his support for President Bush’s tax cuts and his proposal to cut off funding for Alaska’s “Bridge to Nowhere.”

The hazard of blogging is that one often depends on others to get their stories straight. My subscription publication is comprised of my own work, but the blog often riffs on what others do, puts it into context, uses it to relate other insights. I also break my share of news here, of course, but using other peoples’ stories is an important core function.

WaPo’s Cillizza is now on my “always check him out first” list.

* All that being said, the Kirk/Palin memo is still incredibly pandering. And it still points to a very valid question: Does Mark Kirk even know who he is?

Lynn Sweet…

That Kirk is courting Palin takes on more significance, however, after Tuesday’s balloting for an open House seat in New York yielded a Democratic win after the moderate Republican was driven out of the race by Palin and others who supported the third party conservative candidate.

Conservatives may be shopping for other moderates to knock off. But the reality in Illinois is very different from New York or other places. Though the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been trying to pump Kirk’s seven primary rivals as real threats, they are barely known and hardly register in polls.

Sweet is right, but it’s more than that. Why has Kirk consistently overreacted to this mild threat? I’m not just talking about the Palin thing, here. He’s turned into Mr. Flip-Flop lately to placate a Right-wing that barely registers. Is he really concerned that something huge could explode or is he just thin-skinned? Is this about making sure a Constitution Party or independent candidate gains no traction in the general election? Questions, questions, questions, but few answers.

The Politico posits…

Kirk, a moderate, may also face a third-party challenge from the right, after fellow Republican Eric Wallace made clear in dropping out of contention for the GOP nomination that he may mount a [NY Conservative Party congressional nominee Doug] Hoffman-like run.

Wallace isn’t a threat, unless you figure that the general election race will be close, and it probably will be. Even if the guy skims a point or two from Kirk, that could be a big problem. Wallace is not the guy to look at, though. I’m betting the Kirk folks are more worried that a wealthy self-funder might jump in as a third-party or independent.

The Hill also weighs in…

But what we know now is that despite a win by a Democrat in NY-23, no GOP candidate believes the conservative activists who backed Hoffman are ready to hang up their tea bags.

True dat. And, they don’t care about winning. They care about making their point, as the aftermath of NY-23 clearly shows.

* Related…

* Mark Kirk and Sarah Palin: Senate candidate’s memo about ex-Alaska governor shows he’s veering to right, critics say

* Kirk looking for support from the right? You betcha

120 Comments

Repubs talk tea party issues

Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois Review live-blogged a GOP gubernatorial debate last night. The debate was sponsored by a so-called “tea party” group in Will County. Here are a few of the questions. Keep in mind that live-blogging is a difficult thing to do, so typos are common…

* “Where do our rights come from?”

Schillerstrom said “from the people”
Proft said our rights come from God
Dillard said our rights come from the Lord
Brady –said our rights come from God to the people
Adam: They come not from another man…but from God himself. A responsibility that we all have to take seriously.

* “Question to Dillard: It is widely know you’ve appeared for a ad for barack obama … BOOS … Do you honestly believe his skills are serving America well as you said in the ad?”

Dillard: No I do not.

I warned people he was a a socialist then — his health care plan when he was in the Senate showed that. But he did work on an ethics plan with me … and I acknowledged it…

* “Question to all from panel: Health care. Do you believe it is big government over-reach. As gov. you would opt out for IL. Would you take same health plan that is forced on everyone else?”

Brady …I opposed Barack’s state-health care plan when he was in the senate and I do now

I believe we’re protected by the 10th amendment … applause … I have sponsored a resolution to embrace the 10th amendment .. I would opt out of the health care plan and would sue the federal government for the freedom to not be in the health care plan, but still get our part for Medicare and Medicaid.

Adam A: he would opt out of the program. He would use every legal pwer to sue the government. His plan is…we have best health care in the world…no rationing…his plan is to stop rationing info. Make doctors and hospitals put price online for surgery etc. Do doc and hospital scorecards. So people can choose. he would also eliminate the health insurance board.

Bob S. - I would opt out and I believe an elected official should live by the same rules as everyone else. if it’s anything important, we shouldn’t let the goverment run it., I am the only one up here that lives it. DuPage is the model of how government should be run. I have a record — I don’t just promise. I run a government. On health care — in dupage oounty, we took 400 thousand dollars to work together in Access DuPage to help people to stay out of emergency rooms. We ask the drug companies to provide drugs. We ask doctors to donate and we serve 10,000 that wouldn’t necessarily be cared for without the the program. That’s the way Republicans deal with health care problems.

Proft: He would opt out. The concern is the medicaid matching funds so we would have to sue. He also thinks we should go after the feds on a number of issue.

Proft - Medicaid is largest expenditure in IL yearly. We must restructure the program. The program is broken. Medicaid recipients have better plan than any politician or anyone in the room.
Wednesday November 4, 2009 8:38 IR Editor

Dillard: If i wanted socialized medicine, I’d move to Europe. I fought obama on this when he was in Springfield. I will work to protect 10th amendment . I would opt out and I think we need tort reform — applause — the federal government should get our liability system back in order. Legislators should be on the same system we force on everyone else.

If state “opt out” is included in the federal healthcare bill, you can bet that it’ll be a big issue in next year’s campaign. The GOP candidates are now all locked in on the issue, except McKenna and Jim Ryan, who didn’t show up.

Also, Dillard, Brady and Schillerstrom said they believed that global warming was not man-made.

* Related…

* GOP gubernatorial candidates to debate

* Suburbs set for more top challenges

* Kane board candidate’s campaign could get boost from appointment

54 Comments

Don’t bother sending a postcard, just get the cash

Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I sure hope Gov. Pat Quinn asked for big buckaroos for the state budget when he was kibitzing in the Oval Office…

Quinn, a longtime friend of senior White House advisor David Axelrod, met with him at the White House and after talking about stimulus funding Axelrod walked him into the Oval Office to see Obama. Quinn said he ran into Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett.

Don’t be proud, guv, just ask for the cash. Beg if you have to. Heck, stand on your head and spin around the Oval Office like a top for the preznit’s amusement if that’s what it takes.

* And while you’re at it, you might want to prod your legal team to speed up their review…

Republican Commissioners Tony Peraica and Timothy Schneider on Wednesday delayed plans to push for a rollback in the Cook County sales tax until Gov. Pat Quinn formally signs new legislation reducing the number of votes required to override President Todd Stroger’s inevitable veto.

A spokesman for Schneider said they hoped Quinn would sign it before the next meeting of the Cook County Board Nov. 18. Quinn spokesman Bob Reed said the governor was going to “review the law” and has not made a decision on if or when to sign it.

“If” he’ll sign it? “If”? I was out a bit too late last night with an old friend, so I don’t have the energy or the brain power to look it up, but I could’ve sworn that Quinn said he was in favor of that legislation.

…Adding… The governor’s office notes that the bill has not yet been transmitted to them. Good point, but I’m still a little concerned about the waffling on whether Quinn will sign it.

More…

Democratic Commissioner Larry Suffredin, of Evanston, who supports the reduction in the sales tax, warned that language added to the bill in Springfield during the recent veto session could contain a “poison pill.” Although it says the new law takes effect immediately, it also specifies staying consistent with the state constitution, which could give Stroger an angle to fight the new law in court.

All laws have to be “consistent with the state constitution.” But the Stroger court challenge angle is a real possibility, as I told subscribers last week. Stroger could conceivably hold up any override while he takes the state law to court, if he finds a willing judge, which might not be easy. The Senate Democrats said they believe Stroger has no legal leg to stand on, but this is America, baby. Anybody can sue anybody for anything.

* The state has a new accountability office? Huh. OK, get cracking…

Gov. Patrick Quinn on Wednesday dispatched officials from a new accountability office to investigate errors in a state database detailing stimulus-funded school jobs promoted by the Obama administration, a day after the Tribune raised questions about the job numbers’ accuracy.

The officials have asked the Illinois State Board of Education to verify the number of jobs created and retained in school districts detailed in the report, said Ashley Cross, a spokeswoman for Quinn’s office. Any necessary adjustments will be incorporated into the next quarterly report on the federal stimulus, she said.

Matt Vanover, a spokesman for board of education, said the flawed database actually had been washed of some glaring errors before being included in the official tabulation, which claimed 14,330 school jobs in Illinois had either been saved or created thanks to $1.25 billion in federal funds.

But the Tribune found that the database claimed far more jobs had been saved in some local school districts than actually existed on district payrolls.

That was a bizarre little story…

More than $4.7 million in federal stimulus aid so far has been funneled to schools in North Chicago, and state and federal officials say that money has saved the jobs of 473 teachers.

Problem is, the district employs only 290 teachers.

The stats were compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education, which should’ve known better.

* Related…

* Lawmaker’s wife doubles salary with appointment

* Tollway gets an earful on oasis contracts at hearing

* SOS White’s office to trim its staff

21 Comments

Morning Shorts

Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray

* Bus driver strike over layoffs an ‘option’

The union representing CTA bus drivers and mechanics is considering a strike if the agency goes ahead with hundreds of layoffs.

“We’re just exploring every option,” said Darrell Jefferson, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union 241, which represents bus drivers. Nearly 1,800 Local 241 members received notices warning they could be laid off.

“A strike would be the absolutely last resort,” Jefferson said. “These are trying times. It’s not a productive idea to call a strike.” But he said the union has to protect its interests “by any means necessary.”

The CTA has a $300 million budget deficit for 2010 and has proposed steep fare increases and service cuts to plug the hole. The proposed cut of 18 percent of bus service would result in job losses.

* Union head on mom’s CTA story: Why does stroller appear undamaged?

* Stroller allegedly caught in CTA train doors appears to be unscathed

* Mayor Richard Daley’s administration sued by its own watchdog

The city watchdog agency charged with rooting out City Hall corruption sued Mayor Richard Daley’s administration on Wednesday, accusing it of thwarting an investigation into possible wrongdoing by current and former employees.

The inspector general’s office wants Daley’s top lawyer, Mara Georges, to hand over documents relating to a 2006 no-bid contract awarded to a former city worker.

The city’s first deputy inspector general, Mary E. Hodge, sued Georges in Cook County Chancery Court, asking a judge to order the full release of the subpoenaed documents.

* Workers asked to back fund-raiser

Employees in the Water Management Department at the center of the Hired Truck and city hiring scandals are being pressured to sell and purchase $50 tickets to the Nov. 19 benefit reception Mayor Daley is hosting on behalf of the United Negro College Fund.

Although the cause is laudable, the tactic is questionable.

The solicitation is being made on city stationery with employees referred to a city telephone number to purchase tickets to the event at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. Shore Drive.[…]

Andy Shaw, executive director of the Better Government Association, called the memo the “charitable equivalent of pay-to-play.”

* $154K schools job for ex-Daley aide

Despite a burgeoning financial crisis that has forced a $43 million property tax increase and hundreds of job cuts, the Chicago Board of Education has found a $154,000-a-year job for an all-purpose mayoral troubleshooter.

Barbara Lumpkin, 59, will serve as deputy CEO for external affairs for the Chicago Public Schools forging partnerships with the business community to support school programs. The job has been vacant for nine months — ever since Lumpkin’s predecessor retired.

* Cook County Board signs off on transfer of 176 acres at Oak Forest Hospital to forest preserve district

* Alderman: Preferential seating for Chicago residents at Millennium Park

* Chicago may open charter school near Altgeld Gardens

School seen as way to ease tension after Fenger student’s fatal beating

* CPS Wants New Schools, But Fewer

* Chicago Public Schools breakfasts are big on doughnuts, sugary cereals

Nutrition experts cringe at free breakfasts’ high sugar content

* Durbin Calls for New Management at VA Hospital

* Veterans Affairs officials promise improvements at the Marion VA Medical Center

* Maggie shows us how the system is broken

* Teamster Strike for Health Care Ends with Deal

A 10-week-old strike by toolmakers on Chicago’s Southwest Side is ending in what their union is calling a victory.

* Forecast cheery for holiday jobs

Despite an economy that has many still feeling none too merry and forecasts for a 1 percent drop in holiday sales, the holiday hiring front news isn’t all gloom and doom.

Although an Aon Consulting survey of more than 100 of the nation’s leading retailers found that 44 percent are hiring fewer holiday workers this year, a majority have no plans to pull back; 19 percent said they plan to boost their hiring, and 37 percent said their levels will remain the same as last year.

* Planned coal-to-gas plant clears another hurdle

Power Holdings Vice President Joe Darguzas says construction could begin next summer or fall and take about three years.

The site is expected to employ about 250 workers.

6 Comments

*** UPDATED x7 *** Mark Kirk asks for Sarah Palin’s endorsement

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’ve been hearing that Mark Kirk was about to move sharply to the right, but asking for a Palin endorsement? Really? Wow…

Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk penned a memo to Republican poobah Fred Malek hoping to secure an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for his Senate candidacy, according to a copy of the memo obtained by the Fix.

After noting that Palin will be in Chicago later this month to appear on “Oprah”, Kirk writes that “the Chicago media will focus on one key issue: Does Gov[ernor] Palin oppose Congressman Mark Kirk’s bid to take the Obama Senate seat for the Republicans?”

Kirk goes on to write that he is hoping for something “quick and decisive” from Palin about the race, perhaps to the effect of: “Voters in Illinois have a key opportunity to take Barack Obama’s Senate seat. Congressman Kirk is the lead candidate to do that.”

Malek confirmed the authenticity of the memo in an e-mail exchange

Um, I don’t think the Chicago media will be “focusing” on the Kirk-Palin “issue” when she comes to town for her Oprah show. They’re usually mainly focused on ogling Oprah. Somebody is a bit too self-centered, methinks.

Also, the Chicago political media has historically been one of Kirk’s most loyal constituencies. They’ve helped brand him as an independent, liberal Republican. Getting Palin’s nod won’t endear him to those types at all. This looks beyond bizarre to me. Is anybody over there thinking about the general election? Is anyone thinking about how McCain/Palin got stomped here last year?

I’m really stunned by this remarkable display of brazen pandering. I guess I shouldn’t be so suprised, but I am.

*** UPDATE 1 *** I’m now hearing that the Kirk memo was sent yesterday - before the NY congressional results came in. The word I’ve been getting for a few days is if the Conservative Party candidate won the race, Kirk would move hard to the right. This memo fits in with that. And the memo’s date also fits. Kirk simply out-thunk himself because, despite the polls and very high expectations, the Conservative Party candidate lost and the Democrat won. Oops.

*** UPDATE 2 *** From Democratic US Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias….

“Mark Kirk begging for Sarah Palin’s endorsement makes it clear that he’ll seek any endorsement, take up any political or policy position, and attempt any political maneuver that he thinks will get him more votes. At the very best, this is shameless political pandering. At worst, it’s further proof that Mark Kirk lacks the political courage to make the tough decisions to move this state forward.”

Also today, the Senate Republicans announced they won’t be spending in contested primaries…

With Republicans grappling with the fallout of an intra-party battle that may have cost them a House seat, the head of the Senate Republican campaign effort is making a pledge that may ease some of the anger being directed at the party establishment. “We will not spend money in a contested primary,” Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told ABC News in a telephone interview today.

*** UPDATE 3 *** The DSCC is sending around Mark Kirk quotes about Palin…

· Kirk Called Palin the “Patrick Fitzgerald of Alaska.” In a release from the Illinois Republican Party praising Senator John McCain’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate, Kirk called Palin the “Patrick Fitzgerald Of Alaska” for her grit and determination in taking on the old-line Republican guard in Alaska. [Illinois Republican Party release, 8/29/08]

· Female Voters Criticized Kirk for Supporting Palin. In September 2008, a group of 75 female voters sent Kirk a letter strongly criticizing his support for Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, and accusing him of not “standing up for women in the 10th District.” “There is nothing encouraging about Palin’s extreme political views, including her opposition to a woman’s right to choose even in the cases of incest and rape, equal pay for equal work, and gun control,” they wrote. “Your support for Sarah Palin shows that you are more concerned with supporting the Republican Party and continuing with more of the same disastrous policies of the last 8 years.” [Washington Post, 9/11/08]

· Kirk: Palin Would Not Have Been My Choice for Vice President. Kirk told the Chicago Sun Times editorial board that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would not have been his choice for John McCain’s running mate. [Chicago Sun Times, 10/13/08]

· Kirk: I Don’t Know If Palin Is Qualified to be President. In October 2009, Kirk was asked by the Chicago Tribune editorial board if he believed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had the qualifications to become president. “Quite frankly, I don’t know,” Kirk responded. [Chicago Tribune, 10/1/08]

*** UPDATE 4 *** Dan Hynes cracks a joke on his Twitter page…

While we’re on the topic - http://bit.ly/4F7rQ8 - I will not seek, nor will I accept, Sarah Palin’s endorsement in 2010.

*** UPDATE 5 *** From David Hoffman’s US Senate campaign…

Statement from Hoffman Campaign on Kirk Seeking Palin Endorsement

“What does Mark Kirk really believe? Last year he correctly called the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain ticket a mistake. This year, when faced with a conservative primary challenge he is seeking her endorsement. Kirk has again revealed his true colors: No principles, no standards, whatever it takes to win. Palin is out of touch with the values of the people of Illinois. Today, Mark Kirk reminds us all that he is too.”

I think “What does Mark Kirk really believe?” is the real issue here. He’s been all over the map since he started this race, jumping from one core belief to another. The history of his position on Palin clearly demonstrates that he has had this problem for quite a while now.

*** UPDATE 6 *** Tribune…

The [Palin] request came a day after Kirk, who has long billed himself as a moderate, dodged questions from reporters about whether he would want Palin, the controversial 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, to raise campaign money for him. […]

At his Monday news conference, Kirk eventually got around to replying about a Palin fundraiser: “We’ll see. We’ll see. Yeah. Yeah. I’ve got a lot of folks coming in. I think I’ve got (Senate Republican Leader) Sen. (Mitch) McConnell coming in shortly.”

Oopsie.

*** UPDATE 7 *** Statement from Republican US Senate candidate Patrick Hughes…

“I believe Mark Kirk, who has consistently supported President Obama’s legislative agenda, including cap and trade legislation, is quickly realizing that Republican Primary voters do not share his extreme views. In a desperate attempt to prove otherwise, he is seeking the endorsement of Sarah Palin, a true Reagan conservative, to help disguise his liberal voting record.”

[ *** End of Updates *** ]

* Meanwhile, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady has a word of warning for GOP gubernatorial candidates…

Brady says the state GOP would clamp down on any negative ads that “cross the line” by Republican candidates in crowded primary fields in both races.

Brady says the party “will call people out” over their ads because he doesn’t want to have a bloody, divided primary.

Yeah, OK. Good luck with that, Pat.

So, what crosses the line? Whacking Kirk Dillard for endorsing Obama? Well, it’s true, but it’s also very damaging. Whacking Jim Ryan over Stu Levine? Also true, very damaging, but over the line?

And who are the candidates gonna listen to - the party chairman or their pollsters/consultants/managers who say this or that ad is the path to victory?

* Hope springs eternal…

Al Reynolds didn’t collect quite enough signatures to qualify to run for state Senate in the 52nd District, he said Tuesday, but he still hopes to be the Republican candidate to oppose Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, next fall.

“When I got ready to file, I decided that I didn’t have enough good signatures that I thought would overcome somebody’s scrutiny,” said the Danville man who was an organizer of local “tea party” tax protests earlier this year. “I found signatures there from people who were out of the district, people from Bloomington and Mahomet who had come to my tea parties. They didn’t realize that you had to live in the 52nd District.” […]

Reynolds said he hopes to be slated as the Republican candidate by GOP officials. But he said he hasn’t met yet with Champaign County chief Jason Barickman or Vermilion County Chairman Craig Golden.

Any candidate who can’t get signatures is a weak candidate. How could he even think that his petition disaster makes him qualified to be appointed to the ballot?

* And, finally, you know it’s campaign season when Dave Syverson starts coming up with political stunts…

State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, wrote Friday to Donald Trump, urging the developer/television star not to put Blagojevich on his “Celebrity Apprentice” show.

Syverson, the Senate Republican caucus chair, warned Trump that putting the indicted Blagojevich on his TV show could give the ex-governor yet another forum to claim he was railroaded out of office.

“When I heard he was going on ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ I thought, we’re making a hero out of this guy who has damaged Illinois. It sends the wrong message that we make celebrities out of disgraced leaders, so I’m urging Trump not to do it,” Syverson told me today.

135 Comments

Question of the day

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Politics Magazine has asked me to create a chart for them describing who the top 100 Democratic and Republican “influencers” are in Illinois (fifty for each party). The magazine’s Florida “influencers” chart is here, the New Hampshire chart is here.

Notice that both charts focus mainly on people who are not elected officials. That wouldn’t be the case here, because a few elected officials run so much in Illinois.

I have a general idea about what I’m going to do, but I thought I’d ask for your input. So…

* The Question: Who do you think are the top ten or so un-elected political “influencers” in each Illinois political party? These would be staffers, lobbyists, consultants, etc., etc., etc. Please, stick to people who are not elected to any public office. Explain if you want. I’m more interested in your lists. Try to be as extensive as possible. List more than ten if you want, but don’t just come up with one name. Put a little thought into this. Thanks.

103 Comments

Double standards, double talk and “B-roll spray”

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Sun-Times tries to be even-handed today with its criticism of both Democratic gubernatorial candidates’ TV advertising. But the effort fails miserably. Here’s how the editorial begins…

Gov. Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes, who are squaring off in the Democratic primary race for governor, are both smart and substantive candidates.

Not that you would know that from their recent campaign ads.

If those ads are setting the tone for what’s to come, we dread turning on the television for the next three months until the primary.

And then the newspaper goes on to chide Hynes for not immediately paying state bills for tourism contracts. Not a single word is ever mentioned in the editorial about any of Hynes’ TV ads. The Sun-Times just said Hynes should’ve paid the bills, which he did after resubmitting them to the governor.

So, the top of the editorial has nothing to do with the bottom, at least in regards to Hynes. The paper did take a whack at Gov. Pat Quinn, however…

The nonsense from Quinn: He has begun running a campaign ad knocking Hynes for vowing to weed out waste in the state’s budget line by line but still signing off on “every single” state check.

Which, to repeat, Hynes must do by law — and Quinn knows it.

That’s a fair critique. And it directly relates to the subject of the editorial. But if the paper is planning to hit both candidates on their TV advertisements, then shouldn’t it at least say what they find objectionable in both candidates’ ads?

You’d think that would be elementary.

* The DSCC has been doing this for weeks, and Pearson has now called them out on it…

In a highly unlikely pairing, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee joined with FOX News [yesterda] to promote criticisms of Republican U.S. Senate contender Mark Kirk made by a GOP candidate who dropped out of the contest.

The DSCC trumpeted a FOX News story that one-time Republican Senate candidate Eric Wallace had dropped from the race to avoid splitting conservative votes in the effort by conservatives to challenge the socially moderate Kirk, a five-term congressman from the North Shore.

The DSCC has been “trumpeting” every tiny right-left split in the Kirk race, even though most of it can’t be taken seriously, like that goofy Fox News story on Wallace, who, as Pearson rightly notes, was barely an also-ran…

Not mentioned by the Democrats or FOX was Wallace’s failed 2006 run for an Illinois Senate seat in which he got 23 percent of the vote against Democratic state Sen. Maggie Crotty of Oak Forest.

Also not mentioned was the financial viability of Wallace’s U.S. Senate candidacy, which reported less than $3,000 in cash on hand to start October, coupled with $11,795 in debts, according to the Federal Election Commission.

His candidacy was a joke, at best.

* Jim Ryan won’t give back the money contributed to him by convicted felon Stu Levine…

Ryan also said he also does not plan to return the hundreds of thousands of dollars Levine once contributed to the former attorney general’s political efforts.

“No, no. The reason I haven’t done that is because, when I had that money, I didn’t know that he had a problem,” Jim Ryan said. “There was never, when I was associating with Stu and he was helping me (with) my campaigns, I mean, there was never a hint of any scandal or problems or impropriety.”

As I told subscribers today, the hole in JRyan’s logic is that Levine was indicted twice for alleged illegalities that occurred in 2002 - while Levine was raising and contributing boatloads of cash for and to JRyan’s gubernatorial campaign. Those contributions are definitely tainted.

* Phil Kadner calls out Gov. Quinn…

Quinn talks about the need to adequately fund the public schools in Illinois, to decrease property taxes and raise the income tax to fund state programs. He said he testified on behalf of a bill sponsored by state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) that would’ve done all of that.

He says that when the bill passed out of the Senate, he called House Speaker Michael Madigan and said “let’s shoot for the moon” and pass it.

“After a long pause on the other end of the phone, Madigan said, ‘No,’” the governor said.

But the truth is Quinn really had a different tax plan he wanted to pass, and he didn’t endorse Meeks’ bill until it had been watered down and passed out of the Senate.

“He did testify in front of a House committee in support but didn’t lobby for it at all,” said a supporter of the Meeks bill.

* And, finally…

Tuesday night, Hynes’ campaign fired off a press release accusing Quinn of hypocrisy for releasing an ad criticizing Hynes for taking a trip to D.C. then boarding a plane to D.C. himself for a fund-raiser and a meeting with legislators from Illinois.

On Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin’s office released a notice for a Quinn meeting in Washington, D.C., Wednesday regarding federal funding for Illinois projects. It offered reporters an “opportunity for b-roll and spray.” That’s a term used mostly for national press meaning camera footage but no questions.

Hynes’ campaign shortly released a notice that their candidate will be holding an economic roundtable with small business owners in Chicago Wednesday that will offer “B-roll spray” and a press availability afterward.

* More campaign stuff…

* Full text of Jim Ryan’s campaign announcement speech

* Ill. gov. candidate Jim Ryan’s kickoff shadowed by Rezko figure

* Ryan returns to run for governor

* Ryan announces candidacy for governor

* Wallace drops out of Senate race

* Miller making run for comptroller

* Supporters, including Attorney General Madigan, turn out for Flider fundraiser

* As filing period ends, GOP hopefuls lining up in hopes of changing trend

* Bean has plenty of challengers — and not just from the GOP

* Congressman Davis files in 2 election races

* Political Dominoes Will Soon Fall in 7th Congressional District

* Green Party has full slate of candidates for state races

* Lake County ballots to have touch of Green

* Lottery held to determine ballot positions in Kane Co.

* Primary races shaping up in the Fox Valley

* Kane County treasurer faces challenge

* Even Democrats have primaries in DuPage County

23 Comments

No good news today… again

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Oy…

The University of Illinois has so far seen only $400,000 of $317 million it is owed by the state, leading to a virtual hiring freeze and the possibility of furloughs.

And the state may cut even deeper.

The UI has billed the state for $317 million of its current fiscal year 2010 appropriation as of this week, but has received only $400,000 for all three campuses.

* Oy, again…

Before the state’s budget woes stole a piece of her freedom, Felice Dworkin indulged herself with a daily trip to the park. The 83-year-old would board her motorized wheelchair and proudly steer it through the front door of her North Side nursing home. “It was getting out,” Dworkin said. […]

Since the wheelchair broke in June, Dworkin has relied on nursing home employees to push her around in a manual chair. […]

A former state employee, Dworkin said she has asked the repair company repeatedly to fix her chair, but the company, Mobility Systems in Hickory Hills, has refused. The reason? Her insurer, the state of Illinois, still owes Mobility Systems $2,291.12 for her previous two repairs — in November 2008 and in March.

* More oy…

Despite some encouraging signs about Illinois’ overall economy, state government is “floundering” and will continue to do so in the coming months, a top budget expert said Monday. […]

“You’re going to see some drastic cuts happening,” predicted state Sen. Donne Trotter, a Democratic point person on the state budget. “At this point, all we can do is keep the lights on.”

But, didn’t Sen. Bill Brady say that the deficit was only $2.5 billion?

* Sigh…

Progress on the Illiana Expressway project has reached a bottleneck.

During a breakfast meeting Tuesday, Gov. Pat Quinn told supporters of the road proposed to relieve traffic congestion near the Illinois-Indiana border that competition for transportation dollars is “contentious.”

* Notice that none of these new Pat Quinn appointees to Chicago State University’s board of trustees have any sort of experience figuring out how to solve the top problem listed by one of its newest members…

Among the new appointees is Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott, a partner at the Mayer Brown law firm. This year Scott was on Quinn’s Admissions Review Commission, which investigated admissions irregularities at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also was the state’s first executive inspector general, appointed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to investigate wrongdoing by state employees.

The other appointees are environmentalist Julie Samuels, the Green Party’s candidate for lieutenant governor in 2006 and now vice president of the party, a group Quinn undoubtedly would like to tap as he runs in 2010 for the state’s top job. He also named Gary Rozier, an Ariel Investments vice president, and Lisa Morrison Butler, executive director of City Year Chicago, a youth mentoring group.

“The top priorities should be really looking at the retention and graduation rates and seeing if we can put in place a model to improve upon those systems,” said Scott.

* One tiny bright spot…

State lawmakers have moved to lift the biggest roadblock keeping video gambling machines out of Illinois bars.

Last week, the General Assembly voted to give the Illinois Gaming Board more than $2.5 million more to spend, money it needed to hire staff to begin regulating video gambling.

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More adventures in reform

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Carol Marin points to a good reason why state parties and legislative caucus committees ought to be kept out of primaries as much as possible…

[At the building housing the Chicago and Cook County election boards], an ant army of Madigan’s foot soldiers, between 35 and 40 of them, swarmed the place, furiously combing through the candidate petitions of their fellow Democrat and perpetual thorn in the side, state Sen. Rickey Hendon.

Hendon, an 18-year legislative veteran and African American, had his own handful of troops on site returning the favor by combing through the petitions of Madigan’s assistant majority leader, state Rep. Arthur Turner.

Rep. Art Turner and Sen. Rickey Hendon are old enemies, but Hendon may have precipitated this latest fight by combing through the petitions of Turner’s son, who is running for Turner’s House seat. Turner’s son, also named Art, had to refile new petitions Monday because the initial batch may have been insufficient to stay on the ballot. The elder Turner and Hendon are both running for lieutenant governor, and that’s what Madigan’s people were looking at.