* 5:02 pm - Another blow to Dan Hynes’ campaign. From a press release…
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, a lifelong educator and public servant, today formally endorsed Governor Pat Quinn, citing Quinn’s long record of standing up for honesty in government, school finance reform, and veterans’ rights.
“Governor Quinn inherited an office and a state that faced serious financial and ethical problems,” White said during a news conference Thursday in Chicago. “I am endorsing Pat Quinn for the Democratic nomination because I am confident that he is up to the challenge. Governor Quinn is honest and hardworking and has spent his career fighting for the working men and women of this great state.”
“From the day I took office as Governor, Jesse White has worked steadily alongside me to put our state government back on track,” Governor Quinn said. “He has been a tireless, effective advocate for reform and a strong voice for the education of our young people, and I am honored by his support. I look forward to working with him to make Illinois a stronger, more prosperous state.”
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he knew ahead of time that his Corrections Department planned to begin releasing some prisoners after just a few days behind bars.
But Quinn wouldn’t explain Wednesday why he halted the practice after The Associated Press reported the release of hundreds of inmates - including some convicted of violent crimes.
The Chicago Democrat also refused to say whether he knew the release program would include violent criminals.
“They want to screw Pat Quinn so he can’t win,” state Sen. Rickey Hendon, a Chicago Democrat running for lieutenant governor, told the Daily Herald editorial board Tuesday.
Hendon claims this is why House Speaker Michael Madigan, chairman of the Democratic Party, didn’t try harder to pass an income tax that Senate Democrats had approved to help Quinn balance the budget.
“Mike Madigan could pass a ham sandwich in the House if he wanted to,” Hendon said.
Asked specifically if he thought Democratic powers were conspiring against Quinn, Hendon was resolute.
“Yes, they set Pat Quinn up to fail. There is no question about it,” Hendon said.
Quinn set himself up to fail, but they just let him fall.
For months, wanna-be Senator Kirk has faced one of the toughest political operatives in the country. Her name is Kathleen Strand. She’s the senior vice president of a political consulting outfit called The Dover Group which has been hired by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to give Kirk as much grief as possible during his “lead pipe cinch” primary campaign.
Strand is a Chicago native who since 2003 has worked various democratic campaigns in 12 states. She solidified her rep as Hillary Clinton’s communications director during Clinton’s improbable comeback victory in the 2008 New Hampshire Primary. Now, Strand watches and records Kirk’s every political move and word. Whenever she thinks the moderate northshore congressman has changed his position on an issue (usually moving to the right to placate the more conservative statewide republican base), Strand speaks, writes, telephones and e-mails “flip-flop” alerts to the political universe. Her latest “outreach” is a web page called “Two Faced Kirk” (http://www.dscc.org/twofaced/) complete with a YouTube video.
I met Strand, a University of Missouri journalism graduate, last summer outside a DuPage County republican event that featured the congressman around the time he announced his Senate candidacy. Initially, I mistook the slim blond standing in the parking lot for some kind of Mark Kirk groupie. Big mistake. She was banned from doing her thing inside the building by hotel security but it didn’t stop her from holding court outside on Kirk’s now-infamous change of heart on cap and trade legislation.
Defense attorney Samuel E. Adam said following a hearing in the case that it would be “an awesome experience in any career” to question Obama, who is not accused of any wrongdoing but did answer questions from federal investigators.
* I admit that I hadn’t really thought of the Jacob Meister “gay” angle, because I figured David Hoffman’s constant claim that he’s the “only parent” in the race is directed for various reasons at the bachelor Alexi Giannoulias…
Meister is offended that Hoffman, father of a 2-year-old, keeps calling himself the only parent in the Democratic Senate primary. Meister complained, “I can’t get married,” and accused Hoffman of making an insidious, anti-gay slur.
“I’ve had a number of people from the LGBT community come up to me and say, ‘Why are letting him do this?’” Meister said at the debate. “This is horrible. This is a terrible thing, and it’s indicative of the problem that we have. This is not an issue. It is not something that should be brought up in this way any more than Barack Obama’s race.”
But Hoffman said his comment had nothing to do with sexual orientation.
“I’m proud to be married and to have a 2-year-old. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with talking about that. I’m a strong supporter of gay marriage,” Hoffman said, “and what I said up there was I’m a parent. I’m the only parent in the race, because being a parent, regardless of your sexual orientation – raising children – changes your perspective. And that’s the point I’m making, and of course that’s the point I’m making, and for someone to claim something otherwise, I think, is not right.”
Also, this is one way to get the word out that you’re gay. Kinda like Bobby Rush’s ploy to fire up the black troops for Cheryle Jackson.
I’m curious, though, why Meister was even at the debate since he hasn’t broken 5 percent in any polls.
* NBC5 makes a bit of a stretch in its setup of a Hoffman jab at Giannoulias…
Hoffman then linked Giannoulias’ job performance to the suffering Bright Start College savings program.
“How can we trust him when he ran Bright Start and lost 185 million dollars?” he said. “It’s no longer one of the top programs. On his watch, one of his job performance issues was not managing the Bright Start program.” [Emphasis added]
Only one of the funds in the program is actually “suffering.” Consumer Reports even gave the program an “A” earlier this year - one of only five in the nation.
The Hoffman campaign sent this after the debate…
Truth matters in a campaign, and Alexi Giannoulias drove right past it today. He did a grave disservice to the voters by deceiving them that Bright Start is one of the best managed funds in the country today.
Alexi Giannoulias continues to misstate the performance of the Bright Start College Savings Plan, which lost Illinois families $85 million on his watch. Giannoulias cited two year old reports that Bright Start was among the best funds of its kind in the nation.
Bright Start has been dropped by Morningstar, a leading provider of investment research, from the top rankings, and has not appeared on their best performing list since the end of 2007, after which the fund lost 38% of its value.
This misrepresentation is exactly why voters are cynical; they are sick of being lied to. This is why character, job performance and experience are key issues in this race, and why again Mr. Giannoulias fails these crucial tests.
Morningstar July 28, 2008:
“Undoubtedly, the fund’s latest struggles demonstrate the risk of going against the grain during prolonged bouts of uncertainty.”
Morningstar October 27, 2008:
“In fact, the fund’s recent losses (20% for the year ended Oct. 24 2008) have been sizable enough to erase any gains that investors made here over the past five years.”
Morningstar December 17, 2008:
Since our last update in October, this fund has continued its dramatic slide. For the year ended Dec. 16, 2008, it has lost 37.6% which is 31 percentage points worse than its typical intermediate-term bond rival’s loss…”
However, one of the latest Morningstar reports isn’t all that bad. It begins…
Illinois’ Bright Start College Savings Program is on the road to recovery.
It ends…
In all, we still think this plan offers investors plenty of reasons to invest here.
But this Giannoulias press release is just silly…
U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign today exposed the hypocrisy of opponent David Hoffman in a critique of Hoffman’s first campaign advertisement.
The “Reality Check” ad contrasts footage of Hoffman alleging that “the bankers, the lobbyists, the powerbrokers, they’ve owned Washington for too long” with the truth - that his investments are protected by the very TARP-funded banks that he rails against.
Hoffman has almost a quarter of a million dollars invested in stock at three big banks which were bailed out with taxpayer money: JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of NY Mellon, according to his personal financial disclosure. The trio received almost $53 billion in TARP funds.
The ad critique poses this question to voters: “Will he work for us? Or the bailed out banks?”
“Taxpayer dollars protected Hoffman’s investments, and now he’s using his personal wealth to finance his campaign. It is hypocritical for David to rail against Wall Street banks when he is their beneficiary,” said campaign spokesperson Kati Phillips.
So, Hoffman has some money in bank stocks and that makes him a total pawn of the banking industry? Please.
Still, some of the most intense battling at the Statehouse is between community banks and “big banks.” I can see where the animosity comes from. I just don’t think it’s a valid hit.
Here’s the video…
From what I gather, Giannoulias started the argument over the banks today, probably so he could bring up his new video.
All of this aside, Giannoulias didn’t participate in the candidate media availability after the debate was over, and reporters were absolutely furious. That may do more to slant today’s coverage than any post-debate spin from either side.
…Adding… Apparently, Giannoulias answered media questions shortly afterwards at city hall.
1) Best Illinois state legislator: Sen. Don Harmon. John Cullerton’s ascension to the Senate Presidency has propelled Harmon into the upper echelons of legislative power. He is a likely future Senate President himself. Harmon was an overwhelming favorite in the nominations. This one was representative…
Smart, hardworking, and not an ideologue.
2) Best Illinois congresscritter: Rep. Phil Hare. He’s a hard working blue-collar guy. From the nominations…
Always out in the community working his insanely large district. Also, he has continued to work on issues important to his district.
3) Best IL statewide elected official: Jesse White…
…because he’s not running for anything else, didn’t think about running for anything else, wasn’t courted to run for anything else, etc. The man just does his job.
4) Best Statehouse lobbyist: Bill Luking…
He isn’t on the rail but rather in secretary’s offices, the JCAR offices, etc. No one knows the process better. I would like someone to calculate the amount of money he has either gotten for Chicago or saved Chicago over the years. He is by far the most effective lobbyist in Springfield.
Luking reads every bill and every amendment. He is a walking, talking computer. Plus, he met Frank Sinatra. That counts for something in my book.
* Our final round…
1) Best press spokesperson (legislative, congressional, local or statewide)
2) Best non-press staffer for a constitutional officer
3) Best “insider”
Again, it’s not the number of votes but the intensity of the nominations that count here. So, make sure you fully explain your nominations. Have at it.
* The Tribune urges everybody, but mostly opponents of the Thomson prison sale, to “Take a deep breath” in an editorial today…
But the fear mongers want no part of it. To hear them talk, Obama and Quinn are painting a big red bull’s eye on the Willis Tower, 150 miles away. Put those prisoners in Thomson and the next thing you know, their terrorist friends will stage a jailbreak and they’ll all take over the nuclear power plant in nearby Cordova. Think we’re exaggerating? Kirk’s campaign Web site says Obama’s plan would make Illinois “ground zero for jihadists” and that detainees should “stay where they cannot endanger American citizens.” McKenna says Quinn is trying “to bring terrorists to our neighborhoods in the name of job creation.”
You know what that sounds like: Not In My Back Yard.
Meh. People have a right to say they don’t want something in their back yard. NIMBYs aren’t always wrong. The problem comes when politicians blatantly lie and fear monger about an issue for purely political purposes. That “bring terrorists to our neighborhoods” line is classic fear-mongering. First of all, Thomson’s population is 600, which is barely even one neighborhood. And the terrorists won’t be living in a neighborhood, they’ll be imprisoned in the most secure prison in the nation, perhaps even the world.
Conventional wisdom says Quinn hurt his re-election bid. But we’re guessing he did himself some good.
Plenty of voters can see this is right for Illinois.
Plenty of voters will be fearful of it as well, as long as Kirk, McKenna, et al continue their goofy pandering. A majority already opposes it. There are times when a leader has to do things that are right, and not popular, but a real leader should also do those things right. I’m not sure that’s happened here.
First, Gov. Quinn should’ve asked far more questions before agreeing to this. He didn’t seem to know many details at first, and still can’t answer some questions, like where the prisoners will receive medical care.
I also don’t like the idea of adding to our state’s already horrendous reputation by volunteering to be the nation’s holding cell for Al Qaeda detritus. And, finally, I believe Quinn should’ve secured far more money for this prison than we’re gonna get. Fair market value isn’t enough. We have budget problems, the president is desperate to find a state to take these terrorists, so let’s make a deal. A real deal. Not some real estate transaction. This is Illinois, not Iowa. Make ‘em pay.
* Former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner has claimed full responsibility for inserting Andy McKenna’s name in a state Republican Party poll. “This was no his idea,” Fahner is quoted as saying about McKenna.
The former state party chairman McKenna, you will recall, is under fire for allegedly using the poll to gauge his own support while he was supposed to be helping put the candidate field together. The state GOP has now launched an internal probe of the matter. From the Trib…
Tyrone Fahner, a McKenna friend who chaired the state GOP’s finance committee at the time, said the party’s major campaign contributors decided to authorize the poll and it was Fahner’s idea to include McKenna’s name.
“I thought it would make sense to run a poll and include anybody that might be in the mix, and since (McKenna) had run before, I thought it was a good idea,” said Fahner, a former state attorney general who said he was authorized to speak for McKenna’s campaign. He added that officials from both the Republican Governors’ Association and the GOP’s national senatorial committee had discussed possible McKenna candidacies. “This was not his idea,” Fahner said. […]
The review of McKenna’s use of party funds to conduct the poll was approved by the state Republican Party’s top leaders at a meeting on Saturday, said sources who asked not to be identified because party rules prohibited them from discussing the move. The review was authorized without dissent by the members of the Republican State Central Committee who attended, the sources said.
McKenna will reportedly meet with party leaders today to explain himself. I’ll update as news comes in.
UPDATE: McKenna’s people say the Tribune’s claim is inaccurate. McKenna is not meeting with party leaders today.
Rep. Bobby Rush claims that the “white-dominated” media are ignoring an African-American candidate running for President Obama’s old Senate seat.
Rush, the inveterate race-baiter, is referring of course to Cheryle Jackson. A Google news search shows Rush’s claim to be untrue. Also, I’m on Jackson’s press release e-mail list, and I can tell you she just hasn’t done much of anything lately.
Laura Washington essentially provides the reasoning for Rush’s latest outburst…
“But in order to get [African-American voters] fired up and get them to care enough to show up at the polls you’ve got to talk about race, and that’s when you get into trouble,” Washington added.
Yep. Play the race card, fire up the base and get yourself in trouble. Rush doesn’t seem to care about the “get yourself in trouble” part. That’s just what he does. He has to face no consequences from this behavior, and he’ a pro at this stuff…
Rush, who defeated Obama easily in a 2000 House primary, said Jackson’s candidacy hasn’t gotten more widespread attention because of her race. “I’ve lived through the Harold Washington election,” he said, referring to the former Democratic congressman who became mayor of Chicago. “The white-dominated media tend to be dismissive of African-American candidates early on. They dismissed Carol Moseley Braun when she ran.”
Washington disagreed with Rush. “I don’t think that it’s about race,” she said. “I think that she [Jackson] just hasn’t been able to get her story out in front of enough people.”
Whites also dismissed Barack Obama early on. But Obama didn’t pull stunts like this Rush crud. There was a reason Obama challenged Rush for his congressional seat. This kind of old-school racial pandering is just one of them. Jackson ought to quickly repudiate him.
In my opinion, if Jackson raises the money and starts defining herself, she could become a credible candidate and has a real shot at winning this primary. Her debate at the Tribune was horrible, however. She arrived late, was unprepared, stumbled through her answers, and showed she wasn’t yet a true top tier candidate. If she wants people to take her campaign seriously, she needs to first take her campaign far more seriously. Time’s running out.
Carol Moseley-Braun was a star at the debates against Alan Dixon and Al Hofeld. She projected positivity and refused to be dragged down into the Dixon vs. Hofeld mudslinging. That’s a big reason why she won.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Hoffman ripped into rival Alexi Giannoulias at a debate this morning, saying Giannoulias’ history as vice president of his family’s Broadway Bank make him a bad bet for senator. […]
Hoffman, a former inspector general for the city of Chicago, threw the first punch, criticizing “irresponsible” community banks that withdraw money as their failing — a jab at Giannoulias and his family, who withdrew large amounts of money from their struggling North Side bank. The bank was in better shape, though, when Giannoulias left to be state treasurer four years ago.
Giannoulias replied by accusing Hoffman of “hypocrisy” for complaining about Broadway Bank, noting that Hoffman owns stock in big Wall Street banks that have benefited from federal bailouts.
“Since he’s been in this campaign, he has been falsely attacking me and my family.” Giannoulias said of Hoffman.
Hoffman answered: “He says it’s not fair to talk about the bank because it’s ‘his family.’ When you’re 33 years old and you’ve only held two jobs, it’s worth talking about…It’s nothing to do with his family — it’s about his job performance at the bank.”
Jackson has the opportunity to show that she’s above this fray - if she gets her act together.
You can see a brief summation of most of the points made during the debate by clicking here.
Carol Marin, our town’s journalistic triple threat (WTTW-Ch. 11 moderator, WMAQ-Ch. 5 investigator and Sun-Times columnist), yesterday called out Chicago Department of Revenue Director Bea Reyna-Hickey for refusing to sit for an on-camera interview about parking ticket revenues.[…]
Instead, Marin wrote, Reyna-Hickey agreed only to respond to questions submitted in writing:
Chicago School Board members will decide Wednesday whether to dump their $24,000-a-year receipt-free expense accounts — tabs once likened to “slush funds” — in favor of submitting receipts for all work-related expenses.
Memo to Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown: Sneed hears judges are complaining next year’s 2010 court calendars, which are necessary for scheduling purposes — are two months late!
Government, to be effective, must be trusted by its citizens, and it earns that trust by avoiding even the appearance of insider collusion.[…]
That’s why “The Watchdogs” story in Monday’s Sun-Times about the late Chicago School Board President Michael W. Scott’s ties to a multibillion-dollar lakefront project was troubling.
