* Today’s “celebrity” harness horse race will be held at the Grandstand today around 2:45 pm. I’ll be racing against flaks from the four legislative caucuses.
Use this post as a State Fair Governor’s Day activities open thread. Or, whatever.
UPDATE: I placed. John Patterson got the win. I’ll have video tomorrow.
The plan is for the Cup to arrive in Springfield around 10 a.m. Friday for a private reception at the Governor’s Mansion with Gov. Pat Quinn for Betty Wirtz and guests.
There will be brunch at the Mansion until noon, and then the trophy will be taken to the Capitol Rotunda for a photo shoot that’s expected to last from about 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Then around 2:30 Friday afternoon, Rocky Wirtz will accompany the Stanley Cup to the Illinois State Fair. For about an hour, the Cup will be at the Governor’s Tent, and then from 4:30-5:30 it will be at the Director’s Lawn for another photo session.
At about 6 p.m., there will be a cocktail reception at the Governor’s Mansion for members of the legislature and Wirtz Beverage Illinois Employees, and the Stanley Cup will spend the night at the Mansion.
* The Question: What’s your fondest State Fair memory?
Bill Brady, the Republican candidate for governor, is pro-life but told a group of Springfield senior citizens on Tuesday that there is not much he can do about abortion if he is elected.
“Yes, I am pro-life,” the state senator from Bloomington told a luncheon of about 40 people at Temple Israel on West Governor Street. “But really, if you look at the makeup of the letter of the law, there’s very little that the governor can do.” […]
He did pledge to implement a state law requiring parental notification before a minor can get an abortion.
“I think a parent should be notified anytime their minor child receives a medical procedure. We can implement that. But other than that, there’s not much a governor can do,” Brady said.
Brady has been hammered by the Democratic Governors Association and others for his pro-life views, so this was a good way to make himself appear to be less scary. And even if there is a total GOP takeover this fall, both the House and Senate Republican leaders are pro-choice. So, he’s got a point.
But Brady’s attempt at moderating the rhetoric didn’t sit well with William Beckman, the executive director of the Illinois Right to Life Committee…
“I think he’s probably, to some degree, minimizing the impact the governor can have,” Beckman said. “Unfortunately, in the state of Illinois, it seems the so-called political advisers seem to be of the mindset that you have to put these kinds of issues under the rug.”
True believers always want their candidates to be as forceful as humanly possible on their issues. But whether it’s the Left wing blasting Obama for being too accomodating with the Republicans or pro-lifers dinging Brady for not being belligerent enough, it’s usually bad politics to follow their advice. What Brady showed with his answers yesterday is that he wants to be the leader of the entire state, not just his base. That’s a good thing.
Republican candidate for Illinois governor Bill Brady says he thinks there’s a “lack of sensitivity” regarding the building of a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
Brady on Tuesday wouldn’t give an opinion on whether he supports or opposes the mosque site near Ground Zero. He said he hopes “sensitive minds will deal with this in a sensible way.”
Thoughts? And, please, we had a big knock-down drag-out over this mosque thing already this week. There’s no need to rehash it today.
* Illinois Policy Institute Turnaround Tour comes to Decatur seeking solutions to state’s budget woes: About 75 people turned out at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel on Tuesday for the kickoff of the Illinois Policy Institute’s Turnaround Tour.
* As I told subscribers this morning, Public Policy Polling has a new survey out. Bill Brady is beating Pat Quinn by nine points, 39-30, with 11 for Green Party nominee Rich Whitney and 20 percent undecided. From the pollster…
Pat Quinn’s approval rating is 23% and when it comes to the Illinois Governor’s race that’s about all you need to know. Despite being largely unknown and not particularly well liked Bill Brady leads with 39% to 30% for Quinn and 11% for Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, continuing his path toward becoming one of the most unlikely big state Governors in recent history.
Brady is winning 80% of Republicans while only 60% of Democrats are committed to Quinn. Perhaps most remarkable is the numbers among independents- Brady leads with 40% with Whitney second at 19% and Quinn finishing all the way back in third at 15%.
There’s certainly still room for Quinn to come back but it’s going to depend on whether people vote based on their feelings about the candidates themselves or just choose on party. Among the undecideds 50% are Democrats to only 16% who are Republicans and 67% of them voted for Barack Obama to just 21% who voted for John McCain. Usually you would expect that Democratic leaning crop of undecideds to come home and tighten the race…except that they give Quinn only an 8% approval rating with 49% of them disapproving of him. Getting the votes of Democrats who dislike him is the only way Quinn can pull it out but right now those folks aren’t sure what they’re going to do.
53% of voters disapprove of Quinn. He has only a 40% approval rating even with voters of his own party and Republicans (7/81) and independents (17/60) are pretty universal in their dislike of him. Brady isn’t exactly setting the world on fire either. The largest group of voters, at 45%, have no opinion about him. Among those who do it’s a slightly negative one with 25% seeing him favorably and 30% unfavorably. But at the end of the day the main thing Brady has going for him is that he’s not Pat Quinn and that’s good enough to give him a solid lead less than three months out from the election.
Toplines and crosstabs are here. I need to get to the State Fair soon, so I’m in a bit of a rush. You’ll have to debate this without me.
* There is so much wrong with this commentary that I don’t quite know where to begin…
We don’t need to spend $25 million on a face-saving do-over for Patrick Fitzgerald. The next trial will probably last twice as long as this one, as Fitzgerald calls in witnesses he neglected to cross-examine the first time around — partly because he didn’t realize Blagojevich wouldn’t put up a defense, leaving him with half a case.
We can also do without a retrial because it will give Rod Blagojevich another six months to repeat his wearying claims of innocence. Maybe he wants that, but the rest of Illinois doesn’t.
It wasn’t a total defeat for the government: they got Blagojevich on one count. It wasn’t a total defeat for Blagojevich: he can say he was never convicted of selling the Senate seat. Maybe Fitzgerald wants a rematch for vindication, and Blagojevich wants one so he can get more attention. But Illinois doesn’t want a rematch. We just want to put the Blagojevich years behind us.
$25 million just for the retrial? What credible person is saying that outside of Sam Adam, Jr.? Also, I got news for you, Blagojevich clearly showed yesterday that he’s not gonna keep his big yap shut. A trial, at least, will force him to stay off the airwaves for a while, giving us a respite, no matter how brief.
And who says Illinois doesn’t want a retrial? Our infamous commenter Bill most surely doesn’t, but he’s not exactly representative of the state at large. Sheesh, what a goofy mess.
Fitzgerald’s view was — and remains — that Blagojevich shouldn’t get a pass just because he was as lousy a schemer as he was a governor.
And that seems exactly right to us. […]
A couple of hours after the jury’s verdict was read, Blagojevich’s lead attorney, Sam Adams Jr., ripped into the prosecutors for declaring they would retry the case. Adams asked, “Is this worth it?”
To which we say again: You bet. Elvis has not left the building.
Blagojevich and his brother, Robert, were exonerated of nothing, and Illinois remains too crooked a state for the feds to start looking the other way now.
Admittedly, Blagojevich has already been a gift to reform in Illinois. In the wake of his arrest, the state Legislature was shamed into passing a host of bills designed to promote a cleaner and more transparent government and politics. Illinois now has tighter state procurement laws, stronger freedom of information laws, pension board reforms and stricter limits on campaign contributions.
But only by prosecuting public corruption to the fullest extent of the law, retrials and all, can Illinois one day hope to arrive in that happy land of honest government.
We very much anticipate that second trial. The government’s accusations of racketeering and conspiracy are too serious to go unresolved. We trust that another jury will tell the people of Illinois whether the state’s only impeached and ousted governor is guilty or innocent of more than one felony.
Blagojevich offered his opinion on that question after jurors offered their verdict: “This is a persecution!”
No, Governor, this is a prosecution. And we’re thankful that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and his team were swift in assuring citizens that they would take their case to a second group of jurors.
Judge Zagel, never one to dally, could move as early as next Thursday, Aug. 26, to set a date for jury selection to begin. Good for him. The sooner all of us know whether Rod Blagojevich’s criminal record stops with one federal felony, the sooner all of us can concur that justice has been served.
And pretty much every other sane person outside Blagojevich’s inner circle.
* And speaking of goofy arguments, more than a few people have criticized Patrick Fitzgerald for not waiting until Blagojevich sold the US Senate seat before moving in. This is a fairly decent counter-argument…
His backers said that if Fitzgerald had waited to arrest the governor until Blagojevich carried through with an alleged plan to appoint U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., to Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat in exchange for a sizable donation, it would have created a constitutional crisis.
“What should he have done?” former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Cramer said. “Wait for him to sell the seat? It would have been a disaster. The arrest was not only proper, it was necessary.”
My own opinion is that Fitz was worried that Blagojevich was busily concocting an alibi. The Tribune reported the week before his arrest that the feds had the governor on wiretaps. Blagojevich knew the net was about to drop, so he started undoing things. If they had waited, he most likely would’ve appointed anybody but JJJ.
I will say this, though, and it might surprise you. I would almost rather have seen the Blagojevich jury fail to reach a verdict on any counts than to convict him only of the chicken-bleep lying to a federal agent charge.
We certainly should have an expectation that our elected officials would tell the truth to the FBI, and there are times when their failure to do so deserves punishment, as when George Ryan tried to throw the agents off his scent by lying about how he paid a state contractor for use of his Jamaican vacation home.
That was hardly the case with Blagojevich. Here is the false statement on which he was convicted: “Rod Blagojevich does not track, or want to know, who contributes to him or how much they are contributing to him.”
As many witnesses testified and wiretaps confirmed, Blagojevich obviously did track his campaign contributions. In fact, he monitored them quite closely.
But here’s the problem: There’s nothing particularly wrong with a politician keeping track of their campaign donations. It’s certainly not illegal. In fact, he was in his rights to sit there at his desk in the governor’s office and make fund-raising calls on his cell phone.
Were federal agents thrown off the track, or was their investigation impeded in any way when Blagojevich was stupid enough to tell them such a lie?
No way. They probably just said to themselves: “Gotcha!”
And remember the false statements were made in March 2005, more than three years before the wiretaps.
Fitz should’ve busted him before the 2006 election and saved us a lot of trouble.
A juror in the corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich says the panel was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of convicting the former Illinois governor of trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat.
Juror Erik Sarnello of Itasca, Ill., said the panel was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of convicting Blagojevich of trying to auction off the Senate seat. He said one woman on the panel “just didn’t see what we all saw.” The 21-year-old Sarnello said the counts involving the Senate seat were “the most obvious.”
[Juror Stephen Wlodek] and the other two jurors disagreed on the exact number of counts in which the jury eventually voted 11-1 to convict, they did agree on this: On at least some of the most serious counts, the overwhelming sentiment was Blagojevich was not just a politician blowing off steam in conversations recorded by the FBI in which he said the power to name a senator was “(expletive) golden” and that he wasn’t going to give it up “for (expletive) nothing.” […]
But [juror Erik Sarnello] and Wlodek told the AP that after three weeks, it was clear one juror, a woman they wouldn’t name, would not be swayed.
“She just didn’t see it like we all did,” Sarnello said. “At a certain point there was no changing. … You can’t make somebody see something they don’t see.”
While some votes were split 7-5, 6-6 or 9-3, the most explosive of the charges — that Blagojevich tried to sell Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat — came down to a single holdout vote, jurors said.
That one holdout — a woman whom her colleagues declined to single out — felt she had not gotten the “clear-cut evidence” she needed to convict, Sarnello said.
“Say it was a murder trial — she wanted the video,” Sarnello said. “She wanted to hear [Blagojevich] say, ‘I’ll give you this for that.’ . . . For some people, it was clear. Some people heard that. But for some, it wasn’t clear.'’
She sounds an awful lot like the lone holdout in George Ryan’s trial. That woman was removed by the judge after it was reported that she hadn’t told the truth about her criminal record during the selection process. No such luck this time around.
Sarnello addressed the question of why the jury Tuesday asked for a copy of the oath they took at the start of deliberations. Some jurors felt one of the jurors was not deliberating in good faith. “Some people felt that they were deliberating not under what the law told us to do,” he said.
“What they were looking at wasn’t what we were supposed to be looking at based on what the judge gave us as a set of rules,” Sarnello said.
It’s probably safe to assume that the lone holdout was the target of that action. Yep. She sounds more and more like Ryan’s friendly juror with every revelation.
* Meanwhile, remember that jury note from last week which claimed they had agreed on two counts and were deadlocked on the rest? It turns out, the transcript of Bradley Tusk’s testimony, which the jury requested this week, convinced some jurors to switch their guilty votes to not guilty…
The entire jury had been prepared to convict Blagojevich on the bribery charge that dealt with the ex-governor trying to shake down then-U.S. Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, Wlodek said.
But reviewing testimony from former deputy governor Bradley Tusk on Monday made all the difference for certain jurors, he said.
“Reading the testimony swayed two to three jurors to go from guilty to not guilty,” Wlodek said. “I think it just came down to the testimony of the witness. For them, it wasn’t there - they felt it didn’t prove their case.”
Sarnello, a sophomore at College of DuPage studying criminal justice, said the main problem with the prosecution’s case was that it was all over the place.
“It confused people,” he said. “They didn’t follow a timeline. They jumped around.” […]
Wlodek described the jury’s deliberations as methodical, with the foreman assigning each juror a specific job. Wlodek’s job, for example, was to review the hours of recorded conversations that the government used as a primary piece of evidence against Blagojevich.
Fitzgerald, who is anything but a politician, used his own awesome power in this case with too heavy a hand. And so Blagojevich wasn’t hit with a federal indictment but a veritable Mack truck of complicated and redundant charges.
The feds are accustomed to winning. They wear it, too often, as a righteous entitlement. There is value in this loss.
* Alexi Giannoulias’ reaction to the Blagojevich verdict arrived late yesterday, so many of you may not have seen it…
“Today, the jury found Rod Blagojevich guilty for lying, and on November 2nd, the voters of Illinois will reject Mark Kirk for lying. The people of Illinois deserve leaders they can trust.”
That was, by far, the most pointedly political reaction of the day. Mark Kirk’s react was more muted and generic, for instance…
“This is a sad day for Illinois. Rod Blagojevich disgraced our state and deserved the full weight of justice. For the sake of our economic future, the citizens of Illinois need to turn the page from Rod Blagojevich and the team he brought to power by electing thoughtful independent leaders who will restore integrity to our state.”
Since few people saw Giannoulias’ statement, I doubt it will make much of an impact beyond these electronic pages, but I’m curious what you think of it.
*** UPDATE *** OK, I apparently hadn’t seen all the reacts. Get a load of this one from the chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, the same guy who said he probably wouldn’t “make political hay” out of the verdict…
“I fully support U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald’s decision to seek a retrial of Rod Blagojevich. Let’s be clear, Rod Blagojevich isn’t concerned about the use of taxpayer money; he is concerned about the use of Rod Blagojevich’s money to mount another high-priced defense.
“Well, Rod should be worried. With Broadway Bank closed, I’m not really sure where he’s going to find a bank willing to loan millions to a convicted felon.”
While white Illinois seniors saw their average ACT scores rise from 22.0 five years ago to 22.4 in both 2009 and 2010, the state’s African-American students saw their scores go in the opposite direction.
The average African-American Illinois senior scored 16.9 in 2006, compared to 16.8 in 2009 and 16.7 in 2010, new data released today showed.
Illinois’ Hispanic scores dipped from 18.2 last year to 18.0 this year, but were up slightly from five years ago, when Illinois Hispanics averaged a score of 17.9.
The state’s highest-achieving ethnic group — Asians — saw the biggest gains on a test used by many Illinois colleges as one measurement of college readiness. Their scores rose from 22.6 five years ago, to 23.7 last year and 23.8 this year.
Revenue Director Bea Reyna-Hickey was suspended for a day over the Aug. 10 memo that told police the city “will witness a dramatic decrease in annual revenues and not meet 2010 targets” if a slump in parking tickets and vehicle-compliance tickets continues.
“Stupidity. It was stupid. Just stupid. Some bureaucrat sent that out,” Daley said at an unrelated news conference. “The revenue department has nothing to do with the police department, period. They [officers] will determine whether you violated a law. No one else can. Especially revenue can’t.”
The mayor reacted after several critics, including Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue, said it’s improper to emphasize ticket writing at a time of high-profile crimes, including the murders of police officers and children. The critics also noted that the Police Department is short of personnel because of budget constraints.
“This law is very difficult to enforce,” said Kristiansen, supervisor of the traffic unit for the Buffalo Grove police. “They will usually have their phone down low, where it’s hard to see.”
As always, the plan includes everything from airport, water and sewer improvements, street resurfacing, sidewalk, curb and gutter repairs to construction of new libraries, police and fire stations.
“Capital improvements are absolutely essential to keep a city moving forward if we want to be a global city,” Daley told a news conference at the Lawrence Avenue viaduct being rebuilt by the city over the Kennedy Expy.
Gregory Gordon Jr. committed the crime of standing. He has the ticket from Country Club Hills police, accusing him of unlawfully obstructing the roadway with his person, to prove it. […]
On Aug. 3, at 5:47 p.m., Gordon was on the street outside of the house where he lives with his parents in the 3600 block of 175th Place - less than a block from the County Club Hills police station. According to Gordon, 25, he was saying goodbye to his cousin, his cousin’s girlfriend and his cousin’s children as they were filing in to their car to head home.
A squad car drove by once.
The officer driving the vehicle circled the block and came back with some instructions for Gordon.
“He said, ‘Get the ‘F’ off the street!’ ” Gordon recalled.
* Since he beat the federal government to a draw on all but one count, we should give Sam Adam, Sr. the last word for the day. “This guy is nuts,” he said of Patrick Fitzgerald. Watch…
* 6:21 pm - You can watch the live video stream of Gov. Pat Quinn’s press conference by clicking here.
* 6:39 pm - And away we go…
“It is important that we, today, make sure we protect our democracy.” “We’ve cleaned up our government, we’ve reformed our government… That’s why I believe in the power of recall… to remove that person from office before his or her term is up…. Events of the past years, the past decade, underline the need for recall in this state… ”
Says the only thing we should talk about is the one guilty count. “The other 23 counts that are unresolved half to be decided by another jury.”
“We have to work night and day to ensure that government is honest as the people of Illinois.”
Quinn turned to leave, got to his office door, but reporters shouted questions and he turned around. “Allright,” he said, and returned to the podium.
He’s basically repeating the talking points from his statement so far.
“I’m not really interested in focusing on a campaign,” in response to a question about the campaign.
“In the court of public opinion, which was really the decision that was made [during the impeachment and removal and it was determined that] my predecessor disgraced himself.” And then back to recall talk.
“I think the people of Illinois know they have the first honest governor in a long time.”
Asked if the verdict will ruin Governor’s Day at the fair tomorrow: “I don’t think so. I think the people of Illinois are good and true… They know they have a governor who fights for honesty every day of my life.”
* 5:28 pm - Blagojevich is heading downstairs, so this may start soon.
* 5:30 pm - Gov. Pat Quinn will make a statement at 6:30 pm. You can watch that live here, supposedly.
* 5:39 pm - And here we go…
* Blagojevich: This jury just showed you that nothwithstanding the governor threw everything but the kitchen sink at me… they couldn’t prove that I broke any laws, except for one nebulous charge from five years ago. Said he asked for a court reporter and was denied at that interview. Said with crime raging in Chicago, the feds are wasting millions of dollars to “persecute” him.
“This is a fight for the very freedoms that we as Americans enjoy.”
“I didn’t let you down. The jury has shown that the government couldn’t prove that we did anything wrong.” Said he would appeal the one conviction.
* Sam Adam, Jr: “Why should, when we have dead babies on the street… why should the people of Illinois pay a criminal defense lawyer when we’ve already been through trial… Why are we spending $25-30 million on a retrial?”
What led to a hung jury? Technical violations, versus real corruption.
* Sam Adam, Sr: This guy Fitzgerald is a master at indicting people for non-criminal behavior. And if you don’t believe me, ask Scooter Libby.
On the one guilty count: “They got him on something that he had no opportunity to really defend.” Statements weren’t on tape recorder or taken by court reporter.
“Don’t forget, we didn’t put on any defense… and they still couldn’t get a conviction.”
Compared Fitzgerald’s actions to a “banana republic.”
A reporter asked “What about Tony Rezko?” Adam replied: “Tony Rezko? Who is he?” And that’s a wrap.
*** Patrick Fitzgerald is now speaking *** “What I think is important, is that we have to show respect and gratitude for the jury’s service… And that’s it. That’s all I want to comment on now.”
* The first post-verdict campaign press release has just arrived…
TOPINKA: JUSTICE WILL ULTIMATELY PREVAIL
CHICAGO – Former State Treasurer and 2006 Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Judy Baar Topinka released the following statement Tuesday in response to the verdict of a conviction on one charge and a hung- jury on the remaining 23 counts announced in the trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich:
“While I applaud the jury for convicting Rod Blagojevich of lying to the FBI, I am disappointed in today’s announcement of a hung-jury on the remaining counts in the trial of Rod Blagojevich. I believe the evidence of his guilt was clear and persuasive, however it is clear that at least some of the jurors were unable to reach the same conclusion.
“Today’s decision does not change the facts in the case or the reality that personal enrichment cannot be tolerated. It does not diminish my confidence in our judicial system, or my strong belief that a jury will ultimately hold Blagojevich fully accountable for his actions – and I would hope that the prosecution would move to retry the remaining counts without delay.”
“Justice will prevail; it will just take longer than many of us hoped.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady, who said this week that he probably wouldn’t try to make political hay over the verdict…
“We extend our gratitude to the men and women of the jury for their sacrifice and hard work. They had a difficult job, as demonstrated by their many days of deliberations. The fact that Rod Blagojevich was convicted on only one of the counts against him does not take away from his serious breach of the Public’s trust.
“From his infamous “bleeping golden” remark to his attempt to shake down Children’s Memorial Hospital, Blagojevich was all about pay-to-play. The lack of any real defense and Blago’s refusal to testify spoke volumes.
“The entire case was a black eye for Illinois, but made even worse by the fact that Pat Quinn, Mike Madigan and the Democrats stood by this man, supported his re-election and later denied the public the right to a special election for the U.S. Senate seat Blagojevich had tried to sell. The trial also showed that Blago’s scheming was going on in the earliest days of his administration, and yet Quinn, Madigan and the Democrats were silent.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Senate President John Cullerton…
“On January 29, 2009, the Illinois Senate Impeachment Tribunal voted unanimously to remove Rod R. Blagojevich from office and to disqualify him from holding any future public office of the State of Illinois. Our impeachment proceedings were part of a political process that is independent of the criminal trial proceedings and outcome.
Now a criminal trial jury has spoken. While jurors deadlocked on many charges, they clearly confirmed the former governor’s pattern of dishonesty. As I said last January on the day the Senate delivered our verdict, this is a sad occasion. There’s no pleasure or relief in this outcome.
I’m proud of the manner with which the General Assembly carried out its obligations under the constitution. The process was detailed, deliberative and fair. Our decision was based on un-rebutted evidence, including evidence that related to professional conduct that had no connection to the federal criminal charges.
I voted to remove Mr. Blagojevich because he was clearly unable to govern, demonstrated disdain for the laws and processes of our state and pathologically abused his power without regard for the people he was elected to serve.
I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to recall how we worked together to resolve this crisis of integrity. I ask that the same spirit of cooperation be used to finally address the lingering challenges facing our state.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Mark Kirk…
“This is a sad day for Illinois. Rod Blagojevich disgraced our state and deserved the full weight of justice. For the sake of our economic future, the citizens of Illinois need to turn the page from Rod Blagojevich and the team he brought to power by electing thoughtful independent leaders who will restore integrity to our state.” - Congressman Mark Kirk
*** UPDATE 4 *** Rich Whitney…
Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney reacted to the outcome of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s trial today by calling for reform of the Illinois political system. For Whitney, the actions of Blagojevich are a result of a corrupt political system that fosters such behavior. He explained that “Rod Blagojevich’s conduct is a symptom of a much more widespread disease. There is a pervasive mentality—in the corporate media and in the two corporate-sponsored parties—that politics and political success is all about raising money and almost nothing else.”
Mr. Whitney believes this same system encouraged the attitude of the former governor. He stated that “Blagojevich’s other unethical behavior—rewarding supporters with jobs or contracts, i.e. pay-to-play, ultimately including a U.S. Senate seat as a golden prize—all flows from that same premise. The issue for Illinois voters today is not whether Blagojevich was found guilty or innocent. There is no question that he engaged in unethical behavior: trafficking in the awarding of political favors in exchange for campaign cash.”
Whitney continued that “This is verdict is not exoneration. That Blagojevich was not convicted of these particular crimes at this time does not mean he is innocent. Corruption is still corruption. Pay-to-play is still wrong and unethical. And a political system completely overrun by an overwhelming and obscene focus on raising tons of cash, above all else, is still a disease that we must combat and overcome.”
He continued that “we have to stop this and through the Green Party and my campaign, we can stop this. This is a systemic problem that demands a systemic solution. And the way to do that is by building a grassroots political party that is beholden and accountable only to the people. It is the Green Party that has stood up for the principle of not accepting any corporate campaign contributions whatsoever and that has stood firmly on a platform of making serious campaign ethics reform a top priority. This devotion to grassroots democracy is what makes me and the other Green Party candidates the best choice for voters who seriously want to clean up Illinois government.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** Bill Brady…
“The people of Illinois are grateful to the men and women of the jury for their hard work. While we hoped this decision would mark the end of an unfortunate chapter and put this embarrassing episode behind us, today’s conviction of Rod Blagojevich for lying to federal law enforcement officials will likely result in further action in the pursuit of justice.
But one thing is clear - the people of Illinois are rightly frustrated about the unchecked power of politicians like Rod Blagojevich who put the special interests before taxpayers. This important election in November marks the single best opportunity in our lifetimes to finally clean house in Springfield.”
“One of my biggest concerns is that the Blagojevich defense team may have convinced people that he was just practicing politics as usual in Illinois. If that is the case, it is a real indictment of the political leadership in this state. If there is one thing that elected officials need to do in Illinois, it is to send a strong signal that the politics of the past are over, regardless of what the final verdict may be in the Blagojevich trial.
“I intend to redouble my efforts to achieve fundamental, structural reforms of state government. It is our job as elected officials to make sure the public has confidence in the integrity of their government. We all have a responsibility to send a clear signal that Illinoisans do not need to tolerate even the appearance of conflicts of interest by elected officials.
“That means reforming state contracting rules to guarantee competition and protect against political influence. Elected officials need to get out of the business of lobbying. We need to end legislative scholarships and other outdated perks. We need real campaign finance reform. We need to make government more open and transparent and that means opening up the legislative process and empowering individual legislators to follow the will of their constituents.
“We need a clean break from the past so that no corrupt politician can ever again claim to be simply following business as usual.”
*** UPDATE 7 *** I asked House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown for comment. Here it is…
We finished with him at impeachment
*** UPDATE 8 *** Congressman Bill Foster…
“I am disappointed that this dark period in Illinois’ history is not yet over - taxpayers have suffered enough as it is, and it is a tragedy that they will have to foot the bill for a retrial. The jury has confirmed to us that former Governor Blagojevich is at a minimum guilty of significant wrongdoing, and he deserves to go to jail. I hope for a speedy retrial so that the state of Illinois can begin to heal.”
*** UPDATE 9 *** House Republican Leader Tom Cross…
“The jury’s decision today in the Blagojevich trial doesn’t bring much closure in the ultimate fate of Rod Blagojevich. Unfortunately, the real losers in all of this continue to be the residents of Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 10 *** Alexi Giannoulias…
“Today, the jury found Rod Blagojevich guilty for lying, and on November 2nd, the voters of Illinois will reject Mark Kirk for lying. The people of Illinois deserve leaders they can trust.”
* 3:47 pm - Fox Chicago is reporting that the Blagojevich verdict may be read at 4:15 this afternoon. This is a fresh trial thread. Updates to follow below.
* Chuck Goudie is reporting that there may not be verdicts on all counts, which is understandable. NBC5…
Zagel confirms Jury has reached a verdict. Assumes its not a verdict on all counts.
The jury will return tomorrow for any forfeiture deliberations, if needed.
* The jury has entered. Defendants asked to rise.
* GUILTY ON COUNT 24 - FALSE STATEMENT TO THE FBI BACK IN 2005.
* Yeah, it’s weak sauce, but at least they got him on something. He’s looking at 5 years and a $250K fine for that one count. And the feds have the option of prosecuting him again.
* The Sun-Times reports that the prosecution will retry on all the other counts. Others report that prosecutors say they will “absolutely” retry Blagojevich. Hearing on August 26th.
* What’s kinda bizarre is that last week the jurors declared that they had reached agreement on two counts. Now, it’s just one. Weird.
* 4:48 pm - Robert Blagojevich is speaking to reporters now. Thanked his attorneys for “portraying me what I am - an innocent.” Said he has “ultimate confidence in my acquittal.” Refuses to plea bargain. “I’ve done nothing wrong, why would I plea?”
* Sen. Bill Brady said today that he won’t know how he can cut 10 percent out of the state budget until after Auditor General Bill Holland helps him identify specific cuts. But Brady also said he would “demand of every agency that they come back with a budget of 90 percent - show us what your priorities are with that 90 percent.”
Asked if he was saying that he wouldn’t talk about details of that 10 percent cut until after he was elected, Brady said, “I think I’m pretty precise. A dime of every dollar is pretty precise.”
When it was pointed out that ten percent only gets him maybe about a quarter of the way there, he said, “No it doesn’t.”
“I didn’t say it’s going to be easy. And I didn’t say all of it will come from rooting out corruption, fraud waste and mismanagement. Much of it will. Much of it will. Look at the Department of Corrections.”
Have a look. I’ve set the video to start at the good stuff…
The back and forth continued. “So, you don’t know where you’re going to cut,” a reporter says. “I don’t have the professionals in place to fully analyze the highest priorities,” Brady answered.
* I spent some time at the Illinois State Fair yesterday. I firmed up plans to stash my laptop at somebody’s motor home (in case we have a Blagojevich verdict tomorrow or Thursday), then stopped at Miller’s (no relation) for my favorite corn dog. I was heading over to the Butter Cow when a guy approached me and asked if I was Rich Miller. I said I was (with trepidation - one never knows what people want when they say that) and he asked if I would try one of his tacos and write about it today.
It was quite tasty. Real Mexican food. And the hot sauce was actually hot, producing a long, slow burn. Anyway, his stand is near the Dairy Building and it’s called “Taco Time.” I paid for my food, by the way.
I then walked across the street to view the Butter Cow…
* The Question: What’s your all-time favorite State Fair food booth? Just one, please.
Michael Ettinger, attorney for Robert Blagojevich, said after court that he interpreted the latest communication with the jury as “all that’s left is to sign the jury forms.”
Ettinger said he expects the jury to return later today.
Asked about the jury requesting a copy of its oath, Ettinger said he expects “someone is going to be read that card and told they are violating their oath.”
He said he had never seen such a request and he took it as a sign of frayed tempers.
“Do you and each of you solemnly swear that you will well and truly try and a true deliverance make between the United States and ______, the defendant at the bar, and a true verdict render according to the evidence, so help you God?”
* Rasmussen has it tied at 40 each, and Public Policy Polling has the US Senate race essentially dead even. From the PPP pollster…
In a race pitting two of the weakest Senate candidates in the country Alexi Giannoulias continues to hold a small lead over Mark Kirk, 37-35, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones pulling 9%. Voters in the heavily Democratic state it seems would narrowly prefer a Democratic candidate they don’t like to a Republican candidate they don’t like.
Kirk does have a big lead with independents, 36-20. But you can’t win as a Republican in Illinois without winning over a fair number of Democratic voters and Kirk just isn’t doing that right now. He’s getting only 5%. Kirk’s getting 74% of the Republican vote while Giannoulias is getting 72% of the Democratic vote and it’s going to be very hard for Kirk to win unless the party unity gap ends up being bigger than that.
Both candidates continue to be very unpopular. Giannoulias’ favorability is 26/42 and Kirk’s is 26/34. Independents have a negative opinion of both of them, and each of them is viewed more unfavorably by voters of the opposite party than they are favorably by their own party base. Only 51% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of Giannoulias and just 49% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Kirk so neither contender is doing much to fire up even their partisans.
* And here’s a scary topline for Democrats…
* Who did you vote for President in 2008?
42% John McCain
51% Barack Obama.
8% Someone else/Don’t remember
13% Not sure
Obama actually won Illinois 62-37. Back to the pollster…
These polls results are premised on an extremely depressed Democratic electorate. Those surveyed report having voted for Barack Obama by only 9 points, in contrast to his actual 26 point victory in the state in 2008. That’s a dropoff even worse than what Democrats saw in Virginia last year and the fact that Kirk is behind even when that’s the case does not bode well if Democratic interest in this election gets any better over the next three months. And it’s not as if Illinois voters just don’t know Giannoulias yet- they know him and they know they don’t like him and they still give him a small lead.
* More toplines with party crosstabs…
* Do you think that Mark Kirk is an ethical or
unethical person?
28% Ethical
25% Unethical
46% Not sure
* Do you think that Alexi Giannoulias is an
ethical or unethical person?
30% Ethical
35% Unethical
35% Not sure
Kirk’s negative message appears to be working significantly better with the GOP base than Giannoulias’ message is working with the Democratic base.
* The pollster’s conclusion…
In Kirk Republicans got the candidate they wanted in this race. But it looks more and more like they might have wanted the wrong candidate. There’s no way with everything that’s happened to Giannoulias since the last couple weeks before the primary that he should be ahead in this race. But he’s hanging on.
It is odd that Kirk hasn’t been able to put Giannoulias away. Theories?
* The rhetoric is heating up in the war over pensions. Dennis Byrne’s most recent Tribune column used a legal opinion provided by R. Eden Martin, president of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, to argue that pension benefits aren’t actually guaranteed by the state Constitution. His conclusion…
But, if we’re to climb out of this nightmare, everyone will have to sacrifice. That includes public employees who, Martin notes, should get on board to work out some solutions. They might have to put up with some small sacrifices, but it’s better than waiting until the well runs dry.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association issued a joint response…
How much longer will the Chicago Tribune allow itself to be used as a tool of terror by millionaire Eden Martin in his quest to deprive hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans of the reasonable retirement they, in large part, have paid for?
The August 10 opinion piece, ostensibly written by public relations specialist Dennis Byrne, is a blatant attempt to frighten and intimidate innocent people who simply expect the State of Illinois to keep its promises.
Byrne/Martin’s claim that the state pension shortfall was caused by overly-generous pension benefits paid to state employees and teachers is provably false. And they know it.
They also know that suggesting that police officers, fire fighters, teachers, and state workers could be denied the reasonable retirements promised them is an unconscionable use of a newspaper to force a surrender by those who continue to work hard and well for the people of Illinois.
Enough.
We, and the 236,000 Illinoisans we represent, believe the facts matter. Even on the opinion page:
FACT - The state’s pension debt was caused by politicians who habitually refused, over decades, to pay the state’s modest share of pension costs, using the money instead to stave off needed tax increases. The legislature’s bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability found that from FY 1996 through FY 2008, the state’s pension debt grew by $35.6 billion. Of this, $30.3 billion (85%) is the result of factors not attributable to employees (53% the state’s failure to pay its share, 24% early retirement incentives, 8% poor stock performance).
FACT - Four of five state pension system annuitants rely solely on their pensions for survival. By Illinois law, contributors to the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) and the State University Retirement System (SURS) are barred from receiving full social security benefits, even when they have been earned from non-education employment.
FACT - Public employees contribute significantly to the cost of their pensions. Teachers pay 9.4% of their salary directly into TRS. State employees on the alternative formula contribute 8.5% of their pay into SERS. And state employees on the standard formula in effect contribute 7% of their checks-4% deducted, and an additional 3% in the form of a pay raise given up in 1998, with the understanding this amount would go directly into the pension fund.
FACT - The typical retired state employee on the standard formula-those who do receive Social Security, including the caregiver for the disabled, the child protection worker, the state park employee-earns a pension of about $22,000 a year.
FACT - Illinois law clearly states that pension payments payment are, “obligations of the State.” (40 ILCS 5/16-158(c)) It’s clear that Byrne and Martin’s scare tactics are nothing more than that. Respected judges and other legal analysts have also said cutting pension benefits for current public employees is unconstitutional. The law firm which once employed Eden Martin as a partner (from which he retired with a handsome retirement package that a teacher could never even dream of enjoying), has failed to produce a signed opinion that refutes this basic fact.
Eden Martin, Dennis Byrne and the Tribune want the public to forget that the pension shortfall is the result of bad financial management by the State and that the present and future annuitants have always paid their share.
We won’t let that happen.
The truth should not be ignored or distorted. Even on the opinion page.
* After saying that she wouldn’t support a candidate who “upholds a policy that discriminates against gays and lesbians,” then saying that she’d vote for her ex-husband Mark Kirk if she could, Mark Kirk’s former wife is now advising his campaign, even though her arch nemesis is apparently still playing a major role. From Lynn Sweet…
Kimberly Vertolli, the ex-wife of Illinois Senate nominee Mark Kirk — who recently called a top Kirk consultant, Dodie McCracken, a “kind of Svengali figure in his life” — will begin advising his campaign.
Vertolli’s role is being worked out. Vertolli said Monday that Kirk told her “he wants her to be a close adviser” and “that he trusts and respects my judgment.” […]
Vertolli, in that interview, also blamed McCracken for breaking up their marriage. “I think if Dodie McCracken had not continued to be in our lives, we probably would still be married,” she told Felsenthal. […]
The Kirk campaign wants to keep McCracken’s involvement under the radar. I’m told by several sources she is involved in day-to-day operational and strategic decision making. Kirk campaign spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski told me McCracken is a consultant who works on campaign “messaging.”
I wouldn’t want to be the campaign liaison between those two.
* Meanwhile, Politico is reporting that lots of Democratic US Senate candidates are staying mum on that proposed New York City mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero. I’ve asked Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign for comment, but have been met with radio silence so far. Kirk’s campaign issued a statement to Politico, but they only printed part of it. Here’s the full statement…
“While we protect freedom of religion, Congressman Kirk agrees with the Anti- Defamation League that sitting this mosque near ground zero causes undue pain to families of the 9/11 victims. There are legitimate calls for more transparency on the source of the estimated $100 million Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will raise from here and abroad to build the mosque. In the end, Rauf should accept New York Governor Patterson’s offer of a convenient but less controversial site.” - Kirk spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski
You can find a decent background for how this story has blown up so big at Salon. The lede…
A group of progressive Muslim-Americans plans to build an Islamic community center two and a half blocks from ground zero in lower Manhattan. They have had a mosque in the same neighborhood for many years. There’s another mosque two blocks away from the site. City officials support the project. Muslims have been praying at the Pentagon, the other building hit on Sept. 11, for many years.
Let’s try to avoid hyperventilating in comments, please. And you might want to keep this in mind…
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof
Also, take a tour of the neighborhood. And the Right is now trying to take advantage of the situation by connecting Giannoulias to a $1,000 campaign contributor.
Democratic Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias says he supports building a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
Giannoulias said Tuesday during a visit to the Illinois State Fair in Springfield that Americans must stand up for freedom of religion even when it’s difficult.
He says he sympathizes with those who lost loved ones in the attacks, but pointed out that includes Muslims and some emergency personnel at the disaster were Muslim. […]
Giannoulias says the world is watching how America responds and says “Are we going to talk about tolerance, talk about freedom of religion or are we actually going to practice it?”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Bill Brady also weighed in today…
Republican candidate for Illinois governor Bill Brady says he thinks there’s a “lack of sensitivity” regarding the building a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
Brady on Tuesday wouldn’t give an opinion on whether he supports or opposes the mosque site near Ground Zero. He said he hopes “sensitive minds will deal with this in a sensible way.”
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* The Giannoulias campaign is touting a new Internet video that whacks Kirk on the financial services bailout. Rate it…
The origination and third-party fees on a $200,000 mortgage added up to $3,505 in the the 2010 survey, up from $2,486 a year ago.
Illinois was not alone in the dramatic rise. Nationally average closing costs increased 36 percent to $3,741
* Central Illinois may lag behind last year’s corn yields
The corn crop in Illinois is expected to yield 180 bushels an acre, up 6 bushels from last year’s yield and equal to the yields of 2004, the best in state history, according to the USDA.
Sweet corn production is also up in Illinois with 7,600 acres, up 7 percent from 2009.
Soybean production in the state is expected to top 453 million bushels, 5 percent above last year. Yields are expected to average 49 bushels an acre, 3 bushels over last year and one bushel short of 2004’s record production.
Farmers who recently checked cornfields last week during a plot tour in Tazewell, Woodford and McLean counties reported conditions that look to fall short of last year’s yields, said Kim Craig, merchandiser for Bell Enterprises Inc., the Deer Creek grain elevator that has organized the plot tour the past 15 years.
“The only thing I can tell you at this point is that it is a major announcement and it will be good for this area,” said U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, the chairman of the powerful House Aviation Subcommittee. Costello said the announcement will include an unspecified number of jobs coming to the region.
The U.S. Supreme Court had asked the appellate panel in Chicago to reconsider the 2007 jury finding in light of the high court’s June decision to limit the federal “honest services” fraud statute to instances of bribery and kickbacks not present in the Black case.
According to the survey:
• 63 percent of warehouse workers in the Will County area are working for temp agencies.
• 62 percent make poverty-level wages.
• The median hourly wage for a temp was $9 an hour, $3.48 less than direct hires.
• 37 percent of current warehouse workers had to work a second job to provide for their families.
• Only 5 percent of warehouse temp workers had sick days and 4 percent had insurance.
• 18 percent of warehouse workers had been hurt on the job. Of those, one in three were disciplined or fired when they reported their injury.
Schillerstrom’s proposal includes several red flags.
Chief among them: Reliance on the state’s word that it will catch up by the end of this year on what it owes to the county for sales tax, income tax and other reimbursements. With Illinois in the worst fiscal mess in its history, it’s folly to base financial decisions on those assertions.
County board members should be wary of the loan’s balloon payments, which jump to $5.9 million a year for most of the last half of the 30-year loan, compared to $2.3 million a year initially.
Morrissey, who was on vacation and didn’t attend the council meeting, said that his designee for the position of HR director remains Julia Scott Valdez, even though the council did not approve her appointment.[…]
Last month, Morrissey recommended a raise for Valdez, from $80,000 annually for her job as deputy city administrator to $114,000 to take on the job of HR director and continue her current responsibilities.
“We tried to estimate our expenses higher,” said Superintendent Chuck Nagel on Monday. “Our revenues are a little bit less than realistic. This is all predicated that the state will have the money to pay the bills.
“They haven’t had a real good track record over the course of the year, and we were very conservative on what we expect for the upcoming year.”
The state owes the district almost $900,000, which will be applied to the education and transportation funds.
