The Rolling Stones sold out their November 25th and 29th shows at London’s O2 Arena in just seven minutes, according to multiple reports. Fans apparently snapped up the arena’s least expensive seats, priced around $152, in just three minutes, while the priciest seats at around $601 were gone a few minutes later.
The high traffic caused Ticketmaster to crash before the tickets had sold out. A holding page read, “We’re experiencing high demand. You will be automatically directed to the page requested as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.” Resale websites are already listing tickets for as much as $20,050.
* I like Amtrak. I rode it often when I lived in Chicago and commuted to Springfield for session. Higher speeds are something I definitely support. But we flew in the US Transportation Secretary for a fifteen minute highish-speed ride? C’mon, man…
Touting high-speed rail as the future of passenger rail, Amtrak on Friday led a test ride at 110 mph between Dwight and Pontiac on the agency’s Chicago to St. Louis route.
About 11:45 a.m., U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Gov. Pat Quinn held on tightly as the speedometer screen peaked at 111 mph.
The 15-mile demonstration lasted for just a couple of minutes as the train approached Dwight, but the ride became increasingly bumpy. Normal speed in the area is 79 mph. […]
“This is only the beginning,” LaHood said. “By 2015, 110 mph service will be expanded throughout nearly 75 percent of the corridor.”
Also, with the pending closure of the Dwight prison, they ought to seriously consider shutting down that stop. Pontiac isn’t far away. Passengers can board there.
And furthermore, it would help if the trains left the station on time. A friend took a train from Chicago to Springfield last night which left Chicago almost two hours late. Even if they get the train speeds up to 250 mph (which they won’t), a two-hour delay kills all that progress.
* Jason Plummer ran for lt. governor in 2010 and is now running for Congress and still didn’t pay his property taxes on time? Dude, you’re a millionaire. Don’t you have people for that?…
One issue that won’t go away in Illinois’ 12th congressional race: taxes.
Democrats have blasted Republican lumber heir Jason Plummer for not releasing his tax returns. Now comes news that Plummer has paid property taxes late on his home in Edwardsville, which is outside the district he’s running to represent. Records show Plummer paid the taxes late for tax years 2011 and 2009, according to Madison County property records.
The taxes are about $5,500 per year, which Plummer has paid in installments. He was billed minimal penalties for the late payments, but has brought everything current.
Look, stuff happens. People get busy. Bills get lost. Some folks don’t have the money to pay their taxes on time. But most people aren’t running for high-level office.
C’mon, man!
* Speaking of Plummer, I don’t really have much of a problem with paid, professional video trackers, but do they really have to try and incite their targets? They shouldn’t be stalker paparazzi…
Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios may be under fire, but he’s still got a friend in a fellow Democrat, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
As the Sun-Times first reported in Tuesday’s paper, Berrios is thumbing his nose at a subpoena issued by the county’s top watchdog seeking documents about an employee under investigation for misconduct.
He’s also ignored an ethics board recommendation to fire three relatives on his payroll as well as a $10,000 fine the panel issued for violating the ethics policy by hiring his son and sister. His daughter was already on the payroll when he was elected in 2010. […]
“I think Joe has done a good job of running his office,” she said.
* The Illinois Review triumphantly claims it sparked a look at whether President Obama might lose Illinois…
Two weeks ago, MSM pundits rolled their eyes when IR pointed to an Illinois political consultant speculating that Obama could lose Illinois on November 6. With the Romney campaign putting a minimal amount of resources into Illinois, the likelihood of an Illinois victory seemed ludicrous. Now the national conservative source Daily Caller is adding to the “Obama could lose Illinois” chorus Bruce Donnelly started last week on IR
* Is this a step toward a gubernatorial run? Maybe so…
Bruce Rauner, the civic-minded private equity executive who has been mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for Illinois governor, is retiring from GTCR, one of Chicago’s biggest private equity firms, where he was managing director. He said he plans to spend more time on civic and philanthropic interests. […]
Reached Thursday night, Rauner said he was traveling, busy with meetings and unavailable for an interview.
Canfield, a managing partner, credits Rauner with helping to build GTCR into a significant private equity firm.
He also noted on Friday morning that Rauner has more civic and political activities on his plate, and the firm has restrictions and limitations on those types of activities.
“Being a full-time employee at GTCR comes with significant restrictions on outside activities, and it got to the point where Bruce didn’t want to be encumbered to engage in his civic and political activities,” Canfield said this morning. “He wanted the freedom without those restrictions.”
I’m hearing that Nick Ayers, who headed the Republican Governors Association’s efforts for a few years and then ran Tim Palentty’s disastrous presidential bid is behind this move.
* When politicians got in trouble in the old days they’d often check themselves into a hospital. Blue Cross was far more generous back then. Politicians could go hide out and dodge reporters and anyone else they wanted to avoid.
Now, I’m not saying at all that this is what Congressman Jackson might be doing. I’m just saying that I’m reminded of those stories from long ago…
A Sneed source who claims to have visited Jackson this week said, “Jesse wanted you to know he is finding it difficult to continue his treatment because the press is staking out his home and making access to his doctor, who is within a short walking distance from his home, incredibly hard.”
“He said his doctors are considering sending him back to Mayo Clinic for treatment.”
The source added Jackson, who is being treated for bipolar disorder during his four-month absence from work, is trying “to stay focused and calm to enhance his treatment and is just following doctor’s orders.” Jackson, who is also being investigated by the Feds, sees his doctor twice a day.
Jackson is recuperating, not working and has no intention of dropping out of his re-election campaign, according to the source.
Congressman Jackson, the subject of a Gawker.com report that he was spotted recently having drinks on two nights with two different women at a beer bar in Washington, claims the women were “lobbyists… friends,” according to the source.
Included in his expenditures are fees paid to a political consulting business owned by his wife, Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson.
“For the last four months, his wife is still getting $5,000 checks from the campaign, where during those months he’s in the hospital,” Jackson’s Republican challenger, Brian Woodworth, told NBC Chicago.
* Illinois Republicans have consistently bragged about the millions of phone calls they’re making on behalf of their candidates this year. But Will Caskey isn’t impressed.
Caskey owns an opposition research firm. He works for Democrats. He votes for Democrats. Yet, he was robocalled by Joe Walsh and then contacted by a GOP volunteer urging him to vote against state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who doesn’t live anywhere close to him. Yesterday Caskey was robocalled by the Illinois Republican Party urging him to send in the absentee ballot application they mailed him, with some nasty stuff thrown in about President Obama.
I don’t know how I managed to get into your database of likely supporters for…well for whatever you Republicans get up to. The fact is, I don’t belong there. Ever. I don’t care how white and male I am or that I own a business or that I grew up in Louisiana or whatever other microdata you scrounge up (haha who am I kidding, you didn’t really do that! Nice one Pat).
I’m a Democrat. I’ve voted in four out of four Democratic primaries. My household is double 4/4 D. In layman’s terms (no offense, it just seems like you need this spelled out) it is likelier that I am going to spontaneously levitate and set people on fire with my mind than I am to vote GOP.
Not only that, I give Democrats money! I give them a LOT of money! They give me a lot of money too; the transactions are hardly unidirectional here. And on a final note: I didn’t get an absentee ballot. I didn’t request one. I’ve never, ever voted absentee. So that robocall you just sent me today urging me to remember to send in the absentee ballot you mailed me is, well, gibberish. All that nasty stuff you said about President Obama was also gibberish
Less focus on empty rhetoric and more focus on actually getting the job done right would probably be good advice here.
In other words, it’ll be tough to “Fire Mike Madigan” if you’re calling hard Democrats so many times and sending them absentee ballots.
* WCIA TV’s Steve Staeger tried to get an answer from the DCCC yesterday about where the money actually came from that paid for Democrat David Gill’s controversial TV ad. As I’ve already told you, Gill’s ad claims he won’t ever take a penny from corporations, Wall Street, etc., but ironically enough the spot is paid for in part by the DCCC, which does take that cash.
Got off the phone with the DCCC. They say the commercial was paid entirely with grassroots money. But they said there is no separate fund.
So, if there is no separate fund, then how the heck can Dr. Gill know that he’s not taking “tainted” money? From the Gill campaign…
All funds raised for the DCCC 441ad commercials aired in partnership with the Gill campaign come from funds raised by the DCCC’s online/grassroots donors, not PACs, lobbyists, or corporate donors.
Dr. Gill asked the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for assurances that these funds used to assist his campaign’s advertising would not be from corporate PACS or Wall Street interests and the Committee met his strict standards on this matter.
* Gill’s campaign referred all further questions to the DCCC. But the DCCC so far hasn’t said how they met Gill’s “strict standards” since there is no separate fund. I sent this e-mail to the DCCC’s spokesperson today…
Is there or is there not a separate DCCC fund that contains “grassroots” non corporate money? And if so, what is the name of this fund?
The reply…
We fundraise from different sources. Our grassroots/online fundraising money that we used in partnership with Gill only came from grassroots/online fundraising not PAC.
My response…
And how can you prove this?
The DCCC’s response…
Dr. Gill made a pledge so in partnering with him, we honored that. What we’re spending in partnership with the Gill campaign came from our grassroots and online fundraising.
So, I guess we’re just supposed to take their word, even though there is no separate fund.
* This is a problem created wholly by Gill. He made such a huge deal about not ever accepting “even a penny” from corporations, Wall Street, lobbyists, etc. It’s now up to him to prove that he didn’t get any of that cash.
* Meanwhile, I told you already that the American Action Network was upping its buy by $1.15 million against Gill. The PAC had already spent $320K. Here’s the new ad…
* Script…
David Gill loves seeing your money fly away.
Gill supported billions in stimulus spending that failed to create the jobs promised,
with billions to failed companies like Solyndra.
Gill supports Obamacare which cuts $716 billion from Medicare,
and a 2 percent healthcare tax costing families a thousand dollars a year.
David Gill: Making a mess out of healthcare, and our economy.
Vote No on David Gill.
American Action Network is responsible for the content of this advertising.
* Protestors not happy with Boehner visit: Cameras weren’t allowed inside the fundraiser but we talked to Rodney Davis beforehand. He’s just honored the House Speaker is here.
“I’m dead-set opposed to civil unions. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Now, unfortunately, in my opinion, they have opened up the door for other things. Now, and please bear with me, does this now say that somebody can get married to their dog?”
ABC now has a THIRD version of the ad submitted to them by the NRCC. They wouldn’t run the revision (#2). So there might be as many as three versions up
Oy.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Democrat Bill Foster’s congressional campaign claims that four of the five Chicago broadcast TV stations initially refused to air this ad by the NRCC…
Only CBS2 continued to air the ad, according to the Foster campaign.
The ad claims that Foster sold his stock “just one day after congressmen held a closed-door briefing in Washington about the financial crisis.”
“Congressman Foster got the parachute, you got the crash,” the ad ends.
* Foster’s campaign says the NRCC spot was “a clear attempt to outright lie to the public without any credible facts.” More…
It’s quite simple: Bill never attended the “closed door briefing” they allege. Not to mention, it was publicly reported that AIG would require a federal bailout at that time, so anyone with an internet connection had access to information.
Though the Bill Foster campaign is fuming over a recent campaign ad that charges he personally profited during his time in Congress — the ad is still running — with the exception of WGN.
The National Republican Congressional Committee says the ad raises a central question about the timing of the Democrat’s personal financial decisions during a critical time in congress — the 2008 housing market collapse. While some stations asked for more details about the ad before airing it, she said, they aired it after some minor changes. […]
“The major Chicago television stations are all running our ad that highlights how Congressman Foster inappropriately used his position on the House Financial Services Committee to personally benefit. We added language to our ad that reinforces the fact that Congressman Foster abused his power,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Katie Prill.
Biggert and Foster have portrayed each other as wealthy in TV ads. Asked whether it was disingenuous for each candidate to slam the other as a millionaire without mentioning they are one as well, Biggert quickly responded: “But I’m not.”
“Certainly the salary from being a member of Congress would not make me a millionaire,” said Biggert, whose congressional salary is $174,000 a year. “We have investments, and that’s good. You have to plan for retirement.”
Biggert’s financial disclosure form shows that she and her husband, Rody Biggert, a retired attorney, have assets worth $1.9 million to $5.3 million.
* I showed this to subscribers earlier today, but I thought you might get a kick out of it as well. GOP state Rep. Skip Saviano’s latest TV ad is called “Obedient Duckling.” Rate it…
“Duckling” is Statehouse slang for newbie House Democrats who need constant management by leadership so they don’t screw up their reelection campaigns.
* I watched the debate last night between Joe Walsh and Tammy Duckworth and this part stood out for me…
Walsh described himself as ‘Pro-life without exception.”
He said he did not believe in an exception for rape and incest because — “there’s still a life there.” He then added: “the life of the woman is not an exception.” Walsh nicked Duckworth for having the complete opposite view.
“[Duckworth] actually supports tax-payer funding of abortions,” Walsh said.
Duckworth went full steam ahead at her response.
“I’m pro-choice without restriction, and here though, Mr. Walsh … what he said — not for rape, incest or life of the mother — he would let a woman die rather than give her, than to give the doctor the option to save her life.”
Walsh interrupted her, all the while saying: “That’s not fair.”
After the debate, Walsh later explained his remark that the life of the woman is not an exception, saying that medically today, the health of the mother is not a reason for an abortion.
Asked by reporters after the debate if he was saying that it’s never medically necessary to conduct an abortion to save the life of a mother, Walsh responded, “Absolutely.”
“With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance,” he said. “… There is no such exception as life of the mother, and as far as health of the mother, same thing.”
“Abortions are necessary in a number of circumstances to save the life of a woman or to preserve her health,” the college said. “Unfortunately, pregnancy is not a risk-free life event, particularly for many women with chronic medical conditions. Despite all of our medical advances, more than 600 women die each year from pregnancy- and childbirth-related reasons right here in the US. In fact, many more women would die each year if they did not have access to abortion to protect their health or to save their lives.”
Walsh has scheduled a 2:30 press conference today to discuss his comments, which have gone national
*** UPDATE 2 *** The Daily Herald didn’t even bother to include the Walsh/Duckworth abortion exchange in its story this morning. But its reporter did go to Walsh’s presser. From the Twitterverse…
@RepJoeWalsh pro life “for mother, unborn child.”
@RepJoeWalsh cites ectopic pregnancies as rare instances that could kill mother and child.
The idea there is some kind of modern medical technology or procedure that has made full-term pregnancies suddenly perfectly safe for all women is news to Dr. Carrie Terrell, an ob-gyn and chief of staff at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.
“There are innumerable potential instances wherein a termination of pregnancy would be indicated to save a woman’s life,” she said in a phone interview Friday.
That list includes “but is not limited to,” she said, such serious conditions as:
* chorioamnionitis in pre-viable pre-term premature rupture of membranes (a bacteria-related inflammation of the fetal membranes),
* severe pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive (high blood pressure) disorders,
* certain forms of cardiomyopathy (a disease that weakens and enlarges the heart),
* various maternal cardiac and pulmonary anomalies,
* severe nephrosis,
* severe cancers,
* infections with sepsis, and
* multi-organ failure.
Terrell said that in her practice, she sees pregnant women with these kinds of conditions several times a year.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* The other thing that stood out for me in the coverage of this topic is that nobody challenged Duckworth to explain what she meant when she said she is “pro-choice without restriction.” What the heck does that mean? Abortion up to nine months for any reason at all?
* You may have heard that Newsweek is dumping its print edition and going fully digital…
It is important that we underscore what this digital transition means and, as importantly, what it does not. We are transitioning Newsweek, not saying goodbye to it. We remain committed to Newsweek and to the journalism that it represents. This decision is not about the quality of the brand or the journalism—that is as powerful as ever. It is about the challenging economics of print publishing and distribution.
Until a couple of years ago, I also read physical books on paper, and then shifted to cheaper, easier, lighter tablet versions. Then it became a hassle to get the physical NYT delivered in Provincetown so I tried a summer of reading it on a tablet. I now read almost everything on my iPad. And as I ramble down the aisle of Amtrak’s Acela, I see so many reading from tablets or laptops, with the few newspapers and physical magazines seeming almost quaint, like some giant brick of a mobile phone from the 1980s. Almost no one under 30 is reading them. One day, we’ll see movies with people reading magazines and newspapers on paper and chuckle. Part of me has come to see physical magazines and newspapers as, at this point, absurd. They are like Wile E Coyote suspended three feet over a cliff for a few seconds. They’re still there; but there’s nothing underneath; and the plunge is vast and steep.
I can’t remember the last time I bought a newsprint edition of a newspaper. I subscribe to the New Yorker, but read it online.
* The Question: How often do you read the newsprint edition of newspapers? Explain.
*** UPDATE 1 - 1:41 pm *** He’s never explained this before, but Dr. Gill just claimed during his press conference today that the money for the ad comes from a special grassroots DCCC fund that doesn’t take corporate money and accepts contributions only up to $100 online. But Gill hasn’t yet provided the name of the fund. I’m checking with the DCCC now to see what he’s talking about.
*** UPDATE 2 - 1:46 pm *** What a stupid press conference that was. They didn’t even have the name of the alleged “grassroots” fund to share with reporters. They claimed donors came from online, but didn’t know where the website was. Ridiculous.
*** UPDATE 3 - 1:47 pm *** From the DCCC…
The funds raised for the DCCC 441ad ad in partnership with the Gill campaign come from funds raised by our online/grassroots donors, not PAC/lobbyist/corporate.
This is from our online fundraising. Like when you get an email solicit from us.
Except, of course, a lobbyist or banker would get the same e-mail solicitation and could’ve also contributed. Odds are against that, but it could happen.
*** UPDATE 4 - 2:06 pm *** This may seem a bit trivial, but it’s important. Gill claims he will never take “one penny” from corporations, Wall Street, lobbyists or whatever. So if more than a penny ends up in his fund via this DCCC website, then his ad is a lie. It may seem trivial, but he’s the one who set the bar, not me, not Rodney Davis, not anyone else. It was Gill.
Also, Gill said he’d be the one explaining the DCCC money, but then left early and handed over the presser to an aide without even saying he was leaving. Not cool at all.
These general election expenditures, known as “coordinated expenditures”, are limited under the election law. The national committees of each political party have a set amount they may spend on behalf of each U.S. House and Senate candidate. State party committees may spend equal amounts or may transfer their limits to the national committees, effectively doubling the national committees’ expenditure limits in those states or districts.
Coordinated expenditures are made in addition to direct contributions. They are allowed only with regard to the general election, and do not count as either contributions to candidates or as expenditures made by candidates. Party committees may work with candidates’ campaigns to determine how the money should be spent, but the campaigns do not receive the funds, the expenditures are reported directly by the party committees on special schedules on their financial disclosure reports.
*** UPDATE 6 - 2:58 pm *** The Illinois Review has posted raw audio of the presser. It takes a couple minutest to get started…
* As I told you yesterday, Democratic congressional candidate David Gill has made a big deal about not taking a dime from corporations or Wall Street banks. His latest ad which touts that stance, however, is partially paid for by the DCCC, which does take corporate and Wall St. cash.
Gill debated Republican Rodney Davis last night. After the debate, legendary Champaign News Gazette political reporter Tom Kacich asked Gill about his latest TV ad. Gill looked completely stumped and had to huddle with his DCCC strategist before providing what turned out to be a non-response. Watch the video…
How the heck could Gill have been so horribly unprepared to answer a question like that when the NRCC and the state GOP both blasted him on this very issue yesterday? There’s just no excuse for that.
* But then that same DCCC strategist whom Gill huddled with apparently decided that the Republican video tracker should be blocked from taping the presser. Things got a little ugly…
Ugh.
There are worse things you can do to a tracker. For example, check out how Congresswoman Judy Biggert’s people recently harrassed a Democratic tracker...
But, still. C’mon, people. Deal with it.
* The heat is apparently now intense enough that Gill plans to talk about his DCCC money today. From a media advisory…
David Gill to Address Questions Regarding DCCC in Conference Call Today
WHAT: Dr. David Gill, the Democratic nominee in the 13th congressional district, will make a statement and take questions regarding the DCCC and his campaign.
WHEN:
TODAY
October 18, 2012
1:30 PM-1:45 PM
I’ll let you know what happens.
* Meanwhile, this is a very partisan, but pretty funny story about last night’s debate between Davis and Gill. The piece captures one aspect of the debate far better than any of the other stories I’ve read…
Rodney Davis started the debate by saying his top issue is cutting the national debt. His plan for doing so is to cut taxes. Seriously. He wants to reduce revenue to bring down the debt. He doesn’t believe in that arithmetic thing Bill Clinton was talking about.
Later in the debate a student question raised the obvious. Are spending cuts alone, without a tax increase, enough to deal with the debt, and what specifically would you cut from the budget?
Davis again repeated the magical debt-reducing tax cut theory that worked so well for George W. Bush. He didn’t name any specific spending cuts he would support. He told the university audience that his unspecified spending cuts would free up more money to spend on student financial aid for college.
In a single debate, Davis claimed that everyone will get tax cuts, that tax cuts will reduce the deficit, that only things you don’t like will be cut from the budget, and all the spending you do like will still be increased. Also, everyone gets a unicorn that [exhales glitter via its posterior].
* And Davis is running a new radio ad featuring former Gov. Jim Edgar. Listen…
* Gill lauds Obama, claims lead over Davis in 13th: A poll released today shows Dr. Gill with a commanding 6 point lead over his Republican opponent, political insider Rodney Davis. “Rodney is using the very same deceitful sales routine, one he probably picked up from the decade he spent running the political campaigns of Tea Party Congressman John Shimkus,” said Dr. Gill’s press secretary Lucy Stein, “but the voters in the 13th District aren’t buying it.”
* 13th District spending tops $4 million: The biggest spender so far is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has put $1.2 million into the race against Davis. But most of the money spent has come from superPACs aiming to defeat Gill. Among them: the American Action Network, $325,101; the National Republican Congressional Committee, $804,061; the New Prosperity Foundation, $139,255; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $500,000. Some of the groups say they have reserved hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of additional airtime, although they have not committed to spend it.
Yesterday, Senate Candidate John Bambenek joined a dozen other citizens in filing a lawsuit challenging the validity of the state constitutional amendment on the ballot commonly known as Amendment 49 (HJRCA49). The Amendment purports to require a 3/5ths vote for any pension benefit increase. The grounds for the suit are that the form of the question on the ballot and the amendment itself is deceptive, inaccurate and incomprehensible.
“The state constitution is a crucial document protecting citizens from the government. It should not be amendment lightly and certainly not using deceptive and false means by politicians. The ‘notice’ language on the top of the question is simply factually wrong, misleading to the voters and with the amendment text itself not on the ballot, voters will have no idea what they are actually voting for,” said Bambenek.
The notice language, codified in statute reads as follows:
Notice The Failure To Vote This Ballot May Be The Equivalent Of A Negative Vote, Because A Convention Shall Be Called Or The Amendment Shall Become Effective If Approved By Either Three-Fifths Of Those Voting On The Question Or A Majority Of Those Voting In The Election.
“Why is there a mention of a constitutional convention for this amendment? It’s factually wrong and misleading to use scary language to manipulate voters,” said Bambenek.
There are also differing interpretations of what the amendment will actually legally do. According to Professor John Kindt’s op-ed in the Champaign News-Gazette, this amendment would override the pension guarantee clause in the state constitution. Others disagree but there is no real consensus on what the actual amendment does. The amendment is poorly written and incomprehensible to even the experts, much less everyday voters.
* So far, it’s just boiler plate stuff. But then…
“This amendment was written by the Dark Sith Lord Michael Madigan himself with some of the smartest people in the state and they couldn’t write something people could understand? I get that Madigan and his Chicago friends want to stick it to us, but could they do us the courtesy of doing it in a way we can understand? This ballot question and the amendment itself are incomprehensible gibberish,” explained Bambenek.
Thursday, Oct 18, 2012 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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That’s smarter power today. Go to ANGA.US to learn more about our safe and responsible development practices.
* Congressional candidates in tight races have reported their fundraising totals this week. The media has dutifully and accurately reported the activity. For instance…
Quarterly fundraising documents show a tight race for the Metro East congressional district where two candidates are battling to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello.
Democrat Bill Enyart, of Belleville, raised $423,280 in the most recent quarter, while his opponent Republican Jason Plummer, of O’Fallon, Ill., raised $427,622. […]
Over the course of a year, Plummer has raised more than Enyart, taking in about $970,000. Enyart has raised about $643,000, although he first entered the race in June because another Democratic candidate dropped out.
* But that quarterly money - and even the year to date cash - pales in comparison to the outside spending so far…
ENYART, WILLIAM L JR (D)
Office Sought: IL-12 (House)
* 2012 election cycle outside spending summary
* Independent expenditures made supporting this candidate: $368,485.84
* Independent expenditures made opposing this candidate: $2,522,241.39
* Independent expenditures made supporting this candidate: $30,534.53
* Independent expenditures made opposing this candidate: $980,861.78
As you can see, Enyart is getting hammered a whole lot by more by the independent expenditures than Plummer.
These cash numbers are similar in other congressional races. The outsiders are flooding districts with cash and dwarfing the money raised by candidates. Thank goodness for groups like the Sunlight Foundation, which is helping us track the moolah.
Jason Plummer, the Republican candidate for Congress in the 12th District of Southern Illinois, is well known in the labor community for his anti-union attitudes. Plummer purchased Monticello Plaza here last year through his development company, Midwest Asset Group. When Electricians Local 649 in Alton found out that Plummer had hired Perfection Electric, a nonunion contractor paying less than area standard wages to do the electrical work on a building in the plaza, they put a rat outside the building along with four union electricians to greet plaza customers and drivers along Highway 67. The highway runs between the plaza and Lewis and Clark Community College and a lot of drivers were honking their approval of the rat after it went up on a sunny morning last week.
“We want voters to know that these are the kinds of jobs Plummer is promoting.” said Alan Rubenstein, business manager with Local 649. “ One of the electricians in there is making $12 an hour. Another is making $17. Plummer makes his money with blue collar people who are paid low wages and no benefits.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady is offering to host “Meet Mike Madigan” sessions with voters for any Illinois Democratic candidates - if the candidate will appear publicly with Illinois House Speaker/Illinois Democratic Party Chairman/Father of the Illinois Attorney General Mike Madigan in their local district.
“If Democratic candidates take Mike Madigan’s campaign money, the least they can do is offer voters in their community an opportunity to meet with Mike Madigan,” said Brady. “With a 16% public approval rating, I’m sure voters have lots of things they’d like to ask – or tell - Madigan – if they had the chance.”
“Mike Madigan’s name is not on the ballot in most of the state, but the names of his enablers – his fellow Illinois Democrats who elect him Speaker and State Party Chairman – are on the ballot,” said Brady. “A vote for any Illinois Democrat is a vote for Mike Madigan, so all Illinois voters should have the opportunity to meet Mike Madigan before they cast their vote.”
“For those residents unable to attend the ‘Meet Mike Madigan’ sessions, we’ll take a photograph of Madigan alongside their local Democratic candidate and mail it to them – as well as to the local news media - along with information about Mike Madigan’s record,” Brady said.
Brady said that he would cater the “Meet Mike Madigan” sessions with sandwiches from the nearest Jimmy John’s.
“I know Jimmy John’s corporate office is leaving Illinois because of the 67% tax hike that Mike Madigan helped pass, but they still make tasty sandwiches faster than you can say ‘walking conflict of interest’ or ‘Fire Madigan,’” Brady said.
Thursday, Oct 18, 2012 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois is facing a crisis in education funding and the currently proposed state budget would leave a $200 million shortfall for Illinois schools, exacerbating an ongoing trend of school underfunding in our state. In fact, a 2010 research report conducted by the National Education Association found that Illinois ranks last among U.S. states in percentage of revenue for public K-12 schools from state governments. Further, the Education Law Center gave Illinois a “D” on its 2010 School Funding Fairness National Report Card.
Fortunately, the Illinois Senate identified a solution to bring more funding to our schools and protect Illinois students. In June, the Senate passed an amendment to HB 5440 that generates $75 million in revenue for the state’s education fund. This new revenue would directly support students by providing general state aid for local schools, early childhood education, and the Monetary Assistance Program for Illinois college students.
HB 5440 will fill a significant portion of the education gap, helping avert large budget cuts that would impact Illinois students and educators.
We urge members of the House to vote YES on HB 5440 and close the education gap for Illinois students.
* Last night, Gov. Mitt Romney said this in response to President Barack Obama’s claim that Romney had invested in some Chinese companies…
“Any investments I have over the last eight years have been managed by a blind trust. And I understand they do include investments outside the United States, including in — in Chinese companies,” Romney said.
Romney then asked: “Mr. President, have you looked at your pension?”
Obama responded: “I don’t look at my pension. It’s not as big as yours so it doesn’t take as long.”
Romney then charged that Obama holds investments in companies based in foreign countries
“Look at your pension,” Romney said. “You also have investments in Chinese companies. You also have investments outside the United States. You also have investments through a Cayman’s trust.”
It’s unclear how many of those Chinese firms are in Obama’s specific portfolio. The board estimates that across all its funds, 19 percent of the assets are in foreign securities.
What Fox doesn’t mention is that the “president’s Illinois pension fund” is via the Illinois General Assembly Retirement System. From the Washington Post…
To our mind, there’s a qualitative difference between a pension-plan investment portfolio and earning returns from contemporary stock investments.
The Romney campaign explains that his point was that international investments are a crucial part of investing today — and that just as Obama has no control over the investments made by his pension fund, Romney has no control over investments made by funds that are part of his blind trust. The Romney campaign says that 19 percent of the Illinois pension fund’s investments are in foreign companies, including dozens of Chinese companies.
“Obama has a pension, managed by the IL Pension fund. He has no control over how they invest it, and they invest some of it in Chinese companies,” a Romney spokesman said. “Romney has a blind trust. He has no control over how the trustee invests it, and the trustee invests some of it in funds that invest in Chinese companies.”
So, will Democratic and Republican legislative challenges now start beating up incumbents for investing in China and having money in a “Cayman’s trust”? Stay tuned, campers.
That’s snark, of course.
Then again, the state House Democrats have been sending mailers blasting just about every Republican candidate for wanting to decimate Medicare and Social Security. At least the Chinese/Cayman claim is somewhat based in reality.
The look at Jackson’s finances is an “ongoing inquiry,” according to a federal source familiar with the probe. Another source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation into campaign finances has been ongoing “for months” and that vendors to Jackson’s campaign are among those being questioned in the case.
On Tuesday, a woman who identified herself as a co-owner of a suburban office furniture company told the Tribune that federal authorities contacted the business within the past month or so to tell the operators they would be receiving a federal subpoena for records connected to a purchase of furniture by Jackson’s campaign committee.
Campaign finance records show that Jackson’s campaign committee purchased office furniture from the company for $8,000 in September 2010.
If that’s what he did, then he’s dumber than a box of rocks.
* Meanwhile, the head of the BGA made some curious remarks to WBBM…
BGA President Andy Shaw notes that Jackson’s constituents have not had a representative for four months.
“There is no procedure for dealing with this,” Shaw said. “Congress does not have … a protocol for somebody to step in and that’s the most troubling thing from a good government standpoint.”
Yes, there is no “vice president” provision for sitting congresscritters (listen to the audio at the above link). Never has been. Kind of a weird idea.
* And Gov. Pat Quinn struggled mightily to avoid being dragged into the controversy today. You really should listen to this raw audio of today’s presser…
Governor Quinn admits it might be time for embattled Congressman Jesse Jackson Junior to speak publicly about what has been going on.
Shortly after the dedication of the new Belmont Road grade separation in west suburban Downers Grove Governor Quinn was pressed by WLS News about whether Congressman Jesse Jackson Junior should have come forward by now, and offered up an explanation about what has been going on to this constituents since he stopped working four months ago.
The governor responded by saying “It’s always helpful if you are in elected office, no matter what office, to provide as much information to your constituents and to the people as possible. I think that is the way government should be.”
* The Illinois Policy Institute has a new Internet video called “Contagion” which makes some dire claims about what the right-wing “think” tank claims is escalating labor unrest. You gotta watch it…
* Script…
Big labor is on the move in Illinois. Emboldened by the success of the Chicago Teachers Union strike, unions across the state are now waging, or threatening to wage, strikes of their own.
Why do unions erect roadblocks to reform? Remember that the explicit purpose of a union is to protect the employment status and benefits of their members, not to improve the quality or nature of the service that their members provide.
In fact, what we are now seeing may be the early stages of an outbreak of labor unrest that could consume the state.
The billion-dollar-question is: Will Illinois’ lawmakers confront these labor monopolies, contain the outbreak, and pass desperately needed reforms? Or will politicians once again succumb to the politically convenient in hopes that a federal bailout will save them from tough decisions?
* OK, five districts outside Chicago are mentioned in that ad. The state has 868 school districts. So, that’s about half a percent. And this is rampant labor unrest?
Not quite.
And if you look at the Institute’s own list, you’ll see that these strikes were pretty short. Lake Forest High School (one-week strike), North Shore School District 112 and Prairie Grove School District 46 (mere one-day strikes), Champaign (settled before strike). Yes, a hotbed of furiously angry communists, for sure.
By far the longest was in Evergreen Park, which lasted two weeks. From the Southtown Star…
The lessons of both the Chicago teachers’ strike and the just-settled one in Evergreen Park School District 124 are that teachers are tired of being made the scapegoats for public education’s ills and that animosity between them and their employers is growing. […]
We draw two conclusions about the strikes in Chicago and Evergreen Park. The school boards forced the teachers to walk out by making demands they saw as politically popular but that were unrealistic. And faced with strong parental support for the teachers, the boards blinked because the unions would not.
The national debate over public education and the power of teachers unions has teachers more united than ever, and if our local results are any measure, parents value teachers more than the critics. That’s a losing hand for school boards, and pushing teachers to strike and keeping kids out of class is the worst bet of all.
* So, publicly attacking teachers and subjecting them to ratings which have been widely debunked by experts have maybe led to a handful of strikes in Illinois, and maybe more are coming. But check out the oh so scary poster…
I get so tired of large groups of people being demonized like this.
* Do teachers unions have their faults? Heck yes they do.
But, to me anyway, the people at the very top are most at fault. I’ve never been a fan of the industrial model for education. Hate it, actually. As I was traveling home from Galena not long ago, I found myself wondering if a relatively new building out in the middle of nowhere was a school or a prison. It was a school.
I happen to like the concept of charter schools, not because I think they are a panacea, but because I believe they can offer kids incredible alternatives to the one-size-fits-all industrial model. That link, by the way, goes to a French immersion charter school in Kansas City that my best friend’s children attend. My friend died a couple years back, and we wanted to help his widow and the kids come to Illinois, but there’s just nothing like that school anywhere here. So, they stayed put.
Why can’t we have these same choices in Illinois? What’s keeping us back?
Gov. Pat Quinn isn’t buying everything charter schools are selling. The governor invited education scholar Diane Ravitch to speak to a civic group in Chicago. Ravitch told the audience that charter schools are no better than traditional public schools, except that they allow the private sector to make money off education.
Ravitch, a former U.S. assistant secretary of education who served in appointed capacities under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, says charter schools were intended to help the poorest, least-able students, but they’re being used now to skim the kids who are easiest to educate.
“And my fear, having attended segregated schools in Houston, Texas, is that we are returning to a pre-Brown vs. Board of Education society, in which segregation will be based on class, not on race, in which the charter schools will take the most motivated children, and the public schools will become dumping grounds,” she told the City Club of Chicago, after an introduction by the governor.Ravitch is the author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.
I think the segregation fear has some legitimacy. But that can be overcome with reasonable regulations. The stuff about people making money off of schools doesn’t really bug me too much as long as the schools are well-run. The beauty of charter schools is the diversity they can potentially offer - and do offer in places like Kansas City.
There are downsides. Charter schools don’t perform all that much better on standardized tests. But I don’t like basing education on testing anyway. In Chicago, the charter schools are mostly non-union. But there’s nothing preventing the CTU unions from trying to organize those teachers.
All I’m saying here is let’s stop with the demonizing, please, and get on with truly changing the way we educate kids.
* What one word - and I mean that - best describes your feelings about last night’s presidential debate?
…Adding… I’ve been watching and posting some YouTube videos in comments about “candy” today because I thought Ms. Crowley did such a good job last night during the debate.
This video from 10,000 Maniacs called “Candy Everybody Wants” probably sums it up best. It’s about the cynical manipulation of the populace by giving the people what they want. We’re all too familiar with that theme.
Plus, it’s got the word “candy” in it and Natalie Merchant is the coolest…
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The cable industry is asking lawmakers to place a NEW 5% tax on satellite TV service. HB 5440 is not about fairness, equity or parity – it’s a tax increase on the 1.3 million Illinois families and businesses who subscribe to satellite TV. They cannot afford another NEW tax – not now and not in this economy!
HB 5440 Will Hurt Illinois Families and Small Businesses
• Satellite TV subscribers will see their monthly bills go up 5%.
• This tax will impact every bar, restaurant and hotel that subscribes to satellite TV service, which will translate into higher prices, decreased revenues, and fewer jobs.
• Rural Illinois has no choice: In many parts of Illinois, cable refuses to provide TV service to rural communities. Satellite TV is their only option.
HB 5440 Is Not About Parity or Fairness
• Cable’s claim that this discriminatory tax is justified because satellite TV doesn’t pay local franchise fees could not be further from the truth. Cable pays those fees to local towns and cities in exchange for the right to bury cables in the public rights of way—a right that Comcast and Charter value in the tens of billions of dollars in their SEC filings.
• Satellite companies don’t pay franchise fees for one simple reason: We use satellites—unlike cable, we don’t need to dig up streets and sidewalks to deliver our TV service.
• Making satellite subscribers pay franchise fees—or, in this case, an equivalent amount in taxes—would be like taxing the air It’s no different than making airline passengers pay a fee for laying railroad tracks.
* Democratic congressional candidate David Gill has repeatedly promised never to take corporate cash. He does so again in his latest TV ad, calling corporate and Wall Street money “legalized bribery.” Watch…
* But check out who paid for the ad…
The DCCC does take corporate and Wall St. money. So Gill just blatantly broke his “not one penny from corporations” pledge in an ad pledging not to take any cash from corporations. Ironic, no?
*** UPDATE 1 *** Right on cue, the Illinois Republican Party released an amateurish, but still correct, Internet video about this topic…
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the NRCC…
“David Gill has a history of being dishonest with Illinois families. The one thing voters know for sure is that David Gill has no problem selling himself out for political gain and he will do the same to Illinois families if sent to Congress.”
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* Meanwhile, Gill has a new radio ad that has his Republican opponent up in arms. It begins thusly…
McDonald’s employee: “Next order, please.”
Announcer: “As a teenager, he worked at his parents’ McDonald’s. But these days, Rodney Davis is serving up whoppers in his campaign for Congress.”
The ad also includes a snarky “You want fries with that?” line followed by a claim that Davis “keeps super-sizing his lies.” Listen…
* Gill’s Republican opponent Rodney Davis is not amused. From a press release…
David Gill, a perennial candidate who has lost three elections for Congress, this week launched an attack radio ad against Rodney Davis for his work at his parents’ small business, a McDonald’s, while growing up in Taylorville.
This, once again, underscores Gill’s hypocrisy, as just last week he stated in an endorsement interview with the State Journal-Register that “100% of the advertising that has come from my campaign has been positive.”
The ad features a disparaging male voice which intones, “As a teenager, he worked at his parents’ McDonald’s…but these days, Rodney Davis is serving up whoppers in his campaign for Congress. He’s trying to cover up his past.” Later in the ad, a voice asks, “You want fries with that?”
“I am disgusted that David Gill would attack my family, my family’s business, and the hundreds of McDonald’s employees in the 13th District,” said Davis. “I continue to talk about the issues; about where I stand on issues and where he stands on issues. I have never once besmirched his profession, work history, family or background. David Gill, on the other hand, has continually tried to make this election a personal attack on me. He has trashed my work as a public servant, and now he is trashing the workers of my family’s small business. How low will David Gill go?”
I’m pretty sure that no candidate has ever been “disgusted” by a McDonald’s joke before now. So, we could be seeing a major first here.
* Davis goes on to defend the honor of “public servants”…
Gill also continued his attack on public sector employees by attempting to demean Davis’ work as a public employee. Gill states that Davis has been paid $1 million as a public servant, but what Gill does not say is that is over a 20-year period beginning with his first job out of college in 1992. This continues a theme of Gill and his Washington allies who have throughout this campaign belittled public servants. Earlier this year, attempts by Gill and his allies to link Davis to public scandals were debunked by local media as a “misleading attack ad.”
“‘I’m proud of my work with my family’s small business, just as I’m proud of my work as a public servant collaborating with community leaders to solve problems and move this economy forward,” added Davis. “I have never called into question David Gill’s work nor his obvious passion for medicine, and I never will. We can certainly disagree on the issues, but his personal attacks on my work and my family go too far.”
The race for the 26th Senate District features two candidates who both say they are independent voices and haven’t received funding from their respective parties. Incumbent Republican Dan Duffy, a small-business man from Lake Barrington, faces a challenge from Democrat Amanda Howland, an attorney and College of Lake County board member. […]
Howland ran for state representative without Madigan’s help in 2006 and is doing so again.
Howland is running for the state Senate, so why would she be getting help from Speaker Madigan?
* With that editorial, the Daily Herald has pretty much jumped the shark on the Tribune/GOP “Fire Madigan” program. The Northwest Herald is also firmly on the bandwagon…
Republican David McSweeney is running for election to Illinois’ 52nd State Representative District. The seat currently is held by Kent Gaffney, who lost to McSweeney in the Republican primary. Gaffney was appointed to the position after the death in June 2011 of longtime state Rep. Mark Beaubien. […]
McSweeney’s opponent, Dee Beaubien, is the widow of the late Rep. Mark Beaubien. She did not run in the primary, getting her name on the ballot afterward as an independent.
She says she is a fiscal conservative, but she has accepted financial and campaign help from Madigan. This will make her beholden to him if she is elected. In an interview with the Northwest Herald’s Editorial Board, she would not commit to not voting for Madigan for speaker.
Voters in the 52nd District have a clear choice. That choice should be McSweeney.
22nd District: House Speaker Michael Madigan was first elected to the Illinois House in 1970 and became speaker in 1983. He’s controlled the House for all but two years since then. In short, he has presided over nearly every bad decision that brought Illinois to its current mess, chasing employers away with higher taxes, watching its credit rating plunge, squeezing money out of valued social services. He is running against Robert Handzik, a 13th Ward denizen who faithfully voted in Democratic primaries until this year when he mysteriously filed to run as a Republican. He’s one more Madigan plant to protect the speaker from the fuss of a real election. Voters have no real choice. No endorsement.
Today, EMILY’s List WOMEN VOTE! will release an ad to expose Bobby Schilling’s extreme, anti-middle class agenda. The ad will go up on broadcast television with 1000 points in Peoria, bolstering the nine pieces of mail that have been circulating to nearly 23,000 independent women since September 19th.
“Bobby Schilling has made it clear that he is willing to dismantle vital services like Medicare in order to increase tax breaks for wealthy corporations,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List. “And this November, voters in Illinois are going to make it equally clear that they don’t support his right-wing agenda. Right now, women and families need leaders like Cheri Bustos – pro-choice Democratic women who will fight for their access to healthcare and economic opportunity.”
* Schilling edges Bustos in fundraising: Both candidates did well, but Republican incumbent Bobby Schilling holds an advantage. Schilling raised $613,164 in the third quarter and finished with $839,150 cash on hand. Democratic challenger Cheri Bustos raised $488,803 in the third quarter and finished with $656,827 cash on hand.
* Schilling tops Bustos in 3Q fundraising: Schilling outspent Bustos for the quarter, dishing out $723,925, including a $45,450 transfer that went to the state Republican Party. Bustos spent $661,568.
* Our View: Will Bustos or Schilling give best answers in debate?: Who has the best plan to bring jobs back to the U.S.? Who has the best ideas on how to move health care forward? Who has the best grasp of education issues? And who will be a better representative for the Rockford region?
A conservative SuperPAC touting Duckworth rival Joe Walsh is preparing to dump an extra $2.5 million into the heated 8th Congressional District race — on top of $2 million it has already spent, a source familiar with the plan told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The idea is to “bury Duckworth,” the source said.
The revelation comes a day after Duckworth reported that she personally raised more than five times as much as Walsh did in the last quarter — about $1.5 million to the Republican’s $251,000. That means that the Now or Never SuperPAC spent eight times what Walsh was able to raise himself in the last quarter.
The Duckworth campaign and the DCCC failed to define Joe Walsh early with paid media. They counted on the Democratic map and Walsh’s horrible reputation to sink the freshman Republican. And they figured Duckworth’s very solid fundraising was probably enough. So far, they’ve been wrong on all counts. As I’ve said before, Duckworth hasn’t lost it yet, but the Democrats are in real danger there.
Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh helped found a group that is the top contributor to a SuperPAC supporting his re-election bid.
Walsh’s campaign says he hasn’t been involved with the group, Americans for Limited Government, for a decade. By law, SuperPACs and the candidates they support cannot have direct contact. […]
Walsh attacked Duckworth for being several hours late in filing her complete third-quarter campaign finance report. He has subsequently filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission.
In filings with the Federal Elections Commission, it appears Now or Never began as a group of Missouri business men interested in helping state treasurer Sarah Steelman win the Show-Me State’s GOP Senate primary in August. But when Steelman finished third, Now or Never went quiet.
But on the same day Now or Never started its TV ad buys to help Walsh, the PAC received a $1 million contribution from Americans for Limited Government. Eleven days later, another donation from ALG came in for a little less, $950,000.
Why would ALG, a conservative group that advocates for a more limited federal government and reduced spending, go to the trouble funneling almost $2 million through a Missouri PAC instead of doing it directly themselves?
We got this from ALG communications director Richard Manning by e-mail: “Now or Never PAC does an impressive job of fighting for free market principles, which are in alignment with Americans for Limited Government, and we are proud to support it.”
Every penny received by Now or Never in September, when it launched its Illinois ad blitz,came from a Virginia-based nonprofit called Americans for Limited Government. ALG forked over, in two payments, a whopping $1.95 million. As a nonprofit, ALG doesn’t disclose its donors.
Americans for Limited Government was co-founded in 1996 by real estate investor Howard Rich, who also serves on the boards of the Cato Institute and the Club for Growth. According to Politico, ALG has been among the recipients of funding from the extensive donor networkestablished by the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. ALG has also employedSean Noble, according to Politico, who helped to oversee how the Koch donor network’s contributions were spent.
Ray Wotring, a spokesman for ALG, refused to say who funds his organization. “We as a practice don’t reveal our donors,” he says. Wotring also declined to say why ALG contributed to Now or Never. Harber, a spokesman for Now or Never, says in an email that the super-PAC discloses all of its donors. “ALG isn’t our first, last, or only donor,” Harber notes. “We can’t compel them to disclose their donors, but we have done everything we can to be as transparent and accessible as possible.”
* Related…
* Less glitz, glamour in local debate prep: Walsh, sources said, relies on some training he received in the mid-1980s in stage, theater and television at the Lee Strasburg Theatre and Film Institute in New York.
* Heritage Action for America Goes Duckworth Hunting: Earlier this year, Walsh received a 93 percent rating on the foundation’s scorecard, one of the highest in Congress — far higher than any other member of the Illinois delegation. Walsh won the organization’s approval by voting to repeal Obamacare, to block loans to green energy companies, and to disapprove of the administration’s waiver of welfare-to-work requirements. Heritage Action for America has paid Walsh back for his commitment to conservative principles by opening a Victory Center in the 8th District, and with a new website, “5 Facts About Tammy Duckworth.”
