* Independent expenditures against Democratic congressional candidate Cheri Bustos had already topped $2.1 million. And now Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS has weighed in with a new TV ad…
I’m told that Crossroads has placed $540k in the Quad Cities, $174K in Rockford and $171K in Peoria, for a total of $885,000. But the Moline Dispatch reported today that they’re spending $749k.
Either way, that ad will help to balance out the outside money spent against Republican incumbent Bobby Schilling, who has endured almost $2.3 million in spending against him, mainly from the DCCC, House Majority PAC and some unions.
* Related…
* Bustos campaign slams Schilling over future of Medicare: “The other side isn’t coming to the table to offer solutions,” Schweppe said. “Bobby is the only candidate in this race with a plan to save and protect Medicare, and that is why he supported the Ryan budget.”
* Chuck Sweeney: Tying a bag of Quinn around Bustos: Maybe it was a cunning strategy for Schilling to link Bustos with Quinn, even if it is an unfair comparison. Quinn has a record. Bustos doesn’t. She doesn’t advocate a massive income tax increase, something Quinn signed into law, raising our state income tax 67 percent. But what’s fair in politics? Nothing. The word’s not in the political dictionary..
Federal prosecutors and FBI agents in Washington have launched a new criminal investigation of Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. involving financial improprieties, including possible misuse of funds monitored by Congress, law enforcement sources tell NBC News.
The probe prompted lawyers for Jackson to meet with federal prosecutors this week in an attempt to persuade them not to indict the congressman.
The sources said it was unclear whether Jackson, who has not been seen in his office for months, would be charged before the November election — a subject that was discussed between Jackson’s lawyers and the prosecutors this week. Jackson’s lawyers urged the prosecutors not to file charges before the election — but prosecutors refused to make any commitments, the sources familiar with the meeting said.
The investigation — based in the Washington, D.C., FBI field office — is not related to the attempted sale of the U.S. Senate seat that figured in former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s corruption conviction, but is focusing on “suspicious activity” involving the congressman’s finances related to his House seat and the possibility of inappropriate expenditures, sources said.
The probe was active in the weeks prior to Jackson taking a leave from his U.S. House post on June 10, a leave his office ultimately attributed to his need for treatment for a bipolar disorder, the sources said.
It was unclear whether the probe involved the congressman’s official House spending account or his campaign finance account. But one source said it was an account monitored by Congress.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to start a campaign to boost support for changes to state pension systems. Quinn has been in campaign mode for months, repeatedly bringing up to the media and legislators the importance of tackling the state’s massively underfunded pension system. […]
“We’ve gotta, I think, activate the taxpayers,” Quinn told reporters Friday.
Quinn said he’s starting a grassroots campaign, which will put pressure on lawmakers in a way that hasn’t been used yet.
“If they can’t do it on their own, we’re gonna help them do it with the people of Illinois,” Quinn said.
Gov. Pat Quinn said Tuesday that he’ll wait until next month to debut his so-called grassroots campaign raising awareness about Illinois’ pension problem, a move that comes days after lawmakers failed to come up with a plan to overhaul the massively underfunded system.
The governor shed some light on his so-called grassroots campaign to reform the state’s pension system at a Saturday morning stop in Decatur that was unrelated to his visit to unveil “The Portrait of a Soldier” exhibit at the Decatur Public Library.
While details remain vague, Quinn said he hopes to use the Internet and social media to inform people on the issue and to rally people to contact their lawmakers. […]
Quinn said he will be meeting with legislative leaders within the next two weeks to lay groundwork for pension reform before he moves on with the campaign.
Anyone wondering what Gov. Pat Quinn might do to rally support for an overhaul of the state’s pension systems need look no further than the governor’s own website.
Quinn, who says he is planning to launch an Internet-based grassroots pension lobbying effort in the coming weeks, already has a web page dedicated to the cause.
[Quinn’s] spokesperson, however, said the page has been up since the spring session, so, no, this is not part of the new plan.
* Yesterday, October 11th, Gov. Quinn was asked about his pledge to activate the grassroots on pension reform. His response…
“Well, we, uh, we’re working on a very good program, I think, that will involve the people of Illinois in this mission.”
* Quinn then went on one of his classic rambles…
“Because the real issue is we want to have proper resources for the education of these little boys and girls who are just in pre-school, and now they’re in grammar school, they’re going to be going to middle school and then to high school and ultimately to college, community college and a four-year university…”
Whew. Get all that?
* Quinn never again mentioned his grassroots activation plan, but he did say this…
“We’ve talked to a lot of legislators. I think we’re going to do pretty well once the election comes and goes.”
Talking to legislators is smart. Lay some groundwork for a change. Promising a “grassroots” campaign you can’t deliver? Not so good.
* Raw audio of the question and the governor’s answer…
* The National Republican Congressional Committee is running an ad bashing 10th District Democrat Brad Schneider for bragging about his business experience but not earning “any income from his business for three straight years.” Watch it…
In October 2002, a Tribune poll showed Governor George Ryan had an approval rating of 23-percent,
So, Quinn’s only three points higher than a guy who was obviously headed toward conviction? Yeesh. But at least he’s polling better than Rod Blagojevich was a little over a month before he was arrested by the FBI…
The Chicago Tribune reports 13-percent of 500 Illinois voters polled think Governor Rod Blagojevich is doing a good job.
Quinn’s 26 percent is two points lower than his previous Tribune poll low of 28 percent in September of 2010. But, he still won his election that November.
DCFS had planned to lay off 375 employees, the result of a $50 million cut to its budget by the General Assembly. The layoffs were to take effect Oct. 1, but DCFS spokesman Dave Clarkin said none of the layoffs took effect.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents DCFS workers, said a paperwork glitch delayed the layoffs.
AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said the union was in a bargaining session with DCFS Thursday over the planned layoffs when the announcement was made.
“AFSCME members and DCFS employees are extremely relieved that the Quinn administration has responded to the very real and serious concerns workers raised about the harm these cuts would cause to kids,” Lindall said.
However, he said it is too early for the union to comment on the agreement DCFS said it needs from the union for the reorganization plan to work.
The seniority-based layoffs were expected to begin this month. DCFS officials said that if the money is restored, the agency through a reorganization plan could beef up its child-protection investigative unit by 138 workers and reduce caseloads to below the mandated ratio of about 12 cases to 1 worker.
In June, Gov. Pat Quinn pushed to stave off the layoffs by diverting some savings from his plan to close some state prison facilities. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, which represents DCFS and prison employees, argues that the prison closings are unsafe and suggests looking elsewhere for the money.
Though state revenues have increased beyond projections, lawmakers such as Rep. Sara Feigenholtz said so have Illinois’ bills. The North Side Democrat said that while lawmakers still have many questions for Calica to ensure the money isn’t wasted, their ongoing discussions are encouraging.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he will expend as much political capital as necessary to push for pension reforms, but that lawmakers in Springfield need to “get in gear.”
In a meeting with reporters at Bloomberg offices Thursday, Emanuel said he is holding hearings, talking with unions and collaborating with suburban mayors on the issue.
He says now it’s time for the General Assembly to “pick up the game.”
Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard, one of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s premier hires, is out by “mutual agreement” with City Hall after just 17 months on the job, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Brizard was Emanuel’s pick to lead CPS and push through the mayor’s aggressive education agenda. But with the city’s first teachers strike in 25 years in the rearview mirror and a new contract to be implemented, Emanuel said it’s “time for a clean break.” […]
“The questions about J.C. became a distraction from what we had to do. We had a mutual agreement [that the distraction was] not helpful. . . . I didn’t have to come to that conclusion myself. We both agreed together. It kept on becoming about the static and noise about J.C. He said, ‘Look, getting the schools right is more important than me,’ ” the mayor told the Chicago Sun-Times. […]
“In all my experience working for two presidents, when you get to a certain point, you’ve got to have a fresh start,” said Emanuel, who served under presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. “Usually, you’ve got to tell the person that. “J.C. came to that understanding. . . . He didn’t have to be persuaded of that. He appreciated that. He didn’t want to become a distraction from the mission. I can’t underscore how different that is.”
* My Sun-Times column was written before the above results were published. Also, for whatever reason, the paper’s Internet staff hasn’t posted it online yet. Here it is…
I checked my e-mail after dinner Wednesday night and just about sprayed my beverage onto my computer screen.
Republican Congressman Joe Walsh was crowing about a new poll that had him ahead of Democrat Tammy Duckworth.
What the heck? The loudmouthed tea partier leading a bona fide war hero in a district drawn to elect a Democrat?
But, yes, there it was. We Ask America polled 1,171 likely voters October 9th and had Walsh with 47.4 percent to Duckworth’s 45.9 percent - a one and a half point lead.
Walsh’s lead is within the poll’s +/- 2.9 percent margin of error. So, maybe he isn’t really ahead. But maybe he is.
Either way, this was the second poll taken by We Ask America in that district in about a week. The last one, conducted on October 3rd for me, had Walsh trailing by about six points, 50-44. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee conducted a poll the next day and had Walsh trailing by ten. 52-42. A poll taking by Public Policy Polling in mid-September had Walsh down by 14, 52-38.
Three polls in a row had Duckworth getting between 50 and 52 percent. But then the latest poll has her at 46.
What gives?
Well, if you average all four polls together, which is commonly done, you get Duckworth 50 to Walsh’s 43.
But things have changed a lot since President Obama got his hat handed to him in the October 3rd presidential debate. First Obama’s poll numbers tanked, and then down-ballot candidates started feeling the impact in their own polling.
So, it’s very possible, even quite likely, that Obama’s horrific performance in his first debate has had some very real impact on the Duckworth vs. Walsh contest.
The We Ask America poll taken the evening of the debate had Obama leading Mitt Romney in that congressional district by about eleven points, 51.4 to 40.6. The October 9th We Ask America Poll showed Obama’s lead had dropped to five points, 49-44.
Independents went from backing Obama 50-34 before the debate was over, to backing Romney 47-41 six days later. And men went from being strongly for Obama 50-41, to being marginally for Romney, 48-45. Among folks 65 and over, Obama initially led 48-43, but then trailed Romney 48-43 after the debate.
The same thing happened to Duckworth, only bigger. She was leading Walsh 52-39 among independents on October 3rd, and losing them 51-41 by October 9th. Duckworth led Walsh among men 50-45, but was then losing men 53-41. Her lead among seniors had been 50-44. But Walsh led among oldsters in the October 9th poll 51-43.
According to that last poll, Duckworth’s problems are obviously worse than the president’s. There’s a reason for that, too.
Two years ago, the Democrats didn’t take Walsh seriously and he defeated a sitting congresswoman by a couple of hundred votes. This time around, with a favorable new district map and what they believed was a strong candidate, they figured they had it in the bag. Early polling confirmed it. “Everybody” knew it.
But outside groups have spent well over $2 million on TV ads attacking Duckworth and also bolstering Walsh’s flagging image. Duckworth and the national Democrats and their friends with super PACs have not kept pace. So, Duckworth hasn’t been able to respond to the attacks.
This isn’t over. Duckworth isn’t cooked yet (and neither is Obama). But Walsh has always been a better campaigner than the Democrats have ever admitted. They need to wake up, or they just might lose to him again.
* Republican congressional candidate Jason Plummer admitted yesterday that he misspoke when he said Democrat Bill Enyart had to take down a TV ad because it was misleading. But then Plummer said this…
Plummer said the attack ad against him that was pulled was actually sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, an outside group that may not coordinate with the Enyart campaign.
“The ad the DCCC is using against me now has been pulled because it’s misleading,” Plummer said Thursday during a press conference. Plummer said he did not know what TV market that ad had been playing in.
But the DCCC says no ads have been pulled down in that race. And I haven’t seen any news stories or heard anything at all about such a thing happening.
So, I asked the Plummer campaign yesterday afternoon to identify the DCCC ad that was pulled. I have yet to hear back.
* Also yesterday, Plummer continued to claim that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi held a fundraiser for Enyart…
Enyart vigorously denied that claim during the debate Wednesday. On Thursday, a spokesman for Pelosi denied she had ever hosted a fundraiser for Enyart. Enyart campaign manager Jason Bresler also denied that Pelosi had hosted such a fundraiser.
On Thursday, Plummer’s campaign released a copy of an invitation that Pelosi and other top House Democrats had sent out in support of a DCCC fundraising reception for 50 Democrats running for the House known as the “2012 Red to Blue Candidates.” Included in those 50 names were Enyart and Dr. David Gill, the Democratic nominee for the 13th U.S. House District seat. Neither Enyart nor Gill attended that event.
Bresler said that on Sept. 20 Plummer and Enyart were in Marion for a 12th District debate, and at that debate Enyart told Plummer “that if you want to run against Nancy Pelosi, I suggest you move to San Francisco.”
* By the way, the full Oct. 10 debate is now online…
While 90 percent said they are familiar with Madigan, 40 percent didn’t have a favorable or unfavorable view of him, and 38 percent said they had no opinion on whether they approved of his job performance as speaker. […]
But even more than one-third of voters in the poll who identified themselves as Republicans said they had no view of Madigan or had no opinion on his job performance.
Suburban voters held the most negative views of Madigan. Only 13 percent of voters in suburban Cook County and the Republican-leaning collar counties had a favorable impression of the Chicago Democrat. In contrast, 45 percent of voters in suburban Cook and 50 percent of collar county voters view him unfavorably. Once again, more than 3 in 10 voters had no opinion.
The suburban negatives grew harsher when respondents were asked about Madigan’s job performance. Fully 53 percent of voters in suburban Cook and 52 percent in collar counties voters disapproved.
Downstate, more than half of voters expressed no opinion on how they viewed Madigan, and 46 percent said they could not rate his job performance. Among those who expressed an opinion, more viewed him negatively than positively.
