Congrats @brucerauner. I think you will make a great governor.
— Rev. James T. Meeks (@revjamesmeeks) June 5, 2013
Like Rauner, Meeks has been a longtime enemy of the teachers’ unions, so it’s a somewhat logical match. I doubt it’ll translate into many votes, however.
* I’m doing a thing with Jim Edgar tomorrow night. From a press release…
WHAT: Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar will join a panel of distinguished guests to discuss how the economic, social & political differences between Chicago and the rest of the state present challenges for the governance of Illinois.
WHEN: Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library
DETAILS: This panel discussion will explore how the perceived division between Chicago and the rest of Illinois is affecting state leadership and decision making, public perceptions of governmental effectiveness, and political and social operations.
Edgar will be joined by Chicago Sun-Times columnist and Capitol Fax newsletter publisher Rich Miller, UIS Political Science Professor Christopher Mooney, and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Executive Director Randy Blankenhorn.
But it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of Madigan: is he the sort of man who would put the poison pill into his own pension reform bill or his enemy’s? Now, a clever man would put the poison pill into his own bill, because he would know that only a great fool would pass what the House sent over. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the bill the House passed. But he must have known I was not a great fool, he would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the bill in front of me.
Declaring that frustrated voters are looking for an alternative to entrenched Democrats, GOP officials announced a $250,000 drive to recruit, vet and train GOP candidates in every one of the 37 Illinois House districts located in the city, and to provide the candidates top legal talent to defend against the inevitable challenges to their nominating petitions.
Obviously, none of those candidates can win. The motive here is increasing turnout…
Declaring that frustrated voters are looking for an alternative to entrenched Democrats, GOP officials announced a $250,000 drive to recruit, vet and train GOP candidates in every one of the 37 Illinois House districts located in the city, and to provide the candidates top legal talent to defend against the inevitable challenges to their nominating petitions.
I suppose that’s possible. But the other side of the coin is that the Democratic incumbents will work harder and outspend the Republicans - who have committed an average of just $6600 for each of their candidates (including training and legal fees) - and drive up Democratic turnout. A similar city GOP effort was abandoned a while back for just that reason, and the fact that one of their candidates was a nursing home resident. The whole thing was an embarrassing laugh-o-rama.
Even so, it may help identify more possible Republican votes in the city. That will be good for the long term. But I seriously doubt it’ll have much effect in 2014, either locally or statewide.
Quinn had been told by Madigan’s staff that the speaker was out of state, but the governor said he hoped Madigan would call in to the meeting. That didn’t happen.
“He was unavailable,” Quinn told reporters at an unrelated stop Tuesday. “He doesn’t have a cellphone. I did leave a message for his wife.”
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown later confirmed that the powerful Southwest Side Democrat does not carry a cellphone but said the governor’s staff was “fully aware the speaker wasn’t available.”
Maybe I’m overreacting to this news because I’m part of the generation that considers their cellphones their absolute best friends, but c’mon, doesn’t own a cellphone? What?
I’ve seen Madigan use a mobile phone at the Statehouse. But I was told today that Madigan’s MO is to borrow somebody else’s phone when he needs to use one.
Obviously, he could’ve called in with somebody else’s phone or a landline. The cellphone issue is a red herring. The governor’s “big” meeting was pointless, Madigan knew it, he didn’t go.
“If you’ve got a bill you want passed, I wouldn’t advise hiring me as your lobbyist”
* That quote went through my mind while reading the coverage of Gov. Pat Quinn’s comments on the gay marriage bill. Tribune…
The governor also said he was “very disappointed” by the decision to not call gay marriage legislation for a vote, saying it was important to know where lawmakers stand on such an important civil rights issue.
“A vote should have been taken. That’s what democracy is all about,” Quinn said. “I am going to work as hard as I can to get a vote as soon as I can and get that passed into law. It’s long overdue in our state.”
Um, governor, democracy is not just about taking votes. Democracy also isn’t about killing a bill by forcing a roll call on legislation that doesn’t have nearly the votes needed for passage.
* When told that Rep. Greg Harris, the bill’s sponsor was worried that if the bill was put on the big board it would lose and that would make it more difficult to pass down the road, Quinn said this…
“To me, democracy is all about taking votes on very important issues that matter to the people. There is no question that this issue is very important to the people of Illinois and it should be voted on. For the House not to do that was a very big disappointment. And I think it is important for the House to realize that it’s time for democracy to flourish in Illinois and that means voting on marriage equality.”
* Asked if that meant he’d push a vote even if the bill was going to die, Quinn said…
“I think the only way you find out how people feel about a bill is to have a roll call vote.”
What a bunch of malarkey.
This is a blatant Quinn pander to the activist wing, pure and simple.
There are plenty of ways to test an issue without taking a formal roll call and even Quinn knows that. Quinn said a couple weeks ago he believed the votes were there to pass the bill. Quinn gave his list to the House Democrats. As subscribers already know, none of those three House members favored the bill, and maybe one of them might’ve been flipped. Maybe.
Quinn admitted long ago that he doesn’t know how to pass a bill. He was right then and he’s right now. His comments yesterday shamefully undermined the bill’s House sponsor and the governor ought to know better. Or maybe not. Maybe he truly is that clueless.
* Erika Harold talked to Politico about her GOP primary opponent, freshman Congressman Rodney Davis, this week…
“I view this primary process as being very healthful to the party because we will be able throughout the campaign to debate the issues that are important to the party,” newly declared candidate Erika Harold told POLITICO, referring to her challenge of Rep. Rodney Davis in the GOP primary.
“I think he’s a good person, and that’s why I think in this case this can be a positive primary process where we can both make a positive case to the voters about why we can be a good representative,” she added.
I still don’t see how she effectively makes the case that after just 150 days in office Rodney Davis is unfit to represent the 13th District.
“I would hope that (Harold) would run for lieutenant governor,” [Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet)] said. “I think that would project her into the political stratosphere. Primaries are enormously destructive forces. The Republican Party ought to be big enough for both of these people. They’re both talented people.” […]
Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, said “I don’t understand why” Harold is challenging Davis.
“Rodney’s done exactly what I asked him to do, and that was to go to Washington and be his own man and make his own decisions and represent his constituents, and I think he’s done that,” McCarter said. “Someone like Erika, with as much promise as she has in the Republican Party, why target a young congressman who has done what we asked him to do? People were concerned that he was going to be a puppet of (Rep.) John Shimkus. But he hasn’t done that. He’s been his own man.”
McCarter said he was concerned that former staffers to retired U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, including Mark Shelden and Joan Dykstra, were helping Harold.
“I think they’re using her for revenge and that’s sad because she has tremendous promise in this party, and how dare they use her leadership abilities and persona. She’s just the kind of person that our party needs,” McCarter said. “I’m a little shocked that a few disgruntled ex-party people would use her to advance their own careers.”
* But it does give the party something to point at when diversity comes up…
John Parrott, the McLean County GOP chairman, said in his position he doesn’t make endorsements and has a “nice relationship” with Davis. But he also has “great respect” for Harold.
Parrott also said that if the GOP wants “to become a more open party to women and to minorities,” then a way to accomplish that is for people in those groups to run as members of the party.
* I’ve been meaning to post this all week, but kept forgetting. Here’s state Sen. Kirk Dillard as quoted by WLS Radio…
At least two bachelors are expected to be running for governor next year: Pat Quinn, the Democratic incumbent, and Dan Rutherford, the Republican State Treasurer.
But Dillard says it’s time to put what he calls “a first family” back in the Governor’s Mansion.
“I really believe just for our state’s image and for the way a governor thinks, you need a first family in a traditional sense back in the governor’s residence.”
And so Dillard is playing the family card in the race for governor.
“A first family in the traditional sense”?
I somehow doubt that Dillard was really referring to the divorced Gov. Quinn here, except as cover so he could deny that he was making an inappropriate insinuation about the life-long bachelor Rutherford.
This sort of thing used to be beneath Dillard. But losing a statewide primary by a mere 193 votes can mess with your mind. Until that 2010 gubernatorial bid, Dillard had always been known as something of a statesman. But that razor-thin loss pushed him further to the right and made him more of a partisan.
Also, Dillard’s path to victory isn’t nearly as clear this time if Bruce Rauner succeeds in moving the needle. Strong TV advertising in the Chicago market will eat into Dillard’s DuPage County base. Lots of folks in the “donor community” who would have been expected to support Dillard have already contributed to Rauner.
In the end, all you have is your reputation. I’d hate to see Dillard completely lose his.
* Bruce Rauner announced he was running for governor today via a YouTube video. Rate it…
His slogan: “Shake up Springfield. Bring back Illinois.”
* I’ve been hearing for days that Rauner could start airing TV ads as soon as next week. Ron Gidwitz began airing TV ads in July of 2005, but was never able to move the needle and by the time the campaign heated up his candidacy was generally dismissed. If the ad rumors are true, then Rauner will face the same sort of test, only a month earlier.
* From the Rauner campaign…
Before beginning his campaign, Bruce spent three months on a Listening Tour getting to know the thoughts, concerns and ideas of Illinoisans across the state. He made more than 65 stops and traveled nearly 18,000 miles.
He met small business owners held back by burdensome regulations and high taxes – and who think things might just be easier in Indiana or Wisconsin. He spoke with tech leaders and young entrepreneurs as well as folks out of work or underemployed.
Bruce visited with teachers deeply concerned about their students and Springfield politicians’ failure to prioritize education. He met with dads in barbershops on the South Side of Chicago who want more educational choices and to give their children the hope of a brighter future.
After months on the road hearing from Illinoisans from all walks of life, it became clear that voters think the crowd of career politicians in Springfield who got Illinois into the current mess can’t get the state out of it. They are hungry for a governor who is willing to shake up Springfield and can’t be bought, bribed, or intimidated.
Bruce is tremendously encouraged by the response to his Listening Tour and the ability to raise resources for his candidacy.
As a candidate, Bruce plans to keep up the pace he set on the Listening Tour and will continue to meet as many Illinoisans as possible to discuss his vision for rebuilding Illinois.
Beginning Thursday, Bruce will embark on his “Bring Back Illinois Tour.” He already has nearly a dozen stops planned for the first two weeks of the campaign and will be adding many more in the days and weeks to come.
A federal court has increased the time Gov. Pat Quinn has to think over a plan to allow Illinoisans to carry concealed weapons.
Lawmakers had faced a Saturday deadline to pass a concealed-carry law. They approved a proposal Friday, but Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked the court to push back the deadline to July 9 to give Quinn more time to decide whether to sign the bill.
The court agreed Tuesday.
Lisa Madigan spokeswoman Natalie Bauer said because Quinn by law usually gets 60 days to review legislation, asking the court for 30 more days for Quinn was reasonable.
* From the stay order authored by judges Richard Posner, Joe Flaum and Claire Williams…
No further extensions to stay the court’s mandate will be granted.
