It has begun
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* There’s no doubt in my mind that Gov. Pat Quinn is planning a blistering, populist campaign against Bill Daley. If nothing else, it’ll be a good tuneup for Bruce Rauner, if he manages to win the GOP primary. From a press conference today…
“I think I’m a lot different than Bill Daley,” Mr. Quinn finally allowed. “He has a better tailor. But I know how to work with ordinary people.”
Mr. Quinn returned to that theme more than once, suggesting that Mr. Daley’s resume as a former presidential chief of staff, national political operative and banker lacks resonance with ordinary Democratic voters.
“I’m a people person,” Mr. Quinn said. “I get along with ordinary people. I’m not gong to go and hang out with millionaires.”
Quinn’s best hope for victory is a full-on “class warfare” attack. It’s begun.
* Raw audio…
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A walk down Madigan memory lane
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave McKinney interviewed several Madigan family members back in 1998 after Lisa Madigan defeated Sen. Bruce Farley, a former Speaker Madigan lieutenant. The Sun-Times has reposted Dave’s story. Here’s an excerpt about the run-up to the Farley challenge, but go read the whole thing…
But gathered with her family a few months later at Trattoria Roma, an Italian eatery a block from Mike Madigan’s alma mater, St. Ignatius High School, she sprung her political plan.
“I didn’t think anything of it,” the speaker said. “I discouraged it for several months. Then, after maybe three months, I finally relented and agreed. ‘OK, we’ll try and do this.’ But I laid out for her what kind of nightmare I was going to go through.”
She made a strong case to her father.
“It was mainly a very fatherly reaction. His concern, which he is absolutely correct about, is I will . . . end up bearing the brunt of his enemies. People who can’t attack him will attack me. I said, ‘OK. I recognize that. I think I have the strength to deal with that.’ ”
* A father/daughter pic from the old days…
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* Home rule units have ten days from the date of the state concealed carry law’s enactment to ban assault weapons.
I’m kinda surprised that Lake Forest didn’t go through with it…
The Lake Forest City Council elected to let the state determine its fate in regard to assault weapons, despite hundreds of community members attending a recent meeting to urge the council to take a stance on the issue.
After the state legislature recently passed a measure allowing concealed carry of handguns, home-rule municipalities were given 10 days from the time Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law to pass local ordinances on assault weapons. Should they fail to do so, such weapons would be allowed in the communities.
After hours of heated comment on the topic on July 1, the Lake Forest City Council tabled a draft ordinance that would have placed restrictions on assault weapons. Some of those in attendance said they believed the ordinance would be brought up again at the council’s Monday meeting, but the topic was left off the agenda.
Mayor Donald Schoenheider told a packed audience during public comments on Monday that he did not include the item because there was a consensus among members that it would not be passed. He said the draft ordinance was not very strong, and could leave the city open to lawsuits.
He said after consulting with the city attorney and individual members of the council, it was decided the state could better handle imposing weapon bans and restrictions.
* Meanwhile, NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde sent over a list early this morning of yesterday’s suburban votes to ban assault weapons…
Batavia – FAILED
Buffalo Grove – passed a bifurcated ordinance Cook yes Lake no
Clarendon Hills – FAILED
Darien – FAILED
Evanston – PASSED modified to exempt C&R licensees
Evergreen Park – FAILED no motion
Flossmoor – FAILED
Gurnee – NO ACTION, DEAD
Lake Forest – TABLED
Lake Zurich – NO BAN. Shell ordinance Failed.
Morton Grove – pending
Round Lake – No Ban
Round Lake Beach – FAILED
Steger – FAILED
University Park— Ban FAILED, storage ordinance passed
Waukegan – FAILED
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Unclear on the concept
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some of you have pointed out in comments that if you Googled Kirk Dillard’s name you were directed to a campaign website that was apparently still under construction.
The Sun-Times has more…
On that page you see a pitifully amateur-looking error page that says “under construction” and links back to Dillard’s Facebook page.
But on today’s news release accompanying Dillard’s launch the web address of kirkdillard.com is listed. It indeed is a professional-looking Web site and his campaign said it was launched last night to coincide with today’s announcement.
When the Sun-Times called Wes Bleed, one of Dillard’s press people, to ask about it, he confirmed Kirkdillard.com is the official site for the gubernatorial race.
So what’s the deal with the other web address? Was that a prank by a rival?
“Let’s put it this way,” says Bleed, “I’m not familiar with it.”
You’re not familiar with it, Wes?
Really?
Um, all it took was a quick check of the Network Solutions page to find that electdillard.com is owned by none other than Kirk Dillard.
And now the page shows this…
C’mon, people! You never heard of auto-forward???
Get in the game!
* Meanwhile, there are real perils with using stock images in campaign ads…
Kirk Dillard’s new professionally-produced campaign video that attempts to conjure images of a revitalized Illinois features a sign at a cafe called Lift Coffee Shop with an employee next to a sign that reads: “open.”
The business is open.
But in a different state.
A worker at Lift Coffee Shop said the cafe is in Richmond, Virginia and it is independently-owned.
The campaign admitted it goofed.
The video has since been deleted. Here’s the new video. Rate it…
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Money report
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Twitters…
Yeah, she just got into the race early last month, but that’s still horrible. The Democratic candidate, Ann Callis, raised $225K and had about $200K cash on hand. Callis announced in early May.
Announcing ain’t enough. You gotta put in the work.
* Meanwhile, freshman Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider raised $384K and had $531K cash on hand. Republican Bruce Dold outraised him with $546K and $616K cash on hand.
* Sen. Dick Durbin raised $1.27 million and had over $4.25 million on hand.
* And this is old news, but…
[Gov. Pat Quinn] raised about $1 million from April 1 to June 30 and now has $2.3 million in available funds.
Former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley is the Chicago Democrat challenging Quinn in the March primary. He’s raised more than $796,000.
On the Republican side, venture capitalist Bruce Rauner of Winnetka brought in $916,000. But campaign expenses reduced his cash on hand to $642,000. State treasurer Dan Rutherford of Chenoa raised $433,000.
Republican State Sens. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale brought in $61,000 and $293,000, respectively.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s big announcement yesterday…
Ultimately, however, there has always been another consideration that impacts my decision. I feel strongly that the state would not be well served by having a Governor and Speaker of the House from the same family and have never planned to run for Governor if that would be the case. With Speaker Madigan planning to continue in office, I will not run for Governor.
* Tribune editorial…
The race for governor could go in any direction. As is, Democrats would choose between Gov. Pat Quinn and challenger William Daley. Republicans have a growing list of options.
For now, a new parlor game: Wouldn’t Illinois be better off if Madigan pere had deferred to Madigan fille?
* The Question: Should Speaker Madigan have agreed to step down to allow Lisa Madigan to run for governor? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
panel management
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Quinn heads south, touts beautiful bathrooms
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The governor made a rare southern Illinois appearance yesterday…
On Monday, Governor Quinn made his first visit to Southern Illinois in almost a year.
The Governor was in Marion breaking ground for new construction along I-57 and touting the jobs it will bring to Southern Illinois. He also used the visit to discuss state issues such as pension reform.
* His excuse…
Quinn said circumstances have pre-empted visits to Southern Illinois in recent months, including in May when he was a no-show to announce an expansion of Aisin Electronics Illinois in Marion. That time, the state’s still ongoing pension crisis was reason enough to stay in Springfield.
* Usually, the governor’s advance staff would avoid photo ops like this…
Oops.
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Blagojevich files his appeal
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Lawyers for disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich filed a long-awaited appeal of his conviction and 14-year sentence late Monday, arguing that U.S. District Judge James Zagel’s “one-sided evidentiary rulings” favored prosecutors and that the stiff sentence he imposed was based on vague and speculative evidence.
The 91-page appeal, filed about an hour before a midnight deadline set by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, maintained that Zagel kept Blagojevich’s attorneys from rebutting cooperating government witnesses and pointing out potential biases in their testimony.
Jurors were also wrongly instructed about bribery and fraud laws and how they pertained to “political deal-making,” the appeal argued.
The lower court “misled the jury by failing to explain the legal distinction between campaign contributions and bribes,” the lawyers wrote.
* Sun-Times...
The appeal essentially rehashes arguments Blagojevich’s attorneys unsuccessfully made to Judge James Zagel and jurors in the run-up to and during his two trials, repeating Blagojevich’s claims that he was attempting to make a legitimate “political deal” when he offered to appoint President Obama’s choice for the Senate in return for a post inside Obama’s administration.
Had Blagojevich “not sought a political benefit in return, he would have done a disservice to all of his supporters,” Blagojevich’s attorneys wrote in their appeal, describing the attempted sale of the Senate seat as the “non-existent crime of attempted political horse-trading.”
Likewise Blagojevich’s appeal asserts that he never acted on an illegal offer to accept campaign donations in return for appointing disgraced former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to the Senate.
It argues Blagojevich’s convictions for shaking down a horse racing executive and a children’s hospital should also be tossed because “the government failed to prove an explicit quid pro quo agreement, as required under the law,” adding that the government misinterpreted a “false statement” he was convicted of making to the FBI.
* AP…
The appeal also points to what it says was a lack of evenhandedness by U.S. District Judge James Zagel throughout Blagojeivch’s two trials.
It alleges Zagel gave Blagojevich little choice but to testify at his retrial after repeatedly ruling arguments the defense viewed as crucial could only be broached by Blagojevich himself from the witness stand. Once on the stand, Zagel prohibited many of those statements, including Blagojevich’s attempt to tell jurors he believed at the time that his actions were legal, it contends.
“Had Blagojevich been permitted to present his good-faith defense, it would have been a powerful defense, likely to produce an acquittal,” his lawyers argue.
The appeal also blames Zagel for allowing a juror who allegedly expressed bias against Blagojevich to remain on the jury despite defense attorneys’ objections. The appeal only referred to the panelist as Juror No. 174, saying he said about Blagojevich during jury selection, “I just figured him, possibly, to be guilty.”
The appeal also raises longstanding claims that Zagel barred FBI wiretap evidence that might have aided the defense, that he sided overwhelmingly with prosecutors and that he miscalculated the appropriate prison term for Blagojevich.
The appeal itself is here.
Discuss.
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Report: Simon to run against Topinka
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is likely to announce a run for Comptroller next week, a source will knowledge of the decision told the Sun-Times.
Simon is shifting gears after Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan’s announcement that she would not vacate her position after all. Simon had been eyeing the AG’s spot when Lisa Madigan said she’d be interested in a possible run for governor.
I polled this race a while ago. Despite this being a Democratic state, she trailed Comptroller Topinka by seven points.
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Caption contest!
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This photo was taken a few hours before Lisa Madigan announced that she would not run for governor…
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Try again
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It almost seems as if the Chicago media is attempting to will a Downstate Democrat into the governor’s race. As I’ve pointed out twice before, stories keep appearing about a mythical candidate who could sweep in and take all those Downstate counties away from Pat Quinn and Bill Daley without actually naming somebody who is willing and able to run.
Another one popped up last night...
One new name as a possible Democratic contender is state Sen. David Koehler (D-Peoria), who has a strong labor backing.
I called Sen. Koehler yesterday and he laughed and laughed. No way is he running for governor.
Just to be on the safe side, I also called Sen. Mike Frerichs last night. Frerichs was mentioned in an AP story as a possible candidate. He ain’t running for governor, either.
* And now we have a new twist…
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, also had been considering a bid for attorney general. Raoul, who has been a Senate Democratic negotiator on major issues including pension changes and concealed carry legislation, appeared to rule out lower offices but left open the possibility of a run for governor.
“I had a pretty good fundraising quarter, and I think the work that I’ve done allows me the opportunity to reflect on my options,” Raoul told the Tribune.
Sen. Raoul seemed surprised to find out this morning that his name had been floated. He said he’d think about it for a day, so he didn’t exactly give me a strong indication that he’d be running for governor this time around.
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The conspiracy theory that wasn’t
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ll have more on the Lisa Madigan thing soon, but I wanted to post this timeline first.
* June 14th Chicago Tribune…
[Speaker Madigan has] shouldered much of the blame for the inaction on pension reform, with Democrats and Republicans alike wondering if he’s purposely stalling in an effort to make Quinn look bad as his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, ponders a potential Democratic primary challenge.
* June 18th Chicago Tribune…
Speaker Madigan has been accused by some of holding up a solution on pension reform to make Quinn look weak as Attorney General Madigan weighs a possible run for governor.
* June 19th Chicago Tribune…
House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego said last week he thinks the stalemate is a scheme by Madigan and Cullerton to help Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the speaker’s daughter, as she considers whether to run for governor against Quinn — a conspiracy theory Democrats deny.
* July 16th Tribune…
…the speaker refused to attend a meeting of Democratic legislative leaders called by Quinn after the General Assembly’s failure to fix the state’s massively unfunded public employee pension system. Critics said the move bordered on arrogance, even as questions continued about Quinn’s leadership abilities.
Those issues made certain that any candidacy for governor by Lisa Madigan would have been an all-out campaign against Michael Madigan — something the longest-serving House speaker in Illinois has never faced on such a high-profile stage.
We could get into all the John Kass conspiracy theories as well, but why bother?
The point here is that the Tribune and others kept claiming that the Speaker was purposely doing something to help his daughter, when it appeared obvious at the time that the actions were actually hurting his daughter.
Conspiracy theories are generally to be avoided.
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$2 million gay marriage push announced
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
Today, Illinois Unites for Marriage announced a renewed strategy designed to win the freedom to marry in Illinois, including hiring a Campaign Manager, Field Director, and Faith Organizer. The strategic plan also includes a new statewide field program, a coordinated House party engagement program, and a robust earned and paid media campaign.
The $2 million dollar campaign will include 15 field organizers placed throughout the state to engage with the ‘silent majority’ of voters who support marriage equality. The field organizers will be supported by mail and phone programs targeting legislators who don’t currently support the freedom to marry. The campaign will also reach out to the statewide LGBTQ community through a series of house parties designed to educate people about how they can be involved in passing marriage equality. Additionally, Illinois Unites is planning a robust media campaign, featuring Illinois residents who are currently being denied the federal benefits they could get outside of their home state.
“I’m excited to lead this already strong leadership team. Our expanded leadership structure brings together labor, political, community and religious organizing, creating a ground-game that directly engages voters to win the freedom to marry in Illinois.” said John Kohlhepp, the newly-tapped Campaign Manager for Illinois Unites.
Funds for the stepped-up campaign will come from a broad range of organizations and individuals, including:
• Human Rights Campaign
• Freedom to Marry
• Lambda Legal
• Equality Illinois
• The Civil Rights Agenda
• ACLU of Illinois
• Thousands of Individual organizations and donors
“With the recent Supreme Court ruling on DOMA, Illinois families need marriage more urgently than ever, and they shouldn’t have to travel outside of our borders to get it. Illinois Unites will bring same-sex couples and their children the protections and responsibilities of marriage as soon as possible,” Kohlhepp said.
John Kohlhepp, a labor lobbyist on leave from AFSCME Council 31, comes to Illinois Unites with over ten years of lobbying experience, having run statewide field efforts during the Responsible Budget Coalition’s campaign to increase the income tax. Additionally, he has directed field efforts in multiple Congressional and legislative districts in every election cycle since 2004. Field Director Keron Blair, an organizer on leave from the Midwest Academy, worked in New Orleans post-Katrina and, while at Interfaith Worker Justice, engaged religious leaders in healthcare, immigration and labor campaigns. Faith Organizer Reverend Benjamin Reynolds joins Illinois Unites with a vast amount of pastoral experience and recently served as the Director of the LGBTQ Religious Studies Center at Chicago Theological Seminary.
“The next few months are critical. Representatives in Springfield have said they want to hear from their constituents, a growing majority of whom believe in the freedom to marry. We are expanding our field plan to make sure their voices are heard,” said Jim Bennett, Chair of the Illinois Unites Coalition. “This team has a track record of getting things done, and they know how to pressure from the outside while working to get the 60 votes we need and get this bill called. Marriage is coming to Illinois.”
Is it enough?
Discuss.
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