Gidwitz backs Rauner
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is a huge blow to Kirk Dillard’s campaign. Ron Gidwitz was fully behind Dillard in 2010, helped him raise money and is still owed almost $200,000 by Dillard’s campaign.
Gidwitz wasn’t a great gubernatorial candidate, but he’s a far better behind the scenes guy.
From a press release…
Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner announced today that Ron Gidwitz will join the campaign as Finance Chairman and Co-Chair of the campaign.
“I’ve said from the beginning that I believe Republicans should unite behind one candidate. We have an extraordinary opportunity to win the Governor’s race and transform the state. I know all the candidates extremely well and believe there’s a clear choice: Bruce Rauner,” Gidwitz said. “Bruce will energize Republicans and appeal to reform-minded Independents and Democrats because he knows we can cut government spending, create jobs, and take on a broken system in Springfield currently dominated by special interests.”
Gidwitz has long been one of the Illinois Republican Party’s top supporters and has deep ties in state GOP circles. He has spent the year working to unite Republicans around a gubernatorial candidate.
“Ron is tremendously respected in our Party and has been a long time leader. I am honored to have his support,” said Bruce Rauner. “Ron’s backing is a great boost to our efforts and will help grow our campaign’s momentum. Illinoisans are ready to shake up Springfield, and there is no doubt we can win.”
Gidwitz joins Elizabeth Christie and Jim Schultz as Co-Chairs of a campaign that already includes supporters like Anne and Ken Griffin, Mike Keiser, Jack Roeser, John Rowe, Dick Uihlein, and dozens of other important community and business leaders.
Dillard said earlier this week that he was upset that the business community was refusing to coalesce behind a single candidate. Well, it sure is beginning to. And that candidate ain’t Dillard.
…Adding… Bernie…
Dillard’s campaign filings show he still owes $250,000 from his 2010 effort, mostly to Ron Gidwitz. Gidwitz, himself a 2006 candidate for the GOP nomination for governor, was Dillard’s campaign chairman in 2010 and is former CEO of Helene Curtis.
Dillard said he does not have to pay back Gidwitz.
Maybe he will now.
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Ugly matter ends for Kirk
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
The Federal Election Commission has dismissed accusations by Sen. Mark Kirk’s ex-wife that he broke a series of campaign finance laws during his 2010 Senate race.
Kimberly Vertolli filed a complaint with the commission in 2011 against Kirk and others alleging they improperly hid payments to Kirk’s then-girlfriend and converted campaign funds for personal use.
Vertolli claimed the Kirk campaign paid Dodie McCracken through another company working for the campaign. Since the money was not paid directly to McCracken, her name does not appear in Kirk’s public reports outlining what he spent on the campaign.
In a letter to Vertolli on Tuesday, the election commission brushed aside each one of her allegations against Kirk, his Senate campaign, McCracken and Robert Vail Jr., owner of a Wilmette-based ad firm, The Patterson Group.
The commission agreed with Kirk’s position that money paid to McCracken did not have to be disclosed because she was a subcontractor to the Patterson Group.
Fury, scorned, etc. At least it’s over now.
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*** UPDATED x2 - Video *** Today’s quote
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Twitters…
*** UPDATE *** Video of the exchange is here…
View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.
Off-topic begins at about the 5 minute mark.
It’s pretty obvious that the Kass comment was a joke. Everybody laughed.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From WLS’ Bill Cameron…
When asked why it’s acceptible for the speaker and the attorney general to come from the same family, but not the speaker and the governor, Madigan said, “It sounds to me like you’ve been reading too much John Kass. Do you have an original question?”
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bruce Rauner’s repeated refusal to offer up any specifics continues…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner says his goals for changing Illinois government now include installing term limits.
Later, though, while talking to reporters, Rauner declined to offer specifics, saying “we don’t have details on it yet,” but that an announcement was forthcoming.
* Kudos to Tom Kacich for writing this…
The 53-year-old venture capitalist said he was glad to see Attorney General Lisa Madigan decline to run for the Democratic nomination for governor.
“Her family is part of the corruption in the state. The voters don’t want concentrated power. They don’t want family dynasties,” he said. “We’ve got the same thing developing with the whole Daley-Emanuel machine. I am vehemently against (Democrat William) Daley being governor because Chicago already has that corruption and that patronage and the problems.”
Rauner, however, has contributed $200,000 to the campaign of Mayor Richard M. Daley and has supported Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
* The Question: Bruce Rauner is to specifics as _____ is to _____?
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* From Rep. Elaine Nekritz’s spokesman…
The two subcommittees of five members of the House-Senate pension conference committee are scheduled to meet privately this Friday afternoon. I am told some incomplete actuarial numbers have been submitted to the conferees and they will be discussing those and next steps at their meetings.
* Meanwhile…
GOP House lawmakers are calling for the legislature to be in constant special session until a pension fix is approved.
Despite the absence of a bill from the legislative conference committee charged with crafting legislation, which is still waiting on actuarial data, State Reps. Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove), Dennis Reboletti (R-Elmhurst) and other GOP legislators will hold a press conference in Addison’s town hall on Wednesday morning to demand that Governor Pat Quinn call a special session each day until the legislature passes a comprehensive pension reform bill.
“All legislators have voted on some form of pension reform over the last five months, there is no reason not to call us back to Springfield,” said Sandack. “Wasting $17 million a day on a political stunt is unacceptable. Governor Quinn cutting pay for legislators is grandstanding and meaningless if we are not called back to session.”
The $17 million to which Sandack is referring is the amount that used to be added daily to the state’s unfunded pension liability, but that amount was revised substantially downward several weeks ago by the Quinn Administration to $5 million.
One political stunt deserves another, I suppose.
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Latino advice for gubernatorial candidates
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Martin Torres with the Latino Policy Forum has some advice for Illinois gubernatorial candidates…
1) Diversify your campaign’s brain trust
You can’t build bridges without any infrastructure. Hiring part-time consultants and recruiting well-known campaign surrogates can be an effective strategy, but don’t stop there. Hire Latino campaign staff to fill visible, prominent positions within your campaign and establish a Latino advisory committee. Incorporating diverse talent within your campaign’s brain trust will send a signal to everyone that your campaign takes this segment of the electorate seriously.
More importantly, Latino staff and advisors can provide valuable perspectives on how to address specific Latino audiences, offer feedback on how policy statements will be received by the Latino community, and connect you with people you will go on to forge relationships with throughout the election. They can also be used to make sure that your web content, print materials, and Spanish-language radio and TV ads strike the right chord with Latino voters. At the very least, diversifying your campaign’s inner circle will indicate to voters and civic leaders that your administration will be inclusive if your candidate prevails in 2014.
2) Be specific as to how your administration will address issues of concern to Latino residents
Latino voters want to know how they fit into your vision of a better, stronger, more prosperous Illinois. Successful candidates will apply a Latino perspective to the overarching issues all voters care about. So when your campaign is talking about economic development, please explain how Latino business owners will benefit from your proposals. When your campaign talks education, please discuss how your reform agenda will help meet the needs of Illinois’ largest growing student population. And when it articulates how to get Illinois out of debt, please outline how your package of tax changes, spending choices, and government reforms are going to affect Latino children, families, and workers. Your campaign doesn’t have to carve out a Latino-centric explanation for everything, but it’s reasonable to expect some specific, data-driven responses from candidates who want to earn the trust of Latino voters.
3) Make plans to visit Latino voters outside of Cook County
This sounds obvious, but your campaign might feel pretty good about its standing with the Latino electorate after successful pit stops in Little Village, Humboldt Park, and Cicero. Don’t be fooled: Roughly 40 percent of Latino residents live outside of Cook County. In fact, during the last decade, the Latino population grew by more than 60,000 in both Kane and Will Counties and by nearly 50,000 in Lake County. Before your campaign stops in these areas, do your homework. Find out when Latino residents started settling in large cities like Elgin and smaller villages like Carpentersville. That will help your campaign better understand the historic dynamics of the population, shed light on what’s fueled population growth over time, and give you some insight into what’s needed from a public policy perspective to contribute to the well-being of Latino families as you move forward.
Your thoughts on this list? Also, do you have any other advice?
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Fundraising reports
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune looks at contributions raised during the second quarter by both Gov. Pat Quinn and Bill Daley…
One-third of the $1 million the governor raised during the second quarter this year came from political action committees. Quinn received about $267,000 from organized labor PACs. Six donations alone, from political funds representing union engineers, painters, carpenters, machinists, laborers and pipefitters totaled $211,200, records showed.
The flurry of money left Quinn with $2.3 million to take on Daley, the former White House chief of staff and U.S. commerce secretary who is the son and brother of two former Chicago mayors.
But Daley is doing pretty well raising money. In just 19 days last month, the challenger was able to tap a national network of donors to raise nearly $800,000. The total included $100,000 of Daley’s own money. Daley entered July with $794,000, and in the first two weeks of the month has raised another $52,300 in big-money donations.
Among Daley’s largest donors was Boeing, which gave Daley $25,000 at the end of June. Five company officials, including its chief financial officer, Gregory Smith, added $13,800 this month. Also among Daley’s donors was New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who gave the individual maximum of $5,300. Bloomberg’s gun-control super PAC could get involved in the contest for governor on Daley’s behalf.
* Tom Kacich looks at Sen. Michael Frerichs’ cash…
All his money doesn’t make him invincible, but the $647,188 that state Sen. Mike Frerichs has available for a state treasurer race puts him in a better position than most other Democrats who have been looking at the job.
The Champaign Democrat’s campaign fortune is significantly greater than that held by the two Democrats who already had indicated interest in the race: Michael Cabonargi of Chicago, a member of the Cook County Board of Review, and Jason Ervin, a Chicago alderman. […]
[But] Frerichs said that Cabonargi, who has $400,897 in his campaign fund, emailed supporters last week to say that he isn’t running for a statewide office. […]
That leaves Ervin, whose most recent campaign disclosure report shows he had just $10,098 on hand, as well as $9,545 in campaign debt. […]
By a way of comparison, Frerichs’ nearly $650,000 campaign fund is more flush than the $400,241 that Republican Rutherford had in his campaign account four years ago as he was beginning the race for treasurer.
It’s also far more than any of the reported Republican candidates for treasurer next year have on hand. Sen. Darin LaHood of Peoria has $138,294, while former DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom has $39,727 and DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan reported just $19,000.
* LaHood will soon get a boost from Newt Gingrich…
Newt Gingrich will be in north Peoria next week for State Senator Darin LaHood’s annual Sizzle and Swizzle fundraiser on July 25th at Brewers Distributing. The buzz is that Senator LaHood may be raising funds for a statewide bid in 2014 - possibly and most likely, State Treasurer. LaHood staffed for Treasurer Dan Rutherford before being elected to the State Senate.
“It’s such an honor to have Speaker Gingrich in Peoria to support me,” said Senator LaHood. “He is one of the most thoughtful and passionate voices for job creation policies and economic recovery solutions for our country. He is a transformational leader and I am honored to welcome him to Peoria.”
* The upcoming comptroller’s race was looked at by Kurt Erickson…
Simon entered July with $272,000 in her campaign account. She raised $191,000 during the most recent fundraising quarter, mostly from more than 500 small donors.
Her largest contributions, totaling $5,300 each, came from a retired Wittenberg University political science professor and his wife. Simon is a 1983 graduate of the Ohio school.
Topinka has $805,000 in her campaign account after raising $149,000 in the most recent quarter.
[Democratic Will County Auditor Duffy Blackburn] has $25,300 in his account. He has raised about $24,000 in the past three months
* And Kirk Dillard said he wouldn’t raise money for a while if elected…
Dillard pledged that if elected he would eschew raising any money for his campaign fund in the first 2½ years of his term, in order to devote himself full time to governing.
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*** LIVE COVERAGE *** Metra allegations hearing
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ABC7 has live coverage of today’s RTA hearing over allegations made by Metra’s former CEO that he was dismissed because he had “not acceded to requests for unlawful politically-motivated employment actions.” Click here for the live feed. WGN also has a live feed here.
* Sun-Times…
Former Metra CEO Alex Clifford testified Wednesday that after he wrote a memo saying House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office asked him to raise the pay of a Madigan campaign worker and hire another friend, Metra officials worked to oust him.
The memo “sparked a desire…to have me leave sooner rather than later,” Clifford told the RTA board, which has financial oversight over Metra.Clifford said that in February this year Metra Board Chairman Brad O’Halloran told him O’Halloran was going to have to get a meeting with Madigan to see what damage Clifford’s rebuffing of Madigan’s wishes would have on the agency’s funding.
“I wanted to stay working at Metra,” Clifford said earlier in the hearing. “This has been a long, difficult process.”
Clifford said he was “really steaming” when he heard he may not have the votes from the Metra board to stay on the job after he refused to go along with requests from powerful politicians.
* Tribune…
Shortly before Metra CEO Alex Clifford’s patronage complaints against House Speaker Michael Madigan pushed the agency into severance negotiations, Madigan asked Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration to hire the supporter at the heart of Clifford’s allegation.
The Quinn administration — which has sharply criticized Metra’s handling of Clifford’s departure — granted the speaker’s request for Patrick Ward, a labor relations specialist and longtime foot soldier in Madigan’s political army. Officials said Ward now is working in a newly tailored Chicago-based job that took over the duties of a state worker whose job had been based in Winnebago County.
The state revealed that Ward was the only person interviewed for the $70,000-a-year job.
The Quinn administration said the governor did not know about the hiring until Friday.
* And here’s a ScribbleLive feed…
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Keith Taylor
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Keith Taylor was laid to rest yesterday after a tough battle with cancer. Keith was former Comptroller Dan Hynes’ chief of staff and a heck of a good guy. Hynes gave the eulogy at Keith’s Springfield funeral and he asked that I run a condensed version here. I was more than happy to oblige…
Thank you for this opportunity to honor my dear friend Keith Taylor. There is something so unfair about the events of these past few months. Unfair that a man who had such boundless energy died so young. That a man who enjoyed life so much had to suffer through his final few months.
I don’t think anyone in this church has met, or will meet, someone as unique and multi-faceted as Keith Taylor. He was an original blend of so many differing traits: a smart, genuine, loving, inquisitive, devoted, loyal, hard-working practical joker. Keith was anything but one-dimensional.
First and foremost, he was an historian and a scholar — but not just of U.S. or world history. He was a scholar of U.S. Presidents, famous wars and battles, professional baseball and football legends and championship teams, Kentucky Derby winners, rock and roll bands, Illinois high school basketball, and of course, Illinois government and politics. There was never a time that Keith wasn’t reading at least three different books, usually on totally divergent, and often totally obscure, topics. Retiring presidents have to form commissions to create their libraries, Keith’s is already built — there must be two or three thousand books at their home on Clearview.
Keith was a public servant. He believed that government was good, and that working for government was an honor. He didn’t get into politics for power or prestige or self-advancement. He did it because he wanted to believe in something. He had no tolerance for demagogues or phonies, and had no desire to spend time with back-slappers and opportunists. He was very decisive because he trusted his instincts, and his motives were always pure and direct.
Keith was a leader and a mentor. During my campaigns and while serving in office, I was extremely lucky to have had an incredibly talented group of young staff members — many of them are here today. Each and every one of them was shaped, molded and mentored by Keith. He tried to instill in them the values that he believed were important in the workplace and especially in government:
Number One: Work hard. The way to get ahead is to be the first person at the office in the morning and the last one to leave at night.
Number Two: You must start at the bottom and work your way up. There’s no room for prima donnas and no job is beneath you.
Number Three: Be loyal. Period. Keith believed in loyalty and would stay true to the bitter end.
Keith was revered in the office. He never once screamed at a staff member, yet people feared letting him down. They just didn’t want to disappoint him.
Keith was by far the most brilliant strategist of downstate Democratic politics Illinois has ever seen. Part of this goes back to his being a scholar. Keith was somewhat of a savant when it came to demographics and county election returns. He could tell you without hesitating what percentage of the vote Mike Howlett got in Alexander County in 1976 or which Democrats were able to win Adams County in the last two decades. On election night, Keith could look at a sampling of eight downstate counties with only 20% of the returns in, and he could tell you right then and there whether the election was won or lost. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of downstate legislators, county chairmen and precinct committeemen, as well as little factoids about each and every county and county seat.
Last week, when I got the call that Keith had passed, I was talking to my brother Matt about everything we all had been through together and what a special guy Keith was. My last comment to Matt was: “It’s the end of an era ….. because they just don’t make ‘em like him anymore”. And it’s really true. Keith came from that old school of politics that rested firmly on things like respect, loyalty and honor — things that have slowly faded away over the last decade of Illinois politics.
There will never be anyone like Keith Taylor. But we will remember him. And we will aspire to be like him. And we are all better for having known him.
* Keith was a huge Beatles fan, so this one’s for him…
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
are drifting through my open mind
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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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