* From former Republican Congressman Bob Dold’s campaign..
The Dold for Congress Campaign today announced the debut of two new ads that will begin airing this week throughout Illinois 10th District. The ads will run on broadcast television and digital advertising platforms.
The first of two ads in the series, “Tables,” features Bob Dold addressing the most challenging issues facing 10th District families—from the rising costs of food and fuel to government gridlock and hyper-partisan politicians in Washington and Springfield who simply aren’t listening. Dold also discusses his commitment to restoring honest, effective and bipartisan leadership to the 10th District’s seat in Congress.
The second of the two ads features Dr. Kristie Dold-Bennett, an OBGYN in Buffalo Grove and the youngest of Bob’s three sisters. In “Healthcare Choices,” Dr. Dold-Bennett discusses Bob’s record of commitment to expanding choices in women’s healthcare.
Buoyed by clear momentum and overwhelming support among 10th District voters, the Dold for Congress Campaign also reserved nearly $1 million in Chicago network television in October and November.
“The 10th District wants serious and thoughtful leaders like Bob Dold who have a track record of rolling up their sleeves and getting things done for their constituents, not their party bosses. As has been widely reported, the momentum in this race is clearly behind Bob Dold as voters grow more tired of the divisive political games, partisan politics and ineffective representation that have defined Congressman Brad Schneider’s record in Washington,” said James Slepian, Dold for Congress campaign manger.
* The Schneider campaign provides a “fact check” on that second Dold ad…
Despite his rhetoric, former Congressman Bob Dold voted with Republicans seven times against women, including voting to defund Planned Parenthood and to undermine a woman’s right to choose.
“When Bob Dold had his chance, he joined Republicans instead of protecting women’s health and voted to defund Planned Parenthood and allow hospitals to deny women lifesaving care,” Schneider for Congress spokesperson Staci McCabe said. “Women deserve leaders like Brad Schneider who are 100 percent pro-choice, not a reliable Republican like Bob Dold, who voted repeatedly to undermine women’s rights to make their own health care decisions.”
Dold Claim:
“Washington shouldn’t limit the options women have on their own health care.”
Dold Fact:
Dold voted to defund Planned Parenthood, which provides critical health care services to women. [HR 1, Vote #147, 2/19/11].
Dold voted to allow hospitals to deny lifesaving health care to women and restrict a woman’s ability to use her own private insurance for health care. This legislation is also known as the “Let Women Die” Act. [HR 358, Vote #789, 10/13/11]
Dold voted to undermine a woman’s right to choose. In 2011, Dold voted for a bill that undermined and harmed women’s health by limiting access and funding for abortions. [HR 3, Vote #292, 5/04/11]
Dold Claim:
Family planning is a “personal issue.”
Dold Fact:
Dold refused to take a stand against the Hobby Lobby decision, which allows employers to interfere with a woman’s access to birth control. [Crain’s Chicago Business, 7/9/14] [Daily Herald 7/9/14]
In contrast, Schneider has earned a 100 percent score from Planned Parenthood and has been endorsed by both Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro Choice. Schneider stood up against efforts to limit a woman’s right to choose and helped introduce legislation to combat the disastrous Hobby Lobby decision.
* And here’s Schneider’s ad, which is a kinda/sorta revisit of that brilliant “too Repubilcan” ad he ran last time around…
* After over a month off the airwaves, the DGA and union-backed Illinois Freedom PAC is back in the game with a new TV ad. Rate it…
* Script…
Bruce Rauner: “The businesses are leaving and they’re taking Illinois jobs with them”
Narrator: Bruce Rauner should know. His firm made millions outsourcing American jobs.
Narrator: Even worse, Rauner’s firm started an outsourcing company to help other American businesses ship our jobs overseas.
Narrator: When asked why it’s okay to make millions sending our jobs overseas, Rauner said,
Bruce Rauner: “Not every job should be in America”
Narrator: Bruce Rauner. Thousands of our jobs overseas. Millions in Rauner’s pockets.
Subscribers may recall a piece I did the other day about the level of expected DGA involvement from here on out. That would be, at least partially, this ad and others that could follow.
* Meanwhile, reporters aggressively attempted to get answers out of Bruce Rauner today on the nursing home scandal. They didn’t have much luck…
…Adding… Check out the look on Gov. Chris Christie’s face when Tribune reporter Rick Pearson points out that he is under federal investigation. Priceless. It starts at about the 2:10 mark.
…Adding More… From the Quinn campaign…
With a visibly bewildered Gov. Chris Christie looking on, Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner could not credibly answer a single question regarding his intimate involvement with the deadly nursing home chain that is currently the target of a federal lawsuit in Florida and which GTCRauner is a named defendant.
* As always at this point in the campaign cycle, things are starting to get a bit testy in comments. How about an Oscar the Puppy video to lighten the mood? Oscar loves going for rides…
* Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside) became the first Democrat to sign on to a resolution which demands an immediate halt to any progress on Democratic Sen. Andy Manar’s education funding plan. The language of this press release is pretty harsh and one wonders if it’ll find it’s way into the Senate Republicans’ campaign plan…
Freshmen Democratic State Representative Emanuel “Chris” Welch has joined the chorus of Illinois House members denouncing Senate Bill 16, a massive education funding reform bill proposed by downstate freshmen Senator Andy Manar of Decatur. On Tuesday, Welch signed on as a co-sponsor of House Resolution HR1276 urging the members of the 98th General Assembly to cease efforts to pass SB16. Welch’s sponsorship of HR1276 gives the bill bi-partisan support. To view the complete text of House Resolution 1276, please visit www.ilga.gov.
According to HR1276, the purpose of SB16 was to propose education funding that provides adequate, equitable, transparent, and accountable distribution of funds to school districts that will prepare students for achievement and success after high school. However, if passed, several schools in the 7th Representative District stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars including Proviso Township High School District 209 and Westchester School District 92.
Prior to becoming State Representative in January 2013, Rep. Welch served on the Proviso School Board from November 2001 to May 2013. He served as Board Chair for a decade, and he lead the district in the creation of the Proviso Math and Science Academy (PMSA). Newsweek Magazine recently named PMSA one of the best high schools in the nation.
“SB16 is a disaster. If this bill passes in its current form, SB16 would devastate schools all across the 7th District and the State of Illinois,” Welch said Tuesday. “Schools in my district need more funding, not less.”
Rep. Welch, a long term school board member, a school attorney, and a member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys, is scheduled to speak on Thursday in Washington D.C. on how to stop the schools to prison pipeline. A key component of Welch’s presentation is equitable funding for schools.
“I’m not against what Sen. Manar is trying to do in principle. I just think there is a more equitable and reasonable approach to education funding reform,” Welch said Tuesday.
Rep. Chris Welch serves all or most of the following west suburban communities: Bellwood, Berkeley, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, LaGrange Park, Maywood, Melrose Park, Northlake, River Forest, Westchester, and Western Springs.
* The biggest news of the day could be that Republican Congressman Rodney Davis is being endorsed this evening by the United Mine Workers union.
* Now, let’s move on to some new TV ads. From Cheri Bustos…
Today, Cheri Bustos for Congress launched a new TV ad that highlights Cheri’s fight to cut wasteful spending so we can protect Social Security and end tax breaks for corporations that ship Illinois jobs overseas. “Basketball” makes clear that Cheri’s priority is to give the “middle class a fair shot.”
* Bustos goes positive while the DCCC goes negative…
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching its first television ad in Illinois 17th Congressional District, highlighting how former Congressman Bobby Schilling turned his back on workers who had their jobs outsourced to China.
The ad comes two years after more than 100 jobs at the local Sensata plant were shipped to China by Bain Capital and highlights how Schilling has voted to protect tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs – and even voted to let them keep their government contracts. The ad starts running today.
Former Chief Judge and Congressional challenger Ann Callis today put to rest the dishonest rumors that question her Illinois residency. Ann Callis’ family retained two independent legal professionals from Illinois and one from Missouri – none of whom have contributed to the Callis campaign – to provide legal opinions that conclusively affirm her residency in Illinois and discredit the allegations that she acted incorrectly by signing mortgage documents that listed a Missouri address.
The facts clearly show the allegations levied by Congressman Rodney Davis’ campaign, notably that there was a dishonest pattern of activity and that Judge Callis had signed fraudulent documents, are completely baseless. Similarly, the Davis campaign recently had to retract a radio advertisement after being caught making inaccurate claims, and the Illinois Republican Party previously faced pressure after they were slow to retract disproven claims that Callis had plagiarized sections of her website.
The Callis campaign has copies of the following documents, which are available to media upon request:
Signed PDF copies of full letters from legal professionals
Deed to the house Callis owns in Troy
Callis’ Illinois Drivers License
Callis passports issued in Illinois
Callis’ voting record and registration sent to her Edwardsville residence
News clippings Callis’ son playing football at Triad High School
Report cards for Callis’ son’s from Troy’s Triad High School
Certificate titles of vehicles owned by the Callis family
Statements from Callis’ neighbors
A former high-ranking state public health official was charged by federal prosecutors Monday with bribery, theft and tax evasion as part of a $13 million state grant-fraud case.
But the accusations outlined Monday against Roxanne Jackson of Olympia Fields merely could be the first step in a possible plea deal that is the subject of a federal court hearing in Springfield on Tuesday. […]
Jackson, the former chief human resources official under the state Department of Public Health, is accused of participating in a kickback scheme with the agency’s onetime former chief of staff, Quinshaunta Golden, who is awaiting sentencing, and South Side businessman Leon Dingle Jr.
Golden — once a top aide to former state Public Health Director Eric Whitaker, a personal friend of President Barack Obama — pleaded guilty in April to bribery and accepting kickbacks as part of a broader scheme that steered millions of dollars in state grants and contracts to Dingle and several not-for-profits he ran. Dingle is awaiting trial next month on federal charges of fraud, money-laundering and tax evasion.
* Meanwhile, as you’ll recall, Bruce Rauner unveiled an ethics plan last week. This week, he unveiled some supporters among Chicago’s African-American clergy, one of whom was Stephen Thurston.
A former member of the Illinois panel that conducts hearings on alleged ethics violations has been fined $2,500 for attending a prayer breakfast and fundraiser for a political candidate, according to an ethics commission report released Tuesday.
The Illinois Executive Ethics Commission found Stephen Thurston violated state law by attending a March 25, 2011, prayer breakfast and fundraiser for David Moore, who was running for Chicago City Council. Thurston spoke at the breakfast about “Moore’s Christian character, the need for everyone to get involved in the election process, and that Moore would be a good alderman,” the ethics panel said in its report.
State law prohibits commissioners from contributing to political campaigns or even attending a rally for a candidate for a specific post.
The feds allege that Dingle used “straw grantees” to obtain the grants, then funneled the money to a for-profit company controlled by him.
One of the alleged “straw grantees” is the Broadcast Ministers Alliance, a group of several prominent South Side ministers, including the Rev. Clay Evans, founding pastor of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church of Chicago; Bishop Lucius Hall, pastor of the First Church of Love and Faith, and the Rev. Stephen John Thurston, pastor of New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church.
According to the indictment, the Broadcast Ministers Alliance was among the groups that won more than $11 million in grants between 2004 and 2010. About $3.7 million of that money was allegedly transferred to a for-profit business controlled by Dingle.
There’s no claim by the feds that the “straw grantees” were involved in any wrongdoing — including the Broadcast Ministers Alliance.
But anyone who has worked on behalf of a nonprofit knows how difficult it can be to get funding, and these charges won’t make it any easier. [Emphasis added.]
* Right now, getting busted for possessing even less than a gram of cocaine/heroin/morphine/etc. results in a Class 4 felony with a penalty of 1-3 years behind bars…
Mayor Emanuel asks committee of state lawmakers to make weed possession a ticketable offense and make 1g of any drug a misdemeanor.
This is all in the context of lowering some penalties in order to free up prison space so that penalties on violent, armed offenders can be increased.
* The Question: Do you agree with Mayor Emanuel’s idea to make possession of less than a gram of drugs like cocaine a misdemeanor? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* Almost exactly four years ago, Bill Brady’s campaign began running this TV ad against Gov. Pat Quinn about the administration’s botched early release program…
Quinn’s new response ad is nearly identical to his 2010 response, including the closing photo. Watch…
* Meanwhile, the Quinn campaign wants you to know about this press release that I didn’t post over the weekend…
A coalition of legislators and leading criminal justice reform advocates issued the below statement regarding Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner’s new desperate campaign television ad, which misleadingly attacks a program that was shut down by the Governor more than four years ago:
“Bruce Rauner’s latest television attack is disgraceful. The truth is the 2009 early release program was shut down by Governor Quinn more than four years ago.
“We worked with Governor Quinn, along with judges, experts and many legislators in both parties to pass one of the strongest criminal justice reforms in the nation and protect public safety.
“The Governor’s leadership led to landmark sentencing reforms and a new program, Illinois’ Supplemental Sentence Credit program, which is a national model in guarding public safety and providing incentives for non-violent inmates to engage in positive behavior and rehabilitation.
“Fundamentally dishonest attacks such as this Rauner attack ad cheapen the public dialogue on prison reform and distract from real steps needed to make our communities safer.
“The fact that Bruce Rauner is digging up an old, failed attack signifies his increasingly desperate campaign and insults the people of Illinois who deserve a debate on the real issues.”
The very long list of those who signed the letter is here.
*** UPDATE *** The Rauner campaign sent along this October 13, 2010 AP “fact check” on the Brady and Quinn ads…
QUINN’S CLAIM: “What are the facts about prisoners being released 60 days early?”
FACTS: The inmates were not released 60 days early. The average was four months, and in some cases it was six months early. The 60-day reference is to the old policy that inmates had to serve 60 days before being eligible to collect any time off for good behavior. Ending that policy meant some inmates were getting time off and being released almost as soon as they walked into prison.
QUINN’S CLAIM: “The very day Gov. Pat Quinn found out about it, he took control, took action, and shut it down. He issued an order and stopped it cold.”
FACTS: Quinn halted MGT Push on Dec. 13, the day of an AP story reporting its existence. But the week before, when asked about it, Quinn’s spokesman denied anyone was getting out early.
Two days after the AP article, Quinn said he had known about the program ahead of time and claimed it had been well-publicized but wouldn’t say why he was halting it at that time. The next day, he said then-Corrections Director Michael Randle had not followed specific instructions to bar violent offenders from early release.
QUINN’S CLAIM: “Pat Quinn took responsibility. He didn’t duck it; he took action.”
FACTS: He took action, but he didn’t take responsibility. Quinn blamed Randle, who resigned in September. “I take accountability for the mistakes. The director who made the mistakes takes responsibility for them,” Quinn said.
Since Quinn’s new ad is nearly identical to the old one, it’s pretty easy to fact check it.
Does Rauner have a positive spot highlighting his business record?
We’ve had Farmer Bruce, Regular Guy Bruce, Shake ‘Em Up Bruce, Philanthropist Bruce…. where’s Job Creator Bruce, Save the Company Bruce?
The cheez-whiz kids have been at it for a year. Do they not have a positive business story they want to tell?
Spend your whole life as a successful businessman but there’s no good story? The silence is deafening.
If they don’t have one, they’d better find one, pronto. Because his business record is getting pounded. That Medicaid Fraud spot burns.
Not only that, but where’s any ad on the economy? He’s driving an old van, whacking Quinn on early release, but nothing on the economy? I don’t quite get this.
* The Tribune has dispatched a reporter to cover the federal bankruptcy trial of a nursing home company once owned by Bruce Rauner’s firm. This part of the story is really disturbing…
At the trial in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, plaintiff attorneys played videotaped deposition testimony from an elderly graphic artist with no nursing home experience who expressed bewilderment over how he came to be listed as the sole shareholder of a company that bought nursing home chain Trans Healthcare Inc. as it was in financial freefall in 2006.
“I don’t know that company,” Barry Saacks testified when asked if he remembered signing papers to buy Trans Healthcare. “Somebody must believe me.” […]
On the taped interviews, recorded in 2012 and 2014, Saacks often sounded disoriented and confused about many questions posed to him by lawyers, sometimes flashing a sense of humor about his level of ignorance of a company he purportedly owned. In the latter of the interviews, Saacks was seated in a wheelchair and wearing a hospital gown.
Heavyset and wearing a white beard that flowed to the middle of his torso, Saacks recalled having a few discussions about buying computer equipment with a lawyer he knew socially. That lawyer, Leonard Grunstein, is a business associate of New York real estate investor Rubin Schron who was a partner with GTCR in the nursing home chain. […]
Saacks said as far as he knew the deal for him to buy computers never went through. He said he never received any computers and he’s never seen any money from the business. However, Brett Baker, a lawyer for the firm that handled the stock sale to Saacks, has testified in a deposition that Saacks was paid cash to sign closing documents, something Baker said he raised concerns about at the time with his superiors because it was so unusual.
* Former AFSCME honcho Henry Bayer sent this snarky note to the folks on his e-mail list today…
I understand that Rauner’s secret plan to deal with Illinois’s $100 billion pension liability is to sign it over to Barry Saacks, the same guy he unloaded the nursing home liabilities on.
Those cynical folks who think Rauner’s just being cagey and has no plan to fix the pension mess don’t understand how business works and don’t know how to apply its “principles” to a stodgy, uncreative government .
Barry, hold on to your wallet if you still have one with anything left in it.
I’ve been telling Henry for months that he ought to start his own blog.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the Quinn campaign…
Bruce Rauner Called to Explain Nursing Home Deceptions
Billionaire’s Lack of Truthfulness in Wrongful Death Suits Exposed By Press
CHICAGO - Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner was called on Tuesday to explain the outright deception he used to avoid responsibility for wrongful deaths at a chain of nursing homes he owned and controlled.
The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that Rauner was not being truthful when he claimed to have a distant relationship to Trans Healthcare Inc. (THI). In fact, the Tribune reported for the first time, Rauner was not only seeking to profit from the nursing homes but actually part of the group “calling the shots,” and deeply involved in day-to-day operations. He personally signed off on decisions there.
Equally disturbing, Rauner’s firm may have exploited an elderly, nursing home-bound man to be the fall guy in avoiding $1 billion in settlements for the horrific conditions that led to six deaths in Florida alone.
Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor Paul Vallas joined legislators and senior advocates Tuesday at a Chicago senior housing complex calling for answers.
“Bruce Rauner was in the driver’s seat at THI and he did not tell the truth. He did not tell the media the truth. He is not telling the people of Illinois the truth now. Why the deception? What more is he hiding?” Vallas asked.
“Bruce Rauner has a responsibility to tell us why he deceived the public about his control of this nursing home chain. He should be called to account for the deplorable conditions there under his watch and as a direct result of business decisions he made. And he should explain just why someone who so frequently dodges accountability should be placed in charge of agencies that serve our most vulnerable citizens in Illinois.”
“I’ve spent my career working to protect the most vulnerable, and these issues are close to my heart,” State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) said. “How you treat our most vulnerable is a good indication of your values. First we learned that Bruce Rauner’s business record includes abuse and neglect that led to tragic deaths at his nursing homes in Florida. Now we are learning more about how Mr. Rauner handled this matter — he ducked responsibility and he didn’t tell the truth.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Fact check from the Rauner campaign…
The Plaintiffs’ Charges Against GTCR With Regard To Barry Saacks And The “Sham” Company Were DISMISSED By The Federal Judge In March. “The complaint does plausibly allege that the Debtor was essentially created as a sham corporation. According to the complaint, the Debtor was formed for the sole purpose of receiving THMI’s liabilities, while its assets were secreted away to FLTCH. But there is no allegation that the GTCR Group had any actual involvement in the Debtor’s creation or that GTCR had any control over the Debtor.” (Memorandum Opinion On Motions To Dismiss, In Re: Fundamental Long Term Care Inc., United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 3/14/14, p. 20)
GTCR Maintains That The Firm Had No Knowledge That Barry Saacks Was Involved In The Sale Of THMI. “Defendants expect Plaintiffs to make much ado about the role Barry Saacks played in the transaction. But neither Jannotta, Holdings, nor the GTCR Entities had any interaction with Saacks, much less knowledge that Saacks owned FLTCI. In a January 17, 2006 memo to GTCR’s Investment Committee, Jannotta stated that ‘Holdings has preliminarily agreed to sell Baltimore and THI of Nevada II, Inc. to Fundamental, which appears to be affiliated with ABE Briarwood Corp., and [THI] has preliminarily agreed to sell Management, Inc., to Fundamental (or an affiliate).’ Again, Defendants understood the buyers were affiliated Fundamental entities.” (OPENING STATEMENT OF DEFENDANTS GTCR GOLDER RAUNER, LLC et. al, In re: FUNDAMENTAL LONG TERM CARE, INC, United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District Of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 9/18/14, p. 7)
GTCR’s Contemporaneous Investment Committee Memos Show That GTCR Believed That Fundamental Long Term Care Holdings (FLTCH) And Fundamental Long Term Care Inc (FLTCI) Were One And The Same. “Holdings has preliminarily agreed to sell Baltimore and THI of Nevada II, Inc. to Fundamental, which appears to be affiliated with ABE Briarwood Corp., and [THI] has preliminarily agreed to sell Management, Inc., to Fundamental (or an affiliate).” (GTCR Investment Committee Memo, 1/17/06, p. 14)
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Department of Corrections’ spokesman just called to say state statutes are the reason why alleged child murderer Derrick Allmon was released from prison. This has, the spokesman said, “Nothing to do” with early release. More in a bit.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From IDOC…
· The only reason Allmon was out of prison is because State law required Allmon to serve 50% of his sentence, with good behavior-which he did. Again, State law, not IDOC’s discretion or any policy of any one individual.
· [Allmon served 21 months of a 42-month (3 ½ years) sentence, not “18 months,” as Superintendent McCarthy stated]
· IDOC and no authority could keep him in prison. Not legally permitted after he served 50% of sentence.
· Allmon received no early-release program time credit
· Allmon was not even eligible for IDOC program time-credit under the strict guidelines of the program
· Based on the sentence given to him by the courts, he was paroled when we were legally required to release him
· Allmon was convicted of a Class 2 felony. Class 2 felonies, by law, require that the incarceration period be 50% of the sentence, if the inmate practiced good behavior, which Allmon did while in IDOC.
· The parole board (Prisoner Review Board, PRB) is separate from IDOC and uses no early-release program. It is required by law to consider Class 2 felonies for parole after 50% of sentence is served with good behavior.
· PRB thus paroled Allmon, with restructions, which IDOC Parole Division enforced.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* From the Bruce Rauner campaign…
Governor, why was Antonio Smith’s killer on the street? Pat Quinn needs to answer for his violent criminal parole policies
This morning, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell poses a simple question: why was the man accused of killing 9-year-old Antonio Smith on the street?
I don’t get why the man accused of killing 9-year-old Antonio Smith was on the street.
Derrick Allmon, 19, had already been convicted for “aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a gang member” and was on parole.
He served 21 months of a three-year sentence and was released on electronic monitoring in August. […]
(T)wo other suspects are accused of committing a new crime while on electronic monitoring.
David Jordan, one of the men accused in the 20-hour hostage standoff in Harvey last month, also was on parole from IDOC and on electronic monitoring.
And Aaron Parks, the 17-year-old recently accused of sexually assaulting a Roseland college student, was on electronic monitoring awaiting sentencing for another violent crime.
In Parks’ case, a juvenile probation officer was suspended after it was discovered that “procedures were not followed.”
* Back to the Rauner campaign…
It’s the same question Chicago Police Superintendent Gerry McCarthy alluded to during a press conference last Friday – a question that Pat Quinn doesn’t want being asked:
At the Friday news conference, McCarthy said Allmon shouldn’t have been on the streets at all.
“The real kicker to this entire case is that it didn’t have to happen,” McCarthy said.
Allmon, who police say has the word “Blessed” tattooed across his chest, had just been paroled from state prison in early August after serving about 1½ years of a 3½-year sentence on a weapons conviction, according to McCarthy.
* Rauner campaign…
We have many questions about this case – and other cases too. But today, let’s hear Pat Quinn’s answer to the most basic question everyone is asking: why was Antonio Smith’s killer back on the street?
* Meanwhile, Gov. Quinn’s campaign is attempting to raise money off of Rauner’s new TV ad that bashes Quinn for his administration’s botched 2009 early release program…
This is the worst one yet.
Bruce Rauner has a new attack ad up that falsely accuses the Governor of “secretly” releasing prisoners early, and tries to link the Governor to sexual assault and murder.
We can’t just sit back and let Rauner spread this crap.
Chip in $5 or more today to fight back against this disgusting attack.
We saw this same attack from Republicans more than four years ago. It wasn’t true then, and it isn’t true now.
Governor Quinn didn’t authorize a single early release — in fact, the very day he found out about the program, he shut it down.
If we don’t respond now, you can bet Rauner’s attacks will get even worse. We’ve got to punch back, right now.
* The Rauner campaign responds with a “fact check”…
When The Associated Press First Asked About Quinn’s Early Release Program (MGT Push), His Office Defended The Program. “When The Associated Press first disclosed MGT Push, Quinn’s office defended it. Then Quinn halted the program. Later, he said he had known about it but ordered the department not to include violent offenders. On Wednesday, he said he didn’t know about it until reading the AP story. (John O’Connor, “Analysis: Questions Remain About Inmate Release,” The Associated Press, 1/2/10)
On December 16, 2009, Quinn Told The Associated Press That He Knew About MGT Push Before It Went Into Effect In September. “Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he knew ahead of time that his Corrections Department planned to begin releasing some prisoners after just a few days behind bars. But Quinn wouldn’t explain Wednesday why he halted the practice after The Associated Press reported the release of hundreds of inmates including some convicted of violent crimes.” (”Quinn Says He Knew About Prison Release Program,” The Associated Press, 12/16/09)
On December 30, 2009, Quinn Claimed He Didn’t Learn About MGT Push Until Reading About It In The Newspapers. “Quinn maintained Wednesday that he didn’t know about the MGT Push program until reading the Associated Press story about it. That contradicts a statement Dec. 16 that he did know about it. Either way, it does not explain why his office defended the policy change when the AP initially asked about it.” (John O’Connor, “Quinn: Ill. Early Secret Prison Release A Mistake,” The Associated Press, 12/31/09)
I’m hearing that the Quinn campaign has a response ad up on this issue, but I don’t yet have it. I’ll post it when I get it.
The warden of Dixon Correctional Center is on paid administrative leave during an investigation into something the Illinois Department of Corrections was made aware of Friday, an IDOC spokesman confirmed Monday.
Nedra Chandler was escorted off prison grounds Friday and given a ride home after surrendering her state-issued car, which is standard IDOC procedure, department spokesman Tom Shaer said.
* I’ve decided that what this campaign season needs is more music. Lots more music. So, that’s what we’re gonna have. Let’s start today with Jackie Greene covering The Beatles. Turn it all the way up and blow that sleep outta your eyes…
* I don’t know how I missed this, but the Illinois Department of Public Health has filed proposed rules which will pretty much spell the death knell of smoking areas in beer gardens…
Smoking is prohibited in a restaurant, bar and any area where food, beverages, or both, are prepared or served by employees, including outdoor areas such as patios, beer gardens, decks, or rooftops or concession areas.
“Self-Service Outdoor Area” means an area or location where no employees are present and customers may serve themselves food or beverages or both and clean up the area after consuming their food and beverages. This area is not a place of employment because employees do not prepare or serve food or beverages in this area, and are not required to enter, leave, or pass through this area during the course of employment.
The public comment period expires September 29th. Click here to submit a comment to IDPH.
* I get some weird press releases sometimes. For instance…
Mike Bost cancels AARP Debate - Enyart, Seniors and Bowzer from Sha-Na-NA to rally in response
Bowzer from Sha-Na-NA?
* I kid you not…
U.S. Congressman Bill Enyart (IL-12), will be joined by Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, advocate for seniors, to discuss Medicare, and Social Security issues surrounding the upcoming election.
“We can’t balance the budget on the backs of our seniors,” said Enyart. “We must protect Social Security, we must protect Medicare, and we must protect retirees and seniors on fixed incomes. Since day one in office, I’ve been fighting for these programs, and I will continue fighting each day.”
“Congressman Enyart is a champion of seniors’ rights,” said Bauman. “With his leadership and advocacy, I know that the interests of Southern Illinoisans will be maintained. On the other hand I find it shameful his opponent Mike Bost has canceled a 2nd debate with AARP because he believes they are a “Special Interest Group”.
Those interested in joining the rally should arrive at approximately 1:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the event.
TIME: 2:00 p.m.
LOCATION: The Pie Pantry, 310 E Main St # 1, Belleville
Bowzer and Enyart at the Pie Pantry. I wish I could’ve made it to that one.
…Not really, just kidding.
* Bowzer went to Columbia, so he’s no intellectual slouch, and he’s still doing his schtick…
*** UPDATE 1 *** It’s not just Enyart…
Sha Na Na Star Tours District in Support of Ann Callis, Praises Her Support for Seniors
CHAMPAIGN - Former Chief Judge and Congressional challenger Ann Callis today toured the district with Jon “Bowzer” Bauman to talk about the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare for seniors. Bauman, known for his starring role in the group Sha Na Na, is also the co-founder of “Senior Votes Count!” a seniors’ advocacy organization that endorsed Callis’ campaign at stops today in Bloomington, Decatur, and Champaign.
“While you may associate me from the music of the 1950s and 1960s, I don’t want to see our country’s seniors go back to that time when their financial security was always in limbo,” said Bowzer. “I’m here to support Ann Callis because seniors in Illinois need a representative who will fight efforts to privatize Social Security or make Medicare into a voucher program, two proposals her opponent has supported that would be extremely harmful to seniors.”
Callis is running against Congressman Rodney Davis, who supported privatizing Social Security and voted for the Ryan budget that would end the Medicare guarantee and increase costs for seniors.
But really - If you’re born after 1975 or so you probably have no idea who that is. If you’re born before 1975, you probably have no idea why anyone would care. And if you’re in Illinois’ 12th or 13th Congressional District you have to wonder why any of this is relevant.
Perhaps Callis and Enyart would be better served calling Barbara Eden from “I Dream of Jeannie” because they have a better chance of winning their elections with her magic bottle than with Sha Na Na.
That’s the best response Prill has provided all season.
Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner today proudly accepted the endorsement of the Economic Empowerment Forum.
“My wife and I have devoted much our lives to improving opportunities for families throughout Chicago and have had an intense focus on improving schools for African-American students and parents. As governor, I will continue to do that,” said Rauner. “I am honored to accept the endorsement of the Economic Empowerment Forum and will go to work for every person in Illinois. It is clear that Governor Pat Quinn has failed the African-American community - African-American unemployment remains scandalously high and all too often African-American children are stuck in failing schools. As governor I will change that.”
“This year we have an opportunity to change directions,” Dr. Willie Wilison said. “We have a candidate, Bruce Rauner, who has been working in our community for many years.”
The Economic Empowerment Forum consists of American American ministers in the South and West Sides of Illinois who endorse Bruce Rauner for governor.
* A “partial” list of forum members…
Dr. Willie Wilson - Chairman of the historical Chicago Baptist Institute International (CBII)
Pastor Corey Brooks - Founder of New Beginnings Church of Chicago
Reverend Marshall Hatch, Sr - Pastor of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church
Pastor Stephen Thurston—Former President of the National Baptist Convention of America, Pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church & Exec. Assist to the Chairman of CBII
Pastor Dr. Robert Patterson—President of the Baptist Pastors Conference Chicago and Vicinity and Pastor of Spirit of Truth Baptist Church
Pastor Dr. Willie Cotton—President of the Baptist Ministers Union Chicago and Vicinity
Pastor John Gray—President of CBII and Pastor of Holy Zion Baptist Church
Pastor Michael A. Harrington—Liaison for CBII
Mr. Andre Fair—President of Omar Medical Supplies
Mr. Percy Coleman—Deputy Chairman Chicago GOP
Quinn has courted Pastor Brooks, who endorsed Jim Oberweis for Senate.
“As people tune into the election, it’s encouraging they are recognizing that Gov. Quinn is making the tough decisions and getting the job done to move Illinois forward,” Quinn campaign spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said. “While there’s more work to do, Illinois is moving in the right direction under the governor’s leadership as evidenced by the fact that unemployment is at its lowest point in six years. Unemployment is down and jobs are up, and our economy is making a comeback.
“We expect this will continue to be a very competitive race, particularly since billionaire Republican Bruce Rauner will spare no cost to try and buy the election. It looks like the more voters find out about the real Bruce Rauner — and his plan for Illinois that benefits the very wealthy while hurting working families — the less interested they are in voting for him,” Anderson said. […]
Rauner campaign spokesman Mike Schrimpf steered clear Sunday of offering any sense of what might be behind the apparent tightening in the campaign and whether internal Rauner polling is showing the same trend.
“It’s clear a large majority of Illinoisans are ready for a change after 100 years of Cullerton, Madigan, Quinn and Blagojevich. Voters know Pat Quinn has failed and Bruce is the only candidate they can trust to clean up Springfield and bring back Illinois,” Schrimpf said in a prepared statement.
All of a sudden, the Quinnsters love We Ask America. Imagine that.
Kristina Rasmussen your ‘one star’ rating of our legal office seems a bit unfair since you have never even set foot in our office, you never spoken to any of our attorneys, nor partaken of any of our available legal services. Perhaps if one wants people to respect their opinion, one would base the same on actual verifiable evidence rather than ignorance. Just sayin’.
I’ve met Rauner. In a meeting with him last fall with some potential big donors, Rauner was asked about his position on same-sex “marriage.” He answered, “Frankly, I think the idea of two men marrying is just weird.” When asked about abortion, Rauner answered, “I believe that life begins at conception.”
Higgins used the piece to announce that she’ll vote for Gov. Pat Quinn to prevent Rauner (who is now saying he’s pro-choice and won’t touch the gay marriage law) from being elected. She was particularly upset about this Sun-Times op-ed by two gay businessmen endorsing Rauner…
LGBT issues have recently been in the news regarding the Illinois governor’s race. We are deeply troubled by statements made by Gov. Pat Quinn and his allies, including those in the LGBT community. They would have you believe that Bruce Rauner is hostile to LGBT individuals and the progress we have made toward achieving full equality in Illinois. Nothing could be further from the truth. […]
As he has repeatedly stated, Bruce is “comfortable with the law” and does “not seek to change it.” Bruce will support and uphold the current marriage equality law, and all others that protect the civil rights of LGBT individuals and families. The fact is that the positive status quo on marriage will remain the same whether Quinn or Rauner is elected in November.
* Meanwhile, Illinois Review took this Rev. James Meeks quote from the Sun-Times…
“There comes a time that black people will have to shake up the Democratic Party [candidates] because then, in the next election when they make us some promises, they will keep them,” Meeks said.
“I am tired of what the Democratic Party is doing to black people. Our vote is automatic. If you vote Democratic, 96 out of 96 times, they don’t have to wonder where black people are. Once the election is over, Democrats have no incentive to deliver on their campaign promises,” he added.
“This is the safest time for us to break the cycle. We can make other people come to our community and vie for our votes. We can put ourselves into the game because right now we are out of the game,” he said.
The article has conservatives wondering if it isn’t time for them to shake up the Republican Party. As one Republican told Illinois Review, consider Meek’s statement from a conservative perspective.
“There comes a time that conservatives will have to shake up the Republican Party [candidates] because then, in the next election when they make us some promises, they will keep them.”
“I am tired of what the Republican Party is doing to conservatives. Our vote is automatic. If you vote Republican, 96 out of 96 times, they don’t have to wonder where conservatives are. Once the election is over, Republicans have no incentive to deliver on their campaign promises.”
“This is the safest time for us to break the cycle. We can make other people come to our community and vie for our votes. We can put ourselves into the game because right now we are out of the game.”
The Quinn campaign has been telling me since the early summer that Rauner was gonna wind up having real trouble on his right flank. A couple posts on IR don’t yet represent much since most of the bigshots on the Right are in the bank for him at the moment, but watch while this is stirred up even further as the weeks go by.
* Sen. Dick Durbin’s response to questions about the governor’s NRI program, which is now under federal investigation, is impossible to argue with..
“I don’t know where the chips are going to fall. I don’t know who’s responsible for wrongdoing here,” said Durbin, D-Ill., Friday in an interview with Early & Often. “I’m not for a whitewash or walking away from it. Let’s find out.” […]
Durbin lauded William Holland, the state’s auditor general, who in February released a blistering review of the program, describing it as “hastily implemented” and said it didn’t target some of the most crime-prone neighborhoods in Chicago. Holland found that Quinn’s administration didn’t “adequately monitor” how state grant dollars were spent or on whom; community organizations that hired people with those funds weren’t maintaining time sheets; and city aldermen dictated where funding was to be steered.
“I’ve known him for years. Years. We worked together on the Senate staff, back many years ago. And he’s been auditor general two decades or more,” Durbin said. “I have the highest respect for his integrity. When he looks at it and says, ‘This needs to be investigated,’ I agree with Bill Holland.”
* Meanwhile, this was a pretty darned good pivot when asked about Jim Oberweis’ charge that he had “bullied” companies like Walgreens to keep them from moving their headquarters overseas…
“I think that’s a senator’s responsibility. To work to keep businesses in this state and to keep them in this country,” Durbin said. “Now, here comes my opponent and he’s saying: “oh, you shouldn’t do this. There’s a reason why he’s saying that. Jim Oberweis is a walking inversion.”
Durbin cited Oberweis’ wife claiming permanent residence in Florida and the husband and wife filing separate taxes to take advantage of tax breaks in Florida.
“Jim Oberweis has refused to disclose his state income tax return. The obvious question is out of the million-dollar-plus salary … how much did he pay Illinois income tax on?” Durbin said. “I think it’s a question he ought to answer. I disclose all my income tax … schedules included.”
* And he called the support of Oberweis by two black ministers a “novelty”…
“I’ll tell you this: If Mr. Oberweis wants this battle fought among African-Americans in Chicago or in Cook County — be my guest,” Durbin said. “I think [with] my voting record, my support of the president and my support of programs that will make a positive difference in their lives, I’ll do quite well.”
* But the Oberweis campaign got in a solid zinger of its own after Durbin called on his opponent to raise wages at his ice cream stores…
“Dick Durbin’s policies have resulted in the worst economic recovery in U.S. history and devastation for the poor and middle class in Illinois,” said Oberweis spokesman Dan Curry. “He’s possibly the last person on Earth Jim Oberweis would go to for advice on how to run his successful businesses.”
The long-awaited trial involving Bruce Rauner’s private equity firm’s alleged “bust-out” of its nursing home company is set to begin today, September 22, at 8:15 a.m. Eastern before Judge Michael G. Williamson in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tampa, Florida.
This is the case Judge Williamson previously described as having “all the makings of a legal thriller.”
The case is brought on behalf of the estates of six elderly victims who suffered abuse and inadequate care while residents in nursing homes controlled by Trans Healthcare, Inc. (“THI”). GTCR acquired THI in 1998 and made the company its vehicle for rapidly buying-up over two-hundred nursing homes around the country.
Rauner was chairman of the Chicago-based GTCR when all of the alleged wrongdoing occurred. A series of GTCR entities are named defendants: GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC; GTCR Fund VI, LP; GTCR Partners VI, LP; GTCR VI Executive Fund, LP; GTCR Associates, VI; and THI Holdings, LLC.
Edgar D. Jannotta, Jr., formerly one of Rauner’s fellow GTCR principals, and now one of the largest contributors to Rauner’s gubernatorial campaign, is also named as a defendant in his individual capacity.
* The Tribune also had a front-page story today about the case. I couldn’t help but notice that some of the article was deja vu all all over again…
In an interview early this year, Rauner told the Tribune he had little involvement with the nursing home firm, Trans Healthcare Inc., except for a brief period after GTCR started it. […]
But a document from the nursing home chain bearing Rauner’s signature and filed in the Florida case shows he served as a director on the chain’s board at least four years later.
The guy sure has switched his stories to the Tribune a lot this year.
But growth brought financial problems, and creditors aired suspicions that the company had misstated earnings, making a significant loss look like a modest profit, according to court documents.
Oh, yeah, now I remember where I saw that before: Lason Inc.
* But as the Tribune story points out, Rauner himself was never deposed for this or other lawsuits regarding the alleged nursing home “bust out.”
Steven Berman, an attorney representing the government-appointed bankruptcy trustee in the case, contended that while Jannotta was a key player at Trans Healthcare, the investment committee of GTCR principals effectively ran the company.
“Bruce Rauner is also on the investment committee, and I don’t have any reason to believe that [former GTCR partner Edgar Jannotta] acted without the approval of Rauner and the other members of the committee,” Berman said. “They were calling the shots.”
Jannotta, who could take the stand, said in a sworn deposition in one of the wrongful death cases that GTCR made “all the decisions regarding THI at the investment committee level.”
The Rauner campaign said that the investment committee wasn’t involved in day to day details of operating or winding down the business, however.
A corporate structure designed to transfer liabilities from the nursing home operator to a shell company without assets also has kept five other families from pursuing wrongful death lawsuits or collecting judgments, said lawyers for the family of Jackson, who was 76 when she died.
Trans Healthcare Inc. and Trans Health Management Inc., which the plaintiffs claimed operated the homes, never appealed or paid the 2010 verdict — $55 million each — awarded by a state court jury in Bartow, Florida. Collection was thwarted through a complex transaction that sent Trans Healthcare’s liabilities to a shell company called Fundamental Long Term Care Inc., which had no assets, while creating a solvent nursing home chain that was protected from judgments, lawyers for Jackson’s family contend. […]
The buyer of Fundamental Long Term Care Inc. was a graphic artist, now living in a nursing home himself. The artist, Barry Saacks, said in sworn testimony for the lawsuit that he didn’t know he owned the company and didn’t put up any money for it. He said he had intended to buy THMI for its computer equipment.
* But as a Rauner backgrounder points out, the plaintiffs offered to settle for much less…
Wilkes & McHugh Offered To Settle Five Out Of Their Six Lawsuits Against THI And THMI For $200,000 In 2008. “In an October 17, 2008 e-mail, Anderson informed THI’s CFO, Matt Box, that the ‘settlement amounts’ of the five Estates’ lawsuits filed to date were $215,000 total. In the fall of 2008, Wilkes & McHugh made a settlement demand of $200,000 to settle the six Estates’ lawsuits; THI countered at $80,000.” (“GTCR STATEMENT OF UNDISPUTED FACTS IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, In re: FUNDAMENTAL LONG TERM CARE, INC, United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District Of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 7/22/14, p. 37-38)
* More from that Rauner backgrounder…
GTCR Strongly Denies That The Firm “Engage[d] In A Scheme To Shed Or Avoid Liabilities” Associated With Trans Healthcare Inc. (THI) “Plaintiffs wrongly accuse these defendants of misconduct in an attempt to find a deep pocket to satisfy “empty chair” verdicts against THI and Trans Health Management, Inc. (“THMI”) in other lawsuits. The evidence will show these defendants acted properly at all times. They did not engage in a scheme to shed or avoid liabilities, and Mr. Jannotta did not approve any transfer of THMI assets.” (OPENING STATEMENT OF DEFENDANTS GTCR GOLDER RAUNER, LLC et. al, In re: FUNDAMENTAL LONG TERM CARE, INC, United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District Of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 9/18/14, p. 1)
* And more, in case you’re interested…
Indemnification
GTCR Maintains That No Liabilities Were Transferred From THI To THMI In The 2006 Sale. “Plaintiffs have argued the restructuring was an elaborate plot to burden THMI with THI’s liabilities. That’s not what the evidence will show. No liabilities were transferred from THI or any other entity to THMI. As in any other stock sale, the buyer acquired THI’s equity interest, and, in that THI board-approved sale, THMI’s assets and liabilities did not change.” (OPENING STATEMENT OF DEFENDANTS GTCR GOLDER RAUNER, LLC et. al, In re: FUNDAMENTAL LONG TERM CARE, INC, United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District Of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 9/18/14, p. 4)
In Fact, GTCR Argues, The Sale Of THMI Decreased THMI’s Liabilities Because THMI Was Provided With “Broad Indemnification Rights With Respect To Nearly All Lawsuits Pending Against THMI.” “In fact, to the extent the restructuring affected THMI’s liabilities, it reduced them: (i) THI paid $7.5 million to settle litigation in which THMI was also a defendant; (ii) THI, Holdings, and THIB provided THMI broad indemnification rights with respect to nearly all lawsuits pending against THMI; and (iii) THMI was released as a guarantor of $67 million in secured loans.” (OPENING STATEMENT OF DEFENDANTS GTCR GOLDER RAUNER, LLC et. al, In re: FUNDAMENTAL LONG TERM CARE, INC, United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District Of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 9/18/14, p. 4-5)
The Plaintiff’s Own Expert Report Acknowledges That THI Assumed Responsibility For THMI’s Legal Liabilities Following THMI’s Sale. “Post the FLTCH and FLTCI Transactions, the BIP sought indemnity from THIH and THI for claims under Section 6C(iii). For example, THI of Baltimore Management, LLC notified THIH on September 25, 2006 that it received a Summons and Complaint naming THMI as a defendant in a case brought forward by Opal Lee Sasser, et al. The letter goes on to state, ‘THM(I), a Buyer Indemnified Party, hereby demands indemnification for any liabilities which may arise as a result of this matter and requests that you retain counsel to defend its interests and arrange for its dismissal from the above-referenced action as soon as possible.’ THIH and THI complied with the indemnification requests by funding such indemnified litigation costs and claims for approximately ten cases.” (“Expert Report Of James S. Feltman, CPA,” In re: FUNDAMENTAL LONG TERM CARE, INC., United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District Of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 5/29/14, p. 13-14)
Fresh Capital
GTCR Invested A Fresh $20 Million Into THI As Part Of The 2006 Restructuring. “Recapitalization of THI. The GTCR Funds contributed more than $20 million of new capital, in addition to the $8.78 million that Holdings (83%-owned by the GTCR Funds) contributed to THI. The GTCR Funds also forgave more than $13 million in principal and interest—the entire balance on loans that THI had previously received from the GTCR Funds.” (OPENING STATEMENT OF DEFENDANTS GTCR GOLDER RAUNER, LLC et. al, In re: FUNDAMENTAL LONG TERM CARE, INC, United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District Of Florida, Case No. 8:11-bk-22258-MGW, 9/18/14, p. 3-4)
Freshman Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., a top Democratic target this cycle, had a 19-point lead over his opponent with six weeks to go until Election Day, according to a poll conducted for his campaign and provided first to CQ Roll Call.
Davis led Democratic rival Ann Callis, 55 percent to 36 percent, in the survey of the 13th District conducted by the GOP firm Public Opinion Strategies. Just 7 percent of voters were undecided.
The poll found atmospherics in the district are also stacked against Callis, making it tougher for her to make up ground in the short amount of time left until the election.
President Barack Obama’s approval rating stood at just 38 percent in this Springfield-based seat in his home state.
At the same time, the gubernatorial contest in the Land of Lincoln could also drag Callis down.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn badly trailed Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner, with 30 percent to Rauner’s 47 percent, according to the 13th District survey.
* The polling memo…
The political environment in the 13th District is favorable to Republican candidates.
Just 24% of voters say the country is headed in the right direction; nearly three-in- four voters (71%) say the country is off on the wrong track.
President Obama has a dismal job approval rating in the district. Just 38% of voters approve of his performance as president, while 58% disapprove – 45% of them strongly.
The Republican leads by eight points (45%-37%) on the generic Congressional ballot, and voters prefer a Republican who will be a check and balance to Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats to a Democrat who will help Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats pass their agenda by a 14-point margin: 53% to 39%.
The gubernatorial race is not competitive in the 13th District: Republican Bruce Rauner leads Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn 47% to 30%, while libertarian Chad Grimm clocks in at 10%.
Rodney Davis has a significant name ID and image advantage over Ann Callis.
Davis’s name ID is 85%, and his image among voters is 41% favorable/21% unfavorable.
Fewer than two-in-three voters (63%) have heard of Ann Callis, and her image is polarized: 19% of voters have a favorable impression of her, while 17% have an unfavorable impression of her.
The people helping Rauner try to win the election – county chairmen and other party organization bigwigs who’ve been out in the cold for 12 years in terms of state government being a job opportunity for party supporters – can expect nothing in return, Rauner said, in terms of jobs for anyone they might recommend.
“We are going to bring in people who are in the government for the right reasons, who are highly qualified for their positions, and if someone is not qualified, the answer is a clear no. And I want Michael Shakman and his federal hiring monitor right in there with me to make sure every department of government follows through,” he said. […]
Rauner says the people who help his campaign shouldn’t be doing it because they think they’ll be rewarded if he wins, and he wants Republican officials to hear this and believe it.
Bruce Rauner reportedly had one of those bugs that was going around last week.
I feel his pain. I was sick with one thing or another all week. Luckily, I took a little time off, or I’d probably have felt even worse.
Rauner didn’t take any time off and it showed. For the first time at his press conferences he read his statements right off the page, painfully stumbling over his words. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
He and his campaign also seemed grumpier last week. “Pat Quinn is not the folksy, bumbling fool he’d like us to think he is,” Rauner growled on Monday. On Tuesday, Rauner’s campaign barred some college journalism students from his press conference and Rauner himself refused to even have a word with them afterwards. On Wednesday, he turned his head and pointedly ignored a follow-up question from a Chicago TV reporter about the NFL scandals. More on that in a moment.
Maybe the recent Chicago Tribune poll which showed him trailing Gov. Pat Quinn by eleven points somehow added to his physical misery. It was Rauner’s personal decision, after all, to not flood the airwaves with TV ads during the spring and summer when Quinn didn’t have the money to adequately respond. He plain cheaped out, and now it’s gonna cost him a lot more money to win this thing, and he has nobody to blame but himself.
Or maybe it was that bottom-feeding Chicago Magazine “profile” published last week. Six thousand words were spilled on Chicago’s glossy pages to rehash boring stuff we already knew apparently in order to give the magazine an excuse to slip a couple of needlessly invasive personal items into the middle that told us absolutely nothing about the candidate or what sort of governor he’d be. I’d be pretty upset, too.
But, hey, that’s the game, I suppose. There will always be those who will try to use a person’s family to somehow disqualify the candidate for public service. It’s a filthy business. And despite the author’s claims to the contrary, let’s just say there’s at least a strong suspicion among the Raunerites that the Quinnsters somehow had a role in getting this information into the public realm. That’d make anybody grumpy.
Whatever’s going on, sickness, a bit of poll-induced regret/fright or protective familial anger, he and his campaign have to get over it. The Quinn campaign has obviously gotten under their skin. Quinn looks and sounds like a kindly, harmless older man. In reality, he’s a calm yet vicious street fighter who shows no remorse for his adversaries. He’s at his best during periods of chaos, and this campaign is only going to get more chaotic.
And that brings us back to the NFL scandals. Chicago TV reporter Mary Ann Ahern asked Rauner if he’d had any communication with the Pittsburgh Steelers (of which he’s a minority owner) about the recent NFL physical abuse scandals. Rauner said he hadn’t and explained that he was too occupied with winning an election in order to turn the state around. When she followed up to ask him to comment on the NFL scandals in general, he turned his head to take another question.
A better candidate would’ve used Ahern’s question to swing for the fences. It was a prime opportunity to talk about not only the NFL’s problems, but his own commitment to fighting domestic violence and then compare that to the very real cuts Quinn has made to domestic violence shelters over the years.
I’m not saying at all that the question was planted, but the Quinnsters were most definitely talking up the issue the night before and had a press conference already scheduled Wednesday to speak about women’s issues. Ahern denies ever talking to the Quinn campaign about it and I believe her. Rauner was clearly set up, by himself.
You gotta be ready for everything in this game and Rauner obviously wasn’t. Rauner may look upon himself as a cut-throat businessman, but business ain’t got nothing on Illinois politics, baby.
I hope you got some rest and tried to get healthier, dude, because you really need to step it up. We can all smell the blood in the water. And that’s your blood, Bruce. Fair warning. The sharks are circling and plenty more are on the way. If you want to win this thing, you’re gonna need a bigger boat.
