Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2018 » March
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax      Advertise Here      About     Exclusive Subscriber Content     Updated Posts    Contact Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here.
Reader comments closed until April 2

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Time to go, campers. It’s been real. Too real, if you ask me. My plan right now is for some fairly light posting during the second week of the GA’s spring break. So I’ll see you a week from Monday.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this song throughout much of the campaign carnage

There’s nowhere to go
And you got all day to get there

  Comments Off      


Quick hits before vacation

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WBEZ’s Dave McKinney asked Rep. Jeanne Ives who would be a better governor, Bruce Rauner or JB Pritkzer. It took her 40 seconds to eventually say “Rauner.” Listen to her struggle with Dave’s question

I can’t stop listening to it. The full story is here.

She also told McKinney that while she intended to vote for Rauner, she didn’t plan to endorse him and wouldn’t campaign with him.

* Meanwhile, on the Democratic side…

Illinois AFL-CIO and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin Host Democratic Unity Breakfast

WHAT
The Illinois AFL-CIO and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin will host a unity breakfast bringing candidates together to defeat anti-worker politicians in November.

WHEN
Saturday, March 24 at 9:30 AM

* Maxwell…



* From that same stop

“Pritzker hides his money in the Bahamas so he doesn’t have to pay income tax. He rips the toilets out of his mansion so he doesn’t have to pay property taxes,” Rauner said. “And what really frosts me is he hides his money so he doesn’t have to pay taxes, but his number one proposal is to raise your income taxes.

“He has said the answer to our budget problems is, let’s do a massive income tax hike. Come on, that’s not going to solve any of our problems.”

* This thread is worth a read, so click here



* Other stuff I don’t have time for today…

* Illinois Republican Hispanic group chairman resigns over Rauner win: “I cannot in good conscience support Bruce Rauner,” Yvonne Sencial Bolton of Will County said in her resignation letter.

* Metro Chicago shrinks again: For the third year in a row, the population of metropolitan Chicago has dropped, and though the number of people is small, the trend is causing angst among local officials.

* Chicago region gains high earners but loses population overall as outmigration increases and immigration stagnates

* MAP: Compare Bruce Rauner’s primary victory to Trump, Clinton 2016 Illinois vote

* Illinois budget deficit soars to $14.6 billion in FY 2017: For an interactive graphic of the deficit’s growth, click: (tmsnrt.rs/2HW3mhM)

* Reps. Rush and Gutiérrez ordered to pay Treasury following congressional ethics probes

* Despite pop tax debacle, Preckwinkle prevails across the board on election night

* What Amazon’s team saw and did in Chicago

  Comments Off      


Heads up!

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’m shutting down the blog sometime in the early afternoon today. I desperately need a vacation, so I’ll be back a week from Monday. If you’ve been mulling over a comment, now would be the time to post it.

Until then, use this as an NCAA tournament open thread.

  36 Comments      


First-day whiplash in mayor’s race

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Heh…



  12 Comments      


Pritzker hit on taxes

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the RGA

A new editorial from the Chicago Tribune is calling out J.B. Pritzker’s tax plan for Illinois, pointing out that Pritzker seems to only want one thing – tax hikes and more spending the state can’t afford.

It has been reported that Pritzker has refused to pay his own fair share in taxes – he’s been caught claiming that his Gold Coast mansion is “uninhabitable” to get huge property tax breaks and has reportedly set up offshore shell companies in the Bahamas with the likely aim of dodging federal taxes.

But on the trail, Pritzker’s promised to raise taxes even higher, and it’s leading the Chicago Tribune to ask, “Does Pritzker get it?”

    “What we’ve heard and read so far is that Pritzker wants to tax and spend the state to greatness…raising taxes is no cure-all. It’s a move that will drive away even more employers, jobs and residents.”

J.B. Pritzker’s plan for Illinois is a blatant exercise in hypocrisy – he supposedly won’t pay his own fair share in taxes, but will hike taxes on everyone else.

* From the editorial

“It’s not right that government can destroy your credit and confiscate your car because you can’t afford a few parking tickets,” he said on election night. Hmm, so Gov. Pritzker would pay your parking tickets, too? We’re not sure, but that sounds expensive.

That’s so disingenuous. The idea is to stop criminalizing poverty, not make the state pay parking tickets. They certainly know that.

* Anyway, back to the premise. Voters don’t do nuance. And Rauner’s main message is easy to understand and was summed up well in the RGA release: Pritzker avoids taxes while hypocritically wanting you to pay more.

Pritzker counters that he doesn’t want regular folks to pay more, he wants the well-off to pay more via a graduated tax. But he hasn’t specified what his rates would be at what income levels. And one of the only graduated tax bills out there is this one that the Illinois Policy Institute is relentlessly attacking

House Bill 3522, filed by state Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, would tax incomes between $0 and $7,500 at 4 percent. For income between $7,500 and $15,000, the rate would be 5.84 percent. For income between $15,000 and $225,000, the rate would be 6.27 percent. And for income over $225,000, the rate would be 7.65 percent.

Sign the petition

Stop the progressive income tax
Sign the petition today to tell your lawmaker to oppose the progressive income tax.

Pritzker was asked earlier today if he supports Martwick’s bill. He said he didn’t and claimed the Illinois Policy Institute was just trying to get Rauner reelected.

I’m not sure what the heck Rep. Martwick was thinking (I asked him if he had any second thoughts this morning, but haven’t heard back), unless the plan is to kill the bill to show Democrats are against those goofy rates.

* From the Rauner campaign…

Now that the general election is here, we need to focus on the issues that unite us, like cutting taxes, so that we can continue building a better future for Illinois.

Meanwhile, JB Pritzker is focusing on figuring out a way to raise taxes on middle-class families. We can’t let that happen!

Donate $10 to our Unity Fund today to show the Democrats that we are ready to take on JB Pritzker in November.

Let’s keep fighting!

Team Rauner

He’s got a “Unity Fund”?

  32 Comments      


Even Trib tires of “Because… Madigan!”

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune editorial entitled “Rauner as broken record: Madigan isn’t the only issue in this campaign”

The trouble with Rauner isn’t his agenda. It’s his inability to advance it and his accurate but repetitive excuse for failing to do so. In an editorial four months ago titled “Stop griping, Governor, and make your case,” we made ours: Rauner needs to ease off his blame crutch — House Speaker Michael Madigan — and expand his own case for re-election.

We aren’t claiming success. During a recent news conference, Rauner mentioned Madigan’s name 31 times in less than 13 minutes. The Ward Room, WMAQ-Ch. 5’s political blog, posted a mashup of his remarks and it is something to behold. Madigan, Madigan, Madigan. […]

These are issues on which Illinois voters deserve a full debate between now and November. Rauner can provide the contrast. He can try to build support for his agenda. Instead, he seems obsessed with a singular talking point: Madigan.

That might have helped him get elected in 2014. But nearly four years later, it’s a strategy that should be revisited and soon. Why? Broken records don’t sell.

I always say that when editorial boards start clutching their pearls about your campaign message, your message is working. See: Poshard, Glenn; 1998 TV ad; Killer truck barreling down on the camera.

Maybe I’m wrong this time. We’ll find out in November.

  23 Comments      


What goes around eventually comes around

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times

Illinois state Comptroller Susana Mendoza is one of three female politicians House Speaker Michael Madigan named to “take the lead on facilitating a statewide discussion about the role of women” in the Illinois Democratic Party after two Madigan operatives were forced out amid allegations of harassment and other inappropriate behavior.

Mendoza and the others — U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos and state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana — have vowed their work will be done independently of Madigan and the state Democratic Party. But records show Mendoza has ties to the ousted operatives, Kevin Quinn and Shaw Decremer, who both have worked on her political campaigns.

Kevin Quinn notarized Mendoza’s 2016 nominating petitions, which he did for everybody running with the 13th Ward’s support. Kinda tenuous, but Madigan has used less tenuous ties to whack the stuffing outta people on the other side more times than anyone here can count. And one can only wonder if this issue will come up in other campaigns.

The same goes for the less than $100 that Madigan paid Decremer for political work on Mendoza’s behalf years ago. And the $500 Decremer’s firm gave to Rep. Ammons last year, and the $250 Decremer’s firm gave Mendoza. It may all seem unfair, but MJM has made larger mountains out of smaller mole hills than these.

Ammons got $10K from Friends of MJM, Mendoza received $650,000 from DPI. That’s a bigger dealio, but not unusual. It’s the state party. That’s what the party is supposed to do. But, again… Karma.

* Back to the story

Ammons said that won’t sway her, that she’ll pursue the issue independently even if the panel finds fault on the part of Madigan or others in the party hierarchy. […]

Also regarding her independence, Mendoza said: “Under this story’s standard, any woman who has worked with the party to get elected would not be able to serve on this panel. That’s ridiculous.”

  25 Comments      


Londrigan turns to face Davis

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tom Kacich

Betsy Londrigan’s big win in the 13th Congressional District Democratic primary — taking 24,334 of the 53,226 votes cast, or almost 46 percent in a five-way race — seemed to surprise everyone but her.

“Nobody on our team thought about percentages. We know that we are on the ground every day, all day for nine months. Our confidence came from our interaction with the voters,” she said.

As for Londrigan’s Republican opponent in November, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, the National Republican Campaign Committee was quick with its take on the contest with this message Tuesday night.

“Elizabeth Warren acolyte and D.C. insider Betsy Dirksen Londrigan couldn’t be further out of touch with the district,” said Maddie Anderson of the NRCC. “Repeatedly touting her Dick Durbin and Emily’s List endorsements tells voters everything they need to know about her — she does not share their values. We look forward to watching Rodney Davis soundly defeat Londrigan in November.”

* Roll Call

13th District. Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, a former fundraiser for Sen. Dick Durbin, won the Democratic nomination over a field that included Erik Jones, a former congressional staffer and Illinois assistant attorney general. Perennial candidate David Gill has been a thorn in Democrats’ side in previous cycles but was destined to finish a distant third or fourth. Londrigan had support from Durbin and EMILY’s List and will face GOP Rep. Rodney Davis in the general election. While Trump won the central Illinois district with nearly 50 percent, this race could certainly get more competitive. Rating: Likely Republican.

Davis is going to be very tough to beat even, I think, in a wave year.

* DCCC

DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján today announced that small business owner, non-profit leader, and IL-13 Democratic nominee Betsy Dirksen Londrigan has earned a spot on the DCCC’s highly competitive Red to Blue program.

Betsy Dirksen Londrigan has worked hard in central Illinois to earn a spot on Red to Blue by surpassing aggressive goals for grassroots engagement, local support, campaign organization and fundraising. Beyond her demonstrated abilities to build a winning campaign infrastructure, Londrigan has deep roots in the district and a persuasive health care message that helped drive her to a decisive victory in the Democratic primary.

“Betsy Dirksen Londrigan almost lost her son to a life-threatening illness, and she is running for Congress to ensure that families like hers have affordable health care coverage when they need it most,” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján. “Betsy has shown that she is going to put working families above Washington politics and special interests, and fight to create jobs, rebuild infrastructure in central Illinois, and make health care more affordable. With her deep roots in the district and impressive primary victory, Betsy has shown that she is ready to compete and win in this district in November.”

* She knows how to raise money

Londrigan, who is a professional fundraiser, collected more than $600,000 for her own campaign, plus got an endorsement from the Emily’s List political organization that earned her more than $185,000 in uncoordinated campaign assistance, mostly mail pieces.

I didn’t see all that many stories about Londrigan’s Democratic primary, probably because, as far as I could tell, the candidates stayed positive. Coverage follows conflict and there wasn’t much of any conflict in that one.

  29 Comments      


*** UPDATED x1 - DGA follows suit *** Pritzker uses Ives in new video

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Wednesday, the Rauner campaign released a video featuring JB Pritzker’s Democratic primary opponents trashing him. Today…

Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new video, “In Ives’ Own Words.” The video highlights Bruce Rauner’s primary election opponent, Jeanne Ives, holding him accountable for his failures as governor.

“Jeanne Ives and 48% of Bruce Rauner’s own party know he has been a failure as governor, accomplishing nothing and causing real pain across the state,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “As Ives said, Bruce Rauner has ‘lied to everybody about everything’ and Illinois families are ready for change.”

* Video

I think I like the Rauner spot better (mainly because Kennedy and Biss were better speakers than Ives).

*** UPDATE *** DGA…

Governor Bruce Rauner barely survived a tough primary battle against state Representative Jeanne Ives and is in need of her political endorsement and support. But it’s pretty clear he’s not getting it yet – Rauner has not spoken with her since the election, and Ives has blasted the wounded incumbent governor in public.

Yesterday was not any better for Rauner. Asked again if he had spoken with Ives, Rauner said no. And Ives told the Daily Herald she’s still withholding her endorsement.

“Bruce Rauner desperately needs Jeanne Ives’ support, but their GOP family feud does not look like its ending any time soon,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Hundreds of thousands of Illinois Republicans showed their disappointment with Rauner’s failed leadership this week – and he still can’t pick up the phone.”

* Video

…Adding… I may not have cared for it, but Illinois Review published an approving story on the Pritzker ad.

  23 Comments      


Illinois House Bill HB 4900 is Unconstitutional

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

A similarly flawed law in Maryland was not signed by its governor and is being contested in court right now. Learn more on the Association for Accessible Medicines website.

  Comments Off      


Rauner on the hustings

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This made the rounds on Twitter yesterday. Buried deep within a Tribune story

On Wednesday, Rauner traveled to Ives’ home turf for a campaign event at a manufacturing plant on the outskirts of DuPage and Kane counties. One plant worker said employees had been ordered to attend, and were made aware that they’d be part of campaign photos and videos.

Isn’t Rauner a freedom at the workplace kinda guy? I thought that’s what the Janus case was all about. This doesn’t look all that free to me.

* Meanwhile, from the AP

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday compared the business practices of Illinois’ powerful House speaker with mafia tactics, opening a new attack on his longtime political foe while urging Republican unity following a bruising primary he barely won.

New? This isn’t new. From last December, when Rauner said he wasn’t in charge

Rauner accused the veteran speaker of running a “mafia protection racket.”

Not to mention that the governor compared the House speaker to Al Capone this past Monday. Rauner also claimed that Madigan was “a unified force of bad, of evil” last Friday. The AP really needs to get around more.

  37 Comments      


Quote of the week

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the Evanston paper

[Cook County Commissioner Larry] Suffredin himself noted that he defeated two candidates in his own primary — one 20 years old, the other 30.

“It’s good to see youth entering the party,” Suffredin said, “but it’s good to beat them as well.”

That made me laugh so much. I can just hear Larry saying that with his gentle voice and a smile. Classic.

  32 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


The natives are getting restless

Friday, Mar 23, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Bumped up to Friday for visibility.]

* More trouble for the governor. From Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock)

The most mendacious thing said in a campaign filled with mendacity came last night when Bruce Rauner said: “I am honored and humbled by this victory.”

He should be humbled – he should’ve lost. Honor? Calling Jeanne Ives “Madigan’s favorite Republican” may have swayed enough people to put him over the top, but the smell it leaves behind is the smell of mendacity, and it will carry through to November.

A friend of mine observed early on that Bruce Rauner looks at the members of the General Assembly, especially the Republican members, as employees at a company he just bought that he wouldn’t have hired had he been in a position to do so in the first place. That pretty much sums it up.

So Governor, now that we’re stuck with you, here’s a little bit of advice. You need us more than we need you. The only way you can win in November is if Republican House candidates drag you across the finish line. But for that to happen, you’re going to have to check your ego at the door and accept the General Assembly as a co-equal branch of government and admit that we don’t work for you.

Whew.

  61 Comments      


PREVIOUS POSTS »
* Reader comments closed for the weekend
* Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* Uber’s Local Partnership = Stress-Free Travel For Paratransit Riders
* UIC testing lab accused of providing flawed results in 1,600 cannabis DUI convictions
* Today's must-read
* COGFA: Illinois job growth rate is about a tenth of national growth rate since October of 2019
* Question of the day: Golden Horseshoe Awards
* Roundup: Madigan trial delves into political fight over Chinatown land deal
* It’s just a bill
* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* Live coverage
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Federal appeals court stays Downstate federal judge's gun ruling (Updated)
* Yesterday's stories

Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............


Loading


Main Menu
Home
Illinois
YouTube
Pundit rankings
Obama
Subscriber Content
Durbin
Burris
Blagojevich Trial
Advertising
Updated Posts
Polls

Archives
December 2024
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004

Blog*Spot Archives
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005

Syndication

RSS Feed 2.0
Comments RSS 2.0




Hosted by MCS SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax Advertise Here Mobile Version Contact Rich Miller