* As expected…
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing new COVID-19 mitigation efforts will be implemented in Region 7, the greater Will and Kankakee County areas, beginning Wednesday, August 26 after the region reached 8 percent positivity for three days. Region 4, the Metro East region, which is already operating under additional mitigations, continues to report increasing COVID-19 positivity rates and will have until September 2nd at their current mitigation level before the state must move to impose further mitigation in the region.
For Region 7, mitigation measures taking effect August 26, 2020 include the following:
Bars
• No indoor service
• All outside bar service closes at 11:00pm
• All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside
• No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed)
• Tables should be 6 feet apart
• No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
• No dancing or standing indoors
• Reservations required for each party
• No seating of multiple parties at one table
Restaurants
• No indoor dining or bar service
• All outdoor dining closes at 11:00pm
• Outside dining tables should be 6 feet apart
• No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
• Reservations required for each party
• No seating of multiple parties at one table
Meetings, Social Events, Gatherings
• Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity
• No party buses
• Gaming and Casinos close at 11:00pm, are limited to 25 percent capacity, and follow mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable
These mitigations do not currently apply to schools and the measures will remain in effect over a 14-day period after which time more stringent mitigation measures can be implemented if metrics do not improve. View the new mitigations online here.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) continues to monitor each region in the state for several key indicators to identify early, but significant increases of COVID-19 transmission in Illinois, potentially signifying resurgence. Indictors include an increase in COVID-19 cases with a simultaneous decrease in hospital capacity, or three consecutive days greater than or equal to 8% test positivity rate (7 day rolling). These indicators can be used to determine whether additional community mitigation interventions are needed for a region to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
IDPH will track the positivity rate in both regions to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigations should remain in place. If the positivity rate averages less than or equal to 6.5 percent over a 14-day period, then Regions 4 and 7 will return to Phase 4 mitigations under the Restore Illinois Plan. If the positivity rate averages between 6.5 percent and 8 percent, the new mitigations will remain in place and unchanged. If the positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8 percent after 14 days, more stringent mitigations will be applied to further reduce spread of the virus.
* Kelsey Landis at the BND…
The state could reimpose a ban on indoor dining and drinking at bars and restaurants in the metro-east [next] week as the region sees a resurgence of coronavirus cases, according to area mayors.
The rules are not final, St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said […]
State health officials informed mayors of two new regulations in a call on Monday.
*** UPDATE *** Governor’s daily public schedule…
What: Gov. Pritzker to join local leaders to discuss the COVID-19 response in Will and Kankakee counties.
Where: Will County Health Department, 501 Ella Avenue, Joliet
When: 12:00 p.m.
Watch live: https://www.Illinois.gov/LiveVideo
27 Comments  
|
*** UPDATED x1 *** Question of the day
Monday, Aug 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rebecca Anzel at Capitol News Illinois…
Ten “frustrated” Republican senators demanded Gov. JB Pritzker allow state offices tasked with processing unemployment claims to reopen in a letter sent exactly five months after Illinois’ first stay-at-home order was issued.
The Department of Employment Security was widely reported to struggle with the historic influx of unemployment filings it received from residents who lost their job due to the COVID-19-induced economic downturn.
While the unemployment rate dropped from the pandemic peak of 16.8 percent in April to 11.3 percent in July, the senators argued Illinoisans continue to have problems applying for and receiving benefits from the department. These issues are “long-standing” and “continue unabated,” they wrote in a letter Thursday.
Reopening the Employment Security offices for “face-to-face assistance,” as Secretary of State Jesse White allowed for motor services buildings, is the best solution, the senators added.
“Surely in 6 months, couldn’t we have installed plexiglass barriers and outside air ventilation systems in the IDES offices by now,” they asked in their letter. “Limit the number of people in the offices, socially distance, mask, all that, hell, we don’t care, put a tent up outside and buy laptops for the staff — but get these offices back open. People are hurting.”
Not mentioned is that one reason the state shut down IDES offices was the threats those offices were receiving from angry unemployed people.
* The Question: Is it time for IDES to reopen its local offices? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
bike trails
*** UPDATE *** AFSCME Council 31…
No one feels more strongly than AFSCME members in IDES about the importance of timely and efficient processing of unemployment benefits. They have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to meet unprecedented demand. They know how urgent their task is, and unfortunately, previous administrations that neglected the agency, reduced its staff and failed to make needed technology upgrades have made meeting today’s challenges that much harder.
But it’s critically important to understand that IDES employees have *not* been working remotely; they are in the office, doing their jobs, even as those offices remain closed to the public for safety reasons.
Reopening the offices to the public would not improve benefit processing but it would expose both IDES employees and applicants to potential COVID exposure, among other complications. What IDES employees need is real support, not being made a political football for obviously partisan attacks.
64 Comments
|
First, deal with the virus
Monday, Aug 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave McKinney at WBEZ…
“The policies of the Trump administration — bringing health care to a new generation and protecting our economy and jobs and taking on China and fighting for safe streets — those policies, I think, history will prove there were a lot of great things done,” said Brady, who is an at-large Trump delegate who is casting his vote for the president by proxy.
But the Senate GOP leader acknowledged that while the Trump brand is wildly popular downstate, it isn’t doing well in vote-rich suburban Chicago, a swath of once-reliable Republican territory now dominated by Democrats. With the exception of McHenry County, four of the five collar counties voted overwhelmingly against Trump in 2016.
“I think the suburban mindset has real trouble with some of the personality of Donald Trump, without looking at the policy,” he said.
Brady said he thinks the Illinois GOP’s political fortunes will be “more driven by local issues,” and there is plenty of fertile material from which to draw, starting with the federal bribery investigation into Commonwealth Edison’s bribery-tainted lobbying in Springfield.
If they want to break through in the suburbs, they’re probably gonna need more than just Madigan, although he is indeed a stronger issue right now because of ComEd. I mean, it’s not too difficult to see what the number one issue is right now. People are absolutely consumed day to day with the pandemic and what it has done - and continues to do - to their lives. Give suburban voters some hope.
And I think they have some folks who really get it. Rep. Mark Batinick, for instance, has been a leader on the face mask issue and was instrumental in convincing Gov. Pritzker to issue an executive order on masks way back in early May.
* But, of course, they also have suburban legislators like this…
And, no, he hasn’t yet dropped out.
* And they have Downstaters like this…
Rep. Miller (no relation) thankfully deleted that post, but not before others had sent it to me. I guess he must’ve spent too much time on the combine again. /s
* Related…
* With late summer cases stubbornly high, Illinois faces a ‘perfect storm’ of COVID-19 risk this fall, researcher says
27 Comments
|
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,612 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 8 additional confirmed deaths.
- Cook County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
- DuPage County: 1 male 70s
- Iroquois County: 1 female 80s
- Kane County: 1 male 50s
- Monroe County: 1 female 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 221,790 cases, including 7,888 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 36,155 specimens for a total of 3,740,191. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from August 17 – August 23 is 4.2%. As of last night, 1,529 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 334 patients were in the ICU and 141 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* Sunday…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,893 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 6 additional confirmed deaths.
Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Iroquois County: 1 male 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 220,178 cases, including 7,880 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 54,351 specimens for a total of 3,704,036. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from August 16 – August 22 is 4.2%. As of last night, 1,449 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 339 patients were in the ICU and 117 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
* Saturday…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 2,356 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 17 additional confirmed deaths.
Cook County: 1 female 20s, 1 male 30s, 1 male 40s, 2 females 60s, 2 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Douglas County: 1 male 80s
Iroquois County: 1 female 80s
Kane County: 1 male 50s
Madison County: 1 male 60s
Sangamon County: 1 female 80s
Winnebago County: 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 218,285 cases, including 7,874 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 56,766 specimens for a total of 3,649,685. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from August 15 – August 21 is 4.3%. As of last night, 1,488 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 322 patients were in the ICU and 127 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
*** UPDATE *** With a hat tip to a commenter, Region 7 (Kankakee and Will Counties) is showing three days straight of 8 percent positivity or above. That will likely trigger state mitigation.
23 Comments
|
* Tribune…
Online sports betting is back in Illinois.
In a surprise Friday afternoon news drop, Governor J.B. Pritzker has re-signed an executive order, allowing users in Illinois to sign-up for sports betting accounts and place wagers without having to visit a casino in person.
DraftKings and BetRivers are the two sportsbooks that are live with online registration. The Action Network has confirmed you can place a bet at DraftKings in Illinois without having to go into a casino.
The new EO is here.
* Vegas Slots Online…
During the height of the pandemic, casinos were shut across the state, meaning that bettors could not physically visit such facilities to set up an online sports wagering account. As a result, remote registration was allowed from June 4 until it was brought to an end by the governor on July 26.
The Sports Wagering Act that was signed by Gov. Pritzker in July 2019 states that players have to register in-person for an online sports betting account during the first 18 months of the legal market being live.
Having launched its online sports betting offering in Illinois early August, DraftKings looks set to take advantage of the return of remote registration. It has since announced on Twitter that it is now accepting remote registrations from the state’s residents
* IGB…
While in-person registration would have significantly benefited online sportsbooks partnered with physical outlets in the Chicago metropolitan area, such as PointsBet, others including DraftKings, in more remote locations, faced having access to customers significantly reduced.
However, at a time when rising numbers of Covid-19 cases have prompted new restrictions on opening hours in the Metro East region of Illinois – covering DraftKings’ sportsbook at Casino Queen in the Greater St. Louis area – players will once again be able to register online.
The state’s sports betting market went live on 9 March, days before Covid-19 shut down sporting events around the world.
Per the Sports Wagering Act signed into law by Pritzker in July 2019, licensees must have players register in-person for the first 18 months of operation.
* Legal Sports Report…
• Rivers Casino outside of Chicago was one of the forces behind the in-person requirement in Illinois law, but will still try to take advantage of remote registration.
• PointsBet was hoping physical sportsbooks near Chicago would help its early push, but that advantage could have gone up in smoke if the order stays in place for any amount of time.
• FanDuel has plans to launch its online sportsbook in Illinois, but the timeline for that wasn’t clear. This may quicken the company’s pace.
• Hollywood Casino sportsbooks have launched, but an online version branded for Barstool Sports isn’t expected until Q1 of 2021.
…Adding… From Jordan Abudayyeh…
As the state imposes stricter mitigations to combat the spread of COVID-19, the administration has reinstituted online sports betting through the Governor’s emergency powers. Increased mitigation measures are impacting the capacity limits and hours of operation at casinos in regions seeing higher rates of the virus and online sports betting allows for an even playing field across the industry.
9 Comments
|
Dueling press releases
Monday, Aug 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Shot…
The Republican Legislative Delegation to Illinois’ Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform held a Zoom video press conference on Monday morning demanding that Ethics Commission chairs take steps to resume meetings immediately. The four Republican lawmakers serve as commission members.
State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) led off by recounting the contents of a letter he and his colleagues submitted to the co-chairs of the Ethics Commission on July 23.
“We’re now one month and one day removed from the day we sent a letter to the co-chairs of the commission asking for meetings to resume,” Windhorst said. “There is an urgent need to get these meetings back on track so we can generate a report that leads to a real cleaning up of our laws. Our state is beyond needing so-called “ethics reforms”. We need to pass a sweeping package of effective corruption reforms as soon as possible.”
State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) says Governor Pritzker signed legislation allowing certain Illinois boards, commissions and committees to meet electronically.
“On June 12, the Governor signed into law Public Act 101-0640, which amended the Open Meetings Act to allow meetings to be held by audio or visual conference without the physical presence of a quorum of members.
“Those potential legal barriers preventing us from meeting were removed by the Governor way back in June,” said Sen. McConchie. “There is no reason why we continue to delay the people’s work on this issue, especially during a time when corruption and unethical behavior looms over Springfield.”
State Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) says a culture of corruption holds back progress on passing significant reforms, and questioned how other committees and commissions are able to meet safely while the Ethics Commission remains inactive.
“JCAR has been holding in-person committee hearings safely during the pandemic and other committees are meeting virtually,” said State Senator John Curran. “Meanwhile, anyone watching or reading the news understands that Illinois state government is in the middle of a continuing ethical crisis. There is no reason for the ethics commission to be shut down right now, except to let corruption continue unabated.”
State Representative Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) says the need to reform Illinois’ laws to stamp out corruption is needed now more than ever.
“From a legislative standpoint, nothing is more important right now than ethics reform,” said Rep. Wehrli. “Commissions and committees are conducting their business safely, yet the Joint Commission on Ethics & Lobbying Reform remains dormant. There’s no excuse for it. How many more indictments have to hit high-level elected officials in this state before Speaker Madigan and his leadership team finally take ethics reform seriously? I guess the answer is - at least one more. Maybe then Democrat leadership will step out of the shadow cast by Speaker Madigan and finally do the right thing for Illinois. It is time to resume our work, create our report, and most importantly, pass meaningful reforms to end corruption.”
* Chaser…
Following a press conference by several Republican legislators regarding the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform, Co-Chairs of the Joint Commission, Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. and state Representative Greg Harris and commission members Senator Cristina Castro and state Representative Kelly Burke released the following statement:
“The Commission will meet to submit the final report to the General Assembly in the coming weeks.
“It’s unfortunate that our Republican colleagues have chosen to politicize this issue.
“While our state is still hurting from the effects of the pandemic and cases continue to rise, we’re all trying to help our constituents the best we can, now is not the time to work against each other.
“We remain dedicated to finding meaningful ethics reform that restores the people’s trust in government and look forward to continuing the discussion in the coming weeks.”
13 Comments
|
* ILGOP…
WBEZ reports…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker plans today to lay out a sprawling framework for a renewable energy package he’d like to see the state legislature take up in November, including new ethics laws in response to Commonwealth Edison’s bribery-tainted lobbying practices.
The “point person on utility matters” for Pritzker? Christian Mitchell: Mike Madigan’s former executive director at the Democratic Party of Illinois, former Madigan loyalist in the State House and former campaign staffer for Lisa Madigan.
Here’s what Mitchell said when asked whether it was a problem that Madigan remained Speaker of the House during this new legislative push (you know, because he’s under federal investigation for bribery in connection with the issue)…
The governor’s top aide stopped short of saying the administration would make a formal request that Madigan recuse himself from deliberations, considering the numerous Madigan references in the federal filing outlining ComEd’s bribery scheme.
“The speaker’s not been involved in any working groups or conversations,” Mitchell said, when asked about the speaker recusing himself. “I think that’s a question for him.”
Recuse himself? Madigan is the Speaker of the House. He controls every detail of how every bill advances. He doesn’t need to be in the room. All the staff in the room works for Madigan.
How can Pritzker get away with this without demanding Mike Madigan resign as Speaker of the House immediately?
Also, how can Mitchell be involved in any of this? He’s not only conflicted by his strong ties to Madigan, he’s also conflicted by his past campaign contributions from ComEd.
And while we’re talking about conflicts of interest, let’s take a look at this bit from the WBEZ report:
The governor is seeking to have Illinois running on 100% clean energy by 2050 and is calling for new steps to boost solar and wind project developments in the state, plus encourage use of electric vehicles. By 2030, the governor hopes to have 750,000 more electricity-powered vehicles on Illinois roads.
Wouldn’t you know it: one of the governor’s closest advisors, Dave Lundy, represents a number of “clean energy” clients and played a leading role in opposing the Future Energy Jobs Act back in 2016.
To review our key questions:
1. Does Pritzker acknowledge that Madigan must resign as speaker before considering this proposal?
2. Will Pritzker ask Christian Mitchell to step away from this portfolio given his conflicts of interest?
3. Does Pritzker acknowledge he is conflicted in this debate by his senior political advisor Dave Lundy?
1) Mitchell’s ComEd contributions totaled $7,750 over 4+ years. He raised $2.3 million over that same time period. So, ComEd accounted for a whopping 0.3 percent of his total.
Interestingly enough, the Illinois Republican Party reported raising $41,600 from ComEd in that same time period.
2) It’s difficult to comprehend what the purpose of this press release is beyond just repeating the word “Madigan” over and over like it’s some sort of talisman. For example, Mitchell was installed at DPI as a check on Madigan. And AG Lisa Madigan was a very well-known ComEd nemesis.
3) Lundy has also been a ComEd nemesis for years. That company’s lobbyists hate him, as do many of the other folks who pushed the ComEd-backed Future Energy Jobs Act. But I don’t doubt that Lundy loves the idea of being known as the governor’s “senior political advisor.” Congrats, ILGOP, you just put money in Lundy’s pocket while enabling his enemies at ComEd. Swell job.
4) The basic gist that I’m getting out of this release, other than the Madigan stuff, is that the governor’s proposal needs to be put on hold until Madigan is gone. The only entity that truly benefits from such a result would be… ComEd. I mean, it’s not like Madigan can jump in and help his old pals at ComEd right now without adding to his already substantial legal problems. The opposition currently has ComEd right where it wants the utility. If you really want to zap that company, then now is the time to strike while Madigan is sidelined and ComEd is at its weakest point in decades.
So, what in the heck is the ILGOP up to?
*** UPDATE *** ILGOP response…
Your questions should be directed to Governor Pritzker. These are his conflicts of interest to address. As you may know, it’s the Republicans who called for a special session to deal with a range of ethics issues; it’s the Republicans who called for Madigan to resign immediately. And it’s JB Pritzker who has stood by Madigan’s side and protected his corrupt system. If you believe a bill will become a law in the State of Illinois without any control by Speaker Madigan - who employs all the staff writing and negotiating the bill - you are living in a fantasy land far away from Springfield. For Christian Mitchell to suggest otherwise is extraordinary.
I dunno. If I was a hair’s breadth away from an indictment over ComEd, I don’t think I’d go anywhere near that bill.
28 Comments
|
Home stretch for Census count
Monday, Aug 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* According to the US Census Bureau, Illinois ranked 7th in the nation for self-responses to the decennial count as of August 20th. Minnesota was first at 73.3 percent, Wisconsin was second at 70.5 percent and Illinois’ self-response rate was 69.1 percent. As you’ll see in a bit, though, the actual enumeration for Illinois is significantly higher.
From the Southern Illinoisan last week…
The Census response rate across Southern Illinois is abysmal, putting at risk millions of federal dollars for infrastructure improvements, education and social service programs. The low response rate could also dilute the region’s political representation in Congress and the state legislature as maps are redrawn following every decennial census count based on population.
As of Monday, only about 46% of Carbondale households had responded to the 2020 Census survey. The city estimates it loses about $1,600 for every person, per year that fails to respond — or $16,000 over a decade.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Carbondale Planning Director Chris Wallace, who also heads the Complete Count Committee. The census count concludes Sept. 30.
Carbondale isn’t the only community struggling on this front. Most Southern Illinois counties have a response rate significantly below that of the overall Illinois response rate of just shy of 69%. In Jackson County on the whole, the response rate to date is 56%. Three counties — Alexander, Pope and Hardin — have response rates under 50%. Hardin County’s is the lowest, with more than two-thirds of households not responding.
You can look up state and county self-response rates by clicking here.
* Capitol News Illinois…
The state’s 2010 census [self] response rate was 70.5 percent, giving organizers hope of passing that mark by the Sept. 30 deadline — a date recently moved forward one month by the Trump administration.
* Efforts are being made on the local level…
About one-third of Peoria households still have not responded to the federal census.
And with census takers ending their work on Sept. 30, a month earlier than previously planned, it’s getting down to crunch time — resulting in local officials trying to find new ways to reach residents and get them to respond to the once-a-decade national survey.
One plan involves recruiting volunteers to go out into neighborhoods themselves, supplementing existing door-to-door census takers, to boost the number of responses.
Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity, the local agency that’s serving as an outreach partner, is looking for such volunteers to go out for a few hours, likely on Saturday, Sept. 12, to do so.
* And…
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has issued an urgent call for census outreach volunteers to reach hard-to-count neighborhoods and boost participation in the once-in-a-decade population survey. […]
Illinois’ response rate — 69% — currently ranks No. 7 in the country, according to the federal bureau. Nearly 72% of Aurora households have responded. […]
Volunteers will fan out to 25 neighborhoods to bring reminders in both English and Spanish, starting Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Another round of outreach will begin 2 p.m. Sept. 25. Caputo will join volunteers on that date.
“We are moving beyond the online reminders and the postcards reminders to making the personal connection needed to bring home the point that we need a complete count,” Irvin said.
* The personal connection works…
Recent door-to-door efforts to collect Census information have significantly improved West Virginia’s response to the 10-year count.
While the “self-response” rate to the Census in West Virginia was just more than 55%, one of the lowest rates in the nation, the success of the recent door-to-door campaign has boosted the response rate to 84.5 percent. […]
The U.S. Census Household Response ranking has Idaho number one followed by West Virginia, Washington, Connecticut and Illinois the top five. A report shows 29.1% of West Virginia’s count has come in the follow-up personal contact category. [Emphasis added.]
According to that report, which is five days old, Illinois is at 81.1 percent enumerated.
* Related…
* Mail Delays Could Hurt The Census, Too
12 Comments
|
Get ready for a tsunami
Monday, Aug 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dan Vock for the Center for Illinois Politics…
In Ogle County, a rural area in northwestern Illinois, the clerk’s office has already received 4,000 applications for mail-in votes by late August, compared to roughly 750 two years ago, said County Clerk Laura Cook. The county hired extra staff to do data entry and process the ballot applications, she said.
To put that into context, about 23,000 Ogle County residents voted for president in 2016.
Whew.
Dan’s entire story is definitely worth a read, so click here.
17 Comments
|
* June 20th…
Rodney Davis has shifted on Trump since 2016. He said shortly before that election that he could not vote for Trump after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump talked of grabbing women. But he’s now an honorary co-chair of Trump’s Illinois campaign. […]
“I certainly hope the president is re-elected,” Davis said. “I think outside of this pandemic, we would have had historic economic growth. We would have continued (the) sustained, lowest unemployment levels in my lifetime. I believe that working with the president, we’ve enacted good policies.”
* August 22nd…
In a year of interesting political twists, here’s another one: U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, is an honorary co-chair of President Donald Trump’s campaign, but won’t say if he’ll vote to re-elect the president.
“I clearly chair the president’s campaign, but I’ve learned a valuable lesson from 2016,” Davis said on a recent edition of “The 21st,” an Illinois Public Media show hosted by Brian Mackey. “Unless you tell me who you’re going to vote for up and down the ballot, I’m going to exercise the same right you and every other American has to cast my vote in the privacy of the ballot box.” […]
His position about not revealing his coming vote for president hadn’t changed as of Friday, spokesman Aaron DeGroot said.
* Today…
Rep. Rodney Davis, an honorary co-chair of the Trump campaign, told Playbook through a spokesman Sunday that he “supports the president’s re-election.”
* Meanwhile…
Already political underdogs in a decidedly blue state, holding no statewide offices and serving as the minority party in a veto-proof Democratic legislature, the GOP had fears of seeing its ranks further diminished in legislative and congressional offices in November due to the controversial Trump.
But Republicans in the state have gained a modicum of momentum in recent weeks when House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also is the state Democratic Party chairman, was implicated in an alleged federal bribery scandal involving ComEd and Democratic infighting began over Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of looting and violent protests in Chicago amid racial strife.
“The Republican Party is really getting charged up over all the things going on in Illinois, not just the Chicago issues but the political issues, Springfield issues,” [Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar] said. “That’s getting people hyped up.” […]
Now, Republicans are scrambling to keep any momentum and deliver messaging particularly aimed at voters in the suburban collar counties that were once reliably Republican but have shifted ever increasingly toward Democrats.
* Also…
Former Gov. Jim Edgar joins a growing list of Republican leaders who are voting for Democrat Joe Biden over President Donald Trump.
“I think a president should be someone we can point to our children and say: ‘That’s someone we can respect,’” Edgar said when asked by Playbook who he was voting for in November. “I don’t agree with some of his policies, either. But the real issue is character. The president of the United States isn’t going to be perfect. But you don’t want to be embarrassed.”
Four years ago, Edgar would say only that he wasn’t voting for Trump. He wouldn’t say if he backed Hillary Clinton. This time, he’s taking a stand, following in the steps of former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who endorsed Biden last week at the Democratic National Convention.
“I know a lot of people say, ‘but look at the economy.’ Well, the economy wasn’t terrible before,” said Edgar, also ticking off Trump’s handling of Covid-19 and international relations as problematic. “I don’t trust Putin. And I don’t understand why [Trump’s relationship with the Russian president] doesn’t rattle Republicans more.”
48 Comments
|
Remembering JRT
Monday, Aug 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The late Jim Thompson was just 40 years old when he was first elected governor of Illinois in 1976. Rod Blagojevich was called a youthful politician, but he was 45 on the day he was elected governor. Jim Edgar was 44 in November 1990.
After serving 14 years as governor, longer than anyone else in Illinois history, Thompson was still just 54 years old the day he left office.
Thompson could’ve coasted on his reputation and lived a charmed life as a law firm rainmaker. Instead, he became chairman of Winston & Strawn and transformed it into the international legal powerhouse it is today.
Along the way, he served on the 9/11 Commission, chaired the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, did a little lobbying and argued numerous cases before the Illinois Supreme Court.
But his time as governor is what he’ll justifiably be most remembered for. He truly dominated Illinois, and the man was one of the best natural-born campaigners I’ve ever seen.
Thompson had the innate ability to wrap a blistering attack in a humorous coating. For instance, his 1982 opponent Adlai Stevenson III once complained that Thompson was treating him like “some kind of wimp.”
“I have never called Adlai Stevenson a wimp,” Thompson said to knowing laughter. “I don’t think he’s a wimp, whatever wimp means. Sun-Times called him a wimp, but I didn’t call him a wimp.”
Thompson just barely won that race, though the state was in the depths of the “Reagan recession.” Stevenson came back four years later, but Thompson had already adopted most of Stevenson’s best ideas from 1982 and Stevenson was obliterated after followers of Lyndon LaRouche created havoc by winning two statewide Democratic primaries. Like Barack Obama after him, Thompson’s opponents seemed to fall away on their own, but it was never that easy.
Thompson was a strong partisan on the campaign trail and with his innumerable patronage hires. He once said if two people were equally qualified to be a janitor, then he’d naturally prefer that a Republican was hired.
But he was a bipartisan dealmaker par excellence when it came to the General Assembly. Thompson and House Speaker Michael Madigan cooked up countless deals, with the new ballpark for the White Sox being the best known. When Senate President Phil Rock was having trouble with Madigan, Thompson would straighten things out.
When Senate Minority Leader Pate Philip wouldn’t take his calls, he physically barreled past Philip’s chief of staff and marched into the leader’s office and cleared the air.
The man knew how to handle people, and he knew how to pass a bill. And when he decided he wanted to be endorsed by both the AFL-CIO and the Illinois Chamber in his final reelection bid, he made it happen.
Gov. Richard Ogilvie helped move Illinois into modern times with a state income tax, but Thompson accelerated the process with his massive state building and construction programs. He traveled the world to attract businesses and was instrumental in opening a new automobile assembly plant in McLean County. He fathered the state’s nuclear energy program, which is still a cornerstone of our economy.
Along the way, he mentored countless people and helped even more with their careers. After convicting former Gov. Otto Kerner as U.S. attorney, Thompson argued strenuously for his early prison release on health grounds. He was, in a word, a mensch.
Thompson was a lover of art, a lover of knowledge and a lover of people.
All that being said, some of Thompson’s actions created a burdensome legacy for Illinois. Back in the 1970s, state retirees who’d worked for decades were stuck with tiny pensions that couldn’t possibly keep up with rampant inflation. Thompson eventually pushed through a compounded annual cost of living pension increase that has since driven the state’s finances into a deep pit because the benefit increases were never properly funded.
And during his years in office, the state budget did not nearly keep pace with the need for more money for K-12 schools, a habit that has continued to this day and has caused huge property tax hikes.
I do not think he knew how much the pension change would cost, and just about every politician loves pandering to the elderly. And Illinois still had fairly reasonable property taxes at the time.
Whatever. I could never hold a grudge against that man. I respected him, warts and all. Rest in peace, Big Jim.
There was an error in the original version of this column. Retirement income was exempted from the state income tax before Thompson came to office. I mistakenly thought he was responsible. Heck, we even talked about it a few years ago for a column. Anyway, sorry about that.
15 Comments
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
