Unsolicited advice
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dear Gov. Quinn,
Please, don’t say stuff like this…
“God has, I guess, seen fit to see that I’m governor.”
Patrick Fitzgerald is a lot of things, but God he ain’t.
* Dear elected officials with Internet sites,
Please, read this Chicago Public Radio blog post…
Almost every politician I stumbled across had a “news” or “recent news” section. That’s a great service for the constituent. But if you do have that category, please update! In a very informal survey, 9 out of 10 sites did not update. State Representative Tom Cross has a big picture of his family and a banner exclaiming “Happy Holidays”. It’s late March Mr. Cross.
* Dear Gov. Quinn (again),
Your embrace of your old pal and former Blagojevich budget czar John Filan is simply beyond comprehension. Want more proof that you need to distance yourself from this man? How about this new Auditor General’s report on the Illinois State Police’s Division of Forensic Services, which concluded that, as AnimalFarm says, “case backlogs are up while the number of forensic scientists and trainees is down and more than a million dollars in federal grant funding was allowed to lapse”…
While [Illinois State Police] has notifed the Governor’s Office of backlog and and staffing needs, the Governor’s Office has not allowed ISP to replace lost headcount. Failure to maintain necessary staffing levels results in cases remaining unsolved and serial criminals could remain free to commit additional crimes.
Filan’s a bean counter who too often just doesn’t understand the consequences of his bean counting.
* Dear 19th Warders,
Calling off the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade next year is probably a good idea to let the craziness cool out. But check out Kadner and Tridgell for some much-needed perspective before you put the permanent kibosh on the event.
* Your turn…
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Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
Video poker machines at taverns, restaurants and fraternal clubs throughout the state could pay out winnings legally under a measure pending in the Illinois House.
The legislation would allow every tavern and restaurants with a liquor license to have three machines that would be tied into a centralized system to track income. Fraternal organizations, such as the Elks and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, would be able to have five machines in their facilities.
State Rep. Frank Mautino said by taxing something that is currently being done under the table, the state could generate $300 million in revenue that would help fund construction of schools.
“They are there and turning your head doesn’t do any good for anyone,” said Mautino, D-Spring Valley, who is sponsoring the legislation. “We’ll take what comes in and use it for areas most in need.”
Anti-gambling groups call the proposal a massive expansion of gambling.
“It’s illegal, and if you legalize it then more people will participate,” said gambling opponent Anita Bedell of the Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems.
* The Question: Good idea or not? Explain.
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Dems encouraging GOP circular firing squad
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As subscribers already know, the House Executive Committee attached hostile Democratic amendments yesterday to two GOP-sponsored open primary bills. The amendments are identical to SB 600, which is legislation backed by Republican insurgents to force a popular vote to elect GOP state central committee members. The state party, you will recall, is completely and unalterably opposed to the “reform” proposal, which is backed in the Senate by conservative state Sen. Chris Lauzen.
The amendments’ HDem sponsor explains his rationale, with tongue planted firmly in cheek…
“I’m trying to give the Republican Party what it has insisted for the last six or eight weeks it wants: open and transparent elections,” said Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat who pushed for the change.
Lang, of course, was referring to GOP demands that a special election be held to force Blagojevich-appointed US Sen. Roland Burris out of office.
* The GOP reaction…
Rep. Michael Tryon, a Crystal Lake Republican, said political parties are private organizations that should have the right to self-governance, and it would be “very wrong” for one political party to dictate to another how to operate.
Rep. Skip Saviano, an Elmwood Park Republican who also is a Republican State Central Committee members, said the Democratic leadership flat out is trying to retaliate against Republicans for calling them out on inconsistencies over how to handle Burris’ controversial appointment. It also would kick the GOP when it’s already down, when they hold minorities in both chambers and don’t hold a single constitutional office. “This is an attempt to keep the Republican Party in disarray,” Saviano said to Lang during a House committee this morning.
Saviano said there’s been a longstanding agreement that each political party could conduct its own business. “Now, they’ve crossed the line.”
Then again, the numbers favor the Democrats, which have enough votes to send the bill to the Senate without a single Republican vote. “If they want it to be a done deal, Democrats could pass it and hijack the Republican Party,” Saviano said. “I mean, that’s what this is all about.”
Thoughts?
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More trouble in paradise
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Apparently, there are some problems with approving Gov. Quinn’s nominee to run the Illinois State Police. Jonathon Monken is 29 and has no police experience, which isn’t going down too well…
Gov. Pat Quinn faces his first fight with state senators over a Cabinet nominee because the Iraq war veteran he nominated to lead the Illinois State Police has no experience as a policeman in Illinois. […]
But state Sen. Tony Munoz (D-Chicago), who chairs the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, said Monken’s military leadership does not outweigh his lack of police experience.
Munoz, who is on leave from the Chicago Police Department, and other senators commended Monken’s military experience but maintained he did not now have enough support from senators to win committee approval.
* And as if the guv doesn’t already have enough problems with AFSCME, there’s this, which I told subscribers about last week…
The union that represents Illinois prison workers is vowing to fight Gov. Pat Quinn’s plans to cut prison spending by about $65 million by changing work hours for guards and ending several programs. […]
Quinn also wants to make security staff work 12-hour shifts for three or four days each week on an alternating schedule. Those employees now work five eight-hour shifts per week.
DOC estimates the new schedule would cut overtime costs from $61 million this year to $13.1 million next year. That would help the agency hire 183 additional workers and give employees already working 12-hour and 16-hour shifts more flexibility.
A spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 calls 12-hour shifts an accounting trick that merely “redefines what is currently considered overtime as straight time.”
* Meanwhile, the SJ-R comes out in support of something I’ve been pushing for at least a year…
Quinn and legislators could craft a more gradual, realistic [pension] payment schedule beyond 2045, which would reduce the annual payments. If they do, the plan should be more akin to a fixed-rate mortgage, avoiding severe spikes in payments.
The 2045 goal of reaching full funding for the state’s pension systems is not something handed down from God. It’s just a goal, created by humans. Move the goalposts back ten or twenty years (or more, for all I care) and we can lower the state’s annual payments.
* Related…
* Quinn wants to do away with cost-of-living increases for top officials
* Gov. investigating ‘midnight’ pay raises
* Gov. Quinn To Reopen Historic Sites
* Business leaders urge Quinn not to hurt job creation
* Quinn’s budget a starting point; work to be done
* Committee To Reduce Comes Up With Nothing
* Deficit panel wrap-up: 4 weeks, no proposals
* Panel can’t find state budget solutions
* Starting points, but no consensus, yet
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*** UPDATE *** Natasha Korecki says the indictment won’t happen today…
It’s no secret a federal grand jury is expected to return a formal indictment against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
But it won’t be today.
With an April 7 deadline looming, that leaves next week — likely Thursday — the day the grand jury considering evidence against Blagojevich and others meets.
Prosecutors could ask for an extension — but I’m told that won’t happen.
Sources say that prosecutors are calling witnesses back for the third and fourth time tying up small, final details.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* I told subscribers about this possibility the other day…
Sneed hears a federal grand jury may be asked to indict Blagojevich, his wife, Patti, and his brother Robert today.
• • Translation: “The indictment is expected either today or when the grand jury meets again next Thursday,” said a Sneed source.
• • The big question: Will the feds ask for an extension?
• • Response: “I don’t know whether it’s legal help Blagojevich needs . . . or Lourdes,” said a top eagle.
• • Postscript: In case you didn’t know, Lourdes is a Catholic grotto in France known for miracles.
Could be today, could be next Thursday. We’ll all know soon enough. It’s just too bad the indictment wasn’t handed down yesterday during Blagojevich’s loathesome appearance on WLS Radio…
WLS Program Director Bob Shomper said listener response he received was “lopsided” along the lines of Blagojevich’s approval ratings, but that “you’ve got to take a few risks in life - and in business too,” adding, “The opportunity outweighed the risks big time.”
Whatever. I can’t imagine that many advertisers want to be associated with that clown. WLS ought to be ashamed of itself. This goes beyond a publicity stunt. Quite a few people believe Blagojevich is attempting to use his public appearances to “taint” the region’s jury pool, so WLS could be seen as aiding and abetting any such scheme.
* Related…
* Governor a conspirator? Not this one
* Rod Blagojevich, media star: 2-hour stint on WLS used to attack Quinn
* Dueling governors: Rod Blagojevich, Pat Quinn snipe at each other on the radio
* Blagojevich: ‘I was hijacked from office’
* Quinn: Blagojevich’s Radio Debut Full of Fairy Tales
* Radio Rod: Ex-governor hosts local talk show
* A guide to Blago-cabulary
* Schoenburg: Blagojevich’s need for attention trumps good sense
* Attorney Terence Gillespie joins Blagojevich team
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VanillaMan surfaces
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve often pondered the identity of regular commenter VanillaMan, he of conservative wit and bizarro-good songwriting abilities. A couple of weeks ago, I thought I had figured it out.
I was pretty proud of myself until yesterday, when the “real” VanillaMan showed up to the Illinois 2.0 forum which I helped host. He wasn’t the person I thought he was…
Sorry for the poor pic quality, but we still need to keep his identity a secret. He’s way cuter than his arch-nemesis “Bill,” by the way.
Anyway, VanillaMan is a good guy and we had a very enjoyable conversation. He also got to meet a few other regulars from the blog, so I think he had a lot of fun as well.
* Thanks to all for showing up yesterday. We had a great crowd and the audience participation made the program far more interesting and informative - kinda like the comments here.
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Morning Shorts
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Pension funds may not cooperate on subpoena
Trustees for at least two city pension funds are considering stonewalling Chicago’s inspector general over a subpoena for records involving their investments with a company co-owned by one of Mayor Daley’s nephews.
The funds invested millions of dollars in DV Urban Realty Partners, founded by Daley nephew Robert Vanecko and Allison Davis, a mayoral supporter whose law firm once employed Barack Obama.
The police fund has committed $15 million to DV Urban Realty, which has drawn $5 million of that so far. The investment has dwindled as the economy has tanked.
Many officers and detectives are outraged by the investment, which they view as a political favor to Daley’s family. Officer Mike Shields was recently elected as a trustee on a platform criticizing the deal.
* Ill. officials OK $69M rate hike for Nicor
The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved a $69 million rate hike for Nicor Inc., which distributes natural gas to more than 2 million northern Illinois customers.
An ICC spokeswoman says it means about a $2 to $3 monthly increase for residential customers.
* CUB to Appeal Nicor Rate Hike
* Economy dips at slightly faster 6.3 percent pace
* More than 5.5 million are getting jobless benefits
* Chicago parking meters: City rushes to fix meters and bill the company that leased them
* Amtrak has stimulus funds heading to Chicago
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $1.3 billion for Amtrak projects nationwide. The money will go toward hundreds of initiatives, including modernizing train-repair shops, improving security at Amtrak stations and spending almost $91 million to rehabilitate damaged locomotives and train coaches and return them to service, officials said.
Some of the restored trains would be put into service in Illinois, where double-digit ridership gains have been recorded on many routes recently and seats often sell out.
Almost $50 million will be used to improve Amtrak’s Chicago maintenance facilities and terminal near Union Station, officials said
* Amtrak in Ill. to get $80 million
* Mortgage fraud probe snares Southland residents
* 30% of contracts may go to women, minorities
Minorities and women would be guaranteed a combined 30 percent of Olympic construction contracts — and at least 20 percent of Olympic Village units would be made affordable — under a community benefits agreement hammered out Wednesday.
The deal includes no guarantee of Olympic jobs for community residents.
* Police union may picket City Hall during Olympic visit
The FOP is thinking about conducting informational picketing April 2 to protest the Daley administration’s recent decision to pull an offered raise of 16.1 percent over five years. The union also is upset Mayor Daley came to Police Supt. Jody Weis’ defense after the FOP gave him a no-confidence vote last week.
* Olympic committee visit: Chicago police union may picket during IOC visit
* 2016 Olympics: Chicago faces controversy before big pitch
The extent to which the rancor may damage Chicago’s bid remains to be seen, with much depending on how the dispute plays out, said Robert Livingstone, producer of GamesBids.com, which this week ranked Chicago last of the four bids.
But, he said, “there will be negative repercussions, there has to be.”
* Chicago Olympic team practices for big game
* Mayor shouldn’t duck tough questions
* Where in the world is Mayor Daley?
* Atty. Gen. Madigan takes on Dish Network
* Scott Reeder — Books and guns, and politicians’ last wishes
* 2 inches of snow possible Saturday
* Peoria could be forced to raise taxes
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This article comes at an appropriate time since I’ll be speaking later today about the Intertubes, social media and politics. It’s entitled “Campaign Web sites a must, even for local races,” and looks at the Bloomington area for examples…
Tari Renner, another Bloomington mayor candidate, said Web sites allow candidates to “communicate with people more effectively. You still need the day-to-day, face-to-face contact with constituents, especially in local races,” he said.
Bloomington Mayor Steve Stockton said a Web site is a nice supplement.
“(Residents) can find information about a candidate and communicate ideas to a candidate. But I don’t think it’s a substitute for face-to-face contact,” he said.
Like Renner and Stockton, Normal Mayor Chris Koos had a Web site for previous elections, but this year’s is much more sophisticated.
“This is more interactive, you can donate and see video,” Koos said. “You need to do it. Most people are comfortable with the Internet and it’s a good way to get a lot of information to people.” […]
Redfield said the quality of the Web site is important — especially since younger voters have a sophisticated set of criteria. Candidates also need to avoid being overly aggressive with e-mails and text messages.
“There’s no question is going to continue to grow … they’re going to get more sophisticated,” he said.
* The Question: What would you tell a candidate about setting up his or her Website and social media outreach efforts? Not only what they should do, but what they should avoid.
And please put some serious thought into your responses so I can use them later today. Thanks much.
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Chicago’s toxic political brew
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Most of the Chicago media focused on Mayor Daley’s awkward press conference yesterday where he kinda sorta apologized for the Al Sanchez conviction and dodged reporters’ questions about what he knew about illegal patronage hiring and when he knew it…
* Chicago Mayor Richard Daley Takes Questions from Reporters on Sanchez
* Daley on hiring fraud: ‘I am sorry’
* Clean it up, Mayor …
* Mayor Daley Deflects Questions Regarding Sanchez
* Brown: Still refusing to explain city patronage
* Politics Explained. The not so ‘accessible’ mayor
* Fitzgerald on Hiring Fraud: Don’t Trivialize the Harm
* But Carol Marin writes a second column this week about the humungous parking meter rates negotiated by Daley…
Your raging e-mails came roaring in after my Sunday column, in which I noted what you apparently noticed, too. That suddenly there are scads of empty metered parking s-p-a-c-e-s downtown where cars just a month ago were bumper to bumper. Could this, I asked, signal a citizen boycott, or was boycott too strong a word?
“Personally, I’m in full boycott mode,” replied a computer consultant who does business in the city. “I’ll stand on my head to . . . spare myself an onsite visit if street parking is involved.” […]
Mayor Daley was quoted in the Tribune a couple of days ago as saying, “Let’s not blame this new company. There will be complaints, but like anything else, they will get to those complaints.”
They don’t seem to be in much of a hurry, mayor.
She ended her column with this…
In 1979, lousy snow removal sparked a voter rebellion and booted a mayor.
Could parking meters be the new snow?
* CBS2 also has a report…
CBS 2 called the company, too; twice to New York, another to Chicago. They didn’t call back. We also called the city. They called back but basically said, ‘not our meters anymore, not our problem anymore.’
Enter a guy who calls himself ‘Mike The Parking Ticket Geek.’ He contacted us via Twitter and showed us his website, theexpiredmeter.com, which he used to give people advice on how to beat parking tickets. The site has become a lightning rod for peoples’ complaints about the new rates and operators.
Mike says the people who are writing to him have a sense of “anger, frustration, rage in some cases.”
To the point where some, it appears, are vandalizing the meters. Pictures on Mike’s website show meters deliberately smashed, taken apart, spray-painted, or deliberately jammed.
As I’ve written before, Chicago and Cook County voters are willing to put up with political shenanigans, but they’ve also demanded sound governmental decisions. That doesn’t seem to be happening any longer. High taxes, high fees, unresponsive, bloated and corrupt government are all combining into a toxic political brew.
But do you think it will make any difference?
Still, Bill Daley might wanna take this job offer rather than run statewide in such an environment…
• • To wit: Sneed hears rumbles [Bill] Daley may become the next U.S. ambassador to China.
• • The backshot: Daley, who has been eyeing a bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 2010, may be on President Obama’s short list for the ambassador’s post.
• • The upshot: If Daley decides not to run for the Senate, it provides a clearer track for state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who’s already formed an exploratory committee for the Senate race.
• • Postscript: Sneed also is told Daley is also planning to wed his fiancee, Bernie Keller, some time this spring.
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Honeymoon sunset?
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The state constitution is pretty limited on how it can be amended by popular referendum. So, this threat by Gov. Quinn to gather petitions to amend the constitution to require campaign donation limits is mostly empty rhetoric, but it won’t go unnoticed at the Statehouse…
“The Legislature should know that if they don’t pass sufficient reforms to clean up politics, this governor — and, I think, the people at large — will take matters into their own hands,” Quinn said in an exclusive interview with the Post-Dispatch.
Quinn predicted that “a ‘clean-government’ constitutional amendment” limiting campaign contributions would be “enthusiastically received by the public” in the wake of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s ouster in January for alleged corruption. […]
“Until May 31 (the end of the regular legislative session), the ball’s in the legislative court,” Quinn said. “If on that day … we come up with something that’s insufficient … then, in the summer, fall, we’ll have to go to the people. And I think legislators should all be aware of that. I’m not here to run in place.”
The response…
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown on Tuesday noted that contribution limits are still under consideration by the committee, but he also reiterated the concerns. “Can you show me an instance where limits have turned a crook into an honest man?” Brown asked.
Ironically enough, Quinn was in Collinsville for a fundraiser to retire old debt from his 1996 US Senate campaign.
* Meanwhile, this story doesn’t go into the angle, but several legislators are quite upset about these closures…
A decision by the Illinois Department of Human Services to close its longstanding office here in the seat of tiny Stark County has provoked shock and outrage from city and county officials.
“It is disappointing that the state of Illinois makes these types of decisions that affect taxpayers without any consultation from the local communities that this office serves,” said Toulon Mayor Kyle Ham. “With this decision, the entire county will be without essential services for those who need it the most.”
Numerous downstate office are on the chopping block.
* And Gov. Quinn’s proposed sales tax expansion is starting to gain more notice…
Illinoisans suffering from dry, flaky scalps and chafing rashes could soon find themselves paying a bit more for shampoos and lotions on store shelves touting relief.
Drinks like iced tea and Starbucks beverages found in stores could cost more, too.
It’s part of Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed overhaul of state sales tax laws that impose a 1 percent rate on shampoos and other hygiene products promising to provide relief, while similar products are hit with the full 6.25 percent state sales tax.
* As are his proposed DNR fees…
If paying a little extra is necessary to keep the park open, Davis said he would be willing to purchase a season pass but thought $5 per car was too expensive.
* And this Blagojevich-style response probably won’t go over too well…
A dozen officials at the Illinois Department of Transportation got raises averaging $6,000 a year during the waning days of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration, even as the state drowned in debt, The Associated Press found.
The raises - the largest amounting to an 11.5 percent increase, or nearly $10,000 - came on top of a routine cost-of-living boost most IDOT employees received Jan. 1. They took effect Jan. 16, two weeks before new Gov. Pat Quinn replaced Blagojevich, who was thrown out of office amid corruption allegations.
IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said the raises were necessary to keep “seasoned management and staff” on board. The agency’s personnel chief and director of finance and administration were among the managers who got the extra money.
IDOT officials initially denied anyone at the agency had received a bonus. Then the agency wouldn’t comment, saying Quinn’s office was handling all salary matters.
* Related…
* House passess bill to prevent appointing big donors to state boards
* State falls behind on its CWLP bill
* Ralph Martire: Quinn has allies in fight to reform tax structure
* Will the “cutting committee” cut much?
* State Capitol Q&A: Quinn’s first budget proposes bold cuts
* Quinn Pitches Plan To Make State Pay Its Bills
* Editorial — Time to pay up
* Illinois Jobs in Jeopardy if Tax Hike Used to Camouflage Spending Problem
* WIU hopeful, but prepared for Illinois budget
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Morning Shorts
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Feds probe Cicero cops
Federal authorities are investigating several Cicero police officers for allegedly trying to thwart FBI agents running surveillance on an Outfit associate and high-ranking member of the Outlaws motorcycle gang who ran a pawn shop in town, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Cicero police allegedly ran car license plates, pulled over cars they suspected were driven by federal agents and tried to find hidden surveillance cameras around the business of Mark Polchan, according to recently unsealed court records. Polchan is awaiting trial on charges he bombed a business for the Outfit.
* SJ-R Opinion: Shatter state police’s culture of secrecy
* Prisoners returned to Pontiac Prison
* Illinois February jobless rate hits 8.6 percent
* Big Jump in Illinois Unemployment
The unemployment rate in Illinois has increased at a historic pace. That’s according to a jobless report out Tuesday.
* Ill. unemployment at 17-year high
* Illinois’ unemployment rate reaches highest level since 1983
* ‘Thousands’ line up to apply for 300 hotel jobs
* St. John’s to lay off 38 employees, reduce costs in other areas
* Hog cooperative files for bankruptcy
* Catering firm closes doors after loans called
* Stays at rescue mission’s homeless shelter increase 20 percent
* City to help Chicagoans find out if eligible for foreclosure assistance
“We want to help homeowners get into affordable, sustainable fixed-rate mortgages,” Mayor Daley said of the event co-sponsored by the city and two not-for-profit groups, the MacArthur Foundation and Neighborhood Housing Services.
Last year, Chicago was hit with 20,592 foreclosure filings, a 48 percent increase over 2007. If properties remain vacant, they can have a “devastating impact” on the surrounding neighborhood, the mayor said.
City Hall estimates that as many as 8,000 Chicagoans whose homes are in foreclosure will be eligible for the federal program.
* Hard times affect health care
* Highland makes deal for oil pipeline under Silver Lake
* Chicago Tribune, LA Times merge foreign ops
* State gets ‘A’ for teen protection measure
A teenager in Illinois who feels threatened by a significant other, a parent or anyone for that matter may turn to the courts and file an order of protection.
Over the past six years, hundreds of teens, both male and female, in Peoria, Woodford and Tazewell counties have taken advantage of the state law that allows them to obtain protection orders just like adults.
Illinois is one of only a handful of states that have responded to teen dating violence with this law, an advocacy group stated in a national survey.
* Children’s health: Will County a focal point of national study
* Chicago gun violence: Feds warn against straw purchases
* Municipal candidates rake in campaign bucks
* Money makes Aurora’s campaign go ’round
* Workers welcome layoff delays as candidates open fire on Mayor Stockton
* Chicago’s Olympics team prepares for its big pitch
* Chicago 2016 gives glimpse plan
* Time to give up fight, OK Chatham Wal-Mart
* Chicago Police Using Military Style Rifles
The Chicago Police Department continues to move forward with a plan to equip rank-and-file officers with rifles that were originally designed for military use. Chicago, like other big cities and some smaller towns, has made such weapons available to tactical officers. Now they’d go to cops on the beat. Superintendent Jody Weis says around 500 officers have gone through the training that allows them to use the semi-automatic gun on duty. One group of young people has continually opposed giving Chicago cops the increased firepower, but they’ve not had much luck changing Weis’ mind. WBEZ’s Robert Wildeboer reports on the stalemate and the powerful weapon that’s behind it.
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Radio daze
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Did anyone listen to Rod Blagojevich on WLS this morning? I caught part of it. Usual stuff. Forgot to put up a live blog post. Oops.
So, post-show thoughts?
* Related…
* Blago: It’s alive! It speaks! It’s on the radio!
* Is Rod Blagojevich talking too much?
* Blagojevich blasts Quinn’s income tax plans while hosting radio show
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