Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Actually, you can continue to comment, but your sage ramblings won’t show up on the blog until Monday morning.

Meanwhile, our group blog Illinoize is in charge.

Below the Illinoize feed are the YouTube items we’ve been featuring today from the Governor’s Thursday press conference. I bumped them to the top at the request of a good pal.

Video 1 from Governor Blagojevich’s Thursday press availability:

Video 2 from the governor’s Thursday press availability:

Brief excerpt: Gov. Blagojevich has serious difficulty answering questions on “the check” …

Another brief excerpt: Gov. Blagojevich spars with the Chicago Tribune reporter who broke the “check” story in the first place …

Scroll down for lots more.

Also, I never did post what the Illinois Times wrote about the blog this week.

For those in the Land of Lincoln with a political sweet tooth, Millerâ€™s blog is like a candy store, chockfull of tasty morsels of news from every corner of the state â€” with a few nuts sprinkled in. Arguably the most important site for Illinois political observers, the Capitol Fax blog is more of a news portal than traditional Web logs in which you mainly â€œhearâ€ the siteâ€™s author. On â€œyour Illinois news radar,â€ the voice of Capitol Fax publisher and Illinois Times columnist Rich Miller is but a faint blip. Miller is humble â€” during this springâ€™s gubernatorial primaries he turned down an invitation to predict the outcomes, saying that prognosticators set themselves up to look like fools â€” and for that reason we think Capitol Fax is a shoo-in for next yearâ€™s award, as well.

1 Comment

Debate outlines stark differences

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

It would be impossible to claim that these candidates are indistinguishable.

Sixth Congressional District candidates Peter Roskam and Tammy Duckworth disagreed on literally every issue during their first debate today.

Whether it was war, immigration, taxes, stem cells or Social Security, Republican state senator Roskam and Democratic Army veteran Tammy Duckworth had little common ground and werenâ€™t afraid to mix it up, either.

â€œNeither one of us are the shy, retiring type,â€ said Hoffman Estatesâ€™ Duckworth during the debate co-sponsored by WBBM-AM radio and the Daily Herald.

Roskam took Duckworth to task for what he says is a â€œcut and runâ€ strategy on Iraq of wanting to start bringing back U.S. troops as their Iraqi counterparts are trained. But Duckworth fired right back that Roskam essentially supports giving the Bush administration a blank check on the war.

18 Comments

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I don’t often do these sorts of things, but a very special fundraiser will be held this Sunday evening at Foyd’s to honor the late Dr. Catherine Speedie.

You can click on the pic below for a larger image. I’ll be there and if you’re in Springfield I hope you will, too.

Comments Off

John G steps down

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

This development has been expected for a while now.

Long-time Rock Island County Democratic party leader John Gianulis will retire from his position in Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration to focus entirely on his duties with the county organization.

Mr. Gianulis, who was considered instrumental in electing Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2002, informed the governor Monday that he would retire as deputy director of intergovernmental relations and personnel effective Sept. 30.

He said his retirement is not linked to a federal investigation of the governor’s administration. Mr. Gianulis was questioned by attorneys for the Illinois Inspector General earlier this year, before the investigation into Gov. Blagojevich’s hiring practices was taken over by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago.

The grind of heading the county Democratic party and working in Springfield, and traveling between the Quad-Cities and the capital, was too much, he said.

I don’t doubt that. But resigning in the middle of a _storm will always raise more questions than can be answered.

Also, as a commenter just pointed out, the governor’s office didn’t comment on John G’s retirement.

The reason I highlighted that last point is because I had heard his retirement party is at the governor’s mansion.

…And here’s the statement from the guv’s office:

John began in state government in 1961, left in 1981 and returned in January 2003. Heâ€™s had a long career that he can be proud of and we wish him nothing but the best.

I’ll bet he does.

25 Comments

Brutal *** Updated x1 ***

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

As OneMan points out, the exchange beginning at 2:12 in video one is really something to see.

Reporter: Do you write that kind of check to anybody? Do you, yourself, give anybody $1500?

Governor: Over the years, yes I have.

Reporter: At one time, do you give someone, a seven or eight-year-old $1500?

Governor: You’re asking me to, to uh, you’re asking me a question have I, have I what?

Reporter: Have you yourself, you have said you exchanged gifts, do you yourself write a check to a friend, or a niece, nephew for $1500 when they’re seven or eight years old?

Just go see it. The dramatic pauses, the anger in the reporter’s voice, the silence from the other scribes as she interrogates the governor is a dramatic sight to behold.

[The clip below is only the above exchange.]

*** UPDATE *** Tribune reporter John Chase broke the infamous “check story” a couple of weeks ago. Go to 3:08 in video two and see a testy governor try to give Chase the brush-off by pointing out that Beverly Ascaridis claims the Trib fabricated and botched the story.

For those of you who don’t remember, Ascaridis released a statement after the Trib’s first Sunday edition hit the street claiming she was misquoted and never said some of the things that the Tribune reported. The Tribune stood by its story.

Chase breaks in as the governor was claiming the check probably came in an envelope for his other daughter’s christening, contrary to his original story.

Chase: This is a birthday gift for Amy right?

Governor: They’re gonna ask me questions. I want to answer questions.

Chase: I want to make sure…

Governor: She’s questioning your facts, so you should get your facts right. She has raised questions about your facts and your integrity.

Man, that’s a dangerous game to play. No way did Chase make up that story. No way.

As I wrote in this morning’s Capitol Fax, the Tribune should release the tape of the interview with Mrs. Ascaridis. Let’s get the cards on the table.

[The clip below is only the above exchange.]

122 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Probes; 2 percent reserve; Geo; Judges; Syverson; Lake; Granberg; Target feed (Use all CAPS in password) *** Updated x1 ***

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

Question of the day

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

How did you first get interested in politics?

73 Comments

Baksheesh

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Bumped up for discussion purposes.]

This Sun-Times story tracks nicely with my Sun-Times column. First the story…

The feds are investigating two New York political fund-raising trips made by Gov. Blagojevich to see if East Coast donors were illegally nudged ahead in line for state business, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

This is the first indication the government is zeroing in on face-to-face discussions Blagojevich had with donors as it probes alleged corruption in his administration and the Teachers’ Retirement System of Illinois.

A source familiar with the investigation said the feds are looking at three law firms placed on a preferred list of outside lawyers that TRS could hire. The three firms have donated more than $120,000 to the governor, including donations that came at the New York events.

“They were admitted to a very exclusive club, and one case could make you millions,” the source said.

Read the whole thing. If this story is right, then the governor is in a lot more legal trouble than most people thought. Also, keep in mind that both of those New York trips were financed by Stu Levine, who is expected to plead guily about a week before the November election.

Now, a small excerpt from my column.

My wife is an Assyrian Christian born and raised in Iraq. Over there, they have a word for that check. “Baksheesh.” It’s more than a tip, but not quite a bribe.

40 Comments

Not a good day for the guv *** Updated x1 ***

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Let’s see… where to begin? The beauty of covering Gov. Blagojevich is that there’s always something. Always.

The guv dissed the Tribune’s John Chase during his press conference yesterday and the Trib story piled it on high.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich acknowledged Thursday he helped get a state job for a friend whose husband wrote a $1,500 check to the governor’s daughter, but said it was “ludicrous” to suggest the job and gift were connected.

Blagojevich also offered a new, contradictory explanation for the check in his first detailed comments since the Tribune reported two weeks ago that the FBI is investigating the woman’s allegation that the gift may have come in return for her job. […]

“And (I) suggested to my chief of staff to see if he can find something that fits her qualifications,” Blagojevich said. “That’s all I know.”

I noticed last night when watching the full video that he didn’t say the word “I” when he talked about passing along her name to Lon Monk. Anyway, back to the story.

But on Thursday, the governor said he wasn’t sure what the money was for and suggested it could have been a christening present for his youngest child, Annie, who was born in April 2003.

The christening was in Springfield, ~~and I believe if memory serves it was during the legislative session. So if the check was written in August or September (the guv mentioned September yesterday) then it wasn’t for a christening.~~. Memory did not serve. The christening was in August.

The Trib also has a separate story entitled “Key statements in controversy.”

Reporter: What account did the check go in?

Blagojevich: We disclose all of that. And the disclosures show that all of the kids’ money for college goes into a mutual fund for college.

The Tribune then tossed in an editorial for good measure, “Pay for play(time).”

Even if everyone accepts that the Ascaridises are so fond of the Blagojevich children that they wanted to give about two weeks of Beverly’s pay to the little ones, there are loads of other questions about this.

- The job was located in Whiteside County, 130 miles from the Ascaridis home in Chicago. But it was transferred to DuPage County shortly after Ascaridis got it. “I don’t even know where Whiteside County is,” Beverly Ascaridis told the Tribune. Who profited from that sleight of hand? The people of the state or the governor’s buddy?

- Did a military veteran lose out because of this deal? The state inspector general has reported that the Blagojevich administration has gotten around state rules that give hiring preference to veterans by hiring people in rural counties, where few veterans apply for jobs, and then moving the jobs elsewhere. (Whiteside County has about 60,000 people.)

- Why did Blagojevich file a 2003 ethics statement, then amend it in 2005 to include Michael and Beverly Ascaridis as having given gifts of more than $500?

And the Sun-Times editorial page jabbed the guv for yet another atrocious auditor general report.

If Gov. Blagojevich is counting on making his prescription drug program part of his re-election plank, he should reconsider. A report from Illinois Auditor General William Holland shows the drug program, as well as the governor’s efforts to buy flu shots in 2004, may not be anything to brag about. Both of the programs broke federal laws, the report concludes. Both had significant management lapses. Both failed to meet expectations. Neither is a good example of government at work.

The Ascaridis story and the ISaveRX stories are connected. On Wednesday, the governor defiantly vowed to continue violating federal drug importation laws. Yesterday, he claimed Topinka’s campaign was violating a minor state election law and said something to the effect of “it’s the law.”

I sometimes think that the man has no self-awareness at all.

*** UPDATE *** If you go to the 1:22 mark in video one, the governor says this:

“Now, let me be clear, the law is the law. The law, L-A-W, requires full disclosures on campaign finance reports.”

19 Comments

The full Monty

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Bumped up for discussion purposes.]

The Topinka campaign uploaded video to YouTube of the governor’s Thursday press conference. Part one is here. Part two is here.

In watching the videos, I think the lesson here is never leave the impression with Chicago political reporters that you’re ignoring them, disrespecting them or dodging them. Only Daley can get away with that.

While we’re talking about raw video, the complete debate at the Tribune Towers between Todd Stroger and Tony Peraica can be found here

30 Comments

Raid details emerge

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

First the city, then the state and then Cook County. Most of Illinois is now under federal receivership.

Let’s start with the Sun-Times:

FBI agents raided at least seven Cook County offices Thursday morning looking for evidence that officials were illegally doctoring tests or otherwise cheating to give government jobs and promotions to politically connected applicants. […]

FBI agents also appeared at Stroger Hospital, Oak Forest Hospital, the downtown Cook County Forest Preserve offices, Provident Hospital, Cermak Hospital and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center to serve subpoenas for records.

The subpoena served on the Forest Preserve District requested information on employees whose hires were supposed to be free from political influence, said spokesman Steve Mayberry.

County attorney Laura Lechowicz Felicione said the other subpoenas and the search warrant served on the Human Resources Department sought the same information, though she refused to provide copies.

And the Tribune:

The investigation, quietly under way since late last year, burst dramatically into public view Thursday morning. The flurry of activity indicated that federal prosecutors are now taking a hard look at clout and hiring in Cook County, even as they are investigating state hiring by the Blagojevich administration and city hiring by the Daley administration.
[…]

The subpoenas seek documents related to “non-exempt” jobs, Steele said. Under a court order known as the Shakman decree, those positions are supposed to be filled on the basis of qualifications, not political influence.

11 Comments

Morning shorts

Friday, Sep 22, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* “The Illinois Department of Transportationâ€™s claim that cost overruns on a Chicago expressway wonâ€™t hurt downstate projects is being met with skepticism.”

* “Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), a potential mayoral candidate, on Thursday called the plan to build an Olympic stadium in Washington Park a political ploy, criticizing Mayor Richard Daley for what he said has been Daley’s long wait to help the South Side.”

* Krol: Voters will judge these episodes from Roskamâ€™s past

* “While they say they support a locally pitched plan to give high school students more time to meet state testing standards, Illinois State Board of Education members donâ€™t have the funding for it.”

* “A pair of forums involving the two hopefuls in the 10th Congressional District are set, but only one will be open to the public.”

* A walk down memory lane: “When Illinois’ new Republican Governor,Richard Ogilvie, went to Wrigley Field last week for the Chicago Cubs’ opening game, some brisk applause greeted him. ‘If I’d showed up there a week earlier,’ he observed, ‘they’d probably have thrown beer cans at me.’”

* Most labor leaders back Blagojevich

* A campaign contributor explains why he gives.

* “Lake County Clerk Willard Helander said incorrectly worded tax-rate increase questions will remain on the Nov. 7 ballot, despite calls for their removal.”

1 Comment

Guv strays off script, but runs powerful TV ad *** Updated x3 ***

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Updated twice and bumped up.]

The governor finally came out of seclusion today and I’m told the results weren’t pretty.

At one point, he reportedly said the check to his daughter (he was apparently confused as to which daughter) was a christening gift, which runs counter to the party line that it was a birthday gift. He also said he told Lon Monk, his former chief of staff, to get Beverly Ascaridis a job.

Hopefully, we’ll have video soon.

In the meantime, check out the new TV ad from the Blagojevich campaign. It is not good for JBT at all. Ouch.

A whole lot more people will see that TV ad than the coverage of the guv’s public stumble, unless JBT puts that in an ad.

*** UPDATE *** AP:

…Blagojevich also said he suggested to his chief of staff to see if he could find something that fit her qualifications.

But Blagojevich vehemently denied there was any quid pro quo from accepting the check from his lifelong friend Michael Ascaridis. […]

Blagojevich also seemed to muddy the waters about the purpose of the check which his office has said was a birthday gift to one of his daughters. Blagojevich said the check came about the time his other daughter was born and christened.

I can’t help but wonder if the story about the check has now changed because the fifteenhunnert was never deposited into a college fund.

The daughter, by the way, was born in April. The check was supposedly handed over in August.

*** UPDATE 2 *** ABC7:

In a 15-minute exchange, an agitated governor said he couldn’t be expected to recreate a 40-year relationship, that the gift check issue is ridiculous and there’s nothing to it. […]

The Governor repeated several times — during persistent questioning — that the check went into his daughter’s college fund and that a gift of that size is normal among life-long friends.

So, the Governor was asked, have you written any $1,500 checks as gifts to young relatives?

“It’s quite possible I could have done more than that for my nephew. And I know over the years my wife and I have contributed to the gifts of our nephews. We have two of them now,” said Blagojevich.

The ABC7 video of the story is now up.

*** UPDATE 3 *** CBS2:

â€œThe year of this birthday gift, or christening gift, or whatever it was, was the year our baby Annie was born,â€ Blagojevich said. â€œAnd it was probably the time when Annie was christened down in Springfield and my best friend and his family were at the christening. My guess is that the gift was in a card.â€

The governor also responded for the first time to a story published yesterday in the Chicago Sun-Times claiming that some of his top political operatives may have tried unsuccessfully to extort campaign contributions from a Hollywood movie producer and a money management fund he partly owned.

Blagojevich said there is absolutely nothing to it and that he never authorized anyone to make such threats. He said that in the end the fund, Capri Capital, did get the state business without having to make the campaign contributions that were allegedly sought.

57 Comments

Lots of “worsties” and one “best of”

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Gov. Blagojevich and his administration have “won” four of the Illinois Press Assocation’s ten “Freedom of Information Worsty” awards. From a press release:

The Illinois Press Association today identified the worst offenders in the state when it comes to the Illinois Open Meetings Act and the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. […]

IPA Board Member Larry Green, president/publisher of Pioneer Press newspapers and chairman of the IPAâ€™s government relations committee said the â€œWorsty Awardsâ€ were created to underscore the importance of compliance with the two laws.

â€œDespite increased vigilance by our organization, the Attorney Generalâ€™s office and other watchdog groups, the abuses of these two access laws continues to escalate,â€ Green said. â€œThese â€˜awardsâ€™ identify the worst offenders each year. We hope that this will help to curtail future abuses.â€

For whatever reason, the worst of the worst didn’t make the cut: The governor’s refusal to release any info regarding subpoenas of his office and his agencies.

All of the awards can be accessed here (.doc file)

And speaking of awards, thanks much to the Illinois Times and a special thanks to anyone who voted for this blog. That was very nice of you. Also, congrats to the other winners.

2 Comments

This just in… feds in the hizzouse *** Updated x1 ***

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Tribune fills us in.

FBI investigators executed a search warrant around 9 a.m. today at the offices of the Cook County Bureau of Human Resources, an FBI spokeswoman said.

The search at the building at 118 N. Clark St. is part of an ongoing federal investigation, agency spokeswoman Cynthia Yates said.

*** UPDATE *** The Sun-Times has more.

FBI agents descended on Cook County government offices this morning, serving subpoenas in an investigation that apparently centers on county hiring practice […]

While the seizure of documents proceeded downtown, federal agents also served subponeas at other county offices â€” including Provident Hospital, Cermak Hospital and Cook County Jail. […]

The document seizure comes one month after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that county officials said they routinely were told to hire politically connected candidates for county jobs over candidates who scored higher on civil service exams. A Cook County Highway Department supervisor, Eric Petraitis, said he felt coerced to change test scores to hire candidates connected to former Cook County Board President John Stroger. Following that report, County Board President Bobbie Steele ordered the suspension, with pay, of Strogerâ€™s patronage chief, Gerald Nichols, and four lower-level employees responsible for administering employment tests.

20 Comments

Question of the day

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Come up with a TV ad for both Topinka and Blagojevich.

38 Comments

SurveyUSA: 45-39-7 *** Updated x1 ***

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

SurveyUSA has a new poll out which has Governor Rod Blagojevich leading by just six points over Judy Baar Topinka. That’s 5 points closer than she was in the last SurveyUSA poll two months ago, which is movement just outside the margin of error (Â± 4.3%). Apparently, the doggie ad did the trick.

In an election for Governor of Illinois today, 9/20/06, Democrat incumbent Rod Blagojevich edges Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted for KSDK-TV St. Louis. 7 weeks to the 9/20/06 election, it’s Blagojevich 45%, Topinka 39%, Green Party candidate Rich Whitney 7%. Topinka leads by 12 points among men.

Blagojevich leads by 25 points among women, a 37-point “gender gap.” Topinka leads by 3 among whites. Blagojevich leads by 75 among blacks. Blagojevich gets 83% of Democrat votes. Topinka gets 73% of Republican votes. Independents break 4:3 for Topinka. Blagojevich leads by 36 in the city of Chicago, by 11 in suburban Cook County, by 3 in the Collar Counties. Topinka leads by 14 Downstate.

A SurveyUSA KSDK-TV poll released 2 months ago, which did not name the Libertarian Whitney, had Blagojevich at 45%, unchanged from today, Topinka at 34%, 5 points lower than her support today.

Of significance: in SurveyUSA’s July poll, Blagojevich led by 8 among men (he now trails by 12, a 20-point swing among men away from the Democrat); Blagojevich led by 13 among women (he now leads by 25, a 12-point swing among women toward the Democrat). The contest has become more gender polarized over the past 60 days. […]

900 Illinois adults were interviewed 9/17/09 - 9/19/09. Of them, 801 were registered to vote. Of them, 529 were judged to be “likely” voters. Crosstabs reflect Likely Voters.

*** UPDATE *** Check out the crosstabs and you’ll see something interesting.

SurveyUSA has Blagojevich ahead of Topinka in Chicago and Cook County combined 54.6 to 30.5. The poll taken for the Sun-Times had Blagojevich ahead of Topinka statewide 56-26.

In Chicago only, SurveyUSA has Blagojevich up 59-23.

I’m not claiming fraud, but a closer look by the Sun-Times may be warranted.

Hypothetically, a city-only poll would explain Tony Peraica’s miserable showing against Todd Stroger in the CS-T results.

Peraica’s campaign has complained that the CS-T’s city/county results showed a 4-1 Dem to Repub ID, when it’s more like 3-1. According to Peraica’s campaign, it’s 4-1 Dem to Repub in the city.

56 Comments

Good cop, bad cop

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Peter Roskam airs the first positive TV ad of the season in the 6th District race. But it’s only running on cable.

The 45-year-old state senatorâ€™s first TV ad, which debuts Thursday on Comcast cable, features testimonials and teasing from his four children.

Sixteen-year-old Gracey and 11-year-old Steve tout their fatherâ€™s â€œboringâ€ love of tax cuts and protecting Social Security while standing in the driveway of their Wheaton home. Sister Frankie, 12, puts her father over as a â€œgreat dad,â€ only to be upstaged by youngest brother A.J.

â€œAnd heâ€™s losing his hair,â€ said the 11-year-old, drawing a â€œheyâ€ from his father, who closes with a non-specific pledge to voters that heâ€™s running â€œso all our kids have a bright future.â€

Meanwhile the DC Repubs are running negative ads against Duckworth.

“What is she thinking?” the narrator asks in cable TV spots Washington Republicans are running against Democrat Tammy Duckworth in the west suburban 6th Congressional District race. […]

In the 6th Congressional District race, where Duckworth is vying against Republican Peter Roskam, the National Republican Congressional Committee began last week airing spots questioning what the Democratic Iraqi war veteran is thinking when it comes to illegal immigration.

“They have been lying about different stances, from tax issues to immigration,” said Duckworth spokeswoman Christine Glunz. “If you’re talking about who is thinking what here, I think we know that Peter Roskam will do whatever the national Republicans tell him is right in this race. . . . They will tell him what to think.”

Roskam spokesman Ryan McLaughlin said he could not comment on the ads because they are an independent expenditure by the NRCC.

11 Comments

Come out, come out, wherever you are… *** Updated x1 ***

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

TV news loves these visual stunts, and at least two Chicago TV stations gave this story some play yesterday.

* ABC7:

Stop hiding and answer questions. That’s the message Republican candidate for governor Judy Baar Topinka had for Governor Rod Blagojevich Wednesday after recent questions and controversies surfaced surrounding both the governor’s campaign and his administration. […]

The point is that Rod Blagojevich hasn’t held a news conference in Chicago for more than a week to answer questions about a $1,500 birthday check to his daughter Amy from a friend whose wife got a state job, an alleged attempt by his political operatives to shakedown Chicago movie producer Tom Rosenberg for campaign cash in exchange for state business, and a state audit accusing the governor of violating federal law by importing prescription drugs and trying to buy foreign supplies of flu vaccine.

“I don’t know where the governor is. I honestly don’t know where he is. We don’t see him. No one sees him. Why is the governor hiding?” said Baar Topinka. […]

“I think the governor is accessible and always will be accessible, and there’s seven weeks left in this campaign, and I think that’s plenty of time for all questions to be asked,” said Lt. Governor Pat Quinn.

Yeah, as soon as the heat dies down he’ll pop up again. But with the Tribune and the Sun-Times rolling out negative stories like cookies out of the Keebler elves’ magic tree, it may be a while before it’s safe to appear anywhere.

* CBS2:

In the face of yet another story alleging that top aides to Blagojevich may have tried to extort campaign contributions from state contractors, including Capri Capital, the governor’s staff insisted once again that Blagojevich himself was unavailable. Instead they referred all questions to campaign worker Sheila Nix.

â€œWe didn’t solicit,â€ Nix said. â€œWe didn’t authorize anyone to solicit Capri Capital. And we didn’t receive any donations from Capri Capital.â€ […]

Recent voter opinion surveys show the Whitney gaining support, enough that some potential debate sponsors now want to include him on stage with Blagojevich and Topinka. Democrats don’t want to give Whitney, a downstate civil rights lawyer, that kind of exposure.

It is one more reason the Democrats, who think they are now leading, might prefer no debates at all.

*** UPDATE *** For whatever reason, my e-mail program tagged the guv’s press release as spam when it came in at 10:30. But it looks like the guv is coming out of hiding. He will reportedly take questions at the first event at 12:30.

CHICAGO â€“ Addressing dozens of community, not-for-profit, and business leaders at the Chicago Foundation for Womenâ€™s 21st Annual Luncheon and Symposium, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich will announce more than $20 million in grants to support prevention efforts and services for victims of domestic and sexual crimes throughout Illinois. The Governor will highlight a $1 million grant to the Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) that will help launch a comprehensive Anti-Violence Initiative to fight against human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, the sex trade, street harassment and other forms of gender based violence.

ELWOOD â€“ After the Luncheon, the Governor will visit Stepan Companyâ€™s existing biodiesel production facility in Elwood. The Governor recently announced that Stepan Company is a receiving a $3 million Opportunity Returns grant to help pay for a $24 million future expansion of the facility that will significantly increase production and lessen Illinoisâ€™ dependence on foreign oil.

30 Comments

Stufflebeam has new running mate

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Randy White, a member of the Hancock County Board and a retired local minister, is running as a write-in for lieutenant governor with Randy Stufflebeam. Stufflebeam failed to gather enough signatures to make it onto the ballot with the Constitution Party, despite a late assist from Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s campaign (the guv later ordered a halt to the petition drive).

The Hancock County Journal-Pilot fills us in.

“As a Christian, I had no other choice. Blagojevich and Topinka represent less than honest politics. They do not represent a pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-family platform.â€ […]

â€œMy wife and I prayed about it for three days, and then I called him back. We are alligned on the issues. We are two Christian men pledging to govern the state according to Biblical principles.â€ […]

â€œI’m guessing we have 10,000 emails sent out and people working right now. I send you an email with our position. If you like what you read, you send it on to people you know. Something has to change. We will do it if we get elected,â€ White said. […]

White was pastor of the Golden’s Point Christian Church from January of 1998 until last December. He is chaplain for the Hamilton police, Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and Illinois State Police Districts 14 and 20. He serves on the Hancock County board and is Montebello Township tax assessor.

7 Comments

The kitchen sink

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I was hoping to do a story on this topic tomorrow. Bernie beat me to it.

State Rep. MIKE BOST, R-Murphysboro, thought it very odd when he recently got a postcard from the state with a nice note from Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH.

That’s because he thought it looked like just the sort of thing that he, as a state representative in an election season, wouldn’t be able to send to constituents so as not to appear to be campaigning at state expense.

Bost, it turns out, was one of 173,000 people who got postcards from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, complete with a prominent offer from the governor to renew his license online. The postcards went out to all professional license holders whose renewals will come up before June 30. […]

From Sept. 1 through Election Day, for example, the Legislative Printing Unit cannot print a newsletter or brochure for a member, and mailing of a newsletter or brochure by that unit is prohibited unless in response to a constituent inquiry.

“I thought all the ethics stuff included him,” Bost said of the governor. “I may be wrong.”

The governor is not violating the law, but he is blatantly using taxpayer money for his re-election campaign. This and other examples like it are far worse than any previous governor has ever done.

The General Assembly stopped itself from doing campaign-season mailers, they ought to step in next spring and prohibit the governor and other executives from doing the same thing.

34 Comments

Morning shorts

Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* “Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, would not say whether he favors a plan to block ComEd and Ameren from implementing a rate hike that will boost residential electric bills from 22 percent to 56 percent. Rather, a spokeswoman said the powerful Senate chief wants to let the Illinois Commerce Commission work on the issue. The ICC is charged with regulating utility companies.”

* Quinn’s tea bag protest could harm mail delivery

* Vacant seat on Cook County board turns into controversy

* State prisons could face smoke ban

* “With the Illinois gubernatorial race entering the final stretch, advertisements on behalf of both candidates have become increasingly combative”

* Dan Seals and Phil Hare are given higher priority by Dems.

* Zinga brings up Gov. Blagojevich in speech

* Durbin talks up Illinois before Amtrak president

* The mayoral race kicks into a higher gear: “Olympic-size surprise for South Side”

* Michael Cooke returning as editor of Sun-Times

* Illinois giving laptops to more than 1,750 students

* “A Democratic candidate for a DuPage County Board seat in the east-central part of the county has an unusual backer in her race: the Republican who currently holds that office.”

12 Comments

Timing questioned *** Updated x3 ***

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Updated and bumped up. See “Update 2″ below]

What a coinkidink.

Robert Thomas, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, called in to a Christian radio program in suburban Chicago last week to tell them he hoped to revive an abortion case the court had stalled action on 11 years earlier.

Late Monday, the court declared it would issue rules about how minor girls could appeal a judge’s decision denying them the right to get an abortion without their families being notified. That will clear the way for a law passed by the Legislature in 1995 to take effect, requiring abortion providers to notify an adult relative of a pregnant teen before giving her an abortion.

Republican DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett has been campaigning for lieutenant governor on a platform of reviving the law, and he wrote a letter to the state high court in June asking it to finally write the rules that will let the law take effect.

Thomas, who won his seat on the court with support from anti-abortion groups six years ago, had already asked his clerks to research the issue before Birkett and the anti-abortion groups filed their briefs, said Joe Tybor, court spokesman.

And I’m not the only one who noticed.

Critics of parental notification laws called the timing â€œhighly suspiciousâ€ and accused the high court of playing politics and the chief justice in particular of trying to help fellow Republicans.

â€œTheyâ€™re trying to exploit the parental notification law for political gain,â€ said Terry Cosgrove, president of Personal PAC, an abortion rights group.

A spokesman for the stateâ€™s high court denied politics was a factor. He said Thomas, a Wheaton Republican and former Bears kicker, wanted to bring the issue before his colleagues during their September term well before Birkett, the DuPage County stateâ€™s attorney, and others sent letters urging action.

â€œI donâ€™t think politics had anything to do with this decision,â€ said Joseph Tybor, the courtâ€™s press secretary. â€œThis would have gone before the Supreme Court whether Birkett had written him a letter or not.â€

I’m sure.

More here.

*** UPDATE *** Former state Rep. Cal Skinner has been pro-life at least since his Reagan Republican conversion. Skinner voted against the parental notification bill because he believed it to be a sham.

He has posted his floor speech from 1996, entitled “Ten Ways to Avoid Telling Your Parents Youâ€™re Pregnant Under House Bill 955″ on his blog. Here’s his conclusion:

It does not deserve to be called â€œparental notice.â€

It is a â€œparental avoidance billâ€

Skinner also notes that the bill’s proponents did not dispute the “loopholes” he uncovered.

*** UPDATE 2*** Well, that was fast.

The Illinois Supreme Court issued rules Wednesday that could lead to enforcement of a long-ignored law requiring parents to be notified before their minor daughters get an abortion. […]

The law allows minors seeking abortions to avoid the notification requirement by going to court and asking for a waiver. The new rules say the judge should try to rule on the request at the end of the hearing, but if that’s not possible then the judge should rule within 48 hours.

If the waiver is rejected, the decision can be appealed to an appellate court and ultimately the Illinois Supreme Court. The rules say there would be no oral arguments on appeals and decisions would have to be issued within two days by the appellate court and five days by the Supreme Court.

The waiver request and all legal proceedings would be confidential under the new rules.

According to the AP, this was a unanimous decision.

I couldn’t find the new rules on the Internet yet, but if they are posted they should be here. [It’s there now.]

*** UPDATE 3 *** This was at the very bottom of Thursday’s Sun-Times story.

Thomas, the Illinois Supreme Court’s chief justice, last week called a Christian radio show after hearing that a guest was criticizing the Supreme Court for not issuing the rules. Thomas told the host off the air that the new members of the court were taking up the issue, the host said.

Not as blatant as the original story suggested.

25 Comments

Cut their pay and send ‘em home

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Yesterday’s Crain’s story didn’t get much notice. Let’s try to remedy that today.

Greg Baise has a few ideas, some old, some new.

In a speech Tuesday that veered between outrage and tongue-in-cheek quips, Illinois Manufacturersâ€™ Assn. President Greg Baise accused both Democrats and Republicans of playing politics and looking out for themselves, rather than focusing on substantive issues, such as the loss of high-paying factory jobs and soaring deficits in the state budget. […]

Mr. Baise, a one-time GOP candidate for state treasurer, proposed that Illinois junk its current system of electing one state representative from each district and return to a system it used until the 1970s of electing three state representatives from each, larger district â€” no more than two of them from any one political party. Mr. Baise said that would weaken the ability of a handful of legislative leaders to monopolize the legislative agenda.

Mr. Baise also proposed that the General Assembly meet no more than 60 days a year and that its members lose their state pensions and have their salaries cut by two-thirds. Returning to the days of â€œpart-timeâ€ lawmakers would allow more â€œciviliansâ€ to hold office, he said.

Mr. Baise also proposed that all local governments with the exception of counties, cities and school districts hold a referendum asking taxpayers if they should be abolished. The state has far too many levels of government, which waste far too much money, he argued.

I’m not sure that the pension/pay stuff will play well with all those legislators his group lobbies. And if anyone thinks that Mike Madigan wouldn’t have found a way to dominate the Illinois House if Pat Quinn’s ill-considered Cutback Amendment had failed, they’ve got another thing coming. But you gotta do what you gotta do, I suppose.

Don’t get me wrong, I favor repealing the Cutback Amendment and reverting to the old system. Even with MJM around, there are plenty of benefits. And he can’t be Speaker forever, can he? Can he?

39 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Syverson TV ad; Gordon radio ad; Flider; Electric bills; Bassi; Sullivan; Haring; Munson; Franks; Ethics; Target feed (Use all caps in password - and use YESTERDAY’S password) *** Updated x1 (more TV & Radio) ***

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Enter your password to view comments

Question of the day

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

There were so many stories about yesterday’s auditor general report that I didn’t really know how to organize them. Instead, we’ll just have a contest.

Choose your favorite lede. And, please, explain why.

* Sun-Times: Gov. Blagojevich’s highly touted drug-import pharmacy is little used and illegal, the state auditor said in a blistering report Tuesday.

* AP: Gov. Rod Blagojevich agreed to buy $2.6 million worth of foreign flu vaccine even after his aides had concluded federal officials never would allow it into the country, the state auditor reported Tuesday.

* ABC7: The Illinois auditor general says importing prescription drugs from Canada is not only illegal — it doesn’t help many seniors. But Governor Rod Blagojevich announced plans Tuesday to expand the state’s prescription drug program.

* Daily Herald: Gov. Rod Blagojevichâ€™s program touted as helping seniors get discount prescriptions in other countries has cost taxpayers nearly $1 million, violated federal law and benefited few, state auditors said Tuesday.

* SJ-R: Thumbing his nose at a state audit that concludes Illinois’ program to import prescription drugs violates federal law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Tuesday that he intends to expand it to include state employees and retirees.

* Tribune: Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration spent nearly $1 million to develop and market a plan to illegally import low-cost drugs that ended up serving fewer than 3,700 Illinois residents, Auditor General William Holland said Tuesday.

33 Comments

Reform and renewal rules the day again

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Another day, another allegation.

A criminal investigation into whether lucrative state pension business was being traded for campaign contributions to Gov. Blagojevich has developed a Hollywood storyline:

Federal authorities want to know if an investment firm then co-owned by the Oscar-winning producer of “Million Dollar Baby” was pushed to donate money to Blagojevich as it vied for a $220 million state deal, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The producer, Tom Rosenberg, and Capri/Capital Advisors were approached in 2004 about contributing to the governor and were told it was a condition for securing investment funds from the state Teachers’ Retirement System, sources familiar with the investigation said.

Capri rejected the request, sources said, and — after a delay — the firm got the business.

The guv’s office and all others involved (except Tony Rezko, who could not be reached and is rumored to be in the Middle East) deny any wrongdoing. The fact that nobody paid a bribe weakens the story some, but the fact that it was solicited is damning info indeed.

32 Comments

Leahy still (publicly) muzzled

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I’ve known Mary Lee Leahy for a long time, and I have a lot of respect for her, but she really should have known better than to get back into state government, particularly with this crowd.

Leahy was hired in 2003 by Blagojevich to review state hiring practices and identify unnecessary jobs. In April, she was deposed as part of the lawsuit by the former IDOT employees. It was during that deposition that IDOT lawyers told her not to answer questions. Attorneys for the fired employees then went to court seeking to force her to answer.

The latest court papers were filed the same day that Leahy - who won the landmark Rutan ruling to keep politics out of most state hiring decisions - declared the decision is “alive and well” 26 years after it was handed down. She spoke Tuesday at a public policy luncheon sponsored by the Institute for Government and Public Affairs and the University of Illinois at Springfield.

However, Leahy told the audience she would not discuss allegations that the Blagojevich administration has circumvented hiring rules to put politically connected people into state jobs.

“Many of you read that I had a deposition taken in a case that’s now pending, challenging layoffs by the current administration,” Leahy said during her speech. “… There’s a motion now pending in the district court to resolve exactly what questions I can answer or not answer. That’s why I really do not feel that I can comment on anything going on right here in Springfield right now.”

She was used as a prop by the very people who did just about everything they could to get around the rules emanating from the very Supreme Court case she won.

Read the whole article if you’re not clear on the context.

12 Comments

Debate over debates

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

These two campaigns really do despise each other.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich wonâ€™t make the proposed Sept. 26 date for Southern Illinoisâ€™ first gubernatorial debate in 20 years, his campaign officials said Tuesday.

Instead, they want Oct. 3, a request thatâ€™s raised ire in Judy Baar Topinkaâ€™s camp. […]

In the meantime, the debate committee has given both campaigns until the end of the business day Friday to agree to a later date. If neither candidate can commit in writing by then, organizers might give up on the event altogether.

The Rockford Register Star and television station WREX-13 already rescinded a debate invitation last week, as the candidates were unable to agree to a final date there.

They haven’t agreed to any debates yet.

But with less than two months before the Nov. 7 election, debate organizers and the campaigns say they have yet to nail down any face-to-face forums with the candidates for governor. One proposed debate in Rockford already has been canceled.

“I would not be surprised if they don’t debate,” said Charles Wheeler, a professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Wheeler pointed to a time-honored tradition of front-running candidates, like Blagojevich, who adopt the so-called Rose Garden strategy of staying away from situations that could create potential gaffes, while letting TV ads do the talking.

But the organizer of the proposed Rockford debate also expressed dismay at Topinka’s campaign for not pushing harder to negotiate an appearance that could help promote her underfunded campaign. “It appeared neither side was talking to the other,” said Wally Haas, the editorial page editor of the Rockford Register Star, which played host to a 2002 debate between Blagojevich and his Republican rival Jim Ryan. “It’s been frustrating.”

Emphasis added for obvious reasons.

13 Comments

Morning shorts

Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Topinka Spot Sets Off ‘Ad War’ In Race For Gov.

* Hefty turnover predicted for City Council

* Marin: It’s never dull behind the scenes in Cook County politics

* Court upholds dismissal of Chief Illiniwek lawsuit

* Topinka proposes research panel to create high-tech jobs for Illinois

* Smoke ‘at your own risk’ - CMS warns employees at local state-leased buildings

* Editorial: An organization called Speak Out for Illinois Schools is asking voters statewide to give their views on education funding, but we wonder: Will anyone listen?

* Chefs, grocers toss spinach to be safe

* More later. Running way late.

6 Comments

« NEWER POSTS