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Signs of the times
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Do yard signs matter? Chuck Sweeny takes a look. I love campaign yard signs in early spring. They add some spectacular colors to the dirty, brown landscape. More importantly, they get people thinking about the election. […] Sweeny has written a deceptively light piece that takes a hard look at whether signs are a factor. Worth a look.
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Good point
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The State Journal-Register gets it. Gov. Blagojevich now promises to “rock the system,” pushing legislation to reform political fund raising in Illinois. That’s great. More power to the governor. But our concern is that he not stymie important reform by demanding only his reforms.
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Missed this yesterday
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The Cross Bloggers had an interesting little post about the number of people who are getting their political news from blogs. The post was derived from this Sun-Times story that I also missed. Eighteen percent of American adults cited the Internet as one of their two main sources of news about the presidential races, compared with 3 percent in 1996. The reliance on television grew slightly to 78 percent, up from 72 percent. Rising fast, but a long way to go.
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LOL
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller What can I say? Never post at 6am. Oops. For those of you who missed the post that has since been taken down… Nevermind. MAJOR brain freeze. No excuse.
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Quote of the week
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller I know it’s only Tuesday, but this one is too good to pass up. Referring to Governor Rod Blagojevich’s plan to unveil a strict, wide-reaching ethics proposal that is undoubtedly designed to fail so he doesn’t have to stop taking money from government contractors, Democratic state Rep. Jack Franks had this to say: “He’s the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree so that he could stand on the stump to talk about conservation,” Franks said. “His rhetoric doesn’t match his reality when it comes to campaign finance.” Man. That’s harsh. I mean, really. Harsh. Is Jack Franks the new Denny Jacobs - the go-to Democrat when reporters need a frightfully candid quote about the governor from a member of his own party? It’s starting to look that way.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Who’s your favorite Illinois politician, in or out of office, and why? (I’ll ask for your least favorite later.)
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Session day member blogging
Tuesday, Mar 8, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Today, we start a new feature on the Capitol Fax blog. Light, kinda silly interviews with individual state legislators during session days. Our first victim… er… subject… is Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago). The questions will evolve as we go along. Dunkin chairs the House Tourism & Conventions Committee, is the vice chair of Child Support Enforcement, and sits on Insurance, Approp-Public Safety, Mass Transit, Telecommunications and Financial Institutions committees.
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Rocking what?
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Governor Rod Blagojevich says he will rock Illinois politics with a sweeping reform of campaign contribution laws. Right. The proposal, as I understand it now, is designed to give himself political cover so he can veto a real reform bill while posturing as a reformer. That way, nothing changes. He scares everyone off with a way-over-the-top reform bill that nobody can vote for and never has to alter his own behavior. He basically gives the game away with this quote: “You need to have the other branch of government to be interested in doing something on campaign finance reform. They’ve expressed no interest up until now,” said Blagojevich. Same old, same old. Blame the bad, bad Legislature while painting himself as a reformer. Give him credit for the political move, but, don’t forget, this IS a political move. Any reporter/columnist/pundit/etc. who falls for this ploy deserves to have his or her license revoked. I wrote about this weeks ago. The real question for the governor should be: “If your bill doesn’t pass, will you vow not to take any more money from people who do business with the state?”
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Takedown
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Archpundit takes down the Chamber on Illinois coal and “Clear Skies.” Go.
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More open seats
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller These guys really need to find someone to handle board and commission appointments (perhaps certain fundraising types are too busy these days): SPRINGFIELD, Ill. An economic development program has been on hold for six months because of inaction by Governor Rod Blagojevich… How difficult can this be?
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Lock-out bill signed
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller New law today: Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed legislation Monday extending unemployment insurance benefits to locked out workers, a move that businesses claim could cost them up to $14 million a year more in contributions to unemployment insurance. […]
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Cartoon moment
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Tort reform funnies.
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Payday stuff
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller A group of payday loan companies complains that it’s being ignored by the sponsor of a bill to regulate the industry. “We would have liked for them to negotiate with us instead of just blowing us off,” said Bob Wolfberg, president of the Illinois Small Loan Association. Wolfberg said an amended version of the bill, released late Friday, took none of the group’s suggestions except for some minor, technical ones. […] Not mentioned in the story is how the committee’s chairman, Rep. Mike Boland, has been running interference for ISLA and the title loan companies, and completely ignored the wishes of the bill’s own sponsor, Rep. Miller (no relation), while trying to highjack the issue for himself. Miller has worked on this bill for four years. Boland jumped into the fray two weeks ago and essentially threatened to kill Miller’s bill and sponsor his own legislation, which would have placated ISLA - the group that now complains about being “blown off” but adamantly refused to negotiate with the consumer groups during those four long years. Meanwhile, the House Republicans are promulgating the interesting spin that the interest rates established by Miller’s bill are way too high - even though Miller’s measure would lower the statewide average rate by about 20 percent. Proponents believe that the objection is designed to kill the bill on ISLA’s behalf by making it completely unpalatable to the entire industry, not genuinely strengthen it.
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Born Alive
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The Sun-Times picks up an issue from my Capitol Fax stories last week and my Sunday column. The two sides of the abortion debate in Illinois are working together for the first time, and they’re realizing decades of mistrust don’t go away overnight. There isn’t much new in the story. But check tomorrow’s Capitol Fax for more.
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Question of the day
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Which Republican(s) will run for secretary of state?
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Happy Pulaski Day
Monday, Mar 7, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller
BIRTHDAY OF CASIMIR PULASKI – FIRST MONDAY IN MARCH – HOLIDAY. AN ACT to make Casimir Pulaski’s birthday a holiday. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: Section 1. The first Monday in March of each year is a holiday to be observed throughout the State and to be known as the birthday of Casimir Pulaski. Within 10 days prior to the first Monday in March of each year the Governor shall issue a proclamation announcing the holiday and designating the official events which shall be held in honor of the memory of Casimir Pulaski and his contribution to American independence. Passed in the General Assemby June 20, 1977.
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