* I’ve been trying to get the new anti Scott Drury ad, but had no luck. I’ll post it if and/or when I get it.
* Meanwhile, click here to watch the Democratic candidates for governor debate at 7 o’clock tonight on ABC 7. I’ll post a coverage roundup over the weekend.
It appears House Speaker Mike Madigan’s call for all legislative leaders to follow his lead and release a list of the complaints involving harassment, intimidation and retaliation involving their caucuses has fallen on deaf ears. […]
But Senate Democrats will not be releasing a list of harassment or retaliation complaints anytime soon, they said.
“In the Senate, our personnel policies spell out that any complaints are to be treated in as confidential a manner as possible in order to protect the privacy and rights of the victim. Our priority is a professional work environment in which anyone who feels victimized can come forward with confidence knowing that their rights and privacy will be protected,” John Patterson, a spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, said. […]
As for the Republican leadership, Eleni Demertzis, a spokesman for House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, said there will also be no list of harassment complaints released to the public.
“The House Republican Caucus has a zero tolerance policy for all forms of harassment to ensure a safe environment throughout the Capitol,” Demertzis said. […]
Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, will not release a list either.
“Harassment in the workplace is unacceptable. Those who come to work must be able to do so in a safe, harassment-free environment,” his spokesman Jason Gerwig said. “Our personnel policy clearly prohibits sexual harassment and ensures that complaints are handled in a confidential manner in order to protect the privacy and rights of victims.”
* Click here for background to this press release…
Despite telling the Crain’s editorial board the he has no regrets about his fatal mismanagement of the Quincy Veterans’ Home, Bruce Rauner’s administration admitted today that the home is facing a “health crisis” in a Friday news dump.
Bruce Rauner once again failed to take charge and passed the buck to another administration official to put an end to his fatal crisis. The failed governor made the announcement years after the Rauner administration noted the situation looked like the “beginning of an epidemic” and months after WBEZ published its investigation into the crisis.
“Bruce Rauner fatally mismanaged the Quincy Veterans’ Home and took years to admit he created a health crisis that he still refuses to fix,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Instead of taking swift action when this began, Rauner let 13 people die on his watch and is now doubling down and not taking charge.”
* From the twitters…
One voice: @ChicagosMayor & all 50 Chicago aldermen sent @GovRauner a letter calling on him to sign the Gun Dealer Licensing Act immediately. "After years of firearms continuing to come into the hands of dangerous criminals, Illinois should not have to wait another day." pic.twitter.com/KYmw3fGnWZ
* And, finally, did Sen. Daniel Biss look a bit, I dunno, “pausey” during last night’s debate? I’m not the only one who noticed. Make sure to watch this all the way to the very end…
State Sen. Daniel Biss released a new television ad Friday, attempting a quick somersault after a slip from the gubernatorial debate hosted by WBEZ and Politico Illinois on Thursday night.
The ad, titled “Chance,” features Biss and his running mate state Rep. Litesa Wallace talking to voters around the state inside restaurants, at campaign rallies and marching in protests as they ask Illinois voters to give them a shot in the race’s final weeks.
“Most people didn’t give us much of a chance,” Biss says in the 30-second TV spot. “But there’s even less of a chance those billionaires will fix a broken system that benefits them.”
The ad comes less than a day after WBEZ reporter and debate moderator Dave McKinney asked gubernatorial candidates to guess the everyday costs of the average consumer, noting that “this campaign has been framed as a battle for the heart of middle and low-income voters” in Illinois.
I doubt that the debate had a huge impact on this decision.
Despite what everyone else is writing, those Pritzker attack ads have had an impact on Biss’ numbers. He needed to respond. Is it enough?
Daniel Biss: A former teacher with kids in public school. A single mom who became a counselor to at-risk youth. I’m Daniel Biss. And against the billionaires, most people didn’t give us much of a chance. But there’s even less chance those billionaires will change the broken system that benefits them. That’s why they’re attacking me. Because we’ll make them pay their fair share in taxes and finally get the chance to level the playing field.
Announcer: Daniel Biss, the middle-class governor.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul will receive the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union Illinois Council as he seeks the Democratic nomination for attorney general. The union represents roughly 150,000 health care, child care and nursing home workers.
SEIU Healthcare Illinois president Greg Kelley cited Raoul’s legislative record and said the group believes Raoul “will fight for us and our core values of economic, racial and immigrant justice for all, not just the powerful few.”
* Biss always comes off as kinda uptight and stiff, so this could be an interesting event…
* Surprise! Longtime House Democrat in hot primary battle against Chuy Garcia ally to introduce resolution on NRA…
Sneed has learned State Rep. Dan Burke, who introduced the Commander Paul Bauer (gun control) Act this week, plans to introduce a new House resolution next week encouraging members of the General Assembly NOT to accept any further contributions from the National Rifle Association.
“I have never supported the NRA agenda or taken money from them,” he said.
“It’s my way of responding to a question asked by a student who witnessed the gun massacre at a Florida high school that U.S. Senator Marco Rubio failed to answer at a recent town hall meeting,” added Burke.
* Always remember that we live in a bubble. We had a gubernatorial primary debate on Chicago Public Radio. At night. More people read about it or watched clips on TV than listened…
With JB Pritzker leading in the polls, the others were looking for that breakout moment.
Pritzker was ready with attacks Thursday night’s debate as well.
So, who won Thursday night? Kennedy’s performance was more focused but no knock out punch. Pritzker still has the advantage.
A nighttime radio knockout punch would have to negate tens of millions of dollars of advertising spending. That would be one heckuva punch.
Gubernatorial debates don’t usually change the course of an election like presidential debates because half the country watches presidential debates. Few watch or listen to gubernatorial debates.
* While we’re on the topic, Chris Kennedy was bluntly honest when asked by reporters last night about the price of a CTA monthly pass…
The CTA is critically important to Chicago and the region, so maybe he should try it?
* Press release…
4th District Democratic congressional candidate Jesus “Chuy” Garcia released a set of new Spanish language television ads this week.
In “Uno de Nosotros,” Chuy is in conversation with constituents, walking the streets of Humboldt Park, Little Village and Pilsen while 4th District residents voice their reasons for strongly supporting his candidacy.
“Juntos” outlines Chuy’s progressive vision to move the communities of the 4th District forward, and urges voters to elect his team of progressive Democratic candidates, Aaron Ortiz – running for 1st District State Representative – and Alma Anaya – running to fill Garcia’s seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
The 30 second ads, airing on Univision Chicago and Telemundo, can be viewed here:
For nearly two decades, suburban Republicans had a political name brand on the ticket in a North Shore congressional district as Mark Kirk won five straight times and Robert Dold won twice and lost twice.
Now the party is trying to rebuild in the 10th District, a rare swing seat that Democrats have had a tough time winning in non-presidential years.
I dunno. Something tells me this off-year could be different than the last two.
After taking heat for saying Gov. Bruce Rauner should be “applauded” for speaking truth to power, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Chris Kennedy on Thursday said the Republican is the worst governor in state history — worse than some who have ended up behind bars.
“Gov. Rauner is the worst governor in the United States,” Kennedy said, as he spoke to a gathering of striking YMCA childcare workers in the West Loop.
“He’s the worst governor in the history of Illinois, including governors that went to jail.”
Kennedy also called Rauner “heartless” for throwing “a million people out of government programs,” words he’s used before. But the jail reference appeared to take criticism of the governor to a new level.
“He believes, like some ugly character in a Disney movie, in the pirate philosophy that when you fall behind, you’re left behind,” Kennedy said of Rauner. “That’s not what we think of as Americans. We believe what President Kennedy said, that a rising tide should lift all boats.”
* Meanwhile, the Pritzker campaign has opened up a new front on Kennedy…
While candidate Chris Kennedy recently said that collective bargaining was “a central tenant of the American Dream,” he has a long history of opposing the labor movement.
In 2013, Chris Kennedy said a tenured faculty union was a “threat to the greatness of the University of Illinois.” While faculty at the UIC and UIUC unionized, Kennedy and his Board of Trustees were part of lawsuits to challenge the bargaining units. And back in 1998, Kennedy praised efforts to cut overtime pay, calling them “hugely significant.”
“Chris Kennedy has disparaged unions and workers seeking collective bargaining, undercutting the ability of working families to come together and fight for a better future,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Suing to challenge bargaining units and calling it a ‘threat to greatness’ shows Kennedy has never truly recognized the value of the labor movement in our workplaces, despite his rhetoric on the campaign trail.”
JB Pritzker wants to compare labor records. Happy to do so.
Chris ran the Merchandise Mart with a unionized workforce and his Wolf Point development is done in partnership with the AFL-CIO Building and Construction trades. He joined Cesar Chavez on his hunger strike to fight for workers’ rights. His family’s commitment to the rights of workers to organize for a better life goes back for generations. To question it in the final weeks of an election is a sign of a desperate billionaire whose attempt to buy an election is failing.
Let’s look at JB Pritzker’s record:
J.B. Pritzker is one of the biggest shareholders in, and has called himself “a principal owner of,” Hyatt Hotels, a corporation that UNITE HERE has said “singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry” and “taken the most aggressive role [in the industry] in going after their workers including turning on heat lamps on striking workers.”
J.B. Pritzker owns and is the chairman of a pallet distribution company that fought to prevent workers at its Chicago plant from forming a union and hired an infamous union-busting law firm to try to keep out Teamsters Local 743.
J.B. Pritzker has funded an attack on public employees and their hard-earned benefits, giving $10,000 to a Bruce Rauner-led political action committee set up by business interests specifically to “bankroll candidates who are willing to cross labor unions and vote to reduce pension benefits.”
So anytime JB Pritzker wants to compare his labor record with Chris Kennedy’s, we are game — especially on a day like today, when Chris is joined by Dolores Huerta, one of the most respected leaders in the labor movement.
* I asked Gov. Pat Quinn’s attorney general campaign yesterday for a copy of their new TV ad and was told I’d have one as soon as possible. As a hedge, I put some Chicago-area friends on alert and asked them to record it with their phones if they saw it.
There are actually two Quinn ads, both 15 seconds in length. Here’s one…
For years I’ve fought the bigshots for everyday people, battling utilities and helping our veterans. Now it’s time to stand up to Trump’s illegal policies. As attorney general, I’ll take on Trump and fight for you.
I half expected him to say “You know me” in that spot.
…Adding… With thanks to a commenter, he actually did say “You know me” at the beginning of the ad. Click here to see it.
* This second one isn’t complete. It’s missing the very beginning, but beggars can’t be choosers…
…the last line of defense against Trump. As attorney general, I’ll fight his attacks on healthcare. I won’t let him take away our civil rights. Trump wants to protect assault weapons. Me? I want to protect you.
…Adding…If you click here, you’ll see he says “Our attorney general is the last line of defense against Trump.”
Thoughts on these ads?
* Related…
* Democratic race to succeed Attorney General Lisa Madigan becomes battle to stop Pat Quinn: “It was passed by the legislature, I looked at it, I signed it,” Quinn said. “There had never been a court case on this issue that was on point. The court decided. In our democracy, whether it’s the U.S. Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, you accept the verdict of the court and you move on.” That response was a far cry from 2012, when Quinn declared he was “put on Earth” to solve the state’s pension mess. He attempted to cut lawmakers’ pay over the issue, then called a special session to get a bill on his desk.
Yesterday at noon, a Kennedy spokesperson claimed the campaign is “bringing in an outside expert to lead sexual harassment training for our campaign staff.”
At tonight’s WBEZ debate, Kennedy said “everyone has to go through sexual harassment training in our campaign.” Click here for a video clip.
* From the Pritzker campaign’s live debate reality check e-mails…
REALITY CHECK: Chris Kennedy Lies About His Campaign’s Sexual Harassment Training
Tonight, Chris Kennedy claimed that his campaign staff have received sexual harassment training, but just yesterday the Kennedy campaign admitted it had failed to hold such a training. The Kennedy campaign needs to tell voters the truth.
* I asked the Kennedy campaign for a response…
As Chris said, our staff members have received sexual harassment training and, as our campaign team continues to grow, our new team members are scheduled to receive it. This claim is an effort to deflect from JB Pritzker’s failure to stand with women and to empower women.
JB Pritzker works tirelessly to protect Michael Madigan while his political organization is riddled with claims of sexual and workplace harassment. JB Pritzker has zero credibility on this issue. He puts out ads and soundbites about how he’ll fight for women, yet when it comes time to fight, he steps to the side. He won’t stand with women and call on Madigan to step down during an investigation and he won’t stand with women when it comes time to empower them, as evidenced by the lack of women in leadership roles at Pritzker Group.
