She is among 68 workers placed on continuous leave for at least one year during that period, at a total cost in salary of more than $5 million, a Tribune investigation found.
The paper found the state regularly pays employees not to work, even as it faces gaping budget gaps and service cutbacks. Between 2007 and September of this year, the 2,033 employees put on paid leave have cost the state $23 million, according to a Tribune analysis of state data.
Paid administrative leave prevents an employee from going to work — typically, during an investigation into alleged wrongdoing — and is considered a serious sanction. But there is wide leeway for supervisors to impose such an action. In one instance, the paper found, a mental health technician was put on leave for allegedly driving her car too fast in her agency’s parking lot. […]
Under union rules, most of the state’s 60,000 employees can be dismissed only for cause, meaning they must first be investigated and their future decided at a disciplinary hearing. […]
“The duration of leave and the lengthy investigative process is a problem and takes far too long,” said Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “It’s an issue that our members and our union have raised with the state time and again through labor management discussions for years.
Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., trails Democratic nominee Tammy Duckworth by double digits in his race for reelection, according to a new live-caller poll released Friday by an outside group involved in the campaign against him.
The League of Conservation Voters commissioned the survey, which shows Duckworth leading Walsh 54 percent to 39 percent in Illinois’s 8th Congressional District. President Obama leads Mitt Romney 53 percent to 41 percent in the district’s presidential vote; Obama carried the suburban Chicago seat with over 61 percent in 2008.
Anzalone Liszt Research conducted the poll for LCV and surveyed 400 likely voters from Oct. 16-18. The poll’s margin of error is plus-or-minus 4.9 percentage points. The League of Conservation Voters recently began a mobile billboard advertising campaign against Walsh and has also done robocalls in the 8th District. […]
LCV’s poll throws cold water on the idea of a Walsh revival. More voters viewed Walsh unfavorably (44 percent) than favorably (35 percent), while Duckworth was viewed favorably by 49 percent and unfavorably by 36 percent in the poll.
Physician David Gill (D) leads former Republican House staffer Rodney Davis in their race by 41 to 39 percent, according to a new poll from the pro-Democrat House Majority PAC. The two are running for a newly redrawn seat left open by Rep. Tim Johnson’s (R-Ill.) retirement.
* From the Cheri Bustos campaign…
Monday, Cheri Bustos’s campaign released a new poll showing Bustos with a 4 point lead over Congressman Bobby Schilling. The poll conducted Oct. 16-18, show Bustos ahead 49-45 and comes on the heels of 3 recent polls which showed a statistical tie.
“Our campaign continues to gain momentum as we enter the final two weeks. Voters understand that Cheri Bustos will protect Medicare and Social Security and make job creation her No.1 priority,” said Bustos Campaign Manager Allison Jaslow. “Congressman Schilling has the wrong priorities and voters are rejecting his plan to end Medicare’s guaranteed benefit”.
Democrat Bill Foster is leading Republican Judy Biggert by a margin of 49-45 percent in Illinois’ competitive 11th District, according to a new House Majority PAC poll.
Importantly, Foster is ahead of Biggert with independents by 10 points, 49-39 percent, and is seen more favorably by voters compared to Biggert, whose negative ratings have increased dramatically.
President Obama leads Mitt Romney 51-46 percent in this district.
Jason Plummer, the GOP nominee for the 12th U.S. House District, released the results Friday of an internal poll that showed Plummer leading Democratic nominee Bill Enyart by 5 points, or 46 to 41 percent.
Paula Bradshaw, the Green Party candidate, drew 4 percent of the vote in a poll with a margin of error of 4.9 percent, according to research conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican-leaning polling and public relations firm based in Alexandria, Va.
* Also, no numbers have yet been released by the Democrats today on 10th District candidate Brad Schneider, who is up against freshman Republican Bob Dold.
…Adding… The DCCC did some polling last week in the 10th CD and had Scheider up by a point.
…Adding More… A recent poll taken by Bob Dold showed he had a big lead…
A survey completed Oct. 12 by the Dold campaign shows the North Shore Congressman with a 10 point lead
Tammy Duckworth’s campaign is also using Joe Walsh’s child support issue in its direct mail program.
The only question now is whether the ads are too little, too late. We’ll see soon enough.
* Walsh’s reaction…
In April, a suit filed against Congressman Joe Walsh for delinquent child support payments was dismissed by a judge and Congressman Walsh along with his ex-wife issued a statement that he is not and never was a “deadbeat dad”. Despite the issue being amicably resolved in private by the family, Tammy Duckworth began airing a new TV ad in addition to a mail campaign accusing Walsh of being a “deadbeat”. Congressman Walsh released the following statement:
“For Tammy Duckworth to bring up this private family matter that was resolved and dismissed is nothing short of graceless. It shows how desperate her campaign has become since polls have shown me ahead and it represents the worst in our political system. Ms. Duckworth has demonstrated she will do and say anything to win this campaign.
“Because of my children, it has always been my priority to keep this a private matter. I’ve always campaigned as an open book and have been honest with voters about my life. But for Ms. Duckworth to drag my family into this campaign by running on a case that was dismissed months ago, shows that she and her campaign have no limits to the lows they will achieve. This is Chicago machine politics at its worse, but it is what is expected from a Blago protege like Ms. Duckworth. I will not stand for it, and I call on the Duckworth campaign to stop these untrue and offensive attacks on my family.
“It’s Ms. Duckworth’s hope to distract voters from the fact she is currently being sued by two Illinois Veterans Affairs whistleblowers that she tried to fire and humiliate. I think we deserve better from our candidates than what Ms. Duckworth is resorting to in this campaign, and we deserve better from public officials than what Ms. Duckworth did to two whistleblowers when she ran the Illinois VA.”
Discuss.
* On another topic, an unusual Joe Walsh fan video…
In an interview, Fitzgerald said he is not interested in defending the sort of accused criminals he once prosecuted, a line of work that many former prosecutors move into after leaving government. Rather, he said, he will focus on corporate investigations, an increasingly lucrative area for law firms.
“I’m not changing who I am,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m just changing who my client is.”
Scandal is big business for the country’s biggest law firms. Companies that investigate internal wrongdoing often receive lighter penalties for cooperating with authorities.
So, he won’t help human beings charged with corruption or whatever, but he will be helping corporations avoid tougher penalties.
* By far, the most unreported story of this campaign season is how various interests are getting around the state’s campaign contribution caps. I’ve written about it several times this year, but nobody else really has.
Why? I don’t know. Maybe the media is so invested in its support of the reformers that editors and reporters can’t bring themselves to cover the myriad ways that money has found a way around the caps. Maybe they just don’t care. Here’s a press release that just arrived in my e-mail in-box of another example of this stuff…
Arie Friedman’s Shadow PAC
Maximum contributors to Republican state Senate candidate Dr. Arie Friedman are beginning to shuffle money into a Friedman allied PAC to circumvent campaign contribution limits. Democratic candidate for state Senate, Julie Morrison, is calling on Friedman to close his Doctors-Patients Alliance PAC.
“Dr. Friedman should close his shadow PAC now,” Morrison said. “This is not the type of closed door, dishonest politics that the voters of the 29th District want.”
According to the State Board of Elections, The Doctors-Patients Alliance PAC was opened in May 2011 and listed Dr. Friedman as its chairman. In January, the PAC amended its filing to list Friedman campaign manager, Paul Miller, as its chairman. In just a few days, the Doctors-Patients Alliance PAC received maximum contributions from major Friedman supporters, including the self described “First and Oldest member of the Tea Party” Jack Roeser’s Otto Engineering.
In a July, 2011 web posting, Dr. Friedman even suggested that the PAC could be used to bolster his campaign. According to Dr. Friedman, “As an Illinois state political committee, DPAI will directly support state legislative candidates – maybe even me…”
The Doctors-Patients Alliance website still lists Dr. Friedman as the organization’s chairman.
* Right now, this maneuvering is only happening with legislative campaigns, but you can bet this will be a big issue in 2014, when Gov. Pat Quinn stands for reelection and the stakes are higher and the media’s attention is more focused.
Legislative races get short-shrift in the media, which is why I’ve been able to create my lovely little niche. But that doesn’t mean I like this sorry state of affairs.
Either way, it’s high time that the media started covering this issue.
I published a poll last month showing indicted former state Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) leading third-party candidate Lance Tyson in the 10th House District race by a mind-boggling 47 percent to 9 percent.
Since then, there’s been a lot of grumbling about how Chicago voters ought to know better. After all, Smith was indicted for allegedly taking a bribe and was expelled from the House by his colleagues. It was all over the news. People should know that, for crying out loud.
At the time the poll was taken, however, Tyson hadn’t spent much, if any, money on his campaign. He isn’t a known quantity in the district. And he’s not a Democrat, at least not on the ballot.
The poll of likely voters presented a choice between Smith and Tyson and gave their party affiliations. Smith won the Democratic primary election in March, while Tyson belongs to the newly created “10th District Unity Party.”
Persuading voters to take a look at third-party or independent candidates is never easy. Go back to 1986 when members of Lyndon LaRouche’s cultish organization won some statewide Democratic primary races in Illinois.
Democrat Adlai Stevenson’s running mate was beaten by one of those candidates, and Stevenson had to form a third party to run for governor. Stevenson, who had nearly defeated Republican Gov. Jim Thompson four years earlier, got just 40 percent of the vote as the Solidarity Party candidate in 1986.
This in a year when Democrat Neil Hartigan won the attorney general’s race with 62 percent and Democrat Alan Dixon won the U.S. Senate race with 65 percent. But Stevenson’s Solidarity Party candidate for secretary of state received just 17 percent against the LaRouche Democrat’s 15 percent.
Voters are hard-wired to look at party affiliation. If you say “Democrat” or “Republican” to a voter, he or she knows what you’re talking about. If you say “10th District Unity Party” to a voter, you’ll likely get a blank stare and plenty of suspicion, especially if that candidate is completely unknown.
And the same goes for independents. Just ask Forrest Claypool, who was a well-known Cook County politician and ran as an independent candidate for county assessor two years ago. Claypool spent a pile of money, yet received just 32 percent of the vote against Democrat Joseph Berrios.
So, it should’ve been little surprise when polling last month showed that independent candidate Dee Beaubien was getting only 26 percent against Republican David McSweeney in the 52nd House District battle. Beaubien has a pretty well-known name because her late husband served in the House.
Unlike Lance Tyson, she had spent a considerable amount of money by last month. But that “independent” label was hurting her, even in an area where voters pride themselves on their independence.
Beaubien recently put $100,000 of her money into her campaign, which means that the state’s campaign contribution limits are gone in this race. Once a self-funder breaks the $100,000 mark, all caps are off.
McSweeney countered with $70,000 of his own cash, plus Jack Roeser’s Otto Engineering put $100,000 into the contest for McSweeney. It’s now a free-for-all. Well, not free, exactly.
It’s going to be a financial bloodbath if the House Democrats stay in the race, the pro-choice Personal PAC goes all in against the pro-life McSweeney and Beaubien keeps her checkbook open.
Lance Tyson, on the other hand, is still struggling to raise money. He’s reported receiving or loaning himself just $33,000 in contributions since Sept. 28.
Beaubien and Tyson really have two opponents on the ballot — their actual opponents and the legions of voters who can’t get past party labels.
Beaubien is better positioned financially to overcome both, but she’s being matched at least dollar for dollar so far by McSweeney. Tyson will have the media behind him and presumably some ground troops. But both candidates are running straight uphill because it’s hugely difficult to undo decades of voter behavior.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The Rev. James Meeks ran as an independent against a Democratic incumbent and won a state Senate seat from Chicago in 2002.
But Meeks was extremely well-known in the district because his church has tens of thousands of members. He also spent more than $400,000 to win the race and got big help from some major unions and area politicians.
So it can happen. Independents and third-party candidates can win. But it’s awfully rare.
“Right now [Derrick Smith] is the only Democrat on the ballot,” Ed Smith said. “The other candidate is running under a different party. So you would have to go outside of the Democratic Party to vote for [Tyson].” […]
“If Derrick Smith was a guilty candidate, I would not be working for Derrick Smith. But he is not guilty,” Ed Smith said. “He has not had a court trail. He has not been tried by his peers. He is a qualified and bonified candidate who is on the ballot as a Democrat.”
Gov. Pat Quinn on Sunday became the latest high-profile Illinois Democrat to back the candidate running against expelled state Rep. Derrick Smith.
Quinn and Secretary of State Jesse White — who was once a Smith supporter — appeared at a news conference on the city’s West Side to back Chicago attorney Lance Tyson, a candidate chosen by Democrats after Smith was indicted on federal bribery charges and refused to step down.
“When we elect someone to office they must have an ethic of service, and that’s what Lance Tyson is all about,” Quinn said at the event held at a senior center. […]
Speaking to a crowd of about 50 people Sunday, Tyson called himself “the real Democrat” in the race. He said the nation is watching to see whether voters in a state known for political corruption will “step up” for character and integrity.
“I have faith, and I believe that all the other Democrats have faith we’re going to do the right thing here,” Tyson said.
* Ben Joravsky got a call from someone who claimed that former Rep. Smith had campaigned at his door...
“You’ll never guess who just showed up at my house,” Johnny said.
“Michael Jordan?” I said.
“No, Derrick Smith.”
Pause.
“I don’t believe you,” I said.
“It’s true. About 15 minutes ago—he rang the doorbell and everything.”
“You mean, the guy’s actually campaigning?”
“I’m telling you—he’s going door to door, up and down the block.”
“Did you ask him why he hasn’t called me back?”
“No, but I told him, ‘You about to go to jail, man.’ He told me, ‘I didn’t do nothing.’ I said, ‘I heard they caught you on tape.’ And he said, ‘They didn’t catch me doing nothing, man.’ That’s not a bad campaign slogan, when you think about it.”
“What?”
“‘They didn’t catch me doing nothing, man.’ He should put it on his billboards.”
* And Cal Skinner has been documenting House Speaker Michael Madigan’s support for Dee Beaubien. Ms. Beaubien not only has to fight the problems associated with being an independent, she also has to deal with the fact that her “independent” candidacy is backed by the House Democratic machine…
Dee Beaubien Contributions from Democratic organizations and special interests through October 18, 2012:
* Friends of Michael J. Madigan – $66,000
* Lou Lang – $5,500
* Barbara Flynn Currie – $1,500
* Democratic Party of Illinois – $150,771.51
* Democratic Majority – $89,171.80
* Personal PAC – $106,223.59
* Planned Parenthood – $500
* Equality Illinois – $418
* Fred Eychaner $5,000.00
* Labor PACs $50,750.00
* Many news reports on Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s mysterious disappearance have included comments from constituents about their supreme frustration with their US Rep. But a new We Ask America poll found that he still has a strong majority of support…
Keep in mind when reading these numbers that Jackson’s new remapped district is much less African-American than his old district. It’s 53.8 percent African-American, compared to 67.7 percent under the old map.
Also, Marcus Lucas is a write-in candidate. I’m not sure he’ll end up with that many votes come election day. Oops. Got my candidates mixed up. Lucas is on the ballot. Sorry.
* Respondents were then asked “Do you AGREE or DISAGREE with this statement: ‘I am happy with the congressional candidates on the ballot. I do not wish someone else was running instead.’” The results…
Clearly, Jackson enjoys the support of the voters he represents, and perhaps its time for those who continue to express incredulity to get over it. Jesse Jackson Jr. is safe at home.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., who is dealing with mental health issues, will return to the Mayo Clinic “soon” for further care, his father said Sunday.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. told the Chicago Tribune his son would go to the clinic Rochester, Minn., for re-evaluation and to seek to “regain his equilibrium.” The newspaper said a source close to congressman said he would head to the Mayo early this week, but the elder Jackson said it would not happen Sunday. […]
The elder Jackson said his son had been seeing doctors daily in Washington since leaving the clinic early last month as he attempted to return to work while dealing with his health issues, the newspaper said.
The father said his son’s condition does not lend itself to an “artificial schedule.”
Embattled United States Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. says he’s “anxious to return to work,” but gave no timeline for ending his months-long medical leave from Congress, instead asking for constituents’ “patience” in a 90-second automated call sent out to his south suburban 2nd Congressional District Saturday.
In the robocall, first reported by WBEZ and confirmed by a Jackson family spokesman, the congressman explains he’s been undergoing medical treatment to address “several serious health issues.”
“Like many human beings, a series of events came together in my life at the same time and they’ve been difficult to sort through,” said Jackson, who has been on leave since June and is reportedly also dealing with legal and personal problems.
“I am human. I’m doing my best. And I’m trying to sort through them all,” Jackson said.
Check out a weird TV ad that I just saw re: the 8th district race. It was on Comedy Central at 4:49p today (Saturday 10/20) in the Rolling Meadows Comcast Zone.
Can’t find the ad online anywhere, so I filmed it with my phone.
* Here’s the raw video of Republican freshman Congressman Joe Walsh saying to reporters after Thursday’s debate that abortions are “absolutely” never needed to save the life of pregnant mothers…
* And here’s Walsh’s long, rambling Friday press conference where he tried to kinda-sorta walk things back a bit , but then didn’t answer any questions…
“Walsh’s comments have no grounding in science and are completely inaccurate,” said Dr. Cassing Hammond, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Life-threatening medical conditions that can lead to terminating a pregnancy include infections of the uterus or the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus, some heart conditions and pre-eclampsia, a rapid rise in blood pressure that occurs during pregnancy and in the period right afterward, said Dr. Erika Levi, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“All of these conditions can occur throughout the pregnancy,” Levi said. “If these conditions occur prior to viability (of the fetus) then, at that point, abortion can become the only option to save the life of the mother.”
Dr. David Grimes, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, added others to the list, including complications of diabetes, pulmonary hypertension and cancer, which he said sometimes can require termination of the pregnancy before treatment can proceed. Cases severe enough to require abortions are rare, Grimes said, adding that he nonetheless sees several a year.
After coming under fire for suggesting that scientific advancements have made abortions to save a mother’s life unnecessary, Congressman Joe Walsh Friday continued to describe himself as “pro-life without exception” but also said he would support some medical procedures for pregnant women even if they result in the loss of the baby.
The McHenry Tea Partyer made the comments at a 2:30 p.m. news conference in Elk Grove Village, his wife Helene by his side. He arrived at the vacant factory warehouse by truck, and left without taking questions from the press.
* Jackie Speier, lawmaker who needed abortion, rips Joe Walsh: Rep. Joe Walsh’s claim that abortions are never necessary to save the life of the mother “showed absolute ignorance about science and medicine,” according to a California Democrat who once spoke of her own needed abortion on the House floor. Rep. Jackie Speier, who appeared on the House floor in 2011 to talk about an abortion she needed to save her life, told POLITICO on Friday that Walsh didn’t understand “how painful it is on a physiological and emotional level” to have a second-trimester abortion.
* Rep. Joe Walsh edges away from controversial remark about abortion
* Doctors dispute ‘inaccurate’ abortion claim from Rep. Joe Walsh: In his practice, he said, he’s often cared for women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer or leukemia whose oncologists refuse to administer treatment until the pregnancy is over. Type 1 diabetes can be severely aggravated by pregnancy, and an abortion may be necessary to save a patient’s eyes or kidney function. And in some severe cases of pre-eclampsia, the liver can begin to die — and the only treatment is ending the pregnancy.
* Sen. Durbin jumps into firestorm over Walsh’s abortion comments
The Rolling Stones sold out their November 25th and 29th shows at London’s O2 Arena in just seven minutes, according to multiple reports. Fans apparently snapped up the arena’s least expensive seats, priced around $152, in just three minutes, while the priciest seats at around $601 were gone a few minutes later.
The high traffic caused Ticketmaster to crash before the tickets had sold out. A holding page read, “We’re experiencing high demand. You will be automatically directed to the page requested as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.” Resale websites are already listing tickets for as much as $20,050.
* I like Amtrak. I rode it often when I lived in Chicago and commuted to Springfield for session. Higher speeds are something I definitely support. But we flew in the US Transportation Secretary for a fifteen minute highish-speed ride? C’mon, man…
Touting high-speed rail as the future of passenger rail, Amtrak on Friday led a test ride at 110 mph between Dwight and Pontiac on the agency’s Chicago to St. Louis route.
About 11:45 a.m., U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Gov. Pat Quinn held on tightly as the speedometer screen peaked at 111 mph.
The 15-mile demonstration lasted for just a couple of minutes as the train approached Dwight, but the ride became increasingly bumpy. Normal speed in the area is 79 mph. […]
“This is only the beginning,” LaHood said. “By 2015, 110 mph service will be expanded throughout nearly 75 percent of the corridor.”
Also, with the pending closure of the Dwight prison, they ought to seriously consider shutting down that stop. Pontiac isn’t far away. Passengers can board there.
And furthermore, it would help if the trains left the station on time. A friend took a train from Chicago to Springfield last night which left Chicago almost two hours late. Even if they get the train speeds up to 250 mph (which they won’t), a two-hour delay kills all that progress.
* Jason Plummer ran for lt. governor in 2010 and is now running for Congress and still didn’t pay his property taxes on time? Dude, you’re a millionaire. Don’t you have people for that?…
One issue that won’t go away in Illinois’ 12th congressional race: taxes.
Democrats have blasted Republican lumber heir Jason Plummer for not releasing his tax returns. Now comes news that Plummer has paid property taxes late on his home in Edwardsville, which is outside the district he’s running to represent. Records show Plummer paid the taxes late for tax years 2011 and 2009, according to Madison County property records.
The taxes are about $5,500 per year, which Plummer has paid in installments. He was billed minimal penalties for the late payments, but has brought everything current.
Look, stuff happens. People get busy. Bills get lost. Some folks don’t have the money to pay their taxes on time. But most people aren’t running for high-level office.
C’mon, man!
* Speaking of Plummer, I don’t really have much of a problem with paid, professional video trackers, but do they really have to try and incite their targets? They shouldn’t be stalker paparazzi…
Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios may be under fire, but he’s still got a friend in a fellow Democrat, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
As the Sun-Times first reported in Tuesday’s paper, Berrios is thumbing his nose at a subpoena issued by the county’s top watchdog seeking documents about an employee under investigation for misconduct.
He’s also ignored an ethics board recommendation to fire three relatives on his payroll as well as a $10,000 fine the panel issued for violating the ethics policy by hiring his son and sister. His daughter was already on the payroll when he was elected in 2010. […]
“I think Joe has done a good job of running his office,” she said.
* The Illinois Review triumphantly claims it sparked a look at whether President Obama might lose Illinois…
Two weeks ago, MSM pundits rolled their eyes when IR pointed to an Illinois political consultant speculating that Obama could lose Illinois on November 6. With the Romney campaign putting a minimal amount of resources into Illinois, the likelihood of an Illinois victory seemed ludicrous. Now the national conservative source Daily Caller is adding to the “Obama could lose Illinois” chorus Bruce Donnelly started last week on IR
* Is this a step toward a gubernatorial run? Maybe so…
Bruce Rauner, the civic-minded private equity executive who has been mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for Illinois governor, is retiring from GTCR, one of Chicago’s biggest private equity firms, where he was managing director. He said he plans to spend more time on civic and philanthropic interests. […]
Reached Thursday night, Rauner said he was traveling, busy with meetings and unavailable for an interview.
Canfield, a managing partner, credits Rauner with helping to build GTCR into a significant private equity firm.
He also noted on Friday morning that Rauner has more civic and political activities on his plate, and the firm has restrictions and limitations on those types of activities.
“Being a full-time employee at GTCR comes with significant restrictions on outside activities, and it got to the point where Bruce didn’t want to be encumbered to engage in his civic and political activities,” Canfield said this morning. “He wanted the freedom without those restrictions.”
I’m hearing that Nick Ayers, who headed the Republican Governors Association’s efforts for a few years and then ran Tim Palentty’s disastrous presidential bid is behind this move.
* When politicians got in trouble in the old days they’d often check themselves into a hospital. Blue Cross was far more generous back then. Politicians could go hide out and dodge reporters and anyone else they wanted to avoid.
Now, I’m not saying at all that this is what Congressman Jackson might be doing. I’m just saying that I’m reminded of those stories from long ago…
A Sneed source who claims to have visited Jackson this week said, “Jesse wanted you to know he is finding it difficult to continue his treatment because the press is staking out his home and making access to his doctor, who is within a short walking distance from his home, incredibly hard.”
“He said his doctors are considering sending him back to Mayo Clinic for treatment.”
The source added Jackson, who is being treated for bipolar disorder during his four-month absence from work, is trying “to stay focused and calm to enhance his treatment and is just following doctor’s orders.” Jackson, who is also being investigated by the Feds, sees his doctor twice a day.
Jackson is recuperating, not working and has no intention of dropping out of his re-election campaign, according to the source.
Congressman Jackson, the subject of a Gawker.com report that he was spotted recently having drinks on two nights with two different women at a beer bar in Washington, claims the women were “lobbyists… friends,” according to the source.
Included in his expenditures are fees paid to a political consulting business owned by his wife, Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson.
“For the last four months, his wife is still getting $5,000 checks from the campaign, where during those months he’s in the hospital,” Jackson’s Republican challenger, Brian Woodworth, told NBC Chicago.
* Illinois Republicans have consistently bragged about the millions of phone calls they’re making on behalf of their candidates this year. But Will Caskey isn’t impressed.
Caskey owns an opposition research firm. He works for Democrats. He votes for Democrats. Yet, he was robocalled by Joe Walsh and then contacted by a GOP volunteer urging him to vote against state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who doesn’t live anywhere close to him. Yesterday Caskey was robocalled by the Illinois Republican Party urging him to send in the absentee ballot application they mailed him, with some nasty stuff thrown in about President Obama.
I don’t know how I managed to get into your database of likely supporters for…well for whatever you Republicans get up to. The fact is, I don’t belong there. Ever. I don’t care how white and male I am or that I own a business or that I grew up in Louisiana or whatever other microdata you scrounge up (haha who am I kidding, you didn’t really do that! Nice one Pat).
I’m a Democrat. I’ve voted in four out of four Democratic primaries. My household is double 4/4 D. In layman’s terms (no offense, it just seems like you need this spelled out) it is likelier that I am going to spontaneously levitate and set people on fire with my mind than I am to vote GOP.
Not only that, I give Democrats money! I give them a LOT of money! They give me a lot of money too; the transactions are hardly unidirectional here. And on a final note: I didn’t get an absentee ballot. I didn’t request one. I’ve never, ever voted absentee. So that robocall you just sent me today urging me to remember to send in the absentee ballot you mailed me is, well, gibberish. All that nasty stuff you said about President Obama was also gibberish
Less focus on empty rhetoric and more focus on actually getting the job done right would probably be good advice here.
In other words, it’ll be tough to “Fire Mike Madigan” if you’re calling hard Democrats so many times and sending them absentee ballots.
* WCIA TV’s Steve Staeger tried to get an answer from the DCCC yesterday about where the money actually came from that paid for Democrat David Gill’s controversial TV ad. As I’ve already told you, Gill’s ad claims he won’t ever take a penny from corporations, Wall Street, etc., but ironically enough the spot is paid for in part by the DCCC, which does take that cash.
Got off the phone with the DCCC. They say the commercial was paid entirely with grassroots money. But they said there is no separate fund.
So, if there is no separate fund, then how the heck can Dr. Gill know that he’s not taking “tainted” money? From the Gill campaign…
All funds raised for the DCCC 441ad commercials aired in partnership with the Gill campaign come from funds raised by the DCCC’s online/grassroots donors, not PACs, lobbyists, or corporate donors.
Dr. Gill asked the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for assurances that these funds used to assist his campaign’s advertising would not be from corporate PACS or Wall Street interests and the Committee met his strict standards on this matter.
* Gill’s campaign referred all further questions to the DCCC. But the DCCC so far hasn’t said how they met Gill’s “strict standards” since there is no separate fund. I sent this e-mail to the DCCC’s spokesperson today…
Is there or is there not a separate DCCC fund that contains “grassroots” non corporate money? And if so, what is the name of this fund?
The reply…
We fundraise from different sources. Our grassroots/online fundraising money that we used in partnership with Gill only came from grassroots/online fundraising not PAC.
My response…
And how can you prove this?
The DCCC’s response…
Dr. Gill made a pledge so in partnering with him, we honored that. What we’re spending in partnership with the Gill campaign came from our grassroots and online fundraising.
So, I guess we’re just supposed to take their word, even though there is no separate fund.
* This is a problem created wholly by Gill. He made such a huge deal about not ever accepting “even a penny” from corporations, Wall Street, lobbyists, etc. It’s now up to him to prove that he didn’t get any of that cash.
* Meanwhile, I told you already that the American Action Network was upping its buy by $1.15 million against Gill. The PAC had already spent $320K. Here’s the new ad…
* Script…
David Gill loves seeing your money fly away.
Gill supported billions in stimulus spending that failed to create the jobs promised,
with billions to failed companies like Solyndra.
Gill supports Obamacare which cuts $716 billion from Medicare,
and a 2 percent healthcare tax costing families a thousand dollars a year.
David Gill: Making a mess out of healthcare, and our economy.
Vote No on David Gill.
American Action Network is responsible for the content of this advertising.
* Protestors not happy with Boehner visit: Cameras weren’t allowed inside the fundraiser but we talked to Rodney Davis beforehand. He’s just honored the House Speaker is here.
“I’m dead-set opposed to civil unions. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Now, unfortunately, in my opinion, they have opened up the door for other things. Now, and please bear with me, does this now say that somebody can get married to their dog?”
ABC now has a THIRD version of the ad submitted to them by the NRCC. They wouldn’t run the revision (#2). So there might be as many as three versions up
Oy.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Democrat Bill Foster’s congressional campaign claims that four of the five Chicago broadcast TV stations initially refused to air this ad by the NRCC…
Only CBS2 continued to air the ad, according to the Foster campaign.
The ad claims that Foster sold his stock “just one day after congressmen held a closed-door briefing in Washington about the financial crisis.”
“Congressman Foster got the parachute, you got the crash,” the ad ends.
* Foster’s campaign says the NRCC spot was “a clear attempt to outright lie to the public without any credible facts.” More…
It’s quite simple: Bill never attended the “closed door briefing” they allege. Not to mention, it was publicly reported that AIG would require a federal bailout at that time, so anyone with an internet connection had access to information.
Though the Bill Foster campaign is fuming over a recent campaign ad that charges he personally profited during his time in Congress — the ad is still running — with the exception of WGN.
The National Republican Congressional Committee says the ad raises a central question about the timing of the Democrat’s personal financial decisions during a critical time in congress — the 2008 housing market collapse. While some stations asked for more details about the ad before airing it, she said, they aired it after some minor changes. […]
“The major Chicago television stations are all running our ad that highlights how Congressman Foster inappropriately used his position on the House Financial Services Committee to personally benefit. We added language to our ad that reinforces the fact that Congressman Foster abused his power,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Katie Prill.
Biggert and Foster have portrayed each other as wealthy in TV ads. Asked whether it was disingenuous for each candidate to slam the other as a millionaire without mentioning they are one as well, Biggert quickly responded: “But I’m not.”
“Certainly the salary from being a member of Congress would not make me a millionaire,” said Biggert, whose congressional salary is $174,000 a year. “We have investments, and that’s good. You have to plan for retirement.”
Biggert’s financial disclosure form shows that she and her husband, Rody Biggert, a retired attorney, have assets worth $1.9 million to $5.3 million.
* I showed this to subscribers earlier today, but I thought you might get a kick out of it as well. GOP state Rep. Skip Saviano’s latest TV ad is called “Obedient Duckling.” Rate it…
“Duckling” is Statehouse slang for newbie House Democrats who need constant management by leadership so they don’t screw up their reelection campaigns.
* I watched the debate last night between Joe Walsh and Tammy Duckworth and this part stood out for me…
Walsh described himself as ‘Pro-life without exception.”
He said he did not believe in an exception for rape and incest because — “there’s still a life there.” He then added: “the life of the woman is not an exception.” Walsh nicked Duckworth for having the complete opposite view.
“[Duckworth] actually supports tax-payer funding of abortions,” Walsh said.
Duckworth went full steam ahead at her response.
“I’m pro-choice without restriction, and here though, Mr. Walsh … what he said — not for rape, incest or life of the mother — he would let a woman die rather than give her, than to give the doctor the option to save her life.”
Walsh interrupted her, all the while saying: “That’s not fair.”
After the debate, Walsh later explained his remark that the life of the woman is not an exception, saying that medically today, the health of the mother is not a reason for an abortion.
Asked by reporters after the debate if he was saying that it’s never medically necessary to conduct an abortion to save the life of a mother, Walsh responded, “Absolutely.”
“With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance,” he said. “… There is no such exception as life of the mother, and as far as health of the mother, same thing.”
“Abortions are necessary in a number of circumstances to save the life of a woman or to preserve her health,” the college said. “Unfortunately, pregnancy is not a risk-free life event, particularly for many women with chronic medical conditions. Despite all of our medical advances, more than 600 women die each year from pregnancy- and childbirth-related reasons right here in the US. In fact, many more women would die each year if they did not have access to abortion to protect their health or to save their lives.”
Walsh has scheduled a 2:30 press conference today to discuss his comments, which have gone national
*** UPDATE 2 *** The Daily Herald didn’t even bother to include the Walsh/Duckworth abortion exchange in its story this morning. But its reporter did go to Walsh’s presser. From the Twitterverse…
@RepJoeWalsh pro life “for mother, unborn child.”
@RepJoeWalsh cites ectopic pregnancies as rare instances that could kill mother and child.
The idea there is some kind of modern medical technology or procedure that has made full-term pregnancies suddenly perfectly safe for all women is news to Dr. Carrie Terrell, an ob-gyn and chief of staff at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.
“There are innumerable potential instances wherein a termination of pregnancy would be indicated to save a woman’s life,” she said in a phone interview Friday.
That list includes “but is not limited to,” she said, such serious conditions as:
* chorioamnionitis in pre-viable pre-term premature rupture of membranes (a bacteria-related inflammation of the fetal membranes),
* severe pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive (high blood pressure) disorders,
* certain forms of cardiomyopathy (a disease that weakens and enlarges the heart),
* various maternal cardiac and pulmonary anomalies,
* severe nephrosis,
* severe cancers,
* infections with sepsis, and
* multi-organ failure.
Terrell said that in her practice, she sees pregnant women with these kinds of conditions several times a year.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* The other thing that stood out for me in the coverage of this topic is that nobody challenged Duckworth to explain what she meant when she said she is “pro-choice without restriction.” What the heck does that mean? Abortion up to nine months for any reason at all?
* You may have heard that Newsweek is dumping its print edition and going fully digital…
It is important that we underscore what this digital transition means and, as importantly, what it does not. We are transitioning Newsweek, not saying goodbye to it. We remain committed to Newsweek and to the journalism that it represents. This decision is not about the quality of the brand or the journalism—that is as powerful as ever. It is about the challenging economics of print publishing and distribution.
Until a couple of years ago, I also read physical books on paper, and then shifted to cheaper, easier, lighter tablet versions. Then it became a hassle to get the physical NYT delivered in Provincetown so I tried a summer of reading it on a tablet. I now read almost everything on my iPad. And as I ramble down the aisle of Amtrak’s Acela, I see so many reading from tablets or laptops, with the few newspapers and physical magazines seeming almost quaint, like some giant brick of a mobile phone from the 1980s. Almost no one under 30 is reading them. One day, we’ll see movies with people reading magazines and newspapers on paper and chuckle. Part of me has come to see physical magazines and newspapers as, at this point, absurd. They are like Wile E Coyote suspended three feet over a cliff for a few seconds. They’re still there; but there’s nothing underneath; and the plunge is vast and steep.
I can’t remember the last time I bought a newsprint edition of a newspaper. I subscribe to the New Yorker, but read it online.
* The Question: How often do you read the newsprint edition of newspapers? Explain.
*** UPDATE 1 - 1:41 pm *** He’s never explained this before, but Dr. Gill just claimed during his press conference today that the money for the ad comes from a special grassroots DCCC fund that doesn’t take corporate money and accepts contributions only up to $100 online. But Gill hasn’t yet provided the name of the fund. I’m checking with the DCCC now to see what he’s talking about.
*** UPDATE 2 - 1:46 pm *** What a stupid press conference that was. They didn’t even have the name of the alleged “grassroots” fund to share with reporters. They claimed donors came from online, but didn’t know where the website was. Ridiculous.
*** UPDATE 3 - 1:47 pm *** From the DCCC…
The funds raised for the DCCC 441ad ad in partnership with the Gill campaign come from funds raised by our online/grassroots donors, not PAC/lobbyist/corporate.
This is from our online fundraising. Like when you get an email solicit from us.
Except, of course, a lobbyist or banker would get the same e-mail solicitation and could’ve also contributed. Odds are against that, but it could happen.
*** UPDATE 4 - 2:06 pm *** This may seem a bit trivial, but it’s important. Gill claims he will never take “one penny” from corporations, Wall Street, lobbyists or whatever. So if more than a penny ends up in his fund via this DCCC website, then his ad is a lie. It may seem trivial, but he’s the one who set the bar, not me, not Rodney Davis, not anyone else. It was Gill.
Also, Gill said he’d be the one explaining the DCCC money, but then left early and handed over the presser to an aide without even saying he was leaving. Not cool at all.
These general election expenditures, known as “coordinated expenditures”, are limited under the election law. The national committees of each political party have a set amount they may spend on behalf of each U.S. House and Senate candidate. State party committees may spend equal amounts or may transfer their limits to the national committees, effectively doubling the national committees’ expenditure limits in those states or districts.
Coordinated expenditures are made in addition to direct contributions. They are allowed only with regard to the general election, and do not count as either contributions to candidates or as expenditures made by candidates. Party committees may work with candidates’ campaigns to determine how the money should be spent, but the campaigns do not receive the funds, the expenditures are reported directly by the party committees on special schedules on their financial disclosure reports.
*** UPDATE 6 - 2:58 pm *** The Illinois Review has posted raw audio of the presser. It takes a couple minutest to get started…
* As I told you yesterday, Democratic congressional candidate David Gill has made a big deal about not taking a dime from corporations or Wall Street banks. His latest ad which touts that stance, however, is partially paid for by the DCCC, which does take corporate and Wall St. cash.
Gill debated Republican Rodney Davis last night. After the debate, legendary Champaign News Gazette political reporter Tom Kacich asked Gill about his latest TV ad. Gill looked completely stumped and had to huddle with his DCCC strategist before providing what turned out to be a non-response. Watch the video…
How the heck could Gill have been so horribly unprepared to answer a question like that when the NRCC and the state GOP both blasted him on this very issue yesterday? There’s just no excuse for that.
* But then that same DCCC strategist whom Gill huddled with apparently decided that the Republican video tracker should be blocked from taping the presser. Things got a little ugly…
Ugh.
There are worse things you can do to a tracker. For example, check out how Congresswoman Judy Biggert’s people recently harrassed a Democratic tracker...
But, still. C’mon, people. Deal with it.
* The heat is apparently now intense enough that Gill plans to talk about his DCCC money today. From a media advisory…
David Gill to Address Questions Regarding DCCC in Conference Call Today
WHAT: Dr. David Gill, the Democratic nominee in the 13th congressional district, will make a statement and take questions regarding the DCCC and his campaign.
WHEN:
TODAY
October 18, 2012
1:30 PM-1:45 PM
I’ll let you know what happens.
* Meanwhile, this is a very partisan, but pretty funny story about last night’s debate between Davis and Gill. The piece captures one aspect of the debate far better than any of the other stories I’ve read…
Rodney Davis started the debate by saying his top issue is cutting the national debt. His plan for doing so is to cut taxes. Seriously. He wants to reduce revenue to bring down the debt. He doesn’t believe in that arithmetic thing Bill Clinton was talking about.
Later in the debate a student question raised the obvious. Are spending cuts alone, without a tax increase, enough to deal with the debt, and what specifically would you cut from the budget?
Davis again repeated the magical debt-reducing tax cut theory that worked so well for George W. Bush. He didn’t name any specific spending cuts he would support. He told the university audience that his unspecified spending cuts would free up more money to spend on student financial aid for college.
In a single debate, Davis claimed that everyone will get tax cuts, that tax cuts will reduce the deficit, that only things you don’t like will be cut from the budget, and all the spending you do like will still be increased. Also, everyone gets a unicorn that [exhales glitter via its posterior].
* And Davis is running a new radio ad featuring former Gov. Jim Edgar. Listen…
* Gill lauds Obama, claims lead over Davis in 13th: A poll released today shows Dr. Gill with a commanding 6 point lead over his Republican opponent, political insider Rodney Davis. “Rodney is using the very same deceitful sales routine, one he probably picked up from the decade he spent running the political campaigns of Tea Party Congressman John Shimkus,” said Dr. Gill’s press secretary Lucy Stein, “but the voters in the 13th District aren’t buying it.”
* 13th District spending tops $4 million: The biggest spender so far is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has put $1.2 million into the race against Davis. But most of the money spent has come from superPACs aiming to defeat Gill. Among them: the American Action Network, $325,101; the National Republican Congressional Committee, $804,061; the New Prosperity Foundation, $139,255; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $500,000. Some of the groups say they have reserved hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of additional airtime, although they have not committed to spend it.
Yesterday, Senate Candidate John Bambenek joined a dozen other citizens in filing a lawsuit challenging the validity of the state constitutional amendment on the ballot commonly known as Amendment 49 (HJRCA49). The Amendment purports to require a 3/5ths vote for any pension benefit increase. The grounds for the suit are that the form of the question on the ballot and the amendment itself is deceptive, inaccurate and incomprehensible.
“The state constitution is a crucial document protecting citizens from the government. It should not be amendment lightly and certainly not using deceptive and false means by politicians. The ‘notice’ language on the top of the question is simply factually wrong, misleading to the voters and with the amendment text itself not on the ballot, voters will have no idea what they are actually voting for,” said Bambenek.
The notice language, codified in statute reads as follows:
Notice The Failure To Vote This Ballot May Be The Equivalent Of A Negative Vote, Because A Convention Shall Be Called Or The Amendment Shall Become Effective If Approved By Either Three-Fifths Of Those Voting On The Question Or A Majority Of Those Voting In The Election.
“Why is there a mention of a constitutional convention for this amendment? It’s factually wrong and misleading to use scary language to manipulate voters,” said Bambenek.
There are also differing interpretations of what the amendment will actually legally do. According to Professor John Kindt’s op-ed in the Champaign News-Gazette, this amendment would override the pension guarantee clause in the state constitution. Others disagree but there is no real consensus on what the actual amendment does. The amendment is poorly written and incomprehensible to even the experts, much less everyday voters.
* So far, it’s just boiler plate stuff. But then…
“This amendment was written by the Dark Sith Lord Michael Madigan himself with some of the smartest people in the state and they couldn’t write something people could understand? I get that Madigan and his Chicago friends want to stick it to us, but could they do us the courtesy of doing it in a way we can understand? This ballot question and the amendment itself are incomprehensible gibberish,” explained Bambenek.
Thursday, Oct 18, 2012 - Posted by Advertising Department
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* Congressional candidates in tight races have reported their fundraising totals this week. The media has dutifully and accurately reported the activity. For instance…
Quarterly fundraising documents show a tight race for the Metro East congressional district where two candidates are battling to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello.
Democrat Bill Enyart, of Belleville, raised $423,280 in the most recent quarter, while his opponent Republican Jason Plummer, of O’Fallon, Ill., raised $427,622. […]
Over the course of a year, Plummer has raised more than Enyart, taking in about $970,000. Enyart has raised about $643,000, although he first entered the race in June because another Democratic candidate dropped out.
* But that quarterly money - and even the year to date cash - pales in comparison to the outside spending so far…
ENYART, WILLIAM L JR (D)
Office Sought: IL-12 (House)
* 2012 election cycle outside spending summary
* Independent expenditures made supporting this candidate: $368,485.84
* Independent expenditures made opposing this candidate: $2,522,241.39
* Independent expenditures made supporting this candidate: $30,534.53
* Independent expenditures made opposing this candidate: $980,861.78
As you can see, Enyart is getting hammered a whole lot by more by the independent expenditures than Plummer.
These cash numbers are similar in other congressional races. The outsiders are flooding districts with cash and dwarfing the money raised by candidates. Thank goodness for groups like the Sunlight Foundation, which is helping us track the moolah.
Jason Plummer, the Republican candidate for Congress in the 12th District of Southern Illinois, is well known in the labor community for his anti-union attitudes. Plummer purchased Monticello Plaza here last year through his development company, Midwest Asset Group. When Electricians Local 649 in Alton found out that Plummer had hired Perfection Electric, a nonunion contractor paying less than area standard wages to do the electrical work on a building in the plaza, they put a rat outside the building along with four union electricians to greet plaza customers and drivers along Highway 67. The highway runs between the plaza and Lewis and Clark Community College and a lot of drivers were honking their approval of the rat after it went up on a sunny morning last week.
“We want voters to know that these are the kinds of jobs Plummer is promoting.” said Alan Rubenstein, business manager with Local 649. “ One of the electricians in there is making $12 an hour. Another is making $17. Plummer makes his money with blue collar people who are paid low wages and no benefits.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady is offering to host “Meet Mike Madigan” sessions with voters for any Illinois Democratic candidates - if the candidate will appear publicly with Illinois House Speaker/Illinois Democratic Party Chairman/Father of the Illinois Attorney General Mike Madigan in their local district.
“If Democratic candidates take Mike Madigan’s campaign money, the least they can do is offer voters in their community an opportunity to meet with Mike Madigan,” said Brady. “With a 16% public approval rating, I’m sure voters have lots of things they’d like to ask – or tell - Madigan – if they had the chance.”
“Mike Madigan’s name is not on the ballot in most of the state, but the names of his enablers – his fellow Illinois Democrats who elect him Speaker and State Party Chairman – are on the ballot,” said Brady. “A vote for any Illinois Democrat is a vote for Mike Madigan, so all Illinois voters should have the opportunity to meet Mike Madigan before they cast their vote.”
“For those residents unable to attend the ‘Meet Mike Madigan’ sessions, we’ll take a photograph of Madigan alongside their local Democratic candidate and mail it to them – as well as to the local news media - along with information about Mike Madigan’s record,” Brady said.
Brady said that he would cater the “Meet Mike Madigan” sessions with sandwiches from the nearest Jimmy John’s.
“I know Jimmy John’s corporate office is leaving Illinois because of the 67% tax hike that Mike Madigan helped pass, but they still make tasty sandwiches faster than you can say ‘walking conflict of interest’ or ‘Fire Madigan,’” Brady said.
Thursday, Oct 18, 2012 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois is facing a crisis in education funding and the currently proposed state budget would leave a $200 million shortfall for Illinois schools, exacerbating an ongoing trend of school underfunding in our state. In fact, a 2010 research report conducted by the National Education Association found that Illinois ranks last among U.S. states in percentage of revenue for public K-12 schools from state governments. Further, the Education Law Center gave Illinois a “D” on its 2010 School Funding Fairness National Report Card.
Fortunately, the Illinois Senate identified a solution to bring more funding to our schools and protect Illinois students. In June, the Senate passed an amendment to HB 5440 that generates $75 million in revenue for the state’s education fund. This new revenue would directly support students by providing general state aid for local schools, early childhood education, and the Monetary Assistance Program for Illinois college students.
HB 5440 will fill a significant portion of the education gap, helping avert large budget cuts that would impact Illinois students and educators.
We urge members of the House to vote YES on HB 5440 and close the education gap for Illinois students.
