The phrase “It’s Okay To Be White” is a slogan popularized in late 2017 as a trolling campaign by members of the controversial discussion forum 4chan. The original idea behind the campaign was to choose an ostensibly innocuous and inoffensive slogan, put that slogan on fliers bereft of any other words or imagery, then place the fliers in public locations. Originators assumed that “liberals” would react negatively to such fliers and condemn them or take them down, thus “proving” that liberals did not even think it was “okay” to be white.
Whether the original trollers were white supremacist or not, actual white supremacists quickly began to promote the campaign—often adding Internet links to white supremacist websites to the fliers or combining the phrase with white supremacist language or imagery. This was not a surprise, as white supremacists had themselves used the phrase in the past—including on fliers—long before the 4chan campaign originated.
In other words, it is the far-right attempting to create a larger, normalized presence; an in-real-life viral meme that will try to coax moderates toward the false narrative that “reverse racism” is real and progressives are hypocrites when it comes to the discussion of race, systemic racism and prejudice.
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (11/03/22): Total VBM requested: 866,786 Total VBM returned: 489,730 Total VBM outstanding: 377,056 Return Rate: 57% Total Early Vote: 471,451 Total Grace Period: 7,705 Total Already Voted: 968,886https://t.co/44ga6AxRbY
* Back to the SAFE-T Act. The Tribune gets it right…
[Republican Rich Janor] has repeatedly accused [Rep. Janet Yang Rohr’s, D-Naperville] of being soft on crime. He inaccurately claimed in a League of Women Voters forum in October that under the SAFE-T Act a police officer couldn’t remove a trespasser sitting in someone’s living room watching TV.
While the law mandates tickets instead of arrests for misdemeanors such as trespassing, an Illinois Supreme Court task force has said police retain the ability to remove a person before issuing a citation.
…Adding… Since we’re talking about the SAFE-T Act, this is from a text message today…
* DPI media advisory…
Vice President Kamala Harris will rally with Illinois Democrats at 2:00pm on Sunday, November 6th.
WHEN: 12:00pm doors, 2:00pm event start, Sunday, November 6, 2022
WHERE: XS Tennis and Education Foundation, 5336 S State St, Chicago
The race for Congress in the west suburban 6th District, where incumbent Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, faces GOP nominee and Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, has taken a turn toward the competitive after appearing to be solidly favorable for Casten. […]
The first sign that the contest had tightened occurred in late October when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid a visit for an event with Casten. And one of Pelosi’s big funding vehicles, the House Majority PAC, poured $630,000 into pro-Casten ads.
Since then, three different major national handicappers—Real Clear Politics, Politico and the Cook Political Report—have moved their forecasts in the GOP direction, though two of the three say Casten still has a real, if reduced, edge. […]
Casten’s folks say they always expected the race to narrow at the end, given that most of the newly remapped district was previously represented by someone else. Casten will continue to attack Pekau on issues like abortion while Pekau says he supports abortion in cases of rape, incest and risks to the mother’s life. But Pekau also praised the U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban all abortions.
* ILGOP Statement on President Biden’s visit to Illinois…
Today, President Joe Biden visits Illinois for a series of rallies to bail out sputtering Congressional Democrats in the Chicago suburbs. ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy issued the following statement:
“As the Biden economy sputters, races for suburban Congressional Democrats once thought safe are trending in the wrong direction. Now President Biden is making a last-ditch effort to dig them out of the hole they dug together. Senator Duckworth, Congressmen Sean Casten, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bill Foster, and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood have all spent two years supporting the inflation-fueling Biden-Pelosi spending binge every step of the way. Now with historic inflation fueling skyrocketing gas and grocery prices, they can follow their spending binge to its final destination - out of office on the morning of November 9th.”
A recent New York Times poll indicated that 44% of likely voters cite the economy and inflation as their most important issues. The U.S. economy is facing its highest inflation rate in 40 years as a direct result of runaway spending by President Biden and Congressional Democrats that even respected Democrat economists warned could fuel the historic inflation we are now experiencing. Reps. Casten, Krishnamoorthi, Foster, and Underwood supported this spending agenda at every turn.
RealClearPolitics recently moved Casten (IL-6) and Underwood’s (IL-14) races from Lean D to toss-up as the Congressional Leadership Fund announced a massive seven-figure investment in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District race.
America is facing challenging times. Inflation is skyrocketing, as the cost of everything from gas to groceries continues to rise. Everyday Americans are struggling to keep their heads above water with a shaky stock market and economic uncertainty. On the world stage, America’s stature continues to shrink, after a hasty and bloody exit from Afghanistan and a seemingly never-ending stalemate in Ukraine. As the nation finally exits the COVID pandemic and looks ahead to the 2022 mid-term elections and beyond, issues like abortion, gun control, and education remain top of mind for voters. In Illinois, voters face the opportunity to replace Gov. JB Pritzker after nearly four years of disastrous COVID policies that have left the state struggling to recover.
Amid these many challenges, conservatives from across the Midwest will come together for Freedom Summit 2022 on Saturday, November 5, 2022 — just a few short days before the critical mid-term elections. Attendees will have the chance to consider these important issues, as they are discussed and debated by some of the country’s most prominent conservative voices. This one-day event will feature speakers, break-out sessions, and book signings. As we prepare to head to the polls for thes critical mid-term elections, this event should not be missed.
Hear from keynote speakers Alex Berenson, Brandon Tatum, and Larry Elder, as well as break-out panels on the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, election integrity, and much more.
Dan Proft is also a featured speaker. Dennis Reboletti, who is running for the Senate this year, will be on a panel with DeVore, Stephanie Trussell and Tyrone Muhammad (whose group got into that tussle with police the other day). It’ll be moderated by John Anthony, who was fired from IDOC for sexual harassment.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chicago Tribune | President Joe Biden implores voters to save democracy from lies ahead of midterms: The president’s speech — focused squarely on the rite of voting and the counting of that vote — amounted to a plea for Americans to step back from the inflamed rhetoric that has heightened fears of political violence and challenges to the integrity of the elections. Biden was straddling two roles, speaking as both a president defending the pillars of democracy and a Democrat trying to boost his party’s prospects against Republicans. He called out the hundreds of candidates who have denied the 2020 election result and now refuse to commit to accepting the results of the upcoming midterms. “This driving force is trying to succeed where they failed in 2020 to suppress the rights of voters and subvert the electoral system itself,” Biden said. “That is the path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful. And it is un-American.”
* Chicago Tribune | Getting out the vote in 2022: Text messages, social media posts, rallies, door knocking and a drag show : As voting continues through Tuesday along with the TV ads, the campaigns for governor, their local party organizations and their allies are relying on traditional strategies such as sending teams to canvass door-to-door and phone banking. They are also using more recent techniques such as digital ads, social media and text messaging. “There are several thousand people knocking on doors across Illinois and making phone calls,” Bailey said in one of his near daily Facebook Live posts on Tuesday.
* Quad-City Times | IL Comptroller, local officials call on state to timely pay families of fallen first responders : Surrounded by local police, firefighters, EMS personnel and elected state and local officials in Moline Wednesday, Mendoza detailed House Bill 5785, which aims to ensure timely compensation is given to the next of kin of those who perish in the line of duty. The bill would ensure a continuing line of funding is available without disruption, so there is no delay to the families.
* Register-Mail | Halpin spends more than twice as much as Thoms in District 36 Senate race: A look at third quarter (July 1 to Sept. 30) contributions and spending of the two candidates shows Halpin with a clear financial advantage. Halpin spent nearly $1.9 million for his campaign during the third quarter, more than doubling the campaign spending for Thoms, $767,979.
* Belleville News-Democrat | Here’s what happened when Madison County sent incorrect ballots to voters in this precinct: Madison County mistakenly sent ballots that included six judicial candidates for the Nov. 8 election to residents in one Edwardsville precinct, but County Clerk Debbie Ming Mendoza said efforts are underway to correct the mistake. Some residents of Precinct 3 received ballots that incorrectly listed judicial candidates in the newly created Subcircuit 1 of the 3rd Judicial Circuit. However, this precinct is not located in Subcircuit 1.
* WAND | African-American voters in Champaign receiving false texts about voting locations: “These messages are not affiliated with the Champaign County Clerk’s office. They were sent by a third-party vendor of an organization called Black Voters Matter. Black Voters Matter contracted with a third-party vendor to send push notifications to voters,” said Ammons. The messages stated that the residents would now have to drive to Gifford, Illinois to cast their vote. “I have not had an opportunity to speak to anyone from Black Voters Matter or Movement Labs. We wanted to immediately jump on this to make sure that our voters here in Champaign County got the accurate information that they need to make sure they know that it did not come from the election authority here locally and what they can do to resolve the issue,” stated Ammons.
You deserve better. You deserve better than State Senator Michael Hastings. You deserve better than to be represented by a man who has a dangerous track record of abusing, harassing, and bullying women.
You deserve better than to have someone who battered his wife, choked her, slammed her into a door, and elbowed her in the face in front of their small children serve you in the State Senate.
You deserve better than to be stuck with an elected official who is so arrogant that he refuses to step down from office even after Governor Pritzker, a man of his same party, came out publicly calling for his resignation.
You deserve better than a state senator, who despite his unbecoming behavior, has been enabled and tolerated by his protectors in Springfield, in which they spent $150,000 of your taxpayer money to keep one of his accusers quiet.
But beyond what you deserve, the women he has abused and harassed deserve something even greater from you this election. They deserve to be heard, understood, and supported. And you have the power to give them that on November 8.
You have the power to side with the staffer who was discriminated against. You have the power to stand with the woman who works in Springfield and who now refuses to have meetings with Sen. Hastings after an experience that left her shaken and intimidated.
But most importantly, you have the power to show support to a brave mother and survivor of domestic violence. The hell that this “husband” has put his former wife and children through and continues to put them through must come to an end.
You don’t know me, and you’ve likely never heard of me. And you may be wondering why I am writing this letter. I’m State Senator Terri Bryant. I represent one of the most southern senate districts in Illinois. So why am I reaching out to you—residents of a south suburban district? It’s because I, too, am a survivor. I know firsthand the kind of men who conduct this sort of disgusting behavior and believe me, these men have no place in such a prestigious office.
As a survivor of childhood domestic abuse, I grew up in a house where my mother and us children were the subjects of daily beatings from my stepfather, including one in particular that caused my mother to have a miscarriage. There wasn’t a moment of those five years that I remember my mother not having a busted lip or a black eye.
Since then, there’s not a day that goes by that the abuse and trauma doesn’t impact me. It doesn’t leave you and it never will. The triggers will come out of nowhere, just like they did a couple of days ago when I read the news about the violence Sen. Hastings committed on his then-wife and in front of his children. But over the years, I’ve had the wonderful support of many who have stood by my side.
And now, another woman, going through similar experiences, is in need of your support. You know what you need to do. Your choice this election has never been easier because in your heart you know.
WE ALL DESERVE BETTER.
Sincerely,
Terri Bryant, 58th District State Senator
The first time I read that letter I kinda dismissed it as not exactly “news-worthy.” But then I read it more closely and the heart of the letter that I’ve highlighted, when Sen. Bryant related her own experiences and the triggers that “come out of nowhere,” well, that really got to me.
Try to put the politics and partisanship and individuals aside. It’s a strong message. We do, indeed, all deserve better, and I thought you’d like to read it.
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new :30 TV spot, “Last Dance.” It will run on Illinois TV stations this week and can be seen on YouTube and on the PBR PAC Facebook page.
*Unmodified footage of Pritzker ineptly dancing on stage
Hearing what Pritzker says about Black elected officials when he thinks no one is listening.
ABC7 broadcaster, 2018: “Newly released FBI recording of Democratic gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker is causing a deep split in the African-American community.”
“Of all the African Americans I can think that are sort of like qualified as least offensive, it’s Jesse White. Emil [Jones] is a little more crass.” -Pritzker from Blagojevich FBI tapes
Alderman Anthony Beale, 9th Ward, 2018: “This is a slap in our face, taking our community for granted. This is not the kind of leadership that we need at this time.”
PUNISH PRITZKER FOR HIS RACISM.
Paid for by People Who Play By The Rules PAC
* React from Secretary of State Jesse White…
I have known JB Pritzker for more than 30 years and I consider him a very good friend. I also consider him the best governor that Illinois has had in my lifetime.
As governor and as a private citizen, JB has supported not only the African-American community, but all communities throughout the state. I know where his heart is and he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body.
To manipulate a taped phone conversation and to use it in a political commercial, as it reflects the Governor’s views, is highly offensive.
I strongly encourage the people of Illinois to ignore this desperate political ad.
* Ald. Anthony Beale…
Last night I discovered that Dan Profit, on behalf of the Republican Party, has created a commercial that uses my image and words to disparage Governor JB Pritzker.
Profit did not gain my permission or consent to ues my image or words. Rather, he took a sentence said years ago out of context in a crass attempt to diminish the vote for Governor Pritzker by implying that I am critical of the governor.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Over the last four years, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Governor Pritzker on a variety of issues––and I’ve seen firsthand the impact his administration’s investments have made in our communities. Darren Bailey, Dan Proft, and their racist, fear-mongering propaganda machine have never once stood up for Black and brown families, and their attempts to use us as political pawns in the final days of this election is sickening.
Dan Profit did not ask my permission to appear in this ad––and had he asked I would have unequivocally refused. I demand that he take this ad off the air immediately, and will be pursuing all legal remedies available.
Not sure if he has a legal leg to stand on, but what do you think of the ad?
…Adding… Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
“If your strategy five days from Election Day is attempting to suppress the Black vote, you’re losing.”
* Related…
* How anti-Pritzker PAC is trying to suppress the Black vote in Chicago: One interpretation could be that it’s just an attempt to persuade Black voters to support Bailey. However, since the fear-mongering flyers and signs do not push Bailey’s candidacy, the strategy appears to be to depress Black voter turnout for Pritzker, political operatives said. Democratic political consultant Ron Holmes, a veteran of many campaigns in Illinois where turning out the Black vote has been critical, said these Proft PAC appeals are “directly aimed at ensuring Black voters stay at home rather than vote for candidates who have been working in their best interests.”
* Election day is in five days and early and mail-in voting has been underway for a while now. So, let’s look at a few front pages of Gannett websites in this state, starting with the State Journal-Register…
Except for that what not to wear headline and the generic election day info “guide,” you’d barely know there was an election going on. And forget about news stories which help inform voters about who is running, what they stand for and why readers should care.
* So, let’s take a look at one of Proft’s papers that Gannett is printing…
While basically blacking out local, state and national political coverage in their own actual newspapers, the company is printing all that political propaganda for cash. And it’s not just today. I visit those papers looking for content every day.
Of the 677,000 early votes cast in Illinois through Monday, more than twice as many Democrats as Republicans have filled out ballots — 404,374 to 193,177, according to L2, a national firm that has spent more than 50 years researching voter data and demographics. The other roughly 80,000 voters had no previous partisan voting history. Since Illinois does not have true party registration, the figures are based on personal voting history in party primaries, including on June 28.
More than 80% of the early votes were cast by older voters, age 50 and above, with voters 65 and older, a reliable voting demographic, casting 56% of the early ballots. Female voters accounted for 55% of the early vote, and men made up 45%, the L2 analysis showed.
Geographically, 65% of the early votes were cast in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area, with 35% coming from Chicago and suburban Cook County, 10% from DuPage, 8% from Will and 5% apiece from Lake and Kane. McHenry County has cast 2% of the state’s early votes.
Of the early votes already cast, 35% of Democrats also voted in the June 28 primary compared with only 17% of Republicans who cast a primary ballot. That leaves the potential for a final flurry of balloting on both sides, with Republicans counting on a heavy in-person Election Day vote as races in the one-party blue state show signs of tightening.
Trump: “Darren has my complete and total endorsement.”
Why? Because Darren Bailey spread Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
Like Trump, Bailey stands with the NRA against banning assault weapons.
And Bailey wants to outlaw abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
Bailey: “I’ve made a promise to President Trump that in 2024, Illinois will roll out the red carpet out for him, because Illinois will be ready for President Trump.”
* Republican candidate Darren Bailey to vote Thursday after death threat: Bailey is expected to be voting in downstate Clay County, but a Chicago man is behind bars after he was charged with making a violent threat toward the GOP candidate. Prosecutors said that the suspect was angry after seeing TV ads about the gubernatorial candidate and then bragged on social media that he was a “political terrorist.” Bailey told ABC7 Chicago in an exclusive interview that the suspect mentioned Pritzker’s ads in the voicemail, and for that reason, Bailey says this threat falls at the feet of Gov. JB Pritzker.
* “There will be more security”: “There will be more security. I am concerned, because it’s happening too frequently,” Durbin said in Decatur this week, giving another example: “Rodney Davis, Republican congressman. At baseball practice several years ago, (he) was assaulted by a gunman from the other side of the political spectrum. It’s unacceptable. Violence is unacceptable, whatever the political motivation. Period.”
* Focusing on crime and economy, GOP seeks to chip away at Democratic dominance of General Assembly: While Democrats are almost sure to keep a majority in both chambers, Republicans are hoping to gain a greater voice in Springfield by cutting into the Democratic supermajority, which would require net gains of three seats in the House and six in the Senate. Second-term Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park and rookie House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside each backed at least one incumbent who was defeated by a challenger in the June primary, and the general election will be an early indication of whether the party can maintain its overwhelming edge without indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan at the helm.
* CVS and Walgreens announce opioid settlements totaling $10 billion: The deals call for most of the funds from Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS and Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens to be used to fight the opioid crisis through such efforts as expanding treatment and support programs for people with addiction, along with providing overdose antidotes and launching prevention efforts. In a conference call with analysts Wednesday, CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch said the deal sprang from mediation discussions that started last month.
* Lynn Sweet: Avalanche of mail hitting Illinois voters, but funding behind partisan ‘newspapers’ not disclosed: In 2016, the Illinois State Board of Elections admonished Proft for not disclosing that his PAC was paying for the papers. On Aug. 15, 2016, according to state records, Local Government Information Services Inc., was incorporated in Illinois. The president of LGIS is Brian Timpone; the secretary is John Tillman, whose IPI received millions of dollars from Uihlein’s foundation. Timpone’s been connected to Metric Media LLC, a network of companies, including Local Government Information Services and Pipeline Media, where he is listed as a manager on state records.
* State senator whose district includes Arlington Park opposes possible Bears TIF: Gillespie, an Arlington Heights Democrat who is sponsor of legislation to reform the controversial TIF process, questioned the need for the local property tax help during conversations about the NFL franchise’s possible move to the shuttered racetrack, where the team has proposed a $5 billion mixed-use redevelopment.
* Senate candidates explain their ads: Hamilton said her campaign’s ads are responding to Turner’s distortion of Hamilton’s voting record. “I didn’t want to go negative,” Hamilton said. “I’m not going to just sit there and take it.” Hamilton said she stands by the content of her ads.
* Election Day forecast: Illinois statehouse reporter Brenden Moore’s predictions: Pritzker, I think, will win relatively comfortably, though perhaps not by as much as some polls suggest given the electoral climate. Illinois leans Democratic and, with a legislative record that includes a minimum wage increase, recreational marijuana legalization and a plan to achieve 100% clean energy production by 2050, Democratic base voters have little to complain about with Pritzker. His stewardship of the state’s finances should appeal to moderate voters.
* State 24th District Senate candidates differ on how to improve the business climate in Illinois: Lewis, currently a state representative in the 45th House District, says promoting business growth in Illinois is one of his top issues. The 54-year-old Bartlett resident says Illinois must make better use of its strengths, including the quality of its labor force and universities. He also wants to see fewer restrictions on business.
* Illinois Proud Boys Member Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Officer During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach: An Illinois man, a member of the Proud Boys, pleaded guilty today to assaulting a law enforcement officer during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. James Robert Elliott, 25, of Aurora, Illinois, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
* Pritzker, Durbin speak on ISU’s campus to endorse Chung, Koehler, encourage voting: Pritzker then endorsed Chung for state representative and emphasized her dedication to education. “She’s a mom, she’s a musician, she’s a member of the county board, she’s a teacher and someone who cares deeply about advancing this state,” Pritzker said.
* Cristian Javier, Astros bullpen combine for second no-hitter in World Series history, beat Phillies 5-0: Javier and Houston’s bullpen combined on just the second no-hitter in World Series history, silencing a booming lineup and boisterous fans as the Astros blanked the Phillies 5-0 Wednesday night to even the matchup at two games each. The only previous no-hitter in the World Series was a perfect game by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956.
State Sen. Darren Bailey, who’s running against incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, said he’ll use reduced state spending to pay down pensions.
“We’ll find the fat in the budget and we’ll begin to apply that to get this pension situation under control, but first and foremost, I will be sitting at the table with pensioners,” Bailey, R-Xenia, told The Center Square. “I fear that the pension debt may be that large looming problem that will sneak up on Illinois if we continue to ignore it as J.B. Pritzker has.”
Wednesday, Nov 2, 2022 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Uber Eats & Visa partnered with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to create Grants for Growth, resulting in $1,000,000 total grants administered to local restaurants. Learn more.
It’s been four days since Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, and already he’s facing pushback from celebrities, lawmakers, and advertisers worried about how the social network will change under his leadership, even as many conservative voices rejoice.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is among those voicing concerns. Asked Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press whether she trusts Musk now that he runs Twitter, she replied, “No, I do not.”
The Minnesota Democrat wants more content moderation and less immunity for social networks that amplify hate speech. Referring to the man who attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband this week, she said, “He was posting anti-Semitic tropes; he was showing memes that showed violence and all of this election-denying, pro-Trump, MAGA-crowd rhetoric. That’s what we’re dealing with here…I just don’t think people should be making money off of passing on this stuff that’s a bunch of lies.” […]
Meanwhile NBA star LeBron James tweeted yesterday that the surge in N-word use on Twitter since Musk’s takeover was “scary AF,” and added that he hoped Musk “and his people take this very seriously.” […]
In response to James’s complaint, Musk shared a tweet from a Twitter employee reading, “Nearly all of these accounts are inauthentic. We’ve taken action to ban the users involved in this trolling campaign—and are going to continue working to address this in the days to come to make Twitter safe and welcoming for everyone.”
* More…
Evidence suggests that bad actors are trying to test the limits on @Twitter. Several posts on 4chan encourage users to amplify derogatory slurs.
For example, over the last 12 hours, the use of the n-word has increased nearly 500% from the previous average. pic.twitter.com/mEqziaWuMF
— Network Contagion Research Institute (@ncri_io) October 28, 2022
* The Question: Are any of you thinking about abandoning Twitter? Why or why not?
* For a little context, here’s an SJ-R story from this past April…
In November, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law which banned judicial candidates from accepting donations from groups which don’t disclose their funders, such as so-called “dark money” groups organized as 501(c)4 organizations. These include groups like the Judicial Fairness Project or the Illinois Opportunity Project, groups which together gave $550,000 to the campaign against Kilbride.
The airwaves are clogged with Hallowe’en-scary ads this fall, making preposterous claims that voting for Republican candidates for the state Supreme Court will cause Illinois to criminalize abortion. When desperate, you do desperate things.
The absurdity is obvious to any thoughtful voter, to wit: Illinois is a Blue state that strongly supports a woman’s legal right to an abortion. Right or wrong on the issue, Gov. J. B. Pritzker has been bending over backwards to expand abortion rights, and the veto-proof Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
Illinois Supreme Court judges don’t make laws. They interpret laws enacted by the legislature and governor. And there is no way the legislature is going to enact a law that jeopardizes their support for legal abortion.
* Anyway, the Judicial Fairness Project is now being accused of blasting this text message…
* PPIA responded…
Attributed to Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action
“Today we sent a cease and desist notice to the Judicial Fairness Project for the false use of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action’s (PPIA) logo and taking quotes about the security of abortion access in Illinois out of context. Unlike what the Judicial Fairness Project stated in texts to supporters, abortion access is in grave danger in Illinois. When Roe was overturned, abortion remained legal in Illinois because we passed the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), which recognizes that providing abortion is health care, not criminal activity, and includes regulations that reflect current medical standards, not political standards. However, a change in the Governor’s office, a shift in the Illinois Supreme Court or a proposed federal ban would supersede the RHA, meaning abortion could be banned or severely restricted in Illinois. The Judicial Fairness Project is clearly trying to mislead and confuse voters because they know people are motivated to keep Illinois a safe haven for care. We denounce their tactics and urge voters to seek the facts from reputable organizations.”
The White House confirmed Wednesday that President Joe Biden will stump in Illinois Friday, ahead of Tuesday’s midterm balloting — likely in the Chicago area — and Vice President Kamala Harris hits Chicago on Sunday.
Biden will lead a get-out-the vote for Democrats with a focus on boosting suburban Chicago congressional incumbents — especially Reps. Sean Casten and Bill Foster — who are in races that may be tightening.
The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Vice President Kamala Harris visits Chicago on Sunday. […]
The vice president’s office said Harris will “deliver remarks” at an Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders event in Chicago. Another source said the stop is likely an event for the AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Asian American, and on the Tuesday ballot, is also scheduled to attend the event.
* Illinois early vote totals…
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (11/02/22): Total VBM requested: 860,663 Total VBM returned: 467,112 Total VBM outstanding: 393,551 Return Rate: 54% Total Early Vote: 419,002 Total Grace Period: 6,580 Total Already Voted: 892,694https://t.co/44ga6Axjmq
The statewide vote by mail return rate (as of today) is 54.27%. Only a few jurisdictions are below that, but they include some of the most populous areas, like City of Chicago (37.42%), Lake County (43.51%) and Suburban Cook County (52.05%).
The most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 70,656 ballots cast.
Additionally, 76,071 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 208,003.
The grand total is 146,727 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
FOR COMPARISON:
As of June 22, 2022 (6 days out from the 6/28/22 Primary Election): 61,377 ballots cast
As of October 27, 2020 (6 days out from the 11/3/20 Presidential Election): 583,372 ballots cast
As of October 30, 2018 (6 days out from the 11/6/18 General Election): 152,320 ballots cast
Chicago is still at 16 percent of total votes cast, even though the city is 21 percent of the population.
* Michael Flynn’s The America Project is leafleting in suburban Cook County and it looks like they’re piggy-backing on the anti-union group’s bandwagon…
Republican Regan Deering, running for the new 13th Congressional District, appeared Wednesday to accept the endorsements of the Illinois, and U.S., Chambers of Commerce.
As she paints opponent Nikki Budzinski as a “political insider,” the discussion turned to why elective office seems to be the only job for which experience is a liability. After answering that she would represent business experience and new blood, Deering volunteered, “I also am a supporter of term limits. I think America is tired of career politicians.”
What term limit will she place on herself?
“I’ll get myself elected in six days, and then we’ll see.”
But she just said she supports term limits. What sort of term limits is she talking about?
“We can talk about that when it comes to a vote. That would be great.”
House Republicans’ top congressional super PAC is betting that a last minute cash infusion can flip two deep-blue districts on the edges of the House battlefield.
The Congressional Leadership Fund is going on air with seven-figure buys targeting Democratic Rep. Sean Casten in suburban Chicago and the Long Island seat held by retiring Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice. The super PAC is investing $1.8 million and $1.5 million, respectively, on broadcast buys in the expensive Chicago and New York City media markets.
Neither district has seen much outside spending before the final days of the midterms, and President Joe Biden carried both of them by double-digits in 2020. But the late ad buys suggest Republicans see opportunities in both places as the country grapples with high cost of living and the possibility of an economic recession looming.
House Majority PAC, CLF’s Democratic counterpart, also recently invested in both districts — a sign that both parties believe the seats are at risk of flipping.
Two-term Congressman Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) and challenger Mayor Keith Pekau (R-Orland Park) are locked in a closer-then-expected race than the major ratings services indicate:
- Cook Political Report with Amy Walter: Likely Leans Democrat
- Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Likely Democrat
- Elections Daily: Safe Democrat
- RCP: Toss-up
While no published independent polling is available in this race, Mayor Pekau is broadcasting TV commercials on broadcast TV in Chicagoland. Congressman Casten has been on broadcast TV since Labor Day. Casten launched attack ads against Pekau in late September, possibly indicating Pekau and Casten are close according to internal polling.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Black voters drive the right crazy by showing strength in numbers during elections: The strength of Black vote turnout in densely populated metropolitan areas drives the right crazy. The fact that urban Blacks vote in high numbers is one reason Republicans like to bash big cities. That’s partly why Darren Bailey, the GOP nominee for governor, called Chicago a hellhole. Black voters in the Southland are a big reason why Democrats enjoy one-party rule in Illinois. The concentration of likely Democratic voters on Chicago’s South Side and in the south suburbs makes this place ground zero for political power.
* Vaccines used to be apolitical. Now they’re a campaign issue: Pro-vaccine advocates worry that the rise of these candidates, along with an emboldened anti-vaccine movement, could spell trouble for public health in the years to come.”I think it’s really unfortunate that an issue that has saved so many lives has become partisan and hyper-political,” says Northe Saunders, the executive director of the SAFE Communities coalition, a nationwide nonprofit committed to supporting pro-vaccine political candidates and policies.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to remove a barrier to abortion for people in prison after a WBEZ investigation found incarcerated people had to pay for the procedure and the wages of the correctional officer required to accompany them to appointments outside the prison.
“Moving forward, abortion procedures and their associated expenses will not be covered by incarcerated women,” IDOC spokesperson Naomi Puzello wrote in a statement announcing the policy change. “Those who previously paid for expenses will be reimbursed.”
Advocates for abortion rights were surprised and elated. “With access to abortion care under attack across the nation, Illinois should ensure that every person in need of abortion care, including those in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, has unfettered access to this critical health care,” said Emily Hirsch, a legal fellow at the ACLU of Illinois. “We applaud the Governor’s Office for taking an important step toward that goal.”
Puzello said the new guidelines were implemented immediately and that Wexford, the company that is contracted by the state to provide healthcare in prisons, and all impacted facilities have been notified of the change. However, the corrections department did not specify how access will be ensured, how reimbursements will be provided or how incarcerated pregnant people are being made aware of their rights.
Although the WeCount report did not document where interstate abortion travelers came from, the states with large increases were located near states that banned abortions. (Not all clinics gave this information to the group when they shared the number of abortions they had provided.) North Carolina, Kansas, Colorado and Illinois had the largest increases by percent. But some women did travel outside of their region: New York, which does not border any states that banned abortion, had a substantial increase. […]
Though clinics in states bordering those with bans have been struggling to see all the patients who come to them — some cannot schedule appointments because they are overbooked — many had been able to expand access before Roe fell, in preparation for the surge in demand.
Illinois had the biggest increase in the number of abortions: 2,710 more in July and August than in April and May. Clinics there had already been serving many patients from Missouri, where abortion was largely inaccessible before Roe’s overturning. Two of them, Hope Clinic for Women and the Planned Parenthood in Fairview Heights, Ill., had prepared for the post-Roe surge by expanding their hours and clinic space, hiring more doctors and creating a hotline to help patients with travel logistics.
The data also shows a small increase in abortions provided through telemedicine providers who do not have brick-and-mortar clinics. These were made possible last December when the Food and Drug Administration legalized telemedicine abortions. These abortions are legally available in only some states, and accounted for 5 percent of all abortions in August, the new data shows.
A new analysis shows that Illinois protects access to abortion services and has seen an uptick since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in April.
* Our state had one of the largest increases in abortions from April to August, at 28%.
* Only three had a higher increase: North Carolina (37%), Kansas (36%) and Colorado (33%).
The big picture: In August, abortion services became completely unavailable in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
* Since the Dobbs decision, there were 5,270 fewer abortions in July and 5,400 fewer in August nationally.
* In states with bans or severe restrictions, there were 7,870 fewer abortions in July and 8,040 fewer in August for a total of 15,910.
Earlier this month, the Springfield News-Leader reported the story of a Missouri woman named Mylissa Farmer who was forced to travel to Illinois after being denied a life-saving abortion due to Missouri’s near-total abortion ban and its ambiguous exception for threats to the life of the pregnant person. Farmer had reached out to the office of her state senator for help—and instead, they referred her to an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center and promised to contact the Republican state attorney general, Eric Schmitt, who also happens to be running for U.S. Senate. Farmer says she never heard back.
Shortly after sharing her story, Farmer—who once identified as “pretty pro-life”—appeared in a damning ad for Schmitt’s Democratic opponent, Trudy Busch Valentine, highlighting Schmitt’s extremist stances on abortion. And on Friday, Missouri House Rep. Crystal Quade (D) sent a letter to the attorney general’s office alleging that the state had launched an investigation into Farmer and Freeman Hospital—which had ruled that Farmer’s pregnancy wasn’t viable—and requesting records and transparency.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) confirmed in an email to Jezebel that the department “does have an ongoing EMTALA investigation underway, as authorized by CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] on October 20, regarding the situation you’ve described at Freeman Hospital in Joplin.” In a follow-up email, the spokesperson specified that DHSS is investigating the hospital and not Farmer, specifically.
In Quade’s letter, the Democratic lawmaker alleges that Schmitt sent several cease and desist letters to Missouri television stations that aired the Busch Valentine ad featuring Farmer—and that the state then opened a retaliatory investigation into the hospital that cared for Farmer as the ads continued to air.
[Park Ridge Republican Mike Lupo] said his experience of finding out that his son would be born with significant health problems informed his stance on abortion. He said he knew “what’s right for one family is not right for another” and would support abortion laws as written in Illinois.
“While our decision unwaveringly was to have our son, I feel and understand the difficulty of this decision for others,” he said. “It’s a decision that doesn’t come without consequence.”
Lupo then took a swipe at [Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines], saying his campaign had sent out misleading mail to voters that called him a danger to reproductive access.
Moylan said that he was “100% pro choice. I believe in a woman’s right to choose.” He added that he stood by the campaign mailers he had sent out about Lupo.
While abortion rights remain protected in Illinois, Budzinski supports keeping them safe at the federal level and said if a national abortion ban were to go into effect, it could impact people in Illinois.
“If a national abortion ban actually is put forward by House Republicans, and they take control of the House, those same protections that women in Illinois have today would also be affected and rolled back,” Budzinski said.
Deering does not support a national abortion ban and said it’s up to individual states to decide whether to restrict abortion access.
“If I’m going to be an advocate for making it a state’s issue, I’m not going to support a national ban,” Deering said.
All Steven knew was what time and where. A part-time pilot from the Chicago area, he was picking up a total stranger in his single-engine plane, a passenger who needed to fly more than a thousand miles, across state lines, from the midwest to the east coast.
“Within 15, 20 minutes of arriving and meeting the person, we were in the plane and I got the engine fired up, ready to go,” he said. […]
The passenger was seeking reproductive health services and needed to travel to a state where they could access them. Steven is just one of hundreds of pilots across the US, who have been volunteering the use of their small planes to fly people seeking abortions and other services from states that have outlawed it to states that haven’t.
The effort to connect volunteer pilots with patients is led by Elevated Access, a non-profit organization based out of Illinois. It was founded in April in response to a growing number of women being forced to embark on expensive and time-consuming journeys in attempts to obtain abortions
“Make no mistake about it, abortion is on the ballot in November,” said Jennifer Welch, Chair of the Planned Parenthood Illinois Action PAC.
The nationwide campaign is in response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had protected abortion rights for nearly 50 years.
While Democrats, nationwide, received a boost in the polls earlier this summer, momentum is now fading with two weeks until the midterm election.
“Abortion as a topic has been down in the polls, compared to issues like the economy, inflation, even immigration and crime. Some of those things that Republicans have focused on,” said Francesca Chambers of USA Today.
Midterm elections are fast approaching and abortion rights are quite literally on the ballot in a number of states, following the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Experts have documented the impact abortion bans have on women’s participation in the labor force, and their findings have inspired James Beard Award-winning chef Beverly Kim (Parachute, Wherewithall).
“It’s very difficult to raise a child in this industry because of the lack of support systems both locally and nationally,” says Kim, a mother of three. “We’re already fighting for healthcare benefits, parental leave, and livable wages. Having that access and choice is a really important matter, it’s a puzzle piece that helps narrow the gap of gender disparity [in hospitality.”
In 2020, Kim co-founded the Abundance Setting, a Chicago nonprofit that supports advancement for mothers working in the hospitality industry. Under her group’s banner, Kim has assembled an all-star lineup of chefs for “Love is on the Menu,” a benefit dinner supporting the Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF), a local nonprofit that provides financial, logistical, and emotional support for abortion patients throughout the Midwest. The dinner on Tuesday, November 15, features a five-course meal from Top Chef alums Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat), Joe Flamm (Rose Mary), Damarr Brown (Virtue), plus Jason Hammel (Lula Cafe), Tayler Ploshehanski (Wherewithall), Kim and husband (and fellow Beard Award winner) Johnny Clark, and Los Angeles’ Mei Lin (Daybird). Tickets ($275) have already sold out, but hopefuls can request add their names to the waitlist via Resy.
“Everybody loves someone who has had an abortion, whether they know it or not,” says Kim. “Bringing people together around the dinner table helps to soften the dialogue, it destigmatizes [an experience] that is pretty widespread so we don’t have to whisper about it.”
Scott Lennox, 21, of 3300 N. Lake Shore Drive, is charged with one felony count each of threatening a public official, telephone harassment and harassment by electronic communications, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.
According to a Chicago police report, Lennox left Bailey a voicemail at 10:27 p.m. Oct. 28 in which he threatened to “mutilate and kill” him. Illinois State Police learned Lennox used his cellphone to make the threats against Bailey. Police said Lennox admitted making the threats.
Police say he admitted it. I’m hearing the threat was really gruesome.
Bailey had Illinois State Police protection the other day because of this awful man.
Pritzker on Wednesday took to Twitter to condemn the incident, saying “the violent rhetoric and division we’re seeing across our country is unacceptable.”
“Hatred in any form has no home in Illinois,” the governor continued.
Also condemning the incident was Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, of Hillside. “We need these violent threats to stop,” Welch tweeted. “Politicians on both sides of the aisle need to lower the rhetoric and bring back civility to our politics. I don’t agree with Mr. Bailey’s policies, but I want nothing but the best for him and his family.”
The voicemail in question followed a fight Lennox had at a Chicago bar after a political ad appeared on the bar’s television. The ad — and repeated ads he had seen during the campaign — made Lennox “angry,” prosecutors said, and a “heated argument” began between Lennox and his friends, leading him to send a voicemail to Bailey’s Springfield office, prosecutors said.
“I’m going to skin Darren Bailey alive, making sure he is still alive, and I’m going to feed his f****** family to him as he is alive and screaming in f****** pain,” prosecutors say Lennox said in the voicemail. He also made statements about abortion in his message.
He further said, “He is a piece of white a** racist s***, and honestly if he doesn’t kill himself, I will. You know what? I know where he lives. I know where he sleeps. I know where his kids sleep. And I know the f****** school he works at,” prosecutors allege he said. Lennox also said “the candidate teaching all this mother f****** misinformation is going to die. So honestly he should just kill himself before anything else happens.”
“Divisive, inflammatory, and misleading rhetoric is driving hatred across our state as some attempt to label political opponents as dangerous threats,” Bailey said in a statement Wednesday. “Whether we agree or disagree on policies, we are all Americans. I pray this young man gets the help he needs. We must bring our state together and fight for the safety and prosperity of every Illinoisan.”
Over the past two-plus decades, the Foundation has accomplished a great deal thanks to your steadfast support. Our first major effort, in 2005, was to help establish the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in Springfield, IL. To date, we have raised more than $42 million in support of museum programs, projects, and the Foundation’s one-of-a-kind Taper Collection of Lincolniana. […]
The Foundation’s future simply could not be brighter.
The Foundation reported to the federal government last year that it had $9.25 million in liabilities, including $8.33 million in debt. It had cash and investment assets of $8.57 million, with total reported assets of $33.97 million.
So, the Foundation appeared to have had enough liquidity to pay off its notorious Taper Collection debt last year, including the infamous hat with the shaky provenance.
* But if the Foundation had paid off that debt on or before October 31st, then the collection would have reverted to Illinois’ ownership and remained at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, according to ALPLM executive director Christina Shutt. Instead, the Foundation chose to yank the entire collection from the ALPLM. From an email sent yesterday by Shutt…
Greetings ALPLM staff:
I want to give you an update on a few things, particularly the status of the Taper Collection of Lincoln materials.
As you may know, the collection was purchased 15 years ago by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation (earlier this year, the group renamed themselves Lincoln Presidential Foundation). This private foundation borrowed millions of dollars to buy the collection and said it would be given to the state of Illinois once that debt was paid off. Throughout those 15 years, the ALPLM and the foundation had a loan agreement that called for the presidential library to house and protect the collection, allowing our institution to display, research and showcase artifacts in the museum.
It has long been expected and anticipated that the Taper Collection would ultimately become the property of the people of Illinois, but the loan agreement expires today and the foundation has chosen to remove the collection from the ALPLM. It is unknown where the foundation will store these artifacts or whether the items will be publicly accessible in the future. Though it has been asked, the foundation not provided this information.
What is known is that, in government-mandated documents required of not-for-profits, the foundation has revealed that it has the money to pay off the remaining debt on the collection. Doing so prior to today would ensure that the collection would become the property of the people of Illinois. Regrettably, even after raising tens of millions of dollars more than the loan of 15 years ago, and even with the repeated promise to maintain a permanent home for the collection at the ALPLM, the foundation has ultimately chosen not to meet the longstanding commitment.
For years, the foundation asked donors to underwrite specific items in the collection and promised them that, because of their generosity, those items would be housed at the ALPLM “in perpetuity.” Those items, along with the rest of the collection, left our facilities as well today.
It’s hard to argue that the ALPLM is any less than the best place for the Taper Collection to be housed, protected, and shared with the public. But its absence will not interfere with the ALPLM’s mission and shouldn’t be seen as darkening a promising future.
Taken away were items such as Mary Todd Lincoln’s blood-stained fan she was carrying the night her husband was assassinated at Ford’s Theater, a cuff button he was wearing when he was shot, Lincoln’s walking sticks, some of his early writings and an ink bottle from his Springfield law office.
Also included was a beaver-skin stovepipe hat, once appraised at more than $6 million, that the museum and foundation once adamantly believed had set atop Lincoln’s head but that later was discredited because of unresolvable questions surrounding its authenticity.
These were all part of a collection of Lincoln artifacts once owned by wealthy West Coast historian and collector Louise Taper. A member of the Lincoln foundation board, she sold the items to the foundation for $23 million in 2007.
Municipal bonds were issued by the city of Springfield to help finance part of the deal, and private donations were secured with the understanding that once the foundation’s borrowing was repaid, the collection would become property of the museum. […]
A foundation spokesman said the not-for-profit still has a debt exceeding $8 million associated with acquiring the Taper collection, and a 15-year agreement that allowed for the artifacts to be on display at the museum expired on Monday.
“In accordance with that…loan agreement expiring, we arranged with the cooperation of the state for return of that collection to our control,” said Nick Kalm, the foundation board’s first vice chairman.
Kalm would not say what happens next for the one-time museum pieces.
This is the latest report in a research project established in 2019 to trace the use and provenance of local news sites created and operated for the purpose of exercising influence, be it electorally or to promote the interests of corporate clients or advocacy groups. While publishing news sites or newspapers to exert influence is not new, the increasingly involved campaign tools and tactics deployed through these networks create a challenge for independent local journalism and demonstrate how modern political campaigning makes it harder for readers to distinguish between political advertising and journalism.
This extended network is operated by a conglomerate of corporate entities—Metric Media, Newsinator (alias Franklin Archer), Local Government Information Services (LGIS), Pipeline Media (alias LocalityLabs or LocalLabs)—each of which claims ownership of different subsets of the network. […]
John Tillman, an influential conservative activist based out of Illinois, holds executive positions in at least nine organizations that, through a dizzying series of transactions, move millions of dollars around interconnected non- and for-profit organizations. As we reported last year, Tillman is also currently listed as the secretary for LGIS, the Illinois-centric subset of the network comprising thirty-four “local news” websites and eleven physical newspapers, which was subject to an FEC lawsuit for disguising campaign materials as local community newspapers (the suit was dismissed in 2019). Timpone is listed as the president of LGIS, a position previously held by Proft. In the run-up to the midterms this November, newspapers from the LGIS outlets have started appearing on doorsteps in Illinois attacking Pritzker for his policies on crime, COVID, and LGBTQ rights.
Proft’s PAC is financially backing Republican candidate Darren Bailey against Pritzker in the November election. Proft ran for office in 2010, currently hosts a show on the Salem Radio Network (which syndicates Christian political talk, conservative programming, and music), and his now-defunct PAC Liberty Principles paid Newsinator (one of the organizations in the extended network) over $300,000 for advertising. This year he started a new PAC, People Who Play by the Rules, which—at the time of writing—has received over $28 million from Uihlein, the shipping magnate and Republican mega-donor. The PAC has paid Pipeline Media just over $225,000 for services that include websites, SMS messages, and robocalls. […]
Only a small fraction of the $28 million that Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC received from Uihlein—$226,668—was spent on Pipeline Media to cover services like website, SMS messages, and robocalls. […]
Since July 13, [Proft’s PAC] has spent over $12 million opposing Pritzker, of which $10,000 was disbursed to Pipeline Media for “website.”
Other anti-Pritzker domains registered in mid-September include pritzkermustgo [dot] com (which features a new ad campaign by the pac) and pritzkerbook [dot] com (which presents users with a book about “what every Illinoisan should know” about the incumbent). The book, too, is paid for by the People Who Play by the Rules PAC.
All these domains share digital identifiers like IP addresses and analytics infrastructure with other sites in the extended local news network, including the Will County Gazette, Kane County Reporter, Chicago City Wire, and DuPage Policy Journal. […]
People Who Play by the Rules isn’t the only PAC that’s received millions from Uihlein this election cycle. Restoration PAC, whose raison d’être is to “provide support to truly conservative candidates” and to “oppose Leftists and the woke agenda,” received at least $13.7 million from the founder of Uline, the privately held shipping-supply company. Of this, $1.37 million went to Pipeline Advisors LLC ($1,336,109) and Pipeline Media ($30,463) for various types of consulting and “production costs.”
It’s apparently all one thing. There’s more, so click here.
*** UPDATE *** I should’ve posted this interesting graphic. Notice the Franklin News Foundation. That’s the publisher of Center Square…
Senator Michael Hastings. This is his record. Hastings is sued for discrimination, racism and sexism. He bullied, threatened women forced to work with him. Taxpayers paid a huge settlement to his victim. Now reports to police that Hastings battered his wife, put her in a headlock, choked her, ramming her head into a door. The governor and other leaders called for Hastings to resign. On election day, tell Michael Hastings enough is enough.
Sen. Hastings is up against Republican Patrick Sheehan.
Earlier today, two former prosecutors and a former Appellate Court Justice held a press conference to highlight the unprecedented level of spending from Democratic leaders on the two contested Illinois Supreme Court races in the Chicago suburbs.
Former Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon, former Appellate Court Justice Bob Spence, and State Sen. John Curran, who served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, all spoke out against the millions of dollars Governor Pritzker, Speaker Welch, President Harmon, and other Democratic lawmakers have spent to elect Justice Mary K. O’Brien and Judge Elizabeth Rochford.
“I and all of us are here today because the future of good government; reforms like independent map and fair maps, public safety, bipartisanship in the State of Illinois are on the ballot in this election for the Illinois Supreme Court in the 2nd and 3rd district. The independence of all three coequal branches of government is critical to restoring Illinois as a leader in job creation, public safety where people want to work and live,” said former Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph “Joe” McMahon. “An independent and impartial jury is critical to good government and is the only remaining check on the absolute political power of the Democrat Party in Cook County. Public confidence in judicial independence and impartiality is eroding when leaders of the other two branches of government try to control and dictate the outcome of judicial elections.”
“The Supreme Court is supposed to be a check on the General Assembly and on the Governor, we learned that in eighth grade - it’s not difficult, said Former Appellate Court Justice Robert Spence. “Other issues that could be decided by the court are “gerrymandering and fair maps.”
Last month, a federal judge blocked other judicial contribution limits Pritzker signed into law, including a measure that bans contributions in excess of $500,000 per election cycle from a single source to independent expenditure committees set up to support or oppose judicial candidates.
Before the now-suspended law went into effect, billionaire Citadel founder Ken Griffin, a chief Pritzker political rival, gave $6.25 million to an independent expenditure committee called Citizens for Judicial Fairness that is supporting the Republican candidates for the two open Supreme Court seats, Mark Curran and Michael Burke. […]
In October, the [Ken Griffin-funded] group reported spending nearly $4.9 million on advertising in the race between Burke, an appointed Supreme Court justice, and O’Brien, an appellate judge, and $1.3 million in the race between Curran, the former Lake County sheriff, and Rochford, an associate judge. By law, the group is prohibited from coordinating with the campaigns.
Two other outside political action committees, Fair Courts America and Restoration PAC, also have been spending to aid the GOP candidates, kicking in nearly $2.3 million for advertising in Curran’s race and nearly $267,000 in Burke’s, state campaign finance records show. They were two of the plaintiffs that sued to block the new limit on contributions to independent expenditure committees in judicial races.
And there’s more, including Richard Uihlein’s money.
The odd thing about the complaining is that these races have some actual financial parity between the two parties, mainly thanks to Ken Griffin’s $6.25 million contribution just before the new cap law took effect.
Showing the high-stakes nature of the state’s Supreme Court races, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has dipped into a trust fund to contribute to two Democratic judicial candidates in races that could reshape the Illinois Supreme Court — a decision Republicans say is skirting contribution limits the governor set himself. […]
Pritzker on Sept. 23 contributed $500,000 each to the candidates from his campaign fund. And on Oct. 28, the Democratic governor contributed another $500,000 each to Rochford and O’Brien — this time from a personal trust fund called the Jay Robert Pritzker Revocable Trust, records show. […]
“This is nothing more than an attempt to skirt the judicial campaign contributions limits that the governor himself signed into law five months ago,” the Republican [former Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph McMahon] said.
(T)he Illinois State Board of Elections says Pritzker’s multiple contributions are allowed.
“We have always treated trusts as separate entities,” state board of elections spokesman Matt Dietrich said in an email. “Absent a complaint alleging otherwise, we would not consider this a violation.”
* Related…
* Uihlein-funded super PAC dumping cash into local congressional races: A political action committee largely funded by conservative Lake Forest billionaire Richard Uihlein dumped at least $526,580 into five Chicago-area congressional races last month, records show. The Restoration PAC paid for digital advertising, direct mail and door hangers promoting or opposing candidates in Illinois’ 3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th and 14th congressional districts, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. The amounts spent per race varied. Some rose into six-figure territory.
*Gary Grasso: Moderate Republicans can win races in Illinois — if they raise their voices: Once we stop handing the tools to Democrats to label all Republicans as too extreme, we will be able to effectively focus on Democrats’ failed policies and giveaways, porous borders, conciliatory policies toward countries that want to harm us and soft-on-crime prosecutors. And we will win on the issues that matter. Let’s turn the tables rather than repeatedly plow headlong into the Democratic playbook.
* After Madigan’s not guilty plea, Republicans warn more corruption charges could be ahead: “My guess is that we will see some more entities down the road who will suffer the same fate of as CommonWealth Edison and AT&T all at the hands of Mike Madigan and also his enablers that are currently running the House of Representatives,” Durkin said during a virtual news conference after Madigan’s plea Tuesday.
* Illinoisans to use six types of voting machines in upcoming election: At polling places across the state, Illinois voters will use one of six different voting machines. The Democracy Suite 5.6-D, the EVS 5.5.0.3 machine, the Unity 3.4.1.1 machine, GEMS 1.18.24 machine, Verity Voting 2.6 machine, or the OpenElect 2.1.0.2 voting machine will all be used in the coming week. Illinois Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich said the voting machines are vetted before use.
* Popularity of mail ballots continues increasing as voter turnout looks to match 2018 midterms: “Now we’re looking healthier,” Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesperson Max Bever said. “Compared to 2018, we’re nipping at the heels.” One week ahead of Election Day, Nov. 8, voters are increasingly using mail ballots to make their selections, a trend experts say could point to permanent changes.
* Highland Park shooting: Prosecutors give defense attorneys 2,500 pages of evidence: The update came at the first court hearing since August for Robert Crimo III, who has been charged with more than 100 felonies in the shooting. Authorities say Crimo also wounded dozens of other people by firing a semi-automatic rifle into the crowd watching the Highland Park holiday parade. Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said prosecutors have given more than 2,500 pages of written material to the defense, along with audio and video recordings. They are expecting to tender a substantial amount of additional discovery material within the next few days.
* Some Dem leaders want to dump Cook County’s chief judge: But political insiders confirm some activity is occurring, with two pols going public with their call to fire Evans: 42nd Ward Ald. and Democratic Committeeman Brendan Reilly, and Michele Smith, who recently stepped down as alderman of the adjoining 43rd Ward. Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, says he, too, is urging voters in his ward to join in the dump Evans move. “He’s made a mess of the court system and turned it into a revolving door that’s endangering my constituents,” said Reilly, referring to an order Evans issued several years ago that directs judges to avoid imposing cash bail. “He needs to go.”
* Chicago area election judges prepare for midterms as FBI warns of nationwide threats: Local election officials tell the I-Team they have not had any threats against election workers here in Illinois. Just last month, the FBI issued a warning about election worker threats tied to the midterms across the country. Election workers surveyed by experts at the Brennan Center are also sounding the alarm.
* How anti-Pritzker PAC is trying to suppress the Black vote in Chicago: It’s an old-school political technique — in the days before a vote, put election flyers under car windshield wipers. They are likely to be read since they are hard for a driver to ignore. In a parking lot in Bronzeville last week outside the Lake Meadows apartments,a multitude of yellow flyers — designed to look like road warning signs — were on cars in this heavily Black and overwhelmingly Democratic community.
* With 1 week to go, Pritzker and Bailey campaign in suburbs: With one week before the election, Pritzker is picking a fight with Bailey over accepting the election results. Governor Pritzker’s campaign manager sent the Bailey team a letter dated Oct. 31 pledging to accept the results of the election “win or lose.” “Election denialism is a dark plague that threatens the very foundation of our democracy,” Mike Ollen wrote. Bailey told WGN News he has made that commitment and pointed to speculation that Pritzker is eying a White House run in 2024.
* Pritzker names retired CPD Chief to Prisoner Review Board: Jeff Grubbs will join the board after serving nearly 30 years with the Carbondale Police Department, retiring as Chief in 2020. Grubbs’ appointment comes as the Prisoner Review Board faces tough questions about its makeup, with Republicans calling on the governor and Democratic leaders in the Senate to be more transparent about the nominations and confirmations.
* In district that has Highland Park, Schneider, Severino differ on how to prevent mass shootings: Weeks after the July 4 shooting in his hometown of Highland Park, 10th District incumbent Democrat Brad Schneider led an effort in the House to revive an expired ban on assault-style weapons. The measure hasn’t yet cleared the Senate. Schneider also has called for universal background checks, gun safety education, mental health services, and better training and equipping of first responders — all part of what he calls a “wholistic approach” to addressing gun violence.
* ‘We Cannot Continue to Normalize This’: Activists, Alderman Outraged At Garfield Park Mass Shooting: At least 14 people were hit by gunfire, including three children. A woman was also injured trying to escape when she was hit by an oncoming car. “It began, then it is over in about three seconds,” said Supt. David Brown at a press conference Monday night. “A car is pulling out after driving by and shooting randomly really into the crowd.”
* Vigil planned as CPD continues search for those responsible in East Garfield Park shooting: A vigil is planned Wednesday, as Chicago police continue to look for the gunman behind a shooting incident Monday night in East Garfield Park that injured 15. One of the most seriously injured victims of that shooting is hospitalized at Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition.
* Why Cook County residents are being asked to pay more taxes for forest preserves: The county’s forest preserve system is the first and largest of its kind in the country, making up about 11% of Cook County. A coalition of more than 150 organizations that support the quest for additional funds laud the environmental and human health benefits of the preserves, which advocates say became particularly evident during the isolation of the pandemic.
* Democrats push hard to cement GOP’s ‘super-duper’ minority on Cook County Board: The question is whether Republicans will claw back one of the seats it lost four years ago or lose even more ground, most notably a seat for Chicago’s Far Northwest Side and northwest suburbs that has been held by a retiring Republican for more than a quarter century.
* Artist Nick Cave tackles a new challenge: Making tiny, artful cheesecakes with Eli’s Cheesecake: The medium may indeed be the message, as Marshall McLuhan once told us, but what to make of a recent morning watching a group of people making messages and then eating them with delight? Esteemed artist Nick Cave was standing alongside his creative and life partner Bob Faust inside Eli’s Cheesecake bakery/retail shop/cafe on the city’s Northwest Side. They were wearing gloves and decorating mini cheesecakes, very tiny mini cheesecakes known as Cuties, one-inch by one-inch morsels.
* This time, Rick Hahn — not Jerry Reinsdorf — picks Pedro Grifol to be the new Chicago White Sox manager: The Chicago White Sox managerial search ended with a stunning pick two years ago when Tony La Russa was brought out of retirement at age 76 to try to take them to the promised land. General manager Rick Hahn issued the announcement, but everyone knew the decision had been made by Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who bypassed his own GM for a chance at a storybook ending — watching his old pal at the helm of a World Series champion on the South Side.
* Pritzker Administration Launches Effort to Strengthen Children’s Mental Health Care: The Administration of Governor JB Pritzker announced today it is launching a new state program designed to help pediatricians and other providers meet children’s mental health needs by strengthening mental health services in emergency departments and schools.
* New home sales plunge: Sales of new homes in the Chicago area dropped in the third quarter to their lowest in almost four years, due in large part to supply being depleted by the pandemic housing boom.
* Trump talks Chicago crime while commenting on Pelosi attack: “With Paul Pelosi, that’s a terrible thing. With all of them it’s a terrible thing,” Trump said, before blaming an overall rise in crime. “Look at what happened to San Francisco generally. Look at what’s happening in Chicago,” he said, adding that the crime situation here is “far worse than Afghanistan.”
* Lincoln political letter from 1843 goes on display: The 1843 letter details Lincoln’s political frustrations. The future president wrote it to Martin Morris, a friend from New Salem. The public’s only access to the letter was a copy Morris made — with many spelling errors — given to Lincoln’s law partner William Herndon.
* The Governor’s Public Schedule…
* Gov. Pritzker to attend groundbreaking at Ferrero’s first-ever U.S. Kinder Bueno production facility. Nu-Way parking lot adjacent to Ferrero Bloomington, 25 Access Way, Bloomington, 10:00 AM. Watch: www.illinois.gov/livevideo
* Governor Pritzker will join Democratic leaders at Illinois State University for a GOTV meet and greet at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. Illinois State University, Schroeder Plaza - 427-499 W College Ave, Normal, IL 61761
