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Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Congressman John Shimkus was interviewed by KMOX host Charlie Brennan today. (Stream or Download) It’s mostly sympathetic and they only took listener calls for less than 2 minutes.

* Chicago Public Radio’s morning news update.

* Newsradio 780’s morning report, includes quote from Daley defending Speaker Hastert.

* IIS: Ethanol industry will grow dramatically in Illinois (Stream or Download)

[I don’t think we’ll have comments on these “radio” posts but you can comment on the KMOX show here.]

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Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Rate hike may be jolt, but donâ€™t pull plug on process

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department

(The following is a paid advertisement)

Sun-Times Editorial (excerpts)
September 25, 2006
Rate hike may be jolt, but donâ€™t pull plug on process

In 1997, the Legislature sent us down a path to deregulation of the electricity market. ComEd’s rates were cut 20 percent and frozen for what turned out to be 10 years, with the understanding that at the end of the freeze, rates would be set by competition rather than regulation. The result? A 22 percent rate hike next year — and some wrongheaded calls for a return to regulation.

As it turns out, bills will go up 22 percent next year, about what ComEd expected, but far less than the dire predictions of the Citizens Utility Board and other critics of the auction.

And what option is there? CUB demanded an extension of the rate freeze, arguing that we should wait for competition to develop. But that is something like trying to put the genie back in the bottle. You can no longer simply freeze the rates we pay ComEd because that could force it to buy power for more than it could charge to sell it. You can’t force electric companies to sell power to ComEd at a cheaper rate. Finally, freezing the rate would probably just further delay the entrance of competition.

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Question of the day *** Updated x2 ***

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Should Denny Hastert step down as US House Speaker in the wake of the Foley scandal?

Should Congressman John Shimkus resign as chairman of the House page board?

Explain your answers.

Bonus question: Will either of those two scenarios ever happen? Explain.

Also, I should say that I’ve been getting a strong sense that I had seen this “fall guy” thing played out elsewhere. It finally occurred to me last night. The Maltese Falcon:

SPADE: There’s something else to be discussed first. We’ve got to have a fall guy. The police need a victim, somebody they can pin those three murders on.

CAIRO: Three? There’s only two, because Thursby certainly killed your partner.

SPADE: Only two then. What’s the difference? We have to give the police…

GUTMAN: Come, Mr. Spade, you can’t expect us to believe at this late date that you’re afraid of the police, or that you’re not quite able to handle…

SPADE: I’m in this up to my neck! I’ve got to find somebody, a victim when the time comes. If I don’t, I’ll be it.

Let’s give them the gunsel.

He actually did shoot Thursby and Jacoby, didn’t he? Anyway, he’s made to order for the part. Look at him!

Let’s give him to them.

GUTMAN: By gad, sir, you are a character. That you are! There’s never any telling what you’ll say or do next, but it’s bound to be astonishing.

SPADE: It’s our best bet. With him in their hands…

GUTMAN: But, my dear man, can’t you see that if I even for a moment thought of doing such a thing… That’s ridiculous.

I feel towards Wilmer here just exactly as if he were my own son. Really, I do.

But if I even for a moment thought of doing what you propose what in the world would keep Wilmer from telling the police every last detail about the falcon and all…

SPADE: Let him talk his head off. I’ll guarantee you nobody’ll do anything about it.

GUTMAN: Well, what do you think of this, Wilmer? Mighty funny, eh?

WILMER: Mighty funny.

In the end, Gutman (Hastert?), Cairo (Boehner?), Wilmer (Shimkus?) and O’Shaughnessy (Reynolds?) all went down.

*** UPDATE *** And the dam begins to burst:

senior congressional aide said Wednesday that he alerted the House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s office in 2004 about worrisome conduct by former Rep. Mark Foley with teenage pages — the earliest known alert to the GOP leadership.

Kirk Fordham told The Associated Press that when he was told about Foley’s inappropriate behavior toward pages, he had “more than one conversation with senior staff at the highest level of the House of Representatives asking them to intervene.”

This Fordham guy is just chum for the sharks.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Fordham as Wilmer? Hotline:

And a leadership aide sympathetic to Hastert said that Fordham “is now contradicting his comments” about learning of Foley’s behavior recently. Fordham told the AP this morning: “This was someone I had worked for 10 years. I had no inkling that this kind of blatantly reckless â€” just obscene â€” behavior was going on behind our backs.”

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Catch-up continues

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

6th Congressional District Republican hopeful Roskam has taken a reasonable stance on the Foley scandal, even though he has already been attacked for toeing the party line.

Something went wrong in the way the Foley matter was handled, Roskam said in an interview, but it’s too early to tell where the breakdown occurred. He said he doesn’t want to critique the actions of any member of Congress until after the FBI has examined the case.

“You had a member of Congress who was betraying the trust of parents, and that’s fundamentally where the responsibility lies,” Roskam said. “The second question then is, ‘Were there failures that left that child in jeopardy? Yes. But the point is, where were the failures and who was responsible?” […]

“Do I take the speaker of the House at face value? Yeah,” Roskam said.

But Roskam also said he wouldn’t send any of his four children to join the page program.

That parental angst, of course, is a main factor driving this debate.

The Post-Dispatch couldn’t reach Congressman Shimkus yesterday.

Shimkus was unavailable for comment Tuesday, despite attempts to reach him at his home, his office and on the road. His staff reiterated his previous statements and dismissed the possibility of political side-effects.

And neither could Carol Marin.

Here’s my conversation Tuesday afternoon with Shimkus’ press secretary, Steve Tomaszewski:

Is it possible to talk to Congressman Shimkus sometime today by phone? “I can put a request in, but at this point he’s not doing interviews,” Tomaszewski told me.

Can you help me understand why? “At this point the congressman issued two statements . . . If anything changes with regard to him talking or interviews I will certainly make sure that this request is considered,” he assured me.

What was it that caused Shimkus and Hastert not to take questions Monday? “You’d have to ask the speaker’s office,” replied Tomaszewski. I’d love to, believe me.

But Copley did, and Shimkus was not in a good mood.

Asked whether that made it look like a political cover-up, Shimkus said: “Bull–, what I regret is that now it’s used for the political expediency, for a political agenda by the Democrats. Anybody who knows me knows that I wouldn’t do anything to assault or hurt these kids.

“I put more time in to protect these kids than anyone. For these people to try to take me down because of this is unconscionable. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. For my former friends who are Democrats and who are leading this charge, I know what their true values are.”

Shimkus accused the media of falling for what he said is a pre-election Democratic ploy.

“You’re feeding right into the Democrats. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. This is an October surprise, and you guys have fallen hook, line and sinker for it,” Shimkus said.

Shimkus admitted yet again that he had seen some e-mails, even though his press spokesman originally insisted to everyone who called that the congressman had seen nothing. That point was not addressed in the story.

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More negativity in the 8th

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I have a feeling things are gonna get worse before they get better in the 8th.

Republican 8th District candidate David McSweeney hit cable TV Tuesday for the fourth week in a row, this time ripping Congresswoman Melissa Bean for votes on wiretapping and the mention of God in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Bean, meanwhile, blasted McSweeney over a National Republican Congressional Committee mailer that implies her votes on illegal immigration help Osama bin Laden. […]

The latest TV piece, funded by McSweeney and the national party organization, says Bean is out of sync with 8th District voters because she voted against a proposal to bar courts from debating the constitutionality of the phrase â€œunder Godâ€ in the Pledge of Allegiance.

McSweeney called the phrase â€œa very important part of who we are as a nation.â€ […]

The ad also blasts Bean for supporting a measure to stop President Bushâ€™s international wiretapping initiative if it violates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

And, as I already told you, here’s the mailer that Rep. Bean is upset about, calling it, â€œthe most desperate and personally offensive attack yet.â€ Click it for a larger image.

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The debate debate

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The State Journal-Register editorial board was not impressed with Monday night’s debate.

We suspect you are wondering who won Mondayâ€™s gubernatorial debate between Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

Had there been a debate, maybe we could issue an opinion of who won. But there was no debate on Monday. Rather, what those who tuned into the Illinois Radio Network-sponsored â€œdebateâ€ heard were two politicians engaged in mudslinging and memorization. [,,,]

It would be interesting to see a more formal debate between the candidates, one in which they had to carefully detail their answers and stay on the question asked. We arenâ€™t sure the Geneva Conventions would allow for the use of the necessary implements to achieve this, however.

And Eric Krol made several points about the debate in his Animal Farm bloglike thingy. Here are his first two:

What a difference a few months makes. During their first debate at NBC-Ch. 5 in late May, Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka batted Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich from pillar-to-post. Blagojevich looked rattled as Topinka steamrollered him on ethics. On Monday night in Decatur, Blagojevich was more calm and focused, sticking to his talking points and even scoring a few points of his own on ethics by pointing to what he said were no-bid contracts in Topinkaâ€™s treasurer office.

*With only two debates scheduled, Topinka needed a strong performance to close a gap in the polls. Youâ€™ll probably be hard-pressed to find a pundit in Illinois this morning whoâ€™ll say that she delivered. As we pointed out in our story today, Topinka came out nervous, fumbling her pass at the ethics question before recovering to score some later points on ethics and the state budget situation. When we saw her before the debate, we thought perhaps the new hairdo might be the sign of a new Topinka, a turning point for her in the race. Maybe sheâ€™ll be that candidate come Oct. 26, when the two debate at 7 p.m. on WTTW-Ch. 11. The question is, will it be too late? The election is Nov. 7.

Meanwhile, John Patterson of the Daily Herald had a funny piece today.

He’s sure the $1,500 check to his 7-year-old daughter was a birthday gift.

That is unless it was a christening gift for the newborn.

Then again, he’s not quite sure what or which daughter it was for, although he’s certain it was legit and ethical and properly disclosed on the required state forms, albeit a year late and conveniently following a tÃªte-Ã -tÃªte with federal investigators.

Meet Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat seeking re-election in November.

She called her Republican rivals a “bunch of morons,” later clarifying that one of them, in fact, was not a moron. Then, to stick the landing of her political flip, she apologized, saying they weren’t morons after all, she was just tired and cranky at the end of a long day’s work. And more recently she quipped about beating the sitting governor with a rolling pin.

Meet state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka of Riverside, the Republican nominee for governor.

He eventually gets around to the YouTube thing. Go read it, and make sure to check out the companion piece, “Sticking to the script may work.”

Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich often gets caught saying one thing to one group and something else to another, while Republican nominee Judy Baar Topinka has a habit of saying a little too much.

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Reuters poll: Duckworth up by 5 *** Updated x1 ***

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Reuters polled 15 US House races and finds that Duckworth is leading Roskam by 5 points, which is just outside the margin of error.

Democrats lead Republicans in 11 of 15 crucial races in the November 7 election to decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.

President George W. Bush’s Republicans now hold a 15-seat advantage over Democrats. The polls of at least 500 likely voters in each district have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. […]

ILLINOIS 6 - Democrat Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both her legs in Iraq, leads Republican Peter Roskam 43-38 percent in suburban Chicago battle to replace retiring Republican Rep. Henry Hyde.

Check back later because I’ll try to get the full results for the district, including crosstabs, if any are available.

By the way, with that sample size and that margin of error, a five point lead means the probability that Duckworth is ahead of Roskam is 89.33%.

*** UPDATE *** This was at the bottom of a Daily Herald story today:

Meanwhile, Roskam, a personal-injury lawyer, faces another challenge in the form of a lawsuit filed Tuesday in DuPage County court.

Jillian Lindeen claims Roskam was negligent when he represented her in a lawsuit against a driver that struck her car on Dec. 31, 2000. The new suit alleges Roskam failed to use due diligence in pursuing the case and as a result it was dismissed Aug. 1.

Attorney Ralph Hruby, who is representing Lindeen, said she suffered severe injuries in the 2000 accident that required numerous operations. Although the lawsuit comes in the midst of a heated election, Hruby said the timing is not political but is a result of the lawsuit being dismissed.

Roskamâ€™s campaign questioned the timing.

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Morning shorts *** Updated x1 ***

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sorry, but a $20,000 “no-bid” employment contract that led to a part-time job for a “criminal” who “stole” $350 when he was 19 years old does not equal out the corruption factor in the governor’s race.

* Tribune: The Carpentersville Village Board postponed discussion Tuesday night of a proposed ordinance that targets illegal immigrants after a crowd estimated at 3,000 people arrived for the meeting.

* Steinberg: If your congressman quit, would you notice?

* Richards: Why this election doesn’t Bear watching

* Democrats seek an opening - Party hopes to crack GOP’s monopoly on DuPage board

* Republicans may win, even if they lose

* Forest district funds going to Republicans

* AP: The 26-year-old son of Madison County’s treasurer has been arrested after police say he punched an Edwardsville businessman in a scuffle over a political sign.

*** UPDATE *** The I-Team’s latest report:

There is more controversy over a major political endorsement for Governor Rod Blagojevich. It concerns the recent endorsement by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, the state’s largest law enforcement union. In this Intelligence Report: why state prison guards are crying foul.

Some Fraternal Order of Police members are questioning how the state organization could vote to endorse the governor for re-election, when several major bargaining units, known as lodges, are against him.

Last month the I-Team revealed that the members of the lodge representing Illinois State Police officers had voted not to endorse Blagojevich. Now we’ve learned that the lodge representing Illinois correctional officers in state prisons also gave the governor the thumbs down.

* Tribune: A Lake County judge ruled Tuesday that commanding officers from the Illinois State Police may not use a union official’s letter in pursuing their claim that their vacation benefits were cut because they did not endorse Gov. Rod Blagojevich in the last election.

* And I forgot to put this up earlier from Eric Zorn: Assessing the assessment scandal

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Evening “radio” clips *** Updated x1 ***

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Let’s start with a long interview of Green Party candidate Rich Whitney that was conducted right after last night’s debate. Whitney was interviewed by Illinois Channel honcho Terry Martin.

[audio:debate.mp3]

* Next up, an IIS story about Rep. John Fritchey’s legislative proposal to expand who can be notified when minors seek abortions. (Chicago Public Radio has a story here.)

[audio:notify.mp3]

* And, finally, Governor Rod Blagojevich announces an Internet safety plan. The first clip is the IIS story, the second is the guv explaining the plan.

[audio:unit.mp3]

[audio:gov-10-3.mp3]

*** UPDATE *** The entire gubernatorial debate from last night can be downloaded by clicking here.

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One of, if not the, best negative ads of the year *** Updated x1 ***

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Topinka’s new ad is up and running and we’ve got it right here.

You can subscribe to videos that I upload myself by clicking here. I uploaded the Topinka video this morning, so subscribers got the first notification.

Be advised, though, that when I see a video I like I usually add it to my video log with one quick click, and those vids won’t show up in your subscriber alerts. The video log is on the home page.

*** UPDATE *** Just another quick note. New videos by others that I’ve put on my “vlog” include:

* JakeCP, who says he’s a 14 year old attending Lincoln Park High School, talks about the governor, Topinka, public schools and his worn out textbooks. This is a two-parter. Part 2 has a long, highly critical rant on the guv.

* “Roskam makes a return appearance to Worst list”

* A spoof ad by blogger OneMan, “The Law is the LAW L-A-W”

* An Internet ad by the Blagojevich campaign entitled “Topinka’s No Bid Contracts”

The vlog is on our YouTube home page.

* Here’s JakeCP’s long rant about his cruddy textbooks, his mistrust of Gov. Blagojevich and, in the end, a plea for older people to vote for Topinka. It’s worth a look if you have a minute. Not bad for a kid.

* Here’s a short video made by JakeCP of one of his textbooks, “just to prove that Rod Blagojevich isn’t giving enough funding to the Public School System.”

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Abortion; Jacobs; Syverson; Schock; Electricity; Special session; Granberg/Cavaletto; Target feed (Use all caps in password)

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I changed the headline, added a story and bumped this to the top so we can use it as the question of the day.

Use these stories as a jumping off point.

* ABC7

* Sun-Times

* Tribune

* Daily Herald

* SJ-R

Question: How did the two candidates do at last night’s debate?

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Still behind, Illinois media tries to play catch-up on Foley scandal

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The State Journal-Register editorializes:

Most of us are not looking at this situation as a political football game. We are looking at it as parents who wonder how in the world anyone could consider even for a nanosecond that politics might be more important than protecting a child.

If evidence continues to evolve that Foley was indeed protected - or even if serious allegations of impropriety were not investigated - then retribution should be swift and painful for those who failed to act. That seems an absurdly easy call - at least away from the dissonance of the Capitol dome.

* The SJ-R’s article completely buried the item about Sen. Dick Durbin’s call on Shimkus to resign as chairman of the page board, relegating it to one sentence.

* The Sun-Times editorial, which won’t be read by many in Shimkus’ district, is harsh on the Republican incumbent.

“Mark Foley should be ashamed,” Shimkus told the press conference. So should Shimkus and any other Republican who failed to protect the young people serving as pages. Hastert says he does not recall being told about the first reports of Foley’s behavior last year. The early reports on the messages did not contain any explicit language. Still, when the GOP leaders heard about them, why did they take Foley’s word that the messages were merely “over friendly?” Why didn’t they launch a formal investigation? In this day, when there has been so much angst and anger over the sexual predations of Catholic priests and school teachers, why did Shimkus and the other Republicans in the know just shrug this off? The horrible irony is that Foley himself sponsored legislation to protect children from sexual predators.

* The Tribune editorial makes a good point at the very end:

But this scandal now rests where it should: at the door of the speaker of the House. Mr. Hastert, you don’t need a squad of FBI agents to tell you how you and your colleagues in the House reacted when they first learned that Mark Foley had crossed a line that ought never be broached. You need to tell us.

* Democrat Dan Stover, Shimkus’ opponent, got some rare ink.

A Democratic congressional candidate says U.S. Rep. John Shimkus should step down from panel that oversees more than 70 pages working in the U.S. House.

Danny Stover, Shimkusâ€™ opponent in the upcoming election, called for the Collinsville Republican to resign as head of the House Page Board after news surfaced that fellow legislator Mark Foley had sent inappropriate e-mails and text messages to a then-16-year-old male page.

* The Alton Telegraph ran this long headline above its coverage of Shimkus today: “U.S. Rep. John Shimkus ducked a chance to address his role in the growing House page scandal on Monday, and his November election opponent and other Democrats wasted little time in turning up the heat. ”

* The Tribune looks at the political fallout in the 8th:

U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) and Republican challenger David McSweeney disagreed Monday over whether to scrap the congressional page program amid a scandal involving a Florida congressman.

McSweeney said Congress should dissolve the page program following the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who had been sending sexually explicit e-mails to underage male pages.

Bean blamed Republican leadership for failing to act appropriately when House staffers learned at least a year ago that Foley had been sending “over-friendly” messages to a youth from Louisiana.

* Crain’s has more from congressional candidates:

The sharpest talk locally came in the north suburban 10th District, where Democrat Dan Seals accused Republican incumbent Mark Kirk â€œand the entire Republican leadershipâ€ of a â€œshamefulâ€ silence on the scandal. […]

Mr. Kirk said in a statement that he is â€œdisgustedâ€ with Mr. Foley, and proposed that House rules be changed to require that any further credible allegation of misconduct with a page be referred to leaders of both major political parties, not just the majority party. Mr. Kirk also called for appointment of a bipartisan outside panel to probe what happened. […]

Ms. Duckworth charged that House GOP leadership â€œhas been involved in keeping Foleyâ€™s secretâ€ and called on Mr. Roskam to return the $40,000 in campaign donations heâ€™s received from Messrs. Hastert, Shimkus and other leaders. […]

This is the type of leadership Roskam would look to,â€ Ms. Duckworth said in a statement. â€œThe last thing we need in Washington is another rubberstamp.â€

Mr. Roskamâ€™s spokesman said the speaker acted correctly in asking an outside agency, the Department of Justice, to probe whether any laws have been broken. That probe will reveal whether Mr. Hastert is at all culpable, the spokesman added.

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Truth, please

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Cook County Assessor’s office seems to be having trouble with the truth about why Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s assessment rose by just 1 percent while his neighbors saw 40 percent increases.

From ABC7:

“It’s just another example of Rod Blagojevich being the luckiest man in Illinois,” said Jay Stewart, executive director, Better Government Assn.

Stewart doesn’t live far from the governor. He said he saw his property reassessed much higher than the average. While not directly calling the governor’s low reassessment special treatment, Stewart does call it curious.

The Cook County Assessor’s office said it’s misleading to judge by percentages. […]

According to Guerrero, the more telling statistic is that of the 103 comparably-sized homes in Rod Blagojevich’s neighborhood. The governor’s house has the second highest property tax assessment — in part because three years ago his home was over-assessed and went up 40-percent. Other homes in the neighborhood are now “catching up,” according to Guerrero. However, a Daily Herald analysis shows Blagojevich’s neighbors saw an average increase of about 43 percent in 2003.

That’s the key here. Everybody’s assessment in that neighborhood increased three years ago. And, as Jay Stewart asks in the piece…

“I’d like to know how many other people get this oops we over-assessed you the last time so, without being asked to, we’re going to give you a really nice low assessment this time. Again, I’m officially requesting the same treatment right now.”

Some truth would be nice. And as far as motivation is concerned, it wouldn’t be this, would it? Just wondering.

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Morning shorts

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Safety net for your kids - Gov, rival push plans to make cyberspace safer for children

* Daley yet to announce, but campaign gets in gear

* “Sneed has learned interim Cook County Board President Bobbie Steele is launching a two-pronged attack to seek more money from Gov. Blagojevich’s state coffers.”

* Inc. Magazine: Blagojevich a “Three-star” governor… “Creative and diligent but still needs work”

* Economy divides governor hopefuls

* Protest planned as crackdown proposal causes stir in suburb

7 Comments

Debate thread

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Come back here tonight for debate liveblogging.

Until then, use the comments to suggest a debate drinking game for both Blagojevich and Topinka.

By the way, your best bet for listening online is probably WBBM AM.

—————————————————————————————

* Man, Topinka sounds nervous at the beginning.

* LOL… Did the governor just call Topinka “Public Official A”? Shameless.

* I wonder how many people will actually hear this debate?

* These endless fillibusters have to stop, on both sides.

* “She’s issued more than 300 no-bid contracts.” - Gov. Blagojevich

* The governor says he got that info on Topinka’s office from a FOIA his office submitted. Topinka has denied that she gave out those no-bid contracts.

* Seriously, the moderators really need to get control of these two a bit more. These endless lists and diatribes are no help at all.

* The fun thing is that the computer broadcast is on a delay, so I can “see” what they’re about to say by reading the comments as they come through.

* Topinka discloses that Paul Vallas helped craft her education plan. I had heard this was the case. Curious that they haven’t made more hay out of this fact.

* There isn’t even a hint of optimism in her voice. The hectoring gets old.

* Topinka commends MJM for asking for special session, says there should be a freeze. That’s gonna put serious pressure on Blagojevich. A ComEd lobster was most worried about this earlier tonight when I talked to him because it could force Blagojevich to actually call the session.

* LOL. JBT brings up the ethanol ad where the guv is standing in a soybean field.

* It’s a good thing that the drinking game wasn’t “Take a shot every time somebody posted a snarky, off-point, high schoolish comment” or I’d be dead by now.

* So, what have we learned from this, campers? They despise each other? No, we knew that one already. Topinka is too negative? Nope. Knew that. Blagojevich is a robot with his talking points unless he’s seriously challenged? Nix that, already knew it (and he wasn’t challenged here tonight).

* What they ought to do is broadcast the post-debate press conferences because we didn’t get much out of this.

* By the way, hats off to the governor’s Internet squad. TopinkaWatch had a bunch of info on the no-bid contracts point moments after the governor uttered it tonight.

* As OneMan just pointed out in comments….

If she gets another debate with him, which I doubt, she needs to figure out how to

A) Sound a little less angry
B) Get him off of his talking points

Easy for me to say, hard for her to do.

Exactly. There was no attempt to put him back on his heels. He just churned out his factoids one after another pretty much uninterrupted, and she sounded like she had a frown on her face the entire time.

Win: Blagojevich.

* My final point: This is basically a tune-up for the Public TV debate (although that debate is not completely certain). Few people will actually listen to a political debate on radio. Many more people will see the news coverage than the debate. And lots more will see the TV ads generated by the debate, if any. Topinka’s performance is less of a factor this time. But that doesn’t excuse it.

[Comments closed. Use Tuesday’s thread instead.]

179 Comments

This just in… Madigan wants special session *** Updated x11 ***

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** BIG UPDATE *** Guv will call special session, but WITH A BIG CAVEAT

From the governor’s letter to the leaders.

“Once we have the votes to pass the legislation, I will immediately call a special session to do so.”

So, don’t hold your breath. This looks like a Kabuki dance.

He does say in the letter that he will eventually call a special session if not enough votes can be found, and that the General Assembly will stay in session through the holidays if necessary. That sounds like he could be putting it off until after the election.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Click the pic for the full letter.

Also, whoever wrote this Reuters story is an idiot.

- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday called for a special legislative session to extend a nine-year electric rate freeze for customers of Exelon Corp.’s (EXC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Commonwealth Edison unit and Ameren Corp. (AEE.N: Quote, Profile, Research).

The action follows the state’s first power auction last month which will result in a jump in electric rates of as much as 55 percent for some residential and small business customers of three Ameren utilities in Illinois and a 22-percent hike for ComEd’s 3.7 million customers.

———————————————————————————–

Speaker Madigan has sent a letter to Governor Blagojevich asking that he call a special session within the next seven days to address the pending electricity rate hikes.

Madigan specifically wants the special session to take up Rep. Lisa Dugan’s bill, HB 5766, which would extend the decade-old rate freeze.

As I’ve told Capitol Fax readers before, the rate hikes have become a big issue for Madigan’s incumbents. A special session would showcase his targets.

Check back for updates. I’m told the guv’s office will have something “as soon as possible.”

*** UPDATE *** The SJ-R has more:

“The auction has become little more than a sham procedure for tremendously profitable utility companies to potentially turn already record earnings and profits into exorbitant gains for their executives and shareholders …” Madigan wrote in the letter.

Madigan wants lawmakers to convene and pass a bill to extend the freeze for three more years.

*** UPDATE 2 *** The letter to the governor can be downloaded by clicking this link. [pdf file]

*** UPDATE 3 *** Speaker Madigan reportedly informed the governor’s staff of his intentions this morning. As of noon or so, the word is that the guv’s people were still debating it behind the scenes.

As of 12:25, I’m still waiting on a return call from Senate President Emil Jones’ office. Jones is very close to ComEd and a major supporter in the Senate. It’s doubtful that he’ll want this special session, but opposing it could do some real harm to his incumbents and his candidates.

*** UPDATE 4 *** There are two options to convening a special session. Either the governor calls it or the two legislative leaders can call it together. From the state Constitution:

The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session; and only business encompassed by such purpose, together with any impeachments or confirmation of appointments shall be transacted. Special sessions of the General Assembly may also be convened by joint proclamation of the presiding officers of both houses, issued as provided by law.

Also, SB1714 may be the vehicle. The HDems want something that they could move in a day or two, and Rep. Dugan’s original bill would take too long to process because it never got out of Rules.

*** UPDATE 5 *** Pantagraph:

“There appears to be a lot of anxiety among consumers. A lot of these people are senior citizens. Why bring that anxiety into their life? If the legislature can take some action and put a hold on this… that makes some sense to do,” said [Madigan spokesman] Brown.

Power company officials say the rate hikes reflect the actual price of energy after nine years of operating under a rate freeze. Without the increase, Ameren Corp. spokesman Leigh Morris said the company could face severe financial consequences, including bankruptcy.

“There are no winners in a bankruptcy,” said Morris. “A continuation of the rate freeze is not the answer.”

Not only are special sessions uncommon in Illinois, but officials would have to scramble if one were scheduled to find a place for lawmakers to meet. Both the House and Senate chambers are undergoing extensive renovations and are not useable.

Brown said the House could meet in the historic Old State Capitol, which is about five blocks from the Statehouse. There also are other large areas where members could meet to debate the issue and cast their votes.

*** UPDATE 6 *** Senate Republican spokesperson Patty Schuh:

“It needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Sooner rather than later would probably be best… We’d have to review the House bill [so the SGOPs, in other words, won’t commit to the exact language of Rep. Dugan’s bill]… The [special session] call certainly should be broad enough to start the debate… There needs to be public debate on this issue and a special session is probably the way to do it.”

*** UPDATE 7 *** House Republican spokesman Dave Dring:

We think it could be done in the veto session… Politically motivated… We’re trying to find out if it’s real… But if it’s real and it happens, we’ll take a look at it.

Two House Republicans, candidate Dick Cain and Rep. Bill Mitchell, have already called for a special session on this issue.

*** UPDATE 8 *** If you’re having trouble viewing the Madigan letter, you can download it by clicking this link. [pdf file]

*** UPDATE 9 *** Senate Democratic spokesperson Cindy Davidsmeyer:

We should let the Commerce Commission do their job… Anything that needed to be done could be done during veto session…

However, if the governor does call a special session we will certainly heed that call.

She said she didn’t ask Senate President Jones about his views on the specific language that Madigan wants addressed, but Jones is most likely opposed to that.

*** UPDATE 10 *** AP:

Citizens Utility Board executive director David Kolata praised Madigan for seeking the special session.

“I think that the approach is let’s act sooner rather than later,” Kolata said. “We know we need to change the direction here.”

Supporters of the rate freeze may fear that lawmakers will end up doing nothing if action is put off until the veto session, which takes place after the Nov. 7 election.

David Dring, a spokesman for House Republican Leader Tom Cross, said the call for a special session looks “politically motivated.” A vote on freezing rates could wait until November, he said, adding that Cross hasn’t taken a position on the rate freeze measure yet.

*** UPDATE 11 *** Lt Gov. Pat Quinn:

“I’m all for passage of the rate freeze extension, the sooner the better, and I commend Speaker Madigan for taking action on this important issue that affects so many Illinois families.”

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Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

I got busy and forgot about posting a question today. Oops.

Have you received any direct mail from a political campaign in the last week or so? If you have, describe the piece(s) and rate their effectiveness.

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Swamp unspins, but other Illinois media outlets silent, scooped, spun *** Updated x6 ***

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Tribune blog “The Swamp” has an unusually good piece today dissecting letters released by House Speaker Denny Hastert calling for a federal investigation of the Congressman Foley sexual predator scandal.

The letters are interesting because they seem to reveal an emerging damage-control strategy that Hastert may use to defend House Republicans in their handling of the Foley matter. It boils down to saying House Republicans did more than the media did when faced with the same Foley emails. […]

The other interesting thing about the letter is Hastert’s call for an investigation into who had copies of the sexually charged IMs which forced Foley’s resignation. ABC News reported the existence of those IMs and got them from somewhere.

Hastert appears to be suggesting that whoever had those IMs and didn’t go to law enforcement first may have committed a crime. Who knows, maybe it was some Democrat dirty trick meant to embarass House Republicans before the mid-term elections?

Read the whole thing.

Meanwhile, you’d think that if Congressman John Shimkus’ spokesman told at least two Illinois papers a different story than the congressman himself told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch you’d see a follow up today in both of those papers.

Nope and nope.

The spokesman said Shimkus hadn’t seen any e-mail exchanges between Foley and the teenager. The Post-Dispatch reported that Shimkus said he did see the e-mails.

For more info, go here. I’m gonna close comments on that other post to bring people to today’s.

Also, perhaps Congressman Shimkus should peruse his own state’s Abused and Neglected Children’s Act. If he were a school janitor here, he might be in big legal trouble.

*** UPDATE *** From the Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire:

In the talk shows today others chimed in on this theme too. Sen. Mike DeWine and Rep. Sherrod Brown, in a â€œMeet the Pressâ€ interview on their Ohio Senate race, couched their language carefully, but they said if anyone in the House leadership knew of the emails and failed to act they should resign. Seeming to refer to Hastert, Brown said anyone who knew about the emails but failed to act jeopardized the safety of House pages and forfeited the public trust.

*** UPDATE 2 *** AP:

“As a parent and speaker of the House, I am disgusted,” Hastert, R-Ill., told reporters after holding a meeting at the Capitol in the wake of the disclosure of the e-mails in 2003 to a page, which led to Foley’s resignation last Friday. The page’s home state was not immediately cited. […]

Hastert, who did not take questions from reporters, called on any person who was aware of the 2003 instant messages to speak to law enforcement authorities. He said no Republican leader in Congress was aware of those exchanges until Friday, when ABC News reported it had questioned Foley about them. […]

Shimkus, appearing with Hastert, said new measures would be implemented to keep pages safe and said they include a toll-free hotline for pages, former pages and their families to confidentially report any incidents.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Hastert’s complete statement is here.

*** UPDATE 4 *** Man, Shimkus was totally snowed by this guy.

In a June 7, 2001, speech [to the House pages], Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., the head of the page board, referred to Foley as someone “who I know has a vested interest in taking time out to make sure he talks with you and visits with you and he gets to know you.”

“That is a personal trait that you should emulate. He has been successful, and I know it is from his heart,” Shimkus said.

*** UPDATE 5 *** Copley:

The two lawmakers [Hastert & Shimkus] read their statements and then walked away, ignoring questions shouted by a throng of reporters.

After Hastert and Shimkus spoke, [the lone Democrat on the House page board] Kildee issued a statement saying he was “outraged to learn” that changes were being proposed in the page program without Democratic input.

“Once again, I was not informed of the meeting today, nor was I consulted in any way about any proposed changes,” Kildee said. “In my 21 years as a Member of the House Page Board, every decision has been made on not just a bi-partisan basis but on a non-partisan basis, with our main concern always being the safety and wellbeing of the young teenagers who serve the U.S. House as pages.

[Emphasis added]

*** UPDATE 6 *** Durbin wants Shimkus to step down from board.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called on Rep. John Shimkus to step down as chair of the House Page Board, a role that has put the Collinsville Republican at the center of the controversy. Durbin said Shimkus hadnâ€™t acted aggressively enough to investigate the matter, and that his failure to inform others on the board smacked of “a cover-up.” […]

Congressman Shimkus did not aggressively investigate these allegations concerning Rep. Foleyâ€™s inappropriate contact” with pages, said Durbin. “And the fact that he did not share this information with other members of the Page Board on a bipartisan basis is very troubling. . . . It has every indication of containment and cover-up.”

*** UPDATE 7 *** Hastert held a press conference after Shimkus was whisked off to an undisclosed location. The Swamp has the plahy-by-play:

Q Mr. Speaker, looking back on that conversation between Congressman Shimkus and Congressman Foley, can you think of any positive construction to put on an eâ€‘mail message in which a 50â€‘yearâ€‘old man asks a 16â€‘yearâ€‘old boy for his picture? I mean if you had been in the room can you think of a positive way to look at an eâ€‘mail message like that?

Mr. Hastert. I think that is apparent that would raise a red flag. Evidently it raised a red flag with the kid, with the page and that is what triggered this response.

Q Do you know â€‘â€‘ do you think then that Congressman Shimkus didn’t have a good detector on there? How did he â€‘â€‘ do you agree with his decision having questioned Congressman Foley then to relay that now.

Mr. Hastert. Well, I am talking about something I didn’t have firsthand knowledge of, but what I am telling you is from the concern of the parents were just to have this cease and desist. That is exactly what Congressman Shimkus did. With my understanding, without even letting Mr. Shimkus or I am not even sure the Clerk know what the actual substance of the message was.

67 Comments

Once again, something stinks *** Updated x3 ***

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

The governor’s office was not happy that Eric Krol and Kristen McQueary wrote stories about the governor’s property tax assessment, but there appears to some there there. The reason for the stories was that the guv’s assessment rose by just 1 percent this year, while his neighbors’ assessments skyrocketed. The assessor’s office claims that the reason for the low assessment increase was because he was hit harder than his neighbors three years ago. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

* Krol:

A look at the 156 residential properties nearest Blagojevichâ€™s Ravenswood Manor house â€” the east-west streets of Wilson and Sunnyside avenues and the north-south streets of Richmond Street and Sacramento Avenue â€” shows the average assessment increase was 36.7 percent this year. The other 155 properties all had at least double-digit increases. Homes of the same real estate class as Blagojevichâ€™s â€” one-story homes 1,801 square feet and up â€” rose an average of 22.8 percent. […]

Three years ago, the Blagojevich homeâ€™s assessed value went up 40 percent, from $48,006 to $67,231. The average assessment increase among those same 156 neighboring properties was 43.7 percent. […]

Another way to look at property assessments in Blagojevichâ€™s neighborhood is on a square-foot basis â€” a measurement commonly used in tax appeal cases. That barometer shows the governorâ€™s property assessment is the lowest among both the most highly valued houses and homes in the same property class in his immediate neighborhood.

The $57,365 assessment on Blagojevichâ€™s 3,817-square-foot house â€” that amount does not include the assessment on his land â€” comes to $15.03 per square foot. The average figure among the 15 properties in the neighborhood whose market value Houlihanâ€™s office puts at more than $400,000 is $23.19 per square foot. And among homes of the same property class as Blagojevich, the average assessment was $18.69 per square foot.

* McQueary:

In an environment of climbing assessments and amid a push by Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan to control wildly increasing home values, it seems strange that a chic 3,817-square-foot home, the governor’s, would dip in assessed value.

While property taxes are sufficiently complicated, the basic premise is this: The assessed value of Blagojevich’s bungalow dropped while the land around the house rose slightly. Overall, his assessed value increased by about 1 percent, bumping his market value from $420,194 to $424,331, according to property tax records.

It’s unclear how much his tax bill will be impacted, but it’s a safe bet his bill won’t rise as much as his neighbors. […]

Blagojevich’s neighbors, meanwhile, told me the $420,194 market value pegged by the assessor’s office is far too low to begin with. Homes near his — smaller homes — are selling for upwards of $800,000.

No way is his market value $424K. Not in that neighborhood. No way.

I hear that Assessor Houlihan plans to hold a press conference today to rebut the allegations in the two published stories. Stay tuned.

*** UPDATE *** There won’t be a Houlihan press coference.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) had some harsh words about the governor’s property taxes on his blog today in a post entitled “Must be nice.”

The Governor lives in the north end of my district, about 3 miles away from me. And I can tell you that I don’t know of ONE person between my house and his that wouldn’t give a limb for a 1% increase in their assessment. My constituents (and I) are getting pounded by property taxes, and we are getting no help from the Governor’s office in trying to find a solution to this issue.

*** UPDATE 2 *** AP:

…Jay Stewart, the executive director of the Better Government Association and resident of the city’s northwest side, said the governor’s property tax assessment is enviable.

“I can tell you from personal experience that people in that neighborhood would die for a 1 percent assessment increase,” Stewart said.

*** UPDATE 3 *** I received a response from Lucio Guerrero the spokesman for the Cook County Assessor’s office, but most of it was so full of red herrings and misdirection that I won’t put it here.

However, to show you what kind of push-back there’s been on this story, I am including one paragraph.

Unfortunately, the reporters didnâ€™t let the facts get in the way of their â€œscoop.â€ The reality is, this story has been shopped around for weeks and most responsible journalists took the time to educate themselves on the process and opted to take a pass.

What a jerk.

44 Comments

Check story still not going away

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Both the Tribune and Copley had pieces on the YouTube incident from over a week ago. As usual, neither online article provided a link to the videos. But the stories did serve to keep the infamous “check” story alive.

* Tribune:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich made his first YouTube.com appearance in February, when someone posted footage of him being satirized on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” For a telegenic governor in the media age, the widely popular video Web site has been a surprisingly unkind medium for him ever since. […]

For Blagojevich, a second awkward YouTube moment came last week, when a video of impromptu sessions with a dozen reporters landed on the site. An aide for Blagojevich’s Republican opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, shot the video.

The governor, typically smooth and confident before the cameras, looked less than prepared and uncharacteristically uneasy as he was peppered with questions surrounding a $1,500 check he received from a longtime friend. As the Tribune disclosed in a recent story, the check came about the time the friend’s wife received a state job. The raw texture of the amateur video made Blagojevich’s appearance look that much less professional and statesmanlike.

* Copley (Finke’s column):

A week ago Thursday, Blagojevich finally got around to talking with a group of reporters about the check. It did not go well. In fact, it went so poorly that Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka’s campaign put its video from the session on the YouTube Internet site. People have been talking about it ever since.

First, Blagojevich launches into an explanation of his relationship with Ascaridis to show that the check was just a generous gift to one of his children. They’re best friends. They were childhood friends. They’ve known each other since they were 8 years old. They’ve had a 40-year relationship.

Ascaridis is like a godparent to Blagojevich’s children.

And then he repeats it. And repeats it. Throughout the questioning from reporters, Blagojevich kept falling back on the same stock lines. Lifelong friend. Forty-year relationship. Godparent to children. It’s like watching “Rain Man II: The Gubernatorial Years.”

* My syndicated column is also partly about the check and the dispute between the governor and the Tribune over whether the original story accurately quoted Beverly Ascaridis.

There’s a simple way to clear all this up. Release the tape. Most reporters carry little tape recorders around with them. And considering the detailed quotes of Mrs. Ascaridis in the original story, it seems more than likely the Tribune has a recording of her answers. They can post the whole thing on their Web site.

I want to make it clear that I happen to side with the reporter on this matter. He’s a good journalist, and I don’t believe for a second that he would make up a story.

Too often, though, the people who run big media outlets like the Tribune tend to think that when they publish something, everyone has to take it as God’s Word that the story is true and nobody should ever dare question their integrity.

But when the governor of a large state who is already facing serious legal trouble contends that a powerful newspaper deliberately falsified a highly damaging story about him, then the newspaper ought to lay all its cards on the table.

5 Comments

Long form

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

Some newspapers have posted detailed positions from the gubernatorial candidates. The links below are definitely worth the time to read them.

* Tribune: Rivals differ on health-care funds

* SJ-R: Candidates talk the talk on education

* The SJ-R also has a web extra with the full responses

* The Southern Illinoisan: TOPINKA: I will continue to focus on kids

* The Southern Illinoisan: BLAGOJEVICH: We’re creating affordable healthcare for all

* Daily Herald: The big education gamble

2 Comments

Morning shorts

Monday, Oct 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Editorial: Negative may work, but campaign ads must be truthful

* Traffic stop data raises tough questions, issues

* A look at key statistics from traffic stops by driver race

* Legislator seeks state job files from governor

* Franks: Another ride with Hot Rod

* Blagojevich gives bid to company that contributed $120,000 to campaign

* McCaskill-”Obama’s running for president”

When Obama raises money for himself these days, the money no longer is going into his political action committee fund, but his Senate re-election warchest.

The distinction: Money that goes into the PAC is doled out to other candidates around the country. Money that goes into the Senate fund can be used for an ‘08 White House bid, McCaskill said.

* Duckworth: Bush has slogans, not strategies on Iraq

* Quigley in mix for mayor? - Daley’s foes wonder if county reformer could force runoff

* Madigan Praises Revenue Department Ruling

* Topinka: Ship of state is sinking; Blagojevich: We’re sailing right along

* “An auditor representing two Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni sent a letter to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan this past week, outlining concerns the university’s foundation might have mishandled private gifts”

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