* Mark Kirk must have a leprechaun for an uncle or something, because this week’s little kerfuffle couldn’t have played out in a more perfect way.
Imagine, for a moment, that a vicious rumor has been circulating about you for years. Pretty much everyone in politics has heard it at one time or another. Many don’t believe it, but it’s still out there and, like a zombie, refuses to die.
Well, what better way to have to confront it and flatly deny it than when a perennial and often outrageous candidate whom the entire political/media establishment views as a complete leper airs out the rumor via a tiny radio buy during the zero awareness zone between Christmas and New Year’s Eve? Oh, and this all plays out while you’re on active duty with the military. Oh, yeah, one more thing: The ad is based on two public statements by a couple of far-right sworn enemies, but both men are now in full, cowardly retreat.
Perfect, eh?
It almost reminds me of those scenes in the Godfather movies where all the Corleone enemies are wiped out in one bloody moment. Except Mark Kirk didn’t have to do anything but sit back and watch from wherever he is right now.
* Let’s run down the coverage. Actually, the coverage was more like a game of “Attack the Attacker.” First, the AP…
Top Illinois Republicans condemned a perennial candidate’s decision Monday to air a political ad questioning the sexual orientation of the party’s front-runner in the U.S. Senate race.
The Republican Party said it would no longer consider Andy Martin a legitimate candidate.
“His statements today are consistent with his history of bizarre behavior and often times hate-filled speech which has no place in the Illinois Republican Party,” said party chairman Pat Brady.
Fellow Senate candidate Patrick Hughes said the radio ad has no place in the campaign. Dan Proft, a GOP candidate for governor, called it repugnant.
A perennial candidate with a history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and legal disputes in federal court launched a radio ad for his Republican U.S. Senate campaign Monday that questioned the sexual orientation of the front-runner in the race.
Andy Martin, who has been sanctioned in federal court for filing hundreds of lawsuits and was found unfit to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court, has previously used the airwaves to attack political opponents including presidential candidates George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, the front-runner in the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate, finds himself the object of an unusual attack ad from one of his lesser-known opponents.
Andy Martin, once known as Anthony Martin-Trigona, who has run for numerous elective offices over the last three decades in Illinois, Florida and Connecticut, taped a commercial questioning whether Kirk is gay.
From here on out, if anybody ever brings up this rumor again, Kirk and the media can just associate that future comment with the “discredited” Andy Martin. Case closed.
Like I said, Kirk must be related to a leprechaun.
Heck, even the two people behind the rumor being peddled by Martin are backtracking as fast as their little legs will carry them. Which brings us to…
I’m Andy Martin, Republican candidate for United States Senator. I approved this message because Illinois Republicans deserve the truth about their candidates.
I have over forty years of experience and integrity fighting corruption, and fighting for the truth in politics.
I helped expose many of Barack Obama’s lies in 2008.
Today, I am fighting for the facts about Mark Kirk. Illinois Republican leader Jack Roeser says there is a, “solid rumor that Kirk is a homosexual.” Roeser suggests that Kirk is part of a Republican Party homosexual club. Lake County Illinois Republican leader Ray True says Kirk has surrounded himself with homosexuals.
Mark Kirk should tell Republican voters the truth.
I’m Andy Martin a Republican you can trust for U.S. Senator.
Roeser told ABC 7, “I don’t really want to be associated with Andy Martin. He’s made a lot of legal statements and cases that I think are irresponsible. Whatever he says I don’t support.”
True said, “I request through the media that Andy Martin cease and desist from making any additional statements that are incorrectly attributed to me.”
Jack Roeser: “And you got Mark Kirk, who’s been so strong on his homosexuals so long, that the solid rumor is that he, himself is a homosexual. Does the party really need these people clubbing up inside the Republican Party and ruining it for their own purposes…?”
Ray True: “It’s more or less an open secret in Lake County that Mark has surrounded himself with people that have, I guess they call it now a ’special orientation,’ but we all know what that means.”
The fact is that Roeser and True got busted outside their little ultra-conservative comfort zones. And instead of owning up, they ran away from their own comments. That was probably predictable. But what bothers me far more is that nobody in the media has yet bothered to press Roeser and True to come clean. After all, without those comments, Martin couldn’t have run that radio ad. They are as responsible as he is.
Roeser and True are both longtime Illinois political players. They regularly make endorsements and contribute money to campaigns, whether directly or through their respective organizations. So while we’re all publicly bemoaning Andy Martin’s little ad, perhaps we should also be focusing on the source of this hateful nonsense - and on the candidates those two guys support.
As for me, I’m going back to the beach. I’m supposed to be on vacation, not dealing with goofiness like this.
Tuesday, Dec 29, 2009 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Rafael Rivadeneira, Republican Candidate for State Representative of the 41st District, says the new social media site, eVoter.com gives his campaign online leverage.
“eVoter.com is an opportunity to level the playing field and give all candidates the opportunity to get their message out there,” said Rivadeneira. “With evoter.com, it doesn’t matter how much money you have. Elections can now be won based on your vision for the people, not money and insider politics.”
Rivadeneira, who recently signed-up for an enhanced profile at eVoter.com, has been using eVoter for extra online communication, search engine optimization, and an added venue to raise support.
“eVoter lets candidates who are not part of the establishment effectively communicate their message to the voters,” he said.
To see how eVoter can help your campaign and to view Rivadeneira’s Candidate Statements, Endorsements, and Video Postings – including “My Republican Story” go to: http://www.evoter.com/rafael
Campaign Manager Rodney Shelton was informed his services would no longer be required.[…]
“It’s just an internal move,” campaign spokesman Bob Kettlewell said Monday, offering no further explanation. Deputy Campaign Manager Lisa Hargrove will move up to replace Shelton.
State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington ripped into some of his suburban challengers in the Republican governor’s primary Monday for opening the possibility to tax hikes if elected.
You read that here in an Oct. 9 commentary piece for the Tribune by U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill. He insisted that a government-run insurance plan was the key to affordable, accessible, quality health care. “A public option must be a central component of any health insurance reform legislation,” he wrote.[…]
He even threatened to conduct his own filibuster.
Gotcha!
Burris voted, along with every other Democrat in the Senate, for a bill that doesn’t include even a whiff of the public option.
* Incumbent and predecessor square off in District 21
How gullible can you get? Democrats only care about one thing, and it’s the same thing that Republicans care about: re-election. And any controversial issue that might get in the way - gay marriage, “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and, yes, illegal immigration - usually gets shoved far back in the cupboard.
State Government
* ICC approves plan to buy power from wind farms
The Illinois Commerce Commission has OKed a plan that would allow the agency that buys electricity on behalf of utility customers to seek proposals for long-term wind-power contracts.
* Revised law has 30-day window Safe Haven adds time to make life decision
Beginning Jan. 1, parents can relinquish newborns anonymously and without penalty to personnel at hospitals, emergency medical facilities or police or fire stations for 30 days after birth. Now the law only gives parents seven days and that’s considered insufficient to make a decision that can profoundly affect many lives.
DuPage County officials are seeking the state legislature’s help to ensure vegetation is properly replaced along the Illinois Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail after ComEd trims or removes trees near its power lines.
The County Board turned to state lawmakers earlier this month after being told ComEd could not continue future management of vegetation along the trails to a standard officials said was agreed to earlier this year.
Michael Mudd, CEO of the FutureGen Alliance, said recently that he still expects a final decision by late January on the project for Mattoon.
FutureGen, as most of you know, is a $2 billion-plus project planned for Mattoon. It is awaiting final approval by the U.S. Department of Energy with the feds scheduled to make a final decision by late January.
* Our Opinion: Public access counselor bolsters FOIA
Home foreclosures, which have pummeled many Chicago area neighborhoods, are expected to continue to mount in 2010, and high unemployment will be the driver, experts say.
The spending bounce means retailers managed to avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster even amid tight credit and double-digit unemployment. Profits should be healthier, too, because stores had a year to plan their inventories to match consumer demand and never needed to resort to fire-sale clearances.
The Detroit News reports Monday that the latest estimates from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show levels in the Lake Michigan-Huron system and Lake Superior are between 5 inches and 9 inches above levels from one year ago.
Legal forces in the Upper Midwest arrayed against the invasive Asian carp Monday, as Minnesota joined a lawsuit with Ohio and Michigan applying legal pressure to seal off Illinois’ carp-infested waterways from the Great Lakes.
BU’s computer science department is a partner with the interactive media program in the communication school on a range of offerings that, pending faculty approval, could mean that Bradley students would soon be able to opt for a minor in computer game technology.
Towns across Illinois and nationwide have switched to LED traffic signals because they burn brighter, last longer and save money by using 90 percent less energy than older incandescent bulbs. But they also emit less heat, meaning they sometimes have trouble melting snow.
For more than two decades, residents in Crestwood filled their bath tubs, poured glasses at their dinner tables and washed their clothes without giving it a second thought.[…]
But this community of 11,000 did so not knowing their water wasn’t being piped completely from Lake Michigan as they believed.–
Water from a well tainted with cancer-causing chemicals was being used to supplement the flow, in an alleged scheme by the village to rake in a few extra dollars.
Six of the seven Republican candidates call themselves “pro-life,” while the Democrats, Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes, support abortion rights. Only Hynes and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney support legalizing gay marriage.
* If William Kelly Does Not Understand Simple Facts About Displays In Illinois State Capitol Building, How Can He Be Comptroller For Entire State?
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Edward O’Brien sided with Rauschenberger in a case that centers on whether the candidate - a veteran GOP lawmaker who heads up a conservative fundraising operation - is really a Republican.
* 8th Congressional GOP candidates toe the party line on health reform
A recently formed social justice organization in Springfield is concentrating on areas including immigrant rights, and that plank of its platform has led to weekly vigils outside the capital city office of U.S. Rep. AARON SCHOCK, R-Peoria.
With the new year that begins Friday, you and every other Illinois voter can begin to sweep your state and county governments clean, or leave matters much as they are.
Anti-drunken driving advocates reacted angrily earlier this week when the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that Gov. Quinn’s administration had released 18 felony drunken drivers from prison early to serve the rest of their prison time on home confinement.[…]
On Thursday, those same anti-DUI advocates were cheering after the governor ordered all 18 back behind bars to serve the remainder of their prison time. Each will be paroled between mid-January and mid-October under the terms of their original sentences.
It has been more than four years since Jacob Kiferbaum pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme involving a hospital that needed state approval for a construction project, one of the earliest corruption scandals under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.[…]
What’s keeping them out of prison? For most, it’s the help they’re offering authorities in ongoing cases, involving Blagojevich and others — cooperation that could cut their prison time.
Thanks to early retirement incentives, agency consolidation and layoffs, state employment of 19,600 in Springfield at the beginning of the decade is down to approximately 17,200 by decade’s end.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository says more than 425,000 people picked up groceries from its food pantries in September. That’s up 70 percent since 2007.
But his holiday spirits were tempered by a bit of bad news: the murder clearance rate has dipped about 4 percentage points this year to 54 percent. That includes killings committed in 2009, as well as older ones.[…]
The dip in the clearance rate is being attributed in part to a failure of citizens to tip the police off to criminals in their midst.
Passengers at O’Hare and Midway airports can expect additional screening today following the failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight.
Residents living near a now-shuttered west suburban landfill are suing the owners, saying their families were sickened and their property values diminished by the stench allegedly caused by methane, hydrogen sulfide and other “landfill gases.”
A new state law that makes the criminal justice system classify some 17-year-olds as children and others as adults keeps alive the question of when to punish and when to rehabilitate.[…]
It also raises the possibility, Winnebago County officials say, that they may spend millions of taxpayer dollars to comply with the new rules.
* Program to offer discounts for new appliances, rebates for old
The “cash for appliances” program is part of the federal government’s effort to stimulate the economy and encourage people to save energy. Each state is awarded federal money based on its population to run its own program. Illinois receives $12.4 million as its share.
Westhaven Park Tower — on the footprint of the Henry Horner public housing complex — is home to condo owners and public housing residents. This mix has led to some squabbles.
To quell some of the stress Westhaven agreed to add two CHA residents to the condo board. Johnnie Braswell is one of them. She says public housing residents now have a more equitable voice.
Multiple articles in this newspaper over the last couple of weeks have made it abundantly clear just how many miles central Illinois has to go before anyone can truly claim victory on this being a “united” America, at least in regard to race. Clearly a gap remains between how we like to think of ourselves and how we are.
* Affirmative action must be based on income, not race
Sen. Roland Burris insisted he would never vote for an overhaul of the nation’s health insurance system unless the bill included a strong public option. And he promised that position wouldn’t change.[…]
But last week the Senate passed a health insurance bill that included no government-run health insurance to serve as a public option for those seeking low-cost coverage — and Burris voted for it.
* We’ll probably be back next week sometime for limited blogging, but nothing’s for sure right now. I think all of us need a break, or maybe that’s my own excuse. Either way, I’m done. I hope your holiday is the very best ever.
Please take a moment to review the attached, extremely misleading video the Pat Quinn campaign has been circulating among trial attorneys. The video is slick, in more ways than one, and the result is shameless pandering that is totally dishonest, to boot — truncating Dan’s answer in a way that completely changes his meaning. This is an embarrassing and hypocritical move from Illinois’ self-styled “Truthslinger,” and Pat Quinn ought to be ashamed of himself.
The Quinn campaign video script:
MODERATOR: Tort lawyers are killing the golden goose, resulting in higher Medicaid costs, and so what will you do to scale them back?
Pat Quinn: I think victims have the right to a lawyer, have a right to recompense if they’re injured, and I don’t really believe the solution to our Medicaid problems is going after victims and their lawyers
MODERATOR: Thank you Governor Quinn, Comptroller Hynes:
DAN HYNES: I have an understand of health care and a passion for it. Even closer to home, my wife is a physcian — she practices women’s health at the rehabilitation institute in Chicago — and I can tell you after conversations with her, that there is no doubt that physicians who have to engage in the defensive practice of medicine is an issue.
CUT TO SPLIT SCREEN (showing the two quotes side-by-side) with the fade-in question: “Who is fighting for you?”
Only one problem. That’s not even half of Dan’s answer. Here is his FULL response:
“I was a health-care attorney before I ran for comptroller, working with hospitals, physicians, other health care providers on business transactions and regulatory issues. I have an understanding of health care, and a passion for it. Even closer to home, my wife is a physician. She practices women’s health at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and I can tell you from my conversations with her, that there is no doubt that physicians who have to engage in the defensive practice of medicine, is an issue. But I don’t believe that taking the rights of victims, and those who are supposed to have access to the courts and the civil justice system, is the answer. I think we need to look at this issue and make sure our physicians are allowed to practice medicine, making sure they are allowed to make the decisions, not insurance companies, but ultimately it means making sure the health care system as a whole is working, which is why the health care reform initiative in Washington is so important.”
Just as he attacked Dan in campaign commercials for doing his job by signing state checks, Pat Quinn is insulting our intelligence.
Comptroller Dan Hynes has all but ruled out any additional short term borrowing by the state to ease the enormous backlog of unpaid bills.
Meeting Wednesday with the State Journal-Register editorial board, Hynes said borrowing more money in the short term now will only exacerbate payment delays next spring when the state must begin repaying the loans.
He stopped short of issuing a flat “no,” but also did not lay out any formula in which additional borrowing will be acceptable.
“I don’t think we can afford to borrow any more,” Hynes said. “I don’t base my decision on what will make me more popular.”
Right now, Mr. Ryan is well ahead of the pack in the race for the GOP nomination for governor. His high name recognition as former attorney general and ex-gov candidate is out-polling the Nicarico and Stuart Levine negatives. He has only one opponent with the $$$ to change that: Mr. McKenna.
I expect Mr. McKenna to do just that — go on the attack — unless something funky comes up in the latest polls. But pulling Mr. Ryan back into the pack by elevating his negatives could hurt Mr. McKenna, too, and open the door to another contender, perhaps state Sen. Kirk Dillard.
He doesn’t think that Alexi Giannoulias will lose the primary, and then ponders whether Gov. Pat Quinn will have the resources to hold off Hynes…
“Team Hynes insists it’s making progress, and a poll a few days ago by the Rasmussen organization strongly suggested that Mr. Hynes is more electable than the guv in November and that Mr. Quinn has problems with female voters. But Team Quinn says it will be on TV “pound for pound” in the closing month — in large part due to a contribution from the Service Employees International Union that I hear tops $500,000.
It better be at least that, considering the IFT’s involvement for Hynes.
This will probably be our last roundup for the week. We may have “Morning Shorts” for at least part of next week, but I am taking a break.
So, get your comments in now, campers, because it could be awhile. Happy holidays, merry Christmas and peace be with you all.
* The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s hearing yesterday on selling the Thomson prison to the federal government contained this priceless line…
Opponents groaned and hissed when Quinn’s chief operating officer, Jack Levin, said his boss “would never do anything that puts people at risk.”
Yeah, OK. Quinn has two early prison release programs that are both under fire for putting people at risk. The budget is in such bad shape that at-risk citizens aren’t getting much-needed services. But he wouldn’t do anything to put anyone at risk. Sure.
Credibility is a tough thing to regain. I think much of the opposition to Thomson is based on extreme partisanship and bizarre fears…
One opponent held a sign criticizing the governor: “Quinn to Jihad: Come on inn!”
“I don’t want terrorists in my backyard,” said Diane Bishop, 52, a real estate appraiser who drove two hours from her suburban Chicago home to attend the hearing. “It’s too close to home. They shouldn’t be in the United States.”
“Terrorists would want to hit us to make a point, here in the Midwest, in the American heartland,” protester Amanda Norms said before the meeting. “Is a little economic gain worth the risk?”
And…
But I don’t blame people for booing Lavin’s line one bit.
While Guantanamo detainees can get visits only from their attorneys and human rights groups, federal officials opened the door for other terror suspects at Thomson to get outside visits. That is a main concern for opponents — not that prisoners will escape, but that radical sympathizers will be drawn to Thomson.
Lappin said Thomson will be a candidate to jail terrorists convicted in federal court, including those involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Those convicts also could end up in other prisons in Colorado, Indiana and Illinois, but those facilities already face space crunches. And Thomson would be the most secure federal prison, officials said.
Lappin emphasized that any potential visitors would go through background screening and that their interaction with inmates would be monitored.
Harley Lappin, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, gave some indication of the type of federal prisoner who would be brought to Thomson. To date, most of the focus has been on the foreign detainees.
Lappin said there are prisoners in the federal system who have been “difficult and disruptive” who would be candidates for Thomson.
“We’re going to bring in some pretty risky folks,” Lappin said. Many of the inmates, he said, would spend a great deal of their time locked in their cells, but that would facilitate the Defense Department mission.
The administration has said the federal inmates and the Guantanamo Bay detainees would be kept apart, and that the Bureau of Prisons and Defense Department would run separate operations.
And the state police director says he’ll need more cash…
Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois State Police, said the only way state authorities can mitigate the risk is if federal authorities enter into a long-term financial arrangement.
Monken estimated that the state police will need at least $1 million up front to manage the risk.
The federal Bureau of Prisons does not have enough money to pay Illinois for the center, which would cost about $150 million. Several weeks ago, the White House approached the House Appropriations Committee and floated the idea of adding about $200 million for the project to the military spending bill for the 2010 fiscal year, according to administration and Congressional officials.
But Democratic leaders refused to include the politically charged measure in the legislation. When lawmakers approved the bill on Dec. 19, it contained no financing for Thomson.
The administration will probably not have another opportunity until Congress takes up a supplemental appropriations bill for the Afghanistan war. Lawmakers are not likely to finish that bill until late March or April.
Moreover, the administration now says that the current focus for Thomson financing is the appropriations legislation for the 2011 fiscal year. Congress will not take that measure up until late 2010.
Wednesday, Dec 23, 2009 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois’ Republican Primary Candidate weighs in on social media at eVoter.com
Rafael Rivadeneira, Republican Candidate for State Representative of the 41st District, says the new social media site, eVoter.com gives his campaign online leverage.
“eVoter.com is an opportunity to level the playing field and give all candidates the opportunity to get their message out there,” said Rivadeneira. “With evoter.com, it doesn’t matter how much money you have. Elections can now be won based on your vision for the people, not money and insider politics.”
Rivadeneira, who recently signed-up for an enhanced profile at eVoter.com, has been using eVoter for extra online communication, search engine optimization, and an added venue to raise support.
“eVoter lets candidates who are not part of the establishment effectively communicate their message to the voters,” he said.
To see how eVoter can help your campaign and to view Rivadeneira’s Candidate Statements, Endorsements, and Video Postings – including “My Republican Story” go to: http://www.evoter.com/rafael
A $93,840-a-year Chicago plumbing inspector caught doing a side job with no permit, city license or secondary employment form allowing him to perform the “side job” is back on his main job.
A study issued last week and reported on by Daily Herald staff writer Robert McCoppin showed Illinois ranked among the bottom 20 states in health emergency response. The same report said the nation has “serious underlying gaps” in its ability to respond to public health emergencies.
Specifically, vaccine production was sorely lacking. It was difficult to get it to those most vulnerable in an efficient, timely manner.
Claims of internal race discrimination, difficulty recruiting minorities, accusations of misconduct and plummeting morale among officers plagued the Springfield Police Department through much of the 2000s.
A grand jury could decide as early as today whether two Rockford police officers were justified in using deadly force in the Aug. 24 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Mark Anthony Barmore.
