The final debate
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you plan on watching tonight’s WTTW Republican gubernatorial candidates debate and aren’t near a TV or Chicago, then click here at 7 o’clock to watch online.
And however or wherever you watch the debate, tell us what you think in comments.
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Facepalm
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you can listen to this horribly produced robocall by Bruce Rauner’s campaign all the way through without losing your mind, then your sanity is stronger than mine…
As a friend said, the monotone voice and super-slow pace of that voice-over anti-artist is worse than nails on a chalkboard. It’s… It’s…
Words fail me.
Did they outsource this project to an adult literacy program?
How do they ever expect people to actually listen to this train wreck? No wonder folks are hanging up on pollsters all over Illinois.
* Have any of you received any robocalls like this?
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This one may resurface later in the year
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Via a late in the game opposition research dump, we get this recent report from the Financial Times…
Bank of New York Mellon suffered an 18 per cent fall in fourth-quarter earnings after the custody bank lost $115m on its investment in ConvergEx, the Wall Street broker that was accused by US regulators of “fleecing” clients through hidden fees.
* Why should you care? Well, first, what happened with ConvergEx?…
A brokerage firm agreed to pay more than $151 million to settle criminal and civil charges that it inflated fees when trading for clients, bilking charities and other big investors in what prosecutors called an “astonishingly brazen” scheme.
Prosecutors accused two former traders at ConvergEx Group LLC of sending trades through an overseas unit to add hidden markups and markdowns, making unwitting investors pay tens of millions of dollars in illicit added charges, in a fraud that ran from 2006 through 2011.
The unit and former traders, Jonathan Daspin and Thomas Lekargeren, pleaded guilty to criminal charges of securities and wire fraud. ConvergEx agreed to pay criminal penalties totaling $43.8 million under a deferred prosecution agreement.
Three ConvergEx brokerage units admitted to wrongdoing as part of a more-than $107 million settlement of a parallel civil case filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The two traders also agreed to admit wrongdoing and pay a total of more than $1.2 million to settle the civil charges against them.
* Bank of New York Mellon wasn’t the only owner. The other? GTCR - the “R” stands for Rauner… Bruce Rauner…
The allegations have plagued attempts by BNYMellon to sell its stake in the company, which is controlled by the custody bank and the private equity group GTCR.
* From a class action complaint…
In reality, under Defendants’ double-charging scheme, Defendants received both the disclosed commissions and additional undisclosed and unauthorized fees that often exceeded the disclosed commissions received from the ERISA plans that used their services.
Defendants generated the additional, undisclosed fees by funneling trade orders for the purchase and sale of securities to an off shore subsidiary broker located in Bermuda. The subsidiary broker executed the trade orders as a principal, rather than an agent. The subsidiary broker then added a markup on the price, for a purchase, or a markdown, for a sale. By doing so, the subsidiary broker created a “spread” between the actual price and the reported price. The Defendants confirmed the reported price to their customers and collected and kept the undisclosed and unauthorized “spread” as additional compensation. The profits from retaining the “spreads” on these trades were referred to by Defendants as “trading profits” or “TP.”
The amount of TP income Defendants earned in this fashion varied, but it generally equaled, or exceeded by roughly as much as 10 times, the amount of income Defendants earned through disclosed brokerage commissions on the same trades.
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Rita presents new gaming expansion outline
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island) has come up with some new tweaks to the long-stalled gaming bill. From a press release…
Rita, D-Blue Island, is filing the two amendments to Senate Bill 1739 after months of work on the issue, including hearings in East St. Louis and Tinley Park during this spring session. The amendments would:
* Authorize a state-owned Chicago casino with between 4,000 and 10,000 positions
* Call for sharing of revenue from that Chicago casino with Cook County, south suburban communities and state government
* Limit spending from gambling revenue to education and capital construction projects at the state level and capital and pensions at the local levels
* Authorize casinos in Lake, Winnebago, Vermilion counties and the south suburbs, but with fewer positions than allowed in previous expansion bills
* Allow gaming positions at horse racing tracks except for in the Metro East, and at half of the number of gaming positions called for in previous expansion bills
* Eliminate spending on specialty funds as called for in previous expansion bills, except for $5 million to combat gambling addiction that remains in the bill
Rita emphasized that these amendments, filed as legislators return to Springfield next week, are intended to move the conversation forward on gambling expansion this spring. The earlier hearings showed significant divides in the St. Louis area on the impact of adding slot machines at Fairmount Park on gambling at the Casino Queen in St. Louis, and similar disputes over which communities should receive a casino in the south suburbs of Chicago and how casino money should be shared among those communities. How a Chicago-owned casino would be regulated has also stalled previous expansion pushes.
“I have spent time thinking about how we start to address these and other problems slowing down a gambling expansion bill in Springfield. I think the best way to do that is to simplify our efforts. Let’s scale back the size of our bill and refocus our attention on what matters most here: creating a strong revenue source for our state and communities and putting people to work. These new amendments accomplish both of those goals. I look forward to having a robust discussion about these ideas and working with my colleagues on a solution now,” Rita said.
Thoughts?
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More anti-Rauner mail from Teamsters, Shearer
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review has been posting mail sent by anti Bruce Rauner organizations. Check out the Teamsters’ mailer by clicking here.
* And Steve Shearer’s union-funded Fund for Progress and Jobs sent a pro-life mailer attacking Rauner to GOP households…
* Shearer recently changed his PAC’s name, dropping the word “Republican” from the beginning. That may be because of a cease and desist letter he received from the Illinois Republican Party a few weeks ago…
As you know, the State Party is vested with the authority to authorize an organization’s use of the word “Republican” in Illinois, and we take the use of the name seriously. In fact, on January 18, 2014, the Illinois Republican State Central Committee voted unanimously to authorize a review of the Committee’s use of the name “Republican,” and to resort to all legal means to protect the interests of the Illinois Republican Party.
Dissembling under a “Republican” cloak with our misappropriated trademarks is a deception consistent with the politics of dishonesty and dissembling which that has brought our great state to its current crossroads.
Accordingly, we insist that the Committee cease and desist using the word “Republican” in the name of the Committee. This can be easily accomplished by filing an appropriate amendment with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Further, we insist that the Committee cease and desist using the elephant mark on any future communications.
Further, we demand that you remedy the damage the Committee has caused by sending a mailing to the recipients of your recent pamphlet forthrightly disclosing your funding sources and your partners in your “shock and awe” effort. The Committee’s failure to comply with this request will force the State Party to consider all legal remedies.
I asked Shearer via e-mail last night if he intended to comply with that second demand. I’ll let you know if he responds.
* Meanwhile…
The committee launched by former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s ex-chief of staff lives for another day in its effort to keep ads rotating on air in favor of state Sen. Kirk Dillard.
Steve Shearer, who chairs the Fund for Progress and Jobs committee, tells the Chicago Sun-Times that the Chicago Federation of Labor on Wednesday wired over a donation that will keep his efforts afloat at least for another day. Shearer did not immediately disclose the size of the contribution, however, the money will be enough as of now to keep his efforts to boost Dillard active through Friday. (The Chicago Federation of Labor later said that $50,000 went to Shearer for use in anti-Rauner efforts and not to endorse any candidate in the primary.)
Shearer’s PAC hasn’t filed an A-1 in about a week.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In any discussion about treatment of mental illness, the interests of the patients and their families should come first. But Senate Bill 2187 – sometimes called “RxP” – would create a lower-tier health system for people with mental illness.
SB 2187 would allow psychologists who have no medical training to prescribe powerful medications to patients. Current Illinois law allows only people who have medical training – doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants – to prescribe drugs.
Why does medical training matter? Physical illnesses and mental disorders are often intertwined. Additionally, psychiatric medication, such as drugs for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, can interact negatively with medication for chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure. Finally, psychiatric drugs are powerful and can create risky side effects. To understand these intricacies, psychiatrists go through four years of medical school plus at least four years of residency. They learn to treat the whole patient – not just the brain.
Maybe that is why the pre-eminent advocacy group for patients and their families – the National Alliance on Mental Illness – opposes this legislation. In announcing its opposition to SB 2187 last year, NAMI’s Illinois chapter said that in treating mental illness, “the best medical expertise must be brought to bear.”
Psychologists who want to prescribe can follow the route taken by nurse practitioners, physician assistants and doctors. They can obtain medical training – instead of insisting on a law that would lower the standard of care. To become involved, join the Coalition for Patient Safety, http://coalitionforpatientsafety.com.
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Cullerton and Wheeler on executive powers
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Senate President John Cullerton was at the Union League Club of Chicago today and talked about various stuff, including this…
Bruce Rauner says he’d use executive orders to shake up Springfield, but Cullerton said when Rauner and his team check the state statutes and constitution they’ll find there’s not a lot he could do by executive order.
* Full quote…
“Mr. Rauner should read the Illinois Constitution as to what powers are for the governor in terms of executive orders; they’re somewhat limited. He’s probably not aware of that.”
* And Public Affairs Reporting Program Director Charlie Wheeler, while speaking on a different topic, nevertheless made an interesting point to a reporter this week…
The Illinois governor has no ability to unilaterally rewrite the statutes,” Wheeler said. The only way a governor could undo a state law was by the same way it was done in the first place: with the approval of a majority of state Senators and Representatives.
The closest an Illinois governor can get to ruling by fiat is an executive order, Wheeler said. But the Illinois Constitution only lets governors use that power to reorganize parts of state government, not to magic away laws they dislike. And even then, the legislature can overturn an order.
But that doesn’t mean governors haven’t tried.
When former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois House in 2009, the charges against him weren’t limited to the corruption that would later send him to prison. Buried in the laundry list of Blagojevich’s misdeeds was Article 9, which accused him of “utter disregard of the doctrine of separation of powers” when he unilaterally expanded a state healthcare program that the legislature rejected.
Just in case a new governor might be thinking about pushing the envelope a little too hard, he ought to read that last paragraph a few times first.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a fundraising e-mail…
Dear Rich,
Today is a big day! (at least for me and my wonderful wife!) I’m writing to let you in on a little secret: Sheila is celebrating her 53rd birthday. I have been married to Sheila for more than half of those 53 years, so that makes it an even bigger day.
For much of the past year, Sheila and I have been spending many happy days traveling the state in our family car, a Ford Focus hatchback, and meeting folks in the far flung cities and counties of Illinois. And if you don’t already know, Illinois is a really big state! Along the way we have met so many incredible, hardworking folks and families who also want to bring real change to our state.
For Sheila’s 53rd birthday, would you help us get across the finish line in Sheila’s race for Comptroller by giving $5.30, $53, or even $530? These resources will be put to good use, helping us get our message to every corner of the state that Sheila and I won’t reach by Election Day in our Ford Focus.
Don’t forget to wish her a happy birthday on her Facebook page!
Thanks,
Perry Knop
* For some reason, a wedding photo was attached…
* The Question: Your birthday wishes for LG Simon?
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A call to action
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mark Brown writes, correctly, that state grants are the “soft underbelly of Illinois government”…
This is where the bodies are buried — along with the money to pay them. This is where government waste goes to hide.
Everybody knows it, but nobody seems to be able to do much about it — until the dirt comes out in the wash. […]
Last week, federal prosecutors in Springfield won a conviction against Jeri Wright, the daughter of President Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, who played a small role in a $1.25 million grant fraud scheme involving Country Club Hills Police Chief Regina Evans and her husband, a Chicago police officer. Evans and her husband had already pleaded guilty to spending most of the money on themselves. […]
All told, the Sun-Times Chris Fusco reported last year, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Springfield has charged 13 people in recent years in connection with grant fraud schemes involving at least $16 million. […]
What are the common denominators in these cases?
Usually a lack of oversight from the state agency dispensing the money, and often some connection to Illinois politics. […]
Funny thing about state grants: the money is almost always earmarked on the surface for some valid altruistic purpose — AIDS prevention, saving a neighborhood cultural anchor, steering young men away from illegal activities that breed violence.
But time after time, we find that the grants that go bad were paid to political allies in recognition of past or future support.
The General Assembly has to get some control over this mess. The governor and legislators cannot continue to hand out these grants without any proof that the agencies are doing any good. There are some very good groups that do very good work, but there’s just way too much local politics involved with the granting process.
How many people have to go to prison before this is reformed?
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* Unless the state’s economy improves dramatically between now and November, Gov. Pat Quinn will have to make social issues part of the mix this fall in order to win. Bruce Rauner says he’s pro-choice, but he’s not necessarily against gay marriage, he just says he wanted a referendum before he’d sign the bill into law. So, Quinn will undoubtedly seek to put marriage equality on the table and he telegraphed a punch during an interview with Windy City Times…
WCT: Every House member and most of the Senate are facing re-election. Are you doing anything to help legislators facing primary challenges, especially ones who voted for marriage equality?
Gov. Pat Quinn: I support all of those who voted for marriage equality. I think that was a courageous vote. Wherever I can, I try to help out the best I can. The key moment occurred when we passed that bill in the House. I won the election in 2010 by 31,000 votes. If I hadn’t won, that day in November wouldn’t have happened because the person I ran against was an opponent of marriage equality.
In fact, in terms of the Republicans running right now, when we passed the bill, Bruce Rauner, in Quincy, Illinois, demanded that I veto the bill.
Ever since the Auditor General’s report was made public about Quinn’s horrendously inept and politically drenched anti violence initiative, Quinn has stayed far, far away from reporters. The fact that he sat for this friendly WCT interview tells you something about how hunkered down he is.
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Miffed at Rauner snub, ISRA backs Dillard
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Illinois State Rifle Association…
Illinois gun owners could not have better friends in Bill Brady, Kirk Dillard, and Dan Rutherford. Each of the three has proven himself time and time again to be a solid supporter of the individual right to keep and bear arms. Unfortunately, this primary election season has forced the ISRA-PVF to choose one of its three good friends for endorsement in the Republican gubernatorial primary. The ISRA-PVF 2014 primary endorsement goes to Senator Kirk Dillard. By no means is Senator Dillard any bigger of a supporter of gun rights than Senator Brady or Treasurer Rutherford. However, we believe that Senator Dillard’s broader appeal among voters will push him past Gov. Pat Quinn in the general election.
A fourth candidate in the primary, Bruce Rauner, was found to be unsuitable for endorsement due to his campaign’s failure to address issues important to law-abiding Illinois firearm owners. Whereas candidates Brady, Dillard and Rutherford addressed thousands of gun owners at the Illinois Gun Owners’ Lobby Day (IGOLD) in Springfield earlier this month, Rauner chose to blow the event off – not even bothering to send a staffer to address the IGOLD crowd. In the opinion of the ISRA-PVF, Bruce Rauner offers little to Illinois hunters and sportsmen.
Discuss.
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Oberweis issues statement from Florida
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Illinois Review obtained a statement from US Senate candidate Jim Oberweis about his week-long trip to Florida before the primary…
“It is certainly no secret that in a highly contested U.S. Senate race in one of America’s most populous states, I will be expected to travel quite a bit over the next six months, mostly inside Illinois but occasionally outside Illinois, to meet with contributors and to attend fundraising events,” Oberweis said.
“I have currently traveled to Florida for two reasons. First, to fulfill a promise to my wife to spend a few days with her in Florida for her birthday, and second, to raise money for my U.S. Senate race.”
Doug Truax, Oberweis’ opponent, said Oberweis’ actions show he’s unelectable.
“We need a warrior to take on Durbin, not a timid snowbird,” Truax said.
Discuss.
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Caption contest!
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Monique Garcia and Michelle Manchir report for the Tribune…
Gov. Pat Quinn is facing a challenger in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election, but the state’s chief executive is not running much of a campaign.
He hasn’t aired a single television or radio ad, and he hasn’t sent out mail pieces to potential voters. He didn’t name his top campaign staff until this week, and his running mate, Paul Vallas, didn’t move back to Illinois until this month. Beyond that, Quinn has barely acknowledged opponent Tio Hardiman, the former leader of a city anti-violence group who was dismissed after he was arrested on a domestic battery charge last year. Cook County prosecutors later dropped the case.
While the Republican governor hopefuls trade barbs, Quinn has lain low. He has barely been out in public after a highly critical audit of how his administration divided up a $55 million state anti-crime grant program and the quick resignation of his hand-picked director of the state’s child welfare agency. The governor also pushed back his yearly budget address until the week after the primary — a move that allows Quinn to find out who his Republican opponent will be in the fall before taking a stand on whether the state should extend a soon-to-expire income tax hike he signed into law in 2011.
Instead, Quinn has spent the past several months doling out money for projects across Illinois, low-risk, locally popular things like new bike trails, equipment for firefighters, and improvements for airports and water mains. He traveled to Washington to meet with President Barack Obama on the national effort to raise the minimum wage and toured Illinois towns ravaged by November’s deadly tornadoes, railing against the denial of some federal financial assistance.
* From John Gregory at the Illinois Radio Network…
“There’s no excuse for the media to keep giving Gov. Quinn a pass, and not force him to have a debate with Tio Hardiman,” Hardiman said, “because we’re actually gaining numbers every day. We can only go up in the polls now. We can only go up—all the way.” Hardiman believes there’s real support for his campaign, and not just from Democrats willing to get behind anyone who isn’t Quinn. He claims his website is outperforming all other candidates, including those running for the Republican nomination.
* By the Hyde Park Herald’s Jeffrey Bishku-Aykul…
“Every mismanagement of the state falls on the poor and the working class people to hold the state up. Without the poor and the working class, this state would be destroyed already,” [Hardiman running mate Brunell Donald] said.
She added, “We don’t have a governor with a backbone for the poor and the working class.”
* And David Ormsby at the Illinois Observer writes about a poll he commissioned which showed Quinn leading Hardiman 64-36…
“Given that 36% of Democrats, including 35.5% of African Americans are currently planning to support an accused domestic abuser over the incumbent Democratic Governor, this poll makes it clear that Governor Quinn has some work to do in shoring up his base,” said Aileron Communication President Dave Lundy, a public relations and political strategist based in Chicago.
Quinn’s meager margin over Hardiman is also being fed in part by Democratic voters’ sour mood about the state’s direction.
“[N]early two thirds of voters believe that Illinois needs a new direction, as 57% of respondents indicated that they believe Illinois is headed in the wrong direction while 43% believe Illinois is currently on the right track,” according to the pollster. “This view is strongest among women, 58%.”
Lundy warns that a sizable Hardiman protest vote portends problems for Quinn if the Rauner does indeed emerge as the governor’s general election opponent as many insiders are expecting.
“The question in the Democratic primary was never whether Governor Quinn would win. Instead, his opponent’s presence on the ballot should be viewed as a proxy for “other” and right now 36% of Democrats would rather vote for ‘other’”, said Lundy. “In a campaign against a social moderate like Bruce Rauner, that could be highly problematic.”
* From Hardiman’s Twitter page…
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a Doug Truax e-mail entitled “Greetings from Florida”…
No, I am not in Florida.
But you know who is? My Republican primary opponent: Jim Oberweis.
While Oberweis is vacationing in the sun; I am criscrossing Illinois talking with voters about the importance of this election and the issues at hand.
If elected I will always put Illinois families first. You won’t have to worry about whether your Senator is busy vacationing in a different state or even VOTING in a different state (you can’t even make this up - Jim Oberweis’ wife is registered to vote in Florida NOT Illinois).
The accompanying photo…
* The Question: Caption?
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Rauner’s circulators: $2 per signature
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Somebody I know who had his resume posted on Monster.com was sent an e-mail from a recruiter that linked to this page…
Part-time Campaign Field Associate
Client: Arno Political Consulting
City: Joliet
State: IL
Category: Professional
Job Type: Part time
Description
What do Part-time Campaign Field Associates do?
As a Part-time Campaign Field Associate (Petition Circulator) you will play in integral role in a historical movement dedicated to reforming the Illinois Constitution.
On Election Day, Part-time Campaign Field Associates will travel to their assigned precinct and gather signatures from registered voters.
You will get paid $2 per signature. If you collect 100 signatures and 70 of them are valid you will be paid $200. Historically, petition signatures on election day have high validity rates, so it shouldn’t be a challenge to meet this goal.
After the first hundred signatures, you will get paid $2 per signature with a validity rate of 60% or higher.
Arno has been hired by Bruce Rauner to run his term limit constitutional amendment petition drive.
I sure wish there’d been jobs like this back when I was in college. That’s not bad money.
* More…
Is this for a good cause?
Yes!
This petition helps put an amendment to the Illinois Constitution on the November 4, 2014 ballot which will make Illinois State government more responsive to citizens.
The amendment limits those elected to the state house or state senate to 8 years total. The 8 years can be served in the Illinois house or senate alone, or any combination of the two, but no longer than 8 years total.
The amendment also decreases substantially the number of state senators from 59 to 41 while increasing slightly the number of Illinois house members from 118 to 123.
The amendment makes it harder for politicians to override a governor’s veto by raising that threshold from a 3/5 majority to a 2/3 majority in both the Illinois House and Senate. This reform will ensure the best interests of all Illinoisans are protected and curtail the power of narrow, partisan or special interests.
Help make our democracy great!
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No surge detected yet
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As subscribers know, We Ask America has been tracking early and absentee voting in the Republican primary this season.
The following chart breaks down who has already voted early or sent in an absentee GOP ballot and compares that to all voting in the 2010 Republican primary.
A Democrat is classified as somebody who has taken a “D” primary ballot at least once since 2008. Independents are those who have not voted in a partisan primary since 2008. The State Board of Elections’ voter file is matched up with the names of people who’ve already voted…
* So, as you can see, the percentage of historic Democrats participating in the GOP primary so far appears at first blush to be a bit higher than it was in the 2010 primary.
But, that’s not really what’s going on here.
* The percentage total of independents voting early in the Republican primary is down six points so far from the final 2010 total. Republican participation on the GOP primary is up about three points and Democratic participation in the Republican primary is also up about three from the final 2010 number.
In reality, while the final vote will skew slightly more Democratic (but balanced out by a slightly higher GOP base turnout), there is no surge detected here, just a six-point drop in interest by independents.
And as my pollster Chris Wieneke says, this could all correct itself by election day, when independents might come out in higher numbers.
Also, Democratic participation in the Republican primary could change on election day itself, when unions will be pushing their members to get out and vote. We’ll see, but a major crossover has never been attempted here.
Many of us know Democrats or independents taking Republican ballots for the first time, but, so far at least, it’s not showing up in the results.
* Perhaps more interesting, however, is that more Republican ballots have been cast so far, 49,010, than Democratic ballots, 45,905. Usually, Democratic primary turnout dwarfs Republican turnout. Four years ago, 915,726 votes were cast in the Democratic gubernatorial primary while 767,485 were cast in the GOP primary.
That’s likely a function of the cash spent on the GOP side and the lack of any cash spent on the D side. The most impact will be down-ballot. Who’s turning out in competitive House primaries, for instance?
* Related…
* Shearer: ‘We are not pulling back’ on pro-Dillard ads: While public sector unions that had been funding Shearer’s group are now pulling back, trade unions and other money is here for now. Last week’s money will go toward buying ads through mid-week and the Teamsters will give another day or two and then make a decision on a day by day basis how much money will go his way, he said.
* Public Union Urges Crossover Vote for Dillard
* AFL-CIO mailing goes after “Billionaire insider Bruce Rauner”
* Election messages were more mixed than assorted nuts in a can of Planters.
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Remap reform group raising big bucks
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Reboot writes about major fundraising by the Yes for Independent Maps group…
Topping the list is former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, who donated $100,000 to the cause of taking from Illinois party leaders the privilege of drawing friendly districts for their members every 10 years.
The latest report, filed Tuesday, logs $638,500 for the week of March 4-11. It brings the total raised by Yes for Independent Maps to $1.2 million since Jan. 1.
Perhaps most remarkable about the reports, in addition to the amounts, is the diversity of donors on the list. It’s a mix of well known political names from both parties and numerous business leaders of various political persuasions.
There are many other prominent people who have signed on to the effort to take politics out of the legislative map-drawing process but whose names have not shown up in donation reports. That list includes Playboy CEO Christie Hefner and former Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. […]
Other prominent donors include real estate mogul Sam Zell, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and J.B. Pritzker ($50,000 each); former Lt. Gov. Corrine Wood and Tom Pritzker ($25,000 each), and best-selling author Scott Turow ($1,000). Earlier reports had included a $25,000 donation from former U.S. Senate candidate Blair Hull and CEO and horse racing executive Craig Duchossois.
* The group also has a new Internet video that’s kinda fun to watch…
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Matune attempts another self defense
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Republican House candidate Keith Matune, who’s running against Rep. Ron Sandack in the primary and is backed by Dan Proft, wrote an op-ed for the Illinois Review. His lede…
Like a lot of people I did some stupid things when I was in college and I’m truly sorry for the missteps I took.
OK, let’s stop right there.
Other than maybe anti-war, civil rights or even anti-abortion protesters, how many people do you know who’ve been arrested three times?
* He continues…
During this campaign those regrettable moments have become public. Like everyone, I have matured and have spent the last 20 years becoming a husband, father of four, Illinois Teacher of the Year, IHSA Coach of the Year, and School Board Member.
Trouble is, he told his school that he hadn’t been arrested on his job app.
Oops.
And that “Illinois Teacher of the Year” award actually came from the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago, which does have a heavy-hitter board of directors.
* Matune was responding to a devastating IR column by Chris Robling…
He told Waubonsie, when applying to teach Illinois kids, he had never been arrested.
He lied on his other school applications. And on the Daily Herald candidate questionnaire. When the Daily Herald got the facts, he claimed his priors were expunged, even though — obviously — they are not. That’s another whopper.
He issued a press release in January that invoked the Illinois State Police to claim he had never been arrested. As a guy who once wore handcuffs in court, he knew that was false.
He claims gymnastics “Consensus All American” status. But he forgot to tell Purdue about his distinction. Its official website does not list him –- or any gymnast of his era — as “All American,” since Purdue did not field a Division 1 gymnastics team then.
The General Assembly, to which he thinks he should be elected, says ‘public indecency’ is a sex crime. Illinois public school teacher applicants must disclose all such findings. Perhaps most deeply troubling of all — Matune’s applications show that when he asked for exposure to our kids, he refused to tell the truth.
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* The Sun-Times goes into great detail about House Democratic mailers which attack Will Guzzardi, who’s running against Rep. Toni Berrios. For example…
This week, voters in the district received the latest in a series of ads alleging that Guzzardi favors going easy on sex offenders.
The new mailer adds an odd racial twist to this line of attack. It features a photo of a young white woman with manly hands clasping her bare shoulders. You can’t see the face of the person whose hands they are, but they’re obviously not the hands of a white person.
* Another example…
Gov. Pat Quinn professes neutrality, but a high-ranking Quinn appointee, former 1st Ward Ald. Manny Flores, appears in Toni Berrios campaign literature, urging people to “join me in voting” for her.
It would be interesting to ask Flores how he plans to vote for Toni Berrios since he moved from the Northwest Side, to the northwest suburbs, after quitting the City Council and joining the Quinn administration. Flores has been registered to vote in Park Ridge, miles from the 39th Illinois House District, since 2012.
* But they totally accept Guzzardi’s explanation about one of those attacks without question…
The attacks are based on an article that Guzzardi wrote for his college newspaper in 2006. He says the comment was taken out of context, doesn’t reflect his campaign’s stance and is an attempt by the incumbent to play off voter fears.
* Guzzardi links to the column on his own website…
In short, in this digital age of infinite proliferation of data, expungement is a fantasy. The blank slate it once offered to those convicted of minor offenses is more like the old whiteboard on my dorm room door: though you might try to wipe it clean, there will always be some traces of what used to be written there.
If there were ever an issue for which civil rights groups on campus should get up in arms, this is it. Just like denying ex-convicts voting rights or sex offender tracking and registration, this is an instance of societal double jeopardy. These offenders have made an agreement with the justice system about the recompense they owe society for their transgression; having paid it, they should be able to return to society as members in good standing. Instead, they are dogged by their conviction for the rest of their lives.
Emphasis added to show this wasn’t “taken out of context.” He wrote what he wrote.
* To be clear, Guzzardi has been running away as fast as he can from that column. And it was, after all, a college newspaper column for crying out loud. The Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge #7 has endorsed him, which pretty much blows that “soft on predators” attack out of the water.
But the sex offender stuff was clearly not taken out of context.
* However, the Sun-Times does have a valid point about the mailer adding an “odd racial twist.” Here it is…
Ugly.
Just ugly.
*** UPDATE *** From a commenter…
So Mark Kirk is somehow not trying to appeal to the worst, most racist elements of human nature when he used the exact same photo, right?
The commenter is correct. Go have a look.
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“A wolf in sheep’s clothing”
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kirk Dillard is running a new 60-second radio ad that throws a whole lot at the wall. This was recorded off the radio via a cell phone, so it’s not the greatest audio. Listen…
* Partial script…
Male: The GOP primary for governor is coming up. Who are you voting for?
Female: Well, Rauner’s been on TV a lot.
Male: Yeah, but did you know Rauner’s pro-choice?
Female: Wait. Rauner’s pro choice?
Male: Yep. And Rauner doesn’t oppose same sex marriage.
Female: Oh, Rauner’s not who he said he is.
Male: Did you know Rauner voted Democrat in 2006?
Female: No Way!
Male: Yep. And Rauner gave millions to Democrats, like Dick Durbin and Nancy Pelosi.
Female: How can he say he’s a Republican?
Male: He even vacations with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Female: No way Rauner’s Republican.
Male: Wait, there’s more…
It goes on for another 30 seconds and includes the Stu Levine and Peyton Prep clouting stuff.
“Rauner’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, isn’t he?” the female asks near the end.
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A Bill Brady reality check
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kurk Erickson…
Despite polls showing super-wealthy businessman Bruce Rauner leading the Republican race for governor with a week to go, state Sen. Bill Brady said he’s confident voters will look to him on Election Day.
Calling himself the only “reliable Republican” in the four-way race, the Bloomington businessman said Rauner and state Sen. Kirk Dillard have ties to Democrats that will turn GOP voters toward him. […]
Brady also said the $14 million raised by Rauner won’t give an automatic win to the political newcomer from Winnetka, who has ties to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
“Money doesn’t buy elections,” Brady said. “Our voters are going to turn out.”
* OK, let’s look at a little history.
In the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary, Bill Brady finished third with 18.4 percent.
In the 2010 primary, Brady won with 20.26 percent.
He’s currently polling at 19 percent.
Notice a pattern?
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* From a press release…
Radogno, Durkin encourage Attorney General to aggressively pursue decision on pension reform
Springfield, Ill. – Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) on pension reform:
“We have shared a letter with the Attorney General expressing interest in an aggressive pursuit of a prompt decision on the pension reform legislation.
“We believe some legal procedures are available to the Attorney General to expedite the case and have respectfully encouraged her to use those procedures.
“Substantial financial consequences to the State, its retirement systems and current retired employees are at the heart of the pension reform litigation. We believe if the litigation is expedited and the State prevails, the fiscal stability of both the State and its retirement systems will substantially improve.
“All interested parties will benefit from a quick, but fair, final judicial decision. We urge the Attorney General to use the available avenues to accomplish that goal as we stand alongside her in this matter.”
* So, I asked, what are those legal procedures? The reply…
The letter references the most relevant actions, namely consolidation of various suits and a Supreme Court Rule 302 motion.
The AG has worked to consolidate the latest filing late last week in Champaign County from State University Annuitants. Consolidation helps the court decide on a similar question of fact and will assist in corralling all interested parties onto one court schedule.
The Rule 302 motion is applicable after a Circuit Court ruling. If successful, it would bypass the time and litigation with an appeal proceeding at the Appellate court and be heard directly at the Supreme Court from the circuit court decision.
The AG can also work to encourage the court to not allow unreasonable delays in the court proceedings in general.
So, AG Madigan has already done one of the things and can’t do the other until we get a circuit court ruling, but there is that last option, which I’m not sure applies yet because the case hasn’t even begun.
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Poll: Rauner back on the upswing
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The latest We Ask America tracker with the previous results in parentheses…
Bill Brady 19 (12)
Kirk Dillard 26 (14.5)
Bruce Rauner 46.5 (40)
Dan Rutherford 9 (8)
Undecided - (26)
The firm did not give the 1,235 likely GOP voters an “undecided” option this time around. The poll was taken yesterday and had a margin of error of ± 2.9 percent.
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