* Sen. Roland Burris explains that goofy tombstone of his by throwing the funeral home manager or the cemetery manager (maybe it’s the same person, or maybe not) under the bus…
“The cemetery in Oak Woods insisted when I went out to plan my estate that my résumé be put on it. That wasn’t me. That was the manager of the funeral home,” he said. “They insisted that my résumé be put up and they came up with that design and did all that.”
The argument that convinced him, he said, was that former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington is buried at this cemetery and he could not afford for the funeral home to give him the burial he deserved.
“The manager of the cemetery said, ‘Mr. Burris, your accomplishments are too many to let them not be known to young people.’ And he convinced my wife and I that that’s what should be done,” he said. “I questioned it and my wife questioned it, and we knew there would be that type of reaction, but we said we would be willing to overcome the cynicism of the press in order to let it be known for future generations.”
Any suggestion that space was left in case Burris won yet another political office is just not true, he said, adding that the news media is “just dreaming up stuff” and “people are laughing at me.”
“I had nothing to do with who designed that or who left a space at the top, that’s how they put the words in,” Burris said.
Too funny.
* Meanwhile, US Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid has now done a complete turnaround on Burris. First, Reid tried to keep Burris out, now he’s loaning Burris a top staffer…
Newly seated Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) has scored a personnel coup in snagging Darrel Thompson, senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), as his interim chief of staff.
Thompson, who was chief of staff to President Barack Obama’s Senate campaign in 2004, will be on loan to Burris for an undetermined amount of time, Reid’s office announced Friday evening. […]
“As the Leader of the U.S. Senate, I will do all that I can to support the success of Sen. Burris and that begins with detailing one of my most respected senior staff members,” Reid said in a statement. “Darrel’s institutional knowledge combined with his strong relationship with Members and staffs in both the Senate and House, will undoubtedly serve Sen. Burris well.”
Thompson is expected to help Burris fill other senior staff positions while aiding Burris in “developing a sound strategy to promote Senator Burris’ forthcoming legislative agenda and establishing constituent services and relations for the people of Illinois,” the statement noted.
However, Thompson will also continue to retain his title as senior adviser to Reid.
The press release announcing the move was distributed at 6:22 Friday night, Eastern time. Kinda buried, eh?
* 1:08 pm - Now that Rod Blagojevich is safely out of the picture, we have this development. The president will return to Springfield…
President Barack Obama, who used Abraham Lincoln’s hometown to stage key moments in his ascent to the White House, is returning to Springfield next week to honor the 16th president’s 200th birthday. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made the announcement today during the daily press briefing in Washington, D.C.
Springfield officials have been preparing for a possible visit, as Obama was invited to the Abraham Lincoln Association’s already-sold-out birthday banquet set for Feb. 12 at the Crowne Plaza hotel.
“He will attend and speak at the banquet there” at the invitation of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Gibbs said today. Gobbs did not mention any other planned appearances in Springfield.
Let’s all hope Blagojevich’s ticket has been revoked.
* Pat Quinn quotes like this have been the focus of recent press releases from the Illinois Republican Party…
“[Blagojevich has] always been a person who’s honest and one of integrity. I have confidence the governor does the right thing all the time.”
Sept. 15, 2006, in reference to when Blagojevich’s daughter received a $1,500 check from a family friend whose wife just got a state job.
Quinn has yet to address that and other quotes, instead pointing to his split with Blagojevich after the election and his strong support for recall.
* The Question: Should Quinn be given a “honeymoon” and therefore allowed a pass on quotes like this until the election season begins? Or, should the quotes be read to him over and over again until he owns up to them?
* Several media outlets have focused today and over the weekend on the enormous problems facing Gov. Pat Quinn. Lee Newspapers sums up the nightmare with some bullet points…
• A crushing budget deficit — between $2 billion and $5 billion, depending on who’s counting — that is hobbling the state’s credit rating and causing late payment of state bills.
• Shuttered state parks and historic sites, the result of Blagojevich budget cuts that many allege were targeted at political enemies in the General Assembly. Quinn says he’ll reopen those venues, which means having to pay for it.
• Deep public cynicism about state government, perhaps a natural result of having one ex-governor sitting in prison and another potentially headed there. Polls show the Illinois public distrusts the General Assembly almost as much as it did Blagojevich.
• Dysfunction within state government. For two years, most of the state’s top officials and legislative leaders haven’t been on speaking terms with the governor’s office, and the conflict affected other relationships throughout government.
The state parks thing is really no big deal. We’re talking $2 million, which is a rounding error on a rounding error. They were closed merely to incite public panic and outrage and a backlash against the General Assembly.
The situation is so bad even former Gov. Jim Edgar, still admired in many circles for his fiscal stewardship during tight times in the early 1990s, said tax hikes are needed, though he cautioned they must be paired with unpopular budget cuts. The former Republican governor said the problems Gov. Pat Quinn inherits from the recently ousted Blagojevich are historically dire.
“I inherited a mess in 1991 and had a recession,” he said. “Now it is a huge mess and the worst it has ever been. Pat Quinn will have to deal with what Blagojevich has ignored for six years.” […]
“If you raise taxes before you get other expenditures under control, you will never get them under control,” said Edgar.
Quinn flew back to Chicago Friday with House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago). In the 16th floor governor’s office in the Thompson Center, he met with Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White.
“The last time that happened under Gov. Blagojevich was July 1, 2003,” Lisa Madigan said, “so I know already that Gov. Quinn is going to be a very different governor than our former governor.”
Giannoulias had yet to be elected as of that date. He said Friday was the first time he’s ever been in the governor’s 16th floor workspace.
Madigan wouldn’t even be in the same room with Rod Blagojevich and hadn’t returned Blagojevich’s calls in years. Progress. And more progress…
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says he’s trying to make sure his state gets its fair share from a federal stimulus package. Durbin says he’ll continue to keep new Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in the loop.
DURBIN: I’ve had more phone conversations with Pat Quinn about this than the previous governor in the last year. And, I think this is a good start and we’re going to be working together.
* Quinn has said in the past that he wants to redo the state’s income tax provisions to allow a higher rate for the 1.4 percent of Illinois taxpayers making more than $250,000 a year. But that would take a constitutional amendment and it would have to pass both legislative chambers and then be approved by voters in the 2010 elections. So, it’s no immediate fix.
“I will always put taxpayers first,” he added. “I believe in putting taxpayers in the driver’s seat. And I understand the importance of holding down taxes.”
* Plus, everything will take place in the context of the 2010 campaign…
Contenders for the Feb. 2, 2010, Democratic primary for governor will begin circulating their candidacy petitions in a scant seven months if the current election date stands. Political one-upsmanship is inevitable among Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Quinn, an unelected governor trying to build a record in his new office.
“That will be a challenge,” said Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont. “I think having Pat Quinn as governor is not what many people expected.”
The question becomes how he wants to be remembered…
The best governors have been people willing to do unpopular things.
Republican Richard Ogilvie created the state income tax and failed to win re-election. Democrat John Peter Altgeld, a 19th Century governor, pardoned three anarchists who he thought received an unfair trial. It ended his political career.
“Do the right thing” (as he has hisorically viewed “things”) and lose, or try to balance reelection with reality and hope for the best? Here’s Sen. Rickey Hendon’s take…
“(The) biggest challenge that I see for Pat Quinn is to overcome the do-gooder reformer image,” Hendon said. “Pat needs to know you have to grease the wheels - that’s the way it works, to get things done here.”
Hendon’s comment has been misconstrued as a call to corruption. It’s not. You have to wheel and deal with the General Assembly, not dictate from above. We’ll soon find out if Quinn is capable of that.
* Related…
* Quinn gets standing ovation from AFSCME members: “It’s hard to imagine anyone more unlike our previous governor than our new governor,” said Henry Bayer, executive director of AFSCME Council 31, as he introduced Quinn. “If you handed Pat Quinn a hairbrush, he wouldn’t know what to do with it.”
* We’re finally rid of the corrupt clown, but he’ll still be on our teevees…
Rod Blagojevich is headed back to New York City.
No longer having a state to govern, Blagojevich, removed from office last week by a unanimous vote in the Illinois Senate, is scheduled to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman Tuesday.
CBS, which airs the late night talk show, is billing the appearance as the former governor’s first late-night visit since his ouster.
Now that he’s been ousted from the governor’s office, Rod Blagojevich is pinning his hopes of staying out of prison on a father-and-son duo of defense attorneys, one of whom grabbed the limelight at R&B superstar R. Kelly’s sex tape trial.
“These are two of the most flamboyant attorneys in town,” DePaul University law professor Leonard Cavise says of the team of Sam Adam and his son, Samuel E. Adam.
What about those public appearances and their impact on his case? Sam Adam, Sr. said it won’t be a problem…
“When he goes to trial he’s going to have to answer questions, and the only drawback would be if he said something in the media that would go to impeach his credibility at the trial and as far as I know he didn’t,” he said.
Comparing himself to Gandhi doesn’t impeach his credibility? I beg to differ. Plus, there was that Rachel Maddow interview, which could be problemmatic…
And so again, without going into detail, [Tribune Co. is] getting the benefit of these things to try to help the Cubs. We just would prefer that they don’t, look, that—that the things that [the Tribune editorial board is] advocating that I be impeached it’d be nice if they they laid off on an issue like that.
Oops.
* The governor said during his interviews and his Senate trial speech that he was completely surprised when he was arrested.
I’d beg to differ.
Why? Just take a look at the subpoena delivered to his downtown office the day before he was arrested. It’s a detailed roadmap of the criminal complaint.
* According to his private PR firm, the governor and/or his wife are not looking for a downtown condo, as was reported in various places. Of course, the PR firm, which also represents Drew Peterson, claimed that the governor did not contemplate resigning, which I believe to be false.
*** UPDATE *** The rhetoric is heating up a bit. From CQ Politics…
In what may be a glimpse of the campaigning to come, Feigenholtz — who is backed by EMILY’s List, the influential political action committee that supports Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights — tried to diminish the impact of the endorsement rival Quigley received from county commissioner Forest Claypool.
“It’s no surprise he would endorse his fellow County Board member,” Feigenholtz spokesman Franck said of Claypool. But he qualified that statement by contending that Quigley has supported controversial actions taken by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. “Unlike Mike Quigley, Claypool never embraced Stroger nor voted for his initial budget that cut frontline workers while adding Stroger’s friends and family to the county payroll. We wish Commissioner Quigley had shown similar judgment,” Franck said.
Quigley’s camp lashed back with equal vigor, seeking to tie Feigenholtz — long associated with the “reform” wing of the Chicago Democratic Party — with both Stroger and the recently ousted governor of Illinois. “Instead of slinging mud at other candidates, Sara Feigenholtz might want explain her own cynical record of ‘Springfield politics as usual’ which includes her own endorsement of Todd Stroger … and even a $5,000 contribution to Rod Blagojevich well after it was clear that he was the subject of federal investigations,” said Tom Bowen, spokesman for Quigley’s campaign.
Ouch.
Then again, Quigley allowed Blagojevich to use him as a pawn during the budget stalemate when he accepted Blagojevich’s invite to speak to a private leaders meeting on were the TIF issue.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Roger Romanelli was booted off the ballot in the 32nd Ward Democratic Committeeman’s race by Rep. John Fritchey, who ended up winning the race. Since then, Romanelli has asked for a US Attorney’s investigation of the Chicago Board of Elections, even though the Illinois appellate court upheld his removal.
And now he’s holding a press conference…
Press Conference: Public Invited
Saturday, February 7 at 2p * Ashland Grill, 2824 N. Ashland Ave.
We elected President Obama for CHANGE.
John Fritchey in Congress is NOT CHANGE - -
it’s more classic Chicago corruption.
We’re telling our story to save America. […]
We will ask the Illinois Reform Commission - - the new anti-corruption body created by Governor Pat Quinn - - to investigate the Chicago Board of Elections for rigging Fritchey’s election.
Some people just can’t let go.
[ *** End of Updates *** ]
* Don’t forget to check Saturday’s update. You can comment on that post here.
* Not exactly “new” news, but at least someone has said they talked to Emanuel about the prospect of him running again…
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is interested in potentially returning to Chicago someday to reclaim the congressional seat he held until a month ago, a candidate running to replace him said Sunday.
When 11 Democrats at the first 5th Congressional District forum were asked whether they have had direct or indirect conversations with Emanuel about being a “place holder” for the seat, only state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) said he had.
“I spoke with Rahm maybe a week or two after he had accepted the job of chief of staff,” Fritchey said. “At that time, he had commented to me that he may be interested in running one day again for the seat. I told him that should I be fortunate enough to run, and should I be fortunate enough to win the seat, I would look forward to campaigning against him.” […]
When word first surfaced of Emanuel’s departure from a leadership post in the U.S. House, one theory held that he wanted someone to win the seat who would step aside if he wanted to reclaim it in the future.
It was a lot more than a “theory.” It was a plain fact at the time.
The candidate most often mentioned as a potential seat-warmer for Emanuel, Mayor Daley’s unofficial floor leader, Ald. Patrick O’Connor (40th) was conspicuous by his absence at Sunday’s forum at DePaul University featuring 11 of the 13 Democrats on the ballot for the March 3 primary election.
O’Connor has strongly denied running as a place-holder for Emanuel.
University officials placed 10 telephone calls and e-mails to O’Connor, who never responded to any of them, they said. The 13th candidate, Pete Dagher, is fighting a ballot challenge to his petitions.
* That last sentence about the challenge to Dagher’s petitions got almost no play in the media, but it was a sore point during the debate among the 2nd Tier candidates. From the Progress Illinois live-blog…
Bryar is saying that two of his supporters decided to challenge Wheelan and Dagher.
Wheelan is not happy. He points out this signatures from his wife and neighbors were challenged. He asks whether candidates who lose their challenges should be held accountable.
Donatelli says Dagher’s own signature was challenged.
Monteagudo says that outrageous challenges caused his campaign 72 hours of work.
* Paul Bryar released a statement after the debate…
These supporters felt that the filed signatures of Wheelan, Thompson and Dagher were questionable. I think everyone in this district agrees that we need to demand accountability from those trying to represent this district in Congress. Neither I nor this campaign are paying for legal fees associated with these challenges. Our country faces greater issues, and if our opponents cannot handle this process perhaps we should not consider trusting them with the really important issues, like health care and job creation.
But challenging a wife’s signature? Bold. And if they were “shotgun” challenges, there could be repercussions.
I favor petition challenges as a normal course of campaigning, but there is a line.
* Another point from the live-blog…
Forys: If you beleve that you have to cut deals to get something done, then you don’t belong in Congress — you belong in jail.
That line bombed.
Hilarious.
* And Quigley apparently loved to read clips about himself to the crowd…
He’s reading various glowing press clips about his tenure as Cook Co. commissioner.
* Quigley also had a beginning of the year finance deficit compared to Feigenholtz…
An aide to state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) said she would report raising nearly $325,000. She had not yet filed with the Federal Election Commission late Saturday.
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley raised $138,290 and had nearly all of it to start the year.
Mo’ money…
•Charles Wheelan, a University of Chicago public policy lecturer, reported raising $108,822 through Dec. 31. He started January with $89,258 in the bank.
•Dr. Victor Forys, who is campaigning on a message of expanded health care access, reported raising $60,126. After loaning his campaign $100,000, he started January with $137,312.
•Delta Airlines pilot Jan Donatelli reported raising $15,650, with most of her contributions coming from fellow pilots and the United Pilots Political Action Committee. She had $8,694 left at the start of last month.
•Labor lawyer Tom Geoghegan’s campaign also said it would not be filing a report until next time.
Amtrak’s new conductor is from Illinois: Thomas C. Carper, former mayor of downstate Macomb, was unanimously named chairman by Amtrak’s board of directors yesterday.
Mr. Carper, a long-time supporter of passenger rail, has served on Amtrak’s board since last March. He was nominated to be a director by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Il., a leading advocate of Amtrak in Congress.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says he wants American made steel to be used in infrastructure projects funded by an economic stimulus bill.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes the Buy American provision that was included in the stimulus bill introduced in the U.S. House. The chamber worries other countries could retaliate with tougher trade rules. Dick Durbin acknowledges that could happen but he says America’s steel industry needs a boost.
A Niles Township school superintendent made $411,500 last year — a record in a year that saw top public elementary and high school administrators’ pay climb past $400,000 for the first time.
But the taxpayer tab for Neil Codell, 56, didn’t stop after he left his post June 30.
Codell continued to receive his superintendent’s salary — even while in a lesser job — for an additional six months. Niles Township High School District 219 now faces a potential penalty of well over $100,000 from the Teachers’ Retirement System because of Codell’s early retirement and large spike in pay, state officials say.
“This may turn out to be a platinum parachute by the time all the bills are paid,'’ said the agency’s executive director, Jon Bauman.
The state’s 863 public school district superintendents had the highest average pay — $140,000 — of all the categories covered by state Board of Education salary data, but when it came to getting raises, they were near the bottom of the list.
Salary raises for superintendents averaged 2.3 percent. In contrast, elementary and high school classroom teachers got average raises of 4.9 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively, between 2007 and 2008.
* 5th Congressional District Democratic underdog Paul Bryar has released a a poll taken earlier this month which shows himself at 0 percent support. I’ve never seen a candidate do that before now. If you think it’s odd, you’re right.
The point, however, is after the respondents are informed of various candidate stances Bryar ends up with 15 percent, “within striking distance” of the other frontrunners, according to the campaign, which claims to have raised well over $200,000 so far. More on that later this week.
* The poll of 401 likely voters was taken Jan. 14-15 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.89 percent. This is a Fako Associates poll, so it’s a good one.
However, the poll was conducted before Justin Oberman dropped out of the race, so it’s not nearly as useful as it could be for our purposes. Also, Oberman’s numbers are far different than the results he got in Mike Quigley’s poll.
* Here are the initial head-to-heads, with Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley’s poll numbers from Jan. 8-13 in parentheses…
* Respondents were also read position statements for all candidates, with half hearing one Bryar message and half hearing another. The messages were not revealed, and only one of the halves was shared in the polling memo. These results have a +/- 6.91% margin of error…
Notice, however, that Ald. Pat O’Connor doesn’t seem to be included in this round. Kinda weird.
* From the Fako polling memo…
Quigley (59% Name ID), Feigenholtz (41%), O’Connor (55%) and Fritchey (41%) hold only modest levels of name recognition. Their recognition is not deep or intense, with most of their ratings derived from soft, passive responses.
Their ratings are driven by geography. Their name ID and ratings diminish outside of their home areas, keeping a significant share of the vote up for grabs. […]
40% of the electorate is undecided, which is concentrated in the NW, outhern and suburban areas, all outside the more established candidates’ home bases.
Regional support can be seen in a graph from the polling memo by clicking here.
* Meanwhile, Mike Quigley’s first mailer went out this week. It features the Forrest Claypool endorsement and highlights Quigley’s battles against Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. Click on the pics for larger images…
* And Democrat Charlie Wheelan has a new and visually striking campaign ad…
…Adding… The ad will barely run on TV. $1500 on the news on Super Sunday, and then $6K on cable for one week, according to a rival campaign.
* This final burst of bile will do it for the week…
There’s a fortune inside your head
All you touch turns to lead
You think you might just crawl back in bed
With the fortune inside your head
You know you’re just a mama’s boy
Positively unemployed
So misunderstood
So misunderstood
* Several state employees have forwarded me a letter they received from Gov. Pat Quinn…
Dear State Employees,
I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for your exceptional work during this difficult time. The everyday workers of state government deserve a salute - because you are the true embodiment of public service.
As your governor, I pledge an open and fair state government worthy of being called the Land of Lincoln. I vow to restore your faith in government and will work tirelessly everyday to make you proud to be a citizen and employee of this great state.
In the coming days, we will face some tough choices. I am confident that by working together we will meet these challenges to emerge a much stronger and vibrant state.
I believe our state’s best days are ahead. I welcome your help and support as we work together in behalf of the people of Illinois.
That’s quite a stark departure from the recent past. Rod Blagojevich regularly expressed his disdain for state employees. The workers who have sent me the e-mail were astonished and quite overjoyed at the sentiment expressed by Quinn.
* A few minutes ago, I received this press release from AFSCME…
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will speak to members of the largest union of state employees, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31, at the union’s annual legislative conference tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 31) morning in Springfield.
AFSCME endorsed Blagojevich in 2002, but the union had a stormy relationship with him ever since. I’ll bet Quinn gets a nice reception tomorrow.
* When the cameras were on, Rod Blagojevich said he’d never resign, and wouldn’t even consider the matter. It was a different story when the cameras were off, however…
Contrary to public statements he’s made, Rod Blagojevich contemplated resigning as governor shortly before the Illinois Senate voted to boot him from office.
“He wanted to step aside, but he didn’t reach out to anybody” in state government, Blagojevich’s estranged father-in-law, Ald. Dick Mell (33rd), told the Chicago Sun-Times today in his first public comments since Blagojevich’s impeachment conviction.
Mell was reacting to a report in the Capitol Fax newsletter this morning that quoted anonymous sources saying that on Thursday — after the governor made his closing argument to the Senate in Springfield — Mell called Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) to relay a message that Blagojevich wanted to resign before a vote to oust him could be held.
Actually, I wrote that an “official close to Senate President John Cullerton” was contacted. [Adding: The Sun-Times has corrected its copy to reflect what I wrote. Thanks much to them.]
And I stand by my story.
* But the broader point is that after the governor said this to the Senate yesterday…
“Now, if I felt I did something wrong, I would have resigned in December. If I felt I had violated a law, I would meet my responsibilities, I would have resigned in December. I wouldn’t put my family through this, I wouldn’t put you through this and, most importantly, I wouldn’t put people, the people of Illinois, through this. But I didn’t resign then and I’m not resigning now because I have done nothing wrong.”
During a news conference outside his Northwest Side house after the 59-0 impeachment vote, Blagojevich was asked point-blank if he’d considered resigning. “No, I did not,” he replied.
When the cameras were off, he not only thought about resigning, he offered it up.
* I still say that one of those signs ought to be pulled down by an Illinois National Guard tank, but this is a good start…
The 2-foot high “Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor” title displayed at the Bolingbrook toll plaza vanished from sight today, replaced by the utilitarian “Boughton Rd Plaza 89.”
“You’re taking down the sign?” a passing driver called out to assembled Illinois Tollway officials and media. “No way!” he added, giving a thumb’s up signal.
A symphony of truck horns blasting and cars tooting approval accompanied two workers atop an aerial lift who fastened three blue, aluminum panels over the former governor’s name.
In all, 32 signs at 22 plazas will be Blagojevich-less by Monday, tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said. The total cost of the overlays is $15,000.
A small price to pay to begin dismantling the former governor’s bizarre attempt to create a cult of personality.
* They might move the primary back to March, where it once was, but political types have always been leery of a late-year primary. It’s just a whole lot easier to control turnout in the early months…
Gov. Pat Quinn said today he wants state lawmakers to push back the state’s primary election from February to September in an effort to shorten the campaign season.
Standing outside his Capitol office, Quinn said the state’s lengthy campaign season breeds corruption because of the constant pressure for candidates to raise money.
“This should be a year of reform, a year of governance,” Quinn said. “We don’t need perpetual campaigns and perpetual campaign fund raising in Illinois.” […]
Lawmakers moved the primary from March to February in 2007 in an effort to boost Barack Obama’s efforts to get to the White House. Other states, including New York, shorten the time between the primary and general election with the idea of cutting down the length of campaign season.
* We have a new statewide poll from Research 2000. The poll was conducted 1/26-28 for Daily Kos, a Democratic website. R2K does good work, however, so don’t rule out these numbers. 600 likely voters. MoE +/-4% for the general election and +/-5% for party primary questions.
Lots of room for movement by anybody. As Dan Hynes found out during his 2004 US Senate bid, down-ballot constitutionals are just not well known in Illinois. That may help explain Giannoulias’s low showing. An Obama endorsement would help immeasurably, but we just don’t know yet what the big guy is gonna do.
Even-Steven favorable/unfavorable for Burris is not a good thing.
* Now, onto the Republican primary…
Kirk 27
Roskam 17
Undecided 56
And…
Favorable/Unfavorable/No opinion
Kirk 37/41/22
Roskam 19/23/58
Quite high unfavorables for Kirk. Still, something to look at further.
…Adding… Strange that more people have an opinion of Kirk than of Burris.
* General election head-to-heads…
Burris (D) 37
Kirk (R) 30
Burris (D) 38
Roskam (R) 25
Schakowsky (D) 36
Kirk (R) 30
Schakowsky (D) 37
Roskam (R) 25
Giannoulias (D) 38
Kirk (R) 30
Giannoulias (D) 38
Roskam (R) 25
These are basic hardcore party ID numbers at this point, with Kirk doing a tiny bit better than Roskam on that front. But it goes to show you that even with the Blagojevich craziness, the uproar over the Burris appointment and the refusal to hold a special election, the Republicans have an uphill climb in this state.
Newly minted Gov. Pat Quinn’s first executive order will be to establish the Illinois Reform Commission as an official state body under the governor’s office, he said this morning.
Quinn set up the commission before former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment and conviction. But he said today that his executive order is intended to send a message to the people of Illinois “that we understand integrity is No. 1 in the Land of Lincoln.”
“Today is a beginning, a start,” he said at a press conference in Springfield. “We are going to fumigate state government from top to bottom to make sure there’s no corruption.”
The commission will have recommendations ready within 100 days, he said.
Just called Quinn’s office–they answered “Lieutenant Governor Pat Qu…Governor Quinn’s office! GOVERNOR Quinn!”
It’ll take a while to get used to that, I’m sure.
[ *** End of Updates *** ]
* Gov. Quinn is holding a press conference as I write this. He promised a major announcement today. Details to follow, but he’s been hitting the radio circuit today…
Newly minted Gov. Pat Quinn ducked a question about whether he will run for the office in 2010 but said he will push for a constitutional amendment that would give voters the ability to recall elected officials.
“I believe in recall, have for 33 years,” he told WGN radio host John Williams, noting that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich had opposed the idea. He said he was hopeful of getting a measure on a statewide ballot in the near future.
As for whether he would seek election to the post to which he was elevated Thursday with the impeachment conviction of his predecessor, Quinn said: “I don’t think we need a lot of politics. There’s plenty of time for running for office next year. This has to be a year of reform.”
Quinn said he would be busy on his first full day as governor and that his job is to “mend the flaws” in state government. He pledged to work with lawmakers and other state officials as a team to get the job done.
* The full text of his press conference last night is here…
Q: What about exempt state employees, two or three thousand, do they need to worry now? Will you review everybody?
A: Yeah, I think…if you’re an employee, public or private, you’re always going to be under review. If you’re not doing a good job, then you should be, you know, concerned. But if you are doing a good job, being diligent, that’s what we’re looking for.
Q: Will you review everybody, or are there certain classes of folks that you think will be gone?
A: I haven’t looked at any of that, but I think they’ll be a thorough review over the next month or two to make sure that state government works for the people who pay the taxes. […]
Q: Let’s talk about your frugality. That’s something you’re proud of, isn’t it?
A: Well, I am proud of being frugal, I’m a VIP member at Super 8 (shows card to laughter) and I moved up from Motel 6. I think being frugal is useful, but I am very generous, I think everybody will tell you that I’m generous to a fault. […]
Q: Did you make a mistake by not speaking out in 2006?
A: I was a pretty loud speaker for recall. I was for recall for 33 years. I think this may be the moment for recall.
* Perhaps we shouldn’t make too much of this, but $100,000 sure seems an awful lot of legal bills for a guy who says he’s really a whistleblower…
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) spent $100,000 on legal expenses one week after it became clear that he was listed in Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s (D) arrest documents as “Senate Candidate No. 5,” according to Federal Election Commission documents.
Jackson paid Chicago attorney James Montgomery $100,000 from his campaign account in one lump-sum payment on Dec. 18. The payment represents a very large amount — nearly one-tenth of what Jackson raised last cycle.
Jackson is widely believed to be “Senate Candidate No. 5,” who is mentioned in Blagojevich’s arrest documents.
Transcripts indicate the former two-term governor said an “emissary” for “Senate Candidate No. 5″ had promised to raise $1 million for Blagojevich if the candidate was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama following his victory in the U.S. presidential election.
“I never sent a message or an emissary to the governor to make an offer, plead my case or propose a deal about a U.S. Senate seat, period,” Jackson said at the time.
* This quote from today’s New York Times probably sums up Rod Blagojevich’s bizarre attempts at denial better than anything I’ve ever seen…
“We should have been more selfish, not selfless,” he said. “It sounds probably perverse for me to say that based on what some people are saying about me. But it’s true. My family, we didn’t take advantage of all these things that people do.”
The worst part is the NY Times printed that quote without any context.
This morning, Rod Blagojevich embarks on a new life. He is a private citizen now, a man with time on his hands.
Meanwhile, another guy, one who gave young Rod his first job out of law school, is beginning his own new chapter. He’s about to be sent up the river to do some time.
That other guy is Eddie Vrdolyak.
“I don’t have to tell you what they say. You guys are in politics. You know what we have to do to go out and run and run elections . . . those are conversations . . . all of us in politics do in order to run campaigns and try to win elections.”
Those quotes from Blagojevich speech yesterday gently sums up the Vrdolyak style of governance. The harsh reality is that Blagojevich took everything that wasn’t nailed down.
“He never was really willing to be a governor,” state Rep. Julie Hamos (D- Evanston) said. “He was kind of a showman who came up with ideas at press conferences and blasted away if it never happened.”
* As Gov. Quinn urged yesterday, let’s put this clown in our rearview mirror…
The controversial highway has an $1 billion price tag and would stretch 37 miles through Kane and Kendall Counties—from the Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate Highway 88) near Kaneville to Interstate Highway 80 in Grundy County.
