This just in, Part 2… Sorich conviction upheld
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
*** 1:32 pm *** Bob Sorich’s conviction was upheld today…
In a key win for federal prosecutors, an appellate court in Chicago on Tuesday upheld the convictions of four former top aides to Mayor Richard Daley [including former patronage chief Robert Sorich] who were convicted of rigging hiring and promotions at City Hall. […]
On appeal, lawyers for the former city aides argued that they could not be convicted of criminal fraud because they took no bribes or kickbacks in the scheme. But a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed.
This has got to send a chill down the governor’s spine. There are several tracks to the federal investigation, and Rezko is just one of them. Hiring practices are another.
*** 1:51 pm *** Read the opinion by clicking here.
The centerpiece of their appeal is a challenge to the government’s theory of prosecution: they contend that their behavior, while dubious, is not criminal, and that the honest services mail fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1346, is unconstitutionally vague. We conclude that the defendants’
actions do constitute mail fraud, and that the statute is not unconstitutionally vague as applied to the facts of this case. The defendants also argue that they did not deprive the city or the people of Chicago of any money or property, but the jobs that they wrongfully gave away were indeed a kind of property, so we reject this argument. Individual defendants also challenge the sufficiency of the indictment, the connection to the mails, and the sufficiency of the evidence against them, while one defendant argues that he was entitled to a sentencing
adjustment for playing a minor role.
Finding none of these arguments persuasive, we affirm on all counts.
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* 10:43 am - A Cook County judge has ruled against the Governor’s authority to expand health care programs without legislative approval.
More in a bit.
Background here.
* 10:55 am - The judge’s ruling can be downloaded by clicking here.
* 11:02 am - The judge ruled that the arguments against the governor’s Family Care expansion have a likelihood of succeeding at trial. So, a preliminary injunction was granted “based on the failure to abide by the elibility criteria required by law,” according to the judge. A similar argument against the expansion of the breast and cervical cancer screening program was denied.
* 11:05 am - This is gonna be a mess. The administration went ahead and enrolled a bunch of people in the expanded Family Care program (the governor expanded eligibility from 185 up to 400 percent of the poverty level) last year. What’s going to happen to those people now? We don’t have an answer from the guv’s office yet, but I’m sure he’ll blame somebody else.
* 11:23 am - What the judge essentially ruled is that the administration claimed it had the authority under existing state laws to expand the Family Care program. The judge claimed that they followed some laws, but not one in particular. So, he didn’t have to rule on the main argument - that the governor exceeded his authority to implement a program without an appropriation or specific legislative approval - because the administration’s new and expanded Family Care program didn’t meet the federal TANF requirements. It’s a punt, but the same result is reached.
* 11:30 am - From the Tribbies…
[Cook County Judge James Epstein] also placed a stay on the order for seven days in order to allow the governor’s lawyers to review the order and perhaps appeal. The ruling comes in a lawsuit seeking to halt the expansion.
A state legislative panel has twice refused to approve rules for the expansion and lawmakers did not include funding in the state budget. But the administration contends it can grow the program anyway.
“We are clearly unhappy that he ruled on this basis,” said attorney Larry Blust, a private lawyer retained by the Blagojevich administration.
As he dashed into the governor’s office at the Thompson Center to consult with his client, Blust added, “We’ll decide in the next seven days what we are going to be doing about it.”
* 12:24 pm - Richard Caro, the lawyer who initially brought the lawsuit, just told me that the administration is “free to amend the regulation to comply” with the judge’s ruling. However, he said, they’d be right back in front of the judge to get approval and the judge could open up all those other issues - including the constitutionality of the governor’s move - that the judge was able to ignore because the guv didn’t follow the TANF requirements.
*** 12:52 pm *** Another judge, another legal setback for the governor…
Judge Leo Zappa today said Senate President Emil Jones should be added as a defendant to a lawsuit over Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s power to set the date and time of special sessions.
Although he didn’t make a ruling today, Zappa strongly indicated he will do that in another week, despite objections from Blagojevich’s lawyer.
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” Zappa said. “If the governor has the right to set the date and time, it will have as much impact for senators who do not show up as representatives.”
Blagojevich sued House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, because Madigan did not have the House meet in special session at the exact date and time set by the governor. The lawsuit did not name Jones, a Blagojevich ally, as an defendant.
That’s a pretty funny development.
*** 12:57 pm *** Stu Levine is finished testifying, at least for now…
“You do not need to return unless you receive further notice,” U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve told [Levine] after 25 minutes of questioning.
*** 1:03 pm *** From the governor’s office…
“The Court’s decision affirms the Governor’s authority to expand existing healthcare programs without new legislation. We’re delighted by the Court’s ruling on the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. The Court upheld the Governor’s authority to provide all uninsured women access to mammograms and other cancer screenings. This makes Illinois the only state in the country to ensure all women have access to the cancer screenings and treatment they need.
“We are also encouraged by the Court’s ruling on the Family Care program. The Court ruled that the statute which authorizes the expansion of Family Care requires an additional provision that the people enrolled be employed or seeking work. We believe most, if not all, enrollees currently meet this requirement. We intend to address the issue raised by the Court so we can continue to protect health coverage for people in Family Care.”
Remember, though, that the judge enjoined the administration from carrying out the new rule and stopped Comptroller Hynes from authorizing any payments.
*** 1:10 pm *** From the Tribbies…
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has repeatedly deflected questions about the federal corruption trial of his former top fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko, often suggesting he’s too busy to follow details of the case.
Yet on Monday, Blagojevich abandoned that posture to take a shot at Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who has been pushing a recall measure to give voters the option of removing the governor.
Asked about the Rezko trial, Blagojevich noted that Quinn’s name arose in testimony earlier in the day.
“I didn’t know Pat Quinn had dinner with Stuart Levine and Tony Rezko at his house until I learned that today,” Blagojevich said.
*** 1:17 pm *** Man, when it rains it pours. More bad news for the guv…
The clout-heavy private school that mistakenly got $1 million from Gov. Blagojevich has admitted for the first time that one of its officials had a felony conviction — a disclosure that contradicts its earlier claims and could be grounds for the state to get its money back.
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Cutting it close
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If they’re only shooting for 300,000 signatures, that means their opponents ought to have a good chance of keeping this proposal off the November ballot…
Supporters of a state constitutional amendment to define “marriage” as only for male-female couples are in the final stretch of a push to collect enough signatures to put an advisory referendum on November election ballots.
How close they are to their goal is unclear. Joetta Deutsch, a Taylorville resident and board member for Protect Marriage Illinois, declined Monday to say how many signatures the organization has gathered.
She said Protect Marriage Illinois is shooting for more than 300,000 signatures statewide. That figure would exceed the required number of about 270,000 signatures, but organizers want to ensure their effort survives even if some signatures eventually are thrown out as invalid.
The signatures must be submitted to the State Board of Elections by May 5 to get the advisory referendum on Nov. 4 ballots, Deutsch said. Protect Marriage Illinois has set an April 30 deadline for church groups and other supporters to submit signed petitions because the organization needs time to process the paperwork.
The usual rule of thumb is to get twice as many signatures as needed. That would be pretty tough, but an extra 30,000 (if they even get that much) is cutting it a bit too close for comfort.
Also, it would be interesting to know how many of their state legislative and congressional supporters, as well as their local pol backers, are contributing to the petition effort.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
Southwest Airlines today honored the State of Illinois with the unveiling of Illinois One, a Boeing 737 emblazoned with an artist’s rendering of the state flag. Southwest Airlines’ top Leadership celebrated the high-flying tribute to the State of Illinois at an event in a Chicago Midway hangar with Governor Rod Blagojevich, Mayor Richard M. Daley, and its Chicago-based Employees.
“We are thrilled to honor Illinois with this beautiful aircraft; it is truly a demonstration of the great relationship we have developed with our Chicago Midway Customers and a tribute to our local hard-working Employees,” said Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher. “Our pride for Illinois will now fly high over the 64 cities Southwest serves.”
And here’s the plane…
Nifty.
* Question: Come up with a better name than “Illinois One.”
…Adding… Video is here.
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Life lessons
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
A constant complaint from bloggers is that they get no respect from the so-called mainstream media. Reporters say much the same about bloggers, who tend to pick apart their stories and columns and sometimes make them look like fools.
I’ve watched this back and forth with much bemusement over the past few years.
I started writing about the Statehouse for a company named Hannah Information Service in 1990. We were a dial-up bulletin-board system designed for lobbyists. Back then the state’s official Legislative Information System featured a 1200 baud modem and was available during business hours Monday through Friday. To use LIS in those days you needed a thick codebook and had to manually type in long “libsync” commands. Hannah downloaded all the LIS info via a nifty computer program and reposted it on an easy to use, menu-driven bulletin board system that could be accessed 24/7 via a super-fast (for then) 9600 baud modem.
When I started writing for Hannah I was initially refused entry into the Legislative Correspondents Association because, they said, they didn’t have a category for what I was doing. I talked my way in, but I was apparently the subject of discussion at just about every annual meeting thereafter, particularly after I snagged some office space with my buddy Greg Tejeda at United Press International.
So, I can relate to what many bloggers are going through. To this day, there are still a few on that Mezzanine who have issues with my very existence. It doesn’t much bother me, even when they run stuff I’ve written without attribution. Sometimes, they actually do credit me, as the SJ-R editorial did today. I’ve learned to ignore most of it. Hey, I’ve got a pretty good life, and no heartless megacorporation is trying to downsize my job. I’m a happy camper. As Elvis Costello once wrote: “I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.”
Hannah was always undercapitalized, and I didn’t make much money at all, so I quit in 1993 and started the Capitol Fax. I decided to give it three to six months to see if I could make a decent living on my own. I hit my “month one” revenue target in a week, and my “month three” target in a month. It just kept going up from there.
That was 15 years ago this month.
I want to thank my subscribers for everything. You mean the world to me.
And to the grumbling bloggers: Keep at it. Living well is the best possible revenge.
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* You may have seen this story today…
The government’s star witness at the fraud trial of Antoin “Tony” Rezko testified Monday that Sen. Barack Obama and his wife attended a party in 2004 at the home of the indicted political fundraiser. Stuart Levine said the party took place in April 2004 and was held to honor Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born, London-based billionaire visiting the United States
* Obama’s spokesman implied to the Sun-Times that Obama may not have attended the Rezko party…
Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said: “As he has said previously, Senator Obama does not recall meeting Nadhmi Auchi at any time or on any occasion, and this includes any event that may have been held for Mr. Auchi. Senator and Mrs. Obama have no recollection of attending any such event.”
* LaBolt gave a slightly different explanation to the Tribune…
“Sen. Obama does not recall meeting Nadhmi Auchi at any time or on any occasion, and this includes any event that may have been held for Mr. Auchi,” LaBolt said.
* The Sun-Times reports that two sources contend that Obama was, indeed, at the Rezko event, but rehashed this response from Auchi’s spokesperson…
Auchi couldn’t be reached Monday. His lawyer, Alasdair Pepper, told the Sun-Times in February his client “has no recollection of meeting Senator Obama.”
* So, I sent an e-mail this morning to Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s spokesperson. Levine testified that Quinn attended the party. The spokesperson confirmed that her boss was there. When asked whether Quinn remembers Obama being present, this is the response I received…
He believes so, but Quinn was there rather briefly — came late, left early to watch the NCAA final four. So Quinn wasn’t taking attendance.
Now we have to go through this Rezko goofiness all over again because Obama’s operation wants to play cute instead of just saying, yeah, he was there, but barely remembers it, or something like that.
Oy.
It seems like every time the Obama campaign comes close to nailing an issue down, or finally putting Clinton in a corner, it goes off track.
* By the way, Quinn now says that Blagojevich should have steered clear of Tony Rezko. From today’s Tribune…
“After some of the things we are hearing at the trial from Mr. [Stuart] Levine, I don’t think [Rezko] should have ever, ever been appointed to anything. And I think the governor owes the people an apology for that.”
* More Obama/Rezko stuff, compiled by Kevin…
* Sneed hears rumbles Kathleen Sebelius, the two-term Dem governor of Kansas, may become Barack Obama’s veepmate.
* Obama’s bitter lesson
* Witness At Rezko Trial Says Obama Attended Billionaire’s Party
* A meeting and a fiery exchange
* Rezko defense tries to plant seeds of doubt
* State hospital panel worries Rezko trial gives it a bad image
* Deputy Republican Senate Leader Radogno w/Berkowitz on Obama-Ayers and the Budget; Cable and Streaming
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Quote of the week
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Considering that Gov. Blagojevich’s poll numbers are beyond horrific, he’s probably not the best Obama surrogate…
“There is nothing elitist about the fact that working class families are struggling today. Our economy is sluggish. Gas prices are up to near $4 a gallon. It costs 25 percent more just to turn your lights on. A loaf of bread and gallon of milk cost a lot more than they used to. And wages are stagnant while the pay of CEOs continues to rise,” Blagojevich said on the tarmac at Midway Airport following an event for Southwest Airlines.
“So the frustration, the anger, the bitterness that Sen. Obama is talking about, that middle America is feeling, is precisely why he’s done so well in this election. People are responding to the fact that he is offering a voice to them, where in the past it’s just been a bunch of lip service from a bunch of politicians in Washington,” the governor added.
Discuss.
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There he goes again *** UPDATED x1 ***
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You will recall the kerfluffle last week after atheist activist and Green Party state legislative candidate Rob Sherman wrote this on his website and then deleted it…
“Now that Negroes like Representative Monique Davis have political power, it seems that they have no problem at all with discrimination, just as long as it isn’t them who are being discriminated against.”
Sherman was referring to Rep. Monique Davis’ tirade against him during a House committee hearing, for which she was given Keith Olbermann’s daily “Worst Person in the World.” She later apologized for the remark, according to Sherman.
* Sherman, however, refused to apologize for his own comments. Sherman told me last week that he deleted those words after receiving an e-mail from 2006 Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney.
Sherman claimed that at the time he “didn’t know there was anything wrong with the phrase negro.” And in the same conversation with me he went on to explain his original comment while refusing to apologize…
“Now they are blacks and have political power, so discrimination is OK, but then, when they were called negroes and had no political power, discrimination was an outrage.”
* Last night, Olbermann aimed his dart at Sherman, giving the Green Party candidate yesterday’s “Worst Person in the World” award….
* Sherman responds today on his website…
In a desperate attempt to maintain their popularity with the non-atheist majority, several Caucasian journalists have desperately grasped at a phony excuse to criticize me by condemning me for referring to Rep. Monique Davis, who is a Negro, as being, of all things, a “Negro.” […]
Rep. Davis seemed to be OK, two weeks ago, with discrimination against my group, because her group has political clout and my group doesn’t, but she retracted those statements last week. The White journalists have demanded that I apologize to Rep. Davis for not using a euphemism that Caucasian journalists approve of.
Go read the whole thing if you have the stomach.
* Zorn wrote this last week…
Sherman’s beef was with Monique Davis, legislator. Not Monique Davis black legislator or black legislators in general.
* I agreed with Zorn then and I agree even more so today after reading Sherman’s latest bizarre tirade. Sherman was and remains way, way out of bounds.
The Green Party folks have claimed that they’ve worked hard to make sure they have candidates which reflect their party’s values. This is their first test. Rich Whitney apparently stepped up to the plate once, but Sherman seems to have since ignored his advice after once briefly agreeing with him. Let’s see if Whitney or somebody else in the Greens does so again.
*** UPDATE *** Zorn weighs in…
(E)very effective crusader needs to be able to tell the difference between when he’s fighting the good fight and when he finds himself where Sherman finds himself today, on the wrong side of a bad fight.
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Morning shorts
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* Illinois makes domestic violence an automatic violation of parole
* Crowd split on gun laws
* Illinois should take lead in campus safety
* In Defense of the Chicago Children’s “museum”
1. The Chicago Children’s “museum” is not accredited by the American Association of Museums.
2. While many argue the “museum” is unique, it is one of only 15 in Illinois, including 9 in the Chicago area.
3. The Chicago Children’s “museum” ranks 31st in the country, according to Parents.com, far behind the children’s museums in Decatur & Bourbonnais and The Magic House in St. Louis. Just two slots below the Ollie Mae Moen Discovery Center in Waco, Texas.
* Children’s Museum, Option 1
Why those directors sit in silence while the reputation of their museum as a stellar citizen sinks—on their watch—is a mystery:
• Are the directors whose names grace the museum’s Web site there to direct its future? Or are they just complicit names on a list, doing a drowsy stint of civic service?
• Do they not comprehend how many longtime friends their self-aggrandizing lust for Grant Park is costing their museum?
• How can they defend to museum donors the cost of all their lobbying, advertising and public relations expenditures for the right to . . . seize a part of Grant Park?
* Museum leadership and board
* Daleys make less, give more
Maggie Daley cut her consulting work in half — bringing in just $50,000 compared with $100,000 in 2006. The Daleys combined made $238,190 after deferrals.
* RTA names new board members
* Election reform proposal stalled
* The simple, straightforward and self-evident case for a Con-Con
Under our current constitution, the Governor and legislative leaders have amassed so much power that a personal feud between them has completely gridlocked the entire state government.
* Gov. appoints head of new agency to negotiate electric rates
* Preservation agency picks Grimes to be new director
* Revenue rush just beginning
* Governors Gathering for Yale Climate Change Conference
* State looks to boost tax on Illinois oil producers
* Springfield tops 120,000
* For sale: ‘Car Kabob’ landmark
A towering sculpture of eight cars made famous in the movie “Wayne’s World” has been listed for sale on eBay.
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Question of the day
Monday, Apr 14, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
Give us all a brief roundup of how you spend a typical day online, from start to finish.
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* Michael Sneed had this tidbit a few weeks ago…
The Wrigley wrangle: Sneed hears Gov. Blagojevich was spotted in deep huddle with Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry at a Scottsdale, Ariz., eatery Tuesday — hatching plans for the state to buy Wrigley Field.
• Dinner talk: Sneed is told Blago, the state’s No. 1 Cubs fan, is not only planning to move full steam ahead on getting the spring Legislature to authorize the sale of Wrigley Field to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, but also was entreating help from two politicos who were dining at the restaurant.
• Table talk: Word is Blago, who was dining with Piniella and Hendry at Don and Charlie’s restaurant following a Cubs spring training win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, entreated Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) and Chicago Ald. Brian Doherty (41st) to “help me on this,” when they stopped by the Gov’s table while exiting the restaurant. (Dillard and Doherty and their families were dining at separate tables)
• The big squeeze: A Sneed spotter claimed Gov. Blago kept telling Dillard and Doherty: “You gotta help me on this. You gotta help me.” The source added, “It was definitely apparent the governor wants to do the deal.”
* The governor got his response from Dillard, sort of, in a Daily Herald op-ed on Saturday…
Such an expenditure of state dollars cannot come before a school construction program and infrastructure (roads and bridges) improvements in Illinois. We need a multibillion-dollar capital program in Illinois to repair potholes, crumbling roads, dangerous bridges and improve schools before we need to purchase Wrigley Field. Building and maintaining schools and improving our transportation network statewide are higher priorities right now than purchasing a baseball field - even if the beloved Cubs play in the civic treasure Wrigley Field. […]
I will put politics aside and play ball with Gov. Blagojevich on this issue.
Wrigley Field is a landmark and the third most popular tourist destination in Illinois. I agree with the governor that keeping the name Wrigley Field is also a priority. And I don’t believe taxpayer money should be used to renovate Wrigley.
With due respect to new Cub owner Sam Zell and the Chicago Tribune, the bottom line is this proposal must be good for the taxpayer. And put money into the state treasury.
Not exactly crystal clear.
* If you want crystal clear, listen to the boos the governor got when he attended a ceremony at White Sox Park last week. Ouch.
* The Daily Herald wondered why he did “so much talking”…
What was supposed to be a joyous occasion featuring a stunning bronze and granite salute to the 2005 champs instead turned into a boo-fest the minute the governor was introduced.
Boo.
“I’d love to thank you for the wonderful, warm welcome.”
Boo.
“My side of town would like to replicate what you did (in 2005).”
Boo.
“Sure am glad this isn’t an election year.”
Boo.
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No prisoners in Illinois’ “civil war”
Monday, Apr 14, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My syndicated newspaper column takes a look at some developments in the ongoing Statehouse feud.
On the one hand, this isn’t earth-shattering news…
House Speaker Michael Madigan told a firefighters group last week that he, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones are engaged in a “civil war,” and that “no prisoners” are being taken.
This isn’t exactly a particularly unique insight. The fight between Madigan and the Blagojevich/Jones alliance started long ago and has been vicious, mean and hurtful to a lot of innocent bystanders. It resulted in an 11-month session last year, along with numerous lawsuits, special sessions and hordes of unresolved issues. I’ve heard it called a “civil war” before, and it’s obvious that nobody is taking prisoners. It’s a fight to the end.
* On the other hand, Madigan’s comments give us an important clue to the future…
But it’s rare that a politician will state things publicly in such a stark manner, so when he does, you can easily get the idea that the situation might be even worse than you thought. And if that’s the case, then we’re in for some true nastiness.
* And the field of batttle was expanded last week to include the House Republicans…
Madigan, who also is the state Democratic Party chairman, has become convinced that House Republican Leader Tom Cross somehow is in cahoots with the Democratic governor, and he took some extreme action to punish Cross for his perceived disloyalty.
On Monday, Madigan unveiled a Democratic candidate against state Rep. Skip Saviano, an influential Republican legislator from Elmwood Park.
Saviano has been a friend and ally of Madigan for years. Back in 1997, for instance, Madigan took the rare step of appointing Saviano to a committee chairmanship, even though Saviano’s Republicans were in the minority. They’ve always been close, and Saviano has been an effective go-between in the ongoing “civil war.” He can talk to just about anybody, but Madigan apparently thought he had strayed too far toward the governor’s position.
The move against Saviano stunned the Statehouse, which probably was the point.
Then, Madigan pushed two very anti-Republican bills to the fore. One would re-establish straight party voting in Illinois, which the Republicans eliminated after they lost the House to Madigan in 1996. Considering the very real probability that Barack Obama will be at the top of the ticket this November, straight party voting could imperil a whole bunch of suburban Republican incumbents.
The other proposal would reinstate another law Republicans got rid of during their two-year hold on total power. The first bill on the Republican agenda in 1995 was repealing the Structural Work Act, which let injured construction workers sue someone besides their employers. Business groups hated the law, and now Madigan wants to bring it back.
A pal of mine said he planned to talk to Madigan about Saviano and the rest of the speaker’s new agenda but had some real fears that Madigan might then turn on him. He’s right. And the same thing goes for the other two main characters in this drama, Blagojevich and Jones. If you’re not with them all the way, then you’re against them, and God help you if that’s the case. It’s why nothing gets resolved. Nobody can mediate this war.
Combine all that with Madigan’s refusal last Thursday to attend the leaders’ meeting photo op to talk about the capital plan, his decision to allow a recall measure to the House floor, and his statement on Friday that Gov. Blagojevich was working “outside the constitutionally-prescribed lawmaking process” and we have a pretty good road map of the near future: bumpy.
* The governor, at least for now, is attempting to take the high road in public…
“My heart is filled today, and I have nothing but love in my heart for everybody and we’re looking forward to getting this done,” Blagojevich said after a meeting with former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard on Thursday. Poshard and Hastert are volunteering their time to help facilitate a capital bill.
* But that recall issue will be a thorn in his side for a while. From a press release…
Reminding Gov. Rod Blagojevich of his promise to “rock the system” with landmark ethics legislation that never materialized, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn Sunday called on the Governor to make good on his pledge and lead the fight to pass the Recall Amendment in the Senate and put the issue before voters on the Nov. 4 ballot.
* Quinn and Rep. Jack Franks are none too pleased with the fate the recall measure is facing in the Senate…
State Rep. Jack Franks and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn are fuming mad that a state senator who called Franks’ proposed recall amendment “stupid” has become its chief Senate sponsor.
Franks, D-Woodstock, is scrambling to get his proposed constitutional amendment to allow voters to recall state elected officials out of the hands of state Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, who opposes the measure. Quinn, a long-time advocate of recall, and Franks late last week denounced Trotter’s move to become chief sponsor, just days after the amendment passed the House with the needed three-fifths majority.
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Five kinds of Illinois Republicans
Monday, Apr 14, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Charlie Johnston tries to sum up the situation of the hopeless Republicans in this state…
Here we have five identifiable corrosive factions of Republicans that, like roving bands of rival warlords, do little or no damage to the real opposition while engaging in incessant internecine destruction, giving any transcendent, unifying leaders little chance to emerge. We shoot survivors in their cradle.
First, there are the arsonists. You know that bunch: in 2006 they declared anyone who did not support Oberweis in the gubernatorial primary a heretic who should be burned at the stake. This year they declared that anyone who DID support Oberweis in the congressional primary was a heretic who should be burned at the stake. They don’t get excited about supporting someone and are only happy when they have someone they are committed to destroying. While priding themselves on their brutal honesty, one quickly realizes it is the brutality, not the honesty, that excites them.
Second we have the looters. They rise until they reach a point where they can use their position to enrich themselves. They consider it a successful political career if they make a mint regardless of how bad they damage the party.
Then there are the quislings, those who are busy selling out to save their hides, making ads for Obama, voting to raise taxes, always looking for a means to advance themselves at the expense of their party – the Vichy French, as it were.
Fourth we have the clueless, those lovely souls who mean well but think salvation is to be found in the next iteration of the 72-hour-program and never pause to think that maybe we ought to actually stand for something and mean it.
Finally there are what I call the diplomats of doom or the Scottish Lords. These are always looking to find a way to negotiate surrender to the Democrats before the battle begins in exchange for some crummy little perk. If the Democrats promise to take us over the cliff with taxes and spending, our GOP diplomats of doom promise to take us over that cliff only half as fast. And they wonder why the rank and file don’t rally to their flag.
Anything to add to this list?
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* This is just unconscionable…
In an abrupt shift, Gov. Blagojevich’s administration won’t open the books on dozens of pardons he has granted since taking office.
Executive clemency files maintained by the Prisoner Review Board typically show police reports, court records and letters of recommendation — all accessible from the agency in the past.
But after criticism over two of his pardons last month, Blagojevich’s administration rejected a Freedom of Information Act request from the Chicago Sun-Times seeking access to records tied to his 69 pardons and commutations.
And I agree with every word that this guy says…
“When you look at this from 35,000 feet, it’s really troubling,” said Charles Davis, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. “We’ll set up a system where we release convicted persons from jail or forgive them from their crimes later, and we’ll do it in a process that’s exempt from scrutiny. That could just be rife with corruption. It’s a favor-creating machine.”
* And this may be just as bad…
After a gunman burst into a Northern Illinois University classroom and killed five students, the state police quickly spread the word that the shooter had legally purchased guns with a valid state firearm owner’s ID card.
But in the weeks since the Feb. 14 tragedy, Illinois State Police have said little else about 27-year-old Steven Kazmierczak, repeatedly refusing to provide documents or answer questions about the crucial card that allowed him to buy guns.
Doing so would violate the dead gunman’s privacy, the Illinois State Police said in denying a Daily Herald legal request. Aside from his privacy, state police also said the shooter’s gun card records are entitled to the same confidentiality protection granted to personnel files of doctors, nurses and others whose professions require state registration and licenses.
Several officials disagree with that stance, including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Her public information specialist urged state police to reconsider releasing the information, saying it is a public record and the reasons cited for maintaining secrecy are invalid.
* More of the same…
Take the case of 17 Illinois Department of Transportation employees who were dismissed by the Blagojevich administration in 2004. They sued in federal court, claiming they were let go either as perceived political opponents of the governor or to clear the way so supporters of the new governor could be hired.
Springfield lawyer CARL DRAPER, one of those who represents the fired workers, in early April filed a “fourth motion to compel” the governor’s office to comply with subpoenas for documents.
For example, after a status hearing in the case before U.S. Magistrate BYRON CUDMORE in December, the governor’s side delivered five boxes of documents, containing more than 15,600 pages, to Draper’s team. But, Draper’s motion states, “about 15,000 were blank, stating: ‘REDACTED.’”
A lot was redacted even on the remaining 600 pages, he said. Often, only few lines of information could be seen on each page. “Less than about 2 percent of what they gave us actually had anything that we could read,” Draper said.
* One reason why the administration rejects FOIA requests is that when they do grant them they get whacked but good. Case in point from today’s Sun-Times…
A highly touted initiative Gov. Blagojevich’s office once said could rake in $300 million for the state through corporate sponsorships and naming-rights deals met a quiet death in February after netting the state a paltry $315,000.
The four-year deal between the Blagojevich administration and Team Services, a Maryland-based consulting group, was hatched in 2004 on the premise it could bring the state anywhere from $40 million in the first year to $300 million in three years.
But Team Services never came close to those projections. Between 2004 and 2008, the firm was credited with generating $1.13 million in sponsorships or naming-rights deals for the state, the administration confirmed.
During the same period, Team Services charged the state $820,000 for its work. The profit for the state amounts to only 0.1 percent of what Team Services predicted could be generated.
Oy.
* They’ll have a tougher time stiffing Bill Holland, however…
The state’s top auditor soon may be sicced on Gov. Blagojevich’s administration to figure out how a politically connected private school mistakenly got $1 million from the state in one of the governor’s biggest, most inexplicable financial miscues.
The idea of seeking a full House vote to direct Auditor General William Holland to probe the Loop Lab School deal has gained bipartisan traction since a top Blagojevich aide, Deputy Gov. Louanner Peters, stymied a legislative panel’s inquiry into the matter two weeks ago.
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Morning shorts
Monday, Apr 14, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* Toll-fine mistakes clog system
Of the almost 600,000 violation notices that have been sent since August, only one-half of 1 percent contained “errors in images” that would result in bogus toll-violation notices, she said.
* Washington Post: Illinois Governor Is In Courtroom in Spirit
Rezko is best-known nationally as a former fundraiser for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), but Blagojevich is the most significant player not in the courtroom. The essence of the criminal prosecution is the alleged ability of Blagojevich’s close friends and advisers to enrich themselves by manipulating decision-making in a famously unsavory state capital.
* Natasha Korecki talks about the trial
* Star witness badly tarnished — again
* Daley off on motto but right about kids
* Court Delivers Blow to Chicago School Councils
* Daley Takes on Critics of His Children’s Museum Plan
* Daley defends naming rights for Children’s Museum
“This is not about Mayor Daley and Brendan Reilly,” the mayor said. “It’s about children. When he has children, he’ll understand.”
* Unfiltered: Chicago Mayor Daley Remarks on CTA Changes
* Green Party fills November ballots
* Greens will go the way of Solidarity and Washington (political parties, that is)
* IHSA vs. newspapers
* thecapitolfaxblog.com comments in the SouthtownStar
* Painting Illinois’ history
* Rest stops to get security cameras, phones
* Former state representative dead at 87
Former State Rep. L. Bruce Richmond died Sunday at home, surrounded by his family.
* Seals says immigration issues require mix of solutions
* Seals offers blueprint in 10th District: war, immigration
* A growing sense Dems could boost majorities on Capitol Hill
* Women Inch Closer to Parity in Congress
* Briefs: New head of Elk Grove GOP
* Senator Durbin meets with local officials and tours dispatch center
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* 2:40 pm - The Senate Democrats have given up on moving an income tax hike bill… for now…
A fight over whether to raise the state income tax is being postponed until the fall.
State Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, says he and Senate colleague James Meeks, D-Chicago, will not call their bill to boost the income tax on individuals and corporations by next week’s deadline for Senate action, but instead will move forward in the fall veto session — after the November elections.
“We’re playing for the fall,” Mr. Cullerton said in a phone interview. “We met with a bunch of supporters, and they want the summer to line up additional support for it.”
However, Senate President Emil Jones moved a proposed constitutional amendment that calls for a graduated income tax (instead of the current flat tax) to the Executive Committee yesterday…
Proposes to amend the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution. Authorizes a tax on or measured by income to be at a graduated rate (now, all taxes on or measured by income shall be at a non-graduated rate). Provides that, in any such tax imposed upon corporations, the rate shall not exceed the weighted average rate imposed on individuals by more than a ratio of 8 to 5. Effective upon being declared adopted.
That CA will likely get a committee vote next week and might even make it to the floor. Stay tuned.
* 2:49 pm - House Speaker Michael Madigan sent a letter to members of the Legislature today which claimed that the guv was working “outside the constitutionally-prescribed lawmaking process.” Here it is…
Dear General Assembly Member:
On March 31 the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and its director, Barry Maram, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court to challenge the constitutionality of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. The complaint demands that the court force Secretary of State Jesse White to accept and publish in the Illinois Register permanent rules to implement the governor’s desired expansion of state health care programs. Absent specific statutory authorization for such an expansion, JCAR last month voted to suspend the implementation of those rules. Were the Secretary of State to publish the rules, it would give IDHFS the authority to enforce them, in effect a back-door way to implement the governor’s policies.
The lawsuit, filed at the governor’s direction, is an explicit statement that he does not want executive agencies to work in a cooperative manner with the Legislature. This is a stark departure from the past practices of this and previous governors. It is important that legislators recognize its implications.
This spring, the House has required that any bills asking executive agencies to promulgate rules include an amendment that necessitates the agencies return to the General Assembly and receive ratification of those rules via statute. In light of the governor’s lawsuit, this has proven to be a prudent decision and we will continue to operate accordingly.
Since 1977, four governors and sixteen General Assemblies have functioned under the provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, which established JCAR as a legislative oversight committee with its membership apportioned equally between the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats. For the last five years, until recently, the current governor and his agency directors have adhered to the JCAR framework. In fact, Governor Blagojevich himself signed legislation that strengthened JCAR’s authority and gave it the power to suspend emergency rules proposed by governors and their agency directors. The governor’s complaint came only when JCAR denied his policy objectives in a particular instance.
It is worth restating the fact that most members of the General Assembly do not stand in opposition to the governor’s ends of greater health care coverage for the uninsured. Rather, we oppose the governor’s decision to work outside the constitutionally-prescribed lawmaking process
Such behavior might rise to the level of impeachable offense. Just sayin’.
…Adding… I put this in comments, but I should also add it here…
I should have been more clear. Under the Constitution, all that’s required for impeachment is 60 votes. Nothing more. No reasons. Nothing.
However, since the Senate holds a trial and votes on whether to convict and remove, you ought to have a reason.
So, breathing rises to the level of an impeachable offense. Defying the Constitution is a possible ground for removal.
* 3:34 pm - Both Eric Zorn and I have spoken to atheist activist Rob Sherman. I have some notes which I may use in Monday’s Capitol Fax or here at the blog. Here’s Zorn’s story…
Sherman replied to my note:
“[’Negroes’ is] what the group was called when they were being discriminated against, but now that this same group has political power, discrimination is OK, as long as it’s not them that’s being discriminated against. That’s the reason for the use of the term.”
Invoking Civil Rights-era terminology to sharpen an attempt to draw an ironic (and dubious) analogy between persecuted African Americans and persecuted atheists is not a polemical stunt I would recommend to anyone. […]
Sherman’s beef was with Monique Davis, legislator. Not Monique Davis black legislator or black legislators in general.
Sherman refused to apologize for the overbroad remark about “negroes,” both to myself and Zorn.
* 4:13 pm - Jim Oberweis has promised to run a positive campaign just about every time he’s run for office, and every time he ends up going negative and looking goofy, so take this AP story with a large grain of salt…
[Oberweis] says he’s looking to refocus his campaign to be as appealing to voters as his family dairy’s sweets are to the dessert set.
A tough campaigner, Oberweis this week used words like “positive campaign” and “respectful discussion” to describe what voters will see from him between now and November.
Voters also will see different TV ads, possibly some featuring his family.
It would be a pleasant change if he finally learns from all his past failures. I figure he’ll probably start off positive, but I just don’t think it will last.
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* Barack Obama has been endorsed by most of the Chicago Machine, but he is refusing so far to play ball with the Philadelphia Machine…
…Sen. Barack Obama has collided with the gritty political traditions of Philadelphia, where ward bosses love their candidates, but also expect them to pay up.
The dispute centers on the dispensing of “street money,” a long-standing Philadelphia ritual in which candidates deliver cash to the city’s Democratic operatives in return for getting out the vote.
Flush with payments from well-funded campaigns, the ward leaders and Democratic Party bosses typically spread out the cash in the days before the election, handing $10, $20 and $50 bills to the foot soldiers and loyalists who make up the party’s workforce.
It is all legal — but Obama’s people are telling the local bosses he won’t pay.
The article also quotes an unnamed Obama official as saying it had never been the campaign’s practice to make street payments.
* Obama is not unfamiliar with this practice. In the days leading up to his 2004 US Senate primary, Obama’s campaign fund distributed more than $47,000, mostly to Chicago ward organizations. The list of his pre-primary contributions can be found here, since the State Board of Elections website still doesn’t allow direct linking to search results, even after its much anticipated rehab.
Obama’s presidential campaign didn’t appear to hand out street money before this year’s Illinois primary. Not like he needed to.
* But Philly is a far different story. According to the article, the ward groups there want $400,000 to $500,000 from Obama alone. Wow. That’s borderline banditry.
Hillary Clinton is expected to pay up, by the way.
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Screw-ups galore
Friday, Apr 11, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A hospital really screwed up, but as this story mentions it wasn’t required to report the mistake to the state. Unbelievable…
A federal agency is investigating the case of a baby apparently sent home with the wrong family from a southern Illinois hospital.
Officials say the mistake happened in March at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion.
A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health says the hospital wasn’t required to report the matter but it did on April 4th.
Perhaps we need a new law to remedy this.
* Speaking of mistakes, this one was pretty egregious…
For 17 years, Gordon “Randy” Steidl fought from behind bars to prove his innocence in a 1986 double-murder and clear his name. In the nearly four years since winning freedom, he hasn’t let up, requesting an official pardon from Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
So when the letter arrived informing Steidl his petition had been denied, it was a major blow. Depressed, Steidl and his attorneys sat on the news for more than a month before going public this week, only to find that the letter, dated Feb. 14, was issued because of a “clerical error.”
In fact, Blagojevich hasn’t acted on the pardon request, and Steidl’s case is still pending, a spokesman for the state’s Prisoner Review Board said Thursday.
“It’s kind of a cruel joke,” Steidl said. “It’s like getting a stay of execution after you’ve already received another date. After 22 years, it’s like how much more do these people want to put me through?”
Eric Zorn has more on the problems with Blagojevich and pardons.
* Stu Levine is obviously a screw-up, and the G’s reliance on him to make their case against Tony Rezko has been exposed as severely flawed by defense attorney Joe Duffy. The Tribune has a story today with the subhed: “Defense attorney Joseph Duffy’s cross-examination of Stuart Levine, the prosecution’s key witness in corruption case, is drawing rave reviews from peers”
Under questioning from Duffy, Levine described with great clarity his first meeting with Rezko at a 2002 party. Duffy even prodded him to detail the seating arrangements at the dinner that night.
Then, to drive home the notion that much of this was the product of Levine’s imagination, Duffy asked Levine to pinpoint when he pleaded guilty in the case—clearly a very significant moment in his life. Levine said he couldn’t even remember the year.
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Question of the day
Friday, Apr 11, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve been telling subscribers about this proposal for most of the week, and the Tribune picked up on it yesterday…
Democrats advanced legislation to reinstate straight-ticket voting that allows citizens to punch one box on a ballot to support a party’s entire slate. The Elections and Campaign Reform Committee sent the bill to the full House on a party-line 5-4 vote.
Fearing Democrats sought to take advantage of momentum from U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential bid, Rep. Tim Schmitz (R- Batavia) called the timing “suspect.” Sponsoring Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) said he has long wanted to resurrect straight-ticket voting, which Republicans abolished in 1997 after losing control of the House.
“This bill simply restores what had been the law of the land in Illinois for well over a century and that is giving voters a choice to cast a straight-ticket vote,” Fritchey said.
* Question: Should straight-party voting be reinstated in Illinois? Why or why not?
* Bonus question: How badly might this proposal hurt the GOP in Illinois this year?
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Odds and ends
Friday, Apr 11, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lawmakers are considering a bill to ban trans fats in schools…
Illinois could join eight other states in restricting or banning trans fats in schools if lawmakers act on a bill pending in the state Senate. California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon and Texas have laws on the books, according to the School Nutrition Association, an advocacy group.
“One of the first places children are exposed to trans fats is in our schools,” said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, who introduced the Illinois bill. “We think that is the first environment where children should learn good eating habits and the benefits of it.”
Produced when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, trans fats increase the shelf life and improve the flavor of foods. But they also can raise a person’s level of so-called “bad cholesterol” and have been linked to obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Nearly 16 percent of Illinois youngsters ages 10-17 are overweight, the 14th highest percentage in the country, according to Trust for America’s Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.
* A goofy idea has been shelved for now…
A bill sponsored by state Rep. Kenneth Dunkin (D-Chicago) aims to reduce accidents where distracted walkers — yammering on about dinner possibilities, perhaps — mindlessly step into traffic.
The bill has been put on hold for now, as a panel led by Secretary of State Jesse White that is investigating distracted driving finishes its work. As for walkers being run down mid-sentence, a White spokesman says the office has no numbers documenting the alleged problem.
If only every problem — and we’re not convinced there is one here — could be solved with a roll call vote and a scratch of the governor’s pen. Jaywalking is already illegal (but that doesn’t stop it from happening, oh, about a million times a day in the Loop) and as for intersections, so is crossing against the light (again, a common occurrence).
* This doesn’t bother me much, but some might be offended…
An Illinois state legislator says his former Catholic high school invited him to join the school’s “Hall of Honor” in recognition of his political career — then yanked back that invitation after deciding his voting record wasn’t in line with the church’s positions on abortion.
“The school called me (this week) and informed me … that they had serious concerns about my voting record,” said state Rep. Kurt Granberg, D-Carlyle, describing the conversation in which, he said, he was effectively un-inducted from the school’s Hall of Honor, shortly after being invited into it.
“I said, ‘Why is that?’” Granberg said. “They said they were very concerned I wasn’t ‘pro-life enough.’”
Illinois Citizens for Life claimed Granberg “will not support most pro-life issues” in 2006.
* A movie about the first Mayor Daley, entitled “Boss Daley” may be filmed in Chicago. A John Dillinger film is currently in production and a movie about the 1968 Democratic National Convention may be in the offing. Bill Zwecker reports, however, that the mayor is hoping for a feel-good movie…
I’m hearing some big Chicago honchos — including Mayor Daley — are intrigued by the “I Love New York” film project currently shooting in the Big Apple. The reason? There’s some buzz a similar movie could be made here.
The bottom line: If an “I Love Chicago” film were shot in the near future — given the large number of actors and directors with strong local connections — it could be a nice “commercial” for the Windy City, especially if we snare the Summer Olympics for 2016.
* Meanwhile Mayor Daley talked about changing Chicago’s motto yesterday…
“We’re the city of flowers. We’re the city of trees and gardens and all that. I’d like to maybe change that motto to, ‘City of Children.’ I really believe that.”
No comment.
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4-H and the Illinois disaster
Friday, Apr 11, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My Sun-Times column this week is about state politics and the 4-H pledge…
“I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.”
I was a loyal 4-H member for years, back when I was living on a farm in Iroquois County. I raised animals, did some photography projects, small engine repair and a bunch of other stuff during my membership in the Milks Grove Challengers club. (Milks Grove was the name of our township.) So I recited that pledge a kabillion times.
* Anyway, to the column…
The pledge came back to me this week when we learned Gov. Blagojevich was withholding $18 million from the agency that oversees 4-H programs in Illinois. […]
The three most powerful Democrats in Springfield, Gov. Blagojevich, Speaker Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones, are from Chicago and they don’t have a 4-H background. The program does serve city kids, but not those three city natives.
If they had taken that pledge, and thought about what it meant, perhaps we wouldn’t be in this mess today.
Clearer thinking? That behavior does not spring immediately to mind when Springfield is mentioned these days. Just the opposite. Umpteen special sessions which resolved nothing, crisis after crisis, intraparty bickering, all while the state slips into recession.
Greater loyalty? The only thing those three guys are loyal to is their long-standing grudges against one another. Blagojevich has plotted against Madigan since his days in the Illinois House. Jones has grumbled for years that Madigan refuses to give him the respect he deserves. Madigan believes that Jones and Blagojevich are out to destroy him. They have their reasons, some of them pretty solid, but if they were loyal to the state they’d all find a way to get past their disdain for one another and get something done.
Larger service? The three men generally serve only their own interests. They’re either trying to protect or expand their respective power bases, often at the expense of the other guy. Also, the Tony Rezko corruption trial has shown that the governor has had his “hands” out to campaign contributors — palms up — in return for alleged “pledges” of state business. Not exactly the same thing.
Better living? The endless legislative sessions have just about killed the mental health of rank-and-file legislators who are caught in the middle of this war, Statehouse reporters and newspaper editorial writers who have to write about this insanity and, as polling has clearly shown, the vast majority of voters. The only people making out like bandits are the big-money insiders and me. I’ve sold a lot of newsletter subscriptions and blog ads since Rod Blagojevich was first elected. My wife thinks he’s the greatest thing ever.
Then again, Gov. Blagojevich is so fond of bald-faced spin I can already guess which loophole he’d find to get out of that 4-H pledge.
“It says ‘my club, community, country and world,’ ” he’d claim. “There’s nothing in there about my state.”
Jones would agree with Blagojevich, because that’s what he always does. Madigan, who rarely talks to the press, would simply refuse to answer the question.
* More Statehouse news…
* Auditor general faults SIU in release of student information
* Fissures
* Tax raises, breaks on the agenda
* Democrats fail in attempt to raise income tax for wealthy
* House defeats $3 billion tax hike that targets rich
* Cayman Islands-style economic development by tax haven
* Hastert pushes massive state public works program
* Springfield stalemate jeopardizes programs and jobs
Discuss.
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* Ray Hanania reports today that Congressman Dan Lipinski’s Chicago chief of staff will soon get hit with a formal congressional ethics complaint…
Everyone by now knows that Jerry Hurckes, the trustee from the 1st District in Oak Lawn, is planning to run for mayor of Oak Lawn against popular incumbent Dave Heilmann.
A major part of Hurckes campaign was to showcase his effectiveness representing the interests of Oak Lawn in Washington D.C., as the chief of staff to Cong. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd).
But apparently, boasting about his successes in Washington D.C., may in fact be a no-no.
According to several observers, employees of congressional staff are not supposed to bring any kind of services to places where they work in or outside of a district. […]
Roll Call, the prestigious four-day a week newspaper of record for the U.S. Congress, reports that Hurckes may have violated ethics rules, although it would take another congressman to file for an ethics investigation.
My sources tell me that a congressman is in fact about to make that filing, investigating what Hurckes did or did not do. Stay tuned on this one.
* Meanwhile, Melissa Bean has proposed banning some campaign robocalls…
The plan, introduced Wednesday, mirrors a companion Senate bill. It would:
• Prohibit such calls between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.
• Ban more than two calls per day to the same phone number from the same candidate, party or interest group.
• Require the sponsor of the call to be clearly identified at the beginning of the call.
• Require the caller’s phone number be displayed on the voter’s caller ID system.
* The Tribbies take a look at an uphill congressional battle…
Emboldened by the upset victory that claimed former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s old seat, Democratic congressional candidates in the Chicago suburbs have high hopes heading into the November election.
In the 13th Congressional District, Democrat Scott Harper believes he stands a real chance of unseating popular, 10-year incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert of Hinsdale. Harper released a statement Thursday bragging that he had shattered “every significant fundraising record ever held here (13th District) by a Democratic candidate.”
That wouldn’t be difficult, given that Democrats have not been competitive in the district for ages. Harper’s claim that he raised more than $247,000 so far is inflated by the $96,000 in loans he made to his campaign. It’s part of more than $115,000 in overall debt he listed on Federal Elections Commission paperwork filed this week.
* Another story is here
* More congressional stuff…
* Weller extols Colombia trade deal
* Keeping Score on the Colombia Trade Pact
* Latino Leaders to Release First-Ever Illinois Latino Policy Agenda at Statewide Summit in Chicago
* Bean, Manzullo honored by national chamber
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Trib blasts “museum” idea
Friday, Apr 11, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I have my issues with the Chicago Tribune, but I agree with every word of today’s editorial lambasting the goofy idea to put that corporate children’s “museum” in Grant Park…
The outpouring of opposition bent on protecting Grant Park—its special designation dates to 1836 and has been reinforced four times by the Illinois Supreme Court—only grows louder. On Wednesday, opponents of the land grab booed Chicago Park District commissioners who—instead of protecting Grant Park—rolled over for the mayor. Commissioners empowered their staff to negotiate with the museum on deeds, contracts and operating rules.
Don’t forget: The Children’s Museum wouldn’t just get a long-term, low-cost berth in Grant Park. This private museum also would be eligible for a subsidy from the Chicago Park District under a program that pays millions of dollars to other museums. Maybe you like the idea of taxpayers subsidizing the Children’s Museum. Or maybe you think you suddenly understand why the museum has so assiduously pursued a location in Grant Park: It’s following the money.
* The editorial also referenced yesterday’s Trib story about the land grab, which reported that the “museum” was sticking to its plan to sell naming rights to Allstate Insurance Co. for $15 million…
“A commitment was made,” said Jim Law, the museum’s vice president of planning and external affairs. “This is what the Chicago Children’s Museum wanted to do to honor their gift.”
Parks Supt. Tim Mitchell said he saw no problem with a corporate donor getting naming rights to a museum on Park District land.
* Back to today’s editorial…
A commitment was made? What the museum wanted to do? By what right does a private institution peddle naming rights—for millions of dollars—in Grant Park? Note that this isn’t like, say, Nike’s donation of soccer fields and basketball courts to the Park District. This is a donation to the museum—which then awards naming rights. Does this outfit’s sense of entitlement bother you?
* There was a spot of good news this week for those of us who think this idea is crazy…
Rebel rookie Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) claimed Wednesday that half a dozen aldermen have changed sides in recent days and now oppose Mayor Daley’s plan to build a $100 million Children’s Museum in Grant Park.
Reilly credited editorials by the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune against the Grant Park “land grab” and the mobilization by advocacy groups — Friends of the Parks, Friends of Downtown and Preservation Chicago — for changing the minds of aldermen who were either uncommitted or in Daley’s camp.
* The reason I usually try to put quotation marks around “museum” is that it’s more like a giant McDonald’s Playland than a real museum. From its description of the “permanent exhibits”….
In My Museum… you can take a self-portrait in the Picture Me photo booth and add it to the Neighborhood Mural… Travel through a mirrored Kaleidoscope tunnel to see reflections of yourself and others from every angle. […]
“Treehouse Trails” - Camp out, climb a tree and explore a cave in this enchanted forest setting.
Discuss.
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Morning Shorts
Friday, Apr 11, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* CBS2 interview with Obama
* Cook County Home Rule vote dies
* ISMIE pays $11.5-mil. dividend
Citing a “healing medical malpractice climate” in Illinois, the state’s largest liability insurer said it will shave $11.5 million off its policyholders’ future premiums.
ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co., which insures about 13,000 physicians statewide, said Wednesday that a drop in the number of malpractice claims filed over the last two years allowed it to return money to policyholders through dividend payments.
* Patients rate their hospital care
On average, 60 percent of patients surveyed in Illinois said hospital staff “always” provided help as soon as they wanted, meaning four out of 10 patients had waited longer than they’d hoped for assistance. An average 68 percent of patients in Illinois hospitals said their pain was “always” controlled, leaving nearly one in three patients with pain they thought was poorly managed.
* Daley pitches youth violence program but specifics in short supply
* Central Illinois Flood Victims Get Help With Coping
* Rita Rezko under fire for alleged sporadic monthly board attendance worth 38K per year
* Levine banned from downtown hotel
* Duffy to Levine: ‘Do you have telepathic powers?’
* Judge to Levine: Answer the questions. Nothing more.
* We’ve reached the point of ridiculousness
* With jury away, the defense will play
* Gavel-to-Gavel: Recess comes at good time
* Energy expert top candidate to be Illinois power czar
Mark Pruitt, senior program manager for UIC’s Energy Resources Center and manager of energy procurement for state government, is the lead candidate to be the first executive director of the Illinois Power Agency, according to people familiar with the matter.
* Are we too nice to homeless?
* Senate expected to bury election recall
* Colleges reaching out to recruit gay, lesbian and transgender students
* FutureGen official touts Mattoon site to Senate panel
Mudd said Wednesday that he believes building one plant in Mattoon will ensure the process of capturing and storing carbon far below the earth’s surface is implemented as quickly as possible.
* What’s all this about licensed and bonded?
* Coury leaves as Edwardsville publisher
* Sun-Times Media Group’s Lake County paper gets new publisher
* Wash. Post Editor Says He Can’t See a Time When There Won’t Be a Print Edition
“I do think the cities will have some newspaper in it, but what kind of newspaper it’s going to be, what kind of journalism it’s going to be doing – that’s an issue.”
* Grand Red Line station rehab — a giant mess
* CTA tests student smart cards
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Rob Sherman: Bigot or inelegant?
Friday, Apr 11, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you already know, State Rep. Monique Davis was hammered by Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn, numerous bloggers and liberal broadcaster Keith Olbermann for her tirade against atheist activist Rob Sherman. Davis eventually apologized and Sherman accepted.
* But Daily Illini columnist/blogger Jonathan Jacobson took a look at Rob Sherman’s website and found this curious remark by Sherman about Rep. Davis from last Friday…
“Now that Negroes like Representative Monique Davis have political power, it seems that they have no problem at all with discrimination, just as long as it isn’t them who are being discriminated against.”
* Sherman, a Green Party candidate for the Illinois House, apparently read the Daily Illini column and deleted the sentence about “negroes” and political power early yesterday morning. Jacobson wrote about the deletion on his blog last night…
[Sherman] called me this afternoon and told me that I had taken the comment out of context. I disagreed and suggested the possibility of his explaining the deletion on his site. So far, nothing. But I do have links to both versions of the site, thanks to a Google cache: pre-deletion and post-deletion. This is a limited time offer, because Google caches update every few days.
* Jacobson then got in contact with Eric Zorn, who has defended Sherman over the years. In an e-mail to Jacobson, Zorn wrote that he had…
“…interviewed Rob Sherman scores of times in the last 22 years and never heard him say anything even remotely racist or bigoted, which causes me to think this was simply a very inelegant, infelicitous attempt to make an argument.”
Interviews and personal conversations can reveal quite different things about a person, so I don’t buy that defense.
Even so, not mentioned by Jacobson was the claim by Sherman right after the “negroes” remark that Martin Luther King, Jr. was his “boyhood hero.”
I’m sure that my boyhood hero, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would have been appalled at Rep. Davis’ bigotry.
I don’t think he’d have cared for Sherman’s comments, either, but whatever.
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