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No plea yet from Levine - Updated x1
Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Levine’s next hearing will be about a week before election day. A millionaire campaign contributor charged with engineering corruption at the fund that pays the pensions of downstate and suburban teachers is likely to plead guilty, his attorney said Friday. UPDATE: See also: Plea deal on pension fraud case could mean trouble for gov
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Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Question of the day
Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Here’s the setup, which is from a Zinga press release: Remembering 9-11: Zinga to Tour 17th District Question: Is this appropriate behavior, or politicizing a national tragedy? UPDATE: I put this in comments but it’s worth repeating here. People, either direct your responses to the question or don’t comment. I am already deleting posts that have nothing whatsoever to do with the question. This is not a debate over what Bush did, or what the Democrats did, etc. This is about what a candidate for Congress in Illinois plans to do.
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Excuses, excuses - Updated x1
Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller The governor once again lashes out at whistleblowers, calling them “scoundrels.” But Blagojevich, who is facing a challenge from Republican Judy Baar Topinka, lashed out against those who he said were making “wrongful and harmful” accusations against his administration that have led to state and federal investigations into alleged improprieties involving hiring, contracting and fundraising. He’s sounding more and more like George Ryan every day. He also went back to an old complaint. The governor said he believed complaints about his administration, including those that have resulted in state and federal investigations, were a result of the “push back” from “bringing change” and “ruffling feathers” and “shaking up a system.” But it sure looks like he was going along and getting along on this little gem. Gov. Blagojevich last year billed the new Illinois Global Partnership as “another effective tool in creating more opportunities for our working families to get ahead.” UPDATE: Krol’s column today about George Ryan ended thusly. But what always struck me during the trial was how relatively penny-ante all of it was. Prosecutors claimed Ryan received about $167,000 in ill-gotten benefits for himself and his family. Those same prosecutors now are looking into Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s campaign fund-raising practices amid last year’s (unproven) allegations in a federal plea agreement of a kickback scheme arranged by Blagojevich and two of his top fund-raisers. The governor has raised nearly $50 million since January 2001, with many of those millions coming from those to whom he awarded special contracts or appointments. That’s far from penny ante.
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The Stroger beat
Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Claypool refuses to play ball. Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool said Thursday that he will neither endorse nor vote for Ald. Todd Stroger for County Board president in the November election. The Sun-Times has this: Claypool, meanwhile, unloaded on Democratic leaders, who he says have “thumbed their nose at the taxpayers” by putting Stroger on the ballot over better choices and “arrogantly manipulated the system for their benefit and the benefit of outsiders.” Meanwhile, Stroger spoke to Proviso Township Democrats and said this: “I’m not sure what the Machine is. I’m independent of the mayor. He’s got his thing; the county has its thing.†Later he said, “Political hiring is a thing of the past.â€
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Catching on? - Updated x1
Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller The DC pundit crowd may finally be getting an inkling of what’s about to happen here. Charlie Cook has revised his rating of the governor’s race from “Likely Democratic” to “Lean Democratic.” There’s a link to a subscriber-only story on his website entitled “Blagojevich’s Early Spending Can’t Fend off Topinka’s Challenge.” Meanwhile, the National Journal’s latest ranking report had this to say 14 ILLINOIS Rod Blagojevich (D) Last Ranking: 14 There’s more to that story. CQPolitics has the race at “Leans Democratic.” * UPDATE: I don’t put a huge amount of stock into Chris Cillizza’s “The Fix” blog at the Washington Post, but a commenter pointed this out and I do agree with much of what he writes here. 14. Illinois: If Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) felt comfortable about his re-election this fall, he wouldn’t have spent more than $5 million to define state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka (R) before she had a chance to do it for herself. Topinka is now up on television. Let’s see if the commercials move any polling numbers. This is an opportunity for Republicans, but the cost of going full-bore on behalf of Topinka may ultimately be too high. (Previous ranking: 15)
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6 & 8 rankings
Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller The National Journal has downgraded two Illinois congressional races. 23 ILLINOIS-06 Open Seat (R) Last Ranking: 20 CQPolitics has 8 as “Leans Democratic” and 6 as “No clear favorite.” Charlie Cook has 8 as “Lean Democratic” and 6 as “Toss Up.” Meanwhile, Dan Seals continues to make Mark Kirk’s attempt to hide his party affiliation an issue. Some of U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk’s campaign materials don’t refer to him as a Republican, but Democratic 10th District candidate Dan Seals says he still hopes to tie Kirk to President Bush.
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Morning shorts
Friday, Sep 8, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller * “The state retirement fund that pays former Gov. George Ryan $16,420 a month has taken the first step toward revoking his pension, but recent case law may prevent a complete shutoff of benefits.” * “A federal judge has refused to throw out a lawsuit over Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s requirement that pharmacists dispense emergency birth control. U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott ruled that seven pharmacists, including four from the metro-east, who refused to offer the so-called ‘morning-after pill’ have a legitimate argument that the rule violates their religious freedom.” * FDA ruling puts pharmacists in crossfire * Miller: The mystery of Ryan corruption: Exactly why did he do it? * Over-the-top quote of the week, by Judy Baar Topinka: “To our College Republicans, our county chairmen, to all of you in business and industry who have stuck it out through these miserable four years under Rod Blagojevich, let me tell you, not only is help coming, I’m the sword of justice and I’m going to cut him to pieces. We will take him out with my little rolling pin known as the assault weapon. I will prove to him, indeed, it is an assault weapon.†* Judge tosses dealer’s lawsuit vs. automaker [Story includes Vrdolyak material] * Delaying Ryan sentence doesn’t sit well * Ryan, witness could share prison * Emergency drill no disaster * 10 reasons why George and Rod are similar * Jim Leach is blogging again, but at a different location * No Child law near perfect? Blagojevich begs to differ * Guv changes Lottery revenue estimates: “My initial reaction is: how convenient” * Friday Beer Blogging: George Ryan Redux
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Afternoon time waster
Thursday, Sep 7, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller The color scheme here is boring me to death. But my color skills are not the greatest. So, maybe you can help. Click the image below to go to a website called “ColorJack,” which puts together colors in interesting ways. Play with it for a while and if you see a color combo you like, put the html address in comments and I’ll take a look. It would help if you suggested things like which color is for the background, which for links, which for the date, etc. Best combo will win lunch or something.
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Thursday, Sep 7, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Question of the day
Thursday, Sep 7, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller First, the setup. This is from Illinois Campaign for Political Reform Director Cindi Canary: Instead of debating how many years George Ryan should serve, our elected leaders ought to be debating what needs to be done to restore the public’s trust in government. Their answers should include restrictions on how much can be contributed to candidates and a ban on direct contributions by corporations and labor unions. Decisions about state employment and contracts should be based on merit and not decided by contributions and politics. We need reasonable restrictions on how campaigns are financed and a strong regulatory system that will enforce those laws. And we need more disclosure about lobbying practices, as well as increased sunshine on all levels of government. Now the question: Will these ideas really clean up our government?
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Jackson announces committee
Thursday, Sep 7, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller The Congressman sure sounds like a candidate to me. Sketching out an ambitious plan that he promised could change politics in Chicago, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) said Wednesday “it’s more likely than not” that he would run for mayor next year. But this buried bit shows that the West Side won’t be on board. At an unrelated news conference, Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th) let loose on Jackson. Carothers is most famous for putting together a strong patronage army and steering people into well-paid government jobs for an area long neglected by the Machine.
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Full Ryan coverage
Thursday, Sep 7, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller * Whistle-blowers feel vindicated * Public remembers good, bad * How Ryan scandal weighs on elections * Clearing of death row colors many reactions * Brown: Ryan doesn’t get it, next guy probably won’t either * Editorial: George Ryan, in denial * “When former Gov. George Ryan was sentenced to prison Wednesday, questions turned to: Where? How soon? And will it be Club Fed?” * Schoenburg: Quinn took issue with Ryan’s activities in ‘94 race * “Although they felt sorry for George Ryan and his family, several Illinois politics-watchers said Wednesday the former governor’s prison sentence was appropriate.” * Editorial: Ryan’s hard sentence sends message about corruption * Juror: “We’re worried about the appeal because we all know if there were things that we didn’t do right, it was because we were naïve,†he said. “There was no ulterior motive.†* Timeline of George Ryan case * Ryan’s complete statement to the judge is here * A gulp of pride gets Ryan through the day * Contrite, broken Warner says he’s `sorry as heck’ * Kass calls Ryan “evil”
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Deja vu all over again
Thursday, Sep 7, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Kevin McDermott nails it. Four years ago, gubernatorial candidate Rod Blagojevich’s favorite campaign prop was a broom. His supporters waved them around at rallies to remind voters of the corruption that had soiled state government under George Ryan’s Republican Party - and of Democrat Blagojevich’s vow to sweep away that political dirt. And there are more similarities to come. Stay tuned.
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Morning shorts
Thursday, Sep 7, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller * Higher electric rates are coming * Foie gras narcs make mistake * Interesting ethanol debate. Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute says that increasing demand for ethanol threatens world food supplies. High fuel prices make it more and more profitable to convert food crops to fuel. * “Taking a step toward offering free preschool for any child who wants it, Chicago will use $16.8 million in new state money to add at least 2,500 preschool students this year, pushing the number of kids in preschool to 30,000.” * Sweet: What Obama needs to reach next level * From Peraica’s campaign: “Cook County Commissioner and reform Board Presidential candidate Tony Peraica will discuss the “Shakman resolution” he will introduce at today’s Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting calling on the Board to call for the appointment of a federal monitor to oversee all hiring in Cook County government and urging the Cook County State’s Attorney not to oppose such a call.”
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George Ryan sentencing - UPDATE: RYAN SPEAKS AT HEARING - GIVEN 78 MONTHS
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Here’s a special news feed for the latest George Ryan news. I’ll also post other updates as I see them. The hearing starts at 1pm, so check this space. UPDATE: I’m told that Jim Thompson just walked into the federal building with George Ryan. Thompson’s firm represented Ryan pro bono. UPDATE 2: Your best bet for listening to events live on your computer might be WBBM Radio. But I’ll check around. CLTV might be a good bet, too. ABC7 is promising live coverage. UPDATE 3: CBS2 has a story up about what to expect at the sentencing. UPDATE 4:E-mail message from a reporter on the scene: “Thompson actually snuck George into the Dirksen building, so we couldn’t photograph them coming in.” UPDATE 5: Convictions on counts 9 and 10 have been tossed by the judge. The rest of the counts stand, according to WBBM radio. The station also reported that the crowd started gathering at 8:30 this morning. UPDATE 6: From the jury instructions, here is what those two counts were: …Count 9 of the Indictment, in which the defendant LAWRENCE E. WARNER is charged with, as part of the mail fraud scheme described in Count 2, an April 13, 1999 mailing related to the lease of the building at 17 N. State, Chicago, Illinois […] UPDATE 7: From a reporter at the scene: Becky (the judge) just threw out two of the mail fraud counts against Ryan and one against Warner. But that won’t have any effect on the ultimate sentence. They’re now arguing what the financial loss was to the state. So it could be awhile. UPDATE 8: Acccording to WBBM Radio, the judge called the Willis deaths “an unspeakable tragedy,” but she said it was not germain to the charges in the case and so she would not take that into consideration when sentencing Ryan. UPDATE 9: I hadn’t seen this one before because NBC5 seems to hide things on its website. This is a great resource that goes all the way back to the World Trade Center scandal when Ryan was lt. governor. One of the final chapters of the George Ryan saga will come to an end Sept. 6, when he is sentenced for his felony convictions. Go take a look. UPDATE 10: WBBM: Prosecutor Pat Collins is arguing for a sentence right now of between 78 and 97 months. (Scott Fawell got 78 months. Betty Loren Maltese got 97 months.) UPDATE 11: From a reporter at the scene: “He was not betrayed by his friends, he betrayed the public trust.” -Pat Collins UPDATE 12: WBBM just reported that Ryan himself may speak during the hearing. I’ll believe it when I see it, but there you have it. UPDATE 13: Defense attorney Dan Webb is now speaking. From our reporter friend at the hearing: Webb just said Ryan had it worse than Kerner because the investigation went on longer. UPDATE 14 (3:26 pm): According to someone in the room with a Blackberry, George Ryan is speaking now. UPDATE 15: Ryan has been sentenced to 78 months. UPDATE 16: Ryan said that the public expected better from them, “and I let them down.” UPDATE 17: CBS2: In addition to the prison sentence, Ryan was ordered to pay $603,048 in restitution. UPDATE 18: Jan. 4 surrender date. Oxford Prison. UPDATE 19: See it live on ABC7 UPDATE 20: Court is in a brief recess. Warner will be sentenced when that’s over. UPDATE 21: Placeholder for the Sun-Times Ryan story is here, the Daily Herald story is here. The Trib placeholder is here. UPDATE 22: 41 months for Warner UPDATE 23: Statement from Topinka: “The sentence handed down today is a reminder that Rod Blagojevich had a golden opportunity to restore trust in government after George Ryan, he promised voters he would do that — and he failed miserably. UPDATE 24: Here’s your answer about the pension: His more than $197,000 annual pension, however, will likely soon vanish. Upon his sentencing Wednesday, state pension officials asked the state attorney general to begin the process of canceling his taxpayer-supported pension. UPDATE 25: Oxford: The federal judge handling his case recommended he serve his 6 1/2 year sentence in Oxford, Wis., roughly 60 miles north of Madison. That’s the same prison where former Congressman Dan Rostenkowski served his time and where several officials convicted in the Operation Greylord investigation ended up. Former insurance mogul Mickey Segal is currently imprisoned there, serving a 10-year sentence for siphoning millions from his brokerage firm to support a lavish lifestyle.
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Appeal denied
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller The 7th Federal Circuit issued a harshly written denial today of Protect Marriage Illinois’ appeal of an order that kept their advisory referendum off the statewide ballot. …this suit… charges that the requirements for getting an advisory question on the Illinois ballot are so onerous that they violate freedom of speech (or of association, or to petition for redress of grievances), equal protection, and due process of law. I’ll upload the entire opinion in a moment. Here it is. [pdf file]
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More hits in the 6th - UPDATED x2
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Tammy Duckworth (D-Hoffman Estates) is going on the attack against Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton) with a piece that was apparently timed to hit right around George Ryan’s federal sentencing hearing. “Who helped George Ryan create a $5 billion budget deficit?” is the question asked in the piece, which is a glorious shade of deep red. “Tammy Duckworth will stand with Senator John McCain against sneaking pork into the budget,” the piece concludes. Click on the photos below for much bigger pics. 
This is at least the second time that Duckworth has allied herself with McCain, a fellow war hero. The last time was on the immigration issue. I should make it clear that if anyone wants to send me direct mail, whether it be for Congressional races, state legislative races, the county board presidency, or the statewides, I’ll try to post it here. UPDATE: A new poll by Democratic pollster Constituent Dynamics, shows Duckworth ahead of Roskam, 47-46. From MyDD: These polls are all conducted by Constituent Dynamics, August 27-29. They are done IVR style (automated telephone), are all likely voters, have large sample sizes (close to 1,000), and margin of error of 3.1%. [Hat tip to a commenter, who pointed to this post at SoapBloxChicago] UPDATE 2: From Roskam’s campaign: I am writing today to accept the challenge you issued on August 31, 2006 to debate Iraq. I’ve looked forward to discussing the issues facing the 6th District and the United States Congress and am pleased that you are now prepared to move forward.
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Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Former Gov. George Ryan will be sentenced today in federal court. Before we get to the question, however, read this quote from Cindi Canary, the director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. “Governor Ryan, just like anyone else, isn’t a one-dimensional character,” Canary said. “I do think he accomplished a lot, and I still get a sense he doesn’t know what hit him. … I think Gov. Ryan, like most elected officials, didn’t go into office saying, ‘I’m going to rob everybody blind.’ He came from the old school. He made some very poor judgments as to how to use state resources.” That being said, what do you think Ryan’s sentence should be?
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8th District roundup - Updated x3
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller They went at it in the 8th last night. A more aggressive Republican David McSweeney used the final 8th Congressional District debate Tuesday night to go after Democratic U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean on immigration, flip-flopping, the war on terror and ethics. Some video is here. Hopefully, the entire debate will be put online. Meanwhile, after writing that the national Republican outlooks appears “pitiful,” Robert Novak does have some kind words for McSweeney. Only one seat appears to be truly vulnerable for takeover, the Republican-heavy seat taken in 2004 by Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.). We continue to believe that former Rep. Phil Crane (R) lost this 56 percent Bush seat, and not that Bean really won it. Voters will probably make a correction this year, but not without a heroic Republican effort. Despite a financial advantage, Bean suffers from a massive defection of organized labor and the presence of a pro-labor third-party candidate in her race against businessman David McSweeney (R). And Richard Baehr writes: I have reviewed the latest analyses by Larry Sabato, Stuart Rothenberg, Charles Cook, Robert Novak, and blogger Chris Bowers of MyDD.com. All were completed in the last week, and there is remarkable consistency both in identifying the races where a seat could turn over and in noting how few opportunities exist for the Republicans to pick up a Democrat-held seat. In fact, in only one race, do any of the analysts rate any Republican challenger as either ahead or even. That is the 8th district in Illinois, where Dave McSweeney is challenging Democrat Melissa Bean. And even here, the consensus view is still a narrow Bean lead. UPDATE 2: From the Rothenberg Political Report: Publicly, Democrats are confident they will keep all of their seats and add to their number in November, but there is a good chance they will lose at least one. The most vulnerable seats, to this point, appear to be John Barrow (GA-12), Melissa Bean (IL-8), Alan Mollohan (WV-1), and Leonard Boswell (IA-3). Even longer-shot GOP opportunities include Chet Edwards (TX-17), Jim Marshall (GA-8), Charlie Melancon (LA-3), John Spratt (SC-5), and open seats in Vermont (At-Large), Illinois (17th District), Hawaii (2nd District), and Ohio (6th District). [Emphasis added] UPDATE: A new poll by Democratic pollster Constituent Dynamics, shows Bean ahead of McSweeney, 48-45. From MyDD: These polls are all conducted by Constituent Dynamics, August 27-29. They are done IVR style (automated telephone), are all likely voters, have large sample sizes (close to 1,000), and margin of error of 3.1%. [Hat tip to a commenter, who pointed to this post at SoapBloxChicago] UPDATE 3: From AnimalFarm: Republican challenger David McSweeney is buying $1 million worth of TV ad time slated to start Oct. 24, two weeks before Election Day. That’s on top of the $1.8 million in ad time the National Republican Campaign Committee has reserved for the 8th Congressional District race. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved about $2.3 million to defend Rep. Melissa Bean’s hard-won seat. Bean already has bought $1 million in TV time and could probably afford another $1 million, given her strength at fund-raising.
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The bullet-proof glass ceiling
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller A walk down short-term memory lane from the New York Times: 
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Morning shorts
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller Jackson Jr. moves closer to mayoral run Is Kirk distancing himself from Bush? Rutherford challenges hiring policies in Secretary of State’s Office Richards: Higher wages can save state money Marin: Lots of twists in this fall’s vote Tort reform retort Reverse auction’ of electricity likely to raise our rates How safe are we?Faithful Democrats? Duchossois demands club pay up ‘Major’ errors tied to docs’ long hours Study Looks at Hidden Cost of Low-Wage Jobs
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