Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 1:59 pm - Well, actually, I’m coming a bit late to the game so it isn’t “just in,” but it’s still news.

Colleen Callahan may be the Democrats’ choice to take Dick Versace’s place on the 18th Congressional District ballot…

A familiar voice to WMBD radio listeners wants to go into politics. Former WMBD Agri-Business Director Colleen Callahan tells 1470 WMBD she had been asked to consider being the Democratic nominee for the 18th District congressional seat being vacated by the retiring Ray LaHood and she’s interested in running. Callahan admits it was a tough decision to make, but she thinks her agriculture and communications backgrounds will suit her well in Congress, if she’s elected.

* Billy Dennis has more…

“I was asked to consider it by people in the district,” she said. “I have consulted with members of my family and decided it was the right thing to do.”

She owns Colleen Callahan Communications, but is better known as a agriculture reporter and commentator on local radio and televisions. Her Website says that for 24 years, she hosted an award-winning daily feature segment on WMBD-TV (Peoria, IL) and WCIA-TV (Champaign, IL).

* 2:02 pm - Not good at all…

The Illinois Association of Realtors said Thursday sales of single-family homes and condominiums fell 27.7 percent last month to 7,719 compared to December 2006, while total 2007 sales were off 16.9 percent to 137,133.

In the Chicago metro area, home sales in December fell 33.2 percent from a year ago to 5,033. For the year, sales were down 20.5 percent.

* 2:14 pm - Kiyoshi picked up on this today and we missed it. Ray Hanania interviews Speaker Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown. Listen here.

* 2:34 pm - Pat Quinn takes a couple of swings at Gov. Blagojevich…

Ethics legislation needs to be approved before the Illinois General Assembly passes a statewide building program for roads and schools, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said Thursday.

“We can’t be giving out highway contracts and then having the governor the next day say, ‘Hey, how about contributing to my fundraiser?’” Quinn told reporters at the Statehouse. “That’s trouble with a capital T.”

Quinn also said Gov. Rod Blagojevich should disclose exactly what services his campaign has been buying from the Chicago law firm of Winston & Strawn. Campaign reports filed this week brought billings by that firm, where former Gov. Jim Thompson works, to more than $2 million .

* 3:10 pm - Man, they’re really stretching it now…

Barack Obama angered fellow Democrats in the Illinois Senate when he voted to strip millions of dollars from a child welfare office on Chicago’s West Side. But Obama had a ready explanation: He goofed.

“I was not aware that I had voted no,” he said that day in June 2002, asking that the record be changed to reflect that he “intended to vote yes.”

That was not the only misfire for the former civil rights attorney first elected to the state Senate in 1996. During his eight years in state office, Obama cast more than 4,000 votes. Of those, according to transcripts of the proceedings in Springfield, he hit the wrong button at least six times.

Apparently, there is no penalty to pay for using Blair Hull oppo.

* 4:43 pm - I hadn’t noticed this before, but Chicago Tonight is putting video snippets on their website now. Hat tip: Larry.

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Watch the 14th District Democratic debate tonight right here

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Democratic congressional candidates Bill Foster, John Laesch, Joe Serra and Jotham Stein will debate tonight. The festivities will be hosted by The Beacon News and CBS 2 and you can watch it here live starting at 7 o’clock…

CLICK HERE AT 7 PM to watch the 14th District Congressional Debate

* Here are a few recent stories on the race…

* Foster campaign focusing on Oberweis

* Hopefuls take on racism, education and each other

* Race at center of 14th Dist. Congressional debate

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Looking for something to do tonight?

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

My brother Devin is playing a solo gig in Chicago tonight at 9 o’clock at Reggie’s Music Joint, 2105 South State Street. Be there or be square.

You can sample some of Devin’s music at his MySpace page.

If you’re closer to St. Louis, you can find him Saturday night at Lemmons.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Poll Results; Sieben; Riley; Davis; Jones; Schock; Wait; Schmitz; Sacia; Brady; Lyons; Brady (Use all caps in password)

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the Day

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[From Rich Miller: This is Kevin’s first QOTD, and I think it’s a good one.]

There has been a lot of controversy lately over Hillary Clinton changing her campaign song.

If Rod Blagojevich runs for reelection, what should his campaign song be?

Have fun.

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Present votes and Rezko

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Some of you know that I was interviewed by NPR yesterday. They wanted to talk about Barack Obama’s “Present” votes in the Illinois Senate. The issue has become a contentious one on the campaign trail…

“In the Illinois State Senate, Senator Obama voted 130 times ‘present,’” [Hillary Clinton said in Monday night’s debate]. “That’s not ‘yes.’ That’s not ‘no.’ That’s ‘maybe.’”

* Here’s part of what I told the NPR reporter…

To register a vote in the Illinois General Assembly, lawmakers have a choice of three buttons on their desk. The “yes” button is green. The “no” button is red, and the “present” button is yellow, says Rich Miller, who writes and publishes The Capitol Fax, a daily newsletter and blog on Illinois politics.

“There’s a saying in Springfield that there’s a reason why the present button is yellow,” Miller says.

But Miller says that not all “present” votes are cowardly, including those cast by then-state Sen. Obama.

“After having put some thought into it, I don’t think that Barack Obama was necessarily a coward for voting present on those bills. In fact, I think he believed that he was doing the right thing, because something, in his mind, might have been unconstitutional,” Miller says.

Miller points out that, at times, Obama was the only lawmaker voting “present” on bills winning near unanimous support, even on issues he supported and on one he sponsored.

* The rest ended up on the cutting-room floor. What I tried to get across was that Obama kinda hovered over everything when he was in Springfield. He seemed to play by his own rules, which he appeared to believe were more thoughtful or ethical than everyone else’s.

So, to his mind, voting “Present” on some of those bills was wholly justified. Whether it was part of an organized effort by abortion rights groups, or because he thought something in the bill was unconstitutional, or whatever, I think he believed he was doing the right thing.

The problem is that he has to answer for those votes in the real world, not in his own mind. Clinton is using a very common political attack. It’s happened many times before in Illinois, and will happen again.

The bottom line is Obama likes to think too much. He’s enamored with his own intellect to the point where he does things that don’t make political sense, like voting in the US Senate against an interest rate cap on credit cards because the cap was too high. Well, that was the only cap on the table. He should’ve known he was gonna get raked on that one.

He talks about bringing people together and finding concensus, but that usually means taking a somewhat distasteful vote when the final product hits the bricks. Too often, he gets all high-minded and decides he won’t play the game he signed up for.

* Meanwhile, the Sun-Times has been going wall-to-wall on Tony Rezko lately, and today was no exception…

* 8 things you need to know about Obama and Rezko

* Mark Brown: Time for Obama to come clean - To dismiss Rezko as ’somebody who I knew’ just isn’t going to cut it

* Why do civil rights heroes cheer ‘Rezko card’?

* Hope hype won’t get us anywhere

* ArchPundit is doing the same thing, but in a less hyper manner. Go check it out here.

* Larry also has video from Lorna Brett, the former Chicago NOW president who had been supporting Hillary Clinton. Brett claims she was angered by Clinton’s attacks on Obama on the choice issue, which is directly related to Obama’s “Present” votes. Brett is now endorsing Obama.

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Congressional roundup

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I can’t help but wonder if the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board knew that Rep. Aaron Schock was gonna file this bill when they endorsed him for Congress…

Carrying a concealed firearm would be legal in Illinois under legislation state Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, has proposed.

Schock, a congressional candidate, recently introduced the Family and Personal Protection Act, which would require individuals to complete a training course in handgun use, safety and marksmanship before they could receive a permit to carry a concealed firearm in the state.

The proposed legislation, House Bill 4544, also would require an applicant to be at least 21 years old. Anyone convicted of a felony or with a history of mental illness, addiction or habitual alcohol use would be prohibited from obtaining a permit.

“I believe we are behind the times in being one of the last few states in the country to do this,” Schock said. “There have been a number of constituents that have contacted my office wanting to carry a firearm for their own personal protection. When states have implemented the conceal-carry law, their crime rate has decreased.”

The Trib endorsed Schock on January 17th. Schock introduced his bill a day later.

Either way, I’m told that polling shows Schock is way, way ahead in this race. It’s gonna be very tough to stop him almost no matter what.

* More congressional stuff, compiled by Kevin…

* Special congressional election is a go

* Lauzen goes on defensive in radio ad in race to succeed Hastert

* Endorsements: 14th Congressional District

* Complete list of Sun-Times endorsements

* Robert Themer: Campaigning by Facebook

* Election judges needed — voter turnout likely to be big

* Three vie for GOP nomination for Congress

* Seals our choice in the 10th District

* 6th District Democrat hopefuls court crowd at forum

* Lipinski sides with Bush: foes

* Hanania: Semantics Shell Game Over Politics, Ethics

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Governor’s fundraising tanks

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* There are some big ommissions in this AP story about the governor’s fundraising…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is rebuilding his prolific fundraising machine, but close in his rearview mirror are several prominent Democrats who could be eyeing a run for his office in 2010.

The AP notes that Blagojevich raised about $2 million during the last six months of 2007. What’s not mentioned, however, is that, on the whole, 2007 was by far the worst fundraising year the governor has had since before 2001, the year before his first run for office.

Blagojevich raised over $3 million in 2001, about a million more than he raised last year. He raised over a million in 2000, about half what he raised last year.

* And then there’s this…

Attorney General Lisa Madigan brought in $811,000 between July and December and has more than $2.1 million in the bank — slightly more than Blagojevich and much more than other recent gubernatorial hopefuls have had three years ahead of the next race.

Comptroller Dan Hynes was not far behind with $1.7 million. Even newcomer Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who ran and won for the first time in 2006, brought in $516,000 and had more than $650,000 overall.

Actually, when you subtract out the million dollars or so in legal debt the governor is carrying on his books, Attorney General Madigan has twice the on-hand cash as Blagojevich does. Hynes’ available cash is about $700,000 more than the governor’s.

* Something else to consider: Almost half of every dollar raised by Blagojevich last year was eaten up by legal bills from Winston & Strawn. Half.

One of the theories I have about why the governor hid his mountain of legal debt is because he didn’t want his contributors to know what was going on.

During the first six months of last year, Blagojevich raised $379,000 - the majority of which was either refunds from his pollster and a charity and a loan repayment from his inaugural committee. He actually only pulled in $127,000 in “real” contributions.

We found out this week, however, that he racked up $555,000 in legal bills during that same period - far more than he raised and a lot more than he could pay, since he ended June with $289,000 in the bank.

That’s not something you want your contributors to know about. His big fundraiser was last fall, and it was a bust in comparison to previous years. It would’ve been much worse if those contributors knew that they were bailing his campaign out of a mountain of legal debt and that almost 50 cents on their dollar was going to Winston & Strawn.

* No wonder he doesn’t want to talk about any of this…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich refused to answer questions Wednesday on why his campaign fund has racked up more than $2 million in legal bills.

* And…

The governor kept silent when followed outside by reporters, offering only a shrug before entering a waiting SUV bound for the funeral of former Cook County President John Stroger.

* Meanwhile, it looks like the governor won’t be punished for hiding those legal bills from the public and from his potential financial backers…

Despite heavy criticism from a top watchdog group, Gov. Rod Blagojevich may not get questioned on his late disclosure of a half-million dollars in campaign legal bills.

“This is the sort of thing the (election) board does get casual about,” said David Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. “But it seems pretty clear the governor was not being completely forthright with his disclosure.” […]

Rupert Borgsmiller, campaign disclosure director for the Illinois State Board of Elections, says that at first blush it dosen’t appear Blagojevich’s campaign broke any rules by not including the $555,255 legal tab in finance records last year.

Because Blagojevich eventually amended the earlier report to reflect the debt, he said the campaign could be in the clear.

Obviously, we need a new law.

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Morning shorts

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Rockford mayor returns to council for first time since son’s death

* AT&T Looking at Internet Filtering

* Ryan appeals to Supreme Court

“Here for the first time in the history of American jurisprudence a federal district court significantly changed the composition of a jury over defense objections eight days into deliberations,” the petition said.

* Part-time job raises eyebrows in DuPage - Election chief works for vendor that does business with county

* CTA Pitches Tax Hike -Are Aldermen Buying?

* Chicago Public Schools plan draws anger

Parents, ministers and students jammed the Chicago Public Schools headquarters Wednesday, pleading to save some of the 19 schools swept up in what officials say will be the largest wave of school shake-ups in CPS history.

* The harsh truth

The first round of students affected by the state’s Truth-in-Tuition law could have sticker shock when they open their bills this fall. Students at state schools with a locked-in tuition in the past are now vulnerable to a fluctuating economy because the state law does not guarantee a set tuition beyond four years unless a student’s academic program is designed for five or six years.

* 2 Illinois pols try to expand manufacturing tax break

“Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Rockford, and Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Chicago, are co-sponsoring a measure to accelerate a scheduled increase in an income tax deduction for domestic manufacturers.”

* ‘He cared about people his whole life’

* Family, politicians honor Stroger

* State centralizes job opportunities at new site

* Blagojevich renews efforts to keep F-16s in Springfield

* Plasma screens coming to ‘L’ car near you

* About 4,000 seniors have pre-registered for free transit rides

* Talking Transit

* Transit vote may have killed construction funds

* Tax refund anticipation loans are costly

* Former assistant state’s attorney faces discipline

* Rochelle voters to decide on home rule

* Weisner campaign rakes in more than $150,000

* Lawyers back 4 in areaj udicial race

* What the trades are saying about WTVP

* Sun-Times sells Skyline, Booster and News-Star papers

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Heads up

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Remember when I told you about this?

The Northwestern University and Evanston communities are invited to attend the LEGISLATIVE LEADERS FORUM: January 23, 2008, 7:00 pm, in Ryan Auditorium, in Northwestern University’s Technological Institute, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston.

Participating will be:

EMIL JONES, President of the Illinois Senate;
FRANK WATSON, Senate Republican Leader;
MICHAEL J. MADIGAN, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives;
TOM CROSS, House Republican Leader.

HENRY S. BIENEN, Northwestern University President, will moderate.

The four legislative leaders of the State of Illinois will meet to discuss top issues of today and the importance of civic participation, followed by written questions from the audience.

* The day is upon us, and Kiyoshi Martinez will be live-blogging the event over at Illinoize.

Be there or be square.

* Also, I was on some little radio show today.

…Adding… Apparently, the snow kept Kiyoshi from the event. Bummer.

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Caption Contest!

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

Winner gets a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY (Part 2) - Schock; Tribune; Froehlich; Jacobs; Boland; Link; Silverstein (use all caps in password)

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

Are you still undecided about any primary races? Explain.

If you’ve made up your mind about all of them, let’s see your choices.

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Governor covers up legal fees, changes story from 2006

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* More trouble for the guv, but there’s something important about this story that the Tribune misses…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose administration has been beset by myriad investigations, disclosed almost $1 million in new legal bills Tuesday, on top of the $1.1 million he’s already paid to a prominent Chicago firm.

The governor’s campaign spokesman reported $965,352 in legal fees for 2007, bringing Blagojevich’s total tab to more than $2 million in billings for Winston & Strawn. The legal spending comes after federal investigators began ramping up their probes into alleged wrongdoing involving state hiring, contracting and board appointments in 2006.

The Trib’s number for 2007 is inaccurate. Blagojevich paid another $163,770 to Winston & Strawn in January of last year, plus a couple of other smaller legal tabs to Hinshaw & Culbertson and Robbins Schwartz Nicholas Lifton & Tay.

* But here’s the rub: Blagojevich didn’t report a half million dollars in legal bills until six months after he was supposed to…

Blagojevich’s campaign did not state $555,255 of the legal tab on campaign records until about six months after the information was legally required to be made public.

Campaign spokesman Doug Scofield said the delay was due to negotiations over the bill and he doesn’t expect to receive penalties for the late filing. The amount is listed in campaign records as an unpaid debt, but Scofield said there is money to cover the bill.

* The trouble with Scofield’s explanation is that it’s the exact same excuse they used when they reported a Winston & Strawn debt back in the summer of 2006…

A campaign spokeswoman said the debt represented charges the campaign is questioning

So, in 2006, they went ahead and reported a legal debt and said the reason they hadn’t paid it was because they disputed the bill.

In 2007, they didn’t report a debt because they say they disputed the legal bill, but then they reported it in 2008 once the bill was straightened out.

One explanation for two completely opposite actions, and it’s all bull.

* I’ve explained what I think happened to subscribers today. But I’ll speculate further here that the governor was also embroiled in a knock-down, drag-out fight with Speaker Madigan last July 31st, when the D-2 was filed. Disclosing his gigantic Winston & Strawn legal tab would’ve been highly disadvantageous to the governor’s position.

* Either way, the guv ought to be severely fined for not reporting a very large bill that was submitted to his campaign fund. The bills come in every month, and whether you agree with them or not, they’re supposed to be reported.

I know he likes to ignore the Constitution and the law and all that, but he needs to be called to account on this one.

But, let’s move along…

$2 million in legal fees? Over a million dollars in the past year alone? What the heck?

I couldn’t agree more with the BGA…

“Despite the governor’s rhetoric of ‘There’s nothing here,’ these [campaign] filings show there is at least $1 million worth of something for somebody to look at,” said Jay Stewart, executive director of the Better Government Association.

* By the way, after subtracting the money he owes Jim Thompson, the governor’s campaign fund is left with about $1 million in cash.

That’s half what Lisa Madigan now has in her account, and $700,000 less than Dan Hynes has in his.

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Chicago Mag takes a bite out of Blagojevich

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Chicago Magazine’s article “Mr. Unpopularity” is now online. I’m quoted throughout the piece, but here’s my favorite…

The governor’s strange behavior has been fertile ground for local armchair psychologists. Last summer, the downstate newspaper the Peoria Journal Star declared that the governor was “going bonkers.” Privately, a few people who know the governor describe him as a “sociopath,” and they insist they’re not using hyperbole. State representative Joe Lyons, a fellow Democrat from Chicago, told reporters that Blagojevich was a “madman” and “insane.” “He shows absolutely no remorse,” says Jack Franks, the Democratic state representative. “I don’t think he gives a damn about anybody else’s feelings. He tries to demonize people who disagree with him; he’s got delusions of grandeur.”

Miller points out that people shouldn’t blame Blagojevich’s lousy governing skills on his personality alone: “You can be insane—totally whacked out psychologically—and be a good governor or a good president.”

* The reporter did a good job of capturing what’s going on…

The bitterness between Blagojevich and his chief nemesis, Michael Madigan, hit an all-time low in October, after the Blagojevich administration abruptly fired Bronwyn Rains—the wife of Madigan’s chief of staff, Timothy Mapes—from her job as a child psychologist at the Department of Human Services. Rains had held the contractual position for 24 years and had a clean record. Blagojevich’s office justified the firing by claiming that Rains didn’t meet federally mandated educational requirements. But no one was buying that, at least in Springfield. “Once you start firing people’s spouses, you’ve declared nuclear war,” says one leading Democratic operative from Chicago. “And once you’ve gone nuclear, you can’t get rid of the fallout.”

* And…

But Rich Miller says Blagojevich “believes so fervently he’s in the right that I don’t think he’s capable of understanding when people tell him he’s wrong.” If you don’t support his plan on, say, state-subsidized mammograms for women, then you’re for breast cancer. Or if you reject his education-funding initiatives, then you’re for dumb kids. “Rod has difficulty separating personal differences from the need to govern,” adds Fritchey, a former friend of Blagojevich’s who is now one of his loudest critics. “The role of governor is not that of the kid with the bat and ball who says, ‘If you don’t play by my rules, I’m taking my stuff and going home.’ That’s not how you govern. One does not govern by edict.”

A few people who work closely with Blagojevich’s office say they know that members of his staff have tried to get him to tone down the inflammatory rhetoric. But the governor shows no evidence of having a personality Plan B. “He can’t control himself,” says Miller.

* And…

“Something happened to him after he won the [gubernatorial] primary,” says a prominent Democratic fundraiser, one of Blagojevich’s former friends. “I wish I could tell you what it was—I don’t think anyone has figured out what happened. It was like a personality change.”

The problem may come in part because Blagojevich grew up on Chicago politics. “He wants to govern like Daley,” says Miller, explaining that Blagojevich wants a legislature that is a rubber stamp, as the city council has been for much of the Daley era. “But you can’t automatically govern like Daley.” Miller says it took Daley years to build relationships with council members and establish his iron-tight grip on the chamber.

Go read the whole thing. David Bernstein did a very good job. And he didn’t screw up any of my quotes, for which I’m thankful.

* I’m told I made this piece, too, but I haven’t seen it yet and it’s not online.

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In defense of the locals

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We’ve been hearing for weeks from the national punditry that Barack Obama hasn’t been fully vetted by the media. I think that’s mostly wrong, and I angrily told that to a national reporter who called me last week.

Will something else come out about Obama? Could be. One never knows what might get mentioned at Tony Rezko’s trial, for instance.

But the Tribune explains today what they dug through to get at any connections between the law firm Obama worked for and Rezko…

At the Tribune’s request, Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans produced a list of all 260 civil and criminal cases in which the firm filed appearances, and the Tribune separately examined 1990s lawsuits that Rezmar Corp. listed in applications for government grants. The paper also examined files from the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the city housing department, as well as the hundreds of clients Obama listed in the unusually frank ethics disclosure reports he filed as a state senator from December 1995 through April 2004.

The scouring turned out mostly to be a dud. Still, it was a heckuva lot of work.

* That doesn’t include all the other stuff the Tribune has done, like this…

The Tribune analyzed 119 grants in which Obama steered more than $6 million for Chicago projects between late 1999 and late 2002, the heart of his Statehouse career and the center of a state government frenzy in which Obama said the pork-barrel process was “wide open.”

* The Trib has also filed dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests on Obama, sources say, and they combed through Obama’s list of nearly 100 interns to find one connected to Rezko. And, of course, it was the Tribune which figured out that Rezko had bought the lot next door to Obama’s house.

* The Sun-Times has been doing a lot of work, too, like this piece which tracked down a bunch of people who attended a long-ago Obama fundraiser hosted by Rezko.

* The CS-T also dug into something I wouldn’t even dream of doing…

A Sun-Times review of student evaluations from Obama’s 10 years of teaching part-time at the University of Chicago Law School shows that students almost always rated Obama as one of their top instructors — except for one quarter in 1997.

That’s pretty deep, if you ask me.

They also found a photo of Obama and Rezko today that I don’t ever remember seeing.

* And then there’s all the leftover Blair Hull opposition research that’s found its way into the Clinton campaign via her assistant campaign manager Mike Henry, who ran Hull’s disastrous 2004 primary against Obama. One of Hull’s sharpest criticisms of Obama was his “Present” votes in the state Senate, so it’s no surprise that Clinton is now using it, too. Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet made the connection…

Henry, back in 2004, when he was working for Hull, orchestrated a series of mailings to Illinois voters which referenced the Obama present votes on abortion with a picture of a duck and “He ducked” in the headline. The mailings came out just before the March, 2004 Illinois primary so they would be hard to rebut.

Sweet has been following Obama around for months, tracking his every move. Nobody has more intense coverage of Obama’s campaign than Sweet.

* Again, something more may be found. The Tribune and the Sun-Times might possibly still be working on stories. There may be a “silver bullet” in Hull’s old OR that hasn’t been used yet (I doubt it, however).

But for the national types to claim that Obama’s past is mostly unknown is just a total crock. All they have to do is comb through the Tribune and CS-T’s archives, or try the Google. A lot of very hard work has already been done, and is still being done today. Too many reporters based in DC, or NY, or LA think that all there is to know is in their own publications. Not so.

I often criticize the media, but in this instance I’d like to take my hat off to the locals who have really done a bang-up job on this Obama thing.

31 Comments

Morning shorts

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Lawyer’s deep pockets in Ill. judicial race raise hackles

* State renews $500,000 PR contract for health care

* Arlington Hts. trustees favor slot machines at racetrack

* Cook County warns of 1,500 layoffs

* Our Opinion: Governor’s legal tactics a disgrace

* State’s delay in paying bills has impact on everyone

* Tribune Co. probably will still own Cubs this season

* Funding cuts may curtail nuclear waste recycling program

* Citywide WiFi fails to emerge in Naperville, Aurora

* Foster, Oberweis for U.S. Congress

* Oberweis campaign “whacked” for website changes

* Foster, Laesch Pick up Endorsements in IL-14 Congressional

* Already endorsed by Sun-Times

* IL-03 Roundup #4

* Candidate Jimmy Lee focuses on Economic Development During his “Eleven in the Eleventh” Series

* Campaign cash rolls into state’s attorney’s race

* Romney’s son to speak at Lincoln Day Dinner

* Consultant, ex-White House staffer vie to take on Mark Kirk in 10th District

* Kendall coroner faces primary challenge

* Daily Herald presidential primary endorsements

*Durbin helps fight bug battle

* Giannoulias: Some banks agree to waive fees for Holocaust reparations

8 Comments

Finally, a candidate I can support

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Jacob Schulz, better known on this blog as “JakeCP,” has been a commenter here for quite a while now. The high school student appears wise beyond his years, has his own website and a YouTube page and was even interviewed on Chicago Public Radio for his campaign efforts in 2006 after he was featured here.

Jake is running for reelection for student representative on the Local School Council at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago. Here’s his campaign ad…

Go Jake!

You can donate to Jake’s burgeoning empire by clicking here.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Poll results from today’s issue, plus previous results

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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This time the gloves really come off, and it shows

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[Note from Rich Miller: This is my new intern Kevin Fanning’s first blog post here, so try to be gentle. Thanks.]

If you hedged your bets that last night’s CNN democratic debate in South Carolina would be the equivalent of last debate’s love fest, today’s political headlines must be leaving you extremely disappointed. Headlines today include “Debate gets fiercely personal” in the Trib, “Debate turns heated as Obama, Clinton allege distortion” in the Daily Herald, and my personal favorite “Sparks fly in most contentious debate to date” on CNN.com.

On a night that was supposed to be reserved by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute to debate how best to realize Dr. King’s vision for a better society, we witnessed an example of how best to tear it apart. The claws came out, and only John Edwards was able to crawl out of the ring without a battered face.

Minutes into the debate accusations flew back and forth between Clinton and Obama. Hillary looked too aggressive, Barack was too defensive, and Goldilocks was left in the middle asking how “is this going to get us universal health care?” After a bitter exchange about the Clintons’ portrayal of Obama’s “fondness” for Ronald Reagan the junior Senator from Illinois snipped back:

“…what I said was is that Ronald Reagan was a transformative political figure because he was able to get Democrats to vote against their economic interests to form a majority to push through their agenda, an agenda that I objected to. Because while I was working on those streets watching those folks see their jobs shift overseas, you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart.”

This obviously hit a nerve with Hillary who moments later asserted:

“I was fighting against those ideas when you were practicing law and representing your contributor, Rezko, in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago.”

And on it went , ranging from how Obama’s health care plan isn’t universal to how Hillary voted for a banking bill that favored big business to how Obama voted present too many times in the statehouse to how Hillary and Bill have been tag teaming Obama, and finally concluded with Obama having to answer if Bill Clinton really was the first black President. Which to his credit I thought he gave a hilarious response, and in Governor Blagojevich’s words regarding the transit bill “took a lemon and turned it into lemonade.”

After last night’s royal rumble one thing is certain, the general election will be no cake walk for either candidate. If Hillary comes out alive after February 5th she will have to mend fences with an angry African American community who came out in numbers to vote “uncommitted” in Michigan.

If Obama wins the nomination he will have to answer to the attacks made by the Clinton campaign. Is his universal health care plan really universal? Why did he vote “present” 130 times in the state Senate? And most of all, the Achilles Heel, what was your relationship with Antonin “Tony” Rezko? All of these questions threaten the central theme of Obama’s candidacy, honesty and openness in government.

I guess we’ll just have to hold our breath to see which candidate limps their way to Denver.

66 Comments

Question of the day

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Dana Millbank has a marvelous column in the Atlantic this month, wherein he “translates” DC Political Speak for us. Here are a few examples…

I don’t pay attention to the polls.
My job-approval rating is 32 percent.

Frankly …
The following statement is false.

You are either with us or against us.
You are against us.

I hope we can work together in a bipartisan way.
I need to pick off one senator from the other party to pass this bill.

This should not be a political issue.
My party has a winning political issue.

It’s time to stop playing politics.
The other party has a winning political issue.

* Question: How about some Springfield Political Speak translations?

Have fun.

67 Comments

No way to run a railroad *** UPDATED X1 ***

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is not good news for Republicans hoping to hold onto retiring Congressman Jerry Weller’s seat…

“I have done very little fundraising,” [GOP candidate Tim Baldermann] said. “It makes me sick to my stomach. My campaign people gave me a list of people who gave money to (Weller). I told them, ‘If you think I’m going to call somebody who’s never heard of me and ask for $2,300, that’s insane.’ I fight with them every single day over it.

“They wanted my Christmas card list. I’m not doing that stuff. I refuse to do it. The Republican Party wanted me to run; the Republican Party should help fund my campaign.”

So, he’s only gonna raise money from people he knows, except he won’t even do that? Yeah, that’ll work out well.

Campaigning is not a pretty business, but there are things that just have to be done unless you’re wealthy. Cold calls, putting the arm on friends and family are all necessary if you want to compete in a game where contributions are capped and the competition is stiff.

Debbie Halvorson and the Democrats must’ve smiled broadly when they read that passage. [See update below.]

* And then there’s this…

[Baldermann] stands by a 2006 vote while he was school board president that set in motion a salary adjustment affecting his wife. Megan Baldermann is principal at Nelson Ridge School.

I guess he has no choice but to stand by the vote now, but, that ain’t good either.

* Meanwhile, at the risk of losing my Sun-Times column, what the heck is this?

The Sun-Times Editorial Board asked candidates some less-serious questions on its endorsement forms. In response to a question about the best pair of shoes they ever owned, Seals listed Merrell clogs so old his wife wants to throw them out, and Footlik said, “You’re really asking a guy with the last name ‘Footlik’ what his favorite shoes are? Come on . . .”

Um… Oh, never mind.

* More congressional stuff from Paul…

* Politics: Hastert to campaign for Aaron Schock

* Bean: ‘Economy again’ - Iraq war was ‘misread’ as lightning rod of 2006 election

* Congressional hopeful offers new name for King Day

* Catholic Schools To Be Honored by Lipinksi. This Reporter Is Not Happy

* Netroots hunt Lipinski

*** UPDATE *** A representative from Tim Baldermann’s campaign just called. I was assured that while Baldermann doesn’t love fundraising he is diligently making calls and doing what it takes.

Just thought I’d let you know.

39 Comments

Zorn on the Con-Con

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Eric Zorn thinks the state Constitutional Convention referendum will fail this November. Sure, we’re all mad as heck now, Zorn writes, but…

Soon enough, you’ll see opinion polls showing strong public support for the “it’s broken, throw it away and start again” position.

But next, mark my words, the Baby-Bathwater coalition will go to work.

A well-funded campaign backed by an astonishingly diverse set of business leaders, activists from across the political spectrum and other civic and political leaders will pour millions into a campaign aimed at replacing hope about what changes we’d see from a Constitutional Convention with fear.

Special interests or the entrenched powers might hijack the process. They might take away hard-won rights, throw out the good with the bad, then give us a document far worse than the one we have. We already have a process by which we can fix the constitution via amendment rather than trashing it.

Proponents will counter that the current system is designed to protect fiefdoms and thwart the amendment process. They’ll say the ratification requirements will provide safeguards against a runaway Constitutional Convention. But voters will decide not to risk it and send the referendum measure down to a whomping defeat.

* I wouldn’t be so sure. Both political parties opposed a Con-Con twenty years ago, and their affiliated interest groups funded the “No” campaign. Labor and business walked hand in hand and the entire media establishment went along for the ride. I don’t hear any of those people and groups gearing up this time around.

The Republican Party would be insane to oppose a Con-Con this fall. It’s their best bet to motivate voters to the polls. And a whole lot of Democrats are jumping on board. It ain’t just Pat Quinn and his merry band of goo-goos any more.

Plus, what better way to show your anger at Gov. Blagojevich’s goofiness than to vote for a Constitutional Convention in the hopes that his bizarre wings will be clipped? He personalizes this issue for voters in a way that just wasn’t the case the last time this came up.

Twenty years ago, there was no uproar about an out of control governor, or a dysfunctional General Assembly. And, there was still hope among the punditry and the political elite that school funding reform and a whole host of other issues could be resolved. There has been nothing done on any of that since then. They haven’t even been touched. There is no longer any hope of progress with our current system and our current actors.

Three things will kill this off…

1) The powers that be learn to behave themselves this year and voters calm down;

2) A deep recession scares the daylights out of people and their fear gets the better of them;

3) Gov. Blagojevich embraces the idea as his own and voters naturally recoil.

* John Bambenek has more.

Thoughts?

29 Comments

Governor: “I vetoed the tax hike” *** UPDATED X1 ***

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I wondered how long it would take before he used this line…

“I didn’t (give in). I vetoed it. I rewrote the bill,” [Gov. Blagojevich] said when asked if since he gave in on this tax increase he might do the same to get a capital construction bill passed.

* Yep. He vetoed the tax increase for mass transit. That’s the line we’re gonna here for the next three years. “I didn’t sign it, I vetoed it.”

And reporters will eventually give up because Rod Blagojevich was born on message. He’ll say it over and over until even he believes it [if he doesn’t already] and then will spend millions on TV ads with the same message. “I vetoed the tax hike.”

Never mind that he officially certified the tax increase bill and with that certification he made the tax increase the law of the land. He won’t admit that, you see, because tax hikes are wrong…

“My guess is (House) Speaker (Mike) Madigan is going to push another tax increase, and the worst thing you can do during a slowing economy or an economy that’s going into recession is add more burdens to people and raise more taxes on people,’’ Blagojevich said. “I would oppose that.”

Raising taxes is “the worst thing you can do” except when it isn’t. Or something. Whatever.

* And what about adding “more burdens” on people? Here’s more of what the governor said yesterday…

“I felt we should ease burdens on our seniors … and make it easier for you … for people who are seniors who are trying in the autumn years of their lives to get by.”

* Um, maybe the next time the governor goes on one of his statewide jaunts, he can visit Jacksonville…

Modern Care Nursing and Rehab Center in Jacksonville is closing its doors in 90 days because of financial difficulties related to delayed state aid payments.

No burdens added to any seniors there. Just a bunch of old people who will no longer have a place to live because your administration can’t manage a budget. Thanks, Rod, for saving so many seniors from “unnecessary burdens.” You’re the best. Smooches.

* PS: That’s a nifty new website you got there, bub.

* PSS: Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Nice rhymes…

The first stop, a short statement at the annual PUSH Excel Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast, saw the governor break into a quick little poem.

“There were some dark clouds hovering over the CTA.

But those dark clouds have rolled away.

Now the sun is gonna shine

So you can get on the blue line, the brown line, the red line.

And everything will be just fine.”

* More stuff, compiled by Paul…

* Blago: Seniors should sign up

* Luck of the Irish and its proactive transit programs

* Illinois Democrats are bruised from months of infighting

*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s remarks in Peoria yesterday…

“Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement in a lot of respects began over a seat on a bus. And, uh, I’m here to talk about a different kind of way to get a seat on a bus. Not exactly Freedom Riders, but we would like to make those of you who are seniors have a chance to be able to ride for free.”

Oy.

Listen to the full statement here.

37 Comments

Morning shorts

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Flash from the past: Rezko indictment: The ABCs

* Toymaker fights state recall

In what could trigger the first test of Illinois’ strict law against lead in toys, a major toymaker is refusing to pull a popular, but tainted, doll from store shelves across the state.

Illinois authorities thought they had reached an amicable agreement late last year with Ty Inc. to have the company voluntarily remove its Jammin’ Jenna dolls from retailers because the toys contained high amounts of lead.

* Honeymoon Is Over At Tribune

* Illinois Supreme Court justice returning most of her campaign donations, more here

* She Brakes for Ideology