* My intern for next year, Kevin Fanning, needs a place to stay in Chicago this weekend. Kevin wants to go to the holiday party Sunday night, but requires a crash pad. If you can help him out, please use the “Contact Me” button just under the blog’s banner and I’ll forward your info to Kevin. We’ve already found a place for Paul, who relinquishes his princely crown in January. Thanks for any help you can provide.
* From a press release…
The Web site chicagoclassicalmusic.org — of which the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is proud to be a member organization — has been revitalized and now features many exciting special offers such as free classical music downloads and exclusive “Hot Deals” on concert tickets and recordings.
Beginning December 5, in celebration of the new redesign, chicagoclassicalmusic.org offers free music downloads, the first of which features the fifth movement of Mahler’s Third Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and CSO Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink.
* This story received absolutely no play anywhere, but I’ve been hearing the same thing for weeks. Apparently, putting something in the Sunday Sun-Times is akin to burying it…
Federal authorities are investigating whether Gov. Blagojevich’s former lead adviser on gaming policy properly disclosed personal gambling winnings and losses to the tax man, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times. […]
His lawyer, Michael Monico, said Kelly has done nothing improper.
“We have no control over what the government is going to do in this matter, but two things we do know: Mr. Kelly has paid millions of dollars in taxes, and, second, at the end of the day, the evidence will show that Mr. Kelly has no taxes due and owing,” Monico said. […]
Before his 2003 appointment by Blagojevich, Kelly wagered hundreds of thousands of dollars at Illinois casinos run by people he later dealt with on the state’s behalf. It was not clear if the wagering that has drawn federal interest took place in Illinois casinos, Las Vegas or some other gambling venue.
OK, let’s use today’s QOTD to vote on our first round of annual Capitol Fax Blog awards. We have three questions to ponder today, so label them accordingly in your responses. Please try to give this some thought and avoid snark and negativity. If you’re gonna knock somebody’s choices down, provide reasons and provide your own nominations in all categories. Purely negative comments will be deleted.
1) This idea, slightly modified, comes to us from Trafficmatt…
Which state legislator best empitomizes public service (i.e. sincerely helping politicians, lack of corruption, being there, etc.). This may be a legislator that doesn’t necessarily get a lot of newspaper time, but is just working behind the scenes and getting stuff done.
[No Congresscritters, please. We’re looking for state legislators only.]
2) Snidely Whiplash suggested this one, slightly modified by myself: Most effective local mayor of a city with less than one million people.
3) What should we call these awards?
Give these plenty of thought, please. Thanks.
…Adding… Please explain all your answers. Thanks.
* We talked about Speaker Madigan’s proposed gaming expansion bill yesterday. Today, let’s look at some caveats. First up, is a final deal likely soon? Maybe, maybe not…
State Sen. Christine Radogno, a Lemont Republican who has been a negotiator at the legislative talks, said she would not “characterize today’s development as putting us on the eve of a deal” for the remaining issues. A resolution to all the issues could occur in January, she said.
January is surely a possibility. Our woes continue.
* State Sen. Terry Link, a big expansion proponent, also had some doubts…
…Link said his concerns start with a provision that would give 2 percent of gross revenue to the host community and 3 percent to the host county. Previously, those numbers were 5 percent to the city and 1 percent to the county.
“I’ve got a little bit of a problem with that,” Link said. “Waukegan has to put in all the infrastructure (but) the county gets more revenue? That makes no sense. This is not a done deal by any means.”
Link added said he’s “not a proponent of slots at the tracks,” because “what we do there is basically set up five more land-based casinos.”
He also predicted that provisions about minority and women investors “will be a big stumbling block” because it allows for individual investments in what would be a multimillion-dollar bidding process.
* And what about that minority investment issue? The Tribune has more…
Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), who pushed his own massive gambling expansion through his chamber earlier this year, was noncommittal. But his spokeswoman later directed reporters to state Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), who predicted the Madigan-backed plan would be “DOA” and never come up for a Senate vote.
Hendon said his biggest problem is the “crumbs” it throws to the minority business community. Minorities would get to own 20 percent of each of the two new non-Chicago casinos, and women would get to own 5 percent, with would-be investors going into a lottery system.
“The speaker has made his mind up that any black with wealth should have no opportunity to participate, but he is not saying that to white people,” Hendon said. “That is called discrimination. That is called Jim Crow. I know people don’t want to talk about race these days, but we are not going to run away from it.” […]
Rep. Marlow Colvin, a Chicago lawmaker who is co-chairman of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, also is opposed to Madigan’s set-aside plan.
“You can go into any Charles Schwab office in the country and get the same kind of return on a $5,000 investment,” said Colvin, who didn’t rule out voting for Madigan’s gambling package. “You don’t need a riverboat to do that.”
Jones often prefers to stay above the fray and allow Hendon to speak for him, so directing reporters to Hendon was telling.
The House hopes to vote on the gambling expansion plan and mass transit aid early next week, but a construction projects bill may not be ready then, [Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown] said.
Without a capital bill, the vote on the transit plan could turn out the same as before, which means no progress.
* State Sen. Chris Lauzen, a GOP congressional candidate hoping to replace retiring incumbent Denny Hastert, sent an open letter to Hastert yesterday. It starts out with praise…
Congressman Hastert, I respect you and appreciate your more than 25 years of public service. As one of the recently most powerful men in America, I ask that, rather than taking a predominant role in the coming Republican Primary election by endorsing any individual, please let the people decide.
Any candidate running for the Republican nomination to succeed you would feel honored by your endorsement.
Lauzen repeats his request that Hastert not endorse anyone, and continues with this bizarre little passage…
At first, I was very concerned that your health was failing somehow, and I sympathized with you and your family. But, you have assured us repeatedly that there is no health problem and we are relieved on your behalf.
I’m not sure why that was put in there, but whatever. Next, some more criticism…
Many folks express their wonder to me about the apparent necessity to spend $1 Million of taxpayer funds that could better be spent on national security, healthcare, or education, on the March 8, 2008 Special Election. Now that you are stepping away from your official duties, I believe that citizens and voters would be distressed if you reassert yourself and use your considerable clout to influence the outcome of an impending primary.
Most people to whom I listen are pretty sick these days of the results that have been produced by big money and big clout in Washington, D.C. and Springfield.
To sum up: I respect you, would love to have your endorsement, but think you should pass on that opportunity. Oh, and by the way, slap, slap. Strange, that.
Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe lashed out at Lauzen, criticizing him for hiring Kane County Republican Party Chairman Denny Wiggins to work on his campaign last month.
“I find it hypocritical in the extreme that career politician Chris Lauzen decries the influence of big money and big clout after having used big money himself to purchase the endorsement of the most powerful county party chairman in the district,” Pascoe said.
In response, Lauzen criticized Oberweis for not speaking for himself, and called Pascoe a “highly paid, out-of-state consultant” who doesn’t care about the 14th District. Lauzen said he did not mean to be critical of Hastert in his letter, but merely express the opinions of people he has spoken to in the district.
He didn’t mean to be critical of Hastert? Then he should’ve proofread the letter he wrote.
* More congressional stuff, compiled by Paul…
* Two Democrats opening to joining race to replace Versace, Circuit Judge Rick Grawey and former state Rep. Bill Edley.
* Purchase tickets here for the December 16th performance of “No-El, Or How the Blagojegrinch Stole Christmas” - Our Capitol Fax holiday party
* Sun-Times Editorial: Sharpton’s anti-Chicago Olympic sentiment could backfire
So Sharpton is willing to jeopardize the economic benefits that the Olympics could bring to the African-American community, the same people most victimized by police brutality? His demands expose the New Yorker as having a singular, narrow focus, one that ignores recent Chicago Police reforms.
All through 2007, Stroger’s allies didn’t hold him to his “solemn oath.” Many of them figured budgeting for 2008 would be like the good old days: They’d harrumph and whine about how impossible it is to cut Stroger’s $3 billion-plus budget — and in the end they’d get their way.
Maybe they will. But county government has been inexorably approaching this bitter showdown for several years.
Hobley, who had no previous criminal record and was employed as a medical technician at the time of the fatal fire, became one of the cause celebres in the local campaign against capital punishment. When former Gov. George Ryan commuted every death sentence in Illinois in early 2003, Hobley was one of four inmates to whom Ryan granted a full pardon and immediate release.
If the U.S. attorney’s office is able to revive the case and convict Hobley on federal charges related to the same crime, Feuer said that Hobley’s damage claims against the city would be far weaker and his cash settlement from a civil jury would be far smaller.
* Over 200 CPS teachers certified as ‘masters’; more here
More than 200 Chicago Public Schools teachers were certified as “master teachers” in 2007, the second-highest total of any school district in the country this year, Mayor Daley said today.
Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is the highest credential an educator can earn.
With 208 “master teachers” this year and 860 total, Daley’s goal of having 1,200 of the most qualified teachers by the end of next year is well within reach.
At a White House press briefing on Oct. 26, a reporter asked [UIS Public Affairs Reporting grad] Dana Perino about Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that a U.S. plan to base parts of a missile shield in Europe was similar to the events that led to the Cuban missile crisis.
Perino’s response: “Well, I think that the historical comparison is not — does not exactly work. What I can say is what President Putin went on to say, which is that the president and President Putin have said that we can work together on this.” […]
Appearing on NPR’s “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me” over the weekend, Perino said she “panicked” when she got the Cuban missile crisis question because she wasn’t exactly sure what the Cuban missile crisis was. “I really know nothing about the Cuban missile crisis,” Perino said. “It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I’m pretty sure.”
Perino said she went home that night and asked her husband, “‘Wasn’t that, like, the Bay of Pigs thing?’ And he said, ‘Oh, Dana.’”
* 11:59 am - The AP has a brief story up about the House Democrats’ new gaming proposal. Since the subscriber-only post is quite long, I’m going to leave it behind the firewall. However, the plan includes a $200 million price for a new Chicago casino (which will surely be seen by many as too low), 3,600 new slots at racetracks and a tough new ethics proposal. For the first time, Speaker Madigan has relented to pressure from the governor and the other leaders and agreed to a 70-30 split of the gaming proceeds between capital projects and education spending.
You can read the entire gaming proposal at this link [pdf file] or this link [txt file].
* 12:02 pm - As I told subscribers this morning, House GOP Leader Tom Cross is meeting with the governor and Senate President Jones at the moment to discuss the House Democrats’ gaming plan. I’ll pass along more when I know more, but the spending side of Madigan’s proposal could prove to be problemmatic, I’m told.
* 12:19 pm - Here’s the language on minority and female investment that we talked about the other day…
Once a license has been awarded, the winning bidder must allow for 25% of their equity interest to be put up for sale in $5,000 increments. The 25% shall be made available in the following manner: 20% for minority interests and 5% for female interests. If more applications are received than exist available shares, a lottery-based system shall be implemented with complete Gaming Board oversight.
This appears to apply only to the new private casinos, not Chicago’s publicly owned casino.
House Speaker Michael Madigan showed his hand in gambling negotiations Monday, proposing a major expansion that would raise $1 billion a year through two new casinos and thousands of slot machines at riverboats and horse tracks. […]
In a letter to lawmakers, Madigan said the House will meet next Monday to consider the proposal. […]
Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said the governor’s office hadn’t seen details of the proposal and would need to compare them with what leaders had discussed in recent weeks.
But one Republican familiar with ongoing talks cautioned that this should not yet be described as a “deal.” […]
The two Democratic state lawmakers who unveiled the gambling plan said they think a deal is close.
“We think it’s 99 percent there,” said state Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat.
* 1:45 pm - React from Senate President Jones’ spokesperson…
“We have not seen language of the legislation yet. There are issues that were described in the meeting that we could support, others still need work. Once we see the actual legislation, we can begin to move forward.”
* 3:56 pm - This is not exactly earth-shattering because of the other pre-existing suit in Cook County, but here’s part of the AP story…
A Sangamon County judge barred a lawsuit against Governor Rod Blagojevich’s expanded health care plan Monday. But that’s only because a similar one is proceeding in Cook County.
Circuit Judge Leo Zappa agreed with lawyers for Blagojevich that allowing the lawsuit would be unfairly duplicative because a similar suit in Cook County was OK’d Monday.
The Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity sued the governor last week to stop him from adding 147,000 parents to state-subsidized health insurance. Blagojevich announced plans to expand the program even though he didn’t have authority from legislators.
React from the governor’s office…
We’re pleased that Judge Zappa today barred the lawsuit filed by two Republican activists designed to take healthcare away from families. We will continue to fight any efforts that keep hardworking people from getting the healthcare coverage that they need.
* 3:59 pm - I’m hearing from two different sources that there will likely be no special session this week. The Senate may hold a hearing on Friday, but it looks like we’ll all be back at the grind on Monday.
* To subscribers: I’ll be posting the House’s new gaming plan for subscribers only right around 10 this morning. I’ll take the password protection off once other media outlets jump in, but if all goes well you should get it first.
* For everyone: Don’t forget to purchase tickets here for the December 16th performance of “No-El or How the Blagojegrinch Stole Christmas” - Our Capitol Fax holiday party.
* We’re going to start voting tomorrow on our “Best of” awards that we debated last week. I’m still going through the list and deciding which to choose.
* I was mentioned by Congressman John Shimkus last week during committee debate over new FCC rules on media ownership. Shimkus makes a good point that maybe the worries over consolidation (particularly in large cities) are somewhat overblown…
* My syndicated newspaper column this week attempts to explain the battle over JCAR and put it into perspective…
Now that Gov. Rod Blagojevich has unilaterally declared a previously obscure but always important legislative committee has no real power, things could radically change at the Illinois Statehouse.
* More on what could happen now that the governor has said that JCAR is essentially irrelevant…
I asked House Speaker Michael Madigan what impact the governor’s move would have. His response: Bills are going to get longer.
In the past, the General Assembly could avoid writing the minutiae of implementation language into most legislation because JCAR had a check on the administration’s rulemaking authority. Now, with the governor throwing JCAR out the window, legislators will likely want to make sure they write as much detail as they can into their proposals. As a result, the system may become lots more cumbersome.
Lawmakers may also want to revisit old laws and update them in an attempt to prevent Blagojevich from making even more mischief.
* And the conclusion…
Whenever an executive tries to grab lots more authority, it’s usually seen by the legislative branch as an abuse of power, and that branch often ends up with more power than before. The backlash against President Nixon’s notorious power grabs produced all sorts of laws designed to limit the executive’s authority, and the same thing is starting to happen with President Bush.
Blagojevich has seemed intent since day one on remaking the governor’s office into a far more powerful branch, often overstepping his authority or “misreading” the Constitution. Considering his abrasive tactics, massive unpopularity and bungled Statehouse execution, he could wind up leaving the governor’s office as a hobbled shell of its former self.
* Now, the question: Compare Gov. Blagojevich to President Bush.
* A letter to the editor prompted a full-blown news story in the Tribune over the weekend…
Former Gov. James Thompson, who spent the last four years defending Illinois’ last chief executive against criminal charges, on Friday defended the current governor and his wife against a story in the Chicago Tribune.
Thompson wrote a letter to the editor questioning the news value of Friday’s story revealing federal authorities are investigating real estate deals in which Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s wife, Patricia, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions from politically connected clients. […]
“How many times a day do you suppose house sellers in Chicago who have a friend in the real estate business give that friend the chance to sell the house. Are they on the front page of the Tribune?” Thompson asked in his letter to the Tribune’s editorial board. “I thought the Tribune was better than this.”
So the story boils down to John H. Simpson — who has no state contracts — giving part of the seller’s real estate commission on the sale of his house to his friend, Patti Blagojevich.
[Note to the Tribune, now that you’re all Web 2.0 and stuff, how about putting links in your stories to items referenced? There’s no link to Thompson’s letter in your coverage of the letter. That’s kinda goofy.]
* We’ll give the Tribune the last word…
Thompson acknowledged that one of the two lawyers working for the [Blagojevich] campaign is Bradley Lerman, a litigation partner who spent years on convicted ex-Gov. George Ryan’s legal defense team.
“I don’t know,” Thompson said, when asked what type of work the firm is doing for the campaign. “And if I knew I wouldn’t tell you.”
Thompson’s firm has been paid more than a million bucks for services rendered to the governor’s campaign committee.
* Let’s decode this Sun-Times story on Cook County Board President Todd Stroger…
Todd Stroger said he had no designs on being Cook County Board president. Maybe some other office, sure, but not his dad’s. So when Democratic Party leaders came calling and his family gave its blessing, he thought it was right.
* I don’t buy it. Back when he was a state Rep. there were widespread rumors that Stroger’s father wanted to pass down the office to his son.
But he continues to be dogged by talk he’s not interested in the job, something not helped on days he’s difficult to find or when he describes being president as “pretty much [a] 9-to-5 [job].”
* This unavailability extends to those around him. His campaign team often couldn’t reach him when he was running for the office, and even looked to hire somebody to answer his cell phone.
Stroger is aware of the talk about his electability and plummeting public opinion, as some in his camp desperately want to make him more publicly available. Others aren’t as trusting and want a wall built around him.
* That’s a good question for debate. Should he be more publicly available or less?
He says he needs more money, that he can’t make any more cuts. Having cut $500 million last year and not raising taxes, he thought, would win him praise. It’s instead drawn anger over where he cut.
* And then he overreacted to that by proposing a gigantic tax hike. A fairly recent Democratic poll had Stroger’s “very unfavorable” rating among fellow Cook Co. Democrats at 50 percent.
Of course, the foreclosure crisis could make the situation much worse over the next few years, and home values could start to drop. But let’s say that happens. Even then, taxes won’t automatically be lower. It all depends on how you fared relative to other property owners. If everyone saw a similar decrease, then your tax burden could stay the same — and could even go up, if local governments keep on demanding more money. Your taxes would fall only if you were hit harder than most other people.
* Editorial: Schools lose money as governor dawdles on BIMP bill
Because the payments are smaller, school districts that can afford to are dipping into their reserve funds to pay their bills.
Eventually, they may be compensated retroactively for that money but not for the interest earnings they are losing because of it.
Blagojevich supports the funding measure as it was approved by the Legislature, according to one of his PR people.
“Schools are not going to lose out on this,” spokeswoman Susan Hofer said.
The bottled water backlash has begun. Illinois schools and offices are shunning those omnipresent liters, and why not? This $15 billion-a-year industry is a triumph of marketing over common sense.
Given all this, a one-year overall rise is grounds for concern but no more. If it turns out to be a brief interruption in a continuing decline, no one will much remember what happened in 2006.
Despite the uncertain meaning of the change, some people were sure what caused it. Planned Parenthood blamed abstinence-only education that omits information about condoms and other types of contraception.
The Illinois Gaming Board is thinking about requiring every patron to hand over a driver’s license or state-issued identification card for electronic scanning in order to check against a state list of “self-excluded” gamblers who have promised not to enter casinos. Currently, casino operators scan the IDs of people who appear to be younger than 30 before they can enter gaming areas.
* Groups offer tax, financial, indemnity services to entice FutureGen project
Illinois has dangled $80 million in financial incentives, including tax breaks, low-interest loans, reimbursement for worker training and $17 million in outright grants. That’s four times as much as Texas has offered.
Neither the FutureGen Alliance nor the Department of Energy has publicly asked for subsidies from states, and money might not make a difference. Ohio, which offered $164 million, didn’t make the first cut, and neither did Kentucky, at $90 million.
* Hilkevitch: Study due this month on long-discussed Chicago-area bypass
* Word on the Street: Peoria mayor has track record of endorsing losing candidate
* Clout Street: State GOP endorses Sauerberg for Senate against Durbin
* WurfWhile: The trouble seeing Bill Foster’s grassroots campaign
* Peoria Pundit: Aaron Schock’s Website is up, glitches and all
* Sharpton says he’ll lobby against Olympics unless Chicago deals with police brutality
‘’Chicago does not symbolize a place that can hold an international event when it can’t deal with its local problems,'’ Sharpton told the Associated Press Sunday. ‘’They can’t say to the world, ‘Come to Chicago. We are an example; we are a beacon of light,’ when you’ve got systematic abuse (by police).'’
Sharpton said if Mayor Richard Daley and city officials don’t respond in a matter of weeks, he will travel to other countries with West Side church leaders and victims of alleged police abuse to persuade members of the IOC to not chose Chicago.
* Press Release - Governor for a Day: Mike Messuck…
The Illinois Republican Party today announced that the winner of the special drawing, Governor for a Day, is Mike Messuck of DuPage County.
“I am excited to be chosen as Governor for a Day,” said Mr. Messuck. “If this is a governor’s typical work day, I cannot imagine this will be too difficult.”
Mr. Messuck, who sells cranes, grew up in Westchester, Illinois, and attended college at Bradley University in Peoria where he played hockey.
“Congratulations to Mr. Messuck on his win, I am sure he will enjoy his day” said ILGOP Chairman Andy McKenna. “Hopefully, this serves as a reminder to the people of Illinois that we need a change of leadership in Springfield.”
Mr. Messuck will begin the day at the hour of his choice. From then, he will be ushered to a salon for a haircut and massage.
Following his time at the salon, Mr. Messuck will be treated to a first-class lunch which will be followed by a tour of the City of Chicago including visits to the Sears Tower and other Chicago landmarks. Mr. Messuck will end his day by attending a Chicago Blackhawks game.
Final details as to the date Mr. Messuck will step up to the not-so-difficult task of being Governor for a Day are still in preparation.
* No more for me. Still a little sore from the wreck, so I’m hoping for a decent night’s rest. Haven’t had one in a week. Illinoize, as always, is in charge until Monday…
* And now, your moment of Zen. Watch that Illinois River flow with Bob Dylan…
What’s the matter with me,
I don’t have much to say,
Daylight sneakin’ through the window
And I’m still in this all-night cafe.
Walkin’ to and fro beneath the moon
Out to where the trucks are rollin’ slow,
To sit down on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow.
*** 1:14 pm *** The last time I talked to the guy he sounded pretty fired up, even though he just had a parting of ways with his campaign manager. Strange days, these…
Dick Versace, the Democratic candidate for the 18th Congressional District, told the Journal Star in an exclusive interview today he is withdrawing from the race for personal reasons.
“I thank all who offered their support to me and respectfully ask for their understanding,” he said.
* 1:18 pm - Illinois GOP Chairman Andy McKenna responds to Versace’s announcement…
“Dick Durbin failed to recruit their first choice and celebrity power failed to work with their second choice. With a solid Republican district and strong Republican candidates, it will be difficult for any Democrat to win while Rod Blagojevich and his pals in Springfield are failing the people of Illinois at every turn.”
* 2:47 pm - The Politico weighs in with a good report, picking up on an important aspect that the Peoria paper missed in its scoop…
[Versace’s] withdrawal raises the possibility that Democrats will be unable to field a candidate on the ballot, as the filing deadline in Illinois already passed (on November 5). Yesterday was the last day candidates could file to be a write-in candidate. [for the primary]
“We’re going to see what the rules are,” said one Democratic staffer.
Pointing to Bill Lipinski’s underhanded move of retiring from the ballot after the primary and installing his son into the race, the Republicans had this to say…
“This could be Chicago-ward politics taking place in Central Illinois,” said an Illinois-based GOP operative. “Whoever comes in will have a cloud on their head hanging over them.”
And the national Repubs claimed victory…
“After all of their grandiose claims, it appears that Dick Versace has rejected the Democrats in Washington and is taking his and going home,” said Spain. Apparently, Dick Versace’s ride on the ‘Common Sense Express’ has led him to realize that the Democrats’ liberal policies and sagging approval rating don’t play well in Peoria.”
[Emphasis added]
*** 4:07 pm *** The Illinois Planned Parenthood Council endorses Bill Foster in the 14th CD Dem primary. John Laesch Kossack supporter enraged. Commenters confused.
…Adding… More hilarity as enraged confusion ensues in the above-mentioned comment section when several Kossacks can’t tell the difference between Illinois PP and the national group, and therefore bombard the wrong office with calls. The “machine” is blamed, as is Daley. Take a look at those links and you’ll see why I’m so proud of my commenters.
…Funniest Update Yet… Despite all the online screaming by some pretty kooky John Laesch supporters at DKos over Planned Parenthood’s endorsement of Bill Foster, Larry helpfully reminds us that just last year Laesch refused contributions from abortion rights groups…
Even though Laesch says he is pro-abortion rights, he refuses to accept donations from pro-abortion rights political action committees.
“It’s too divisive,” he said.
LOL.
*** 7:00 pm *** Dick Versace’s statement…
“Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I am announcing my withdrawal as a Democratic candidate for the congressional seat in this district.
“Over the course of this campaign it is clear to me that Illinois families are hungry for change and that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are fed up with President Bush and his failed policies. While I’m disappointed it’s not going to be me, this community deserves a leader that will stand up to Washington Republicans that are out of step with the real needs of this wonderful community.
“I thank everyone for their support and encouragement in this race, and I ask that you please respect my privacy and that of my family as we face this difficult personal issue.”
*** SATURDAY *** Former state Rep. Bill Edley says he’d consider being the replacement, according to Billy Dennis…
spoke by phone to former State Rep. Bill Edley a few moments ago. He was just as shocked as everyone else by Dick Versace’s decision to drop out of the race for Congress. In fact, he had sent a campaign donation to Versace’s campaign a week or so ealier.
But the former state representative might consider asking the county chairs of the Democratic Party in the 18th District to place his name on the ballot for the general election.
“I would think the Democrats would find many people Interested in running,” Edley said. “”If they don’t, I would consider it.”
I met Dave Kohn back when he flacked for Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood. Before that, Kohn was Congressman John Porter’s press secretary. He’s been around forever.
I’ve gotten to know Dave much better since he took a big job with the Union League Club, which has become my favorite spot in Chicago to stay and entertain pals. We try to get together whenever I overnight there during the week and last month was no exception.
Dave stopped by the club’s fantastic bar after work when I was there last and dropped off his band’s latest CD (Voodoo Pilot - “Good Luck Charm“). He asked me to give it a listen.
Now, I really like Dave, but he’s a Republican nearing middle age so I wasn’t exactly sure that I was gonna like his music. I looked at the CD jacket and saw that his entire band is filled with people you wouldn’t ever call “spring chickens.” But, what the heck, he’s a friend and I was in for a long drive, so I popped the CD into the player and headed down the road.
Wow.
I mean, wow.
OK, maybe it was my low expectations, but I was really blown away by “Good Luck Charm.” The thing is, even after several listens, I’m still hooked.
Go to the band’s MySpace page and listen to the first track, “Sandman Blues.” Actually, listen to them all. They’ve got an Allman Brothers/Grateful Dead feel in some of their tunes, with a Midwestern twist. The band describes their sound as “electric roots rock blues,” and that’s pretty accurate.
The homemade video of this Voodoo Pilot performance of “Blue Sky” doesn’t have the greatest production standards, but the jamming is mesmerizing and Kohn rocks on the drums…
Click the RealPlayer button to listen to “Dots Connected,” which, if there is justice in the world, ought to be getting some WXRT airplay…
Voodoo Pilot is not for teenagers. No headbanging here. The kiddies might not get into the laidback nature of many of Voodoo Pilot’s songs, but count me as a big fan. Here’s “Fortune Teller Blues”…
The band’s next gig is at Montrose Saloon (2933 W. Montrose) on Saturday, December 15th. Coincidentally, that’s the night before our holiday party, so I’ll be in town. If you can’t make it to the Sunday event, then just meet me at the Voodoo Pilot show Saturday night. I’ll buy you a beer or two. The show starts at 9.
They’re also looking at coming to Springfield soon. Any help with booking them would be appreciated. We’ll have another party for Springfield people if this ever gets worked out. I’ll keep you informed.
I’m thinking we should do an end of the year award thingy.
Believe it or not, I don’t want to make it snarky or negative. And I’d like to make this an annual thing, so the categories have to be broad. I’ll have certificates made up and somehow present them to the winners.
So, for instance, “Most independent state legislator” might be a category, or “Most effective rank and file state legislator” could also be an idea. “Least partisan US Congressman” could be something to ponder.
What I’d like you to do today is start brainstorming on categories. No snark. No negativity. Put some thought into it. We’ll start the voting next week.
* The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board has probably been the least critical of Gov. Blagojevich et al than any other paper with wide readership in Illinois. The reason? Their Missouri governor and legislature are dominated by conservatives and the predicament drives them batty. Today, the ed board offered up this interesting bit of perspective on the mass transit mess…
Missouri citizens can only gawk with amazement, and perhaps envy, at all of this. In St. Louis, the perpetually strapped Metro transit system also faces service cutbacks next year. But Missouri’s rural-dominated legislature would sooner see St. Louis residents walk to work in the snow than part with an extra dime for Metro.
* Speaking of transit, former CTA president Frank Kruesi has been hired as Mayor Daley’s top lobbyist in Washington, DC. If he does as “well” in DC as he did in Springfield, Chicago will be bankrupt in two years. The man is not exactly a coalition builder.
* The Pantagraph editorialized today on how it wants to see a final legislative deal done. But two of their suggestions, listed one right after the other, tend to cancel each other out…
– Inclusion of projects in the statewide construction plan should be based on the need for the project, not the need for votes.
– Rank-and-file lawmakers should outline their suggestions and pressure their leaders to reach an agreement.
* Meanwhile, the governor held a press conference with a group of women with breast cancer to illustrate why he was trying to get around the General Assembly…
Cynthia Irvin and other women battling breast cancer came to the news conference to thank Blagojevich for ordering that Illinois tax dollars pay for their treatment.
“I want to thank the governor and the state of Illinois, ’cause I don’t know what would have happened to me if it wasn’t for them,” Irvin said.
The governor was showcasing the women’s plight as an example of why he’s ignoring the general assembly, which failed all year to approve his multi-billion dollar expansion of state-subsidized health insurance.
* He also lashed out at those who would try to stop him…
The governor is calling business leader Gidwitz, whose family owned a cosmetics company, a Scrooge for filing a lawsuit in the Christmas season to deprive women of health care when he has never had to worry about medical coverage.
“It’s mind boggling that the heir of a shampoo fortune would go out of his way to take health care away through the courts. And, yeah, it is Scrooge-like in many ways,” said Blagojevich.
“When you don’t have the facts on your side you resort to name calling. That’s what the governor is doing. It is not about health care. This is about the governor overstepping his authority,” said Gidwitz.
Ho Ho Ho: It must have been a bad case of “Bah, humbug!” that caused House Speaker Mike Madigan to hastily return the red holiday poinsettias sent by Gov. Blago to Madigan’s office.
• • The mistletoe trio: However, Xmas posies dispatched by Blago to the three tops — GOP Senate Leader Frank Watson, GOP House leader Tom Cross and Senate President Emil Jones — were readily accepted.
The trouble with that analysis is that Madigan no longer accepts gifts of any kind. That ended with the Gift Ban Act. He won’t even allow lobbyists to pick up a dinner tab. The Madigan people have asked for a retraction.
* During that bus trip I took with Gov. Blagojevich and his crew last spring, I had a long chat with Patti Blagojevich about her real estate business. She had a pretty good explanation for some of the deals we talked about, but it was clear to me - and I said so - that this business absolutely had to end. I was told later that she had wound down her real estate business and we wouldn’t be seeing any stories about recent deals.
Today’s Tribune story is about a 2004 deal. Hopefully, there won’t be too many more of these. Still, what’s done is done and the feds (like all humans, including reporters and blog commenters) often take their prejudices into a case…
In an interview this week with the Tribune, real estate agent Mary Bennett said FBI agents contacted her firm’s attorneys requesting she sit down with them. She said agents wanted her to explain why she agreed to add Patricia Blagojevich as a second agent in the 2004 sale of a home in the 1200 block of North Astor Street.
Bennett said she included Patricia Blagojevich at the request of the owner, John H. Simpson, an investment banker who has donated $97,000 to Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign fund since 2002. […]
Simpson, reached by telephone at his California office, declined to comment. Before moving, he worked at a Chicago investment firm that also used to employ U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), a close ally of Gov. Blagojevich’s and the man who succeeded the governor in his seat in Congress. A check of state records indicates that neither Simpson nor his firm has any state contracts. […]
But the Tribune’s investigation into Patricia Blagojevich’s real estate dealings has documented a steady income — more than $200,000 — to the Blagojevich household from key political supporters, campaign fundraisers and state contractors since he was elected.
The problem for Mrs. Blagojevich in this particular instance is that she was belatedly added as a second agent. It just looks fishy.
Real estate is more about “who you know” than anything else. And who does Mrs. Blagojevich know? Well, she’s the daughter of a longtime and powerful alderman and the wife of a governor. That means she knows a ton of politicos. Unfortunately, some of those people may have used her to get to her husband, and then, of course, there’s the idle chatter around the campfire that the Blagojevich family was using the real estate business to take financial advantage of the governor’s position.
$200,000 over five years may seem like a lot of cash, but if they were selling out for that little I’d be surprised (although people have sold out for much less). Those commissions won’t even cover the legal bills.
Here’s the response from the governor’s office…
“No one — and I mean no one — has told us that she is under investigation, and there’s no reason she would be,” said Abby Ottenhoff in an e-mailed response to questions Thursday. “She has done nothing wrong.
Try to refrain from angry little “drive-by” blurts in comments. They annoy me and don’t move the discussion along. Thanks.
Obama’s showing [in South Carolina] has improved significantly among black voters. He now attracts 51% of the African-American vote in South Carolina while Clinton picks up just 27%. A month ago, the candidates were even in this important constituency […]
In the South Carolina survey, African-Americans constitute 49% of Likely Democratic Primary voters.
Let’s see… Could that February sage have been… Ummm… Me?
Next, you “experts” assume that just because viable, credible black candidates end up winning overwhelming majorities of black votes that polls currently showing Hillary Clinton leading Obama among African Americans are somehow important.
Wrong again.
In Illinois, at least, large numbers of black voters tend to take their time making up their minds. In political parlance, they ‘’break late.'’
Ten months before the March 2004 U.S. Senate primary (about where we are now before the Iowa caucuses), Obama’s own polls showed him winning just 34 percent of the black vote. About a month before the primary, African-American voters began ‘’breaking'’ in large numbers to his candidacy. As they began focusing on the campaign, black voters saw he was viable, liked his message and a significant percentage finally realized he was African American. He ended up winning just about all their votes.
This same pattern has been repeated time and time again during the past 25 years here. Harold Washington didn’t start off his campaign with the majority of black support against a white female with a huge war chest and the powers of patronage and incumbency, but he certainly ended that way.
Like Byrne, Hillary Clinton is almost universally known and has a strong record of backing issues important to many Democratic African-American voters. Obama is far less known. It’s perfectly natural that, right now, many black voters are siding with Clinton. But, if Obama’s candidacy remains viable through early next year, I’d bet that the vast majority of African-American voters will end up with him.
* Pretty much right on schedule, African-American voters are now breaking away from Clinton in a big way and are inching towards Obama in South Carolina - and it’s showing in the overall head-to-heads…
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the race shows Clinton with 36% of the vote while Obama is the top choice for 34% of the state’s Likely Primary Voters. A month ago, Clinton had a ten-point advantage. In September, the former First Lady was up by thirteen points.
If Obama remains viable (that is, if he doesn’t get blown out by voters, the media or strange turns of events in Iowa and/or New Hampshire) you can expect this trend among black voters to accelerate as the Jan. 26th primary approaches. South Carolina is where the campaign changes. No longer will the focus be on self-important, lily white rural/suburban enclaves. Minority voters will will play a much larger role
Critique this assessment and share your thoughts on Obama’s candidacy to date.
* President’s mortgage plan leaving families in the cold
* Press Release: AG Madigan responds to what the federal interest rate freeze means to Illinois homeowners
The President’s plan would exclude homeowners who have fallen behind in their monthly payments – estimated to be about 22 percent of all subprime borrowers – and homeowners whose loans’ low introductory teaser rates are scheduled to reset to higher rates before Jan.1, 2008.
“The President’s plan seems to be premised on the faulty belief that America’s homeowners are primarily to blame for this epic crisis,” said Madigan. “In reality, our investigations have revealed that subprime lenders widely engaged in reckless lending practices that pushed borrowers into unaffordable loans. By excluding homeowners who have fallen behind on their payments, the resident’s plan gives the subprime mortgage industry a free pass for engaging in irresponsible conduct, leading to this crisis.”
* ACLU jumps into suit over moment of silence law for schools
“The law is unconstitutional,” ACLU Legal Director Harvey Grossman said after receiving permission from U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman to become a so-called friend of the court in the lawsuit.
Grossman said the ACLU would file “an exhaustive brief” with Gettleman providing the reasons why the law violates the Constitution.
A survey of several public universities found fewer than 300 students are taking advantage of the benefit this year, which is less than the more than 2,200 students who had been projected to qualify…
Illinois is among 10 states that have laws on the books allowing for cheaper, in-state tuition rates for students who are the children of undocumented immigrants.
In signing the measure into law in 2003, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said giving undocumented students equal footing in the education process will help more young people go on to “achieve their full potential.”
It appears Illinois is following a national trend when it comes to teens having babies. In what has been described as a “troubling reversal,” the nation’s teen birthrate rose 3 percent between 2005 and 2006. Preliminary figures from the Centers for Disease Control show the percentage of Illinois teens giving birth rose to 10 percent last year, up from 9.7 percent in 2005.
Both figures are a switch from recent years, in which the percentage has been steadily dropping.
* Mysterious candidate survives challenge to replace Hastert, will stay on ballot
The board offered no discussion before voting 6-0 to follow a hearing officer’s recommendation to strike the objections filed by two men in November.
Neither Dilger nor objectors Jon Zahm and Jeff Davis appeared during the brief hearing at the Thompson Center. Dilger did not respond to e-mails seeking comment on Thursday.
“There’s not much to say about it. I wasn’t going to take another trip to Chicago for it,” said Zahm, a Maple Park-based political consultant.
Davis, a paid consultant with Aurora dairy owner Jim Oberweis’ campaign, could not be reached for comment.
