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*** UPDATED x2 - Ryan released from halfway house *** VIDEO: George Ryan leaves prison, enters halfway house

Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** UPDATE 1 *** Tribune…

Former Gov. George Ryan has already been released from the halfway house on Chicago’s West Side and will be confined at his Kankakee home until he completes his 6 ½-year sentence, according to his lawyer, former Gov. Jim Thompson.

Thompson said Ryan found out about the decision by the Bureau of Prison early this morning as he was being released from a federal prison camp in Terre Haute, Ind.

Ryan will not have to wear electronic monitors while under house arrest at his home, said Thompson, who wasn’t sure if Ryan, soon to be 79, would work.

Bureau of Prison spokesman Chris Burke said today Ryan did not receive special treatment in order to be released to home confinement.

Sun-Times…

Speaking from Ryan’s living room, his attorney Jim Thompson said Ryan was beaming and surrounded by his smiling grandchildren

“If you could see his and his grandkids’ smiling faces,” Thompson, himself a former governor, said by phone from Ryan’s home. “He is surrounded by happy faces.”

Ed Ross, a spokesman with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in Washington D.C., said such quick a release, though, is not uncommon.

Ross said it was “very common” for elderly inmates to spend just a few hours in a halfway house. While at his home in Kankakee, Ryan will not be allowed to leave home during non-working hours and will remain “under the strict supervision of the Bureau of Prisons,” Ross said.

“The whole point of community corrections is to transition the individual back into their community. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis as to how much halfway house time … an individual needs,” Ross said.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Monique Garcia…

Gov. Quinn said “justice had to be served” on predecessor Gov. Ryan. Said it was a “sad chapter” but state must move forward.

— Monique Garcia (@moniquegarcia) January 30, 2013

[ *** End Of Updates *** ]

* Former Gov. George Ryan checked into a Chicago halfway house this morning after being released from federal prison. NBC5 has video…

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

* Former Gov. Jim Thompson was also there and talked to the media…

Former Gov. Jim Thompson said his friend George Ryan “paid a severe price” when he was convicted and imprisoned. “The loss of his wife and brother while he was in the penitentiary, the loss of his pension, his office, his good name. That is a significant punishment.”

Video…

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

…Adding… Tribune…

Ryan smiled tightly as he refused to answer questions from reporters. Ryan’s son, George Ryan Jr. and former Gov. Jim Thompson accompanied Ryan into the house.

After Ryan checked in, Thompson came back out and told reporters “today is another step in a long journey for George Ryan. . .He would like me to tell you he’s grateful to leave the penitentiary. He’s grateful also for the encouragement and support from many people. He has paid a severe price. The loss of his wife and brother while he was in the penitentiary, the loss of his pension, his office, his good name and 5 1/2 years of imprisonment. Now near 80 years old, that is a significant punishment. But he is going to go forward.”

Ryan left the prison early this morning and managed to escape the notice of media camped at the facility. The first indication that Ryan has been released was around 6:45 a.m. when he left a building down the street and started walking toward the halfway house.

His son put his left hand on his father and guided him out the door. Ryan kept his head down, his hands in his pockets as he talked to his son and walked slowly through the knot of TV cameras.

* ABC7…

A visit to the dentist will be one of the first orders of business for Ryan now that he is at the halfway house in Chicago.

After orientation, Ryan will then be assigned a room in the 210-bed “Freedom Center.”

“What does George Ryan have to go back to a halfway house for at 79 years old?” said former Chicago city clerk Jim Laski. “What are they gonna tell him?”

The mission of halfway house is to help inmates get their feet planted back in society with a job of some sort.

Laski, who did six months of his sentence at the “Freedom Center,” found it to be a process burdened by bureaucracy.

“It’s like going through high school with some goofy orientation program,” said Laski. “It was really a waste of time.”

Still, the ex-governor must follow Federal Bureau of Prisons directives, although his stay at the halfway house likely be a matter of weeks instead of months.

* Sun-Times…

Meanwhile, Ryan’s halfway house release begins a new era for the Kankakee native. He’s expected to stay for a maximum of six months at the same Salvation Army where dozens of onetime politicos from Illinois made their transition back to freedom. They included former City Clerk James Laski and Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese.

Loren-Maltese didn’t sugarcoat her stay at the same venue.

“I was cleaning the bathrooms,” she said. “I thought it was horrible there — it reminded me of the high-security prison because of being locked in all the time.”

Laski, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to taking $48,000 in bribes, has few good memories of the place — an environment he called “dingy, cold and dark.”

“It’s not the most friendly place,” Laski told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday.

Laski, who went to the South Ashland facility in mid-2007 from a dormitory-type prison in West Virginia, described the buffet-style food as “fair to middling,” but a slight improvement over prison grub.

Laski recalled his first day at the halfway house, when he was required to introduce himself to various staff members and gather a signature from each of them.

“You run around like a little kid, getting signatures. . . . It’s silly,” said Laski, who lives on the Southwest Side and runs a consulting business with offices in Chicago and Miami.

* Related…

* Timeline Of George Ryan Case

62 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Fresh Polling: Plummer down by 5 points, Walsh tanking hard

Monday, Oct 29, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** UPDATE *** The We Ask America site has been updated.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* I’ll have links a bit later, but the Democratic district drawn to reelect Congressman Jerry Costello (who then decided to retire) appears to be finally doing its job for Democratic candidate Bill Enyart. We Ask America has Enyart ahead of Jason Plummer for the first time this year.

I’m told that We Ask America now has Enyart up by five points, 51-46, with Green Party candidate Paula Bradshaw getting less than 4 percent. The poll was taken October 28th.

Not good at all for Plummer.

Again, links in a bit.

…Adding… From the pollster…

Illinois 12 encompasses a large part of southwest Illinois and has elected conservative Democrats since the original lungfish crawled out of the ocean. Still, Barack Obama is not particularly popular here, and Republican candidate Jason Plummer hoped to be able to parlay his family’s well-know lumber business and 6-foot 8-inch frame into a winning effort. Many thought he was well on his way, but a series of post-primary moves by the Democrats have put Plummer on an uphill climb against his main competitor, former Adjutant General Bill Enyart.

Poll type: Automated Date: October 28, 2012 - Participants: 1,313 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.7%

* Meanwhile, back in early October, We Ask America had Tammy Duckworth leading incumbent Republican Joe Walsh by six points, 50-44. But then, after President Obama’s disastrous debate performance had sunk in, We Ask America showed Walsh with a slight lead.

Since then, Walsh has made one mistake after another and Duckworth has gone super negative against him and the natural Democratic advantage in that district has really kicked in. As a result, Walsh began falling way behind in We Ask America’s tracking last week and he’s now at a more than 9-point disadvantage, rounded at 54-46. The poll was taken October 28th.

That gives us a whole lot of polls in a row now which have Duckworth above 50 and Walsh trailing by tenish.

Turn out the lights, the party’s over?

…Adding… From the pollster…

While Duckworth hasn’t proven to be a great candidate, she has a distinct advantage in this re-drawn district by running against a guy who seems to enjoy being a lightning rod for controversy. Walsh surprised many by keeping this race competitive as long as he did, but Duckworth’s campaign has taken advantage of Walsh’s without-exception pro-life views while whacking him for not paying child support. That one-two punch seems to have pushed Walsh over the edge where he now may be in a free fall:

* We Ask America also has Republican Rodney Davis up by 5 over Democrat David Gill, 50-45, with five for the independent.

…Adding… From the pollster…

While IL-13 leans slightly Democratic, the core of this newly configured district has chosen the opponent of Democrat David Gill in the last three congressional elections. It’s difficult to overcome that record, and Gill’s platform may prove to be a bit further to the left than the downstate area can accept. Republican Rodney Davis came into the race late and had to claw and scratch his way into the name recognition game, but it appears to be working. He recently received the endorsements of three top area newspapers which didn’t hurt matters.

Poll type: Automated Date: October 28, 2012 - Participants: 1,360 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.7%

* Congresswoman Judy Biggert and former Congressman Bill Foster are tied.

…Adding… From the pollster…

The new 11th District leans slightly Democratic and is not a great fit for either candidate here. Foster was a one-term congressman who was defeated in 2010, while Biggert has has a long career in both the Illinois General Assembly and Congress. Neither are particularly strong campaigners, but each have lots of campaign and outside money flowing. Foster’s vote for Obamacare has not been universally accepted in this area, and Biggert’s long career made it easy for her opponent to cherry pick past votes that could be splashed in direct mail and on TV. Like other area Democrats, Foster’s campaign has tried to paint pro-choice Biggert as an extremist. Unlike IL-10, though, much of the 11th District is new to both candidates.

Poll type: Automated Date: October 28, 2012 - Participants: 1,303 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.7%

* Freshman Republican Bobby Schilling leads Cheri Bustos 52-48, but the firm has had Bustos slightly ahead in other recent polls, so they’re calling this a draw for now.

…Adding… From the pollster…

We consider this one a dead heat. Schilling and Bustos change leads every other poll (we’ve done several there in the past 14 days, the last one had Bustos up by nearly 3 points) and it’s averages out as a simple 50-50 split. While heavily Democratic, this area has a blue-collar and somewhat conservative lean to it. Incumbent Congressman Schilling fills the “one-of-us” role well as a pizza restaurant owner who is both unpretentious and affable. But Schilling leans farther to the right than the district as a whole. Still, he’s found a strident-free way of communicating with constituents. Bustos, who was previously a news reporter and East Moline alderwoman, came to the race as a camera-ready fresh face with a solid political pedigree that hasn’t disappointed although her stance on issues remains a tad nebulous. Both work hard and both leave favorable impressions.

Poll type: Automated Date: October 28, 2012 - Participants: 1,325 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.8%

* And Bob Dold appears to be doing quite well, with a 54-46 lead over Brad Schneider. That district is tough to poll, however.

…Adding… From the pollster…

This affluent congressional district has always been one to ignore Party labels. Challenger Schneider’s campaign never seemed to understand that and is trying to portray pro-choice Bob Dold as a right-wing nut to a very well-informed electorate. While missing that target, Schneider has also stumbled a bit about the reality of his business experience. Questions about his resumé are being tied into his refusal to release his income tax records. Still, this district is strongly pro-Obama enough that Dold finds it hard to pull away outside of the margin of error:

Poll type: Automated Date: October 28, 2012 - Participants: 1,257 Likely Voters - Margin of Error: ± 2.8%

* Related…

* Schilling’s ‘Democrat’ newsletter angers Bustos: Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., is promoting his candidacy with a newsletter titled “The Illinois Democrat,” a piece that’s angered his rival, Democrat Cheri Bustos. The Bustos campaign complained about the mail piece Friday afternoon, arguing it’s an attempt to deceive voters. Schilling’s campaign countered, saying it’s merely an effort to reach out to Democrats with whom the congressman has much in common.

* Schilling, Bustos sharply divided on trade, jobs

* Durbin stumps for Bustos

* VIDEO: American Unity PAC ad: Judy Biggert — Clear Choice

* Endorsement: Bobby Schilling is our pick for Congress in 17th District

* Endorsement: Bustos for Illinois’ 17th District

* Endorsement: Schilling for U.S. District 17 representative

* Tight contest expected in 17th District

* Ex-Outsiders, Running on Record in Congress

* Schneider Colleagues Discuss Business Record

* Suburban candidates push early voting

* Moderates Biggert, Foster discover sharp contrast in heavyweight battle

* AUDIO: David Gill RadioSpot “Thanks”

* 13th District spending nears $8 million

* Vogel: Money cheapens 13th District race for Congress

* VIDEO: Peter Roskam on Joe’s Campaign

* VIDEO: Joe Walsh Speaks at FreePAC

* VIDEO: 8th District Women to Duckworth - Enough on Abortion

34 Comments

EMILY’s List airs new ad for Bustos

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a press release…

Today, EMILY’s List WOMEN VOTE! will release an ad to expose Bobby Schilling’s extreme, anti-middle class agenda. The ad will go up on broadcast television with 1000 points in Peoria, bolstering the nine pieces of mail that have been circulating to nearly 23,000 independent women since September 19th.

“Bobby Schilling has made it clear that he is willing to dismantle vital services like Medicare in order to increase tax breaks for wealthy corporations,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List. “And this November, voters in Illinois are going to make it equally clear that they don’t support his right-wing agenda. Right now, women and families need leaders like Cheri Bustos – pro-choice Democratic women who will fight for their access to healthcare and economic opportunity.”

* The ad…

Rate it.

* Roundup…

* Schilling edges Bustos in fundraising: Both candidates did well, but Republican incumbent Bobby Schilling holds an advantage. Schilling raised $613,164 in the third quarter and finished with $839,150 cash on hand. Democratic challenger Cheri Bustos raised $488,803 in the third quarter and finished with $656,827 cash on hand.

* Schilling tops Bustos in 3Q fundraising: Schilling outspent Bustos for the quarter, dishing out $723,925, including a $45,450 transfer that went to the state Republican Party. Bustos spent $661,568.

* Our View: Will Bustos or Schilling give best answers in debate?: Who has the best plan to bring jobs back to the U.S.? Who has the best ideas on how to move health care forward? Who has the best grasp of education issues? And who will be a better representative for the Rockford region?

* Democrats Bustos, Durbin at ‘Bainport’ today

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