Friday afternoon news dump
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Rauner vetoed bipartisan legislation sponsored by Reps. Brandon Phelps, Terri Bryant and John Bradley as well as Sen. Gary Forby today which mandated the reopening of the Hardin County Work Camp…
Veto Message for HB 4326
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives,
99th General Assembly:
Today I veto House Bill 4326, which would require the Department of Corrections to reopen the Hardin County Work Camp, but provide no resources to fund repairs or operations.
Hardin County Work Camp closed in January 2016 as a result of high maintenance and repair costs from a fire at the Camp. Due to the burdens of the State’s procurement process, the Department was initially unable to undertake such repairs and the costs continued to rise. The Department followed proper facility closure procedures and all the persons housed at the Camp were relocated to other similar facilities. Employees were offered other employment opportunities at nearby facilities.
While I appreciate the impact of this facility closure on the local economy, forcing the Department of Corrections to reopen the Camp is an unnecessary spend of taxpayer dollars. The funds required to complete the repairs are not within the Department’s budget nor were they appropriated in any budget proposed by the General Assembly. As such, this legislation would require the Department to reallocate resources from other vital services in order to comply.
I am committed to reducing our prison population and believe that work camp facilities play an important role in rehabilitating offenders. However, requiring the opening of a dilapidated facility hamstrings the Department’s discretion in using its limited resources.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 4326, entitled “AN ACT concerning criminal law”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Rauner vetoed several more bills today and signed quite a few. I’m still going through them, but the entire list is here.
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Our sorry state
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* But, yeah, Illinois Democrats should just keep right on talking about how they’re stopping Rauner’s agenda instead of coming up with their own ideas…
For a third quarter in a row, Illinois had the worst African-American unemployment rate in the nation, according to a new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute.
In the second quarter of 2016, covering April through June, the African-American unemployment rate was highest in Illinois at 15 percent. It represents the third straight quarter of Illinois having the highest African-American jobless rate in the nation.
Texas had the lowest African-American unemployment rate, 6.1 percent, in the second quarter of 2016. Texas is one of 17 states where African-American unemployment rates were below 10 percent last quarter, according to the left-leaning think tank.
Ugh.
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Final arguments filed by Independent Maps
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Last week, the Independent Map Amendment presented its final brief to the Illinois Supreme Court. In this brief, attorneys for Independent Maps argued that the lower court ruling against the redistricting reform amendment is contrary to both the intent of the 1970 Constitution and the plain language of the constitution’s provision allowing voters to propose amendments.
Independent Maps citied the record from the 1970 Constitutional Convention, which shows that the delegates who drafted and approved the initiative provision regarded redistricting as one of the “critical areas” the initiative process was intended to address because legislators are unlikely to propose needed reforms on their own.
A delegate to the 1970 Convention also weighed in with an Op-Ed in the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this week. Here’s what he had to say:
The 1970 Constitutional Convention intended the initiative provision to open up the redistricting process and provide a way for citizens to act directly in proposing a specific constitutional amendment for voters’ ratification.
The Illinois Supreme Court should reject the numerous technical objections conjured up against this initiative by self-interested advocates and allow the voters to give the proposal and up or down vote in November.
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Oh, come on, man
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Bruce Rauner held a press conference today in Mt. Vernon…
Reporter: How involved do you plan to be in local elections, specifically local Republican elections in southern Illinois?
Rauner: Um, I’m not really very involved. I’m really, my focus is really on the government and good policy and administering… That’s really where I’m spending my time. I’m really not too involved in races.
* Apparently, writing big checks doesn’t take too much time…
* Raw audio…
…Adding… Here’s the latest southern Illinois ad…
…Adding More… For crying out loud, he just said this on Wednesday…
Gov. Bruce Rauner promised today that Republicans would outspend Democrats this fall in a GOP effort to reclaim the Illinois General Assembly.
“This year, we’re going to go toe-to-toe with them,” Rauner told party county chairmen at an event starting the Illinois Republican Party Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair. Rauner said Democrats have far outspent the GOP in recent elections, but “we’re going to do better than they do. You’ll see the biggest ground game ever for legislative races in Illinois.”
Sheesh.
…Adding Still More… Greg Hinz asks…
But is it a good idea to have one guy utterly dominating a party’s finances? Expect to hear more discussion on that as the election season moves on.
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Good for the goose…
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
The Kirk campaign is going after Duckworth with a new online quiz asking which politician did or said something, the Democratic Senate candidate or controversial Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — the guy Kirk is fiercely trying to avoid any linkage with.
Among the quiz questions is, “Who actually fired Rod Blagojevich?” The answer is Trump, who fired the now-imprisoned former governor on the reality show “Celebrity Apprentice.” The Kirk campaign has worked to link Duckworth to Blagojevich. Blagojevich hired her as state veterans’ affairs director after Duckworth lost a 2006 bid for Congress.
Quiz-takers must submit an email address and a ZIP code to the Kirk campaign to find out the results. So it’s a two-fer: Kirk’s team gets to add to its campaign database as it’s trying to deflect a key Duckworth attack line back at her.
Duckworth’s campaign, you will recall, has a similar website comparing Trump and Kirk quotes.
Take the test by clicking here.
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* We talked about a new study on yard signs the other day, but check out this story about appointed Rep. Andy Skoog (D-La Salle) and his Republican opponent Jerry Long…
Long acknowledged he has his work cut out for him. At his house on Carr Street in South Streator, he has a large sign advertising his candidacy on a trailer.
But a look down his street shows Skoog swayed nearly all his neighbors — if all the yard signs are an indication.
About a week before, he said, Skoog came through the neighborhood knocking on doors. Long said he jokingly asked the lawmaker whether he would knock on his door as well. The two men, Long said, had a pleasant conversation. He said he offered Skoog a bottle of water, which the lawmaker declined. They exchanged phone numbers.
Long said he heard Skoog claimed he held Republican values when speaking with the neighbors, most of whom Long considered conservative.
Long said he would make the case for his candidacy to his neighbors. Skoog’s posting of signs all around his neighborhood, Long said, was “pandering to my neighbors to intimidate me.”
When my brother Doug ran for alderman in a little town in Texas years ago, I told him to get over to his opponent’s street post haste and plaster it with yard signs. Worked like a charm. It truly messes with opponents’ minds when their own neighbors turn against them. It’s highly demoralizing.
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No state funding for a program that works
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Catholic Charities…
Hi, Rich -
I hope you are doing well! Wanted to send you a blog post idea related to the continued state budget mess.
Catholic Charities just completed a major study with the University of Notre Dame that was featured in the Journal of Science last week. It proves that homeless prevention programs work and save tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars per person. However, the State budget impasse continues to threaten funding to this program. In fact, last year none of the funds were released and we have yet to receive funds for this fiscal year, putting thousands of Chicagoans in danger of becoming homeless.
We are the only city in the country where this study could be conducted because of our linked databases with those who call the homeless prevention call center and the shelter system.
The study shows that those individuals and families who receive short term homeless prevention financial assistance are more than 70% less likely to enter a shelter within 6 months than those who do not receive the assistance. This program works yet funds are not being released from the state.
* Science Magazine…
If someone is about to become homeless, giving them a single cash infusion, averaging about $1000, may be enough to keep them off the streets for at least 2 years. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which finds that programs that proactively assist those in need don’t just help the victims—they may benefit society as a whole. […]
Homelessness isn’t just bad for its sufferers—it shortens life span and hurts kids in school—it’s a burden on everyone else. Previous studies have concluded that a single period of homelessness can cost taxpayers $20,000 or more, in the form of welfare, policing, health care, maintaining homeless shelters, and other expenses. To combat homelessness, philanthropic organizations have either tried to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place or help them regain housing after they are already destitute. But there aren’t many data on whether giving cash to people on the brink of becoming homeless actually prevents them from living on the street.
So economist James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, took advantage of a natural experiment. Funding for homelessness prevention programs is highly unpredictable, and thus many programs are often temporarily unable to give money to people about to lose their homes, even if they qualify for the assistance. That allowed him and his colleagues to compare the eventual fate of individuals and families who called into a homelessness prevention call center in Chicago, Illinois, when funds were available versus those who called when funds were not.
The programs work by giving one-time cash quantities to people on the brink of homelessness who can demonstrate that they will be able to pay rent by themselves in the future, but who have been afflicted by some nonrecurring crisis, such as a medical bill. Recipients need to be able to demonstrate consistent future income, and the amount given needs to actually cover their housing expenses for the month. The average amount paid out, according to Sullivan, is about $1000.
The team tracked the two groups for several months. Those who called when funding was available—and received the cash infusion—were 88% less likely to become homeless after 3 months and 76% less likely after 6 months, the researchers report today in Science. “We found no evidence that this effect fades away,” Sullivan says. “There is evidence that it’s a sustained impact up to 2 years later.”
Although it might seem obvious that giving people money would keep them off the street, many antiwelfare critics have argued that such charity only prolongs the decline into homelessness. But that appears not to be the case, Sullivan says.
The study is here.
* From a Catholic Charities press release…
In a groundbreaking new study conducted in Chicago and published last Thursday in the Journal of Science, it is revealed that when homeless prevention funds are available, an individual’s chance of becoming homeless within 6 months is reduced by 76 percent. The study proves that a minimal investment averaging $2,400 per person to prevent someone from becoming homeless saves more than $20,000 per person, per year in taxpayer funds that are needed to support a person in a shelter and with other services.
However, the State budget impasse has meant funding for homeless prevention programs is in limbo and more than $1 million in preventive funding was not available in fiscal year 2016. In Chicago, homeless prevention funds are disbursed to dozens of agencies through All Chicago, which receives about $2 million per year in funding, more than $1 million of which comes from the State of Illinois. In 2014, homeless prevention funds ensured 5,000 individuals and families did not become homeless. Because of the state budget impasse, that number was reduced to 3,000 last year. […]
The study followed 4,500 Chicago individuals and families from 2010 – 2012. The callers who received funding were significantly less likely to enter a shelter within 6 months. In particular:
Those calling when funds are available are 76 percent less likely to enter a shelter within 6 months
Those calling when funds are available spend 2.1 fewer days in a shelter over a 6 month period
Callers with especially low incomes (those with incomes below $750 per month) who call when funds are available are 88 percent less likely to enter a shelter
Discuss.
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* While the Democrats were berating him yesterday, the governor was signing a bill…
Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation named for a 5-year-old Monticello girl that will require hospitals to be better prepared to treat patients with sepsis or septic shock.
Rauner signed Gabby’s Law on Thursday morning at Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana. The legislation is named for Gabby Galbo, who died in 2012 due to untreated sepsis.
Sepsis is a response to an infection that can lead to death. Gabby had an undetected tick bite that developed into sepsis.
The new law requires hospitals to adopt protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients who have sepsis. It also requires that the protocols have certain components including those specific to treating children and adults.
* Note the striking juxtaposition on today’s front page…
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Today’s quotable
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sen. Dick Durbin…
“This governor that we have today inherited a mess and turned it into a crisis.”
That was, without a doubt, the most succinct criticism anyone made of Gov. Rauner yesterday, or, for that matter, in months.
* Related…
* Madigan, Democrats try to tie Trump to Rauner
* Dems vow continued fight against ‘the extreme Rauner agenda’
* Democrats vow to stand up to ‘extreme agenda’ of Rauner, Trump
* Tammy Duckworth takes on Donald Trump, Republican Party at Illinois fair
* Democrats at Illinois State Fair taunt GOP’s Trump reluctance
* Illinois Republicans Hit Madigan, Durbin on Term Limits
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Summers explains himself
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It turns out, I met Chicago Treasurer Kurt Summers back when he was a Dunn Fellow in 2001-2002. He reminded me of it when we chatted for several minutes yesterday about a possible gubernatorial bid. The content of our talk wasn’t much different than what Amanda reported today…
A new name has been added to the mix of possibilities: Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers, who is in his first term.
“If I continue to love it and I see opportunities to do greater good for a greater number of people, then I’ll certainly consider those,” Summers (who also made the trip to the state fair rally Thursday) said. “Given the problems that we have in the city of Chicago and in the state of Illinois it’s irresponsible to look too far down the line. It doesn’t respect the situation that we’re in.”
Media reports cite sources close to Summers as having floated the idea. Summers is also frequently mentioned as a could-be candidate for mayor of Chicago, but that race isn’t until 2019.
* Same with Tina…
Summers is “open to all options,” a source close to the treasurer said, including a potential run for governor. Summers was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel after Stephanie Neely abruptly resigned in 2014. He also served as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s chief of staff before leaving to join Grosvenor Capital Management, run by an Emanuel friend, Michael Sacks. […]
“I promised my wife that we’d feel out how this fits together and whether or not we enjoy it, and turns out so far I love it. If I continue to love it and I see opportunities to do greater good for a greater number of people, then I’ll certainly consider those,” Summers said at the Democrat Day rally. […]
“I haven’t talked to a single significant employer who said, ‘I can’t continue to be in Illinois because you all have strong unions there.’ I haven’t talked to a single significant employer who said, ‘I can’t be in Illinois because you’re raising the minimum wage.’ I think the work[ers’] compensation issue is a legitimate one that I’ve heard concerns about, and I think reform has been on the table and there has been some movement there,” Summers said. “And there’s more that can be done. But most of the ‘Turnaround Agenda’ is ideology, and it’s not based on economic fact and practice.”
Summers said Kraft Heinz, ConAgra, and McDonald’s moving to Chicago is an indication that some businesses aren’t fleeing the state, a claim Rauner has made throughout his campaign and during his term.
“I think that his Turnaround Agenda isn’t supported by real economics and people who really employ people in Illinois,” he said.
He’s a pretty impressive guy.
* But it was also pointed out to me by a Chicago Democrat yesterday that Summers uses P2 Consulting as his fundraising consultant. P2 often floats its candidates’ names for higher office to help raise reelection money (Sen. Kwame Raoul comes immediately to mind). So, we’ll see.
* Related…
* Is Kurt Summers the Future of Chicago Politics? - The city’s young treasurer has turned a moribund office into a hive of activity, fueling speculation that he has higher aspirations.
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Instant karma
Friday, Aug 19, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* When Susana Mendoza first mentioned this story yesterday during her speech at the Illinois State Fair, I thought it was a goofy thing for a reporter to do. I mean, really, a pop quiz on multiplication tables? Is this grade school? The Tribune’s daily roundup of its own articles didn’t even include a link to the paper’s story, perhaps out of professional embarrassment.
But after thinking about it awhile, I’m kinda torn.
* Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger accused her opponent this week of not being able to do math: “We have to ask ourselves. What’s her deal? Maybe she’s not so good at math. Maybe she doesn’t really understand what the comptroller does.”
That claim came on top of her slam that Mendoza was a product of the Chicago machine, when Mendoza actually did battle against the much-vaunted HDO after she was elected years ago. Unlike Munger, Mendoza defeated an incumbent state Representative. She was a popular, hard-working, bipartisan legislator in Springfield. Did the Democratic Party help? Sure it did, right up to pushing her onto the statewide ballot this year and clearing her path. But Munger got a ton of GOP help in her first legislative race and was then appointed to her current position by a governor intent on dominating his party.
Stones, glass houses, etc.
* And, it turns out, Munger ain’t so good at math…
Chicago Inc. quizzed both candidates for the comptroller’s office, charged with paying the state’s bills, on their multiplication tables at the State Fair this week after Munger gave two stump speeches in which she got laughs by suggesting that as a former state representative, Mendoza shares blame for the state’s terrible financial situation. “What’s her deal?” Munger asked of her rival for the role of the state’s chief fiscal officer. “Maybe she’s not so good at math!”
The final scores in our off-the-cuff oral exam, though, told a different story: Munger, 33 percent; Mendoza, 100 percent.
Munger’s impromptu exam, given to her on camera moments after she stepped off stage at Gov. Bruce Rauner’s rally Wednesday, started confidently, with her boasting “my math is good — I have a master’s in business” and pointing to her experience managing an $800 million company.
Then the math started, and things started going wrong.
Asked what eight times seven was, Munger shot back “Eight sevens is 72,” before correcting herself, “no, 56.”
* And check out the lame excuses…
Munger’s campaign on Thursday said the math game was “just a cheap shot by a bush league columnist.”
“Leslie’s record of leading an $800 million brand speaks for itself,” Munger campaign manager Phillip Rodriguez said.
Her campaign said she was “blindsided” by the questions and had just stepped off the stage after making remarks in hot weather at the rally on Wednesday. The campaign said she also didn’t understand the columnist’s accent and wasn’t given a context for his questions.
Cheap shot? Probably, but you could also easily say that one cheap shot deserves another.
* And, if you watch the video, Munger repeated his math questions before answering them, so she did understand the guy’s “accent.” And she was, indeed, given the context. Also, it was hot yesterday when Mendoza was given the very same pop quiz.
* Meanwhile…
Rookie mistake for Munger: Politicians tend to get booed at sporting events or concerts, and the savvier ones try to avoid being put in that position.
So it should come as little surprise that rookie Republican Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger got booed at the state fair Wednesday night during a Kiss concert. The boos came as she recognized the Hall of Fame rock band for its contributions to military veterans. Doubling the pain, Munger mentioned that she was there on behalf of Gov. Rauner.
* Except one politician received a quite friendly reception, according to the Illinois Times…
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder hoisted the two-fingered rock-and-roll salute, the crowd booed at the mention of Gov. Bruce Rauner. And there were also plenty of pyrotechnics and never-gets-old theatrical tricks as Kiss paid a visit to the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday. […]
Langfelder and state comptroller Leslie Munger took the stage during the encore, with the mayor getting plenty of applause and cheers for presenting the band with a key to the city, raising his arm in the air in the classic two-finger rock-and-roll salute first popularized by Black Sabbath and declaring his support for “the freedom to rock and roll.” You really had to be there. Munger thanked the band for supporting veterans and received a gracious reception but boos broke out when she said that she was there on behalf of Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Her mistake was mentioning Rauner’s name.
…Adding… From a top republican official who was at the KISS concert…
While the initial boos of Rauner’s name have been widely reported, no one has cared to report that those boos quickly turned into massive cheers when Munger let the crowd know Rauner was declaring the day “Freedom to Rock Day” in Illinois. So perhaps they’ve stumbled upon a new winning message…
Heh.
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Another Kirk facepalm
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune on Sen. Mark Kirk’s latest thoughts about his presidential choice…
“I like him. I think for David Petraeus, the guy who won the battle against ISIS in Iraq … would be the best commander in chief for us,” Kirk told reporters.
He appears to be referring to the Iraq “surge” pushed by former President Bush and led by Petraeus.
* So, apparently Kirk has rethought his position on the surge. From Feb. 17, 2007…
Dear Friend:
Thank you for responding to our survey.
I do not support President Bush’s proposed troop surge in Iraq and voted for the House resolution that recommended against his action. The United States should increase the responsibilities of the elected Iraqi government to solve its own problems, while reducing the number of American combat troops sent overseas.
More here and here.
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Summers floating name for governor
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This was pitched to me yesterday, but I decided to wait until today to talk to him. Looks like I’ll have to now…
He’s been touted as a possible future mayor of Chicago — but city Treasurer Kurt Summers’ eyes may be on the governor’s mansion.
Sources close to the up-and-coming Democrat say he’s exploring a 2018 run against Bruce Rauner.
A final decision to run would likely depend on U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, the big dog in Illinois Democratic politics who would likely clear the field of primary challengers, should he decide to run. […]
In Springfield on Thursday morning for a Democratic Party breakfast event before the State Fair, Summers was asked about a potential gubernatorial run and said: “We’re all here working to defeat Bruce Rauner and elect Democratic candidates.”
Your thoughts?
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Nekritz twice tried to get into the Olympics
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kerry Lester…
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz was a few inches shorter, a “whole lot stronger” and pension reform wasn’t yet a gleam in her eye as she took to the balance beam at the Olympic trials in Los Angeles in spring 1976.
The tiny, curly-topped teen from Kansas was vying for a spot on the American gymnastics team that would head to Montreal to compete against the peerless Nadia Comaneci of Romania that summer. Nekritz knew then she probably wouldn’t score a berth. But she says she wanted to take her athletic abilities as far as she could.
Twenty years later, she was back at it. She competed in a completely different sport, this time at the Olympic trials for indoor cycling.
“I didn’t wipe out,” she laughs. “I performed about as well as I was going to perform. I was nowhere close to being anywhere on the Olympic team.”
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* Monique Garcia…
House Republican leader Jim Durkin said it’s time for some horse trading, suggesting Republicans would work with Democrats on automatic voter registration if Democrats in turn help the GOP pass legislation to overhaul how legislative districts are drawn.
Durkin’s suggestion comes after Rauner vetoed legislation last week that would have allowed state agencies to begin automatically registering new voters as early as January 2018. It would also have allowed for an immediate update of the registration info of an estimated 700,000 existing voters ahead of the presidential election this fall.
Rauner argued the measure needed work, saying it could allow for voter fraud. Supporters balked, saying it was a political move and noting Rauner is likely to be on the November 2018 ballot as he seeks a second term.
Durkin said Wednesday that there’s room to negotiate if Democrats would be willing to cut a deal on an effort to change how political districts are drawn, which critics contend is too political. A petition drive to change the state’s constitution to take politics out of the process is now before the Supreme Court.
“If they want to work and negotiate a Fair Map vote and we’ll work them on automatic voter registration,” Durkin told reporters before Republicans held their annual rally at the Illinois State Fair. “The fact is, this is the business we are in. It’s about compromise, it’s about both sides trying to find a way in which we can accomplish each other’s priorities.”
Leader Durkin voted against the AVR bill, but Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno voted for it. Just six Senate Republicans voted against it.
Thoughts?
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The man who shall not be named
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
[House Republican Leader Jim Durkin] said Trump might hurt in some races this November, and help in others. And Durkin said he’s still not ready to support the GOP presidential nominee.
“I’m not there yet,” Durkin told reporters. “I want to hear someone talk like a president and act like a president before I vote for one.”
State Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno warned that a vote against Trump shouldn’t mean a vote against Republicans across the state. And she argued that members of both parties have doubts about their presidential nominees.
“We’d be silly not to say there’s mixed feelings about the top of the ticket. The great news is, though, that the other side has the same problem. I think we’re starting on kind of an even basis here,” Radogno said. “We may have people that love Trump and want to go out there and just vote for him. Our job is to say that’s great but don’t forget the rest of the ticket.”
On her own feelings about Trump, Radogno called her ballot “private,” but vowed that she wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton.
I fully agree that Trump could actually be helpful to the Republicans in some districts. But statewide? No.
A Republican poll taken July 12-13 found Clinton leading 46.4 to 32.5. Another GOP poll taken July 14-16 had Clinton up 51-33. A Democratic poll taken August 1-4 had Clinton up 51-32.
…Adding… I meant to post this, too, but somehow forgot. Notice anything missing from the front of the ILGOP State Fair tent?…
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Mendoza lashes out at Munger, Rauner
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This morning…
* Background from yesterday…
“They can’t get a budget passed,” Munger said of Democrats, “but somehow they found time to get [a special election for comptroller] passed. And they did it because they think a Republican cannot win in Illinois during a presidential year. Well, they have a surprise coming. Because even though I’m the incumbent in this race, I’m the newcomer to state government. My opponent spent her entire adult life on the city of Chicago and state of Illinois payrolls. … She’s used the Chicago machine to jump from office to office, and now she wants to use them again, because she cannot run on her record.”
Mendoza worked for the city of Chicago’s planning department and was a state representative for 10 years before being elected Chicago’s city clerk in 2011. And while House Speaker MICHAEL MADIGAN, D-Chicago, has had that post for all but two years since 1983, Munger, in her speech, seemed to stretch to tie Mendoza to the long tenure of the speaker, who also chairs the Democratic Party of Illinois.
“She has voted for every one of Speaker Madigan’s unbalanced budgets,” Munger said. “She’s voted for every tax increase, every pension holiday and all of the borrowing that (has) created the mess that we are in today. She calls Speaker Madigan her mentor. …”
“So today, let’s say ‘Enough!’” Munger said, trying to get the fairgrounds crowd going.
“We’ve had enough of the Chicago way and enough of the politics,” Munger said. “Let’s give Susana Mendoza and her supporters a wake-up call. No more deals. No more politicians who put themselves first.”
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A bit of a stretch
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an ILGOP press release…
Happy Career Politician’s Day!
Celebrate with a selfie featuring our Snapchat filter at the fair or grab one of our new Dick Durbin buttons
The Democratic Party in Illinois has doubled down on the status quo, with its most prominent politicians, Mike Madigan and Dick Durbin, vowing to oppose term limits.
Dick Durbin has reportedly been talking to Madigan about running for Governor.
It’s no surprise then that Durbin would stop to kiss Mike Madigan’s ring – he’s just another career politician whose held power for 33 years.
Dick Durbin voted against term limits in the Senate[1].
Durbin went on record saying, “For some members of Congress… 20 years in office is not long enough.”
NO WONDER DURBIN OPPOSES TERM LIMITS
HE’S TOO BUSY MAKING MONEY OFF HIS ELECTED OFFICE
Dick and Loretta Durbin have reported a net worth of $1.75 million[2].
How? Dick Durbin funneled millions in government kickbacks to his wife’s lobbying clients[3].
ETHICS EXPERTS HAVE CALLED THE DURBIN’S LOBBYING SCHEME “TROUBLING” [4]
If you’re among the 80% of Illinoisans that support term limits, show your support today by taking a Snapchat at the fair and showing off one of our Dick Durbin or Mike Madigan career politician buttons!
Millions in kickbacks? If the party really believes that, then perhaps they should have somebody file an ethics complaint.
* Footnotes 3 and 4 lead to this Tribune article…
Meredith McGehee, policy director at the Campaign Legal Center and an expert on ethics in lobbying, said the Durbins’ arrangement deserved a thorough airing.
“If you’re going to become a lobbyist, part of the deal is, everything you do is going to be gone over with a very bright light, and it should be,” she said. “So I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong, but it is inherently worth very close scrutiny, and the burden really should be on them to show that there aren’t conflicts.”
Craig Holman, a lobbyist and expert on government ethics at Public Citizen, a watchdog group, said that even though the Durbins have complied with Senate ethics rules, he found the circumstances “troubling.”
Holman perceived an “indirect” conflict of interest in Durbin securing or announcing federal money for his spouse’s clients. “It doesn’t run afoul of any of the congressional ethics rules or federal conflict-of-interest laws, but it does raise red flags in the sense that Durbin is getting credit for awarding grants or earmarks to some of the clients of his wife,” he said.
Also, his latest tax returns shows that his wife made $43,202 last year.
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Another year, another Rutherford event
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rutherford has been holding a State Fair event at Franny’s for years and even held one last year. For whatever reason, he just can’t bring himself to stop doing it, even though his future ain’t exactly bright these days…
Former Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s quixotic decision to host a party outside the gates of the Illinois State Fair while he continues to fight a sexual harassment lawsuit had some senior GOP members scratching their heads Wednesday.
But a relaxed Rutherford was unapologetic, telling Chicago Inc. his political career is merely “in recess” and that “I’m going to do in life what I want to do, when I want to do it.”
Just a handful of pals and supporters — about 25, including Illinois Senate Minority leader Christine Radogno — stopped by to attend the bash, which Rutherford said he has been hosting at a Springfield bar for 21 years.
Rutherford, who has more than $900,000 in campaign cash left over from his doomed 2014 gubernatorial bid, declined to identify what office he might seek, if any.
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” he said, but noting that he got “21 percent of the vote in Chicago” when he successfully ran for treasurer. Rutherford’s event came after hundreds gathered inside the fairgrounds to hear Gov. Bruce Rauner and other party leaders speak on the Republicans’ main day at the fair.
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White says “no intention” of running again
Thursday, Aug 18, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* There were some rumors that Secretary of State Jesse White would use today’s festivities to announce he was running again in 2018. Things could still change, but it’s not happening yet…
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* AP…
Gov. Bruce Rauner promised Wednesday that Republicans would outspend Democrats this fall in a GOP effort to reclaim the Illinois General Assembly.
“This year, we’re going to go toe-to-toe with them,” Rauner told party county chairmen at an event starting the Illinois Republican Party Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair. Rauner said Democrats have far outspent the GOP in recent elections, but “we’re going to do better than they do. You’ll see the biggest ground game ever for legislative races in Illinois.”
He did not mention the source of funding, but he has previously poured millions of his personal wealth into party coffers. […]
“We’re going to stand against that machine and beat that machine this year,” Rauner said. Democrats have their party day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday. Democrats hold supermajorities of 71-47 in the House and 39-20 in the Senate.
* Sun-Times…
“The machine has pounded with their power in the past. They have outspent us two, three, four-to-one. Not this time. Not this time. We’re going toe-to-toe — and, in fact, we’re going to do better than them,” Rauner said of the well-funded campaigns, which already include TV ads and mailers.
Rauner, whose own funds help to fuel his governor’s campaign, continues to push on for his reforms, despite a constant battle with state Democratic leaders. Although Rauner didn’t mention Madigan during the breakfast, party organizers handed out a button featuring a picture of a young Madigan which included the words” “career politician since 1971.”
Rauner spoke of a state “taken over by a machine, a political machine that doesn’t care about people,” saying it’s also taken over Chicago, the Democratic Party and the Illinois General Assembly.
“We are going to stand against that machine and we are going to beat that machine,” Rauner said to cheers, saying the machine is behind job losses, lower family incomes and the highest property taxes in America.
* Tribune…
Much of the Rauner effort has been to link Democrats to Madigan, the Southwest Side Democrat who has served as speaker for 31 of the last 33 years. At the fair, Republicans distributed buttons pushing term limits with a picture of a young Madigan, calling him a “career politician since 1971.” That’s the year Madigan arrived in the Illinois House after serving as a delegate to the convention that resulted in the 1970 Illinois Constitution.
While attacks on Madigan haven’t worked in the past, state House GOP Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, said the difference this time is the governor’s money.
“We have the resources to be able to really educate Illinoisans about what’s happening in Illinois and what the problem is. First time we’ve had the resources to do it,” Durkin said.
“It’s either the governor and on the other side it’s organized labor,” he said of the campaign money race. “This is competition. We’re competing with them. … It’s both green.”
* Rauner chanted “Term limits! Term limits! Term limits!” at the end of his speech. People were pretty hot and tired by then, so there wasn’t a whole lot of energy in the crowd. Plus, the issue can’t be addressed by voters until 2018 at the earliest.
Meanwhile, there’s a presidential race going on, but you’d hardly know it by listening to the speakers…
I saw very few Trump signs at the rally today.
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Durbin bites back at Rauner in campaign e-mail
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you were watching the Governor’s Day live feed, you know that Congressman Rodney Davis called out US Sen. Dick Durbin for being a longtime politician who has helped create trillions of dollars in deficit spending at the national level. Durbin has been musing about a gubernatorial bid and this Durbin campaign e-mail will only increase the speculation…
We should be making it easier for people in this country to vote.
I honestly don’t think this is a radical idea, which is why I was disappointed to see Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner veto legislation to modernize voter registration.
This bill would dramatically modernize voter registration in Illinois, adding thousands of eligible voters to the rolls and making our state’s voting lists more accurate and secure. In addition, this idea would remove an obstacle for people who live far from where they need to register.
And it even included strict provisions to protect against voter fraud.
In short, there was no reason to veto this legislation, which is why I’m asking you to join me today in expressing your disappointment with Governor Rauner’s action:
Tell Governor Rauner that it is unacceptable to veto modernizing voter registration in the state of Illinois by adding your name today.
I was proud to see my State Senator and good friend Andy Manar introduce this idea and happy to see it received overwhelming bipartisan support when it passed the General Assembly.
This legislation will make it easier for two million people in Illinois to vote in future elections. My hope is that the General Assembly will move quickly and overturn this shortsighted veto.
In the meantime, let’s make sure that Governor Rauner hears from people like us. He needs to know that we’re all going to continue fighting to make it easier for people in this country vote.
ADD YOUR NAME
Best wishes,
Dick Durbin
The e-mail’s links connect to this website.
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Munger doubles down on legislator pay
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Illinois Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger on Wednesday announced “No budget, no pay” legislation to ensure that the General Assembly and Governor pass an annual balanced budget, as required by the state’s Constitution.
Specifically, the legislation requires a balanced budget be passed in order for the state’s Constitutional Officers – and the 177 members of the General Assembly – to be paid their salary.
“I don’t know of an employer that would pay someone that is not doing their job. Why should taxpayers settle for less?,” Munger said. “We tell small businesses, nonprofits, hospitals, schools and others to wait in line for months for what they’re owed by the state – it’s unconscionable that we would prioritize politician pay and move them to the front.”
Munger’s announcement comes after she directed her staff in April to pay politicians – herself included – like every other state vendor. State law demands that elected officials be paid, but Munger implemented policy that required them to wait in line.
Despite pushback from her colleagues, Munger has followed the policy. She is now introducing legislation to ensure that if a balanced budget is not in place, there is no compensation for elected leaders.
She also noted that her challenger for Comptroller, Susana Mendoza, spent 10 years in the State House, voting for every one of Speaker Madigan’s budgets, tax increases and pension holidays. Munger said Illinois must go in a different direction.
“I was raised in Joliet, I met my husband at U of I and raised my family in Lincolnshire,” Munger said. “We love Illinois and I, like many Illinois voters, have seen enough of the machine politics that have made Susana Mendoza. Enough is enough. When I look at her record, I can’t help but ask, what’s the deal?”
Thoughts?
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Today’s quotables
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Says the person who was appointed to her current office after losing a legislative race…
* But Munger isn’t exactly wrong about Mendoza, either. Check out this Illinois Issues profile posted on the Democratic comptroller candidate’s own campaign website…
She calls fellow Democrats Ed Burke, a Chicago alderman, and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan political mentors
Think that’ll somehow find its way into the fall campaign?
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Details about the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation were few Tuesday, beyond the large-scale goal of raising enough money to cover an estimated $180 million to repair dilapidated barns, aging sewer and electrical systems and deteriorating roadways.
Several board members have been appointed, but the group has yet to secure any pledged donors — beyond a promise by Rauner that he and wife Diana Rauner plan to kick in an unspecified sum. Diana Rauner also is spearheading private fundraising to revitalize the dilapidated governor’s mansion and has said she’s secured $4.5 million in pledges so far, including $1 million from herself and the governor.
As it stands, everything is on the table, including the possibility of selling naming rights to buildings, said board member John Slayton.
* The Question: Best corporate State Fair building names?
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Don’t hold your breath
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ain’t gonna happen…
Rod Blagojevich and his supporters hope President Barack Obama might consider clemency for the imprisoned former governor.
“Obama certainly has the power to commute (reduce) Blagojevich’s sentence and send him home to his family. The president has two daughters just like Blagojevich and he may have some compassion for him,” says Leonard Goodman, the defense attorney handling the former governor’s appeal of his 2011 corruption conviction.
An online petition asks Obama to grant clemency to the imprisoned former governor. It needs 100,000 signatures by Sept. 9 in order to get the White House’s attention. It has 969 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon. The petition, whose creator is identified only as “A.G.,” was put on the White House’s “We the People” website. […]
“I think he deserved some kind of pardon or diminished sentence, but I don’t think there’s any likelihood that will happen. There are a lot of people out there with much more compelling problems,” says Ed Genson, Chicago’s dean of criminal defense attorneys. […]
“The focus of President Obama’s clemency attention has been on drug offenders and cases of (pardoning) people who have been long out of prison and who are dealing with the adverse effects of having a conviction,” [Margaret Love, a D.C. attorney who specializes in executive clemency issues] says, adding it would be unlikely for Obama “to do anything so unpredictable” as to pardon Blagojevich.
No way is this gonna happen. No way.
Blagojevich and Obama were never close. In fact, Rod left the 2004 Democratic National Convention in a huff because Obama was getting all the media attention. Rod saw himself as Illinois’ rising star, and he never got over the fact that Obama was the one who caught lightning in a bottle. Obama, for his part, mostly kept his distance from Blagojevich. They did share a fundraiser (Tony Rezko), but there wasn’t any other significant overlap to my recollection, so the former governor has nobody with strong Obama connections to make his case. And their families weren’t close, so Obama wouldn’t have a personal feel for their current pain.
Also, Blagojevich was initially convicted of trying to sell Obama’s US Senate seat. A commutation or pardon would be seen by many tinfoil hat types as an admission that Obama was somehow in on it.
Not to mention that US District Judge James Zagel did a pretty good job the other day of explaining why Blagojevich didn’t deserve a reduction in his sentence.
And then there’s the pathetic response to the online petition.
Nope.
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Rauner sets another money record
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R…
Gov. Bruce Rauner was among a group of buyers who paid $104,000 Tuesday for the Grand Champion Steer, besting the previous Illinois State Fair record of $100,000.
The steer was shown by Lucas Wisnefski, 18, of Wyoming, Illinois. Speaking to reporters afterward, Wisnefski explained his formula for success.
“It’s hard work and dedication,” he said. “Always try to work the hardest you can.” […]
The previous record paid for a champion steer was two years ago. Last year, it brought $62,000, and then was resold for another $12,000. Wisnefski’s steer was bought by Bruce and Diana Rauner and a group calling itself Friends of the Exhibitor (Wisnefski).
The governor wasn’t available for comment after the sale.
* Tribune…
Congratulations to Gov. Bruce Rauner — the Usain Bolt of buying expensive cattle at the Illinois State Fair — who on Tuesday night became the proud owner of a $104,000 steer. […]
Wearing blue jeans, cowboy boots and a red and blue plaid shirt, Rauner confidently fended off rival bidders to scoop up a 1,324-pound cross-breed named “David L.”
Just as Bolt celebrated before the crowd in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night with his trademark “lightning” pose, the governor acknowledged the audience at the state fairgrounds in Springfield with his trademark “thumbs up” gesture.
Rauner got a big cheer for setting a new record at the charity auction, which benefits 4-H clubs and the Illinois Future Farmers of America.
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Rauner signs bill to extend local wind farm tax
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release from Wind on the Wires, a group which advocates for wind power…
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation Tuesday that will ensure the state’s rural communities continue to receive tens of millions in annual property tax revenue from wind farms.
Senate Bill 2612, sponsored by Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) and Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Rochelle), extends a sunset provision in an existing law that is scheduled to expire at the end of 2016. The tax revenue from Illinois wind farms injects millions of dollars into local coffers for rural schools, roads, and other government services.
Illinois’ existing wind projects provide over $30 million in annual property tax revenue to local communities, according to a July 2016 study by the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University. The state ranks fifth in the nation for installed wind capacity, and is leading the way for clean energy job growth in the Midwest, according to a recent study by Clean Energy Trust.
“Business stability for wind farm operators is an issue on which both sides of the aisle can agree,” said Kevin Borgia, public policy manager at Wind on the Wires. “We applaud Sen. Koehler and Rep. Demmer for forging unanimous, bipartisan support for the legislation.”
“Extending this provision will ensure that rural Illinois communities will continue to benefit from tax revenue generated by wind farms for years to come,” Borgia added.
The bill is not a tax break, it simply extends the sunset on existing law governing the amount of local property taxes that wind farms will pay to local governments. This revenue is increasingly important for rural counties amidst ongoing budget stalemate at the state capitol.
* Rep. Demmer…
Legislation passed by State Representative Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) to extend the process by which wind energy devices are assessed for property taxes, providing stability for both the industry and local taxing districts was signed into law by Governor Rauner on Tuesday.
“I am glad to deliver a stable, predictable method that both local government and wind energy developers can use for the next five years,” said Rep. Demmer. “This helps communities and businesses plan for the future. That is good for taxpayers and good for wind energy employees.”
Prior to the Governor’s enactment of Rep. Demmer’s legislation, the assessment process for wind energy devices was scheduled to sunset in tax year 2016. Under the terms of the legislation, the assessment process will be extended five years, until 2021.
Wendy Ryerson, Chief County Assessment Officer for Lee County and past president of the Illinois Chief County Assessment Officers Association, reacted the passage of SB 2612 in May by stating, “the continuation of the state-wide assessment standard provided by SB 2612 offers stability for taxing districts and wind project owners, and gives assessment officials a proven methodology to follow. It is a win-win for everyone.”
Rep. Demmer’s legislation was supported by the Illinois County Assessment Officers Association, the Fair Assessment Information Resources Committee, and the Illinois Farm Bureau.
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Caption contest!
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the twitters…
…Adding… An ILGOP press release “explains” the button…
The seasons come and go, but not Mike Madigan – he’s been a career politician for 45 years and the Illinois House Speaker for over 30 years.
No wonder Madigan has stonewalled every legislative and citizen attempt to get a term limits referendum on the ballot.
In Mike Madigan’s mind, term limits exist – he only enforces them when his minions fall out of his good graces. The politicians he controls are churned through his Chicago Machine and propped up by his rigged system of special interest cash and gerrymandered districts.
IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT MADIGAN OPPOSES TERM LIMITS
HE’S MADE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OFF HIS SPEAKERSHIP AND HIS POLITICALLY-CONNECTED LAW FIRM
Mike Madigan’s law firm – Madigan & Getzendanner – handles property tax appeals for some of Chicago’s most expensive properties3.
When wealthy Chicago property owners need to save money on their property taxes, they turn to Madigan, and Madigan turns to Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party and longtime ally of Madigan, for favorable property tax appeals.
In 2013, Madigan’s firm secured $10 million in property tax tax refunds and shaved $18 million off property valuations for clients.
Madigan has said that his annual income has topped $1 million, in addition to his $95,000 salary as Speaker of the House, but he refuses to reveal his net worth or release his tax returns.
Mike Madigan has eliminated any ethical boundaries between his private business dealings and his public capacity as Speaker – Madigan is using his political clout for personal financial gain. Now more than ever, Illinois needs term limits to put an end to Madigan’s rigged system and his Chicago Political Machine.
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* Bernie interviewed US Sen. Mark Kirk…
Asked if he has considered becoming an independent, given his policy differences with some in his party, Kirk said, “In the case of Illinois, the Democratic Party is largely a party of SEIU,” which is short for Service Employees International Union.
“The SEIU is so corrupt,” he said. “The problem is the big unions are already running the state. They’ll run it just like the big unions have run Puerto Rico. … And I think it’s incumbent upon me as a leader of this community to make sure we have fiscally conservative decisions to make sure we have enough money for roads and prisons and schools. We gotta protect the people of Illinois from the fate of the people of Puerto Rico or Greece.”
* More…
Kirk also said he has been “all over the map” on who he would support for president, but returned Tuesday to saying he plans to write in former CIA director and retired U.S. Army general David Petraeus, who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information.
As for the Petraeus guilty plea, Kirk said, “My worry is that he was always seen as a potential rival to the president. I think they went too hard on him.”
In case you lost track, Kirk started out backing Trump, then went to Petraeus, then dumped him for Colin Powell and now he’s back with Petraeus.
Kirk also told Bernie he “largely” likes Gov. Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda.
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* Pearson…
The schedule says Governor’s Day, also known as Republican Day, but make no mistake: It’s Gov. Bruce Rauner’s day at the Illinois State Fair. […]
Rauner has remade the Republican Party in Illinois, using his wealth and that of his friends to provide campaign resources unlike anything the state GOP has ever seen.
Rauner has provided the state party organization with more than $10 million from his campaign fund for this election cycle. That, in turn, has allowed the state GOP to move huge sums of cash to the legislative campaign arms of state House and Senate Republicans.
Much of that money has been turned into cable TV ads and mailers backing Republicans challenging targeted Democratic incumbents in the suburbs and Downstate, most often seeking to connect the officeholders with Rauner’s chief nemesis, longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan, who chairs the state Democratic Party.
* Some of today’s focus, I’m told, will be on US Sen. Dick Durbin, who’s been openly mulling a run against Rauner in 2018, including when he was at a Metro East event with Rauner just the other day.
“I think you’re going to see folks address [Durbin] in their remarks today and it will be part of a larger effort over the course of the next few months as long as he’s considering,” said a Rauner insider this morning. “He’s had a free pass in the press in our view.”
The insider said Durbin has “Mountains of baggage,” adding, “He’s screwed up DC for over 30 years and thinks he’s qualified to fix the state? What a joke. And, oh, by the way - he embarked on this navel gazing exercise about whether to run by first kissing Mike Madigan’s ring.”
Mess with the bull…
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