Campaign notebook
Thursday, Feb 10, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Nothing quite like a full-on embrace of the concept. From appellate justice candidate Tom DeVore’s not for profit Facebook page…
* Madison County Record…
Michal Kasper of Chicago, who rescued three St. Clair County judges from likely denial of retention in 2016, represents legislators defending a law that tilted the scales of justice in Madison County toward Democrats.
Kasper, an elections lawyer with deep, longstanding connections to the state Democratic Party and former Speaker Michael J. Madigan, petitioned to intervene in Madison County’s challenge to the law, as counsel to House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Chicago) and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Chicago).
In his Feb. 7 filing, Kasper identifies himself as a special assistant attorney general.
* Not sure if it’ll help much, but…
Lauf is a past contributor to Sen. Paul.
* Crain’s…
While GOP gubernatorial hopeful Richard Irvin has been raking in big donations from the likes of former Abbott CEO Miles White ($150,000), Pathways founder Shirley Ryan ($250,000), and major donors like Sam Zell and Craig Duchossois, other members of his statewide GOP slate have yet to log any.
All of the candidates have established fundraising committees, but have not recorded what are known as A-1s, a report of any contribution of $1,000 or more. Those must be reported to the State Board of Elections within five days of receipt. That’s raised some eyebrows as Irvin has raked in money and the campaigns have been up and running for more than a month now. Irvin and others could transfer funds over to other campaigns, too, but that hasn’t happened yet either.
The campaigns are still being built out, a spokesman for Secretary of State candidate John Milhiser, Attorney General candidate Steve Kim, and Comptroller candidate Shannon Teresi said in an email. All three share a campaign treasurer with Irvin. “Fundraising events are being planned right now. In the meantime, each of the candidates is continuing to have important conversations with voters every opportunity they are able to.”
Not sure where those “conversations” are taking place, and most of their Twitter posts look like they were written by bots. Maybe they could fill their time by doing interviews with reporters.
* Politico…
Police union raises dues to beef up PAC: The board of the Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago voted yesterday to raise union dues by $10 per check to beef up the organization’s political action committee fund. FOP President John Catanzara said on a Facebook post last night that the goal is to create a $2.5 million fund to help political candidates beat “the crooked politicians.” Catanzara added: “Enough is enough. … Whether it’s Springfield or City Hall, change is coming. You were warned.” […]
Israel takes center stage in Newman v. Casten race: “[T]he ongoing investigation into whether Rep. Marie Newman gave a job to a potential rival has damaged Newman ahead of a June primary with Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) — and her vote against funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense had already set up a brutal primary. Casten, a two-term Democrat from another part of the Chicago suburbs, is endorsed by the Democratic Majority for Israel and other groups that want to defeat candidates who, like Newman, have broken with the party’s position on Israel to oppose military aid or criticize the Jewish state,” by the Washington Post.
* Not a bad idea…
Farewell to Champaign County’s longtime “I voted” stickers.
The next stickers to be handed to voters at the polls are going to be works of art designed by local kids and adults.
County Clerk and Recorder Aaron Ammons has launched a contest inviting kids from kindergarten on up and adults to submit their original sticker designs using the theme “this is what democracy looks like.”
Ammons said the county has used the same stickers for at least a decade, and he’s seen other counties use more creative designs.
…Adding… I completely forgot about this email from early today until a commenter jogged my memory…
Republican candidate for governor Paul Schimpf released the following statement regarding Governor Pritzker’s recent action in support of General Iron and urged the Mayor of Chicago to reject his efforts to issue a permit to a known polluter.
“It astounds me that in today’s age of environmental awareness, the Governor would ignore concerns from a local community and approve an operating permit for a company with a track record of pollution. The past actions of General Iron do not warrant any assumption of safety or environmental compliance on their part. Illinois needs leaders who will listen to communities and insist upon following proper procedural safeguards. I urge the Governor to reconsider his callous disregard of local concerns about the General Iron permit and the Mayor of Chicago to deny this permit.”
* More…
* Jonathan Swain kicks off bid to succeed Rep. Bobby Rush in jammed Democratic primary
* Barack Obama kicked off presidential campaign 15 years ago in Springfield: A look back and forward
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* I highly, highly recommend you read the entire article by Gregory Pratt and Madeline Buckley…
After Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot downplayed her administration’s slow implementation of police reforms during a speech in 2020, a lawyer for the Illinois attorney general responded in court by criticizing the city’s handling of the consent decree.
Lightfoot fired back by texting Attorney General Kwame Raoul directly that his office took a “cheap political shot” by questioning her administration’s handling of police reforms instead of calling her first personally to discuss it.
“Kwame, do you really want (a) public fight with me over the consent decree? Your flak’s comments today in court were way over the line. You have never once engaged with me over the consent decree, so this is shameful,” Lightfoot texted Raoul. “It was a cheap political shot that I would have thought was beneath you, but now I know the terms of engagement.” […]
“Your person didn’t just say it was slow. She mocked my announcement from earlier this week, called me out by name and said the city is intentionally, intentionally foot dragging,” Lightfoot wrote in a follow-up message to Raoul. “I know you are pissed at me, but throwing gasoline on a raging fire is stupid and irresponsible. If you actually wanted to discuss the consent decree process, I would have expected you as the leader of your office to actually reach out to me. I have had zero engagement from you, so the comments today were ridiculous in light of the lack of engagement by you personally.”
Lightfoot promised to “highlight the lack of engagement” if she was asked about it by reporters.
Raoul responded: “I fully expect you to do that. … I will communicate as well.”
Seriously, go read the rest.
* But also read this story from last year for context…
A top adviser to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot resigned in August while raising concerns about the city’s ability to “keep moving the ball forward” on its violence prevention efforts and Police Department consent decree implementation, records obtained by the Tribune show. […]
Lee’s resignation came one week before Chad Williams, the former civilian commanding officer of the Chicago Police Department’s audit division, wrote Lightfoot to say he had been proud to lead the unit but had become disillusioned and was resigning his post.
“Unfortunately, my disappointment with the inability of this department’s top leadership to even feign interest in pursuing reform in a meaningful manner has made it impossible for me to remain involved,” Williams wrote in the email, as previously reported by the Tribune. “Even more unfortunate is that my experience is far from unique. Many well-meaning and talented civilians have signed up to help improve the nation’s (second largest) police department, only to find themselves steadily thwarted by its perverse incentive structures until they inevitably depart due to demoralization.”
…Adding… Also, she should maybe take her own advice…
As a chronic polluter sought city permission to set up shop on Chicago’s Southeast Side, recently released emails show there was a stark divide in the administration of Mayor Lori Lightfoot — one the mayor wanted to keep secret from the public.
The fall 2020 emails, released to the Tribune under an open records request, offer a window into the extent to which Lightfoot hoped to stop the public from learning details of the behind-the-scenes debate over General Iron’s attempted move from a wealthy, largely white Lincoln Park neighborhood to a lower-income, predominantly Latino one on the Southeast Side.
Despite campaigning on a promise to “bring in the light” at City Hall, Lightfoot admonished staffers for sending her emails that could later be made public, if somebody happened to request them under the state’s Freedom of Information Act, commonly known by its acronym FOIA.
The mayor scolded her top environmental adviser for sending her a memo on General Iron, saying the aide’s written recommendations have “no FOIA protections and that just cannot be a thing.”
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* Background is here if you need it. An alternative headline could be: “Cook County State’s Attorney’s office throws Pritzker, Black Caucus under the bus for second time this week to explain charging decisions”…
For the second time this week, Cook County prosecutors cited changes to the state’s felony murder statute as the reason for not charging a man accused of being involved in a deadly shootout that led to a murder.
On Wednesday, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said 22-year-old Tayvon Powe would have faced a first-degree murder charge prior to last summer when the statute’s changes went into effect.
“If this was prior to July of [2021] when the change in the law that went into effect, this defendant would be facing first degree murder charges,” Murphy told Judge Mary Marubio at Powe’s bond hearing. “ … He is not facing those first-degree murder charges at this point.”
Powe still faces aggravated discharge of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon charges — counts that could land him in prison for more than a decade if he’s convicted.
Powe isn’t accused of actually killing anyone, but of starting a shootout at a house party early on Jan. 1 in Englewood that left his friend dead.
Antonio Rankin had gotten in a fight with several people at the party and called Powe to pick him up, Murphy said. After arriving outside the party, Powe and another person, who hasn’t been charged yet, allegedly opened fire on people standing on the home’s porch.
Rankin was shot and killed. Powe took him to the hospital.
* From the ILGOP…
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy released the following statement in response to the latest outcome of Pritzker signing the most pro-criminal, anti-police legislation in Illinois history:
“As violent crime surges across Chicago and bleeds into surrounding communities, we are now seeing the direct consequences of a Governor who prioritizes criminals over the safety of law-abiding Illinoisans. With each turn of the page, the SAFE-T Act reveals another way laws have been changed to give the advantage to criminals and make the job of protecting the public that much harder for law enforcement. We need to repeal the pro-criminal, anti-police SAFE-T Act immediately and elect a Governor who will make our communities safe again.”
…Adding… Former House Democratic staffer who came up during the time when the stinging 1994 wipeout was the controlling party political ideology who is now a pro-police downtown alderperson…
…Adding… Gary Rabine…
JB Pritzker’s soft-on-crime policies which went into effect just weeks ago are now taking hold and criminals who commit the most serious offenses are not being prosecuted. JB has failed miserably in his primary obligation as Governor—keeping Illinois residents safe. All of this, with an assist from the worst Prosecutor and best Public Defender in the country, Kim Foxx. People are committing murder in Cook County and getting away with it.
We need to immediately repeal Pritzker’s Safe-T Act which is the softest-on-crime piece of legislation in Illinois history. But we need to go one step further. The day I am sworn in as Governor of Illinois, I will introduce legislation allowing voters to recall rogue State’s Attorneys like Kim Foxx. Illinois residents should not be held hostage and harmed by woke and out of touch public officials who are supposed to keep us safe.
…Adding… House GOP Leader Jim Durkin…
“For a second time this week, a violent criminal has escaped accountability for instigating a shootout that resulted in the death of a young man on the streets of Chicago. Governor Pritzker and his Democrat allies’ so-called “reform” has already destroyed the families of two victims and robbed them of the justice they deserve. Illinois is truly a consequence-free state for criminals. Repeal this law and restore justice in Illinois.”
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* In retrospect, appointing the Macon County Democratic Party chair as head of the CDB might not have been the wisest move. Sun-Times…
The watchdog appointed to investigate potential patronage by state officials determined the Illinois Capital Development Board made several hiring mistakes — including hiring a person on a “Clout List” with close ties to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Noelle Brennan, the lawyer assigned to monitor the state’s compliance with the Shakman consent decree, released her findings in a court filing Wednesday. Her response comes as the state has fought to vacate the decree, which it’s been under since 1972. The Shakman decree banned political considerations in hiring and firing, though there are some exceptions.
Brennan requested in the filing that the state’s motion to vacate the decree be denied, considering the recent findings.
According to the filing, the violations occurred when the Capital Development Board sought to hire several “contract specialists” as the state launched its Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan. That program saw its budget grow from $28 million in 2018 to more than $9 billion in 2021. The plan is set to invest $45 billion into roads, early childhood centers, bridges and other state facilities over the next several years. […]
The monitor initially found the hiring process used for these vacant positions violated several personnel code provisions — and, specifically, that the hiring of four people raised concerns given their history, as the Chicago Sun-Times reported last month.
The continued investigation found that two of those four people had been fired by the state previously. That included the person with ties to Blagojevich. Another person hired was the son of one of the agency’s top officials and did not meet the minimum qualifications for the position.
* From that earlier Sun-Times story…
In a written statement in response to questions, Pritzker’s general counsel Ann Spillane pointed out that the state itself originally brought the Capital Development Board matter to Brennan’s attention and that, in her interviews with state employees, the monitor has not even asked about political patronage.
“The governor is committed to ensuring all state hiring and employment practices are conducted with the highest ethical standards and is proud to have built the most diverse administration in Illinois history,” Spillane said, adding that the Shakman case has cost the state more than $1 million in just the past 18 months.
While generally complimentary of the state’s reform efforts, Brennan suggests in her filings that the problems at the Capital Development Board could point to broader shortcomings in how the state is rolling out its new “Comprehensive Employment Plan,” which is supposed to form the basis for the job reforms that would make Shakman oversight unnecessary.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s chief legal counsel Ann Spillane…
The Governor is committed to ensuring all state hiring and employment practices are conducted with the highest ethical standards and is proud to have built the most diverse administration in Illinois history. As evidence of that commitment, we have increased resources and staffing to create a robust Rutan compliance program, established a training program for everyone involved in hiring, and implemented an electronic system to modernize the State’s human resources. The court has noted this administration’s extensive progress on improving state employment practices. No one, including the Shakman Plaintiffs and the Special Master, disputes that significant progress. The Special Master’s December report concluded by explaining that “the State has significantly improved its employment practices over the last several years,” noting that the State’s actions have led to “substantial compliance” with the 1972 Decree.
The state believes it has met all objectives of the 1972 Shakman Consent Decree in the decades since it was put in place and the continuation of the Decree is costly and far beyond its original scope. As a cost of over $1 million for just the last 18 months and an ongoing cost of nearly $100,000 per month, we believe it’s our duty to focus State resources on hiring needed employees, not paying more attorneys’ fees. At this point, the Plaintiffs cannot point to a single violation of the law in multiple administrations. In fact, Plaintiffs now say that they support the State’s motion to end the Shakman decree and believe the State should take minor steps to end the case by April.
ON CDB:
• The administration identified a procedural mistake by CDB in filling a position and flagged that mistake for the special master. That is how she learned of the procedural issue.
• The special master has now reviewed CDB’s hiring for over four months and has not identified any evidence of patronage or any evidence that any employee committed misconduct. She has identified mistakes.
• Throughout this case, the State has adopted as many of the special master’s recommendations as possible into our practices. We are reviewing the special master’s report and will use it to ensure that HR personnel learn from any procedural mistakes CDB employees made and avoid similar mistakes in the future.
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* Background is here if you need it…
…Adding… Last week, Bailey was making fun of Richard Irvin for not answering questions and abruptly ending an interview…
Now, friends, you’ve got to scroll down and watch the last post that we posted last night with this Democrat Mayor Irvin that the Republican establishment has propped up to to run for governor. You’re going to love this. He’s had that, for the first time and two weeks since they’ve announced he’s been starting to having interviews. He is bombing them bad. Last night, you know, he said he was no one’s pushover. And yesterday in my live I mentioned that well, you know, you don’t push puppets you pull puppets. And in an interview last night he was asked about the abortion issue. And you could hear someone in the background saying this interview is over. And then he looked at them, he paused and he said well, I think this interview is over. Watch the one and a half minute clip that we posted. It was on Fox 32 last night.
He will not answer the Trump question. He won’t talk about who he voted for in the past. And it just seems like we’re living in some crazy days here in Illinois.
Indeed, Senator. Indeed.
…Adding… More…
…Adding… Does the candidate have a hearing problem?…
…Adding… From the campaign…
IN A PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT MANDATES Senator Bailey was asked “do you believe President Trump when he said it was unvaccinated people driving hospitalizations and deaths…” He replied that he didn’t agree Trump said that in regard to mandates. He then stated his opposition to mandates. Senator Bailey believes vaccines have helped save lives, but believes it should be a personal choice.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** That dog won’t hunt
Wednesday, Feb 9, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* When Gov. Pritzker announced the reinstatement of the mask mandate on August 26, 2021, hospitalizations were at 2,240, not 1,700 as claimed below. The mandate didn’t take effect until August 30, when 2,266 people were in the hospital, so Illinois was on an upswing, eventually peaking at 7,380 hospitalizations on January 12.
Illinois is currently at 2,496 hospitalizations, that’s 10 percent more than were in the hospital when the mandate went back into effect in August. During the past three weeks, hospitalizations have fallen 60 percent. It is not a stretch to believe that Illinois will be below, even well below, 2,266 hospitalizations by February 28th. Heck, they could even be below the mythical 1,700 at this rate.
From today’s press conference…
Q: Despite all that’s been said just now, and I’m not gonna surprise you, there are people who are still questioning this decision and say, ‘Is it really about the science or is it about your reelection?’ On Monday you said ‘hospitalizations’ three times.
A: Yes
Q: Well, when you put the mask mandate in place, hospitalizations were at 1,700. We’re not at 1,700 now.
A: No, we’re not.
Q: So why pick February 28?
A: Because we’re seeing a trajectory of those hospitalizations. We’ve come from 7,300, more than that, down to under 2,500 just in the last couple weeks. And over the next couple of weeks before we get to February 28 I think we all expect to see a continuation of that trend.
If you’re gonna claim politics are involved in this mask decision, find a better argument.
*** UPDATE *** I didn’t notice this before, but the state is projecting that just 500 people will be hospitalized with covid ten days from now, on February 19th. We haven’t been to that level since mid-July of last year. Click the pic for the full document…
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* Sun-Times…
A Cook County grand jury has declined to indict a man on a first-degree murder charge in connection with a December shooting that left a woman dead when she was struck by a stray bullet in Austin.
The case appears to be the first of it’s kind brought in the county since the state’s felony murder statute was changed as part of the SAFE-T Act — a landmark criminal justice reform bill that became state law last year.
The rewritten felony murder law was designed to narrow who could be charged with the state’s most serious offense — which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison — to a person alleged to be directly responsible for committing the murder. […]
Andrews faces a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. None of the current charges are eligible for probation. […]
“For decades, the legal system has relied on the practice of overcharging to coerce guilty pleas. Specifically, the felony murder rule has enabled the state to prosecute people for someone else’s actions, and sometimes even the state’s own actions,” the [Cook County Public Defender’s] office said. “As a result, far too many people in Illinois have served or are serving decades-long sentences for murders they did not commit and did not intend for anyone else to commit.”
* Richard Irvin campaign…
In response to the news that a man responsible for the shooting death of an innocent bystander will escape charges for her death due to JB Pritzker’s pro-criminal law, Mayor Richard Irvin released the following statement:
“An innocent life was lost, and the violent criminal will not be held accountable for her death because of the dangerous policies in JB Pritzker’s pro-criminal law. Unfortunately this is just the beginning of increases in crime and violence as more parts of this law take effect. Illinoisans deserve to feel safe in their communities, and need a Governor who will protect the working class over the criminal class.”
Just yesterday, Irvin launched a petition to repeal the dangerous anti-police policies that have empowered criminals and crippled law enforcement throughout Illinois.
I’ve asked the governor’s campaign for a response.
* Media advisory…
MEDIA ADVISORY: HGOP Calls for Repeal of SAFE-T Act After Pritzker Law Lets Criminal Evade Justice
WHO: House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), Representatives Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis), Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva).
WHAT: House Republican legislators will discuss the devastating real life consequences of abolishing Illinois’ felony murder rule, a critical component of the SAFE-T Act.
WHEN: 11 AM on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr…
Hey Rich, the SAFE-T Act did not abolish the felony murder rule, it just changed it.
Now to be charged with felony murder, you or another participant in the underlying felony have to be the cause of the death.
So if people A, B and C were accused of robbing a bank together and either A, B or C killed D; A, B and C can still all be charged with felony murder no matter who pulled the trigger.
The change basically says to be charged with felony murder, you or someone in your group has to be accused of murdering someone.
The rule was routinely abused; cops chasing someone in a car, the cops runs into someone in a chase, they charge the guy being chased with murder.
…Adding… Restore Justice Illinois…
In 2021, Illinois narrowly tailored its felony-murder rule. The necessary change only ensures someone is culpable for first-degree murder before they face our state’s harshest possible punishment.
Today, Illinois House Republican members are holding a press conference to call for repeal of the SAFE-T Act and to mislead the public about the scope of the Act’s changes to the felony-murder rule.
FACTS
• The SAFE-T Act did not abolish the felony-murder rule.
• The change brought Illinois into line with the majority of other states.
• Under the current law, prosecutors may still charge people with felony murder in a variety of scenarios.
• The SAFE-T Act only narrowed the scope of the felony-murder rule. It removes the possibility of charging a person with first-degree murder when the killing was committed by a third party (i.e. a store owner or a police officer).
• Felony-murder is still a viable charge, and prosecutors can continue to use it to hold people accountable for deaths caused by themselves or other participants in the underlying felony.
• Lesser - but still severe - charges are always available in cases where felony murder is not appropriate. Many of these charges include long prison sentences with no possibility of parole or early release due to rehabilitation.
Before the SAFE-T Act, Illinois had one of the broadest felony murder laws in the country. People were charged with first-degree murder when a police officer, store owner, or other third party killed someone. Some states don’t have felony-murder laws, and in the majority of those that do, people can only be held accountable for deaths they or their co-defendants cause. The SAFE-T Act moved Illinois into that category.
Under the current law, a person can be charged with murder when they or their co-defendant directly cause the death but not when a third party kills someone.
Charging people with felony-murder, which is first-degree murder and carries a minimum sentence of 20 years (45 years if a gun is used), is an overreach in cases in which a third party kills a co-defendant. People convicted of first-degree murder today must serve their entire sentences; Illinois does not offer time off for rehabilitation nor does it offer parole-for-release opportunities to people 21 and over convicted of murder.
Long sentences do not deter crime. They continue to cause pain in the communities already torn apart by violence and over-incarceration. We need evidence-based responses to violence in Illinois’s communities.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
Travis Andrews is facing a serious sentence, which will result in him going to prison for a long time if he is found guilty. Additionally, prosecutors still have a host of other charges available to them. The fearmongering from Republicans continues to know no bounds. Richard Irvin knows better than anyone the severity of felony charges without the possibility of parole, considering his marketing materials and how much money he’s made freeing criminals from accountability. The GOP’s near-constant exploitation of crime for their personal, political gain is disappointing, but not at all surprising.
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* Lynn Sweet…
What happened: On Friday, the RNC on a voice vote approved a resolution to censure Kinzinger, of Illinois, and Cheney, of Wyoming, and “no longer support them as members of the Republican party.”
Illinois National Committeeman Richard Porter and Illinois National Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte, members of the RNC, supported the measure.
Backfire: The censure resolution has backfire potential for Republicans because it said that Kinzinger and Cheney, the only two Republicans on the Jan. 6 panel, are participating in “a Democratic-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes.”
The problem: This “ordinary citizens” statement. Obviously, the Democrats can exploit this — the ad writes itself about violent rioters being “ordinary citizens.” On the other side of the coin, Republicans in primaries trying to out-Trump their competition — and make heroes out of the Jan. 6 mob — got a gift. […]
“It will be used against hundreds of elected Republicans who were not consulted in its drafting and do not endorse its sentiment. To the extent that the party did not intend this as the meaning — and RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, already doing damage control, says it was not meant that way — its wording is political malpractice of the highest order coming from people whose entire job is politics.” [wrote the National Review editorial board]
* Greg Hinz…
Here in Illinois, as I recently wrote, the GOP is in the early stages of rebuilding itself. It has a nice slate of candidates for statewide office, a financier in Citadel’s Ken Griffin, and issues like crime and taxes with the power to attract votes.
But because Trump tried to do what no American president ever has done—retain power by any means necessary, be it misreading the Constitution, encouraging a riot or indicating he may well pardon the rioters if he regains the White House—Trump has set up a new threshold issue for every Republican running everywhere. And that is: Where do you stand? With Trump or against him?
Ergo a few days ago, barely had I mentioned the name “Trump” in an interview with GOP gubernatorial hopeful Richard Irvin when Irvin declared without prompting that Joe Biden is the president of the United States. But Irvin wouldn’t answer when I asked him three different times who he actually voted for in 2020. He’s between a GOP primary rock and a general election hard place.
Irvin has good reason to be skittish. In recent weeks, even as we’ve become numbed to the latest Trump revelations, just as we’ve become sick and tired of anything COVID, the threat that Trump posed and poses has become clearer than ever.
* Crain’s…
But it was Kinzinger himself who basically argued Monday in a pair of cable-news appearances that the response to the RNC’s censure should be considered a political litmus test for the GOP. On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” he called it “a defining moment for the party and I think it’s a defining moment for every member of the House or the Senate or any Republican leader.”
Kinzinger called for the media and for voters to “pin down every Republican and say, ‘Do you side with what the RNC did or do you condemn what they did?’” He added, “Trust me, politicians are really good at kind of skirting around that answer. Don’t let them on this one. I think it’s so defining.”
He said of the RNC: “Those that are driving the train have lost any sense of democracy mattering,” and went on to paint a stark picture of where the nation stands. “The RNC deserves every aspect of backlash that is going to come down on it,” Kinzinger said. “This is a defining moment in American politics and in the RNC’s future. Are you for authoritarianism? Are you against democracy? Or are you going to wake up to that slide and get back to actual democracy again?”
…Adding… DPI…
The fallout continues from the RNC’s disgraceful decision to call the violent January 6 insurrection “legitimate political discourse.” Yesterday. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell split with the national party and correctly described the day as “violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.” His counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, refused to state the obvious, instead running from reporters when asked his opinion of the RNC’s description. Meanwhile, Illinois Republican Adam Kinzinger called on the media to question members of his own party, saying reporters should “pin down every Republican and say, ‘Do you side with what the RNC did or do you condemn what they did?’”
Where does that leave Illinois Republicans? We do know that RNC Committeeman and recent Irvin/Bourne backer Richard Porter supported the shameful language last week, along with RNC Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte. But to date, the Illinois Republican Party has been silent about the “legitimate political discourse” flap, while Republican Congressional candidates across the state continue to hide from the question.
The question is simple: do Illinois Republicans agree with Mitch McConnell or Kevin McCarthy? Do they acknowledge Jan. 6 was a violent insurrection intended to undermine our democracy or are they willing to gaslight Illinoisans with “legitimate political discourse” spin? The voters deserve to know.
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* Sun-Times…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker will lay out a plan on Wednesday to phase out his mask mandate for Illinois residents in most indoor settings, sources said.
Pritzker teased the rollback earlier Tuesday, telling residents to “stay tuned” for an update on the masking policy that has been back in effect for about six months — and which has faced pushback over the past week as Illinois’ COVID-19 metrics sink to the lowest levels seen since the onset of the Omicron variant.
While Pritzker is expected to wind down the mandate for the public at large, state officials plan to continue waging a legal battle to keep masks on in schools, which present a different ongoing challenge in the pandemic, according to the Democratic governor.
“We’re very close,” Pritzker said at an unrelated Springfield news conference Tuesday afternoon. “The challenge in schools … is because it’s such a central focus of communities, and literally sometimes thousands of people are interacting in a school in a single day in one location.”
* NBC 5…
It is not known when the mandate will be fully removed, but sources tell NBC 5 that the plan is to have the mandate dropped before March 1.
* ABC 7…
The source said the changes will impact malls, restaurants, bars and places of business, but not schools. Schools are governed by a separate mandate, and will be addressed separately.
“Because it’s such a central focus of communities, and literally sometimes thousands of people are interacting in a school, we’ve got to be very careful about how we remove those mask mandates,” Pritzker said previously. […]
The changes will also not impact prisons or nursing homes, the source said, or healthcare facilities or public transit, which are under a federal mask mandate.
…Adding… Richard Irvin campaign…
Based on initial news reports of JB Pritzker’s upcoming announcement, Richard Irvin released the following statement in response to Pritzker’s refusal to end the indoor mask mandates for all:
“A few short days ago, this Governor refused to end mandates saying we needed to ‘follow the science’ but today says everyone can remove their masks except the lowest risk population. Illinois is being led by a Governor who puts politics and special interests ahead of parents and their children. Enough is enough.”
*** UPDATE *** Excerpt from the announcement…
With statewide COVID-19 hospitalization rates declining faster than any other point in the pandemic, Illinois is on track to lift the statewide indoor mask requirement on Monday, February 28, 2022. Mask requirements will continue where federally mandated, such as on public transit and in high-risk settings including healthcare facilities and congregate care. Masking requirements will also continue to apply in all daycare settings. The state intends to continue masking requirements in P-12 schools subject to pending litigation which impacts a number of schools. As the CDC reaffirmed just today, masks remain a critical tool to keep schools safe and open.
The state reaches this point with more than 21.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered to Illinois residents. Per the CDC, Illinois continues to lead the Midwest in people who have received at least one shot, with 75.7% of people having received their first dose. Illinois also has the most fully vaccinated 17-and-under population in the region, though across the nation, youth vaccination rates continue to trail adult rates.
“We are now seeing the fastest rate of decline in our COVID-19 hospitalization metrics since the pandemic began. If these trends continue — and we expect them to —then on Monday, February 28th, we will lift the indoor mask requirement for the State of Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I want to be clear: Many local jurisdictions, businesses and organizations have their own mask requirements and other mitigations that must be respected. Throughout this pandemic, we’ve deployed the tools available to us as needed. Our approach has saved lives and kept our economy open and growing.”
Today the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting 4,742 new confirmed and probable cases and 2,496 people in the hospital with COVID-19. IDPH is also reporting 449 people with COVID-19 in the ICU and 243 people on ventilators. With 20% of ICU beds now available statewide, this marks the fastest rate of decline in the hospital metrics since the pandemic began.
“While masks will no longer be required in most indoor locations beginning February 28, they are still recommended,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Masks offer a layer of protection and for people who have an underlying health condition or who are around those who do, you may choose to continue wearing a mask. Similarly, if you find yourself in a crowded, indoor setting, a mask can still help protect you. We will continue to recommend masks.”
…Adding… Press release…
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin offered the following response to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s announcement Wednesday regarding COVID mitigations, noting that Pritzker has no plan for schools.
“Governor Pritzker’s failure to have a clear plan in place for schools to give parents and children hope of returning to a normal life is astounding. It is year three of this pandemic, and continuing to leave these families in the dark, with no data or metrics presented, is unconscionable and a clear sign the Governor should not be trusted to get us out of this pandemic.”
The governor publicly advised schools that weren’t part of the case to continue doing what they had been doing. Not sure what the beef is there.
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