COVID-19 roundup
Wednesday, Dec 8, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* IIS Radio…
Gov. JB Pritzker says he’s not planning to institute a new COVID-19 vaccine mandate like the one in New York City.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is enacting a mandate for private sector workers. Pritzker was asked if that’s something we could see in Illinois.
“That again is not something that we’ve been looking at,” said Pritzker. “We have people that are getting vaccinated every day in Illinois. We want more people to get vaccinated. I think you can see as more people get sick and go into the hospital nearly all of them are unvaccinated and that is causing a real problem.”
Mayor Lightfoot is also not interested in doing that.
* Center Square…
Pritzker was asked about Carroll’s bill [to deny COVID-19-related health insurance coverage for the unvaxed] on Tuesday. The governor didn’t sound enthusiastic about it.
“From my perspective, we want everybody to get vaccinated,” Pritzker said. “We certainly don’t want to penalize people.”
Not to mention that it violates federal law.
* Also from that story, Rep. David Friess (R-Red Bud) made his feelings known about the Carroll bill…
“It is not the role of the State to interject itself between its citizens and their health care providers.”
The lengths to which the right has gone to co-opt pro-choice rhetoric never ceases to amaze me.
* WBBM Radio…
Denying someone their job because of their vaccination status is discrimination, according to State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) and the “Freedom Act” that he is pushing for would outlaw this practice. […]
When asked if people should have the peace of mind to go to work with the assurance everyone around them is vaccinated, Niemerg responded by saying “Well, shouldn’t everybody that has the right to go to work understand that they are not going to be discriminated upon as a condition of employment?”
He only appears to care about people who are willing and even eager to spread disease.
* Rep. Niemerg represents part of Clay County…
Within Illinois, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Calhoun County with 1,203 cases per 100,000 per week; Vermilion County with 994; and Clay County with 925. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Is it time to start calling these people pro-covid legislators?
* Sun-Times…
Public health officials on Tuesday announced 78 more COVID-19 deaths across Illinois, the state’s highest one-day toll in 10 months.
That’s almost four times as high as Illinois’ daily coronavirus death rate over the past month, and it’s the most fatalities reported in a day since 102 lives were lost statewide Feb. 11, at the tail end of the state’s worst surge of the pandemic.
The state is now averaging 41 deaths per day over the past week, up from about 23 per day during the first week of November, according to figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
One day can be an anomaly, but yikes. Tuesday’s numbers haven’t been released as of this writing.
…Adding… It may have been an anomaly. The daily death toll dropped to 14 on Tuesday.
* It’s off the charts in Michigan…
As of Monday, 4,404 people were admitted to Michigan hospitals with confirmed cases of the virus. Of them, 40 were children, according to Michigan Medicine, which supplies the state health department with hospitalization data.
That breaks a pandemic record set on April 8, 2020, when 4,365 people were hospitalized with the virus during an initial surge that had the nation reeling as so little was known about the virus, how it spread and how to treat it.
Get your shots, people.
…Adding… Hannah Meisel…
According to IDPH data, only 0.05% of fully vaccinated Illinoisans have ended up hospitalized for a COVID infection, and even fewer — 0.014% — have died from the virus.
Again, get your shots.
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* Gov. Pritzker is making several stops in southern Illinois today…
Daily Public Schedule: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
What: Gov. Pritzker to announce the widening of Interstate 57 through Southern Illinois, funded by the historic Rebuild Illinois capital plan.
Where: Benton Municipal Airport, 1 Airport Road, Benton
When: 9:30 a.m.
Watch live: https://www.Illinois.gov/LiveVideo
Note: Parking is available in the lot south of the Benton Municipal Airport Terminal at the end of Airport Road. See map below.*
What: Gov. Pritzker to announce funding for new wastewater infrastructure in the Village of Alto Pass.
Where: Alto Pass Community Center and Village Hall, 23 Elm Street, Alto Pass
When: 11:30 a.m.
Watch live: https://www.Illinois.gov/LiveVideo
What: Gov. Pritzker to join labor leaders to tour the Carbondale Warming Center and help unload donations ahead of the holidays.
Where: Carbondale Warming Center, 608 East College Street, Carbondale
When: 12:30 p.m.
Note: No additional media availability.
What: Gov. Pritzker to attend the groundbreaking of the new Walker’s Bluff Resort and gaming expansion in Southern Illinois.
Where: Lot southeast of Tasting Room at Walker’s Bluff, 14250 Meridian Road, Carterville
When: 1:45 p.m.
Watch live: https://www.Illinois.gov/LiveVideo
Not a single question was asked by reporters at the first event. Not one. And the same thing happened at the second event.
…Adding… Some reporters showed up to the last event of the day and asked a few questions. None were particularly newsworthy for us, though.
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* Darren Bailey was asked recently how he would counter Jesse Sullivan’s huge campaign finance advantage in the GOP primary…
I’m not a bit worried about that because every bit of his $10 million is Democrat-controlled money. If people will check Jesse Sullivan out they’ll see that his number one supporter that dumped in $5 million. All these people are from the Silicon Valley, from California and Colorado. Chris Larsen, his number one supporter, $5 million. He was on Joe Biden shortlist for vice president March of 2020. February of 2021, he donated $250,000 to Nancy Pelosi. This is nonsense. Go to Illinoissunshine.org. Look at all of his donors, click on his donors and you will see who else they have been donating money to. This is a Democrat ploy to put someone to make them look like a Republican and it’s nonsense. So the more people get educated about this, the more that they will see this, the more that they will understand this. Yes, that is, so that’s what’s going on. There is no doubt about this.
We’ve got almost 15,000 individual donors from $5 all the way to $200,000. Money is not going to win this election. Anyone in the state of Illinois from the primary all the way to Pritzker that’s going to sit here and tell us that money is going to win they are wrong. Grass roots is going to win the day. We’ve got people who have never been involved in the political process. Every one of these events that we’ve put on, people are showing up they’ve never been to a political meeting before. They’re getting engaged. They’re learning. That’s what we’re doing. That’s how we’re going to get Illinois back on track.
The most dangerous thing for Illinois to do is to elect the wrong Republican for the wrong reasons.
Wait’ll he finds out Sullivan’s spouse was a field officer for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. And, of course, the only campaign Sullivan is known to have volunteered on prior to this run was Democrat Colleen Callahan’s unsuccessful congressional bid..
I’m not saying, I’m just sayin’ this is a line of attack that could prove to be successful. Make him deny it. “I am not a plant!” The Republican Party’s conspiracy theorist wing is Bailey’s core constituency, after all. If they can believe there’s a microchip in every vaccine, or that you can “de-vaccinate,” they’ll probably buy into this.
* Moving right along, a press release…
Today, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC endorsed Congresswoman Marie Newman for re-election in Illinois’ 6th congressional district.
Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC Co-Chairs Mark Pocan, Pramila Jayapal, and Jamie Raskin released the following statement:
“The Progressive Caucus has delivered for working families this year thanks to dedicated champions like Congresswoman Marie Newman who consistently put the needs of their community before corporations and special interests. Since the moment she came to Congress, Representative Newman has been delivering for her constituents, fighting to close the gender pay gap by making it easier for women to access capital, tackling the climate crisis, and creating good paying jobs by supporting investments in the future of our transportation systems. Her leadership has helped pass legislation that will strengthen organized labor and move America one important step closer to finally establishing health care as a human right. We are proud to endorse Congresswoman Newman for re-election.”
Congresswoman Marie Newman released the following statement:
“We are at a pivotal moment in this country and the Progressive Caucus is leading the charge to create an economy that works for all of us, championing policies that will uplift every single American. I’m honored to receive an endorsement from the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and I look forward to the opportunity to continue working with my colleagues in the caucus to rebuild our economy so that it is stronger, more equitable, and rooted in worker and climate justice.”
In 2020, the PAC raised $4.4 million and launched its first-ever independent expenditure arm, helping elect eight new candidates to Congress.
* And Rachel Hinton…
Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia on Wednesday garnered the backing of the Illinois Nurses Association in her bid to succeed Jesse White as Illinois secretary of state.
Tori Dameron, the president of the union, said in a statement nurses “need the support of strong union allies in office now more than ever” as the pandemic continues to “strain” frontline workers and others in health care.
“Anna Valencia understands that more than any other candidate in this race,” Dameron said. “We know she will always fight for us the same way we fight for our patients every day. The INA is proud to endorse her.”
Valencia wrote that she is “committed to using the Secretary of State’s Office to advocate for all working families and make sure that our nurses, who are a critical part of the community, are supported in every effort.”
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) is touting Republican victories in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that authorizes military spending and enacts Department of Defense policies for FY22. Rep. Davis proudly voted in support of the FY22 NDAA last night.
The legislation passed the House last night by a vote of 363-70. Republicans were crucial to bringing the bill across the finish line, providing a majority of the Yes votes. 51 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted against the legislation. You can find the roll call of the House NDAA vote here.
“We must never allow our military to be defunded, which is what voting No on the NDAA would have done.”
US Rep. Mary Miller, who may challenge Davis in a primary, voted “No,” along with Danny Davis, Chuy Garcia, Jan Schakowsky and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
…Adding… From Miller’s statement…
The NDAA still creates a federal vaccine mandate that allows President Biden to discharge healthy active duty service members from my district. The bill also includes leftist Critical Race Theory “equity” training requirements for the military that my constituents strongly oppose.
I am proud that as a result of hard work by conservatives, the gun confiscation and draft for teenage girls provisions were removed from the bill. I will always oppose radical leftwing policies being rammed through Congress by President Biden, and I will never vote for policies opposed so strongly by the constituents I represent.
It was so radical and left-wing that AOC and Jan Schakowsky voted against it. Right. She’s caught on this one.
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* As I’ve been telling you, this argument is at the core of the Democratic defense of its state legislative redistricting law and it was prominently featured during oral arguments yesterday. From the Capitol News Illinois report…
“Illinois in 2020 is not your grandfather’s Illinois,” Sean Berkowitz, an attorney defending the maps passed by the General Assembly in August and signed by Pritzker in September, told the judges.
Berkowitz pointed to the fact that there are a number of Black lawmakers in the Statehouse who do not come from predominantly Black communities. He also pointed to the fact that even though whites make up the largest racial group in Illinois, the current lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state are all Black while one U.S. senator, Tammy Duckworth, is Asian American.
“Crossover voting in Illinois is the norm, not the exception,” he said, adding that Illinois today “is not Mississippi in 1965 or Illinois in 1980.” […]
[Plaintiffs] attorneys spent the morning trying to convince the judges that racially polarized voting does continue to exist in Illinois and that if the maps approved by the legislature are allowed to stand, Latino and Black voters will lose political influence in state government.
In particular, they argued that many of the minority members of the General Assembly were first appointed to their seats after their predecessors stepped down in the middle of their. That gave the appointed lawmakers a significant advantage by allowing them to run as incumbents.
There was also a dispute about how any problems should be remedied, either through court action or sending it back to the GA, so click here to read the rest.
*** UPDATE *** Related press release…
The Illinois Supreme Court today announced the lifting of the pause order regarding the judicial redistricting in Public Act 102-0011 (Act), which will change the judicial district boundaries for the first time since they were established in 1964. Effective January 1, 2022, the Court’s order pausing the implementation of redistricting pursuant to the Act will be vacated.
The new order is available on the court website by clicking here.
On June 7, 2021, the Court entered the order which paused the transition to a new judicial redistricting statute. That order directed that appeals and other matters shall continue to be filed in the judicial districts as they existed on June 3, 2021, the day before Gov. Pritzker signed the Act into law on June 4, 2021. The Act was paused to give the courts sufficient time to plan and implement the significant changes it required.
Beginning on January 1, a notice of appeal initiating an appeal to the appellate court or a direct appeal to the Supreme Court pursuant to Rule 302(b) shall be transmitted by the clerk of the circuit court to the appropriate appellate district as established by the Act. Additionally, a petition or application or motion under Rule 303(d), Rule 303A, Rule 306, Rule 307(d), Rule 308, Rule 335, Rule 604(c), or Rule 606(c) will be filed in the appropriate appellate district as established by the Act. These provisions will apply regardless of the date of the judgment appealed or sought to be appealed.
Circuit courts will remain subject to the rule that states that when conflicts arise among the districts the circuit court is bound by the decisions of the appellate court of the district in which it sits. In a redistricted circuit, the appropriate appellate district will be the district in which the circuit was located at the time that the circuit court action was initiated.
If a case is heard by one appellate district on appeal and if a subsequent appeal in that case is heard by a new appellate district pursuant to this order, the new district will treat the decision of the prior district as the law of the case. That the decision of the prior district applied the law of the prior district that is contrary to the law of the new district will not be a basis for departing from the decision of the prior district.
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*** LIVE COVERAGE ***
Wednesday, Dec 8, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you’ve contributed to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois during our December fundraising drive, thanks. If not, please click here. Follow along with ScribbleLive…
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* Press release…
Tomorrow morning, State Rep. Delia Ramirez will launch her historic bid to be the first Latina Congresswoman in the Midwest running to represent Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. Rep. Ramirez currently serves the 4th house district in the Illinois General Assembly, a position she’s held since 2018. In the legislature, she successfully passed legislation expanding affordable housing, Medicaid coverage to senior citizens regardless of immigration status, and the creation of an elected school board in the City of Chicago. She now serves as Assistant Majority Leader and is running for Congress to elevate her working people’s agenda in Washington.
“I am running for Congress because the people of the new 3rd congressional district deserve a Congresswoman that is rooted in our communities and ready to champion working families in Washington. I plan to bring the neighborhood first agenda I delivered on in the General Assembly to Congress. I have a proven track record of building strong and diverse coalitions and this campaign will reflect the people and priorities of the communities in the 3rd district. As I have done in the state legislature, in Congress I will fight for legislative and policy changes to make sure every community in my district and beyond have a thriving and empowered local economy, health care for all, accessible and affordable housing, and high-quality public education from pre-k to college.” said Leader Ramirez.
“In a time where our families are struggling to recover from the pandemic, and we have attacks on people of color, women’s rights, and our voting rights, we need someone who is not afraid to take on these difficult fights on behalf of our communities. I am confident that I am the candidate uniquely qualified to do this because I have spent my entire career fighting these fights. I will bring this unique perspective to the halls of Congress and will work harder than anyone to get results for our communities, just as I have in Springfield.”
Senator Omar Aquino, Delia’s partner in the Senate is a key member of her team and will announce her official candidacy and his endorsement at a launch event Wednesday evening. Sen. Aquino notes “During our time at the state legislature, Delia has been a trusted collaborator and fighter for our communities. She shares my deep commitments to progressive values, building power for working families, and growing Latino representation. I am proud to endorse such a trusted partner to represent our communities as the first Latina congresswoman in the Midwest.”
Leader Ramirez will host listening sessions throughout the 3rd district in Portage Park, West Chicago, Addison, and Humboldt Park. She will join her supporters and announce her candidacy at a kick-off celebration in Avondale tomorrow night.
Senator Karina Villa, from West Chicago will help lead a conversation with community leaders and seniors tomorrow as part of Rep. Ramirez’s listening tour. She says “I strongly endorse Rep. Delia Ramirez for Congresswomen in the Illinois 3rd district. We’ve worked together in Springfield, and she’s proven she is a legislator who gets results. Delia will work to build consensus and is the best person to balance the interests of all constituents and fiercely represent our suburban community. Delia will listen, lead and deliver on her campaign promises. I know she will work tirelessly to build a better government that works for all of us.”
Delia Ramirez is endorsed by: Senators Omar Aquino, Karina Villa, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Robert Peters, Representatives Will Guzzardi, Kelly Cassidy, Lindsey LaPointe, Kam Buckner, Maura Hirshauer, Anna Moeller, Deb Conroy, Lakesia Collins, Theresa Mah, Robyn Gabel, Mark Walker, Nick Smith, Kelly Cassidy, Carol Ammons, Lamont Robinson, Alderpersons Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, Maria Hadden, Daniel LaSpata, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Jeanette B. Taylor, Andre Vasquez, Mayor of Evanston Daniel Biss, County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Josina Morita, Commiteeperson Anthony Quezada, Triton School Board Member Norma Hernandez, and The Honorable Barbara Flynn Currie.
[The endorsement list has been updated to include Rep. Dagmara Avelar, who was unintentionally left off the original list.]
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* I hadn’t heard of this until Abdon Pallasch called me to point it out. National Illinois Day?…
House Majority Leader Greg Harris has a daily Facebook post telling us the weird national days (National Microwave Day was yesterday, for example), but even he hasn’t posted about it. I feel almost superior right now.
* People and groups are using the “holiday” to publicize various events and milestones, like banning foam…
[Earlier tweet has been removed.]
* Any angle will do…
* These folks made a video…
* Origin claim…
In 2017, National Day Calendar® began celebrating each state in the order they entered the union starting the week of Independence Day and ending with Hawaii. We highlight a small part of each states’ history, foods and the people who make up the state. Many states have their own state celebrations, and National Day Calendar’s observances in no way replace them.
…Adding… Abdon’s boss…
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Foster could be handed a reelection gift
Tuesday, Dec 7, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As we’ve discussed before, US Rep. Bill Foster is beatable next year. But an opponent tying herself so closely to a guy who lost the new district by 16 points last year is probably not the best way to do it…
Republican Catalina Lauf, a Trump supporter who has billed herself as the anti-AOC, is running for Congress in Illinois’ 11th District against Democratic Rep. Bill Foster.
Key context: Lauf, a conservative Latina, was a Trump appointee to the Commerce Department and spoke at the GOP convention in 2020. Earlier this year, she set out to challenge Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an ardent Trump foe, in the 16th District. When the Illinois remap eliminated Kinzinger’s district, Kinzinger announced he’d retire instead of challenge GOP Rep. Darin LaHood. […]
Lauf ran unsuccessfully in the 2020 GOP primary in IL-14, losing the nomination to former state Sen. Jim Oberweis, who lost to Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood in November. That district has been redrawn to give Underwood a little more breathing room in 2022.
The Trump factor: This time around, Lauf is better funded, thanks in part to her association with Trump. In an interview, she said her campaign has raised $1 million so far. Lauf is also hoping for Trump’s backing, though an endorsement is not easily won. “The endorsement process is a long one,” she said.
The 11th District: The seat has new boundaries as a result of the remap. It still includes Naperville, where Foster lives, and it now extends farther north into Lake County to include the towns of Volo and Wauconda. Lauf’s home in suburban Woodstock is also in the district. The seat got a little more competitive in redistricting: Now-President Joe Biden carried Foster’s old district by 26 points last year, but his margin was about 16 points under the new lines.
She may have raised a million, but she’s reported $810K. And she’s spent about $600K. Quite the burn rate.
* Also, she was in “Facebook jail” for a while…
You gotta do something pretty wild to warrant that treatment. But Lauf did hire a consultant who spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in DC.
…Adding… DPI…
Today, Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt released a statement following the announcement that Catalina Lauf is running for Congress in the 11th District:
“Catalina Lauf is a zealot and an extremist, full stop. Her campaign seems to exist only to demonstrate her loyalty to Donald Trump and satisfy her desire to appear on Fox News. Illinois families deserve better than someone who downplays the January 6 insurrection or peddles dangerous conspiracy theories about life-saving vaccines.”
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