Tomorrow’s news today
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn took questions for over 15 minutes from reporters this afternoon. His comments ranged on issues from the NFL scandals, to the investigations into his own office, to Bruce Rauner’s various claims. You might wanna skip the first couple of minutes, but here’s the raw audio…
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Oddities and ends
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Democratic congressional candidate Ann Callis may have some residency issues because of papers she and/or her husband signed…
The records show her signature appearing on a notarized 2008 mortgage agreement for one of the couple’s Arizona homes, as well as a 2006 deed transfer for property in Laguna Beach, Calif.
The latter includes a statement identifying Callis and Holloran as “residents of the County of St. Louis, State of Missouri.” A 2005 deed for a second home in Scottsdale, Ariz., also lists their address as in Kirkwood.
In 2004, records show Callis was added to the Forest Street deed. The document begins, “I, Ann Callis, of the County of St. Louis, State of Missouri …”
Oops.
* Response…
“These new attacks on my mom, my brother, and me are completely false, and it’s really shameful that Congressman Davis would try to say our family wasn’t living in Illinois while my mom was a judge,” [Callis’ daughter, Caroline Rongey] said.
“I was proud to grow up in Madison County and I have great memories of cheerleading for Troy’s Triad High School and watching my brother take Triad to the Class 5A playoffs as a starting quarterback. Congressman Davis needs to leave our family alone.”
* From the NRCC…
Ann Callis can’t seem to get anything right these days. While Callis is attacking Rodney Davis on lobbyists she is also planning to attend a fundraiser in DC tomorrow at the home of mega-lobbyist Tom Trotter.
A question for Ann Callis – why is it okay for her to raise money off of mega-lobbyists in DC all while attacking Rodney Davis?
We know Callis is busy trying to figure out how to untangle her web of lies over her residency but this seems worthy of a quick ask.
NRCC Statement: “Ann Callis should be explaining why over numerous years she signed notarized documents saying she lives in St. Louis, but instead she bailed from the 13th District to raise money with a mega-lobbyist in DC. We know Callis is trying to figure out if she is from Missouri or Illinois, but she should know better than to hob-knob in Washington with Pelosi’s lobbyist friends.” – Katie Prill NRCC Spokeswoman
* In other newsish-related stuff, the Callis campaign has responded to Congressman Rodney Davis’ latest ad (which was a response to Callis’ recent ad) with a YouTube video…
The campaign of former Chief Judge and Congressional challenger Ann Callis released the following video in response to Congressman Rodney Davis’ deceptive new ad. In the video, Jerseyville farmer Gene – who appeared in Callis’ “Trim the Fat” ad – calls out Congressman Davis for featuring him without permission to attack Callis.
* Video…
* And in “news” from another district, for some reason Mike Bost thought it was a good idea to spend 15 minutes talking to a Rockford radio program about his infamous blow-up video. Rockford is at the opposite end of this very long state from Bost’s district…
* Related…
* Schneider gets endorsement from IEA union that backed Dold in 2012
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Durbin launches second positive ad
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* US Sen. Dick Durbin has a new TV ad. Rate it…
The ad is not replacing the spot featuring the wife of a wounded veteran. It’ll run concurrently.
* Script…
Man I: Sixty-six thousand dollars.
Woman: A hundred thousand dollars.
Man II: Sixty thousand dollars in college debt.
Senator Durbin: The high cost of college is weighing down America’s middle class. That’s why I’m fighting for a law so college loans can be refinanced at today’s lower interest rates. It would erase thousands of dollars of debt for millions of American families. After all, if you can refinance a car loan and a home loan, why can’t you refinance a student loan?
I’m Dick Durbin, and I approve this message because Illinois’ middle class deserves a break.
* In other Durbin-related news, an atheist group rated Durbin an “A” for separation of church and state and his opponent Jim Oberweis was given an “F”…
The Secular Coalition for America today released its Congressional Voter Guides for several Congressional Districts of Illinois and the Illinois Senate race. The Guides are meant to help secular-minded Illinoisans make informed decisions on the candidates for the upcoming elections in November, based on secular issues.
The Voter Guide is part of the Secular Coalition’s “50 Secular Races to Watch” list which the Coalition is currently rolling out based on the U.S. House districts that received the worst grades on the Coalition’s 2013 Congressional Report Card. The Secular Coalition will also grade seven Senate races across the country.
The full rationale for the ratings is here.
* Other stuff…
* Durbin has cushy lead over Oberweis, Tribune poll finds
* Durbin’s views on issues as he faces re-election
* Study finds conservatives and liberals smell different
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* NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern asked Bruce Rauner today about the Ray Rice punchout video and the child abuse charges against Adrian Peterson…
Ahern: You are part owner, a minority owner with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Have you spoken to your group about how the NFL has handled Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson? Are you onboard with what’s going on?
Rauner: “I have not spoken with the Steelers organization at all. Not in many months.
Ahern: Why would you not want to reach out and find out what…?
Rauner: “I am working here in Illinois to win an election and transform our government so it’s working for the people again. That’s 100 percent my focus.”
Reporter: So, would you also comment, though, could you comment on the situation?
The candidate moved on to another reporter instead of answering that last quesiton.
* The Question: Fair questions or not? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
polls
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Quinnsters were apparently ready for this one. From a press release…
Amidst the NFL controversy sweeping the nation about standing up against abuse of women and children, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon and State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) today criticized Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner’s Tax Plan for the devastating impact the budget would have on at-risk families in Illinois, particularly those struggling with abuse and violence. While Rauner’s Tax Plan puts $1 million into his own pocket, it leaves an $8 billion hole in the state budget. Most of the burden of this massive funding deficit will fall on education - which would suffer an unprecedented cut of $4 billion - but crucial programs helping women, children and other victims of domestic abuse would also be significantly slashed by Rauner’s proposal.
Today Rauner, a part owner of Pittsburg Steelers, refused to stand up for battered women and children when asked directly about the NFL controversy sweeping the nation. Rauner become an owner of the team in 2009, shortly after an abuse scandal was brushed off by the team.
“Bruce Rauner needs to answer specifically for the radical reductions he proposes, which will harm some of the most vulnerable individuals in Illinois: the children and spouses who are victims of abuse,” Lt. Governor Simon said. “Time and again Rauner has failed to explain how exactly he would preserve critical programming with such unrealistic economic projections. Few specifics have been provided by his campaign at any rate.”
“A billionaire and self-proclaimed member of the .01 percent, Bruce Rauner has made much of his ability to invest and make money,” Senator Hutchinson said. “Investing in abuse prevention and intervention has been proven to provide long-term returns to the state of Illinois, but when it comes to domestic abuse and its victims, Rauner always seems willing to put politics ahead of people.”
Once implemented, Rauner’s Tax Plan would have a devastating impact on critical programs funded by the state.
And then it goes on and on like their usual press releases.
* But a Republican, on background, wants you to know this…
State Funding For Domestic Violence Shelters Has Been Cut 13.7% From FY2009 To FY2015 - Nearly $3 Million. (Appropriations Report - FY2009, Illinois Comptroller, p. 204; Enacted FY2015 Budget By Line Item, Governor’s Office of Management and Budget)
*** UPDATE 2 *** He shoulda just answered this one to begin with and scored some points…
*** UPDATE 2 *** The full response from the Rauner campaign did not come from Rauner himself…
“Bruce thinks what Ray Rice did is deplorable and the NFL has badly mishandled the situation. As a husband and father of four daughters, Bruce stands for women’s health and safety everyday. Sadly, Pat Quinn has done just the opposite and cut funding for domestic violence shelters by nearly 15 percent. That never should have happened, but Pat Quinn was too busy funneling millions into his own political slush fund that is now the subject of two federal grand jury investigations.” - Rauner spokesperson Lyndsey Walters
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* The Quinn campaign has a powerful new ad running exclusively on African-American radio stations. There’s no music, just a black woman expertly reading her script and a single audio quote of Bruce Rauner. It’s an absolute must-listen…
Oof.
* Script…
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN: Do you know how many professionals work at billionaire Republican Bruce Rauner’s investment firm?
51 people.
Do you want to guess how many of those employees are African-American?
None.
Zero.
Not a single African-American.
Why do you suppose that is?
Well, when ABC News asked Rauner he said he couldn’t find anyone…
RAUNER: “We weren’t finding the folks that, that uh, you know, that weren’t there.”
Really, Bruce Rauner?
You couldn’t find anyone?
You couldn’t find a single qualified African-American to work for and represent your firm?
And now you’re running TV ads claiming how close you are to our community?
[Chuckles]
Well, we know how to judge our true friends, and those who aren’t.
Zero employees out of 51.
So, Bruce Rauner, if you’re listening, did you really think no one would ever find out?
PAT QUINN: Taxpayers for Quinn paid for this message because there’s so much at stake.
Again, this is playing on black radio. Judge it in context.
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* Congresswoman Cheri Bustos voted for the Paul Ryan, Patty Murray budget plan last year and is now under fire from her GOP opponent for voting to cut spending. From a press release…
The Bobby Schilling for Congress campaign has released their second commercial of the 2014 campaign cycle. The commercial features veterans who are disappointed with Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-East Moline) for her heartless vote to cut veterans benefits by $6 billion last year.
In December of 2013, Cheri Bustos voted to cut veterans benefits by $6 billion by voting for the Ryan-Murray budget. Shortly afterwards, Cheri Bustos said that her vote to cut veterans benefits was “right for America.” Veterans across the Illinois 17th District were outraged by this heartless vote.
In addition to voting to cut benefits to veterans and their families in her own district, Congresswoman Bustos failed to lead when veterans needed her most during the VA crisis. While veterans were dying on wait-lists at VA hospitals, Cheri Bustos said and did nothing until Bobby Schilling stepped up.
Bobby Schilling opposed the Ryan-Murray budget. In an op-ed he wrote in January, Schilling said “we should be cutting our debts, not our vets.”
Schilling also led first to solve the VA crisis. Schilling introduced the Enhanced Veterans Health Care Experience Act back in 2011, a bill that would fix the VA wait-listing issue by allowing veterans to use their own doctors in their own hometowns. Schilling’s bill was included as a provision in this summer’s VA reform legislation that passed the House unanimously 426-0 and has now been signed into law.
There is a clear contrast between Cheri Bustos’ disappointing record on veterans issues and Bobby Schilling’s aggressive advocacy for veterans in his district.
It is very hypocritical for Cheri Bustos to run a TV commercial about what her staff did for one veteran while she voted to hurt tens of thousands of veterans. This new ad shines light on Cheri Bustos’ failure to stand up for veterans.
Jon Schweppe, communications director at Bobby Schilling for Congress, released the following statement:
“Cheri Bustos spent more than a year voting against veterans and ignoring their concerns, and now she’s trying to flip the script in an election year. If Cheri Bustos wants to work on her image with veterans—which she clearly does, judging by her first two commercials—maybe she should just follow through on her promise to give up 10 percent of her pay and donate the $34,800 to a veterans charity. That would be the right thing to do.”
* Schilling’s new ad…
* Script…
Bobby Schilling (Colona): I’m Bobby Schilling, and I approve this message.
Councilman Eric Turner (Peoria): We’ve risked our lives.
Brian Munos (Silvis): We’ve put it all on the line.
Ken Moffett (Moline): And how did Congresswoman Cheri Bustos repay us?
Munos: Bustos voted to cut veteran benefits by six billion dollars.
Ron Tady (East Moline): Six billion dollars!
Moffett: That’s billion with a B.
Munos: After promising she never would.
Moffett: How could you cut our benefits, Cheri?
Turner: How could you?
Munos: How could you?
Tady: How could you? Shame on you.
Moffett: Shame on you.
Turner: Shame on you, Congresswoman Bustos.
* The bipartisan lesson here is that budget cuts never play well in general election campaigns. That’s why Bruce Rauner vows to increase state spending on education, infrastructure and IDNR even though he also pledges to cut taxes. Bustos tried to position herself in Congress as a fiscally conservative Democrat. So, she gets this hit.
However, the hard reality of governing is that when you demand cuts (as Schilling has and does), then stuff like this happens.
*** UPDATE *** From the Bustos campaign…
Today, Colin Milligan, the Communications Director for Cheri Bustos for Congress, released the following statement on ex-Congressman Bobby Schilling’s new desperate and dishonest negative ad:
“Ex-Congressman Schilling wasted little time going negative. In an apparent act of desperation, Schilling has responded to Cheri Bustos’ strong support from Illinois veterans by airing a dishonest attack ad in the hopes of confusing voters about her record. Veterans are such a priority to Cheri that she not only led an effort to protect military retiree benefits, but has combat veterans on her staff. And voters have already seen first-hand that when veterans speak up, Cheri Bustos listens.
“Once again, ex-Congressman Schilling is trying to distract voters from his anti-middle class record by pointing to cuts that never happened, but voters know the truth.”
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Quinn moves to second negative track
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* After months of portraying Bruce Rauner as an out of touch rich guy, the Quinn campaign is now turning to how Rauner made his money. From a press release…
An FBI criminal probe that led to a $13 million settlement for Medicaid fraud by a company owned and controlled by GTCRauner is featured in a new ad released Wednesday by the Quinn for Illinois campaign.
APS Healthcare agreed to the settlement after the criminal investigation concluded that the GTCRauner-controlled firm had engaged in defrauding the government for services that were never provided and denied needed care to the most vulnerable.
The settlement on behalf of the Georgia Medicaid program was made in 2011, while Rauner was still chairman of GTCRauner.
The U.S. Attorney overseeing the investigation said that Rauner’s firm not only defrauded taxpayers, but “took Medicaid’s money for itself and left some of our most vulnerable citizens without the aid they deserve.”
GTCRauner sold APS to another company in 2012, which called the firm a $222.3 million lemon as part of a lawsuit in which the Medicaid fraud features prominently. Rauner has refused to take responsibility for business failures like APS, instead choosing to only take the profits.
* The ad…
* Script…
NARRATOR: Bruce Rauner’s healthcare company APS was caught by the FBI defrauding taxpayers and cheating patients.
Rauner’s company had to pay a $13 million settlement.
The U.S. Attorney said Rauner’s company “took Medicaid’s money for itself and left some of our most vulnerable citizens without the aid they deserve.”
Did Bruce Rauner really think no one would find out?
Discuss.
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* This ad was recorded by a friend off his TV at my request this morning because the Rauner campaign has yet to release its own version.
It’s pretty hard-hitting, but one of the first times I’ve seen the lesser-known Senate President John Cullerton used in a negative hit. They probably needed his 25 years in office to push the total to an even 100…
…Adding… The Rauner campaign has a press conference scheduled for 10 o’clock this morning to “make a major policy announcement.” The ad will likely be released after that. The campaign has set up the ad with a press release, however…
Across Illinois, They’re Talking About Pat Quinn’s Corruption
Grand jury subpoenas. Illegal patronage hiring schemes. Secret insider deals. We’ve seen this move before; we know how it ends.
Federal grand jury subpoenas…
A new subpoena seeking records about Gov. Pat Quinn’s botched 2010 anti-violence program has been issued, this time from a federal grand jury based in Chicago.
The request marks the first subpoena issued by Chicago-based federal authorities in the probe into Quinn’s $54.5 million Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. Numerous prior subpoenas had come from federal authorities in Springfield.
The federal grand jury in Springfield has subpoenaed emails from the governor’s former chief of staff, Jack Lavin, and several others heavily involved in implementing the program.
Illegal patronage hiring schemes…
Sanguinetti says it’s wrong that the governor’s administration is allowing a little more than 100 of those people to keep their jobs at IDOT. The Rauner campaign says the hirings are wrong considering Quinn says he’s working to clean up state government.
“We should get rid of all these illegal hires and going forward, we should do the right thing, the fair thing, which is hiring people based upon merit,” Sanguinetti said.
Sanguinetti says one of those keeping their job is a woman married to a Peoria labor official who has contributed to the Democratic Party.
Secret insider deals…
Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner said Tuesday he wouldn’t have signed legislation creating Illinois’ medical marijuana pilot program because it includes a secret process for deciding who may grow and sell the drug.
Rauner said it’s “another hallmark” of a culture of corruption under Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. He said the public should know who’s applying for a limited number of state permits, and whether the permits are given to “insiders” with political clout.
“Millions of dollars in business licenses are up for grabs, and Pat Quinn wants to keep taxpayers in the dark,” Rauner said.
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