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Duckworth’s new anti-Walsh video, plus a bunch of campaign stories

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tammy Duckworth has a new Internet video bashing Joe Walsh. Rate it…

From NBC5’s blog…

The video replays footage of Walsh’s famous brunch-time freakout at Uno Chicago Bar & Grill, over a soundtrack of The Clash’s cover of “Brand New Cadillac,” which is supposed to make us feel that Walsh is out of control.

“Don’t blame banks and don’t blame the marketplace for the mess we’re in right now,” he shouts. “I am tired of hearing that crap.”

Without a doubt, this Walsh candidacy is gonna be a fundraising bonanza for Duckworth and Raja Krishnamoorthi, but…

It is not true that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) promised Walsh $3.5 million for an 8th district run. Last week, Walsh switched from the 14th district, where he faced a GOP primary with Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.)

“That number credited to him is not accurate,” Cory Fritz, Boehner’s political spokesman told me Monday. Duckworth is using the $3.5 million number to help jumpstart her donations, attributing it to a report in a suburban paper.

* Meanwhile, Peter Roskam isn’t exactly champing at the bit to endorse Walsh…

Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), a member of House leadership, says it is premature to back anyone yet because a federal court panel in Chicago has not yet ruled on the legality of the Democratic-drawn congressional map. The map is designed to help Democrats pick up seats.

“We’re not even convinced the new 8th District is going to exist. So It is entirely premature to discuss any hypothetical matchup while the map is still with the Courts,” Dan Conston, Roskam’s spokesman told me.

* Duckworth’s campaign is doing whatever it can to generate press, including placing stories about old donations…

Top House and Senate leaders cut checks for Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth’s (D-Ill.) House bid recently — a strong signal that top Democrats are ready to make a significant investment in her campaign for the 8th district.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) donated to Duckworth in the past couple of months via their campaigns or political action committees, according to the House hopeful’s campaign.

The disclosure comes only a few days after freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R) announced he’ll seek re-election in the 8th district instead of running against his fellow GOP freshman Rep. Randy Hultgren. The donations are also notable because Duckworth faces former Illinois Deputy Treasurer Raja Krishnamoorthi in the Democratic primary this March.

* In other campaign news, the idea for allowing candidates to draw a salary from their campaign funds was designed to let the non-wealthy compete with people who didn’t have to work for months at a time. But, of course, it was inevitable that somebody would take advantage of the law…

Chicago aldermen get paid $114,000 a year, but a FOX Chicago News investigation finds two of them are paying themselves out of their campaign funds for extra work, like marching in parades, passing petitions, and slating candidates at political meetings.

Ald. Danny Solis (25th Ward) has paid himself $194,778 since 2004.

“My job is to promote the Democratic Party in the 25th Ward, and that’s what I paid myself for,” Solis said. “If I paid a consultant, they would probably get paid maybe a little more than that if they were doing this full-time.”

The practice of paying for political work is completely legal, but David Morrison from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform says when politicians pay themselves, it creates huge ethical problems.

“I can’t give you a bribe, but if I can give you money you can convert to your own use it’s the same thing,” Morrison said.

That’s less than $28K a year, but the guy is making a decent buck as an alderman.

* I’m not sure that leaving something out of a Tweet is the worst thing I’ve ever seen…

Lots of people in Washington, D.C., own lots of stock in companies whose profits are affected by federal legislation. But one holding by DuPage County Congresswoman Judy Biggert now is drawing particular scrutiny.

According to her federal financial disclosure, Ms. Biggert, R-Hinsdale, is one of four members of Congress who own stock in TransCanada Corp., the company whose plans to lay pipeline from Alberta to the American Midwest have stirred an environmental furor and have been at least temporarily sidetracked by the Obama White House.

Ms. Biggert’s stake is valued at between $1,000 and $15,000, according to the disclosure.

If that’s all that was there, the matter likely wouldn’t be worth much more review.

But, as first reported by the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington research group, Ms. Biggert last month tweeted about the White House action, writing, “WH caves to anti-American energy lobby, delays job-creating Keystone XL Oil Pipeline.”

Nowhere in the tweet did she mention her ownership of up to $15,000 in stock.

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Illinois snags Indiana company

Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* If nothing else, the corporate tax cut bill raids Indiana…

An Indiana-based maker of automobile replacement parts is one step closer to receiving a tax incentives package worth $3.5 million over 10 years that would see the company move its corporate headquarters to Illinois.

UCI International Inc. is the latest in a growing number of companies seeking a special break in exchange for jobs. The company was added last week to a bill aimed at keeping Sears Holdings Corp. and CME Group Inc. from exiting the state. The Illinois House approved the tax-break package Monday. The Senate is expected to consider it Tuesday.

Look, I’m no fan of these cross-border raids, but I’m really getting tired of Indiana and other states bad-mouthing Illinois and attempting to steal our companies.

A buddy of mine had an interesting suggestion yesterday. Every time one of these states tries to lure a company out of Illinois, we ought to go after one of that state’s biggest companies with everything we have. In other words, the “Chicago Way.” Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight, fellas.

We might not have to do that too many times before other states get the message: Lay the heck off.

For instance, how about we make an offer on the Indianapolis Colts? The team sucks this year, but they’ll improve when their quarterback returns. We could move it to Arlington Heights in exchange for no slots at tracks. And then we could grab the Pacers and move them to the Metro East or the STAR Bonds district in Marion. St. Louis has no basketball team, so let’s get one and grab another state’s money in the process.

OK, that was mostly snark. But, seriously, we can’t just sit by and allow ourselves to be hammered like this. Repealing the tax increase would cost too much money and put the state in an even deeper fiscal hole. Maybe it’s time to fight fire with an even bigger fire as well as reforming some business laws.

* Back to the tax cut package stories…

The Illinois House approved a package of tax relief on Monday for families and businesses, including some big names like Sears and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange that are threatening to leave the state.

When fully phased in, the tax cuts would cost state government roughly $320 million a year. Chicago-based financial exchanges operated by CME Group Inc. and CBOE Holding Corp. would get about $85 million of that tax relief. Sears Holdings Corp. would get about $15 million.

Those companies have warned that they might move their operations to other states unless Illinois offers them incentives to stay.

During the debate, protesters unfurled a banner saying “Stop Corporate Extortion.” They were soon led out of the House chamber and discussion of the bills resumed.

* Illinois Statehouse News has video of the protesters…

*** UPDATE *** Here’s a much better video posted by the occupiers…

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* The view from Indianapolis…

The Illinois House approved tax breaks for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Monday in a move that could cut short its parent company’s talks with outside suitors, including Downtown Indianapolis and Carmel.

It was CME Group Inc., after all, that made noises about relocating most of its highly paid 2,000 employees to another state after the House initially voted down a similar measure last month.

Still, the Indianapolis mayor’s office is watching the developments closely until any possibility of a move is off the table.

* The view from Mark Brown…

Don’t let them fool you. This is the haves getting more and the have-a-littles paying for it.

* The view from D300…

Also, local governments — such as Community Unit District 300 in Carpentersville — would get about double the property taxes they now get from the deal, and Hoffman Estates wouldn’t be allowed to use its share to run or pay for the Sears Centre.

“This is a bittersweet victory for us,” said District 300 Superintendent Michael Bregy, who was in Springfield Monday. He noted that while the school district will get more money under the plan the House approved, it wasn’t as much as he wanted.

“We were able to negotiate the best possible deal,” Bregy said.

* The Republicans…

Thirty-nine Republicans supported the [corporate tax cut] plan after accounting for only one of the eight votes on Nov. 29.

“It’s not a break. It’s not a credit. The reality is they’re being taxed on all of their trades, and that’s not fair. That’s not right,” House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) said of CME, whose trades are taxed by Illinois whether they occur in or out of the state. […]

House Republicans were mostly missing in action on the other piece of the tax-relief package that passed 67-49. It would double the earned income tax credit available to the working poor and increase the standard exemption for all taxpayers by tying it to the rate of inflation.

* The Senate…

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno, of Lemont, each are optimistic the provisions will win Senate approval on Tuesday, according to their respective aides.

The measures are nearly identical to those of a single, overarching package that received bipartisan support in the Senate late last month, only to be shot down in the House.

“We had agreement about what was put into one proposition and we hope there will be the same level (of) support,” said John Patterson, a spokesman for Cullerton.

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