* If it hasn’t been obvious to you that Treasurer Dan Rutherford is openly plotting a move up the political ladder in 2014 (likely to the governor’s office), even after reading his endless stream of Tweets about all the towns he’s visited since the start of the year, then this story might help…
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, a globetrotting businessman during his tenure as a vice president with ServiceMaster, said he’s paying for his own flight to Beijing.
“My 25 years of experience in the private sector working on international business makes me especially optimistic about the benefits of this trip. I will be given several opportunities to represent Illinois to Chinese businesses with the hope of our state’s economy becoming the beneficiary,” Rutherford said in a prepared statement.
The 13-day trip comes as Gov. Pat Quinn prepares to make a similar visit to the Far East with an eye on selling more Illinois products in China and Japan.
Quinn, who will be gone for 12 days beginning in mid-September, will make stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in China and Tokyo, Japan.
Apparently, this is something of a “me too” trip since Quinn is heading to China next month. According to the AP, the Chinese People’s Institute for Foreign Affairs is paying for Rutherford’s expenses, excluding his flight.
* In other quasi-campaign stuff, Fox News picked up a story that has received pretty much zero coverage in Illinois, and for good reason…
Maybe the Fox folks don’t know that this guy is not even close to being a journalist. Or maybe they do and decided to ding Dick Durbin anyway. Either way, kudos to Jim Anderson of the Illinois Radio Network for not giving in to this “activist” during a media availability.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I just talked to Paul Green, who runs these City Club things. The press conferences have not ever been part of the official City Club lunchtime events. They’re mainly informal gatherings at the Maggiano’s bar.
No longer. From now on, the pressers will be held as part of the City Club festivities and, henceforth, the club will require that reporters show credentials. Security will also be present.
The public Q&A, however, will pretty much proceed as it always has.
[ *** End Of Update 2 *** ]
* Meanwhile, Finke says the State Fair political days should be held every other year…
If the state’s two major political parties decided to drop their special days at the Illinois State Fair in non-election years, would anyone care? Would anyone notice?
It’s been a tradition since forever that Democrats and Republicans each gather for one day at the fair. When an election is coming up, those rallies can be mildly entertaining. Candidates for offices will show up to get some face time with the crowd and media. You can generally count on one or more speakers to deliver a stemwinder to rev everyone up to get out the vote. There’s a general sense of enthusiasm around the place.
Compare that to Governor’s Day and Republican Day this year. It was like everyone was just going through the motions. We’ve always gathered at the fair one day a year, and the fair is on, so let’s get it over with. […]
It’s just that last week’s political days were sort of blah. If they were only held every other year, maybe they would seem a little more special.
Yes, this year’s events were boring and mostly news-free (although I found plenty to write about by ignoring the speeches and working the crowds and the receptions). But, as I’ve said before, that’s because we have no statewide election next year (the first time this has happened since 1999). Some of the bigger crowd turnouts I’ve seen have been in the off-years before a gubernatorial or US Senate election, when tons of primary candidates descend on the fairgrounds. So, switching to a biennial event doesn’t really make any sense.
Asked if he’s thinking about running for governor that year, Dillard gave a quick “yes.”
“I’m going to take a swing down to Williamson County, and I’ll be at the DuQuoin State Fair,” Dillard said. He said even if he doesn’t run statewide, he’ll continue to travel because “I love this state.”
Dillard finished just 193 votes behind state Sen. BILL BRADY, R-Bloomington, in last year’s gubernatorial primary, when more than 750,000 votes were cast. Seven candidates were on that ballot, and Dillard said party and business community leaders should try to avoid such a wide open and expensive contest. […]
“What bothers me most is wasting millions and millions of dollars that Mr. McKenna and others made us waste that Bill Brady could have used to win the governorship,” Dillard said.
* This is just one problem that former state Rep. Mike Boland will have to deal with in the congressional primary…
For example, while serving as a state representative, Mike Boland gave scholarships to the daughter of his largest individual campaign contributor.
She gave $15,891 to Boland’s campaign in 2005 and 2006, and her daughter received a free ride to Western Illinois University. After two years, she transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her scholarship from Boland followed.
Boland, who left the Legislature earlier this year, now is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 17th Congressional District.
* McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi says he’s running for a third term. You will recall that two corruption cases brought against Bianchi were both tossed out of court by a judge this year…
During trials in March and earlier this month, the special prosecutors offered so little evidence that Winnebago County Judge Joseph McGraw–appointed to hear the politically charged cases–acquitted Bianchi before he even presented a defense.
But Bianchi said his decision to seek a third term wasn’t prompted by a desire to repair his image following his legal struggles.
“The satisfaction is already there. I’ve been vindicated,” Bianchi said. “I don’t need another four years for that.”
Instead, Bianchi said if he’s re-elected he wants to continue with programs he instituted during his tenure, including stepped up efforts to collect unpaid fines and court costs, as well as a diversion program that allows first-time offenders to clear their records through public service work and education.
Republican Tom Pliura, a doctor and lawyer from LeRoy, is running against state Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, for the GOP nomination in the 51st Senate District, which stretches from McLean County to the Indiana border.
Pliura, who has not previously held elective office, showed his inexperience as a campaigner during a stop at the state fair Thursday. He was wearing a Cubs hat, thus alienating all of the Cardinals and White Sox fans in the district.
