Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Sep 28, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 3:42 pm - Subscribers have known about this since September 15th. From a press release…

On the eve of the first public gubernatorial campaign debate, former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar today endorsed Bill Brady for Governor, saying Brady will restore fiscal discipline to manage the state budget, reverse out-of-control spending that threatens the state’s financial solvency, and will support economic policies designed to bring greater promise and prosperity back to Illinois.

“Bill Brady is the candidate most qualified to change the reckless fiscal attitudes we’ve seen for too long in Springfield,” said Edgar, the state’s 38th Governor. “From discussing this with him, I know he will stop spending more money than the state takes in and bring fiscal responsibility back to state government. As a businessman, he understands the impact of state budget policy on job creation and will put in place policies that once again encourage business investment in our state.”

“We need a change in Illinois government, and Bill Brady will bring that change. I strongly endorse Bill Brady for Governor,” he said.

Brady said he’s honored to have Edgar’s endorsement, and pledged the same fortitude as the former Governor in addressing severe budget challenges. Edgar served two terms as Governor from 1991-1999 before retiring from elected office. He inherited a $1 billion state budget deficit and when he left office, the state had a checkbook balance of $1.5 billion.

“If I am fortunate enough to be elected Governor, I will follow the example set by Governor Edgar,” Brady said. “He prioritized and cut state spending, curbed programs that were not producing the needed results, and returned fiscal discipline to Illinois government.”

Edgar is the latest in a series of recent Brady endorsements. Others include the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Manufacturers Association, National Federation of Independent Business, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, ABATE, and former Governors Jeb Bush of Florida, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

Neither man is running for mayor, so we’ll see if the Chicago media covers it. Maybe they’ll ask Edgar if he’s endorsing Rahm, too.

Interesting that there was no big public event, however.

…Adding… Here’s something else to chew on. Lisa Madigan has an Interwebtubes promo video. More like a lecture with annoying background sounds…

She’s done lots of good stuff. It’s just that nobody’s gonna get through that gigantic list.

…Adding more… My favorite part is the end…

So! I hope you can appreciate the work that one can do as your attorney general, and believe that I have done a good job serving as your attorney general.

She sounded just like her father there.

…Adding still more… I think this is one of those five-minute “candidate talking to the people” videos for ABC7. They’re popping up all over the place lately. This one was the most “fun,” however.

…Adding still more… Well, they took the darned video down. Too bad. It was a classic. Wish I had saved it.

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Kirk’s new TV ad plays up Downstate roots, SDems keep spending, but Rothenberg has a warning

Tuesday, Sep 28, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We have a new TV ad in the US Senate race. Rate it…

Script…

Two candidates.

Mark Kirk: born in Champaign, attended college in Carlinville with mainstream Illinois values.

Kirk is a “deficit hawk” who’s voted to cut taxes 40 times.

Chicago politician Alexi Giannoulias pushes for more spending…bigger government…promises to raise taxes to pay for it.

I’m Mark Kirk and I approved this message because I will spend less, tax less, and borrow less to put Illinois back to work.

Sweet is right that Kirk is attempting to build his lead among Downstate voters with this ad, among other things.

* Alexi Giannoulias’ ad spending has caught some folks by surprise. He ended the last quarter with about a million dollars on hand, but he’s spending money like he has a lot of it. And the national Dems have jumped in big…

POLITICO has learned that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has placed a $400,000 ad buy for the second week in a row in Illinois to boost Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias’s bid against Republican Mark Kirk.

The two consecutive media buys, coupled with President Barack Obama’s announcement last week that he will make a second fundraising stop for Giannoulias in October, indicate the party’s continuing faith that it can keep hold of the seat that Obama vacated in his move to the White House. With almost a dozen Democrat-held seats in play this November, the party has to choose which races will get its financial assistance for the remainder of the campaign.

Nonetheless, national Democrats’ latest investment on Giannoulias’s behalf is less than some of the other ad buys for the Illinois Senate race so far – especially in the pricey Windy City media market. The DSCC has bought $250,000 worth of ad time in Chicago this week, compared to the Kirk campaign’s $470,000 ad buy in the same market last week. Giannoulias’ campaign put up about $450,000 worth of ads in the Chicago market last week.

A spokesman for American Crossroads, the cash-flush independent expenditure supportive of GOP candidates, confirmed it purchased a weeklong ad buy totaling $482,000 statewide last week.

* But Stu Rothenberg makes some valuable points…

You’d never know it from the avalanche of TV ads, direct-mail pieces and phone calls that voters will receive in October, but most campaigns have only another week or two to change the likely outcome of their contests.

Sure, the midterm elections are still five weeks away, but the combination of early voting in many states and the difficulty of cutting through the coming clutter means that the best opportunity for campaigns to change voter attitudes is quickly coming to an end. […]

Moreover, after weeks of advertising, voters already know the fundamental messages of the campaigns. A campaign trailing on Oct. 1 better have some killer new information in its October advertising if it is going to get attention from increasingly cynical voters. […]

A few elections will likely turn on late campaign developments, possibly an ad, a weak debate performance or an issue introduced at the last minute. And a big national news story can obviously have a significant effect on November’s results.

But for most races, the die will be cast around the beginning of October. Either the early ads changed opinion or they didn’t. And that is why the last month of most campaigns is actually less decisive than you may think it is.

Quite true.

* But Bob Creamer adds…

My consulting firm participated in a study several years ago that showed that one door to door contact within 72 hours of Election Day increased the propensity to vote by 12.5%. A second one in the same period increased turnout almost as much.

* The Tribune has posted its US Senate candidate questionnaires online…

* Mark Kirk

* Alexi Giannoulias

* LeAlan Jones

* Mike Labno

* Dear NRSC,

Is this sort of blast e-mail to reporters really all that helpful?

Good morning –

In reporting on failed mob banker Alexi Giannoulias’ fundraiser with Vice President Joe Biden in New York City today, please consider the following response from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC):

“Help from Washington won’t save Alexi Giannoulias from his own record as a failed mob banker, and it won’t change the fact that his risky behavior led to the loss of millions of dollars in the state’s college savings program and the downfall of his own family’s business. Illinois voters deserve a U.S. Senator who will restore accountability, transparency, and respect to this office – not another Blagojevich crony who wants to raise taxes for families and small businesses, increase spending, and loaned millions of dollars to known criminals.” – Amber Marchand, NRSC Press Secretary

Sheesh.

* Related…

* Kirk and Giannoulias’ Moms Involved in Their Campaigns

* Appeals court rejects Roland Burris’ bid to run in special Senate election

* Lame Duck Senate Could be More GOP

* Tea Party Express reveals details of national bus tour

29 Comments

I wanna hold Rahm’s hand

Tuesday, Sep 28, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Chicago media is bound and determined to cover every rumor, every possible angle, every twist and microscopic turn of the Great Rahm Emanuel’s triumphant return to Chicago…

* Sweet: Rahm might quit on Friday to launch mayoral bid

* Source: Emanuel close to deciding on whether to leave White House and explore mayoral run

* Emanuel decision near; likely to leave White House

* The Perambulations of Rahm Emanuel

* Rahm Must Decide Quickly on Mayoral Run, Obama Says

* The latest line on mayoral race: Rahm moving, maybe Gainer, too

* Sneed: Rahm Emanuel kept out of Chicago home by tenant?

* Rahm Emanuel Snubbing Luis Guiterrez?

* Gutierrez criticizes Emanuel on immigration

* Rahm “All But Certain” to Run for Mayor

Meanwhile, there are no articles on the governor’s campaign in the city’s news media today. No articles on the US Senate campaign. No columns. No editorials. The general election is five weeks from today.

They are amusing themselves to death with this media frenzy of theirs. It really is unseemly.

* The frenzy is so bad they’re even recycling month-old stories about Emil Jones, for crying out loud…

Emil Jones Jr., the Chicago Democrat who retired more than a year ago as Illinois Senate president, said today that supporters and friends have begun collecting signatures on his behalf for a possible mayoral run.

In an interview with the Tribune, Jones said he is still “just looking” at getting into the contest to succeed Mayor Richard Daley, who is not running for re-election.

“A lot of my supporters want me to run,” Jones said. “I enjoy my retirement, but I will only run if conditions are right.”

When asked what those conditions are, Jones said, “I’m not going to tell you right now.”

Everybody who believes that Emil Jones will actually run for mayor, please, raise your hands. Anybody? Hello? Bueller?

* And while few think that state Sen. Rickey Hendon is a “serious” mayoral candidate, he said yesterday that he’s in the race to stay.

Hendon won every black Chicago ward in the lt. governor’s primary, despite running against Art Turner, who was endorsed by both Chicago newspapers, some bigtime labor unions and Personal PAC. Now, I might agree that Hendon ain’t exactly mayoral material, but he has long championed issues that truly resonate out there. Parking meters, red light cameras, free rides for seniors, the foreclosure crisis, etc. Remember his radio ad? Again, not exactly mayoral material, but he hit the, um, right notes for his community…

Love them or not, Hendon and Sen. James Meeks are the only two candidates out there with definable public policy stands. If anyone thinks that Rahm Emanuel’s campaign will be anything more than safe, poll-tested bromides they’re fooling themselves. But he’s the superstar, so his every tiny move is somehow news. Kinda like when the Beatles used to get the girls screaming at their concerts when they’d just shake their legs a little bit…

For those not old enough to appreciate that clip, watch how these two little girls react to getting Justin Bieber concert tix from their parents for a more up to date example.

This is truly getting embarrassing.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and more legislative campaign news

Tuesday, Sep 28, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

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