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Friday, Aug 5, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Smashing Pumpkins cover “Jeepster” with Jimmy Flemion…

You’ve got the universe
Reclining in your hair

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Rauner ad promotes online term limits petition

Friday, Aug 5, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Rauner appears in a new ad touting an online petition favoring term limits. The ad features one character saying “Let’s get a million signatures this time.” Another follows with “Make ‘em debate it.” The ad is paid for by Turnaround Illinois, Inc., which is one of Rauner’s campaign funds. So it’s very likely that Rauner will use the ad to not only boost his flagging poll numbers (since the issue is so popular), but to also gather up contact information to use against Democrats in legislative races this year.

Rate it…

* Script…

Man: Illinois politics is a mess.

Man: The system, it’s broken.

Woman: Once a politician gets to Springfield, they never leave.

Man: They redraw districts just to get reelected.

Woman: We need term limits.

Man: Term limits.

Man: Term limits.

Man: Let’s get a petition going.

Man: Didn’t we already sign one?

Woman: They were hoping we’d just forget about it.

Man: Let’s get a million signatures this time.

Man: Make ‘em debate it.

Woman: Make ‘em vote.

Man: Make ‘em accountable.

Woman: After all, I’ve got a future taxpayer here.

Rauner: Let’s all sign the term limits petition. Go to FixIllinois.com.

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What the what? Kirk is totally confused on the facts

Friday, Aug 5, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* So, according to US Sen. Mark Kirk, Tammy Duckworth hired a criminal under orders from Rod Blagojevich? Really? Where did that even come from? As we’ve already discussed, a criminal was allegedly hired at the Anna Veterans’ Home in 2007 by the facility’s acting manager, not by Duckworth. And he was told to get out the next day. Nobody has ever said that Duckworth knew about the hiring in advance (in fact, one of the whistleblowers in this bizarre case said under oath that the acting manager was solely responsible) and nobody has ever once alleged that Blagojevich played a role in it.

* Here is a transcript of Sen. Kirk talking to reporters yesterday with his most absurd comments highlighted for your reading convenience…

KIRK: I will be able to send you the picture of me in Qalat, Zabul Province in 2009, where I went on a foot patrol walk with the locals. And I’ve done three served assignments in Afghanistan. I know Tammy would like to take that away from me. I actually went to Afghanistan and I worked for General Vick Nicholson, who is now the commander of ISAF. Let me take a moment; take it one of you wanted to about this man Jesse Bell. That is the center of the case against Tammy Duckworth. The two whistleblowers that came forward, who said to us that the entire dispute was between Tammy Duckworth and the people at Anna nursing home Was over hiring this convicted felon, who was a convicted felon. Let me read you his rap sheet.

Guilty Of Felony For Possession Of Stolen Vehicle, Guilty Of Felony For Knowingly engaging in domestic Battery, Guilty Causing Bodily Harm; Guilty of Fleeing Police, Guilty of elder abuse, Guilty Domestic Battery. In the case of…let me be very specific, Jessie Bell committed his greatest crime after Duckworth hired him is now in the Pinckneyville prison for murder. That shows you the kind of person that he was. We cannot have someone running for the Senate who picks people this questionable taking care of our veterans. This disqualifies Tammy Duckworth from office. By, under orders from Rod Blagojevich for whatever reason she wanted to pick up this multiple convicted felon taking care of veterans in the Anna facility and the whistleblowers were exactly correct in saying that this man should not be taking care of veterans.

Reporter: And you know they already responded he did only work for 24 hours?

Kirk: I would say that putting someone this questionable in charge of, and you know, when you look at the whistleblowers, they really heavily objected to this and they were correct to do that and if a normal, like for me it was very easy for my staff to get his prison pictures online.

Reporter: Are you saying that Duckworth had a direct role in hiring the bad guy?

Kirk: She, uh according to the uh, I talked to the uh, my staff talked to the uh, talked to the plaintiffs. They highlighted the battle with Tammy Duckworth was over Jessie Bell, this convicted murderer…

Reporter: Are you saying that Duckworth had a direct role in hiring that man?

Kirk: According to the — my staff talked to the plaintiffs. They highlighted the battle with Tammy Duckworth over Jessie Bell, this convicted murderer. Who committed this murder after he was involved with the Anna nursing home facility.

Reporter: So you have Duckworth hiring this person, correct?

Kirk: She was insisting that this person could come in and that’s why the whistleblowers — let me point out the whistleblowers were right here and highlight my record on whistleblower protection. In the last VA appropriations bill, I put the Kirk whistleblower protection act in there to make sure that people who may be a convicted murderer should be taken care of veterans so they have protections. We’ve got to protect the protectors here.

Man, is that ever weird. Again, if you need a refresher, click here.

* Audio…

* Response from the Duckworth campaign…

“Mark Kirk has floated plenty of lies, but this one is absurd. Tammy had no role in any unauthorized individuals entering the Anna facility, and virtually nothing he said today is supported by the court record — or reality. This is a new low, even for Kirk, and he should be ashamed of himself.” - Matt McGrath, campaign spokesman

Kirk was accused by the Duckworth campaign yesterday of deceptively pumping up his military service record. Instead of focusing on blowing that out of the water, he talked about Rod Blagojevich. Weird.

* Related…

* Judge Vacates Duckworth Trial Date

* United in refusal to back Trump, Kasich stumps for Kirk

* Sen. Mark Kirk Campaigns in Chicago with Ohio Gov. John Kasich

* Mark Kirk in Electoral Vise as Republican in Illinois Senate Race

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Illinois Policy Institute wants same-day registration law tossed ahead of election

Thursday, Aug 4, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

The Liberty Justice Center has filed a federal lawsuit to strike down Illinois’ Election Day voter registration law. The lawsuit shows that this law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by making it more difficult for people to register to vote in some areas of the state than in others.

In 2014, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law creating a system for Election Day voter registration in Illinois. The law is unlike any other voter registration law in the U.S. because the availability of Election Day voter registration at polling places varies by county. The law requires counties with populations of 100,000 or more to offer Election Day voter registration at all polling places. However, the law does not require counties with lower populations to offer Election Day voter registration at all polling places – making it more difficult for people to register to vote in some areas of the state than in others.

Every state senator and representative who voted for this scheme was a Democrat, and every state senator and representative who voted against it was a Republican. Not coincidentally, high-population counties in Illinois tend to favor Democratic candidates; low-population counties in Illinois tend to favor Republican candidates. Former Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law during his final days in office.

“Illinois’ voter registration law is unconstitutional. The state cannot give some citizens better opportunities to vote than it gives to others,” said Jacob Huebert, senior attorney at the Liberty Justice Center. “If Illinois is going to have Election Day voter registration at polling places, it should be available statewide. And it should be fair.”

The plaintiffs in this case are Patrick Harlan, a candidate for Congress in Western Illinois, and the Crawford County Republican Central Committee.

The lawsuit asks the federal court to order the Illinois State Board of Elections to direct election authorities in all 102 Illinois counties not to provide Election Day registration at precinct polling places in the November election. That’s the only way a federal court can fix the unfairness of this law. Or, the General Assembly could fix the unfairness of the law by changing it, so that Election Day registration is available at polling places everywhere – not just in places where one political party wants to boost its turnout.

The center was created by the Illinois Policy Institute.

The filing is here. Video of its press conference is here. The group wants a preliminary injunction issued before this November’s election.

When asked why the group waited so long to file the lawsuit, the center’s spokesperson said “We didn’t notice it a year ago.”

*** UPDATE *** Dave McKinney…

State Senator Don Harmon, a Democrat from suburban Chicago and the law’s chief Senate sponsor, said Illinois law commonly differentiates between counties’ populations and said election officials in less-populous counties voiced concern about not having resources for polling place registration.

Under the law in question, voters in smaller counties can still register on Election Day in county clerks’ offices.

Harmon suggested the lawsuit’s real aim is to dampen Democratic voter turnout this fall, particularly in party strongholds like Cook County. In 2015, there were 4 million residents in the county above the voter-eligible age of 18, according to the U.S. Census. […]

“I suspect the plaintiffs are much more interested in having same-day registration thrown out in Cook County than they are in extending it to every small county in Illinois,” Harmon said.

If I was going to put on my tinfoil hat, I’d say it also has something to do with contested legislative races. The Institute is a major Rauner ally and he’s dumping millions of dollars into those races.

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