The rise of the Cook County Board’s newest commissioner starts, as so many good political stories in Chicago do, a long time ago in the old neighborhood.
Ed Moody and his twin brother Fred Moody were teenagers hanging out at West Lawn Park on the city’s Southwest Side when they met a politician named Mike Madigan.
The Moody brothers’ mom had died when they were 14. Their dad struggled with alcoholism.
Mike Madigan, then a young state representative and Democratic ward boss, became a father figure to the boys, who followed Chicago politics as avidly as many kids follow sports.
Madigan later welcomed the Moody brothers into his political organization. They quickly became top Democratic precinct captains in the 13th Ward.
Now 52, Ed and Fred Moody have stayed out of the limelight until now. But political insiders long have counted them among the most respected and feared campaign operatives in the state legislative and municipal races where Madigan cultivates his power carefully, one voter at a time.
These two guys are legends, and for good reason. They love walking precincts and they can flip more voters at the doors than just about anyone else alive. Of course, there have also been stories about how, for instance, they describe their candidate as absolutely pro-gun at one door and favoring strict gun control at the next. I saw several Bruce Rauner yard signs when I was in Kankakee back in 2014 right next to signs for Rep. Kate Cloonen (D-Kankakee). I don’t think that was by accident.
I asked the Madigan folks last time around if they’d let me tag along with one of the brothers in a precinct for an hour or so. My request was immediately denied. I was bummed because I’d really like to see one or both of them in action up close.
House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton were the keynote speakers at Friday night’s Will County Democratic Central Committee’s Legislative Leaders Dinner.
Madigan described an “epic struggle” in state government, and both he and Cullerton applauded Democratic legislative leaders for blocking the governor’s self-described turnaround agenda. […]
“It’s been an epic struggle, a tough struggle,” Madigan said. “And, believe me the Democrats in the Illinois Legislature have stood strong, and they will continue to stand strong for working people in Illinois.”
* Meanwhile…
Leader Durkin, who on Friday received $2 million from Ken Griffin, transfers $1.7 million to HRO. https://t.co/QoUzpwhUiN
* I’ll give your team loads of credit. They toughed it out inning after inning and hour after hour last night. I admire the tenacity.
Now, don’t crumble into a whiny little ball and have a group mental breakdown like y’all did after a hapless fan interfered with a foul ball a few years back. That’s loser stuff right there, kids. Last night was just one loss. Even the 2005 White Sox lost a playoff game. Stuff happens. Shake it off.
However, some runs scored by players other than your pitchers might be a good thing. Just sayin…
“What steps will your energy policy take to meet our energy needs while at the same time remaining environmentally friendly and minimizing job layoffs?”
Excellent question, for sure. And his red sweater was pretty cool, too, particularly considering his wardrobe malfunction back story.
My favorite question was the last one, however. Both candidates were asked to say something nice about each other.
So, instead of a question today, here’s a challenge…
* If you generally disapprove of Gov. Bruce Rauner, say something truly positive about him in comments below. The same goes for those of you who disapprove of House Speaker Michael Madigan.
No snark! Don’t even try. I’ll immediately delete you. And no back and forth bickering. Stick to the task at hand and only the task at hand. Thanks.
Today, House Majority PAC launched its first ad in the race for Illinois’ 10th Congressional District, “Advisor.” The ad features a Highland Park voter reviewing the facts online about Republican Congressman Bob Dold’s out-of-touch record including his votes to privatize Medicare and charge women more for health care.
Additionally, HMP has launched a new, real-life version of the website featured in the ad, www.congressadvisor.org, where voters can read the facts about Dold’s out-of-touch record for themselves.
“Unfortunately for Congressman Dold, his record is due for a big review this November, and it doesn’t look good,” said House Majority PAC Communications Director Jeb Fain. “Dold may get high marks from his special interest backers in Washington for voting to privatize Medicare and charge women more for health care, but IL-10 voters can tell from the facts that Bob Dold clearly isn’t working for them.”
“Advisor” begins airing today on broadcast, cable, and digital platforms in the Chicago media market.
Before I hire someone, I check online.
Bob Dold has a lot of reviews… but his ratings aren’t good.
Special interests spent $7 million to elect Dold and he repeatedly voted their way.
Like taking half a million from the insurance industry and voting to privatize Medicare.
And charging women more for health care.
Read for yourself. Bob Dold does not work for us.
* Greg Hinz referees competing interpretations of how effective Gov. Rauner’s administration has been at handling the EDGE tax credit, which essentially allows businesses to keep employee income tax payments for themselves…
According to the Rauner administration, Quinn during his five-year tenure negotiated $1.3 billion in Edge tax breaks for the promise of 18,940 jobs. Also included was preserving 55,000 jobs; but the Quinn folks tried to get out of that business, and Rauner’s team says it will underwrite only new jobs.
Rauner has committed to $125 million for 8,100 jobs. These numbers will rise because the Commerce Department still is negotiating with Amazon for a facility in Monee. But the Rauner figures include 500 jobs and $6 million that Quinn awarded for a new warehouse in Joliet, where Amazon has since announced a much larger expansion.
Based on that, the Rauner folks assert, they’ve delivered jobs at a cost in lost payroll taxes of $15,338.31 per position, well below the $69,372 under Quinn. “We’re still creating new jobs in Illinois,” says spokeswoman Kyle Ann Sebastian, “but for significantly less in Edge tax credits.”
Rauner’s assessment is skewed by the huge Amazon deal, which so far has cost $10,819 per position. But numbers being numbers, I decided to run this by a former top Commerce Department official under Quinn, who asked not to be named.
That source points out—correctly—that the applicable income tax rate under Quinn was 5 percent, versus 3.75 percent today, so the value of the deals under Quinn inevitably was higher, job for job. Factoring that out, the ratio of corporate-to-public investment in the two administrations is fairly similar, that source says.
Raynor Garage Doors has battled back from the 2008 recession and unveiled a $1-million plant upgrade on Monday, but its chairman says Illinois can still do much more to help businesses like Raynor thrive.
The downturn sliced roughly a third of the workforce from this third generation, family-owned business, said Ray Neisewander III, the company’s chairman and CEO.
“Illinois doesn’t make it easy,” he said. “It’s a very difficult state to do business in.”
Raynor, which makes garage doors for homes and businesses, has been a fixture in Dixon since 1945.
While it still employs some 500 employees in a union shop, automation is prompting the need for more highly skilled workers.
* I told subscribers about this ad earlier today. From a press release…
Leading Illinois For Tomorrow to Give Voters a Choice to LIFT Up Our State Instead of Continuing Down Rauner’s Destructive Path
LIFT Dedicated to Rebuilding Illinois’ Middle Class & Creating Opportunity for All
CHICAGO – Leading Illinois for Tomorrow (LIFT), a new political action committee, launched television and digital ads on Tuesday to counter an onslaught of campaign spending by Governor Bruce Rauner and his wealthy allies on behalf of GOP candidates.
“The purpose of LIFT is to explain the stark choice voters will be presented with this fall,” said state Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), the LIFT Chairman. “Illinois has serious problems, but Rauner and the Republicans are making them worse. For the first time in history, Illinois has gone 16 months without a state budget. The middle class is under attack and universities and social service agencies are suffering. LIFT will make sure Illinois voters know that Democrats have a better way forward.”
LIFT was formed to demonstrate that our democracy is not for sale to the highest bidder and to fight back against the radical Republican agenda. LIFT will highlight Democrats’ real plans to strengthen the middle class, grow our economy, fix the state budget, reform politics, make the tax system fair, and provide equal opportunity to everyone.
“An unprecedented amount of money is pouring into Republican races from just a handful of extraordinarily wealthy individuals, including Governor Rauner,” said Biss. “Illinois Republican candidates are too scared to demand that Rauner and his multi-millionaire and billionaire friends pay their fair share so we can make the investments in Illinois’ residents, institutions and infrastructure that we need to create economic growth and opportunity for all. LIFT will fight back against the idea that our government should be run by and for the benefit of a few people to the detriment of millions of Illinoisans.”
LIFT is filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as a federal super PAC. Television and digital ads began running in the Chicago media market on Tuesday, with downstate markets to soon follow.
All donors to LIFT will be disclosed on the FEC website. LIFT is not coordinating with any candidate, campaign or political party.
For more information about LIFT, please visit LiftIllinois.com.
“Gov. Rauner is running an aggressive campaign to paint Republicans and Democrats in a certain way (pro-reform and pro-status quo, respectively),” Biss wrote. “This message strikes me as inaccurate and politically dangerous. I think it’s important to communicate a very different message about what Republicans and Democrats stand for, and what a vote for Republicans or a vote for Democrats up and down the ticket would mean for the quality of life of real people.” […]
Biss says he will disclose his donors soon. And asked if he’s gearing up to challenge Rauner himself in 2018, the senator gives a most political answer: “I’m not giving that any thought right now,” he wrote, “focused on 2016!”
* So, this “analysis” from a paper controlled by Dan Proft’s ever-expanding empire completely disproves its own theory right off the bat…
Seven of 12 [Chicago Tribune] editorial board members — including editorial page editor John P. McCormick (La Grange Park) — consistently vote in Illinois Democrat primaries, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. An eighth member, columnist Clarence Page, is a liberal Democrat. The remaining four members have no active record of voting in partisan primaries.
If actual voting records are the measure, the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board has no Republicans.
Yeah. OK. The Trib’s edit board is not Republican at all. Right. Go with that one. Better yet, stop right there because the “actual voting records” thesis is plainly goofy.
The outliers include Rich Miller, publisher of the popular Springfield newsletter Capitol Fax. He’s voted in seven primaries since 1992, four Republican (‘00, ‘10, ‘12, ‘14) and three Democrat (‘92, ‘94, ‘98).
I wanted to vote in the contested presidential and US Senate races in 1992, and wanted to participate in the hotly contested governor’s primaries in 1994 and 1998. Just as important, however, I also lived at the time in a more Dem-leaning area. I moved in 1999 to a more Republican area so there were simply more GOP races to vote in, plus, I wanted to vote in the Republican presidential primary.
I moved to Chicago in 2001, but they missed those votes. I’m pretty sure I took a Democratic ballot in 2002 and 2004. I wanted to vote in the hotly contested 2002 governor’s primary, but I was also living in a place that basically had nothing to offer as far as local contests on the GOP side.
I’m also pretty sure that I took a GOP ballot in 2006 to vote in the Republican gubernatorial primary (for Judy Baar Topinka) and because I was back in Springfield and living in a heavily GOP area. I’ve been thinking about it since this article was published, but I just don’t remember which ballot I took in 2008.
My GOP votes in ‘10, ‘12 and ‘14 are mainly a reflection of where I live. Almost all the real primary action is on the GOP side in my neck of the woods. They also missed 2016, when I once again took a Republican ballot.
At the Chicago Sun-Times, longtime political reporter and current Associate Managing Editor Scott Fornek hasn’t been as discreet. A resident of Michael Madigan’s 13th Ward, Fornek has voted in 14 primaries since 1990, all for the Democratic party.
Oh, please. First, taint him with living in Madiganstan, then complain that he didn’t take a GOP ballot with few down-ballot choices?
C’mon.
* Hey, some of these folks might actually be Democrats. But, you know, this is a free country. People get to think what they want, not what somebody else believes they should think.
According to the above story, the Tribune’s Rick Pearson doesn’t vote in primaries. I know several other political reporters who do the same. I respect that decision. It’s just not the one I make for myself.
WBEZ’s Jenn White: What was it about this tape that pushed you to call for Donald Trump to step aside as the Republican presidential nominee?
Senator Mark Kirk: I just feel like he has become a malignant clown. The RNC should [hold] an emergency meeting to make sure we have a new candidate.
Q: Trump has apologized for his remarks. He also dismissed it as locker room talk. Why was that not enough of a satisfying response for you?
A: It’s not enough because I think it reveals who he really is and we shouldn’t elect such a misogynistic candidate to the presidency. […]
Q: Do you feel like some of those Republicans will follow your lead?
A: It’s likely. I don’t think Trump is wearing well. […]
Q: If Donald Trump remains on the ballot, what does that mean for your party?
A: For our party it means that the American people will likely figure out what’s going on and they will figure out we’ve nominated the wrong guy.
Q: But what do you think it means for the future of your party, and for those down-ticket races like yours?
A: It means that the Trump disaster could cost us the Senate and the House.
Sen. Kirk is embarking on another statewide bus tour, so we’ll see what sort of reaction he gets from the party faithful.
* For a possible preview, let’s look at something else which happened Saturday…
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis has withdrawn his support for Donald Trump and hopes running mate Mike Pence will move to the top of the ticket.
Davis, a Taylorville Republican who represents the 13th Congressional District, released a statement Saturday in which he said he also has asked to be removed from Trump’s agriculture advisory committee.
“As parents of a teenage daughter and teen twin boys, my wife and I teach them to respect women and that they will be judged by their words and actions,” Davis said in the emailed statement. “The abhorrent comments made by Donald Trump are inexcusable and go directly against what I’ve been doing in Washington to combat assaults on college campuses.
“Because of this, I am rescinding my support for Donald Trump and asking to have my name removed from his agriculture advisory committee. With the terrible options America has right now, I cannot cast my vote for any of the candidates, so I hope Donald Trump withdraws from the race so the American people can elect Mike Pence as our next president.”
What in heaven’s name are you doing? Are you a democrat in disguise? Shame on you. Evidently you want Hilary elected. I just do not understand you.
To…
Rodney - you have become another establishment, elitist Republican that conservatives like me are tired of! I sure don’t condone what Trump said but we all say things we regret! Do you like the alternative better? You not supporting Trump is a vote for Gollary!
To…
I am very proud of this decision Rodney. I have always respected our differences in parties and opinions but I am proud of the choice you have made.
To…
Where is your apology for supporting him in the first place?? You apparently were fine with his continuous racist remarks, denigration of John McCain & Muslim Gold star parents, mocking of a disabled reporter, “stiffing” of middle class businesses and spewing of lie after lie after lie. And none of this touches his bragging about not being stupid enough to pay any Federal taxes which support all of the things YOU say are important. You should be ashamed of yourself for supporting him in the first place and also ashamed for this phony sense of outrage you’re showing now! You will win your election again because of the district gerrymandering but the truth is you aren’t worthy of representing anyone in Illinois!!
* But this one was my favorite because it made me chuckle…
According to a new poll conducted by Southern Illinois University’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, 47 percent of registered Illinois voters want to leave the state.
In comparison, 51 percent of the poll’s respondents said they’d prefer to remain in the state, while 2 percent remained undecided. According to the poll, 20 percent of respondents said it was likely, somewhat likely or likely that they’d leave the state in the coming year. Nearly 80 percent said it was unlikely.
Respondents cited the state’s taxes, weather, government and jobs as the main reasons for wanting to leave the state. According to the poll, 27 percent cited taxes, 16 percent blamed the weather, 15 percent cited government and 13 percent pointed to jobs and education.
“There are lots of reasons why people want to leave, David Yepsen, director of the institute, said in a statement. “Not much can be done about the weather but policy makers can do something about perceptions of the quality of services, tax competitiveness, tax fairness and educational and job opportunities.”
The poll also showed 20 percent said it was extremely likely, somewhat likely or likely they would leave the state in the coming year. Nearly 80 percent said it was unlikely.
Well, hey, only a fifth of the population say they’re likely to be leaving soon. What a relief. /snark
People under 50 are much more likely to want to leave than the rest of the population. Fifty- seven percent of millennials (under 35) want to leave the state while 58 percent of those between 35 and 50 want to leave. Only 29 percent of adults over age 66 want to leave Illinois.
“Policy-makers argue over whether people are leaving or not,” Yepsen said. “The most troubling finding in this poll is that so many younger people are thinking about it. That’s the state’s future.”
The measurements are one indication of how unhappy many people are with the state. The poll also found a staggering 84 percent of Illinois voters said the state was headed in the wrong direction while only 10 percent said it was on the right track. […]
The poll mirrors what the Gallup Poll found three years ago. Then 50 percent of Illinois residents said they would leave the state if they could. No other state ranked higher for would-be departures. Gallup also found in 2013 that 19 percent of residents said they were extremely, very or somewhat likely to move in the coming year.
* Oof…
* And somehow, some way, this horrific trendline has to be altered. If this was a person, we’d do an intervention…
Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has largely avoided any discussion of the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump.
That changed Monday, when Rauner directed harsh criticism at Trump for the vulgar remarks captured in a 2005 video, although he didn’t mention Trump’s name.
Speaking after participating in Chicago’s Columbus Day parade, Rauner said the rhetoric, the language, the statements in the video was, “disgusting, appalling, outrageous, beyond any reasonable bounds of decency.” He reiterated his refusal to back Trump.
When asked whether he supports Trump, Rauner said instead that he’s “not endorsing him.”
Rauner, as head of the Illinois Republican Party, didn’t attend this year’s GOP convention and has not endorsed Trump, but he has said he would vote for the Republican nominee. […]
At an event Downstate Saturday, Rauner said, “I’ll say this. The rhetoric in this presidential campaign [is] appalling, disgusting. As a father [and] as a husband, the language is vile and repulsive, and I condemn it in the strongest possible way.”
Asked if he’ll still support Trump, Rauner replied on Saturday, “I’ve made my comments.”
Rauner’s handpicked state GOP chairman, Cook County Commissioner Tim Schneider, has not issued a formal public statement about Trump’s leaked comments. Email requests to the Illinois GOP for comment since Saturday gained no response. […]
All politics may be local, but timing also can be a factor. The Sangamon County Republican Party sent fliers to mailboxes in Springfield on Saturday soliciting vote-by-mail for the GOP ticket, political literature that featured Trump.
But the mailer, arriving only hours after the release of Trump’s recording, also had photos of Sen. Kirk and Rep. Davis, who by then had called for Trump to drop out.
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Any person who knowingly gives, lends or promises to give or lend any money or other valuable consideration to any other person to influence such other person to vote or to register to vote or to influence such other person to vote for or against any candidate or public question to be voted upon at any election shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
The Chicago Teachers Union announced a tentative contract agreement with the school board minutes before a midnight strike deadline, meaning classrooms in the city will be open Tuesday.
The two sides narrowly averted what would have been the second strike of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s tenure after nearly 12 hours of talks Monday. The four year deal agreed to by union leaders still needs to be ratified by the CTU’s House of Delegates and voted on by full membership. […]
Lewis said the contract includes a commitment from the school board on kindergarten through second grade class sizes and on teacher layoffs and recalls. The settlement also deals with the teacher pension pickup, long a hangup in contract talks, Lewis said.
Under the proposed contract, CTU members hired before Dec. 31, 2016, will keep the pension pickup. “The new hires will not have it, but they will get at some point a salary adjustment,” Lewis said. “So it’s about compensation.”
It’s not yet clear how the Board of Education will pay for the new deal, or how much of the tax-increment financing money the union has sought as a solution for the cash-strapped district could be tapped.
According to the four-year agreement published early Tuesday morning, teachers will keep in years two, three and four the raises they get for added experience and education known as steps and lanes, raises the Board had suspended during negotiations. Cost of living raises of 2 percent and then 2.5 percent also are forthcoming in the third and fourth years of the deal, Lewis said. Teachers are currently in year two of the agreement that would replace the contract that expired in June 2015. […]
The Board also committed in writing to sending more help to crowded kindergarten to second-grade classrooms during the second semester, and has earmarked $7 million each year of the deal to staff those same grades. And it agreed to find a solution in tandem with the CTU to somehow free counselors and special ed teachers from case management duties starting in the 2017-18 school year.
Earlier district proposals to reopen the contract if CPS couldn’t entice 1,500 teachers and several hundred more aides to retire early have been eliminated, and CPS also agreed to form an advisory committee of two CTU members, two Board members and CPS’ finance chief to discuss budget issues.
At the press conference last night, a pricetag of $200 million for additional costs was mentioned. The tentative agreement is here.
After a tumultuous weekend for Donald Trump, the Illinois Republican Party plans to stay the course for now and focus on legislative attacks against Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan rather than work to distance itself from the controversial GOP presidential nominee.
Republican campaign strategists and activists said the reason is twofold: Trump is highly unlikely to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in Illinois, a traditional blue state in presidential years; and they contend any Trump tarnish won’t extend all the way down to the General Assembly campaigns at the center of the Nov. 8 state GOP strategy. […]
One Republican legislative campaign consultant, who was not authorized to speak publicly about strategy, said he believes no one knows about the extent of a Trump factor on down-ballot races for a few more weeks “when the wind blows and people start to move.”
At the same time, however, he said efforts by Democrats to connect local Republican legislative candidates to Trump lack the “realness” factor compared to GOP efforts to link Madigan to Democratic legislative candidates because the speaker “is a leader and he runs the place.”
Mark Fratella, of Elmhurst, who was a Trump delegate at the party’s national convention in Cleveland, said that because the Republican presidential contender has shifted resources away from Illinois, “now it’s time to just focus on the local races and look at getting rid of the supermajority that Madigan has.”
The Republicans have spent millions of dollars to “burn in” the Madigan issue this year. They’re hoping that this will serve as a sort of firewall with independents.
They’re also hoping that all the high-profile Republican defections from Trump will help convince people that the “Trump” brand is separate and distinct from the “Republican” brand.
But the national GOP is in such crazy disarray right now that nobody really knows what’s about to happen. It could very well turn out to be a wave election and that could wipe out all those expensively well-laid “Because… Madigan!” plans.
A harsh new TV ad slams Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion) for supporting a convicted sex offender. It’s described by the Republicans as a form of payback for all the sex offender-related ads that the House Democrats have been using against Republicans this year and in years past.
The ad begins with footage of a Chicago television anchorman saying “Federal prosecutors now accusing a former state Representative of possessing child pornography.”
It then cuts to footage of convicted former state Rep. Keith Farnham, with an announcer saying “Unspeakable abuse from a Springfield Democrat.” Footage of Rep. Bradley appears on the screen: “But as Madigan’s top lieutenant in Democrat leadership, John Bradley stood by as the predator committed heinous crimes on his state computer.”
“The sex assault victim was an infant,” the TV anchorman is heard saying. “Yet Bradley stroked a check to the predator’s campaign just to strengthen Madigan’s power. Cowardice so despicable you have to wonder, how does John Bradley sleep at night?”
Bradley did contribute $1,000 to Farnham, but that was three years before Farnham’s arrest. Nobody had a clue what was going on with Farnham back then. Farnham is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for trafficking in child pornography. He’s also been sued by two minors who say their pornographic images were found on Farnham’s Illinois House computer.
The Democrats have been airing TV and radio ads and sending mailers blasting Republicans on this same basic issue. Republican Jerry Long, who is running against appointed Rep. Andy Skoog (D-LaSalle), was hit for renting one of his houses to a convicted sex offender. Republican Lindsay Parkhurst, who is challenging Rep. Kate Cloonen (D-Kankakee), was blasted for working to “keep a predator [of a five-year old child] out of jail.” Parkhurst is a defense attorney.
Several other GOP candidates have been whacked for opposing House Speaker Michael Madigan’s failed budget proposal, although not in those words, of course. The Madigan proposal included funding for various programs related to sex offenders, so they’re being hit with that. Rep. Bradley’s own opponent Dave Severin got the treatment, as did others.
And the GOP hit is spreading to other districts.
“Yingling’s Dirty Money,” blares the headline on a new Republican mailer, which features an image of a little girl with her head in her hands just behind a photo of Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake). Yingling’s GOP opponent was hit with a Democratic sex offender mailer earlier.
“Sam Yingling has taken over $1,000,000 in campaign contributions from the same political groups who bankrolled a politician that pleaded guilty to horrific child pornography crimes,” the mailer claims, using very similar language to a recent House Democratic robocall that linked state Rep. Carol Sente’s current Republican opponent to Dan Proft’s Liberty Principles PAC.
“The candidate was sued by victims saying they were repeatedly ‘raped and sexually assaulted’ to produce child pornography,” the Republican mailer claims. “Sam Yingling won’t give back the political donations.”
The mailer then excerpts a news report: “Depictions of sadistic and sexual abuse of children as young as 6 months old.”
Ugh.
The House Democrats are a pretty predictable bunch. If something works, they use it over and over again anywhere and everywhere they can until it stops working. This sort of slam helped keep Rep. Sente in office two years ago when the Democrats used a variation of the sexual predator “issue” against her GOP challenger Leslie Munger. Munger, who went on to be appointed state comptroller, was whacked for saying she opposed unfunded state mandates, which the Democrats twisted to mean she was opposed to school mandates that help shield children from predators.
Linking an opponent to child sexual predators is about the lowest thing anybody can do in politics. But it’s a type of tactic as old as negative campaigning itself.
Almost everybody has heard the legend about Lyndon Baines Johnson wanting to spread a rumor that his opponent was engaging in, um, marital relations with a member of the porcine persuasion. When told he couldn’t do that because it wasn’t true, Johnson is said to have replied that he knew the claim was false, he just wanted to make his opponent deny it.
Two years ago, the Munger campaign fell for the old LBJ trick and stirred up a media storm by flatly denying that she wanted to protect child predators. Munger lost that race during an otherwise favorable Republican year.
If the “issue” actually turns out to be an effective counterattack for the Republicans, the House Democrats may finally stop using it. One can only hope.
* There have been numerous breaking news developments since Friday afternoon and there’s undoubtedly more to come as I write this on Saturday afternoon.
* I’m gonna take advantage of Monday’s state holiday to decompress and get away from this stuff for a while. I’ll talk at you on Tuesday. Goose Creek Symphony will play us out…
And don’t go buyin’ no one’s answers,
If your question was for free
* Remember the other day when we talked about how Gov. Rauner’s Turnaround Illinois campaign fund broke the contribution caps for House Republican Leader Jim Durkin by spending over $100,000 on a radio ad for Durkin even though he has no Democratic opponent?
Well, that act has now opened the floodgates…
It begins: Citizens for Durkin, which now has no contribution limits, gets $2 million from Ken Griffin. https://t.co/2jX3yIld9y
* AFSCME’s “favorite” Rauner administration attorney is departing, but be careful what you wish for. His replacement is currently in charge of union negotiations…
General Counsel Jason Barclay will leave the Administration at the end of October for a new position. As part of the Governor’s succession planning, Dennis Murashko will be named General Counsel to the Governor. He is currently serving as the Governor’s Deputy General Counsel and is responsible for a wide portfolio of issues, including pension reform, litigation matters, and union negotiations.
Prior to assuming his role in the Administration, Dennis was an appellate attorney with the law firm of Jones Day. He began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Stephen F. Williams on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich on the Tenth Circuit. Before law school, Dennis worked as an actuarial consultant and helped companies analyze and evaluate their pension obligations.
Dennis earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Maryville University of St. Louis and his law degree magna cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law. He lives in Schaumburg with his wife and four children.
No comments on this one because it’s just about quitting time.
Joint Statement from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security
The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations. The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts. These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. Such activity is not new to Moscow—the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.
Some states have also recently seen scanning and probing of their election-related systems, which in most cases originated from servers operated by a Russian company. However, we are not now in a position to attribute this activity to the Russian Government. The USIC and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assess that it would be extremely difficult for someone, including a nation-state actor, to alter actual ballot counts or election results by cyber attack or intrusion. This assessment is based on the decentralized nature of our election system in this country and the number of protections state and local election officials have in place. States ensure that voting machines are not connected to the Internet, and there are numerous checks and balances as well as extensive oversight at multiple levels built into our election process.
Nevertheless, DHS continues to urge state and local election officials to be vigilant and seek cybersecurity assistance from DHS. A number of states have already done so. DHS is providing several services to state and local election officials to assist in their cybersecurity. These services include cyber “hygiene” scans of Internet-facing systems, risk and vulnerability assessments, information sharing about cyber incidents, and best practices for securing voter registration databases and addressing potential cyber threats. DHS has convened an Election Infrastructure Cybersecurity Working Group with experts across all levels of government to raise awareness of cybersecurity risks potentially affecting election infrastructure and the elections process. Secretary Johnson and DHS officials are working directly with the National Association of Secretaries of State to offer assistance, share information, and provide additional resources to state and local officials.
* As we’ve discussed before, the Illinois Department of Human Services wants to cap the hours care-givers are paid to provide in-home assistance to cut down on overtime costs…
The department implemented the policy in May in response to a U.S. Department of Labor ruling that said home care workers must earn time-and-a-half overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours per week. But the Rauner administration put the policy on hold in August just as a union representing 25,000 home care workers was readying to file a class-action lawsuit challenging it.
The administration is now seeking to implement the policy through the General Assembly’s bipartisan House and Senate committee in charge of approving such rules. The Thursday hearing in Springfield followed one held Monday in Chicago.
The department’s proposed rules would require clients in the home services program to hire enough personal assistants to cover the hours of care they need each week without requiring overtime. Any personal assistant who works more than 40 hours in a week would be required to submit written justification to the department for approval, and anyone who works unapproved overtime three times would be barred from being paid through the program. […]
The federal Labor Department sent a letter to the state noting its “significant concerns” with the proposal. Among those concerns, according to the letter, is the lack of a “robust exceptions policy,” which could result in workers providing off-the-clock care in violation of federal law.
“Without an appropriate exceptions policy, it is likely that either employees who care for vulnerable individuals will feel that they have no choice but to work uncompensated hours … or consumers will be left without adequate assistance,” the letter states. “Neither outcome is acceptable or necessary.”
Vivian Anderson, who oversees the program for DHS, is quoted in the article as saying the agency’s proposal is “pretty close to perfect.” This is the same person who SEIU claims fell asleep during a recent hearing on the issue. But, if it’s so perfect, there was probably no need to pay attention.
* The US appellate court in Chicago has basically just decided to keep in-precinct election day voter registration alive during this election cycle. The court put off briefing until November 10th, which is after election day, so its stay of a lower court’s ruling that halted the practice will remain in place. From the court…
ORDER re: 1. Plaintiffs-appellees’ statement on consolidating and expediting cases. 2. Defendants-appellants’ statement opposing an expedited appeal. 3. Cook County clerk David Orr’s statement supporting consolidating appeals and opposing expedited briefing. The requests to consolidate are GRANTED, and these cases are CONSOLIDATED for purposes of briefing and disposition. The request to expedite is DENIED. The briefing schedule is as follows: The appellants shall file their openings briefs and required short appendices on or before November 10, 2016. The appellees shall file their consolidated brief on or before December 12, 2016. The appellants shall file their consolidated reply briefs, if any, or or before December 27, 2016. Counsel for appellants are encouraged to avoid unnecessary duplication by filing a joint brief or a joint appendix or by adopting parts of a co-appellant’s brief. EAH [15] [6788829] [16-3547, 16-3597] (CR)
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today alerted Illinois voters that a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit restores Illinois voters’ legal right to register to vote and cast their ballot at the same time in the general election on Nov. 8.
The Court’s ruling puts on hold an earlier federal district court ruling finding that the law allowing Election Day voter registration was unconstitutional and blocking the widely used practice. As a result of the Court of Appeals decision, election day voter registration can resume. Election day voter registration went into effect in Illinois in early 2015.
“Election day registration allows all voters the opportunity to participate in our elections,” Madigan said.
As a result of the Court’s ruling, the election day registration law will be restored. Under the law, counties with a population of 100,000 or more must provide voters with the option of registering to vote and casting their ballots at the same time at polling places on election day. Counties with a population of 100,000 or less and that keep voter records electronically must also provide voters with the option of registering to vote and casting their ballots at the same time at polling places on election day. Smaller counties that do not maintain voter records electronically must offer election day registration at the county’s main election office or at polling places in the county’s larger municipalities.
Attorney General Madigan also reminded voters that if they are registering to vote on election day, they should be prepared to show two forms of identification. The most common forms of identification include a driver’s license or a utility bill, at least one of which must show your current address. If your voter registration is active and current, you do not need to show identification to cast your vote.
Looks like the ILGOP is making hay statewide with the Kankakee voter fraud issue (I’m a Springfield resident). The following message was left on my phone at about 4pm Thursday.
Hello, this is Illinois Republican Party chairman Tim Schneider calling Republicans with an important voter alert (Siren sound plays).
We’re beginning to see news reports of the Chicago Democratic machine offering money for votes in places like Kankakee County. Let me be clear: Vote buying is illegal. It’s a felony, and we’re going to make sure that anyone who is caught gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But we need your help. If you see something, say something. If you see offers of money for votes, please call our voter fraud hotline at 1-844-4-IL-FRAUD.
Don’t let the Democrats steal this election, get out and vote now and help stop voter fraud (Siren sound plays again).
Paid for by the Illinois Republican Party, 312-201-9000.
Glenn Poshard, a former state senator, U.S. congressman and gubernatorial candidate, was the keynote speaker at the Fayette County Democratic Central Committee chicken dinner on Saturday night at the American Legion Home in Vandalia. Poshard has been asked by the Democratic County Chairmen’s Association to help with its “Get Out the Vote” drive, visiting 48 counties in Illinois.
Poshard said his message during those stops is “what it means to be a Democrat, the values that we always stood for.”
Former Illinois gubernatorial candidate Glenn Poshard called on Democrats at their annual Country Jamboree to not stay silent in the face of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “buffoonery.”
“Donald Trump is the epitome of the philosophy of their party,” Mr. Poshard said. “What a shameful act that is, in this democracy, to stand up and tell the American people, ‘I’m smart for avoiding taxes when I am bragging about being a billionaire.’”
Mr. Poshard was the guest speaker at the Rock Island County Democrats Annual Country Jamboree Thursday evening at the American Legion, 829 16th Ave.. […]
Mr. Poshard told attendees that it was important for them to remember the party’s five core values: balance the budget; equal educational opportunities for all; stand up for unions; equal justice before the law; and protect the most vulnerable among us.
Teachers from the UNO Charter School Network, one of Chicago’s largest charter school systems, voted overwhelmingly Thursday in favor of a strike if workers and management don’t reach an agreement before Oct. 19.
The vote was nearly unanimous, with 531 of 532 members of UNO’s unionized workforce voting, and 96 percent of those ballots cast in favor of striking if workers can’t come to a fair agreement with management by Oct. 19, the day set for a walkout by UEU, the United Educators of UNO, according to spokeswoman Erica Stewart, a fifth-grade teacher at the Sandra Cisneros UCSN campus in Brighton Park and a member of the bargaining team.
The strike would be the first in U.S. history of a charter school or charter network. […]
The union is looking for a slightly longer summer than the current five weeks off. It wants six weeks and two days.
It also is asking management to cap class sizes at 32 students.
A representative for the UNO Charter School Network could not immediately be reached for comment. But Richard Rodriguez, the CEO of UCSN, has been posting weekly updates in English and Spanish for parents and the public.
“It is UCSN’s position that there is no need for a strike, as teachers received their salary raises for this current school year in August 2016, and UCSN continues to negotiate in good faith on these and any/all pending matters,” Rodriguez wrote in the two most recent letters.
The vote this week does not mean a strike at UNO schools will definitely happen. If it does, it won’t happen at the same time as the Chicago Teachers Union, which is threatening to go on strike Oct. 11. UNO schools already have a fall break scheduled next week.
The afternoon event will be at the Stony Island Arts Bank, an arts and cultural center founded by Gates, at 6760 S. Stony Island Ave, Chicago.
The price tiers start at $1,000 for an individual donation to $12,700 in a pledged contribution or a promise to raise that much from other people. Top givers and raisers get a VIP reception and a photo.
The proceeds go to the Illinois Coordinated Victory Fund 2016, a joint fundraising committee with the Democratic Party of Illinois and Tammy for Illinois.
* Speaking of DPI, the state party has started its vote by mail program this week with a letter from Secretary of State Jesse White, a form and a postage-paid return envelope…
* Except the form is far too wide to fit in the envelope, because the envelope has glue strips inside that make it much smaller than it appears from the outside. The internal glue strips are highlighted for you here along with the form…
* So, the potential voter could very well wind up tossing the whole thing in the trash rather than deal with jamming the form into the too-small envelope. Or, since they’ve already filled out the form by then, maybe they’ll just fold it again themselves, which makes the return envelope a lot thicker…
* Yeah, it’s a little thing, but little things can matter a lot and the Democrats’ coordinated campaign has had real problems with this sort of stuff in the past.
The financial state of our State is grim. Instead of a responsible and comprehensive budget, we have received a stop-gap spending plan that’s not nearly enough to make it through this year, let alone address the key needs of our State. The Land of Lincoln and its citizens are suffering.
It doesn’t matter if you’re downstate or in Chicago, a student or a social service worker; we all have something in common: Not having a budget is not a laughing matter. Springfield has stopped listening to Illinois citizens. We must make enough noise that they won’t have a choice but to hear us.
Notice anything missing from that highlighted (by me) list? Business owners. Notice anything else missing? Turnaround Agenda items.
Our state is facing a financial crisis like never before and we, the people of Illinois, deserve better!
Because of your inaction, 14,000 teens are without access to afterschool programs, 25,000 seniors are at risk of losing services, 15,000 fewer women will have access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, 1,000 at-risk families are in jeopardy of losing child development services, and 136,000 college students are unsure whether they can afford to stay in school, not to mention the thousands of jobs and businesses at risk of being lost or worse, leaving the state.
Illinois has been the laughingstock of the nation for a while now. But these numbers are no joke. This is not a laughing matter.
We need to put the Land of Lincoln back on sound financial footing.
OK, they do talk about the business climate a tiny bit, but it’s almost an afterthought.
* They then allow people to choose an occupation or position in a pull-down menu…
A choice of being a union member, but not of a business person? Interesting.
* Just for snicks, I chose “community leader” and this message was automatically provided….
What impacts one group in our community ends up impacting all of us. Without social services who is going to guide the at-risk teenager? Who is going to care for the veteran with PTSD? Who is going to assist with elderly parents with Alzheimer’s? When any one of these groups is ignored, there are ripples of uncertainty and instability throughout our community. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a student just starting out, or a retiree expecting to live out their life with a pension, we expect our legislators to ensure that the pieces are in place for our communities to be safe and secure. If one’s not laughing, no one is laughing.
* And check out their Twitter page. They have tweets about child homelessness increasing, cuts to higher education, MAP grants, the Elgin Latino Treatment Center cutting employees and services, and one tweet about manufacturing job losses. Heck, they even retweeted Emily Miller from Voices for Illinois Children.
J.B. Pritzker had more bounce in his step than usual at the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center’s annual Momentum Awards dinner tonight.
And why not? He was fresh off a rare two-fer, in which two of his venture investments were sold, including Viv, Dag Kittlaus’ follow-up to Siri, and sports-TV graphics provider SportVision. Viv, which Pritzker Group Venture Capital backed last year, was a relatively quick score. Sportvision was one of Pritzker’s earliest venture deals from his first fund, raised in 2000. Terms weren’t disclosed for either deal, but Pritzker didn’t look disappointed.
* Illinois Issues has a good explainer article about the state’s severe budget problems. You should read the whole thing, but here’s an excerpt…
Given the state’s level of debt, Illinois’ fiscal house was clearly already aflame before the impasse. But when it comes to what elected officials will ultimately have to ask of taxpayers, not having a budget for a year and a half will be like throwing gas on that fire.
“We are spending so much more money than we have available that we’re going to make the solution that much harder. We’re digging the hole that much deeper,” [Laurence Msall, who is president of the fiscal watchdog group the Civic Federation] says.
He says that taxpayers will end up forking over more and getting less in terms of services for it. And the longer there’s no solution, the bigger the tax increases and cuts will need to be to fix it.
“Unless we’re going to get rid of higher education in large parts at the state, close major universities or stop providing health insurance to new (public) employees, there’s not going to be enough cutting that can be done to balance the state’s budget,” he says.
A woman who lived with a Decatur drug dealer ended up losing big time when she took a judicial gamble on winning back the proceeds of a $50,000 lottery ticket.
The state of Illinois had initially seized the money as the ill-gotten gains of a ticket bought with drug money. But then a Macon County judge later ruled against the state and awarded the lottery cash to the woman, Tykisha Lofton.
Now, in a decision filed Sept. 27, the three-judge Fourth District Appeals Court ruled unanimously to reverse that decision and said the lottery winnings deserve to be kept by the state, where they will be shared among local and state law enforcement agencies.
The appeals court said the state was right in its initial suspicion the ticket had mostly likely been bought with the proceeds of drug sales, and that meant Lofton, who said she had lived with the drug dealer for many years, was out of luck. […]
But the Macon County judge had not bought her story and ruled that Norwood had purchased the ticket “more likely than not with drug money.” However, the judge said extending state forfeiture laws to grab the proceeds from a lottery ticket was going too far.
The judge used examples such as establishing a dry cleaning business with drug money or a drug dealer paying to put himself through medical school and then going to work as a doctor. “Is that money (a doctor’s salary or the profits of a legitimate business) then forfeitable?” wrote the judge. “At some point the connection has to stop.” He then ruled in Lofton’s favor.
The head of the city ethics agency has warned Chicago aldermen and other elected officials that if they accept the Cubs’ offer to buy coveted playoff tickets at face value, they must attend personally and have their presence announced publicly.
The warning came in an advisory memo this week from Steven Berlin, executive director of the Chicago Board of Ethics, as news stories revealed about 70 percent of the city’s 50 aldermen, 85 percent of Chicago state and federal officials, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner had taken advantage.
As a result, some aldermen who were planning to give the tickets away have contacted the team to say they won’t be purchasing them, said team spokesman Julian Green, without providing specifics. In addition, the Cubs will display the names of public officials who did accept the offer on a digital board at the park, he said.
Green said the team had asked the ethics board for an opinion on offering the tickets to public officials, as it has for more than a decade, before extending the offer.
Berlin replied that the ticket “offer itself is not prohibited,” but comes with a “critical caveat”: Elected officials and city employees accepting the offer must attend the game “in his or her official capacity — not as a private Cub fan.”
“It could be construed as a prohibited gift to the city official if they are not announced or if they give away or resell all tickets they purchased at this special price,” Berlin wrote.
“Every city official who purchases tickets [must] be advised at the time of purchase that the Cubs will announce their presence on the Jumbotron or via the PA system at some point during the game.”
Berlin further wrote that the Board of Ethics “will consider any actions inconsistent with this advice as potential violations of the ordinance, which could result in an investigation and public finding of a violation — most definitely a result to be avoided.”
Berlin noted that he had already engaged in “extensive conversations” with Mike Lufrano, vice-president of community relations with the Cubs. But, after reading the Sun-Times story, “It was “not clear that the Cubs had followed our advice given on Sept. 30.”
I don’t really blame the politicos for taking up the team’s offer. Hey, it’s playoff baseball. And it’s not without precedent.
But these tickets are so difficult to come by unless you’re already a season ticket holder that I assume public outrage will surely result. Crime is rising, as are taxes (a buddy of mine says his city water/sewer bill alone is rising by $1600 a year) and the teachers are threatening a strike. Plus, this national campaign has everyone going a little insane.
In the past, the electeds would just ignore the public outcry, figuring it would pass. And it always did. We’ll see what happens this time.
When the Emanuel administration reached a $2 million settlement in May in a whistleblower case brought by two Chicago police officers, the deal was widely seen as a way for the mayor to avoid the embarrassment of testifying about the Police Department’s code of silence, Jamie Kalven writes for the Intercept, an investigative journalism website.
What the administration really avoided was a public airing of evidence that, in the words of a federal judge, “purports to show extraordinarily serious retaliatory misconduct by officers at nearly all levels of the CPD hierarchy.”
Kalven tells the story of one of those officers, Shannon Spalding, in a four-part, 20,000-word series. The individual defendants in the case denied the allegations of Spalding and Daniel Echeverria. As part of the settlement, the city also did not admit any wrongdoing.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump swiped at vulnerable GOP Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.) on Thursday night, saying it’s Kirk’s fault that he’s facing a loss in his reelection fight since he didn’t get on board with the nominee.
Speaking at a town hall event in Sandown, N.H., Trump was asked about the Republican hold-outs who have refused to support him; earlier that day, 30 former GOP lawmakers announced their steadfast opposition to his candidacy. […]
“I guess there’s a gentleman in Illinois who’s not doing very well,” Trump said, referencing Kirk. “He was actually taking out ads against me. I said, are you sure he’s a Republican? Maybe he’s a Democrat. He’s not doing well but hey, that’s his problem. He wasn’t for me and that’s for political reasons.” […]
Still, Trump predicted Republicans would maintain their slim majority in the Senate, and took credit for a coattails effect he claimed would ensure the GOP maintains power in the upper chamber.
“If you look at what’s going on — the other day I saw very interesting — the announcer said Donald Trump is having a very positive effect on the Republicans,” Trump said. “The Republicans are going to hold. They’re doing terrifically well, far better than anyone thought, and we’re going to win some states that never in a million years people thought we’d do well.”
Yeah, well, his coattails aren’t so great in Illinois as a whole.
GS Strategy Group surveyed 600 likely voters, statewide, in Illinois. The survey was conducted October 4-5, 2016. The margin of error for the survey was +/- 4.0% at the 95% confidence level.
United States Senate Ballot
Our findings indicate a much tighter battle in the race for United States Senate than the most recently released numbers from our opponent. As has been the case for over a year, the race remains a statistical tie and inside the margin of error. While Congresswoman Duckworth maintains a lead over Senator Kirk, he is well within striking distance of her. Duckworth’s inability to capitalize on the Democratic strength in the Presidential ballot underscores voter apprehension toward her candidacy and provides a path to victory for Senator Kirk.
Key Highlights
* Race remains a statistical tie – consistent with nearly every other public poll.
* Kirk is outperforming Trump by a net of 13 points.
* Duckworth continues to significantly underperform the top of the ticket.
According to the poll, Hillary Clinton is winning Illinois 50-33, while Kirk is trailing 41-37.
* Normally, candidates wouldn’t release a poll showing them trailing in October by four points. But with the new Paul Simon Institute poll showing Duckworth ahead by 14 points, the Kirk campaign needs to stop people from assuming this thing is a complete lost cause.
Also, according to the Kirk campaign, the NRSC is running TV ads in the Chicago, Rockford, Springfield and Peoria media markets. They claim those ads show the national folks haven’t given up hope.
