Richard Uihlein, CEO/founder of industrial supplies wholesalers Uline and major Republican donor, contributes $100,000 to GOP AG candidate Erika Harold. #twillhttps://t.co/0nGdqhqfh7
Speaker Madigan files nearly $1.9 million in contributions with the vast majority coming from union PACs. Madigan has raises more than $11.5 million since becoming a self-funded candidate and breaking the contribution limits in his own election. #twillhttps://t.co/HkVnP7dsjY
JB Pritzker sends another $1 million to the Rock Island County Democratic Central Committee. Pritzker has now supplied the committee with $3.6 million since May. #twillhttps://t.co/CFkBUNhfKt
This is a race where we wish there were other options. It comes down to this: Illinois residents need a governor who will work to stop the longtime Statehouse tradition of spending more than the state takes in. We need a strong advocate for the structural changes that are necessary to put Illinois on a better trajectory, and who doesn’t immediately turn to increasing taxes as the way to accomplish that.
Democrats are likely to remain in control of the General Assembly, and we don’t believe Pritzker will buck his own party if need be, or push for meaningful changes in how state government operates.
Rauner can serve as a check against one-party rule. He remains the best candidate to push for the reforms Illinois needs. We’re holding out a kernel of faith that he has finally embraced the business sensibility of adapting when one approach doesn’t work.
As we, with reservations, endorse Rauner for a second term, we challenge him to actively pursue steady incremental change, and to create and lead bipartisan coalitions to solve the problems facing the state.
The campaign for Democrat J.B. Pritzker is threatening to file a countersuit for defamation after 10 current and former campaign staffers accused the campaign of racial discrimination.
The campaign is eager to file a motion to dismiss, but has no way to pursue that path until the other party serves them with the lawsuit, which officially allows the case to proceed. […]
At the time of this publishing, plaintiff attorneys Shay Allen and Jeanette Samuels have not served the Pritzker campaign with the complaint. The case cannot begin until the defendant has been served. […]
Meanwhile, Allen and his co-counsel have conducted roughly a dozen media interviews and have scheduled a press conference for Monday, October 22nd, which is 15 days before the upcoming election.
Likewise, it has come to the Campaign’s attention that at least one of your clients left work early one day asserting that she was feeling unwell when, in fact, she then made at least one press appearance.
By the way, during Maxwell’s interview of Shay Allen, the lawyer said one of the reasons his clients sued was because job openings were not made publicly available to campaign workers. That’s kinda bizarre.
Democratic attorney general candidate Kwame Raoul on Friday said he wouldn’t judge a federal civil rights lawsuit recently filed against governor candidate J.B. Pritzker’s campaign, but also called it “shoddily drafted.” […]
Jeanette Samuels, an attorney representing the staffers, said in an email, “We respectfully disagree with State Senator Raoul’s characterization and wish him the best of luck on his campaign.”
Sen. Raoul is right. The lawsuit is without a doubt shoddily written.
Shay T. Allen (5th subcircuit): A solo practitioner, Allen was found not qualified by all three bar groups mainly for his short career and lack of experience. The Chicago Bar Association also mentioned problems with punctuality. Allen declined to comment on his evaluations through his attorney, Jim Doppke.
Allen also has a beef against him at the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
*** UPDATE *** I’m told two of these staffers were let go after the primary, and the third is the one who quit after Pritzker’s “least offensive” quote came out during the primary…
Tomorrow, Governor Rauner will begin a 6 day, 20 stop statewide tour to speak with voters and spread his message of cutting taxes, creating jobs, and ending corruption. The tour will focus on getting Illinoisans to the polls to vote early and make their voices heard.
To launch the tour, Rauner campaign Communications Director Will Allison released the following statement:
“Governor Rauner is fighting for Illinois families every single day. The Our Home, Our VOTE tour will get Illinoisans to the polls early to send a message to the corrupt political machine that has taken Illinois down the wrong path for decades. Governor Rauner is fighting for commonsense reforms that will cut taxes, create jobs, and end corruption in Illinois.” - Rauner campaign Communications Director Will Allison
* I suppose we’re going to hear more stuff like we heard from Gov. Rauner this morning. The governor was on “The Voice of Southern Illinois” WJPF radio and the host told him he’d come up with a new metaphor and wondered what the governor thought of it…
When you came into the governorship of Illinois, I think you tried to use chemo for corruption. And what the thing is, if anybody or any member of your family has gone through chemo, you find that very often you can’t tell the difference between the cure and the disease. And I wonder if that’s an accurate metaphor for your first four years and your attempt to do away with corruption and mismanagement in Illinois.
Well, you’re exactly right that Illinois has basically had a cancer in it for decades and that’s the corruption of Madigan and his political machine out of Chicago. It’s been eatin’ away at our jobs and causin’ our taxes to go up and hurtin’ our families. And I am trying to eradicate that cancer on our state. And it’s difficult, it’s a very difficult operation, the treatments are tough. And you know what? We are going to succeed. We gotta keep trying. We’ve gotta stop the Pritzker/Madigan corruption and tax hikin’. Stop the domination of this political machine. And you know what? I’m the one person who can do it. And I’m standin’ strong.
* Remember “Uncle Rob”? He’s not really my uncle, but I’ve talked about my friend here several times. Rob’s been an educator most of his adult life and now he’s running for Madison County Regional Superintendent…
That is one sweet-looking yard sign. You can learn more about Rob’s campaign by clicking here.
* Many years ago, I helped designed this yard sign for my brother Doug who lives in Texas…
I was pretty proud of that sign, but the “M” wasn’t visible at night because of the blue background. So, it looked like “Doug Iller” was running for council.
Oops.
* I liked this one so much I had it framed…
* And I bought this window sign/poster (not sure which it is) on eBay. It’s autographed by himself…
* You can always tell when there’s a strong ward or township organization when you see yard signs neatly arranged down the street like this…
* The Question: What are your own favorite yard signs?
In a memo obtained by the Daily Egyptian, Carbondale City Manager Gary Williams said to city council members President Trump could potentially be holding a rally in Carbondale on Oct. 27.
“Our PD was contacted on Monday from the US Secret Service (SSA) to inform us that President Trump is interested in having a political rally in Carbondale on 10/27,” Williams said in the memo. “Although these conversations were preliminary, it sounded to us that there was a decent chance that the event could happen.”
I checked around earlier and was told he’s planning to hold a rally for Congressman Mike Bost. President Trump traveled to Granite City in July for a rally with Bost and US Rep. Rodney Davis. Gov. Rauner noticeably skipped that event. He also didn’t attend Vice President Pence’s rally in Springfield this month.
U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is scheduled to visit World Wide Technology next week during a campaign stop for U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis.
Ryan plans to take a tour of the facility on Tuesday afternoon and discuss the tax reform signed into law last year.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today announced that President Donald Trump plans to visit Southern Illinois for a campaign rally on Saturday, October 27.
Individuals and media outlets planning to attend, visit HERE for more information.
“I’m honored to have the president visit Southern Illinois,” said Bost. “President Trump enjoys wide support in Southern Illinois for good reason. I’ve worked with him to bring 800 steel jobs back in Granite City, reform the VA, and give working families a $2200 tax cut.”
WHO: Rep. Mike Bost, President Donald Trump
WHAT: Campaign Rally
WHERE: Southern Illinois Airport
Hangar 6
605 Flightline Road
Murphysboro, IL 62966
WHEN: Saturday, October 27, 7:00 pm (CDT)
DOORS OPEN 4:00PM (CDT)
* WGN TV went on a safari of sorts to interview voters at a tavern in “feels rural” Moline…
WGN traveled to western Illinois where just south of I-80, you hit Ronald Reagan Trail. It takes you to Reagan’s birthplace and boyhood home. Farther west is Moline, one of the Quad Cities bordering Iowa. Moline is urban but feels rural.
Some people at Kavanaugh’s Bar in Rock Island discussed their views on the upcoming election.
Bob Westpfahl said there’s only one party and person to vote for: the Republican Party and Gov. Bruce Rauner. However, he said he didn’t necessarily like the governor, but said he’s better than “the second evil.”
Rod Simmer, a loyal Republican said he’s worried about the economy.
* Meanwhile, this Sun-Times headline, “Alderman’s wife works City Council floor to build support for city treasurer bid,” was indeed a bit much…
"Alderman's wife." That's a funny way to spell "State Representative." Like the Ervins, @thomascbowen and I work in the same industry. I'm incredibly proud to be his partner but can't tell you the # of times I've been defined as nothing more. Do better. https://t.co/8bC8ZDePjypic.twitter.com/EZQXrxQAbl
Conyears-Ervin, wife of Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), boldly violated the seldom-enforced rule that only former aldermen are allowed on the City Council floor.
Except for when they’re voting, my impression is it’s pretty wide open and loose in the council’s chambers.
* There’s plenty of time for another story, but it does seem like a pile-on…
There's a lot of dark money ($5.3M!) flowing to a group called the Economic Freedom Alliance, passing through Illinois Manufacturer's Association. It runs pro-Rauner, anti-McCann ads. But whose money is it? Several GOP sources think it could be Todd Ricketts. pic.twitter.com/BlHIdsk5Lg
The Ricketts family says there’s no truth to talk that they’re behind dark-money schemes to get Gov. Bruce Rauner elected and Ald. Tom Tunney booted—or that Todd Ricketts is trying to position himself as the next Illinois GOP leader.
Except for supporting Rauner through traditional donations and backing a candidate to battle Tunney, it’s all false, false, false, according to a source knowledgeable about the family’s personal and business interests. “This family doesn’t operate in the dark-money world. They are transparent about their giving even when it’s not popular.” The Ricketts family, the source points out, went public with their support for Republican Mitt Romney over hometown hero Barack Obama. And some within the family supported candidate Donald Trump even when the rest of the state overwhelmingly rejected him. Ricketts’ spokesman Dennis Culloton also points out that Todd Ricketts’ position as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee prevents him from getting involved in independent expenditure groups (IEs, also known as dark money).
The dark-money story line has popped up in news stories and across social media for weeks. And it’s been fueled by by humongous donations from the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association—$4.4 million just this month—to the Economic Freedom Association PAC that’s working to help Rauner. The PAC is running a stream of ads against conservative gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann. The thinking is Rauner might find a path to victory if McCann can be muscled out. Along with the $4.4 million to the PAC, the manufacturers group’s outgoing CEO, Greg Baise, has been linked to efforts to unseat Tunney—whom the Ricketts disagree with on a range of issues. Neither Baise nor his successor to lead the Manufacturers Association, Mark Denzler, returned phone calls and messages about the rumors or donations. Their silence only adds to the rumors’ intrigue.
As for Ricketts’ political aspirations and/or his interest in leading the Illinois GOP, Culloton says he has no idea. “Todd is enjoying what he’s doing now.”
I almost spit out my coffee reading those Ricketts family source quotes.
I mean, “This family doesn’t operate in the dark-money world”? You’re joking, right?
* These rumors started because of two Greg Hinz stories about the Ricketts family’s use of dark money against Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney…
* The Ricketts family targets Wrigleyville alderman Tunney: After some back and forth, spokesman Dennis Culloton told me in a phone call: “The Ricketts family is supporting Neighbors for a Better Lakeview in the same way and level that it is supporting other community groups. . . .They’ve been doing a good job.” In other words, the Rickettses paid for that flyer putting Tunney on the tax-hike hot seat, at least in part. Culloton declines to say how much the family spent, but the Rickettses have some familiarity with dark money.
* Secret money to boost Trump: Todd Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, has raised $30 million for a pair of pro-Trump groups and has discussed a $70 million goal before Election Day, according to three Republican fundraisers familiar with the effort. They and others in GOP finance circles say Ricketts is making a particular effort to win over donors who want to help Trump but are leery of having their names publicly associated with the polarizing Republican nominee.
* 45Committee: The 45Committee is one of the top 15 dark money groups examined by Issue One’s new “Dark Money Illuminated” report that has been spending millions of dollars in our elections since Citizens United without publicly disclosing their donors. … Brian Baker, a longtime political adviser to the Ricketts family, serves as the chairman and president of the 45Committee. Federal campaign finance records show that both the Adelson family and Ricketts family, which owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team, have also been major donors to the 45Committee’s sister super PAC, which is called Future45. Joe Ricketts’ son Todd Ricketts — who now serves as the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee — was, according to media reports, actively involved in raising funds for both groups ahead of the 2016 election.
* Scoop: Pro-Trump group plans 8-figure ad campaign for tax cuts: One of the biggest pro-Trump outside groups of 2016, backed by the Adelson and Ricketts families, plans to spend “eight figures” — at least $10 million — backing tax reform. The 45Committee is launching “The Middle Class Project,” a 501(c)(4) with an opening TV spot, “What’s In It For You,” that will debut nationally with tomorrow’s bill introduction.
* ‘Dark money’ group tied to Ricketts family buys ads targeting State Legislature candidates: A Virginia-based political committee with ties to the Ricketts family is running negative radio advertisements in two southeast Nebraska races for State Legislature. The ads were criticized as inaccurate and improper meddling by outsiders during a press conference called Friday by the Nebraska Farmers Union. The Nebraska State Education Association also condemned the ads, which target two farmers who are challenging Ricketts-backed candidates.
* National Politico Playbook today: FUTURE45 — the group backed by the Ricketts family — disclosed spending $4 million on ads against NANCY PELOSI, ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, BERNIE SANDERS, MAXINE WATERS and ELIZABETH WARREN.
Also, independent expenditure groups aren’t all part of the “dark money” network. Several openly disclose their donors.
Yesterday, Governor Bruce Rauner once again sought to deflect blame for his handling of the Legionnaires’ outbreak in Quincy, calling questions about how quickly his administration acted “false political spin for political gain.” Appearing on WMBD, Rauner claimed his administration “immediately” acted – “There was no delay. There was no waiting.”
In truth, WBEZ uncovered an email from Rauner’s office ordering the state’s veterans and health departments to withhold information about the outbreak. As reported, the children of Tim Miller and Gerald Kuhn both said they would have made different health choices if they were informed earlier. Melvin Tucker was reportedly only given Tylenol for his fever for days, despite confirmed reports of Legionnaires’.
While Rauner claims “political spin,” he eventually signed legislation requiring 24-hour notification of future outbreaks and his own administration cited itself for failing to tell staff in a timely manner.
“Bruce Rauner is moving from covering-up his administration’s fatal mismanagement at Quincy to shamelessly dismissing legitimate questions as ‘false political spin,’” said DPI Statewide Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The fact is, families of the 14 deceased residents aren’t playing politics, they’re sharing heartbreaking stories and holding the governor who failed them accountable.”
* Buried under all the Madigan coverage in this story about a recent Decatur candidates forum was this little nugget…
Before the debates between state legislative candidates, potential voters got to pose questions to candidates for county office in a “speed-dating” format. Office seekers from both parties for county sheriff, county treasurer and county clerk spoke to six different groups of voters.
“It was a nice way to learn about the candidates,” said Dianne Lutt, a retiree from Decatur. “What you didn’t know you could learn from them (directly).”
I’ve never heard of that before, but it sounds really interesting. Thoughts?
For example, the Region 6 Office is placed in an unsafe location. The Footlocker next door was robbed twice in a week; two other stores nearby have been robbed; their office has been cased; a young woman was raped outside their back door; and a gunfight took place right outside their office. All of these crimes happened during the day.
Although an alderman offered to let them use space, for free, in a safer location, the request was denied.
* WCIA TV’s Mark Maxwell interviewed Shay Allen, one of the lawyers representing those eight current and two former campaign staffers, and asked him a simple question: What’s the name of the alderman who offered free space to the campaign? He wouldn’t answer…
Who was that Chicago alderman cited in Shay Allen's discrimination lawsuit against @JBPritzker? He wouldn't say. Will he tell us before the election? He wouldn't say that either. pic.twitter.com/CVn5jg3mqJ
Some of us would take this suit more seriously if the lawyers would offer up at least a little corroborating evidence from people who aren’t directly involved.
* Mr. Allen wouldn’t answer this question, either…
Attorney Shay Allen would not say who lived in the house that allegedly turned Kasmine Calhoun away because she was black. He argues the @JBPritzker campaign could be held liable for their alleged actions, even if they were only a volunteer. pic.twitter.com/c2MUazo12u
He claims in the above clip that the campaign can be held liable for the alleged actions of a campaign volunteer. I’m not a lawyer, but perhaps some of you who are can fill us in below.
* Allen also explained why his clients demanded so much money…
Preview of this Sunday's @CapConnectIL interview with civil rights attorney Shay Allen. 10 of his clients are suing @JBPritzker's campaign for $7.5 million. He says part of that price tag is for emotional trauma they suffered as a result of alleged discrimination. pic.twitter.com/1wp44F74zJ
Allen also tells me 5-10 plaintiffs could be added to the lawsuit against the Pritzker campaign. He says several people left the campaign because of alleged racial discrimination.
NBC 5 also spoke to several former staffers who also say they experienced racism and harassment as well. The former staffers spoke to NBC 5 anonymously out of concerns of retaliation. […]
However, four former staffers not named in the lawsuit tell NBC 5 after FBI tapes were revealed of Pritzker telling former (and now imprisoned) Gov. Rod Blagojevich that Secretary of State Jesse White was the least offensive choice to replace then Sen. Barack Obama— Pritzker and Stratton reached out directly to black campaign workers. That’s when the staffers say they first voiced discrimination complaints to them.
One ex staffer not named in the lawsuit said the working conditions were unsafe. Moldy carpet, dead bugs on the desks every morning and “we were treated very demeaning and micro-managed,” they said. That same ex-staffer said there were rats inside one Chicago office. […]
“The allegations made in the published complaint mirror the same treatment that I faced,” another former staffer tells NBC 5.
A third former campaign staffers reached out to NBC 5 to note what they referred to as the “unfair treatment, hostile and oppressive behavior” from a supervisor and that left that staffer “rebuffed, ignored and ultimately dismissed, fired for voicing my concerns over J.B.’s discriminatory practices” that are similar to what’s named in the lawsuit.
Keep in mind that the Pritzker campaign shed itself of several low-level staffers after the primary. I don’t know if any of these folks were among those folks, however. And, so far, they haven’t yet been added to the suit to my knowledge.
* J.B. Pritzker labels staff discrimination lawsuit as ‘untrue,’ ‘craziness’ at end of political campaign: “I think everybody who’s been involved in a campaign before has seen a lot of craziness in the last few weeks of a campaign. So, you know, this is just more, I guess, of what people expect to experience,” he said. “Being a first-time Democratic nominee for governor, you know, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but here we are.”
With fewer than three weeks left before Election Day, the AFL-CIO has launched a massive digital ad campaign to mobilize working people across the country. This latest piece of a multifaceted political program will deploy a blend of Facebook, Instagram and Google ads to boost labor-endorsed candidates in 27 gubernatorial, Senate and House races. In Illinois, the ads will highlight J.B. Pritzker.
This single largest digital ad buy in the AFL-CIO’s history will reach more than 10 million voters in 15 states, including Illinois, by Election Day. It is part of a broader get-out-the-vote campaign that includes a nationwide member-to-member field program, direct mail and radio ads.
“The working men and women of the Illinois AFL-CIO are proud to stand behind J.B. Pritzker and against Bruce Rauner’s anti-worker agenda,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan. “With just a few weeks to go, we are excited to add this digital campaign to our Labor 2018 program and ensure victory on Election Day.”
“In these final weeks, the labor movement is going to bring it home for pro-worker candidates at every level,” said AFL-CIO Communications Director Josh Goldstein. “For months, we’ve been mobilizing our members and getting ready for this moment, winning key victories along the way. Now, we’re poised for a labor wave across the country and this creative digital campaign is a key part of it.”
* From the Illinois State Board of Elections’ website…
Coming soon, a redesign to the SBE website. We want to hear from our users. Here is your chance to tell us what you would like us to change in order to build a website that creates a user friendly experience that serves your needs. Please be as detailed as possible when submitting your suggestions. If you have multiple suggestions, we encourage you to submit them separately.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent in September and nonfarm payrolls increased by +2,800 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The August job losses were revised upward from the preliminary report (from -5,200 jobs to -3,100 jobs).
Job growth was flat during the July to September period (third quarter) posting an average monthly change of -100 jobs, significantly less than the prior 3-month average monthly gain of +9,200 jobs during the April and June period (second quarter). The 9-month period (year-to-date) is posting average monthly gains of 4,900/month, up from a year ago when the average monthly increase was 4,000 for the same year-to-date period.
“Nonfarm payrolls were up over-the-month led by gains in education and health services and manufacturing, and jobs were also up over 50,000 from a year ago, “said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Illinois’ unemployment rate at 4.1 percent in September again matched the record low for the state.”
“Over the last year, Illinois has experienced a steady decrease in unemployment,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Acting Director Leslie Munger. “We are thrilled to see opportunity and investment expand across all communities in the state due to an increased focus on supporting our small businesses and marketing our assets to companies around the globe looking to expand.”
In September, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Education and Health Services (+3,300); Manufacturing (+2,300); and Construction (+1,400). The industry sectors with the largest payroll declines were: Professional and Business Services (-2,500), Other Services (-1,500) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-800).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +50,300 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in September: Manufacturing (+14,600); Government (+10,900); and Leisure and Hospitality (+8,900). The industry sectors with over-the-year declines were: Information Services (-3,800) and Other Services (-900). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.8 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.7 percent over-the-year gain in September.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.4 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for September 2018, which declined to 3.7 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.0 percent. Before last month, the Illinois jobless rate last stood at 4.1 percent in February 1999.
The number of unemployed workers decreased -0.7 percent from the prior month to 266,800, down -17.1 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was about unchanged over-the-month but declined -0.3 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment.
Governor Bruce Rauner is intensifying his attacks on his Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker, with less than three weeks to go before the election. Rauner, who trails Pritzker in most polls by double digit margins, referred to the billionaire Democrat as a “Mercedes Marxist”, in an interview on the “The Big John and Ramblin’ Ray Show” on WLS.
“He’s proposing eleven billion in new spending, he’s a Mercedes Marxist, he’s a radical leftist, he’s proposing a massive new income tax hike and it’s gonna crush the middle class as well as job creators in this state.”
Thursday, Oct 18, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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* You may remember that I posted this ad not long ago. Rodney Davis became the fourth embattled Republican congressman to try and tie his opponent to Speaker Madigan in this spot about the possibly fake Abe Lincoln hat…
The ad claims that his Democratic opponent Betsy Dirksen Londrigan lobbied Speaker Madigan for a taxpayer-funded bailout for the Lincoln foundation and calls her a “Madigan crony.”
Davis is matching the general Republican playbook in Illinois this year, as candidates from Gov. Bruce Rauner on down are linking Democrats to Madigan, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing but has been called corrupt by the governor.
“Anybody that goes to the General Assembly in Springfield … has got to go see Madigan’s team,” Davis said at a recent unrelated news conference. […]
The hat — part of the Taper collection of Lincoln goods bought by the foundation — was bought “years before I ever worked there,” said Londrigan.
“You know that, and you’re paying for that ad. But you’re going to lie about it,” she said. “I never met with Mike Madigan. You’re lying about that too, because you know better.” […]
Davis denied he lied in the ads, and noted that Londrigan for a time handled “major gifts” for the foundation.
I don’t know whether Madigan and Londrigan are tight, but the speaker hasn’t exactly been the foundation’s friend. Long before other politicians did the political calculus, Madigan treated Londrigan’s former employer as radioactive. “We have instances where the foundation, which is not elected, not appointed by a governor, is actually making spending decisions for the library,” the speaker tsk-tsk’d in 2015. Madigan also refused to cooperate with a foundation-funded study that – surprise – recommended that the state bail out the foundation and put it in charge of day-to-day operations at the presidential museum. “Madigan to museum foundation: Drop dead” – that was the headline in Illinois Times three years ago.
Meanwhile, Davis is ripping Londrigan for not denouncing an ad created by Women Vote that features footage of the congressman’s wife and kids, cribbed from the Republican’s own campaign ads. The congressman’s smiling kids are juxtaposed against Davis’ voting record on healthcare issues. Davis whines that his family is being attacked. “Leave my kids out of it,” Davis complained on Monday. “It’s not acceptable.” Couldn’t agree more. Quit using your family like cheap yard signs, congressman, and stick to issues.
Is Sam McCann just looking for his taxpayer-funded job in the Pritzker Administration?
We don’t know, but it may explain why he sent out attack mailers on a commonsense conservative like Tom Morrison.
Yesterday, mailers from Sam McCann’s campaign hit in the 54th House District portraying State Representative Tom Morrison as a Rauner Puppet. The mailers were funded by union-backed State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann.
These attacks on Morrison demand a response. They are patently false. Tom Morrison is one of the few state legislators in Springfield who stands up for conservative values every time they are under attack in the Illinois House. He is one of the most reliable conservative votes in Springfield on both fiscal and social issues.
Is Sam McCann working for Mike Madigan? Is he hoping to receive favorable treatment under a Governor Pritzker? Is he so clueless that he doesn’t realize how his platform is being used by the state’s vicious public sector unions? I don’t know. And I don’t really care.
McCann is lying about Morrison. Lying is not a conservative value.
Many Illinois Conservatives looking for a candidate who represented their values had found hope McCann’s candidacy. Illinois Conservatives have once again been betrayed.
* Sen. Sam McCann…
I am disappointed by the shallow political rhetoric that Jeanne Ives used in her attack against me. The hard-earned credibility from her primary campaign against Bruce Rauner is all but lost now that she has intervened as his defender, casting principles aside for political grandstanding. Legislators like Tom Morrison who are actively supporting Bruce Rauner are trying to con voters into the same bad deal and empty promises that conservative Illinoisans have suffered under for the past four years. Any legislator who stands with Rauner despite his phony RINO agenda and abandonment of conservative principles deserves to be called out for it.
The Jeanne Ives who so vehemently opposed Bruce Rauner during the primary is now too eager to put him back in the driver’s seat.
When conservatives are crying louder than ever for a change, Jeanne Ives has shown her true colors. She is not a leader, but a politician.
Tom Morrison has been supporting Bruce Rauner for more than 4 years.
Tom Morrison needs to go on the record and state whether he does or does not still support Rauner. As soon as he PUBLICLY states that he does not, I will PUBLICLY thank him for stepping up.
* And this is pretty darned funny. All four legislative leaders, including House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, attended Operating Engineers Local 150’s annual legislative banquet last night. McCann showed up as well and went live on Facebook to emphasize his point that everybody works with 150, not just him…
Illinois House and Senate RINOS… getting exposed LIVE for ALSO taking money from Local 150. Why is it okay when THEY accept a check from the union, but it’s called “Madigan Money” when Sam McCann gets support from that SAME Union?
Food for thought, folks
Conservative Party gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann collects $539,659 from the Fight Back Fund, which promotes union-friendly candidates. FBF has now provided McCann with $2.3 million this election cycle. #twillhttps://t.co/tSdasQttlI
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “body man” — a hand-picked assistant chosen to travel with the governor on a daily basis — was fired Monday on his first day of the job after a series of homophobic and racially insensitive comments were found on his Twitter page.
The exit is one of at least 20 since last week — when Rauner began a rash of firings, with others resigning in protest.
Ben Tracy was chosen by the administration to replace Kyle Haevers as the governor’s “body man.” Haevers on Sunday was told his services were no longer needed but that he could choose to work for another state department.
Ben Tracy learned the hard way the price one can pay for inappropriate posts on social media.
Tweets he wrote as a high school student came back to cost him a high-profile job in Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office, Tracy told St. Joseph-Ogden students during a presentation this week at the high school.
The event started with Tracy warning SJ-O students that he was about to share some regrettable tweets — authored by some of them — that he had tracked down using a simple search.
“It took me 10 minutes to find these,” Tracy said as tweets from SJ-O students filled the screen behind him.
Tracy then went on to tell students what happened to him a year earlier, after he had graduated from college and started working for political campaigns. Among the positions he held — for less than 24 hours, anyway: a job as Rauner’s “body man,” the governor’s own traveling personal assistant.
* Radical Candor lets loose…
Tip #1: Avoid posting racist comments on social media. Or saying racist stuff. Actually, just don’t be racist. Tip #2: If @BruceRauner calls you a “superstar” or part of the “Best Team in America ™,” run. #twillhttps://t.co/vVzrWQrm2H
One day @BruceRauner body man Ben Tracy’s new speaking career giving blindingly obvious social media tips gives me a great idea: the Best Team in America ™ Speakers Bureau. #BTIASpeakers#twill
My goal in speaking to young people is to help them use social media responsibly. The things I tweeted when I was a high school and college student were hurtful and hateful. I am deeply sorry for the things I said, and I faced serious repercussions. There is no place in our society for derogatory thoughts, words, or actions, even if they’re not maliciously intended. I make that crystal clear in my presentations.
The truth is that young people don’t understand the lasting impact of the things they post online. Seventy percent of employers and 35% of college admissions counselors look at social media profiles of applicants. I learned this lesson the hard way, and I want to make sure others don’t make the same mistakes.
There have been examples of other people who have made similar mistakes in the news recently including Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader, and Sarah Jeong who now sits on the New York Times Editorial Board. Instead of celebrating getting a great job or making it to the big leagues, these individuals had to answer for old social media posts – and rightfully so. This is a reality of the world in which we live, and I intend to help others understand the impact of things they say online both to themselves and the people around them.
We are inundated by the presence of social media on a daily basis and our online lives aren’t going away anytime soon. Because of this, I want to help young people learn from the mistakes I made and better understand how to use social media in a positive way.
DeJuan Jackson, as a Regional Field Director, used to take many of the complaints of racial discrimination and harassment related to POD 4 to higher ups on behalf of the organizers.
However, in exchange for his silence, he was given a shiny new job title and pay raise. He was also strongly encouraged to cut his dreadlocks; therefore, he no longer comes across as crass and was the least offensive African American that could be put in that spot.
I reached out to Jackson, but didn’t hear back. I also asked the campaign for a statement because the lawsuit’s claim seemed so weird. They flatly denied that anyone told Jackson to cut off his dreads.
* And now we have this from Jackson’s Facebook page…
Pretty darned strong. That claim was just insulting on its face, so I’m glad he responded.
* Meanwhile, remember this tweet from one of the plaintiffs about an event the day her lawsuit was filed?
“I think the policies and practices that were put forth during the campaign have racial undertones and that my clients have been discriminated upon based on those policies,” said attorney Shay Allen.
Yet in a tweet posted by one of the workers in the lawsuit, Celia Colon wrote, “Had an amazing event tonight,” seeming to refer to an event the same day the lawsuit was filed.
When asked why eight of the plaintiffs are still working for their campaign, Allen said “even though the situation is horrible, they’re powering through it” so they can finish what they started.
The Region 6 office, I’m told, is the one on South Wentworth. As you can see, the campaign claims Pritzker has visited that office four times.
The only two he hasn’t yet visited are the ones which opened in September. His running mate Juliana Stratton visited those.
…Adding… The schedule says he was at the South Wentworth office on July 24th. That address is near Washington Park. Pritzker tweeted the following day to a staffer’s July 24th post…
I was glad to go to our Washington Park office! Keep up the great work! https://t.co/SPt3whCtPn
At all times relevant, the JB Prtizker [sic] for Governor campaign has been cesspool of racial
discrimination and harassment.
For example, Kasmine [Calhoun] travelled over one thousand miles to Illinois to work for JB Prtizker for Governor and was one of the few Blacks not herded into POD 4.
In fact, she was the only (and possibly first) Black organizer in Peoria; she was later informed by the campaign that she was hired meet a “Black Female organizer quota.”
Stationed in Peoria, Kasmine was supposed to be housed with a family that was friendly to the campaign. When the family found out Kasmine was Black, though, they denied her housing.
As a result, she was forced to sleep in her car and at the campaign office.
Eventually, Caitlin Pharo found her a hotel in an unsafe part of town.
When Kasmine complained that she did not feel safe there, she was counseled on the “financial budget” of the campaign and told to “make due.”
Even after the chairman of the Peoria Democrats informed the campaign that they could request cheaper rates at safer hotels, therefore not affecting the campaign budget, the Campaign still refused to move her to a safer location.
As a result, she resigned her position.
* Chris Kaergard was recently re-hired by the Peoria Journal Star (hooray!) and the Pritzker campaign gave him hotel receipts and other details…
They show that the night before Calhoun’s Sept. 4 start date, the campaign booked a room for her at the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites, 4244 Brandywine Drive, at a cost of $61.56.
The night of Sept. 4, the campaign booked her a room at the America’s Best Value Inn, 104 W. Camp St. in East Peoria, at a cost of $56.44, but the summary says she did not like the facility, leading the regional field director to book her a second room for the night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 200 Eastlight Court in East Peoria, at a cost of $122.08.
The next night, Sept. 5., Calhoun received housing from a supporter.
From Sept. 6 through Sept. 9, the campaign had a room booked for Calhoun at the Super 8, 1816 W. War Memorial Drive, at an average cost of $75.81 for each of four nights.
The campaign says Calhoun then indicated she didn’t want to stay there and brought her complaints to a local official who used credit card points to arrange a room that night at the Candlewood Suites Grand Prairie, 5300 W. Landens Way.
The campaign then arranged a room at the same hotel the next three nights at $119.99 per night.
The next two nights, the campaign said, Calhoun was at an all-staff get-out-the-vote training in suburban Burr Ridge and stayed with all other campaign staffers at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel.
On Sept. 12, the campaign found and arranged for Calhoun to stay with a Peoria area supporter that evening.
She quit the next day, the campaign says. “Effective immediately.”
And just because the lawsuit was filed only after the Pritzker campaign did not accede to demands enumerated in a letter sent to it last Friday that included a $7.5 million settlement and a threat to “pursue all available legal remedies” if the parties didn’t come to terms by Monday doesn’t mean that the lawsuit is simply phase two of a brazen extortion plot.
But the demand letter severely weakens the idea that these short-time field organizers are animated by an interest in racial justice as opposed to say, an interest in a significant payday from a billionaire candidate.
The final thing you notice is that there isn’t even an allusion to the existence of documentary evidence of specific problems, specific outrageous behavior and specific attempts to address these issues with Pritzker or members of his team.
Just three weeks ago, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan published an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune acknowledging his mistakes in handling claims of harassment and retaliation in Springfield and promising to be better in addressing such issues going forward. Madigan asserted that “harassment of any kind and workplace bullying will simply not be tolerated — period.”
Yesterday, news broke that ten African-American and Latino employees of the Pritzker campaign have filed a lawsuit against JB Pritzker for Governor accusing the campaign of discrimination and harassment. Madigan has been silent on the issue.
Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling issued the following in response:
“Much like his hand-picked candidate for Governor, Michael Madigan is a hypocrite. Just three weeks ago, Madigan claimed to the people of Illinois that he was making it ‘a personal mission to take this issue head-on’. Now that a lawsuit has been filed against his Democratic gubernatorial candidate alleging racial discrimination and harassment, where is Madigan?” - Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling
I asked the Democratic Party of Illinois for comment yesterday and didn’t get anything. I also asked all three of the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel for comment and either didn’t hear back (Sen. Melinda Bush and Comptroller Susana Mendoza) or was told she had no comment (Rep. Carol Ammons).
* The Rauner campaign posted a video this morning of some TV coverage, including a brief interview with one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers…
* And Shia Kapos interviewed the lead plaintiff Maxwell Little…
This is Little’s first foray into political campaigns. He’s otherwise passionate about education and has considered running for alderman of the 18th Ward. In July, he took a job as a field organizer for Pritzker’s gubernatorial campaign, a position that doesn’t require a degree so much as the patience and fortitude to talk to as many people as possible about the candidate. In this job, you don’t get to raise your hand and influence policy. For better or worse, it’s like the Army: you do what you’re told. Little had the added duty of organizing meet-and-greets on the West Side. Over the past three months, he’s been frustrated that his accomplishments have been overlooked. “I felt silence, I was ignored, and I was unfairly treated” compared to white staffers, he said. “Everyone deserves a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.”
A few weeks ago, Little talked to attorney Shay Allen at an event for Level Up & Vote. Little and Allen, a former prosecutor turned private attorney, both support the get-out-the-vote effort. Little vented about his campaign job, and that led to bigger conversations with other campaign staffers and soon a lawsuit was born. Allen and fellow attorney Jeannette Samuels , with plaintiff’s agreement, came up with the demand for $7.5 million. In a civil lawsuit, “there’s no formula” on how you quantify someone’s “self-respect,” Allen told POLITICO. He also cited emotional distress and “missed opportunities to progress in the campaign” as factors in coming up with the damages number.
