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I can’t believe I’m doing this

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sneed

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is the first mayor in recent Chicago history to take the Polar Plunge on behalf of the Special Olympics Chicago athletes — but Sneed hears only one candidate running for governor has chosen to dip his toes in the freezing water at North Avenue Beach on March 2.

The brave GOPer is gubernatorial hopeful Bill Brady!

◆ To wit: Neither Gov. Pat Quinn nor gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, the motorcycling man’s man, have signed up for the frozen follies.

* From Jimmy Fallon’s Twitter feed

Chicago - I’m wearing a suit and tie for the #PolarPlunge. Show solidarity by wearing a necktie. (I’m not telling you what else to wear.)

I’m also signed up for this. I pledged to do it in a weak moment as I was trying to raise money for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. The weather forecast looks really bad. I hope I don’t die.

* I checked the website today and decided to create a page where subscribers, commenters and readers could all contribute.

So, click here to make your donation today!

Many thanks in advance.

  36 Comments      


Haste makes waste

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From an Illinois Auditor General’s report

On August 13, 2010, the Governor attended a violence prevention conclave in Roseland where ministers requested he declare a State of Emergency on the current violence problem.

Five days later, on August 18, 2010, [the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority] was informed that the Governor’s Office wanted to invest at least $20 million in violence prevention and was directed to develop a framework for the [Neighborhood Recovery Initiative] program. Less than two months later, on October 6, 2010, the Governor announced the NRI program; the program had increased to a cost of $50 million for Chicago communities.

* The Auditor General found

* Lack of Documentation on the Selection of Communities (IVPA and DHS could not locate the analysis used nor could IVPA provide any other documentation to auditors showing how Chicago communities were selected to participate in NRI)

* Lack of Due Diligence in Selection of Lead Agencies (While IVPA issued an RFP for a “Governor’s Neighborhood Recovery Plan” on September 8, 2010, to select agencies to administer the program, the RFP was only sent to those agencies recommended by aldermen five days earlier. Furthermore, auditors’ review of IVPA’s scoring of the RFP submissions identified numerous deficiencies, including evaluation forms with inconsistent criteria, unscored criteria, changed scoring, and undated evaluations.)

* IVPA not Adequately Staffed (Embarking on an initiative of the size and complexity of NRI without key personnel in place is illustrative of IVPA’s inadequate planning for the NRI program.

* IVPA Untimely Approval of Contracts (40 percent of the contracts (265 of 663) were approved by IVPA after the contract was executed by the lead and community partners)

* Community Partners’ Staffing Levels Not Met (Our review of quarterly reports found that community partners did not maintain the number of staff required by their contracts with IVPA. We found no documentation to show that IVPA took steps necessary to correct the staffing deficiencies.

And there’s more. Much more. It’s a freaking mess. Go read the whole thing. More here.

This was a feel-good program tossed together at the last minute to make the governor look like he was doing something. Yes, some people were helped. But there was way too much politics involved and some truly hinky accounting.

Oy.

  57 Comments      


The art of projection

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Illinois Watchdog

“Gov. Quinn is an excellent populist politician, but while populists can gain favor for brief periods, it is hard to sustain it over the long run,” John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute said. “The essence of the strategy is to divide people, driven by resentment and bitterness based on false narratives that must hide the truth.”

Resentment and bitterness, eh? Sounds like a lot of stuff Tillman says.

  31 Comments      


Question of the day

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* There’s a move afoot to consolidate the four pension reform lawsuits. AP

Lawyers representing the respective groups of state retirees who filed class-action suits have asked the Supreme Court to allow them to present their cases as one.

The groups share the common claim that the new pension reform plan violates the state constitution, which says benefits may not be diminished.

Because three of the cases were filed in Sangamon County Court and another in Cook County Circuit Court, the Supreme Court must choose a court to hear a case if the motion is granted.

* The Question: Should a Sangamon or Cook County judge handle these consolidated cases? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.


polls & surveys

  50 Comments      


Mo’ money

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times

The Illinois Unity PAC filed organization papers today noting it would back two Republican House members — state Reps. Ron Sandack, R-Downers Grove, and Ed Sullivan, R-Mundelein.

Both members broke with their party in the Illinois House last year and voted in favor of same-sex marriage against staunch opposition from conservatives and some churches in Illinois — including the Catholic Church.

The independent expenditure PAC hasn’t reported raising any money as of yet.

Glen Schillerstrom is the committee’s chairman. He’s the son of former DuPage County Chairman Bob Schillerstrom.

By the way, Stand for Children Illinois just gave Rep. Sandack $10,000.

* In other news, Bruce Rauner hasn’t just been giving money to himself. His recent contributions include $25K to Illinois House candidate Mark “The Bat” Batinick (who hasn’t used his Batman logo for this election). He’s also given money to various county party organizations, including Fayette, McHenry, Logan, Ford and Adams, and that’s just in the past week or so.

* Meanwhile, NBC 5 took a look at a leadership PAC that spends almost half its cash on expenses

Take Peoria Republican Aaron Schock’s Generation-Y PAC, for example. According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, the fund started 2012 with $50,004.18 cash on hand. Over the next 24 months, the PAC had total receipts of $550,633.00. About half of that came from other PACs. But of the over $600,000.00 available to spend, less than half of GEN-Y’s disbursements went to candidates and committees. More than $250,000.00 went to expenses apparently involved in running the PAC itself.

That included over $56,000.00 spent at hotels. During the 24-month period examined by NBC5 Investigates, the Schock PAC listed three stays at the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, totaling $9,462.27. There were three nights at L.A.’s luxurious Mondrian, and other stays at the Luxe and Beverly Wilshire. Gen-Y dropped another $12,285.00 at the Wynn in Las Vegas. In Chicago, the PAC listed 14 stays totaling over $11,000.00 at the Peninsula, and another four stopovers at the Trump.

The Generation-Y PAC dropped over $26,000.00 on private aircraft. Fine restaurants across the country added another $36,909.00. They shelled out $11,604.00 at a Colorado ski resort, with hundreds more for snowmobile rentals - all during a 24-month period.

Who enjoyed the largesse? Schock’s staffers won’t say.

Yikes.

  11 Comments      


The explosion that never really happened

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* All those predictions that shutting the Tamms supermax prison would create mayhem at other prisons don’t appear to be panning out…

Although serious problems remain at the state’s largest maximum-security prison, a new report found the overall number of violent events at the Menard Correctional Center dropped in 2013. […]

Republican gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale has called for Tamms to be reopened because those inmates could injure guards.

In fact, the report showed an influx of new prisoners at Menard was offset by an increase in the number of guards who moved to the facility when Tamms closed. […]

Other changes include an effort to put more inmates to work. The report noted the number of inmates with job assignments had grown to 550 in 2013, up from 365 in 2012.

* Not everything is going well, however. From the report

Unfortunately, some positives noted in our previous report, such as availability of single-cells for many inmates in mental health housing, have been erased.

  17 Comments      


Unclear on the concept

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Daily Herald on Bruce Rauner’s constant refrain about how he’ll shake up Springfield by using the governor’s constitutional powers to issue executive orders

Rauner has pointed to [Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’] use of executive orders to bypass lawmakers and get things done. In Illinois, though, lawmakers can have the final say on executive orders, perhaps tying the hands of a governor.

* There are lots of misconceptions about EOs. WBGZ radio

llinois Governor Pat Quinn has issued an Executive Order that would combine the Health and Human Service programs of Substance Abuse and Mental Health in Illinois. Lawmakers agree that’s a good decision but one State Representative from the Riverbend disagrees with the method through which it was done.

State Representative Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) says the Governor’s decision doesn’t give lawmakers a chance to do their jobs.

Kay’s quote…

“When you make a major change that’s going to cost some money at some point in time, that’s our job within the Legislature.

“The governor really today seized the legislative prerogative to hear a bill, debate a bill and determine whether that bill was best for the state of Illinois.

“And that’s not the governor’s job.”

* From the Illinois Constitution

SECTION 11. GOVERNOR - AGENCY REORGANIZATION

The Governor, by Executive Order, may reassign functions among or reorganize executive agencies which are directly responsible to him. If such a reassignment or reorganization would contravene a statute, the Executive Order shall be delivered to the General Assembly. If the General Assembly is in annual session and if the Executive Order is delivered on or before April 1, the General Assembly shall consider the Executive Order at that annual session. If the General Assembly is not in annual session or if the Executive Order is delivered after April 1, the General Assembly shall consider the Executive Order at its next annual session, in which case the Executive Order shall be deemed to have been delivered on the first day of that annual session. Such an Executive Order shall not become effective if, within 60 calendar days after its delivery to the General Assembly, either house disapproves the Executive Order by the record vote of a majority of the members elected. An Executive Order not so disapproved shall become effective by its terms but not less than 60 calendar days after its delivery to the General Assembly.

Reorgs are the only executive order functions spelled out in the Constitution. And there is most definitely an available legislative check on that power.

  46 Comments      


Pigs, wings, fly

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois Review

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady claims new poll results show the Republican primary is now a two-way race between himself and businessman Bruce Rauner.

“We think our support is growing and Bruce Rauner’s support is waning, Senator Kirk Dillard’s has capped off,” Brady told reporters on a phone call Monday afternoon. Brady said his campaign planned to share their findings in the next few days. “Rauner’s support is very superficial,” he said.

* I happen to agree with Brady that he’s the second choice of lots of voters. I’ve been told about other polling that supports my theory.

But, really, so what?

If somebody magically gave Brady $2 million today I think he could make this a real race.

But the hard truth is nobody’s gonna give him that money.

* Dillard ain’t getting out of the race because he has the IEA cash keeping him afloat. Rutherford ain’t getting out because he doesn’t want to admit to wrongdoing.

This is all just fantasy talk.

* Maybe Brady can make a late run up the right side like he did in 2010, but Brady raised a whole lot more cash back then than he has this time.

Two members of my family are taking Republican ballots to “stop Rauner.” Trouble is, they have no idea what to do with that ballot. They had been for Rutherford, but not now. They don’t really know much about Dillard and they’re not exactly ideologically aligned with Brady (or Dillard, for that matter).

* So, hey, maybe there will be a gigantic surprise on primary day. But until Brady can demonstrate he can compete on the “real” playing field (TV) and not just show up for events and issue press releases, then what chance does he have?

Money talks, kids. And hope ain’t a plan, especially this late in the game.

  36 Comments      


Money ain’t everything, unless you don’t have any

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Kent Redfield took a look at self-funders and campaign contributions from the last several Republican gubernatorial primaries…

2002 Republican

    Wood $7.808 million ($5.347 million self-funding – received as loans from spouse)
    J Ryan $6.379 million
    O’Malley $4.383 million

    Total $18.590 million

2006 Republican

    Oberweis $ 3.576 million ($3.338 million self-funding – some of it loans that were paid back)
    Gidwitz $12.478 million ($6.546 million self-funding – Gidwitz and family members)
    Topinka $ 3.150 million
    Brady $ 1.661 million

    Total $20.865 million

2010 Republicans

    Dillard $2.100 million
    McKenna $5.610 million ($2.687 million self-funding)
    Brady $1.451 million
    Andzejewski $1.440 million
    Schillerstrom $1.091 million
    J Ryan $0.858 million
    Proft $0.474 million

    Total $13.024 million

2014 Republican (2013 + Cash on hand + Money raised 2014 = Estimate primary spending to date)

    Rauner $12.77 million ($5.050 million self-funding)
    Brady $487,000
    Rutherford $2.12 million
    Dillard $1.15 million

    Total to date $16.527 million

So, what you see here is that Bruce Rauner’s spending is not completely out of line with past self-funders. He is totally dominating, though. It’s not that he’s flooding the zone as much as he’s Hoovered up most of the cash. And he’s run a far better campaign than those past self-funders.

  53 Comments      


What goes around, comes around

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I was on my way to a speaking event yesterday when I received this e-mail from Chicago Ald. Jason Ervin…

In 2012 prior to my wedding, there was an event held by family and members of my wedding party. This event was my private bachelor party.

Let me be clear, I never used City or campaign funds for this event. This event was not held in my Aldermanic or political office, but on another floor of the building, where neither City nor political funds are spent.

I am deeply disappointed that an individual, whom I regarded as a friend, would attempt to extort me, my family, and the residents of the Ward for personal gain. I apologize to the residents of the 28th Ward for the attention that this has brought and I do not want this private event to overshadow the good work we have accomplished in the 28th Ward.

My wife and I are committed to continued service of our community and we shall move forward.

It was so bizarre that I read the first two paragraphs to the audience as an example of some of the weird stuff I deal with. They got a good chuckle out of it.

* I looked it up on Bing’s news search when I got back home. NBC 5

Chicago Alderman Jason Ervin (28th) is denying he did anything wrong after a YouTube video surfaced of a bachelor party involving female strippers.

The 2012 video was shot in what appears to be a film screening room. […]

Ervin is sitting on a chair on a stage during the video, which ends when a female voice can be heard telling the camera operator to shut it down. […]

Cratic would not confirm any details of the alderman’s extortion allegation or if a police investigation has been launched.

The not safe for work YouTube video is here.

* Ald. Ervin has repeatedly claimed with extremely flimsy evidence that 10th House District candidate Eddie Winters (D-Chicago) is a wife beater. Winters has flatly denied the allegations, but Ervin, who is backing Pamela Reaves-Harris in the crowded primary against indicted Rep. Derrick Smith, has not let up.

So, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was some sort of payback. And I’m not saying he deserves this karmic backlash, but stuff happens when you say things like he has.

  17 Comments      


*** LIVE SESSION COVERAGE ***

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Watch stuff unfold or unravel

  Comments Off      


Rate the Callis and Gollin TV ads

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The National Journal reports on Democratic congressional candidate Ann Callis’ new TV ad

Callis’s TV ad will build her name recognition for the March 18 primary, in which Democratic professor George Gollin has already started TV advertising. But the spot is also an opening play for the general election eight months later.

Callis’s non-partisan judicial experience was one of the things that first got Democrats excited about her candidacy, but Republicans have since used elements of Callis’s tenure — including a low rating for local courts from a tort reform group and a low rating for Callis personally from lawyers at the beginning of her tenure — to attack the Democrat.

Her campaign’s ad pushes back with a career highlight: Callis’s formation of a “veterans’ court” to help process and treat honorably-discharged, non-violent offenders. The program won praise from, among others, Republican Rep. John Shimkus, who nominated it for an award a few years back and has since complimented Callis’s judicial tenure.

The new TV ad featuring the program has broader appeal than a typical spot targeted at a Democratic primary. It’s the sort of thing you would expect to see at the start of a general-election race — and it’s a reminder that the campaign is well under way, only a few months into the year.

* The Callis ad

* The Gollin ad

  20 Comments      


Credit Union (noun) – not-for-profit, consumer-focused cooperative

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives. They were first exempted from federal income taxes in 1917 to fulfill a special mission as valuable and affordable cooperative alternatives to for-profit banks. Even though credit unions are exempt from income tax, they still are subject to, and pay, property, payroll, and sales taxes, and a host of governmental regulatory supervision fees. Since their inception, credit unions have more than fulfilled their mission, as evidenced by Congressional codification of the credit union tax exemption in 1951 and 1998. Though the range of services has evolved to effectively serve their members in an increasingly competitive financial marketplace, the cooperative structure, which is the reason for their tax exempt status, has remained constant. Nationally, consumers benefit to the tune of $10 billion annually because credit unions are tax-exempt. In Illinois, by most recent estimates credit unions annually provide nearly $195 million in direct financial benefits to almost three million members. In an era that continuously poses economic and financial challenges, credit unions remain true to one principle - people before profits - and represent a highly valued resource by consumers during these uncertain economic times.

  Comments Off      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition, crosstabs and a roundup

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Another day, another mil (point three)

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times

Multi-millionaire venture capitalist Bruce Rauner has sunk another $1.3 million into his campaign fund, state board of election records show. […]

Rauner has donated more than $5 million of his own money to his campaign fund — including $501,000 last week.

This is getting so routine that I didn’t even post about the half mil he kicked in last week.

But, make no mistake, if and/or when Rauner wins the primary, this’ll seem like chicken feed.

  66 Comments      


Question of the day

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Should the Illinois income tax increase be allowed to partially expire on schedule? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.


survey solutions

  70 Comments      


Today’s number: 7,867

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois recently became one of 20 states which allow 17 year-olds to vote in primaries if they turn 18 by the general election. The AP follows up

Illinois election officials say nearly 8,000 17-year-olds have registered to vote in the March primary.

Under a new law, teenagers who will be 18 by the time of the November election may cast a ballot in the spring primary.

Rupert Borgsmiller is director of the Illinois State Board of Elections. He said Friday that 7,867 registrations came in from eligible 17-year-olds.

  29 Comments      


Today’s assignment: Budget toolbox

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From an e-mail…

Hi Mr. Miller,

The University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs is pleased to provide a new tool for anyone who is interested in examining ways to solve the state’s budget crisis. The Illinois Budget Policy Toobox, available now at http://igpa.uillinois.edu/budget-toolbox, can help you navigate the myriad proposals, ideas, and suggested solutions that have been or will be offered as possible ways to shrink the budget deficit and get Illinois out of its fiscal mess.

The Toolbox represents the work of IGPA faculty and other scholars who have examined several approaches to solving the problem. Our experts in public finance, economics and governance provide a nonpartisan overview of the state’s fiscal situation and evaluate the pros and cons of a variety of revenue and spending options, ranging from the reduction of the state income tax to business tax reform to reducing social services spending, among others. Our goal is to provide the background, context and evidence necessary to weigh each of these approaches fairly. We also expect the Toolbox to continue to develop. As new ideas and proposals arise, IGPA experts will examine them and provide new information to the Toolbox in a timely manner.

We at IGPA trust that you will find the information in the Toolbox useful in your efforts to tell your audiences about the fiscal policy debate in coming weeks and months. We invite you to use this information in concert with the many other sources of information at your disposal, knowing that the information that comes from IGPA is grounded in the best scholarship and is based on evidence rather than ideology or politics. The Toolbox essays will be followed by commentaries by the authors on each particular issue.

All of the experts who have contributed to the Toolbox are available for interviews, whether they be formal for use in a story or simply to gain more background and insight that will help you to work on a particular topic. And we stand ready to assist in whatever ways we can to enhance the value of this resource. We encourage you to check the Toolbox often for new information and, of course, we invite your feedback and ideas to help us make this resource even more useful for you.

Best,
Kelsey

Kelsey McCoy
Coordinator of Communication and Media
University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs

Go check it out and report back.

  28 Comments      


Rate the new cable ad

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a press release…

Republican 11th Congressional District candidate Bert Miller has launched his first television commercial, designed to better acquaint voters with his background and policy initiatives. The positive ad focuses on Miller’s background as a manufacturer and job creation.

“I’m Bert Miller,” the 30 second ad begins. “I manufacture plastic lids right here in Naperville.” His business, Phoenix Closures, makes plastic lids and caps for bottles and jars. He goes on to point out that all of the raw materials his company uses are from North America.

“After experiencing what Washington has done to make it harder for businesses to create jobs, I decided to run for Congress,” Miller states in the commercial. “I may not be a slick politician, but I know a thing or two about what it takes to put Americans back to work.”

The commercial will air on cable television channels reaching homes in the 11th Congressional District. Miller is seeking the Republican nomination to run against Democratic incumbent Bill Foster in November.

* Rate it

Miller is running against state Rep. Darlene Senger, Ian Bayne, Craig Robbins and Chris Balkema for the right to challenge incumbent Democrat Bill Foster.

Also, there’s no relation between myself and Miller. We merely share a very common surname.

  40 Comments      


Labor hitting the boxes on Rauner

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Illinois AFL-CIO sent a mailer to union members the other day to inform them about Bruce Rauner. A reader sent me phone pics of the front, back and inside pages…


* And AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan has sent out a letter to the editor on the same topic

For a candidate who built his entire campaign for governor on attacking public-sector unions, Bruce Rauner is astonishingly ignorant of the facts about those unions.

Flip-flopping from his previous position that public-sector unions have a “fundamental conflict of interest with the people of Illinois,” Rauner now says he wants government workers to be “free to decide whether they want to join a union.”

Earth to Rauner: Government workers have had that freedom since the day they gained the right to form unions. Unlike the companies Rauner runs, unions operate on the basis of democracy.

Moreover, in the public sector, every employee already has the right not to join the union, even if they are represented by it. They can choose instead to only pay a fair-share fee based on the cost of representation activities that unions are required by law to provide.

Then there’s Rauner’s false claim that public employee unions are a “corrupting influence” simply because their members’ salaries are paid from government revenues. That’s a slander on hundreds of thousands of teachers, caregivers, firefighters, snowplow drivers, police officers, nurses and other public employees who have a right to be heard.

Rauner also now claims he that has no problem with unions in the private sector. That’s yet another flip-flop.

The simple truth is that Rauner thinks he should have unfettered power. Unions, public and private, are standing in his way, so he’s out to destroy them. Every Illinois worker has a big stake in ensuring that someone so utterly hostile to the interests of average working families doesn’t become the next governor.

* Sen. Durbin also got into the act

With dozens of representatives from local unions in the audience at the Kane County Democrats annual Harry S. Truman Dinner on Sunday, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin did some finger-pointing to a Republican candidate for governor.

“Think of what voters in Wisconsin would have done if they had a make-over on that first race for Scott Walker,” Durbin said. […]

Durbin said the Republican gubernatorial candidate should be able to afford a history book and read about the emergence of the labor movement in America.

“It was a labor movement that stood up for a 40-hour work week; it was a labor movement that stood up for overtime; it was the labor movement that stood up against child labor and safety in the workplace,” Durbin said.

  71 Comments      


More anti-Rauner oppo dumps

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Crain’s

Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner backed the boutique investment firm of a longtime business associate several years ago, only to be surprised when the Securities and Exchange Commission later shut down the firm for fraud.

In 2004, Mr. Rauner made a personal $4.5 million startup investment in fund manager Acartha Group LLC, a suburban St. Louis firm founded by Burton Douglas Morriss. Before Acartha, Mr. Morriss had already arranged one deal in which the duo made more than $75 million. Mr. Rauner, an avid outdoorsman, also owned a hunting camp with Mr. Morriss.

But in 2012, the SEC seized control of Acartha, accusing Mr. Morriss of defrauding investors of $9.1 million.

Mr. Rauner was a “passive investor” who was “misled and defrauded” by Mr. Morriss, like dozens of others, Mike Schrimpf, a spokesman for Mr. Rauner’s campaign, says in an email. “Bruce is angered and outraged by Morriss’ actions.” […]

The experience with Acartha could undercut his pitch that he is a savvy business executive who would bring that expertise to Springfield, a key part of his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor in the March 18 primary.

* And Doug Ibendahl has a long and involved piece about a new court filing in the Rauner-linked nursing home case. Click here to read the whole thing.

  27 Comments      


McCarter withdrawing gay marriage repeal bill

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Chicago Pride

Illinois State Senator Kyle McCarter, a Republican, has ended an effort to repeal Illinois’ gay marriage law approved by lawmakers last year.

Following a federal judge’s ruling handed down Friday that there is no need for gay couples to wait for the law to take effect in June, McCarter announced that he was withdrawing his bill (SB 2637), which was scheduled for debate in the Illinois Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday.

That would’ve been an interesting Exec Committee hearing, to say the least.

* Sen. McCarter remains defiant, however. From his statement

“It was my intention when I submitted Senate Bill 2637 this year to repeal the law which redefined legal marriage within Illinois law because the people of Illinois were not given a realistic chance to weigh in on an issue of immense and radical cultural change,” said McCarter (R-Lebanon). “Given the level of influence and corruption we have witnessed by the well-connected and special interest groups in recent years, I am not convinced the will of the people was met by the original passage of Senate Bill 10.”

The order allowing same-sex individuals to marry was issued by Federal District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. According to the Chicago Tribune, Judge Coleman said, ‘There is no reason to delay further when no opposition has been presented to this Court and committed gay and lesbian couples have already suffered from the denial of their fundamental right to marry.’

McCarter said while the ruling may be limited at this time to Cook County because the lawsuit was filed against the Cook County Clerk’s office to force him to issue marriage licenses, he expects similar suits will be filed against other county clerks throughout the state.

“The ruling is both disappointing and troubling,” said McCarter. “Obviously disappointing because of the radical change to our culture that the same-sex marriage law ushers in and the fact citizens in general were given no adequate voice in the decision-making. The troubling aspect of this is that the law passed last year contained protections for religious institutions from being forced to perform and solemnize ceremonies. I am concerned that those protections, as flimsy as I believe they were when the law was passed, won’t take effect until June 1, 2014. This puts our churches, wedding-related businesses and individuals at legal risk.”

Sen. McCarter said although the same-sex marriage law was passed by elected representatives, the people of Illinois were not given the opportunity through statewide public hearings to speak out for or against the redefinition of marriage.

“Legislative leaders have had no problem scheduling hearings around the state on other critical issues such as education funding and redrawing political boundaries for senators and representatives. Why didn’t they schedule hearings on redefining legal marriage to include same-sex couples?” said McCarter.

“Recently, nationally and now here in Illinois, we have seen example after example of the Executive and Judicial branches of government wielding supreme power over the will of the people or acting exclusively on their own without care to the will of the people,” said McCarter.

  20 Comments      


*** UPDATED x1 - Brady responds *** Poll: Dillard losing own Senate district

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column

Illinois state Sen. Kirk Dillard told Chicago radio station WLS last week that Republican county chairmen ought to try and get Bill Brady and/or Dan Rutherford out of the governor’s race so he could have a clear shot at wealthy frontrunner Bruce Rauner. Dillard claims he is building strong momentum with recent endorsements, including the powerful Illinois Education Association.

But two polls taken last week showed that Dillard isn’t even winning his own DuPage County-based state Senate district that he has represented for more than twenty years.

A Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll taken February 20th had Rauner leading in Dillard’s 24th state Senate District with 36 percent. Dillard placed a distant second with 30 percent. Brady polled 10 percent and Rutherford was at 2 percent. Another 22 percent were undecided. The poll of 614 likely Republican voters had a margin of error of ±3.95 percent. Twelve percent of the calling universe was cell phones.

I didn’t commission the poll to be a jerk, but because somebody slipped me results of a Strive Strategies tracking poll taken Tuesday, February 18th which had Rauner at 33 percent and Dillard at 26 percent in Dillard’s own district. The margins between the two men are almost exactly the same in both polls, so this is pretty solid evidence that Dillard is, indeed, losing his own Senate district, which he has represented since 1993.

What the heck is going on? Well, millions of dollars in campaign ads on Chicago TV by Rauner and pretty much nothing by Dillard is the simplest answer.

Rauner has not only dumped millions of his own money into his campaign, he has successfully vacuumed up pretty much all the available traditional Republican money out there. Campaign cash that Dillard, Brady or Rutherford would have normally been expected to tap has been Hoovered up by Rauner instead.

According to the Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll, Dillard is ahead of Rauner among women in his district 33-26, but he trails badly among men, 46-27. Rauner also leads among seniors 65 and over (perhaps the most important GOP demographic) 41-25.

Sen. Dillard said recently that the multitude of DuPage County congressional, legislative and local Republican primary races, plus county auditor Bob Grogan’s state treasurer bid, would gin up local turnout and help him defeat Rauner. But if he ain’t winning his own district, it’s tough to see how Dillard’s theory will come to fruition in the rest of the county.

So, what about that IEA endorsement? Well, as of last week the teachers’ union had sent a mailer to their members touting Dillard and had given him $50,000 cash. Dillard has such a high overhead cost, though, that fifty grand won’t do much except keep the lights on his office. Dillard received about $250K from the Operating Engineers union late last year and then spent pretty much all of it on overhead.

And even if the IEA puts more cash into Dillard and it all goes on TV, Bruce Rauner is spending a fortune on television ads and the latest We Ask America statewide tracking poll shows him leveling off, but still with a huge lead over the entire pack.

The poll of 1,323 likely Republican primary voters was taken February 18th and shows Rauner with 35 percent, to 14 percent for Bill Brady, 13 percent for Dillard and 8 percent for Dan Rutherford - which is confirmation of the Chicago Tribune’s recent poll results that showed Rutherford’s numbers are collapsing in the wake of his ongoing scandal. Rutherford was at 17 percent in a We Ask America poll taken February 3rd, which was nine points above where he is in the latest round.

The new TV ads being aimed at Rauner by the labor unions are also having an impact. The ads have whacked Rauner for associations with a corrupt bribery expert, and for alleged abuse at some nursing homes his company used to own.

The unions have spent about $2 million and Rauner has seemed to plateau since those attack ads began airing. He was at 37 percent on February 2nd and 39 percent on February 13th, then down four points less than a week later to 35.

But even if Rauner has peaked, the other three are a very long way from catching up, and so far none of them have the money to do so, and time is not on their side.

Subscribers have full crosstabs.

Discuss.

*** UPDATE *** Brady’s campaign responds…

BRADY SAYS POLL NUMBERS SHOW RAUNER-BRADY TWO-WAY RACE

Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, say recent poll results show that the Republican primary for Governor is now a two-way race between himself and businessman Bruce Rauner.

“Last week, Senator Dillard called on Republican officials to push Treasurer Rutherford and myself out of the race for him. He’s confused. This is a race between me and Mr. Rauner, not Mr. Rauner and Senator Dillard,” Brady said.

The Chicago Tribune poll earlier this month showed Senator Dillard in last place. In addition, a We Ask America/Capitol Fax poll last week showed him losing in his own Senate district.

“In order to win, a Republican candidate for Governor must win the base of the Republican Party. We have the base. Senator Dillard helped elect Barack Obama president with his commercial, saying he would serve the country well. That’s a non-starter for Republican primary voters. Mr. Rauner’s close relationship with Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel poses the same problem for him,” Brady said.

“I am the one reliable Republican and consistent conservative who has been tested and who has earned the trust of nearly 1.8 million voters throughout Illinois. I am the most electable candidate and, as other polling has shown, the one who can best defeat Governor Quinn in November.”

  57 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition, crosstabs and a roundup

Monday, Feb 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

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*** COMMENTS OPENED *** Quinn taps de Blasio aide as chief strategist

Saturday, Feb 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Comments are now open on this post.]

* Bill de Blasio’s campaign manager is now Pat Quinn’s chief strategist. Now you know exactly what type of hardcore populist campaign Quinn wants to run. From a press release…

Governor Pat Quinn today tapped Bill Hyers to serve as chief strategist for his 2014 re-election campaign. Hyers, an Illinois native, is one of the country’s leading campaign strategists, having managed Pennsylvania for President Obama’s campaign for re-election in 2012 and serving as Midwest Director for Obama in 2008.

“Bill Hyers knows how to compete and he will be a strong force for our campaign,” Governor Quinn said. “With his help and the help of people across Illinois, we’re going to run a strong grassroots campaign and continue to move Illinois forward.”

“I’m proud to go to work for one of the nation’s leading reform governors,” Hyers said. “I’ve long admired Governor Quinn’s leadership. After inheriting a huge mess from two corrupt governors in a row, he’s been turning the state around and getting big things done to improve life for working families. It is critical that we re-elect Governor Quinn in Illinois so he can finish what he started.”

Hyers, one of the most highly-sought after campaign leaders in the country, recently managed Bill de Blasio’s successful campaign for mayor of New York City. He also led Gov. Steve Beshear’s successful gubernatorial campaign in Kentucky, Mayor Michael Nutter’s successful campaign in Philadelphia and Kirsten Gillibrand’s first race for Congress in 2006. In addition, Hyers managed the president’s campaign in Pennsylvania in his 2012 bid for re-election and was Midwest Regional Director for his 2008 campaign.

An Illinois native, Hyers was born in Kewanee. He graduated from Harrisburg High School and attended graduate school at Illinois State University after completing his undergraduate degree at St. Cloud State in Minnesota.

* Lynn Sweet

Gov. Pat Quinn hired the man who managed New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s come-from-behind, populist everyday people campaign to be the chief strategist of his re-election bid. Quinn told me he views his 2014 run as a “battle for the soul of Illinois.” […]

Quinn, who buys his suits at Men’s Wearhouse on State Street, told me his campaign will be steered by Bill Hyers, who won rave reviews for taking de Blasio’s longshot bid to victory in a big-city contest with intense media scrutiny — a nice practice run for Illinois.

Hyers “brings a good sense of modern campaigns,” Quinn told me. “We are going to be very aggressive with social media, and we’ll have a very strong regular media campaign and it fits in with our grass-roots efforts.” […]

Joe Slade White and Ben Nuckels are again making Quinn’s spots. Four years ago, they made ads savaging then-GOP nominee Bill Brady for being so wealthy that he was out of touch with average Illinoisans.

By comparison, Bruce Rauner hired his top guy almost eleven months ago.

  44 Comments      


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