* Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign continues to backbite Treasurer Dan Rutherford via anonymous quotes in the national media. As I told you last week, some Illinois Romney supporters shivved Rutherford for failing to kick several Rick Santorum delegates off the ballot. Politico looks at another angle…
News of the standoff was first reported Thursday by the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, but the Romney campaign’s effort to fix Rutherford’s mess has not previously been disclosed.
One Romney source described Rutherford’s leadership as “a complete disaster” and said Romney’s campaign headquarters had to fly paid staffers to Illinois to collect signatures at Chicago-area train stations and walk precincts because the treasurer’s organization had failed to collect enough signatures.
The Romney high command, the source said, “was flabbergasted that an Illinois statewide official had no organization.”
Once the Romney campaign challenged Santorum’s petitions, the Santorum campaign counter-challenged, pointing out the “fatal error” of the Romney petitions being notarized in Massachusetts instead of Illinois, said Santorum’s Illinois state director, Jon Zahm.
“I filed that challenge and they eventually asked me to withdraw my challenge in exchange for them withdrawing theirs,” Zahm said. “It was all a big waste of people’s time and money. But I didn’t use a law firm like they did, I did it on my own.”
Rutherford, who is widely expected to have ambitions to run for governor in 2014, then urged Romney’s Boston headquarters to withdraw the challenge to Santorum’s petitions, a request the campaign granted as part of what one Romney adviser called “home rule.”
I’m hearing, however, that it was Romney’s Boston people who wanted the petitions notarized in Massachusetts. As with everything else, they’ve got nobody to blame but themselves. Their candidate can’t close, so they blame others.
By the way, Rutherford attended Romney’s Springfield event. I wonder if the two had a chat?
* Thanks to you, Public Policy Polling surveyed Illinois. Romney is way up…
Mitt Romney is headed for a blowout victory in Illinois on Tuesday. He leads with 45% to 30% for Rick Santorum, 12% for Newt Gingrich, and 10% for Ron Paul.
Romney’s particularly strong among voters who live in suburban areas (50-29) and with those who live in urban areas (46-23). But he’s even running slightly ahead of Santorum, 38-36, with folks who identify as living in rural parts and that strength with a group of voters he hasn’t tended to do that well with is why he’s looking at such a lopsided margin of victory.
Romney tends to win moderates in most states and Santorum usually win voters describing themselves as ‘very conservative.’ The swing group in the Republican electorate is those identifying as just ’somewhat conservative.’ Romney is winning those folks by a whooping 60-20 margin in Illinois. Romney’s also benefiting from a 52-28 advantage with seniors.
We’ve tended to find Santorum a lot more popular with voters even in states that Romney has won over the last six weeks, but that’s not the case in Illinois. Romney’s favorability is 57/34, about par for the course of where we’ve found him this year. Santorum’s at only 55/36, much worse numbers than we’ve seen for him most places in the last couple months, and suggesting that GOP voters are starting to sour on him a little bit.
Santorum’s winning the group he tends to do well with- Tea Partiers, Evangelicals, and those describing themselves as ‘very conservative.’ But he’s not winning them by the kinds of wide margins he would need to take an overall victory- he’s up only 8 with Tea Party voters and 10 with Evangelicals, groups he needs to win by more like 25 points with to hope to win in a northern state. Santorum can’t blame Gingrich for his troubles in Illinois either. If Newt was out Romney would still have an 11 point advantage on Santorum, 45-34.
* PPP also asked these rather touchy questions of some southern Republicans a couple of weeks ago, but here are the Illinois results…
Q23 Do you think Barack Obama is a Christian or a Muslim, or are you not sure?
Christian…………………………………………………. 24%
Muslim…………………………………………………… 39%
Not sure…………………………………………………. 37%
Q24 Do you think Barack Obama was born in the United States, or not?
He was…………………………………………………… 36%
He was not……………………………………………… 36%
Not sure…………………………………………………. 28%
Q25 Do you believe in evolution, or not?
Believe in evolution………………………………….. 41%
Do not……………………………………………………. 43%
Not sure…………………………………………………. 16%
Q26 Do you think that interracial marriage should be legal or illegal?
Legal……………………………………………………… 75%
Illegal…………………………………………………….. 16%
Not sure…………………………………………………. 9%
Um, OK. According to the crosstabs, 23 percent of likely Illinois Republican primary voters over 65 think that interracial marriage should be illegal.
Santorum, a Catholic, has failed to win a plurality of the Catholic vote in any primary so far. Instead, the former Pennsylvania senator has relied on evangelical support.
According to a Tribune/WGN-TV poll conducted March 7-9, 42 percent of Illinois voters described themselves as born-again or evangelical Christians. Of that group, 42 percent backed Santorum, compared with 26 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is Mormon. Of the 54 percent of voters who do not consider themselves born-again or evangelical Christians, Romney led Santorum, 43 percent to 22 percent. The poll did not give voters the option to identify as Catholic.
Romney’s Mormon faith may hurt him with some voters. In 2010, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale conducted a statewide poll of registered voters that found a majority would never vote for a Mormon, results that were not publicly released at the time.
“Rick Santorum’s faith should play well in Illinois,” said Tobin Grant, a professor of political science at SIU who worked on the poll. “It’s unlikely that people will choose him because he’s Catholic per se, but as a committed Catholic, Santorum shares the same values, beliefs and viewpoints as many Republican Catholics in Illinois. In central and southern Illinois, Santorum will also draw support from evangelicals and other conservative Protestants who will value his family and faith.”
It’s kinda bizarre that the Paul Simon Institute didn’t release those polling results.
* John Kass believes Santorum and Newt Gingrich are running for president just to hurt Ron Paul. I kid you not…
There are two other pseudo-conservatives in the race who’ve done the GOP establishment’s bidding by blocking U.S. Rep. Ron Paul from a one-on-one with Romney early on in the campaign.
* Meanwhile, things are truly getting nasty in the 12th Congressional District GOP primary. Some people calling themselves “Concerned Citizens of Belleville, IL” sent out a letter making all sort of allegations about Rodger Cook’s private and public lives. Click here if you dare. Oof. [Fixed link]
* I was on the Dan Ryan Expressway a little over a week ago and noticed something missing from Patrick Daley Thompson’s billboard: The word “Daley.”
“Patrick D. Thompson” was how he put it on the billboard. it was hard not to figure that his middle name isn’t necessarily an asset everywhere…
It’s not often a first-time candidate for an obscure public office gets endorsed by the city’s Democratic powerhouses, but that kind of political mojo comes easier when you’re related to the two longest-serving mayors in Chicago history.
In his bid for a seat on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Patrick Daley Thompson is endorsed by House Speaker Michael Madigan, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, City Council Finance Chairman Edward Burke, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and County Board Finance Committee Chairman John Daley — one of Thompson’s uncles.
That kind of backing is no doubt one reason Thompson in recent months has raised the most money out of six Democratic primary candidates vying for three seats in Tuesday’s primary.
Since September, he has raised more than $140,000, including a $10,000 contribution from another uncle, former White House chief of staff William Daley, according to state campaign finance records.
* VIDEO: Mitt Romney’s remarks at Charlie Parker’s
* Illinois Looking Like Fertile Ground for Mitt Romney: “I don’t think there was a single poll that had us up in Mississippi, so I don’t really worry too much about polls,” he told reporters after a speech in Osage Beach, Mo. “Look, Illinois’s a tough state, I understand. When you’re getting outspent 10 to 1, it’s hard. But we’re gonna keep working, and do the best we can. And we’re fighting money, we’re fighting the organization, and we’re fighting a divided conservative vote. That’s a pretty hard hill, but we’ve been climbing it and doing well.”
* Making the presidential decision: Tracking three Illinois GOP voters over months: Her vote is not that simple, though. She’ll pick Santorum for president. But on the vote that matters - delegates to the Republican convention - Eva will vote for those aligned with Gingrich. That’s because, she said, they’re Tea Partiers, and could raise a ruckus at the convention.
* Mitt Romney makes election-eve visit to Springfield: “These pancakes are as large as my win in Puerto Rico last night,” Romney quipped, making reference to the famously large 16-inch hotcakes Charlie Parkers has on the menu and his securing of all 20 delegates during Sunday’s vote in Puerto Rico.
“In light of the extremely damaging charges contained last week’s federal indictment of Representative Derrick Smith (D-Chicago),
I believe he should resign his position immediately.
“Representative Smith, who stands indicted on the charge of attempted bribery of a nursing home operator in exchange for official action,
has brought deep disrespect and damage upon the Illinois House of Representatives and the people of the State of Illinois.
“Rep. Smith should spare the House of Representatives any further embarrassment and step down immediately.”
Kinda late, and Smith was accused of shaking down a daycare center owner, not bribing a nursing home operator, but whatever. At least he said something. The same can’t be said for House Speaker Madigan.
NBA Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar urged Chicago Public Schools students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
WBBM Newsradio’s Michele Fiore reports Abdul-Jabbar joined Gov. Pat Quinn Sunday at King College Prep High School to discuss his book, “What Color is My World.”
Quinn praised Abdul-Jabbar’s 36-page book about African-American inventors, which was provided to the 300 students who attended the event.
* Caption?…
* Winner will receive a free ticket to my March 28th Springfield birthday party charity fundraiser for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.
* Abdon used the word “audacious” to describe this rally. I’d have to agree…
In the parks, churches, bowling alleys and VFW halls of Illinois, candidates for president, state supreme court, state representative and every office in-between made their last-minute pitches before Tuesday’s primary elections.
Perhaps the most audacious plea came from West Side Democratic elected officials who urged voters to support an Illinois House member charged with bribery. It looks bad, they acknowledged, but it will prevent the seat from falling into the hands of Republicans.
The rally in support of appointed state Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) featured U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), three aldermen and a county commissioner and even adopted a catchy moniker: “No defeat or retreat — keep the Dem seat.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a Republican, except that if people are going to vote for a Republican, they ought to know they’re voting for a Republican,” Davis said, referring to Smith’s Republican-turned-Democrat rival, Tom Swiss.
“We know that our colleague is charged with criminal activity, Davis said at a press conference outside the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago. “But we also know that a charge is not a conviction.”
Still, Smith is not doing much to explain his innocence. He was not at the press conference and his campaign has not returned repeated messages seeking comment.
But Davis and others acknowledged their push is as much about Smith’s opponent as it is about Smith himself. Tom Swiss is the only other candidate running in the Democratic primary, and - as Davis pointed out - Swiss has held leadership positions in the local Republican Party.
“We want to make sure that we don’t elect a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Davis said.
* Gov. Pat Quinn avoided weighing in on the race when pressed over the weekend, saying it was “tough call for voters,” but one “they’ll be able to sort out.” Tom Swiss responds…
Swiss, the former executive director of the Cook County Republican Party — who is white but uses images of African-Americans on billboards and mailers in this predominantly black district — teed off on his critics: “I think it’s inexcusable that they’re reinforcing the culture of corruption by asking voters to support Derrick Smith, a man that was arrested and caught red-handed for taking a bribe,” Swiss told the Chicago Sun-Times.
State Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) hasn’t been in the House very long, but few would’ve picked him as a future legislative star. He stumbles badly during debates, isn’t well informed on the issues and has obviously had a lot of trouble getting his arms around his new job.
In other words, he probably won’t be missed.
Smith was arrested last week on federal bribery charges. The feds say a campaign worker allegedly told them that Smith was anxious about fundraising problems and was willing to trade favors for checks. After being told that a day care center owner was willing to pay big bucks in exchange for an official letter requesting a $50,000 state grant, Smith allegedly pounced on the opportunity.
Smith’s fundraising problems were abating, however. Just before his arrest last week, his campaign had reported raising about $57,000 from several established state political action committees over the previous few days.
No longer in dire need of campaign money, Smith apparently decided to get some cash for himself. He allegedly worked it out with the campaign worker that he wanted $7,000 in cash from what turned out to be a fictitious day care center owner. Smith rejected a cashier’s check because he didn’t want a paper trail, but then he offered to kick back part of the bribe via check to the campaign worker.
Now, first of all, what person with even half a brain believes that a day care center owner has $7,000 in cash lying around? And what kind of idiot would also believe that the aforementioned day care center owner would be willing to give that $7K to someone like Smith, an appointed, back-bench freshman lawmaker, in exchange for a grant recommendation letter?
I mean, really, a grant letter from Smith is supposed to be some sort of slam dunk? You’d have to be truly stupid to believe this was a “legit” offer.
And, secondly, you’re going to write the campaign worker a kickback check as part of your grand scheme? Really? Hello? Is anybody at home in that cranium?
Rep. Genius came to the General Assembly courtesy of Secretary of State Jesse White, who is also Chicago’s 27th Ward Democratic committeeman, despite the fact that Smith had been fired from his city of Chicago job a few years ago. The Chicago Sun-Times discovered that Smith had “used city equipment and personnel to do private landscaping work and improperly used state-financed Earnfare workers to lighten the load of city employees.”
It ain’t easy to get fired from a city job, but Smith somehow managed to, and White dutifully hired him at the secretary of state’s office. And then, despite Smith’s questionable past, White installed him in the House when state Rep. Annazette Collins (D-Chicago) was appointed to the Senate after Sen. Rickey Hendon retired.
White has been trying to obtain a foothold in that particular House district for years to no avail. He fought hard with Hendon. White never really got along with Collins when she was in the House either. When he helped appoint Collins to the Senate, White told the media that Collins had probably just promoted herself out of a job. White also controlled neither former state Rep. Art Turner nor Turner’s son, Art Turner Jr.
Smith’s appointment finally gave White his long-sought foothold. Once White took care of that, he picked a candidate to challenge Collins in the Democratic primary — Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins, who ran for Chicago mayor last year.
Smith’s political sponsor is Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), White’s handpicked alderman. Smith and Burnett grew up together in Cabrini Green, the notorious public housing project where White has recruited members of his world-renowned Jesse White Tumblers team.
White issued a statement last week, saying he was “disappointed” in Smith. But White said infinitely more than House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), who was completely mum on the bribery charge.
There is, of course, a tricky political dimension to this arrest. Smith’s Democratic primary opponent, Tom Swiss, has been a Republican for years. Swiss is a former director of the Cook County Republican Party and is a white man running in a majority black district.
If Madigan called on Smith to resign, it would essentially have meant letting a Republican into his caucus. Some things transcend mere bribery arrests.
* Last summer during the State Fair, a group of us was sitting in a Springfield beer garden talking politics. Some of the folks at the table were from Chicago, so they had to be briefed a bit when talk turned to Springfield ‘tics.
One topic they couldn’t quite get their heads around was Springfield Ald. Sam Cahnman. He’d recently been accused of inappropriate contact with a woman, and some of the locals at the table were recounting their own Cahnman stories. His history isn’t pretty, but he’s one of those “never been convicted” people.
In case you don’t know who Sam is, the SJ-R’s Bernie Schoenburg did a column recently on some direct mail attacking Cahnman, who’s now running for the Illinois House…
But another flier certainly won’t make a friend of Cahnman. It delves in an ominous way into what is familiar territory in Springfield — Cahnman’s brushes with inappropriate situations and an arrest resulting from an encounter with two undercover policewomen in which the conversation turned to cash for sexual favors.
“What you may not know about This Man could hurt you,” one side of the flier states. The other side, before enumerating the allegations, says, “He may have even been on your doorstep,” with the “your” underlined.
The flier doesn’t say that Cahnman was found not guilty in court of a misdemeanor charge that resulted from the case involving the undercover policewomen. It instead mentions that the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has a pending case against Cahnman, a lawyer, connected to that and other incidents.
Cahnman said the flier is “filled with lies.” For example, he said, the ARDC complaint doesn’t say he propositioned the women, but that they propositioned him.
That complaint states that Cahnman asked the two women what they would do to “make money.” One woman told him each would perform a sex act for $40 each. “Respondent (Cahnman) agreed to pay them for the sexual acts,” the complaint says.
A mostly female jury took about an hour to find him not guilty of the misdemeanor charge, Cahnman noted.
He also disputes the flier’s accusation that he used his position as a lawyer to have “intimate” contact with a jail inmate. The ARDC complaint instead refers to “personal physical contact.” The complaint says Cahnman was observed “kissing and embracing” a woman who was being held in the Sangamon County Jail. The former inmate has told me the encounter was “just a brief hug” that involved nothing inappropriate.
The flier also mentions a controversy that started last summer, when Cahnman invited a woman in her early 20s to his apartment following a Springfield music festival. Cahnman served the woman wine, and she says she woke up wearing no underwear. Cahnman was not charged in that case, but he has agreed to stay 500 feet from the woman until next June — something he said he would want to do anyway.
* I’ve known Sam Cahnman for over 20 years. We’re not exactly friends, but we’ve always gotten along well enough. We once bumped into each other in Memphis at 3 o’clock in the morning and had a fine time. He’s always been honest and straightforward with me on official stuff. I bear no personal or professional ill will against him.
It’s no secret, however, that he has a certain reputation.
* Let’s get back to my State Fair story, shall we?
As I was saying, we were trying to explain Sam to the Chicagoans. They thought we must be joking. But then I made a half-joke by saying something like, “Pretty much every woman in this town who spends any amount of time in a tavern has a Sam Cahnman story.”
They told me to prove it.
So, I rose from the table, walked to another part of the beer garden and asked an attractive 30-something woman if she lived in Springfield. She said she did. I asked if we’d ever met before. She said we hadn’t. I asked her to come with me.
I escorted the woman to my table and asked her the same questions again. She assured them we didn’t know each other and she was indeed from Springfield.
Then I asked: “Do you have any Sam Cahnman stories?”
“Do I?!!!” she exclaimed, and then proceeded to tell a story about what she said was an unwanted and what she thought was a particularly overly forward romantic advance.
* I am not totally kidding when I say that just about every decent-looking woman I’ve asked in this town has a Sam Cahnman story. I was talking to a female lobbyist last week who mentioned that she’d heard Cahnman’s new radio ad. “Sam Cahnman admits he’s far from perfect,” she said was the spot’s opening line. She laughed about the ad and when I asked if she had a Sam story she sighed and said, “I have so many I can’t even remember them all.”
I was telling my State Fair story a few weeks ago while sitting at a bar and I could see out of the corner of my eye that the female bartender was listening intently and had a scowl on her face. After I finished telling the story, she related her own Sam Cahnman story.
This has happened time and time again. I have no solid proof that Sam has done everything he’s been accused of, but how many times can I hear these stories and not wonder about him?
* The local Springfield media has bent over backwards to be fair to Sam during this campaign. That’s their job. I get it. I’m not complaining. Candidates should always get a fair shake. And I am usually viscerally opposed to delving into a candidate’s private life. Their private lives are their business, not mine. I’m far from a moralizer and am in no way a pure person myself. I have more faults than I care to admit.
But in my opinion an important story about this race has been ignored. Yes, it’s not your usual political story, but, heck, I’m sure even Sam would admit that he isn’t your usual politician.
* I asked Sam for a response to this story last Thursday. I sent him a rough draft of this post and we talked on the phone and texted each other about whether he’d reply. He then sent me an e-mail at about 4:30 this morning…
As you can see from the hour, I am too swamped to ansewer the other [question], except to say that while focusing on my warts & foibles, it would be fair to recognize my many years of service as a conscientious public elected official and a Dem in a majority Repub County who got a lot of good things done.
I don’t disagree. Sam has managed to get a lot of things done. Like I said, he’s not your ordinary politician. But like he admits in his own radio ad, he’s far from perfect.
Keep your comments clean, please. Thanks.
* Meanwhile, Cahnman has filed a defamation suit in Sangamon County Circuit Court against two of Speaker Madigan’s campaign committees. From a press release…
“I regret it came to this, but I had no choice,” Cahnman said. “I was willing to let it go the first time Mr. Madigan through his committees told lies about me in the attack ad of my opponnent, Sue Scherer. But after the false statements were pointed out in a newspaper article after the first piece hit mail boxes, and Mr. Madigan then sent the exact same lies out a second time, I could not stand idly by,” Cahnman said. Madigan also sent the lies out a thrid time.
Cahnman noted that some people think in politics you can say anything about anyone, but that’s not ture. “You can’t make blatantly false statements about a political opponent that are defamatory and get away with it.” The public record cited by the Scherer ad shows the statement are blatantly false. Cahnman noted that the Chicago Tribune called Sherer’s ad “misleading”.
Cahnman said he received many “attaboys” from people in Decatur this morning, where he was to speak to the United Transportation Union. “The people particularly in Decatur are sick and tired of Madigan’s negative personal attacks, which they experienced in 2010 and 2008. Somebody had to say, “Enough,” Cahnman said.
When Gov. Pat Quinn laid out his proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and called for closing dozens of facilities around the state, he revived a debate started nearly a decade ago under then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Just how much authority should state lawmakers have to block the governor from closing facilities that are often major employers in an area and provide significant economic impact?
The issue could come to a head this spring with at least one bill pending that would specifically give the General Assembly a final word on whether a facility stays open or is closed.
Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, introduced Senate Bill 3564 that requires the General Assembly to vote on a facility closure after the bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability makes a recommendation. The bill is pending on the Senate floor.
As the above article notes, CoGFA’s vote is only a recommendation. The governor can still go ahead and close a facility if CoGFA votes against it. That hasn’t yet happened, however.
* The Question: Should the General Assembly be given authority to nix state facility closures? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* Several southern Illinois musicians have put together a huge benefit weekend in Carbondale for the Harrisburg tornado victims. “Gone With the Wind” starts tonight and runs through Sunday. The event’s Facebook page is here. Click the pic for a larger version of the program…
* I’ll be there Saturday. My brother Devin’s band is playing around 8 o’clock at The Varsity. Devin will also be doing some emcee duties earlier in the evening. Be there if you can. And if you can’t, well, have a listen to Devin’s band, “The Dead or Alives.” Turn it way up…
Yeah, I’m a bad man, baby
But I’m good enough for you
Given that 32% of voters could still change their mind before Tuesday, this represents a potential opportunity for Santorum. Most Gingrich supporters (55%) say they could still change their mind, and they overwhelmingly prefer Santorum over Romney in a two-man race.
Fifty percent (50%) of Illinois primary voters see Romney as the strongest general election candidate, while 24% say the same of Santorum. Perceived electability remains Romney’s strong suit.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) believe Romney is at least somewhat likely to defeat President Obama and 54% say the same of Santorum. Most (53%) think Gingrich is unlikely to win in November and 79% believe it is unlikely Paul could defeat the president.
* Meanwhile, I started getting e-mails like this on February 13th…
Pat Brady, Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, endorsed Tom Smithburg for 42nd Ward Republican Committeeman today.
“I fully agree with Tom’s message of bringing a new day to the city of Chicago,” said Brady of his endorsement. “He will bring a fresh perspective and new ideas, which we desperately need in a city where we could only manage 17% of the vote in 2010. If that number was 20%, Bill Brady would be Governor and in that position he would’ve vetoed the Democrats’ job-killing tax hike, the over-spending budgets, and the gerrymandered redistricting map.”
This is from Feb. 16th…
State Senator Bill Brady today announced his endorsement of Tom Smithburg for 42nd Ward Republican Committeeman.
“Tom Smithburg is right, we must do better in the city of Chicago,” said Brady. “We need a newly energized Republican Party in Chicago. We need to unify around our common ideals and work together to grow the Party. If we can accomplish that, Republicans can once again win statewide elections in Illinois. That is why I’m excited about the fresh ideas Tom brings to the table and am proud to endorse him for 42nd Ward Republican Committeeman.”
March 1st…
Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar today announced that he has endorsed Tom Smithburg for 42nd Ward Republican Committeeman.
“I have known Tom and his family for many years, and they have always been stalwart Republicans and passionate civic leaders,” said Edgar, who was Governor of Illinois from 1991-1999. “If there is anyone I would trust to bring leadership, unity, and energy to the Republican Party in Chicago, it’s Tom Smithburg. I am pleased to endorse him, and will provide my assistance in his election as well as his efforts to once again make Republicans competitive in the City of Chicago.”
* Since then, Jim Thompson, House GOP Leader Tom Cross, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, Congressman Aaron Schock, Dan Proft and others have announced their endorsements for a ward committeeman’s race.
And lest anyone think this is a meaningless little race, consider that the 42nd Ward has, all by itself, more Republicans than many entire counties downstate. In the 2008 November election for example, McCain-Palin received 10,125 votes in the ward. Yes, like all of Chicago’s 50 wards, the 42nd is predominantly Democratic. But the sheer concentration of people still means a lot of Republicans. If Chicago had a functioning Republican Party, the numbers would obviously be better.
A lot of very prominent Republicans live and work in the 42nd and many of those Repubs just don’t like incumbent committeeman Eloise Gerson. She’s made plenty of enemies over the years, while not building much of an organization.
* Smithburg didn’t just come out of the blue. His father is William Smithburg, a very wealthy Chicagoan who has given $300K to candidates over the years. The elder Smithburg is a former CEO of Quaker Oats.
Despite rumors to the contrary, his campaign insists that they’re getting all these endorsements without the father’s direct involvement. David Walsh, for instance, raised money for Sen. Bill Brady’s gubernatorial race and is running the Smithburg race, so that’s how that endorsement was secured.
Whatever the case, I do not believe I have ever seen so many major political figures endorse in a ward committeeman’s race before.
Lawmakers have avoided making the tough calls on major reforms, they confess are needed, in an election year — when all seats are up for grabs.
Legislators spent this week in their home districts, most campaigning before the March 20 primary election. They’ll return here for eight days in March starting March 21, before taking a two-week spring break in April.
To date, the Illinois Senate has been in session 15 days and the Illinois House for 13 days. This time last year the House met on 27 days and the Senate on 18.
Statehouse observers point to the election as a major factor in the lawmakers’ absenteeism.
However, this is no regular election year. The once-a-decade redistricting has several legislators facing new voters in changed districts. New legislative maps are redrawn to match population shifts outlined by the U.S. Census.
“The remap is causing a lot of heartburn,” Christopher Mooney, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said.
Lawmakers have used their few days in the statehouse so far this year to take up topics such as registering exotic pets and preventing minors from using tanning beds, instead of tackling the more pressing issues of pension and Medicaid reform.
“It’s an election year, and they don’t want to stick their necks out. Plus they’re busy running for re-election,” Mooney said.
OK, first of all, it’s an election year, so you can’t fairly compare this year’s schedule with last year’s. You’d have to go back two years for a fairer comparison.
Secondly, since when do major issues like state pensions and Medicaid reform ever get decided by March, or even publicly debated? That’s just a bogus argument to make. There are private meetings going on all the time, including this week, on several major topics. It’ll all bubble up eventually, or it won’t, depending. But to say that because we haven’t seen any solutions yet then this session is already a dud just ignores all history.
May is a heavy session month. That’s when the big things will be decided or put off until January, when a simple majority of lame duck legislators can pass some controversial bills. Until then, it’s all just idle speculation.
* What I’ve been wondering, though, is whether a big corporate interest is going to unveil a post-primary initiative. That’s really what has been absent so far this session. We don’t get pension reform bills in March, but we do see other important stuff. The big boys are staying awfully quiet. Too quiet, if you ask me.
* Meanwhile, AFSCME sent over some press clippings from yesterday’s “Day of Action”…
* Union employees picket against prison cuts in Illinois
* Illinois government workers picket against proposed cuts in staffing, facilities
* State Cuts Protest - Stateliners are protesting some of the cuts Quinn wants to make.
* Public service workers take part in statewide “Day of Action”
Those were some very nice local press pops. But if the union really wants to send a message to legislators, it better show it can pull a Madison and do a sustained Statehouse protest because one-off lunchtime protests don’t really demonstrate a whole lot.
“It’s all under review,” spokesman Steve Brown said. He declined to elaborate when asked what that meant and said he didn’t know whether Madigan would reach any conclusions before voters go to the polls.
Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady criticized Madigan again Thursday for his silence, saying Smith should resign. Brady is particularly piqued by a mail piece Madigan produced for his own re-election race boasting of his efforts to “clean up the mess” when former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and other politicians broke the law.
“I guess this time it isn’t politically convenient, so Madigan is sitting this one out — further eroding the public trust and reputation of the state of Illinois,” Brady said in a statement.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn said little more than Madigan about the situation during an appearance in Chicago Wednesday.
“We shouldn’t judge anyone until the jury does and the judge renders a sentence, if that’s the case,” Quinn said.
* Former Republican Party official Tom Swiss is running against the arrested Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary. Swiss is complaining about a yard sign that I showed subscribers on Monday…
Thursday Swiss said Madigan and Smith are sending direct mail to voters in the area intended to smear him. The mailers appear to be a reaction to a billboard purchased by Swiss, who is white, that features an African American. There was some confusion as to whether Swiss was trying to pass himself off as an African American with the billboard. Swiss says no.
“I call upon Speaker Madigan to halt the disgusting smear campaign that is being planned for the final weekend,” Swiss said. “The Speaker should be joining me in calling upon Smith to withdraw, not trying to save Smith from the consequences of his own greedy conduct.”
I think that’s what Tom Swiss might call trying to take advantage of an “extremely low information” voter base. The Rep. Smith yard sign could be seen as countering such an attempt.
* Swiss is doing some interesting stuff with the Comed bill issue, however. Click for a bigger pic…
Discuss.
*** UPDATE *** I didn’t notice this Tribune editorial until a reader sent it to me…
You know it’s almost Election Day when the lawn signs start vanishing.
They’re there at night but — whoop — missing in the morning. Usually, nobody’s caught in the act.
But look what happened on the Southwest Side on Tuesday: Chivalrous citizens confronted a man they say was lifting campaign lawn signs. They chased him down an alley, called police and made sure a squad car provided a grand exit from the neighborhood.
Carole Suhanek, a local resident, told us she was walking her dog on 64th Place between Meade and Austin avenues when she noticed a man going yard to yard and plucking out the bright red campaign signs of Illinois House candidate Michele Piszczor. The man claimed he had permission to take the signs, but she didn’t believe him.
She flagged down a neighbor, who chased the man through an alley and called police. Suhanek said officers found at least two of Piszczor’s yard signs in his car. We checked — the car is registered to a campaign worker for House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Yes, Piszczor, 25, is running against Madigan in the Democratic primary.
* I was looking for something quick to post this morning, but just couldn’t find anything easy and then realized I could’ve done a long post in the time it took me to think about a short one.
Such is the life of a blog owner.
So, let’s do a question instead.
* Illinois primary day is to ____ as St. Patrick’s Day is to _____?
Friday, Mar 16, 2012 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Ilya Sheyman 45%
Brad Schneider 27%
John Tree 7%
Vivek Bavda 4%
Not sure 16%
629 likely Democratic primary voters, taken between March 11-14.
* Sheyman’s support appears more solidified…
Is your mind made up to support this candidate, or could you still change your mind?
Ilya Sheyman voters 75% made up 25% could change
Brad Schneider voters 70% made up 30% could change
John Tree voters 47% made up 53% could change
Vivek Bavda voters 49% made up 51% could change
* This race is a lot like the 16th District Republican primary in that there’s a purity argument going on…
Which candidate do you consider more progressive: Ilya Sheyman or Brad Schneider?
Ilya Sheyman 57%
Brad Schneider 25%
They’re equally progressive 8%
Not sure 10%
Some of Brad Schneider’s opponents have criticized him for donating thousands of dollars to Republicans in Congress. Have you heard anything about Brad Schneider’s donations to Republicans?
Yes 60%
No 35%
Not sure 5%
(Those who said ‘yes’:) Does what you’ve heard about Brad Schneider’s donations to Republicans make you more or less likely to vote for him, or does it not impact your vote?
More likely to vote for Schneider 10%
Less likely 54%
Doesn’t impact your vote 36%
(Those who said ‘no’ or ‘not sure’:) Public records show that Brad Schneider repeatedly donated to Republican candidates for Congress who want to privatize Social Security, end Medicare, and eliminate a woman’s right to choose. Does this make you more or less likely to vote for Brad Schneider, or does it not impact your vote?
More likely to vote for Schneider 7%
Less likely 70%
Doesn’t impact your vote 24%
* Schneider is hitting back against the attacks from his Left flank via a TV ad…
The commercial cites an editorial in The Chicago Tribune (which endorsed Schneider) that called some of Sheyman’s criticisms “bogus.” (A Daily Kos blogger argues that the way Schneider is using the “bogus” quote is itself bogus, since the newspaper was seemingly using the term to convey that it disagreed with Sheyman’s criticisms, not to suggest that he was lying.)
Meanwhile, Politico quotes an adviser for the Blue Dog PAC who suggests that Sheyman’s efforts to label Schneider as a conservative Blue Dog Democrat are bogus.
Schneider, who is active in Jewish communal affairs, has said that “90 percent of my donations went to Democrats and 100 percent of my donations went to support the U.S.-Israel relationship.” Indeed, it’s not uncommon for pro-Israel donors to give to members of both parties, but for a Democratic primary candidate this could prove to be a liability.
The race has been painted as a fight between left and center over the Democratic Party’s future. The 25-year-old Sheyman, who has worked for MoveOn.org and Dean’s Democracy for America, is a favorite of the left, garnering the support of former Senator Russ Feingold, various members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus from around the country and the editor of The Nation. But Schneider, whose background is in strategic management consulting and is endorsed by House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer, has been loath to cede the progressive label to Sheyman. Schneider’s commercial refers to him as the “true progressive.” (Sheyman called himself a “proven progressive” in an earlier TV spot.)
“This is our top priority House race of 2012 because, like Elizabeth Warren, Ilya Sheyman is a proven progressive fighter who will be a strong ally in Congress,” PCCC spokesman Neil Sroka said in a statement. “His victory will send a signal to all Democrats across the nation that if you campaign as a bold progressive, grassroots volunteers and donors will have your back and help you achieve victory.”
Winning a primary as “a bold progressive” is one thing. Winning as a bold progressive in the 10th District come November is a whole other concept.
*** UPDATE *** From a press release…
State Representatives Karen May (D-58) and Elaine Nekritz (D-57) have released an open letter urging civility and honesty and condemning distortions made by out-of-state groups.
The letter, stressing the need for party unity to reach the common goal of Democratic victory in the November general election, follows a slew of negative campaign tactics and attacks by Ilya Sheyman and his out-of-state allies against fellow Democratic candidate Brad Schneider.
May and Nekritz also highlight the progressive values of all four primary candidates, writing, “We feel it is also important to emphasize that all the candidates — Vivek Bavda, Brad Schneider, Ilya Sheyman, and John Tree—are pro-choice, pro-environment, and pro-marriage equality. To claim otherwise is simply a distortion of the facts.”
The Schneider campaign has also called on Ilya Sheyman and his out-of-state supporters to apologize for falsely labeling progressive Democrat Brad Schneider as a conservative “Blue Dog Democrat.”
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Related…
* Primary races draw robocalls, fire fighters: Brad Schneider’s wife phoned my house Monday. Three times. I would have told her to stop, but she was insistent. A robocall, of course. They’re coming fast and furious as candidates, somehow oblivious to just how annoying these calls are, spend good money to alienate weary voters.
* 10th District candidates address partisan gridlock
* 11:45 am - I don’t know if you’re interested in watching live video of Rod Blagojevich riding in a black SUV to prison, but click here if you are.
* 11:52 am - ABC7 has commentary along with the video feed. Click here. Apparently, the former governor’s car has circled around a couple of times. So, people are becoming impatient.
* 12:01 pm - ABC7 News is off, but you can watch the live feed here. [UPDATED LINK]
Years ago, we used to track Blagojevich’s plane rides from Chicago to Springfield and back. This kinda feels like that. Only not.
* 12:03 pm - He’s talking on his cell phone now. They’ve apparently stopped at a burger joint.
* 12:07 pm - Ah, heck, it’s gonna be another 45 minutes or so. Let’s go to ScribbleLive…
* Public Policy Polling is running a poll this weekend and has asked the public to weigh in on what state they should target. Illinois’ primary election is Tuesday, so we could use some fresh numbers.
Click here, scroll down and leave a comment supporting an Illinois poll.
PPP is also asking about additional questions. Make sure to leave any suggestions you might have when you vote for Illinois in comments.
* We Ask America has a poll out that shows barely a difference in the 16th Congressional District Republican Primary race. The survey, taken March 11-12 has Congressman Don Manzullo at 42.64 percent and Congressman Kinzinger at 42.25 percent. From the pollster…
Early on in the campaign, Kinzinger had all the momentum. At one point not too long ago, we polled Kinzinger up by as much as 13 percent. That support, as the old expression says, may have been “a mile wide and an inch deep.” Manzullo and his campaign team have ferociously fought back to the point that the race is a dead heat. […]
Logic dictates that Manzullo has the momentum leading into Illinois’ March 20 Primary, but Kinzinger continues to surprise and impress many with his abilities, and may have a better GOTV effort overall. As in any race, estimates concerning turnout vary greatly depending on who’s handicapping the contest.
At any rate, it may be a very late night for the folks in Illinois 16.
The polling firm’s last poll had Kinzinger up 47-34, so this is not good news for the Kinzinger camp.
The attack that leaps out at you: Kinzinger was “one of seven Republicans who voted to PAY FOR OBAMA’S APPOINTMENTS!” What does that mean? Just that Kinzinger opposed a summer 2011 amendment that would have denied a salary to anyone recess-appointed by Barack Obama. Really. That’s it. That’s the proof that he’s not conservative enough to represent a mostly-Republican district. It’ll be fascinating to see if this works.
* But a new political action committee that I’ve been telling subscribers about for a while now has jumped into this race on Kinzinger’s side. The Illinois Lunch Pail Republicans, created to back union-friendly Republicans, is reportedly doing a $100,000 independent expenditure on behalf of Kinzinger. Here’s the TV ad…
Support by that group could become an issue.
* Related…
* ‘The one that made my wife weep’: The two Illinois GOP incumbents heading for a showdown Tuesday traded barbs in a contentious primary debate Tuesday night, where Don Manzullo accused Adam Kinzinger of producing a mail piece “that made my wife weep.”
* Kinzinger ‘concerned’ but members think he’ll win: The belief on the Hill among Republican staffers and members tracking the 16th District contest is that while Manzullo has mounted a surprisingly sharp advertising blitz, Kinzinger’s response has been flat. Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s endorsement of Kinzinger Thursday was partly reflective of that sentiment.
* Press Release: Gun Owners of America Endorses Rep. Manzullo Over Rep. Kinzinger
* American Conservative Union backs Manzullo over Kinzinger
