Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias held a conference call [Friday] to take a couple shots at Mark Kirk for his vote on a small business loan bill. While the conference was happening, an AP reporter asked why Giannoulias was doing this on a conference call, not in person at a press conference. His answer? Bad hair day.
Go here to listen to the full quote. He got into a bit of a tiff with the AP reporter. And here’s the AP’s subsequent take…
Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias wanted to rap his opponent over a vote in Congress, so he arranged a teleconference for reporters. Why not hold an actual news conference?
“I’m having a bad hair day,” Giannoulias joked before explaining that he thought the last-minute conference call was more convenient for everyone.
Republicans used the quip to link Giannoulias to a certain ex-governor known for obsessing over his hair.
“Alexi and Rod: More in common than we thought,” was the headline on a statement from the Illinois Republican Party.
Oops.
* Meanwhile, the Daily Herald appears to be catching on to the game that Bob Dold’s been playing with them. The paper just called him out on a rating by a tea party group that appeared in a conservative magazine. Notes next to the rating claimed that Dold’s campaign indicated “that he wishes to be viewed as a moderate.”
We told them Bob is a fiscal conservative and a social moderate, and that he is pro-choice.
On Friday, Dold denied to the Daily Herald that his campaign asked to be ranked lower. But the paper was able to reach a member of the tea party group who was involved with its voter guide…
On Monday, Patriots member Joan Seifert, who spoke with Folino about the guide, confirmed Folino didn’t want Dold to be rated highly by the group.
“They wanted to be sure he wasn’t perceived as a conservative, and I was more than happy to oblige that,” said Seifert, of Grayslake. […]
The group’s director, Lake Villa resident Tony Raymond, admitted no one in the Dold campaign specifically said he wants to be “viewed as a moderate,” as stated parenthetically in the voter’s guide.
“That’s our interpretation of why he wished not to be ranked highly,” Raymond said.
So, he didn’t ask to be viewed as a moderate, but his campaign did ask that he not be ranked highly.
The paper now appears to be getting more aggressive with Dold. The original hed on its story posted this afternoon was: “Dold, Seals at odds over tea party guide.” It’s now: “Dold: Campaign worker asked for low rating from tea party.” ADDING: The hed now reads: “Tea party group: Dold campaign worker asked for low rating.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee has already run an ad in the district, hitting Seals for his support of the recently-enacted healthcare law. “Pelosi’s plan didn’t go far enough for Dan Seals,” the NRCC’s attack ad said. “Oh no. Dan Seals said he supports the even more expensive public option.”
Meanwhile, President Obama sent out an email appeal for Seals, who will also benefit from an upcoming Democratic fundraiser set to be hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Seals is part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program and the committee has reserved TV time in the district ahead of the fall. A Seals internal poll from earlier this month boasted a lead over Dold–49-36 percent.
The AFL-CIO also sent a mailer for Seals as part of a 2.5 million piece direct mail blitz for Democratic candidates across the country.
* But the Hotline says that national Republican support is light at the moment…
The NRCC is also spending a little bit on the seat vacated by Rep. Mark Kirk (R), who is running for the Senate. The NRCC is spending $56K on an ad targeting Democratic nominee Dan Seals (D). But that’s hardly a drop in the bucket, given that broadcast TV in the Chicago media market costs millions.
* Related and a campaign roundup…
* President Obama, like wife, will headline Giannoulias fund-raiser
* Wave Of Third-Party Ads Adding to Dems’ Woes: In Illinois, Treas. Alexi Giannoulias (D) has been attacked on TV with more than $1M worth of ads from the Chamber of Commerce, American Crossroads and the Committee for Truth in Politics. In addition, his opponent Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) had more than $2.8M more in the bank at the end of the 2nd quarter, and the NRSC has not yet begun to spend the $3.4M they pledged to the Kirk campaign.
* Illinois GOP Tar Giannoulias With Anti-Petraeus Label
* Politicians’ money woes strike a chord with voters - Candidates who’ve faced bankruptcy or foreclosure are finding that many people sympathize with their problems. And their opponents refrain from attacking on the financial front.
* Giannoulias-Kirk race pitches curveballs to voters
Gov. Pat Quinn seems like an unwanted man when it comes to campaigning on behalf of some Democrats involved in tight legislative races.
The governor, who is locked in his own tough battle against Republican Bill Brady, is viewed by some Democratic candidates as more of a liability than an asset on the stump because of his low poll numbers and his support for an income tax hike.
Take state Rep. Bob Flider, a Mount Zion Democrat, for example.
Flider, who is being challenged by Republican Adam Brown of Decatur, has repeatedly said he’s against Quinn’s plan to raise income taxes to help pull the state out of its financial mess.
There’s no way Flider wants to stand on a stage with the governor, waiting for some Brown operative to snap a picture that, of course, later appears in a nasty campaign mailer.
“(State Sen. Dale Risinger, R-Peoria) would be a great choice whether it’s a Republican or Democratic governor. He’s well-thought of on both sides of the political aisle. People rely on him a great deal when it comes to transportation issues important to the state of Illinois,” said Brad McMillan, executive director of Bradley’s Institute for Principled Leadership.
* And legislative Democrats are being forced to resort to some extremely hard-hitting ads to hold on to power. The Democrats’ job is made easier because the Republicans are backing some pretty strange candidates this year…
The more biting ad [by Democratic state Sen. Deanna Demuzio] shows veterans attacking [Republican opponent Sam McCann] as a “fraud” who “lies about his military career.”
McCann has claimed in literature that he was a member of the Marines and got an “honorable discharge.” He explained later that he signed up and took the oath, but was injured in an accident before going to boot camp. McCann previously promised to try to get a copy of his exact discharge papers, but said this week he has not received them.
He’s clearly touchy about the subject.
“Why is it that the president doesn’t have to display his birth certificate?” McCann said when asked about his discharge papers.
* Like just about every other political story these days, the retention race by Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Kilbride is receiving scant media attention. Quinn’s Downstate troubles certainly aren’t helping Kilbride.
In Illinois, business interests are campaigning against the chief justice after a case that removed a cap on malpractice liability, prompting him to run a television ad that opens with the declaration, “I am not a politician.”
The opposition has posted some videos and press releases attacking Kilbride for wanting to retry a convicted murderer more than nine years ago. Kilbride, however, points to his support from police and prosecutors. No opposition ads have yet been spotted.
* Despite all my complaints about the news business today, the Decatur Herald & Review is doing a bang-up job covering the 101st House District race between Rep. Bob Flider (D-Mt. Zion) and Adam Brown (R-Decatur). This is from a recent editorial about that campaign…
At issue is a $250 contribution Brown’s campaign accepted in June from Dunn Co., a local construction contractor. Before being named to run for Flider’s seat, Brown voted on a couple of street reconstruction contracts that were awarded to Dunn Co. Another vote in favor of another Dunn Co. contact came a week after his campaign contribution.
All projects were bid out by city staff, and many of the votes appeared on the council’s “consent agenda,” which means they are considered a routine item. None of the votes by Brown swayed the decision in Dunn Co.’s favor.
Flider said that Brown is “misleading voters. The fact is, Adam Brown claims to be a fresh face, but he is just more of the same. Adam Brown’s actions stink of pay-to-play politics, and that’s something we need to leave behind in Illinois.”
Brown’s record as a city council member is fair game as he tries to move to the state legislature. But it’s a stretch to call this anything like “pay to play” politics.
I agreed with this editorial in my subscriber-only publication last week. A $250 contribution is hardly serious graft. More importantly, though, this was a routine, perfunctory roll call. Brown played no role in who got what.
With all the real corruption this state has faced, it’s probably expected that everybody will try to paint their opponent as being on the take this year. But this sort of false claim needlessly poisons an already toxic atmosphere and will only make things worse.
But he also asked a question. What really is pay to play?
* The Tribune ran a pretty convoluted piece about Speaker Madigan involving himself in the choice of a village attorney for a town in his district and about Madigan representing and investing in a company that wants to develop some land near a planned tollway exit. Madigan’s spokesman responded to my subscriber-only story with this e-mail today…
— Madigan’s law firm does not represent developers at the stage that precedes development (in this case one firm has option on some land while another has asked the village about property, etc)
— and in more case does not represent a property until the real estate phase of the process, which of course has nothing to do with the host community.
— and Madigan’s firm is not the exclusive property tax firm for either company
— and current practice has property tax law firms BIDDING for the work.
* The Question: What’s your definition of “pay to play”?
* Thirty-six days before the election and Mike Riopell was just laid off by Lee Enterprises.
Lee owns the Post-Dispatch, Bloomington Pantagraph, Decatur Herald & Review, Quad City Times, the Southern Illinoisan, the Mattoon Journal-Gazette and the Charleston Times-Courier. Mike was a hard-working Statehouse reporter who really knew his stuff. His ejection will create yet another gaping hole in the press room.
Many people running newspapers say they still want to cover state government. But as the news industry contracts, they say they feel forced to abdicate that role due to economic pressures.
“It’s definitely a loss,” says John Beck, executive editor of Illinois’ Champaign News-Gazette, which eliminated its sole statehouse reporter position in January 2008. “It was not an easy decision to make, but we had to make it for economic reasons.”
That’s a decision shared by many of his counterparts across the country. More than 140 newspapers have cut back on their coverage since 2003, and more than 50 have stopped providing staff coverage of state government altogether.
Beck’s coverage area is dominated by the University of Illinois. If there’s a newspaper in Illinois which really ought to have a Statehouse reporter, it’s that one. But, no. Instead, they rewrite press releases and reprint AP stories.
*The Illinois Times ran an article on this topic last month…
Rich Miller – an [Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association] member, the author of a syndicated column that runs in Illinois Times, and owner of Capitol Fax, an insider’s newsletter and blog detailing Illinois politics – says his business has grown “exponentially” since he started it in the early 1990s but says Capitol Fax was never intended for a general audience but to supplement regular news coverage for the benefit of “political junkies.”
“For them [traditional news outlets] to be cutting coverage is not only shortsighted but greed-based and moronic,” Miller says, pointing to the state’s budget deficit, imprisoned Gov. George Ryan and impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich. “On a citizen level and a journalistic level, I’m just appalled by it.”
[ILCA president Ray Long, the Chicago Tribune’s Statehouse bureau chief] remains optimistic. “I think that we’re just probably hitting the nadir and are about to climb back up,” he says. “I believe that journalism is in the recovery mode and that will translate into more Statehouse reporters. … Every news organization understands that there has to be keen observance of a major legislative body like the Illinois General Assembly.”
[Charlie Wheeler, former Statehouse reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times and now the director of a Statehouse reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield] says that, going forward, news organizations must recognize that covering Statehouse action is a duty. “I would hope that the people who are in charge of these media properties would think about …some of the responsibilities that come with the First Amendment, freedom of the press privilege and realize that there is a certain responsibility they have to serve as the eyes and ears of their readers … and keep track of what’s going on in state government. And you really can’t do it from a distance.”
Unfortunately, Ray and Charlie were wrong and I was right. I truly hate being right about stuff like this. But I long ago stopped underestimating the extreme stupidity and boundless greed of editors and newspaper owners in this state. They don’t care about state news, and we can plainly see the results.
Quinn’s political circle is small and lately, unstable. Quinn recently parted ways with his longtime political consulting firm, AKPD Message & Media. Last week, Quinn dropped pollster Anzalone Liszt Research Inc.
Actually, Quinn’s campaign didn’t say that it “dropped” the polling firm. It quit. Imagine having to start all over with a new pollster this close to an election. Unreal.
One-in-five Illinois voters (22%) consider themselves to be a part of the Tea Party movement. This is slightly lower than involvement nationally.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds that 63% do not associate themselves with the Tea Party, and 15% are not sure whether their views are in line with the movement.
Forty-five percent (45%) of voters in the state think the Tea Party is good for the country, which is right in line with national sentiments. Twenty-nine percent (29%) disagree and say it is bad for the country, while 14% feel it is neither good nor bad. Another 12% are not sure what kind of impact the Tea Party movement has on the country. […]
Forty-one percent (41%) of Republicans consider themselves Tea Party members, while 10% of Democrats and 21% of voters not affiliated with either major political party do the same.
Similarly, a solid majority of GOP voters and unaffiliateds feel the Tea Party movement is good for the country, while a plurality of Democrats disagree.
* Carol Marin is a friend and colleague, so I’m not trying to pick on her today, but I wanted to use something in her column to make a point.
Her Sunday column is about how Rahm Emanuel may have trouble with black voters in a mayoral bid and how multiple black and Latino candidates could divide the field. Then there’s this…
All of this could bode well on Feb. 22 for someone as strategic as Emanuel who, like Daley, is heavily favored by the business community and certain to be extremely well funded.
What it doesn’t bode well for is the election in November, which is practically on a respirator as the mayor’s race sucks away its oxygen.
It presents an enormous challenge for Democratic ward committeemen trying to focus voters on all the other races that matter: for governor, U.S. Senate and the wild-card battle for Cook County assessor.
“To be frank, I’m not sure that people are really engaged in this election period,” said 3rd Ward committeeman and Ald. Pat Dowell.
“What I see out there, we’ll have low voter turnout because issues are so complex . . . and nobody is talking about a real change,” lamented 2nd Ward committeeman and Ald. Bob Fioretti.
A good part of the reason that the February mayoral primary has sucked all the oxygen from the Chicago-area political scene is the Chicago media’s continued obsession with the topic. Yes, there’s no doubt this is an extraordinarily unique occurrence and a big election with huge consequences.
But the general election is just 36 days away. Every story, every column, every editorial about the micro-turns and twists of Rahm Emanuel, et al is space and time that cannot be used to inform voters of the very real and very critical choices they face on November 2nd.
Illinois is ensnared in one of the worst crises in its history. We have two major party gubernatorial candidates who differ starkly on how to approach our future. We also have a wealthy candidate with a violent and murky past. The nation is mired in its worst economic period since the Great Depression and we have two US Senate candidates and several congressional candidates who need to be more closely examined. The General Assembly is broken and there are several candidates who claim they know how to fix it.
* Illinois Issues reports that the state is facing a $250 million interest payment on loans to keep its unemployment insurance fund afloat. You won’t see much about that in Chicago, but there were at least ten different stories about Hoffman not running for mayor.
* When they do publish or broadcast stories about state issues, they’re too often fluff pieces. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s striking magazine cover commands precious ink. The fact that if Bill Brady is elected he will rescind the capital punishment moratorium is all but ignored.
* Yes, they’ll jump on juicy stories like the AFSCME negotiation allegations, but apart from that, we don’t see much else. In its place, we get endless thumb-sucking pieces about Rahmbo and Jesse and Meeks and what it all “means.” The Chicago News Cooperative believes there’s enough interest in those tiny twists and turns to start its own paid newsletter. I wish them nothing but success, but I hope they use some of that newfound cash to help fund some stories about stuff that’s actually important right now.
There is plenty of time to write about Rahm Emanuel’s every burp. But time is fast running out to write about the campaign in front of our very noses…
“Would you please stop focusing on the mayor’s race and focus on the Nov. 2 election,” former State Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch pleaded with reporters at a fund-raiser for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart Monday.
They haven’t listened yet, and I doubt they ever will. But you can bet a hundred dollars that after this campaign is over they will publish stories and columns about how they regret not covering this race better. Wouldn’t it be preferable if they just started doing their jobs now instead of constantly playing with their shiny new toy?
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column is about the coming wave…
If you talk to Democrats in the Illinois Legislature, they’ll tell you their latest round of polling is showing improvement in most of their races since the summer. The Republicans, however, believe they have history on their side.
The House Democrats say their candidates are sticking to a strict and intense precinct-walking program. That, plus the end of the Rod Blagojevich trial allowed them to stabilize their campaigns. They see polls showing their candidates doing better than they were and believe they’ve turned the corner.
The Democrats have a lot of things going for them that they didn’t have during the big 1994 national Republican landslide. They’re running in districts on a map that Democrats drew; there’s no more straight-party voting; they have a tried-and-true incumbent protection program; and their gubernatorial candidate isn’t doing as badly as their ‘94 candidate, Dawn Clark Netsch (although Gov. Pat Quinn is getting completely and totally blown out downstate). Democrats also have at least two statewide officials - Lisa Madigan and Jesse White - who will serve as “stoppers” for the party. And they have a president from this state who has managed to keep Illinois in his corner more than just about anywhere else.
But House Republicans point to recent history as a guide. About this point in the campaign two years ago, they thought they were doing OK against the Barack Obama Democratic tide. They believed their losses would be manageable. By mid-October, the Obama wave was in full force and there wasn’t anything Illinois Republicans could do about it.
Pretty much the same thing happened in 1994. September polling showed problems, but the Democrats thought it could be contained and they derided the House Republicans for jumping into several new races where nobody gave them a chance. By the middle of October, the bottom fell out. And it was even worse come Election Day when Democratic voters failed to show up. The Republicans won just about every one of those contested races.
It’s no coincidence that House Republicans say they’re planning a move into new races in the coming days. They’re following their own playbook.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats say they continually adjust and monitor their likely voter polling screens to make sure they’re not unduly surprised. And, so far, they like what they see. But one Democratic operative joked last week that his caucus rarely asks whether respondents approve of the General Assembly’s job performance. The results were just too depressing.
A solid Democratic source who has seen two complete House Democratic polls of collar county districts says one showed a 14 percent legislative approval rating, the other came up as 12.
“The scary part,” the Democratic source said, “is if (party leaders) blame all these losses on this wave, that means they think they haven’t done anything wrong to cause this.” Instead, the source argued, his party needs to come to terms with the fact that they’re exacerbating the national party problem with their own mismanagement. “Illinois has created its own wave,” he insisted.
A top state Republican who monitors just about every GOP poll taken in this state privately predicted last week that the wave could very well be bigger than 1994’s. He has a point.
The populist anger seems more vicious and is far more organized via the tea partiers and the Internet. The 24/7 news media is more uniformly outraged and is aiming its anger right at Democratic leaders. Reform groups of all shapes, sizes and causes are far more bitter because of their legislative losses.
Downstate independents have completely abandoned Quinn. The usually pro-Democratic network of human service groups and their supporters are despondent over budget cuts and late state payments. And the state’s economic problems under total Democratic control are infinitely more severe than they were 16 years ago, when the Republicans held the governor’s mansion and all but one statewide office. The state’s current unemployment rate is almost double what it was in 1994, and vast swaths of the Democratic base are the hardest hit. And then, of course, there’s that monstrous state deficit, the mismanagement and the whole Blagojevich disaster.
Any Democrat who isn’t ahead by double digits right now had better work like their very lives depended on it. And all Republicans who are losing by anywhere near that margin should do the same.
This has been the most fascinating state campaign season I’ve ever seen. And it’s only going to get better.
September 24, 2010. Illinois Republicans are crowing that an electoral “wave” is going to sweep State Rep. Tom Cross (R-Owego) into the Speaker’s chair in the Illinois House of Representatives–and it will be crow which the GOP will be eating on November 3, 2010.
Both national and local trends will keep House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) in his post when the legislature reconvenes in January, 2011.
The negative national political headwinds have been blowing across the prairie state for months as the national economy continues to sputter and as the extremist Illinois Tea Party and national tea party movements have engaged in racially-tinged fear-mongering, outright distortions of facts, and character assassination of Democratic officials, scaring democratic and independent voters alike in the U.S. and in Illinois.
But the winds are shifting. […]
A stalling GOP momentum and hard-working Democratic legislative candidates reaching out to voters door-to-door will help Speaker Madigan (D-Chicago) hold on to majority in the Illinois legislature.
In January, we will have full plate of hot, steaming crow on which the Republicans can munch.
Using bureau figures for personal income for all 50 states through the second quarter of 2010, USA Today calculated which states have done best and worst during the 12 months after the recession ended.
Illinois ranked 43rd, with a 0.4 percent decline in personal income since the recession ended.
During the recession — defined as beginning in December 2007 — personal income in Illinois dropped 2.6 percent.
The recession has left consumers in its wake. In the metro Chicago area, 48,510 individuals filed for bankruptcy protection last year — 39 percent more than filed in 2008, which saw a 46 percent increase from 2007. The increases were even sharper than the rise in bankruptcies nationwide (which jumped 31 percent in 2008 and 32 percent last year.)
Beside being on the RTA board, the Rev. Tyrone Crider also publishes the Christian-oriented newspaper the Gospel Tribune, which is distributed to black churches in the Chicago area and claims a readership of 50,000 people.
Most of the money that the transit agencies under the RTA’s purview have paid to the Gospel Tribune has been for advertising. Metra also has paid the Gospel Tribune to hold conferences to help minority contractors learn “how to do business with Metra.”
Crider acknowledges that he’s making money off the agencies he helps regulate.
He says he sees nothing wrong with that. And he says he asked a now-former attorney for the RTA about the arrangement and was told it posed no problem.
“You have to look at the world. They’ve never been in India, they’ve never been in Africa and they haven’t been in the Middle East,” Daley said while speaking at the annual Chicago Gourmet food event in Millennium Park. “So those three parts of the world will come first, before any bid.”
* Great entries today on our caption contest. Anon sequitor is fourth runner-up…
Brady and Quinn congratulate each other for saying nothing of substance during campaign nor taking any hard issue stands. Meanwhile an aide demonstrates to the media the preferred campaign stance for straddling the fence.
gadfly’s was very funny…
that’s it!!! i’m done with eharmony FOREVER. 29 Dimensions® of Compatibility for lasting and fulfilling relationships my foot. and i bet everyone else in this folder is just as bad or worse.
dave’s was great…
Pat Quinn: “So that’s what Bill Brady looks like. I never looked at the back row of the Senate.”
Bill Brady: “Look… a long-time state worker. Lets lay him off. Or pay him minimum wage. Or, at least, pay him minimum wage after we lower it.”
Oswego Willy continues his streak of being a bridesmaid but not quite a bride…
Brady, “I was expecting Dan Hynes.”
Quinn, “That’s funny, I was expecting Kirk Dillard.”
Brady, “Funny how things work out, isn’t it?”
Quinn, “Yeah … funny…”
But Cuban Pilot wins it with this gem…
BB: “Pat, from the bottom of my heart, I just wanted to come over here and thank you personally for being the worst statewide candidate ever and thus allowing this right-wing, puppy gassing, porsche driving, empty suit the opportunity to be governor.”
Congratulations to all. CP should send me an e-mail so we can work out our night of drinking.
* Jim Torricelli died this week. I’d often run into him in a certain Statehouse back office. Always a good guy. His many friends are pretty broken up about it, and my heart goes out to them all. From his obituary…
Jim was well rooted in his Italian heritage and was known as a colorful, unique man who was devoted to his family. His word was his life. He was a member of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He was also very involved in local and state politics and was a member of the Sangamo Club, Past Member of the Roman Cultural Society and founding member of the Bulldog Baseball Dugout Club. He loved to travel, read, fish, hunt, cook Italian food and dance.
* Another noted Italian-American will play us out…
Like painted kites, those days and nights
They went flying by
* Democrat Debbie Halvorson’s new TV ad has the same tenor and feel as her last ad. But this one is about Social Security. Watch it…
[Oops. Posted the wrong one. Fixed. Sorry. Too many tabs open at once, I guess.]
* From the Halvorson campaign…
FACT: Adam Kinzinger has proposed capping Social Security benefits, raising the retirement age, and ending the cost of living increase for Social Security recipients.
“…Social Security will need to be capped at the rate of inflation. You can’t raise the retirement age right now, but at some point, you will have to look at it.” -Adam Kinzinger, Kankakee Daily Journal, January 25, 2010
“If we were to cap the growth above inflation for the upper-income households while leaving the households at the bottom under the current system we could fix over half of the current projected shortfall, according to CBO. If we also think about indexing the normal retirement age to take into account increases in longevity every decade we can eliminate most of the rest of the shortfall.” -Adam Kinzinger, Chicago Tribune Primary Election Questionnaire, January 2010
“As it currently stands the initial Social Security benefits of new retirees, after adjusting for inflation, increase at about one percent a year. We cannot afford such largesse…”
-Adam Kinzinger, Chicago Tribune Primary Election Questionnaire, January 2010
* From the Kinzinger campaign…
ATTACK: Social Security benefits need to be capped.
FACT: Adam Kinzinger stated capping Social Security benefits is “a recipe for disaster”.
“…while tinkering with the Social Security cap max, as the Democrats have pursued, together is a recipe for disaster” (Chicago Tribune Primary Questionnaire).
ATTACK: Adam Kinzinger plans to raise the retirement age.
FACT: Adam Kinzinger has consistently stated that promises made should be promises kept and does not support raising the retirement age.
“We need to ensure that promises made are promises kept to our seniors. I do not support privatizing Social Security. I do not support increasing the payroll tax nor the retirement age. It is absolutely wrong to change the rules on seniors when many are living paycheck to paycheck.” (Source: Kinzinger for Congress Website)
“We need to ensure that promises made will be promises kept to our seniors and to those nearing retirement” (Source: Chicago Tribune Primary Questionnaire).
“And I don’t support raising the retirement age,” Kinzinger said. (Source: Ottawa Delivered, 9/22/10).
* Actually, Kinzinger didn’t say that capping benefits was a recipe for disaster. He was talking about the payroll tax. And he did not swear off raising the retirement age. From his Tribune questionnaire…
I’m not sure what the top tax rate ought to be, but I do know that repealing the federal tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, imposing surtaxes on upper-income taxpayers, and boosting the Medicaid tax while tinkering with the Social Security cap max, as the Democrats have pursued, together is a recipe for disaster. […]
If we also think about indexing the normal retirement age to take into account increases in longevity every decade we can eliminate most of the rest of the shortfall.
* Meanwhile, Republican congressional candidate Randy Hultgren claims that Democratic Congressman Bill Foster lied in his recent TV ad. He has a new YouTube video out explaining his side…
* Other stuff…
* Kirk, Giannoulias differ on ‘Daley factor’ in November election: “Would you please stop focusing on the mayor’s race and focus on the Nov. 2 election, former State Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch pleaded with reporters at a fund-raiser for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart Monday. “The future of Chicago may all be decided Nov. 2 — it will determine how much money and resources keep flowing to cities like Chicago.”
* 538: The Bias of the Generic Ballot: It’s Complicated
* NBC5: Del Valle First to Air Mayoral Campaign Ad
There were other stories, but you get the idea. Here’s Miguel del Valle’s much-covered ad…
I checked and del Valle is spending just $10,000 to run this ad. The city-wide cable TV buy started yesterday and runs until Tuesday. Only ABC7 [ADDING: and the Sun-Times] noticed this little factoid.
By comparison, the Senate Democrats are spending $36,582 a week, every week, on cable in appointed state Sen. John Mulroe’s campaign. And that’s just in one Comcast zone out of the company’s five zones. The Republicans are spending $8,350 per week in the same zone.
I’ve been gamed this way myself, but I try to update you when that happens. We’ll see if anybody else does that now.
* I haven’t spent much time on Daleypalooza the past few days, but I did want to point something out from earlier this week. The Associated Press claimed a major scoop on Wednesday…
Tom Dart, the Cook County sheriff who made national headlines when he sued Craigslist, halted court-ordered evictions and headed a probe into the alleged resale of a historic cemetery’s burial plots, will run for mayor of Chicago, two people close to Dart said Wednesday.
“He’s all the way in,” said one person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to talk publicly about Dart’s plans. “He’s decided to run.”
But now that Daley is out, Dart, an Irish-American son of Beverly, whose father was a confidant of the mayor’s father, “is all in” the race, a top source said.
Not much of a scoop. Heck, it was basically the same quote recycled two weeks later.
* Considering that Terry Peterson has been seen as a potential mayoral candidate, this is an interesting little development…
Sneed hears rumbles CTA board Chairman Terry Peterson, who was Mayor Daley’s campaign manager four years ago — and was considered a possible mayoral contender — has reportedly signed on to manage Rahm Emanuel’s mayoral bid.
Since the rest of her story was about her interview with David Axelrod, we might infer that’s where her little nugget came from.
* From our friends at WBEZ comes your weekly advance copy of their fine politics show…
Best Game in Town 9/24/10 – Daley, Nixon and the mad dash for cash
As the race for mayor becomes the race to raise dollars, a quirk in the new fundraising law may make holiday parties an expensive proposition.
Also, we talk with an author who is finishing up work on a forthcoming biography of Richard M. Daley.
And Frost/Nixon makes its Chicago debut at the Timeline Theater. We talk with actor Terry Hamilton about what he learned playing President Richard M. Nixon.
* While I completely agree that elected members of Congress ought to hold town hall meetings, I’m not surprised some of them choose not to considering the new breed of angry, opportunistic paparazzi that have sprung up in this country. Everybody wants to get into Breitbart’s act, apparently. Consider this, for instance…
I’m of two minds on this. Constituents have an absolute right to be angry with their elected representatives and to voice that anger. And citizen journalism is something I support with all my heart. But essentially heckling somebody while hoping for the best gotcha response so they can get lots of YouTube views is starting to really grate on my nerves. Maybe I was just raised differently than that. I don’t know.
I’m quite interested in what you think about this development.
And I’m not trying to pick on the tea party or Republicans, by the way. This video is recent and TPP sent me an e-mail about it yesterday, so I’m using it. I’ve seen a large number of videos in the last months of protests at offices, and other stuff by Dems and GOPs alike.
…Adding… From comments…
I am just waiting for the candidates to start filming these events themselves so they can post counter videos of the conduct
That’s a very good idea. If they’re really being that mean, tape ‘em yourself.
Thoughts?
…Adding More… Another very good point from comments…
But here’s a quick question — why are we talking about these people as if they’re just ordinary constituents with a disinterested desire to speak to their representative? Aren’t they avowed partisans? Aren’t they, as part of a group that has explicitly backed and endorsed this lady’s opponent, part of the campaign? Does an elected official have a responsibility to stop and answer all the questions of a rival campaign whenever they show up? I thought that was why terms for debates were negotiated and planned out.
* CHANGE Illinois has sent out a questionnaire to all statewide and legislative candidates. You can see the answers at their website. To see a list of legislative candidates who have and have not responded, click here. Those highlighted have responded. The SJ-R editorialized on the questionnaire today.
Here’s one of the group’s questions…
Should there be limitations on the number of terms for anyone elected:
a. To statewide office?
b. To the General Assembly?
c. As Speaker of the House and President of the Senate?
* The Question: How would you answer those questions? Explain if you want.
* Democratic US Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias is out with a new TV ad. Rate it…
* The ad is being publicized as Giannoulias holds a conference call with reporters to talk about Mark Kirk’s vote yesterday in the US House. From a press release…
U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias will discuss Congressman Mark Kirk’s latest vote against providing much needed tax relief and access to capital for small businesses during a conference call with reporters TODAY, September 24, at 10:15 A.M. CT
Kirk’s vote comes after he vowed repeatedly to help Illinois small businesses struggling in these difficult times. The legislation, which is deficit-neutral and won’t cost taxpayers a penny, will provide much-needed tax breaks to help hire new employees and gain access to capital through a new loan fund.
Giannoulias will call on Kirk to explain his vote and why he continues to say one thing in Illinois and then vote differently when he’s in Washington, D.C.
* But Kirk is also holding a teleconference at 11 o’clock with the NFIB…
The National Federation of Independent Business will host a conference call this morning to highlight why Mark Kirk is the best U.S. Senate Candidate for small business employers in Illinois.
“Mark Kirk is the proven, pro-small business candidate for Senate,” NFIB Vice President of Public Policy Brad Close said. “He has been a long time supporter of small business, and is promoting a pro-growth agenda that small business owners need to remove uncertainty and help get our economy working again.”
* Being a state government/politics person, I honestly don’t know enough about that bill to comment. So here’s a news roundup…
* Congress sends small-business bill to Obama: It provides new tax breaks to small businesses, increases Small Business Administration lending limits, waives SBA loans fees and provides banks with $30 billion in new capital to increase lending to small businesses. Republicans criticized that lending fund as “TARP Jr.,” a reference to the Troubled Asset Relied Program initiated by the Bush administration in 2008 to help failing financial institutions and keep credit markets from drying up.
* House approves small-business bill: Business organizations that have backed the measure say the loan fund could spur $300 billion in lending.
* Small-business aid package likely to become law: A so-called “carryback” provision, which lets small business owners collect a tax refund if their business suffers a loss, will be extended to five years - so owners can claim a refund on profits that they booked as many as five years ago. Also in the act is an expansion of a part of the tax code called Section 179. The section lets small companies immediately write off capital expenditures of up to half a million dollars.
* House Democrats OK small-business bill: Republicans warned the bill would open the door for banks to use taxpayer-funded bailout money to lend to small businesses, which the GOP feared would give the federal government added influence over those businesses.
* Democrats Slam GOP for “Pledge to America,” Small Biz Bill Vote: Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s spokesman Brendan Daly put out a memo to reporters today pointing out that Republican leaders claim to be pro-small business, and met with a group of them this morning, but that they almost unanimously voted against the small business lending bill on the House Floor today. “Their hypocrisy is breathtaking,” Daly said.
* National Restaurant Association Welcomes Passage of Small Business Jobs Act: “This bill will help restaurants and small businesses with tax relief and assistance in gaining access to capital that is critical to economic and financial recovery,” said National Restaurant Association Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs Scott DeFife. “Our industry, employing nearly 13 million Americans at 945,000 restaurants locations nationwide, is comprised mainly of small, independent businesses.”
* Congress sends small business bill to Obama: The GOP-tilting National Federation of Independent Business is only tepidly backing the legislation. The group is pushing both a full extension of Bush-era tax cuts and repeal of a requirement in the new health care law that requires that businesses file tax forms called 1099s with the Internal Revenue Service for every vendor that sells them more than $600 in goods. “There’s some OK stuff in it, but the impact’s going to be minimal,” NFIB tax counsel Bill Rys said of the bill.
* Small-Business Bill Advances: Mr. Obama said in a statement that he would sign the small-business bill on Monday, calling it “a common-sense plan to put Americans back to work.”
Apparently, according to the House Republicans, the budget can be balanced without any negative impact on people whatsoever. That’s a complete, total, irresponsible, idiotic lie. One way or another, somebody is gonna get hit, whether it’s tax hikes or budget cuts or both. That’s actually what Rep. Lisa Dugan was talking about, if you watch the unedited video. This painless magical fairy dust idea of theirs just turns my stomach.
* Speaking of visits from magical fairies, Gov. Pat Quinn yesterday reiterated his claim that Bill Brady has some secret tax hike planned…
Quinn accused Brady of having a “secret set” of budget proposals that he doesn’t want to share with voters until after the November election, something Quinn called “the Republican way” because some GOP governors have worked to raise taxes after getting elected.
“That’s what Sen. Brady is all about and we shouldn’t let him get away with it, especially after 10 years of problems with governors who weren’t straightforward with the people,” Quinn said after appearing separately from Brady at a Chicago candidate forum that was closed to the press. “I try to be as honest and direct about everything, including the budget, including revenue.”
* But Jim Edgar didn’t help matters much when he said yesterday that Brady’s cuts aren’t enough and tax hikes may be in the cards…
Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar says a 10 percent spending cut may not solve the state’s budget problems and Illinois residents eventually might support higher taxes.
Bill Brady, the Republican candidate for governor, backs a 10 percent cut coupled with tax reductions to balance the Illinois budget. That amounts to less than $2 billion in cuts, compared to a deficit of roughly $13 billion.
Edgar told reporters Thursday there may come a time when Illinoisans oppose more spending cuts and would be ready for a tax increase.
Edgar says he does not think Brady is planning any tax surprises if he wins the November election. But he counsels Brady to be flexible.
Does Bill Brady want to hike taxes? No. Does he have a secret plan to hike taxes? No. Will he wake up to a very stark reality once he puts his budget together? Yes. Does that mean he will hike taxes? I really doubt it, but the problem is so bad that he may do something along those lines.
* And while the candidates and parties “debate” their little fantasies, we got more bad news yesterday…
Moody’s Investors Service Inc. on Thursday lowered its rating outlook for Illinois’ general obligation debt, citing the state’s continuing problems funding is pension program and a fiscal shortfall.
The state’s rating now stands at A1 with a negative outlook. It previously stood at A1 with a stable outlook.
The change will affect roughly $25 billion in general obligation bonds. […]
Moody’s said that the state does have the ability to raise revenue and reduce spending, both of which could help improve its rating and outlook.
“We see risks that could trigger a downgrade in the next 18 months to two years,” Ted Hampton, an analyst with Moody’s, said in an interview from New York. “In June these risks were less apparent.” […]
The yield of taxable Build America Bonds issued by Illinois in June has risen to almost 2.5 percentage points above benchmark 30-year Treasury bonds from just over 2 percentage points on June 24.
A good friend of mine will soon be unemployed. Grant’s factory is moving to Mexico and he’ll be out of a job by Election Day. Grant is 50 years old. No college degree.
If misery loves company, then Grant will soon have plenty. Twenty thousand Illinoisans lost their jobs last month.
Those are 20,000 real, live people with rent or mortgage payments, credit card and utility bills, car payments, groceries to buy, kids to educate. Almost all of us know somebody in the same situation. These are our friends and families, neighbors, fellow church members.
Yet, they seem to be invisible. If you read the media’s coverage of the unemployment numbers released last week, you probably only saw that Illinois lost a net 4,200 jobs in August. The revised numbers showed that our state’s unemployment rate actually dropped below 10 percent for the first time since May of last year.
One reason for the “good” news was state and federal spending on a massive infrastructure program. More than 14,000 new jobs were created last month in construction, and most of those jobs were created by the repairs being done to our roads, bridges and schools.
I’m happy for those people and hesitantly encouraged by the overall trend. But I still fear for those who’ve suddenly found themselves out of work, and those, like my friend Grant, who are about to be jettisoned into the abyss. He’s not a bulldozer driver.
Meanwhile, the only candidate for governor who is showing any concern for the real people who’ve lost their jobs is Scott Lee Cohen, who is conducting some well-attended employment fairs. But he was once arrested for allegedly holding a knife to his hooker girlfriend’s throat. I can’t exactly vote for him. Then again, he might be just the sort of vicious character we need to keep the General Assembly’s sultans in line. I kid. That’s not going to happen. Plus, he hasn’t said if he has actually found jobs for those desperate folks he says he’s helping.
They look like cynical props to me.
Republican Bill Brady talks a lot about what’s wrong, but his solutions are mostly platitudes. Our workers compensation system is too expensive, he rightly notes. But all he says he will do is lower the cost without actually saying how. Most of his proposals involve a two-step process: Create a blue-ribbon commission and then implement its results.
This allows Brady to avoid specifics, and because he’s leading Gov. Quinn in all the polls, that’s politically smart. Unfortunately, it leaves the rest of us in the dark.
Gov. Quinn talks a lot about what he has already done with the state’s huge infrastructure program and his efforts to help big companies such as Ford and Navistar expand here. But his administration has been so preoccupied with crisis management that he really doesn’t have any definable vision. It’s all too ad hoc. And the infrastructure program was passed with large bipartisan majorities. The only thing stopping it before was the fear by the House speaker that Rod Blagojevich would try to steal all the money.
A governor cannot control a national economic crisis. But there is still plenty of room for improvement here. If anybody running for governor can convince my friend Grant that he has reason for hope, then he will get my vote. I’m not holding my breath.
I will probably end up skipping that office or voting for Green Party nominee Rich Whitney. He’s for legalized marijuana. Maybe then everybody will be too stoned to care.
Cordell Glover, 19, of the 7100 block of South Wood Street, was charged Thursday night with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting Christopher Travis, a 12-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man Sept. 14 at the intersection of 65th Street and Drexel Avenue, according to police.
In the nine-county Chicago region, sales of single-family homes and condominiums decreased nearly 20% last month, to 5,633, compared to 7,008 sales in August 2009, according to a release Thursday from the Illinois Assn. of Realtors.
Chicago-area sales fell 25.1% in July compared with July 2009, ending a streak of 12 consecutive months of increases.
In the city of Chicago, sales of homes and condos in August dropped roughly 23%, to 1,486, compared with August 2009.
Jose Hernandez, 47, is the 15th city inspector convicted of pocketing payoffs in the Operation Crooked Code probe of bribery. Four other people in the case have also been found guilty, and eight individuals still face trial, said Jon Davey of the city inspector general’s office, which teamed up with federal authorities in the investigation.
* Another City Inspector Convicted for Taking Bribes
The University of Illinois on Thursday denied 1960s radical William Ayers emeritus faculty status after trustees Chairman Christopher Kennedy noted Ayers dedicated a book to, among others, the man who killed Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy.
All nine voting trustees either opposed granting Ayers, a recently retired University of Illinois-Chicago professor, the largely honorary status or abstained from the vote.
The investment will target 25 city schools — and an estimated 1,125 teachers who work in them — where educators who improve student performance would be eligible to receive bonuses. […]
The participating schools have not been selected yet, said district spokeswoman Monique Bond. But sources said they plan to focus on elementary and middle schools where at least half of the students are low-income and where an average of 18 percent of teachers leave at the end of every school year.
To participate, schools likely will need to show the support of their classroom teachers. When Chicago launched its first teacher incentive program in 2006, schools were considered only if three-fourths of their staff endorsed the plan.
“The last couple of years the economy had a big impact on us,” said Oswego Village Manager Gary Adams. “We had to cut our budget significantly, we cut staff and cut expenses. We had to deal with it as everybody else had.”
But the pain could have been a lot worse. And there now are glimmers of better days ahead.
Through the recent 18-month national economic downturn, Oswego’s growth slowed but never stopped. Retail and commercial space that was added during the good times continued to reliably churn out tax revenue.
The panel discussion, hosted by the Southern Illinois Mayors Association, covered topics such as income and gas taxes, the cost for local governments to file or fill Freedom of Information Act requests, revenue from video gaming in fraternal organizations and bars and pension funding for firemen and police.
State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, joined state Sen. John O. Jones, R-Mount Vernon, and Reps. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg and John Cavaletto, R-Salem, on the panel.
Collins, 49, was convicted of income tax evasion for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Collins also was convicted of two counts of election fraud for providing false residency information. Prosecutors said he voted from an address at 22 Loisel Drive in East St. Louis during two federal elections in March 2006 and February 2008, but really resided at a home in Swansea.
As with a couple of weeks ago, the winner gets one hour of cocktails (or soft drinks) with yours truly. That last night out with the winner went so well and I had so much fun that I figured I’d do it again. Have at it.
* The Hill made the 17th CD its “Race of the Day” today. I agree, but with one caveat…
If there’s one race that could tell the true size of the expected Republican wave this fall, it may very well be Rep. Phil Hare’s reelection bid in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.
To say that Democrats began the year not worrying about Hare’s reelection chances would be an understatement. The two-term congressman ran unopposed in 2008 and until earlier this month, Hare hadn’t run a TV ad since 2006.
But Republican Bobby Schilling is making a race of it in the 17th and the contest has quickly moved into tossup territory.
Hare is in the fight of his life, but the GOP hasn’t yet dumped any real money into this thing. Still, keep a close eye on this one.
* Democratic Congressman Bill Foster has a new TV ad. Rate it…
Script…
I’m Bill Foster and I approve this message.
Homeowner: My wife and I played by the rules, we paid our mortgage every month, but because of the housing crisis – our house is worth $98,000 less.
Narrator: Randy Hultgren’s company made millions selling high-risk mortgage products, fueling the housing crisis, and destroying home values.
Then using taxpayer bailout money, Hultgren’s company set up a Cayman Islands hedge fund and turned a fast profit buying back bad mortgages for pennies on the dollar.
Homeowner: Randy Hultgren might have profited, but I sure didn’t.
A bit wordy.
* Republican congressional candidate Adam Kinzinger plays the victim card in his new Internet promo video…
The Kinzinger video was posted to YouTube two days ago and it already has more than 13,000 views. It is chock full of distortions. He tries to make the claim that Halvorson’s campaign sponsored a rally which was also attended by one guy who brought a sign with a Hitler mustache superimposed on Kinzinger’s upper lip. By extension, therefore, Halvorson is responsible for that. Ridiculous.
We’ve been over this twice before. There’s no evidence whatsoever that Halvorson was in any way responsible for that doofus who brought the Hitler signs. To the contrary.
Which leaves us with the question: What’s worse, being portrayed as a Nazi by a lone goofball or smearing your opponent by claiming she was responsible for it? I would say it’s the latter. I’d also say Kinzinger was desperate, but he’s way ahead in the polls. There’s no reason to pull this shameful stunt. His campaign is out of control and the local media needs to weigh in on this. Soon.
* I’ve asked the Bob Dold campaign to explain an odd passage in last month’s edition of Conservative Magazine of Illinois, a publication I knew little about until it was publicized by the Dan Seals campaign last night. Check it out…
The mag’s highest rating is five stars. Dold gets three. So far, no response on why Dold’s campaign allegedly asked that it not be rated highly.
This would be par for the course for Dold, who appears to be running a two track campaign. In public, he’s a “moderate.” Under the media’s radar, he’s a social conservative. The local media has mostly played this off as a he said / he said dealio, but it appears to deserve a much closer look.
I’ll let you know if the Dold campaign ever answers my question.
…Adding… Here it is…
We told them Bob is a fiscal conservative and a social moderate, and that he is pro-choice.
* Way back in December of last year and then again on Tuesday, we discussed the candidacy of one Patrick John Ryan. He’s the alleged Republican who is running against House Speaker Michael Madigan, even though his voting record is solidly Democratic and he works for the city.
Kass tried to talk to the guy earlier this week, but ended up speaking with his parents…
It’s a nice house, with lovely flowers in bloom. I knocked at the door at about 7 a.m. His parents were very nice. And, I confess, I liked both of them at once.
His mom, Mary Ann Ryan, a nurse, was already outside, chatting to a neighbor, about the neighbor girl being invited to a homecoming dance.
“P.J.’s not here,” said his mom, Mary Ann. “He’s at work.”
* The Question: What would be an appropriate slogan for “Republican” Patrick John Ryan’s “campaign”? Snark heavily encouraged, of course.
The Green Party candidate for governor says Illinois should legalize and tax marijuana, but his opponents disagree.
Green candidate Rich Whitney says Illinois could bring in about $300 million a year by taxing marijuana.
I’m not sure how he got to his $300 million figure, but it’s probably close enough for government (or campaign) work. Apparently, 5.74 percent of Illinoisans used marijuana in the past month, according to this site. There are about 13 million people in Illinois, so the numbers work out to 746,200 folks. That’s a bit more than $30 per month per consumer. Not much at all. Of course, because marijuana is illegal, pot dealers don’t check identification. Not all of those users are adults. So the rate per consumer would be a bit higher.
During the 1890s and the early part of the 20th century, there was a powerful national campaign to abolish smoking that was no less intense than the drive for Prohibition.
A key reason the campaign ultimately fizzled out in the 1920s was the government’s need for tobacco tax revenues, especially after alcohol tax revenues dried up. The Republicans’ cuts in income taxes in the 1920s also increased the federal government’s dependence on tobacco tax revenues, which rose from 4 percent of federal receipts in 1920 to 11.2 percent in 1929. The onset of the Great Depression, the concomitant fall in income tax revenues, and the inelasticity of demand for cigarettes caused tobacco revenues to rise to 20.7 percent of all federal receipts by 1932.
In the end, revenue needs trumped sumptuary considerations in the cases of both alcohol and tobacco. This raises the interesting question of whether revenue considerations will drive reform of the laws against illegal drugs.
It should and it ought to. Adults ought to be able to choose what they put into their own bodies without being threatened with confinement in a steel cage with murderers and other mean, ugly, nasty people.
Either way, we ought to have this debate. It sure beats talking about nonsense like this…
The Democratic Governors Association is dubbing seven GOP gubernatorial nominees “Christine O’Donnell Republicans” in an attempt to portray them as outside the mainstream and unelectable.
In a conference call Wednesday, DGA Executive Director Nathan Daschle tagged Dan Maes in Colorado, Tom Emmer in Minnesota, Bill Brady in Illinois, Carl Paladino in New York, Nathan Deal in Georgia, Rick Scott in Florida and Paul LePage in Maine as the most extreme candidates gracing the top of ballots this fall.
The DGA spent $2 million trying to paint Brady as an extremist over the summer. It failed miserably.
* Back to the Greens and Rich Whitney. He has a new Internet promo video up that will bore you to tears…
Rahm just got rammed. Legendary feminist Gloria Steinem is not only shocked . . . shocked . . . shocked there aren’t more women running for Mayor Daley’s job, but she is NO fan of mayoral hopeful Rahm Emanuel.
• Plug ‘em: “I campaigned against him [Rahm] for Congress and I’d be happy to campaign against him for mayor,” said Steinem, who claims she disagrees with Emanuel on many issues relating to women.
• Press ‘em: Steinem, accompanied by actress/buddy Jennifer Beals, who is starring in the upcoming Chicago-based TV series “Ride Along,” was in town Wednesday promoting the Women’s Media Center, a vehicle to “positively impact the visibility of women in the media.”
The founder of Ms. Magazine was born in Toledo, Ohio. She’s never lived in Illinois, as far as I can tell. Yet, there she was on Chicago Tonight last night holding forth…
* Even so, Steinem is one of the only people who has publicly questioned why there is a dearth of female candidates for Chicago mayor. Maybe that’s why she’s getting so much press. She’s saying something that almost nobody in the city is saying. News needs to be “new” to be interesting, and whatever you think about her, she’s saying something different and, frankly, new.
* Meanwhile, speaking of the mayor’s race and women, Lisa Madigan is playing her usual game of Hamlet…
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Wednesday refused to say she would complete her third term if she is re-elected in November, leaving the door open for a run for Chicago mayor.
Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, was asked repeatedly in a Tribune interview whether she would pledge to serve out her four-year term if re-elected. She declined to give a yes or no answer, instead talking about how much she enjoyed her current position.
“I want to serve as your attorney general. That is my goal,” Madigan said. […]
Told her answers leave open the possibility she could run for mayor, Madigan responded, “You are persistent and so am I.”
The only way to get media coverage in Chicago these days is to float your name for mayor. I’m surprised Pat Quinn hasn’t done it yet. [Just kidding… Kinda.]
* In other mayoral-related, female-related news, Mark Brown has a funny column today…
[Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.] may be the first U.S. politician to use “social acquaintance” as a euphemism for woman-with-whom-I’m-suspected-of-having-an-affair.
I mean it. This is groundbreaking stuff. Think of all the major American politicians that have walked this road before him: Clinton, Edwards, Hart, just to name a few.
I made an electronic database search of all the instances in which the words “social acquaintance” appeared in any context in any English-speaking news organization of note in recent years, and while I couldn’t make it through every one, I found no articles involving embarrassed politicians explaining their relationship with a member of the opposite sex.
The closest I came was that “social acquaintance” seems to be the terminology favored by judges who are forced to explain why they’ve been hanging out with alleged mobsters.
I think Jackson used the word “social” in the same way it’s used in the phrase “social disease.” By using such an unusal phrase, he has forever associated himself with those two words, a bit like it used to be in the old days when there were no cures for social diseases. Think: “I misremembered it wrong.”
Whatever happened between Jackson and the “social acquaintance,” a hostess at Ozio Restaurant & Lounge in Washington, is, indeed, his family’s business. Unless he really did have his friend and campaign supporter pay to fly her to Chicago; then it’s likely the business of the House ethics committee.
This is the real problem for me. It would’ve been inexcusable to just publish a story about Jackson having a girlfriend unless there was a reason. Having your fundraiser pal fly her back and forth to Chicago is a big no-no for a congressman, who are ruled by a gift ban.
* And then there’s this interesting point from Mary Mitchell…
Nyak told the FBI that he paid for two airline trips for Huidobro, who lived in Washington, D.C., to come to Chicago.
That, of course, raises other questions.
For instance, why would a married man fly his “social acquaintance” to the city where his wife lives?
If the allegations are true, you’d have to wonder if Sandi Jackson actually lives in Washington rather than in the 7th Ward.
All signs point to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel running for mayor of Chicago.
Emanuel’s decision is all but made — he still has some family matters to consider — but if his trajectory holds, watch for him to step down from his White House perch sometime in October. It will be a quick transition for Emanuel — from dealing with an Afghanistan war to street repairs on Ardmore, Archer and Aberdeen.
It’s good to see Emanuel doing this, but I’m not sure he or anyone else can contain it…
With the potential of a mayoral race being divisive — reopening racial fault lines in the city — Davis said they talked about the kind of campaign they each wanted, “not to be designed to fracture the city, not to polarize the city but to have it be as harmonious as it could be.”
The rise suggests that jobs remain scarce and some companies are still cutting workers amid weak economic growth. Initial claims have fallen from a recent spike above a half-million last month. But they have been stuck above 450,000 for most of this year.
Students who took the ISAT, third graders through eighth graders last year, improved a bit. Overall student performance on the ISAT increased from 79.8 in 2009 to 80.9.
Fergus said that points to a bigger trend.
“We’re continuing to see gradual increases in student performance over time – that’s what we look for and that’s what we’re seeing,” she said.
* Teachers Union: Chicago Neighborhoods Need a “Marshall Plan”
Larger class sizes. Inexperienced teachers. Substitute teachers. Trimmed back art, music and after-school programs.
Those are the problems “crippling'’ many Chicago Public Schools and “cutting our students off at the knees,'’ despite the positive spin school officials have put on a financially challenging school year, Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis told school board members Wednesday.
A new survey of CTU delegates at 146 schools - or 24 percent of the entire system - found that one out of three schools surveyed had substitute or “placeholder'’ teachers heading a classroom.
“I was there when Harold Washington came in,” she said. “They do tend to get rid of everybody. They want their own people, and they’re entitled to them. But I have a lot of young people with children, and they’re shell-shocked. They probably should be looking [for jobs], but all they’re doing is thinking of looking.”
* Jim Torricelli died this week. I’d often run into him in a certain Statehouse back office. Always a good guy. His many friends are pretty broken up about it, and my heart goes out to them all. From his 
