* I don’t know anything more about this than what’s in the release, but obviously there is gonna be some issues raised tomorrow. I’ll see if the governor’s office wants to respond, so stay tuned…
PRESS CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, 9:00 AM
GROUP TO RAUNER: ILLINOIS GOV’T IS NOT A DICTATORSHIP!
Coalition Sheds Light On Governor’s Back-Door Move for Massive Charter Expansion, Demands Rejection of Federal Funds
WHAT: Parents, community organizations, school board members and elected officials will join together before the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) meeting on Friday, November 20th at 9am to protest the undemocratic decision making from ISBE to expand charter schools in Illinois without public input.
ISBE applied for and received a federal grant of $42.5 million to open 48 new charter schools – 24 for Chicago over the next 5 years and 24 for the rest of the state. But the grant only covers start-up funding, with no funds to run schools once they open, thus cannibalizing the same inadequate public dollars funding existing schools.
Legislators will call for a hearing on how and why the state pursued this grant, and community leaders will urge a rejection of these dollars at a time when districts can scarcely fund the schools they already have.
.
WHEN: Friday, November 20, 2015, 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: James R. Thompson Center – Blue Room (15th floor)
100 W. Randolph Street
WHY: The ISBE applied for and received a federal grant of $42.5 million to open 48 new charter schools, 24 in Chicago over the next five years and 24 across the rest of Illinois. Coalition members are demanding to know how this one-time, non-sustainable funding is justified given current state and education financial crisis.
WHO: Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Chicago League of Women Voters, Raise Your Hand for IL Public Education, Parents4Teachers, Northwest Side Housing Center, Northern IL Jobs with Justice, Women Gathering for Justice, school board members from outside of Chicago
Elected Officials: State Senator Willie Delgado, State Rep Will Guzzardi, State Rep Lashawn Ford, State Rep Sonya Harper, State Rep Ann Williams, Alderman Rick Munoz.
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* Sun-Times…
[Melineh Kano, executive director of Refugee One] said Wednesday that 21 Syrian refugees have been approved by the federal government to enter the United States and are currently waiting in other countries — such as Egypt and Lebanon — for travel and living arrangements to be finalized before coming to Illinois. It’s unclear how the process will play out in light of Rauner’s announcement.
In the 12-month period ending in July, 131 Syrian refugees were resettled in Illinois, mostly in the Chicago area, Kano said. […]
Out of the approximately 800,000 refugees who have been resettled in the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, only three individuals have been detained and questioned by authorities for questionable affiliations — detainments that have not resulted in convictions, she said. […]
Jessica H. Darrow, a University of Chicago lecturer who has made a career out of studying refugee issues, said that attempting to use refugee status as a ruse for terrorist activity would be extremely hard to do.
“These people end up in a camp type setting with nothing, in a tent, sometimes for 10 years at a time,” she said. “It’s a pretty tough journey to travel and have that be a false route.”
She also said security screeners rely on skepticism until proven wrong when examining the back stories of potential refugees. Screeners, she said, look at it like this: “OK, you’re here in this chair trying to game the system and gain access to our country under false premises, and we’re going to believe that until you can prove to us that you’re not lying.”
I personally know several people (Iraqis) who’ve immigrated here under the refugee program. The process is not easy, to say the least.
* Press release…
WASHINGTON— Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) released the following statement after House passage of H.R. 4038, the America Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act, which pauses the Obama Administration’s refugee resettlement program:
“The first and most important Constitutional duty of the federal government is protect the homeland. Last week’s tragic massacre in Paris was a wake-up call. In the days since, ISIS has declared its intention to carry out terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C. and New York City. This bill is simple: pause the refugee resettlement program until the Administration can verify with 100 percent certainty that we know who exactly is entering our country and what their intentions are. The bipartisan vote today proves that this is not a partisan issue—this is a national security issue. President Obama should do the right thing and sign this bill into law to ensure the continued safety of all Americans.”
* I’ve asked Congressman Roskam’s staff how any government can guarantee anything with “100 percent certainty.” You will recall that US Sen. Mark Kirk quickly backed off his demand for “100 percent assurances” yesterday when I pressed the issue.
I’ve also asked Congressman Bob Dold’s staff to explain the same thing regarding his demand for “absolute certainty.” So far, I’ve received only a snarky off the record response. It didn’t please me.
I’ll let you know if either man responds.
*** UPDATE *** From a Congressman Dold aide…
The only thing that’s guaranteed as of now, according the President’s own FBI Director, is that the United States does not currently have the ability to thoroughly vet the backgrounds of people claiming to be Syrian refugees. Today a bipartisan, veto proof majority of the House told the Administration that they need to fix these problems to protect the American people. In the wake of vicious ISIS attacks that have slaughtered hundreds in Paris, Beirut and in the Sinai, the notion that Members of Congress shouldn’t be demanding far better from our government is preposterous.
Move to strike as non-responsive.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* It’s not that I oppose the bill that passed the US House today. I don’t know enough about it either way, and some congressmen in the president’s own party are clearly frustrated with non-cooperation from the White House on this issue.
I don’t even oppose the concept of a temporary pause in Syrian refugees while the program is given a once-over. The allegations by some of playing into the hands of the terrorists just because some folks want to circle back and check the strength of the doors is just way over the top, as is this…
Defying Gov. Bruce Rauner and his chicken-hearted closed border policy for Syrian refugees in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks, Burke and his fellow aldermen sent a loud message that Chicago will not join in the fear-mongering.
The chest thumping on both sides is beyond ridiculous.
* How about we all get back to something that we have some control over, like the budget? Remember that?
A whole lot more Illinoisans are being hurt by that problem than could ever be hurt by a few refugees.
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Remap group staffs up
Thursday, Nov 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
In preparation for a 2016 ballot referendum on Illinois legislative redistricting reform, the Independent Maps coalition on Thursday announced the addition of Hilltop Public Solutions as campaign consultant and Dave Mellet as campaign manager.
“With the petition drive on target to meet our goal of 600,000 signatures, we now can begin to gear up for a larger education campaign and the expansion of our statewide network of volunteers,” said Dennis FitzSimons, Chair of Independent Maps. “Our campaign is well underway, and we have added two seasoned veterans of statewide campaigns to help lead us to victory at the polls in 2016.”
Hilltop Public Solutions specializes in coalition building and managing high-stakes, high-profile campaigns by using the strategies and tactics it takes to win modern campaigns.
“Hilltop’s Bill Hyers, who managed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2013 campaign and has extensive campaign experience across the country, will lead the Hilltop team in Illinois for the Independent Map Amendment,” FitzSimons said. “Hyers, who has been named a rising star by Politics magazine, has a reputation as one of the top campaign managers and political strategists in the United States.”
“Its time to bring fair elections back to Illinois, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this talented and experienced team,” Hyers said. “For too long, voters in Illinois have suffered from a partisan process that has called into question the very concept of fair elections. With the gridlock in Springfield, now more than ever Illinoisans need an open, transparent government that puts people before politics.”
Hilltop’s Elizabeth Lucas will be part of the team assisting Independent Maps. Lucas, founder of The Initiative Group, has worked on and advised hundreds of ballot initiatives around the country. She served as Political Director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and field director for the Ohio Democratic Party against the anti-union SB5, a statewide voter referendum defeated by an overwhelming majority in 2011. She also has served as State Director of Organizing for America in Pennsylvania and on several presidential and state-level campaigns in battleground states.
“Dave Mellet, who was campaign manager for former Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon’s 2014 campaign for comptroller, will be our campaign manager and execute the non-partisan coalition’s campaign strategy,” FitzSimons said.
Mellet has worked on state and local campaigns for close to 10 years. After receiving a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Mellet started his career working on Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s successful 2006 reelection campaign. He went on to staff and manage campaigns for mayor, city council, state senate, and alderman. He has lived in Illinois for several years, working as a staffer for a direct mail firm and as the campaign manager for Simon last year.
Cindi Canary, who has been serving as executive director since June, will continue in that position during a transition period through the end of the year, when she will become a senior consultant to our board.
“Cindi’s leadership has been key to expanding our base of volunteers and putting us ahead of schedule on our signature collection timeline,” FitzSimons said. “She also helped us recruit and interview campaign manager and consultant candidates, and we’re pleased that she will remain very much involved.”
Anybody have any insights on these new folks?
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Question of the day
Thursday, Nov 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some headlines from today…
* Service agencies face uncertain future without state budget: “People who are most affected currently are the most vulnerable,” said Jean Pierce of Geneva, vice president of the league. “The state ended funding for services that help 75,000 survivors of domestic violence in Illinois. Many people will have to choose between staying in violent homes or becoming homeless.”
* Taxing is more responsible than borrowing: And if you think truly conservative elected officials won’t find creative ways to borrow to spend, well, think again. Just last week Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration revealed a plan to borrow up to $115 million from the Illinois Finance Authority — to cover basic operating expenses, like buying food for prison inmates. Governor Rauner is pretty conservative, and the Authority isn’t in the business of funding current services. In fact, according to its strategic plan, the Illinois Finance Authority exists to provide capital project “financing to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and private sector companies.” Let’s see, Illinois state government is neither a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nor a private sector company, and buying food for prison inmates isn’t a capital project, but the state’s short on revenue, so. …
* Cuts, tuition increasing as Richland deal with budget concerns
* SWIC approves belt-tightening measures in wake of state budget standoff
* Streator High raising property taxes: To get ahead of legislation in Springfield for a proposed property tax freeze, Streator Township High School is asking for the maximum it can without a truth-in-taxation hearing.
* Dementia care suffering as a result of budget impasse
* On November 2nd, Rep. Scott Drury sent this e-mail to his constituents…
Friends:
Between 1976 and 2015, the federal government failed to timely pass a budget on 18 separate occasions. The longest period without a federal budget was 21 days. Yesterday, Illinois entered its fourth month (124 days) without a budget, and there is no end in sight. Why?
FEDERAL SHUTDOWNS
When the federal government shuts down, it actually shuts down. Apart from essential services — such as law enforcement — government services stop. This angers the citizenry. Politicians, worried about the next election, find a way to get past their differences and pass a budget.
THE ILLINOIS “SHUTDOWN” THAT WASN’T
While Illinois does not have a budget, Illinois government is not completely shut down. According to the comptroller, Illinois continues to pay approximately 90% of its bills. As a result, only pockets of the citizenry are angered at any one moment. Things are kept at a simmer, rather than boiling over.
Drury ended up voting against the municipal, 911, lottery, etc. funding bill because it would take away a major pressure point.
* The synopsis for Rep. La Shawn Ford’s House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 43…
Proposes to amend the Finance Article of the Illinois Constitution. Provides that if appropriation Acts are not in effect on July 1 of a fiscal year that provide for the expenditure of funds, the Comptroller shall order payments and the Treasurer shall make disbursements at the levels provided for in the previous fiscal year’s budget, to the extent revenues are available to make those disbursements. Provides that this provision does not apply to amounts appropriated on a continuing basis. Effective upon being declared adopted.
* The Question: Do you support or oppose HJRCA 43? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
online survey
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Today’s number: 2.96 percent
Thursday, Nov 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s speed camera program improperly issued more than $2.4 million in fines to Chicago drivers, ticketing them when cameras were supposed to be off and when the required warning signs were confusing, obscured or missing, a Tribune investigation has found.
At the same time, City Hall has systematically ticketed drivers near schools without the legally required evidence of a schoolchild in sight. A Tribune random-sample analysis puts the number of those questionable tickets at about 110,000.
Here’s how they get that 110,000 number…
A ticket-by-ticket review of 1,500 randomly chosen citations from school zones found no children were present in the photographic evidence for nearly a third of the cases, even though a child’s presence was required. That review suggests that about 110,000 tickets may have been issued without legal justification.
OK, maybe. But let’s say that’s correct.
* Now, scroll almost all the way to the end of the story…
The speed camera program has doled out more than 2.1 million tickets, most of them warnings, along with more than $81 million in fines.
110,000 supposedly bad tickets out of 2.1 million total citations is a 5.2 percent error rate. And $2.4 million in supposedly bad fines out of $81 million in total fines is 2.96 percent.
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Killing a bill ain’t passing one
Thursday, Nov 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Truer words were never written…
Passing a bill is a whole lot more difficult than killing one. The governor proved last week that he could kill a bill backed by Speaker Madigan. He has yet to show how he and Rep. Dunkin can pass a bill over Madigan’s objections. Why? Because they can’t.
* So, keep that in mind when you click the link to read this one…
Whew.
Care to do a caption contest?
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In a word: No
Thursday, Nov 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Budget deal with reforms coming together?
Might a draft proposal by several rank-and-file lawmakers be the beginning of the end of the budget stalemate in Springfield? Several media outlets report a bipartisan group of lawmakers is working behind the scenes on a package of compromises that address reforms, spending and revenue.
Politico Illinois reports the compromise includes proposals for taxing retirement income over $50,000, allowing all school districts to bargain for 3rd party contracting, layoffs, class size, and more, and substantial workers compensation reforms along with property tax freezes.
Meanwhile Crain’s Chicago Business reports a political consultant released proposals including suggested spending and budget reforms, business and regulatory reforms, revenue, local control and pension reform, among others. Illinois is now more than four and a half months into the current fiscal year and there’s still no budget.
1) Those lawmakers haven’t met in over a month, so they’re not currently “working behind the scenes” on anything.
2) Their “compromise” was rejected by the governor, despite its “substantial workers compensation reforms.” It was too much revenue for not enough reforms, which is not a great sign since the Democrats moved pretty far off the dime. I’m not sure how much further they could go. I mean, as is, I seriously doubt they can sell this thing to their fellow Dem legislators, particularly in the House.
3) That political consultant also runs IllinoisGO, which was formed to guard Gov. Rauner’s Democratic/left flank. While his plan wasn’t completely horrible, he is persona non grata with the Democratic leadership and with most rank and file Democratic members. If you want to trace the origins of this stalemate, look to the spring, when IllinoisGO launched.
* I’ve been hearing that Ty Fahner’s Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago has been working on a little something something for months.
If that group comes out with a do-able compromise plan, then it may be time to pay attention because, as we saw with the pension reform fight, it has some powerful backers. His membership is chock full of Raunerites, so a plan would probably nudge the governor to the table. And many of those wealthy folks are also quite influential with the House Speaker.
As much as some might hate me saying it, Fahner could wind up being the key here if he manages to retain some independence when (if) he unveils his proposal.
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NCSL publishes “refugee primer”
Thursday, Nov 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Your mandatory reading assignment today is “The US Refugee Resettlement Program: A Primer for Policymakers” published by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Click here and discuss below.
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* From Americans for Prosperity Illinois on Tuesday…
Today the non-partisan Tax Foundation released its 2016 State Business Tax Climate Index and Illinois has jumped 8 spots, from 31st to 23rd largely due to the end of corporate and individual income tax increases first imposed back in 2011. The rate reduction is the major reason for this 8 spot jump, showing how Illinois improve its efforts to attract jobs. Americans for Prosperity Illinois fought to preserve the expiration of the tax hikes in 2014 and will continue to advocate for a better climate for competition, including a lower tax burden.
“Illinois’ leaders should take note of this report,” said AFP Illinois State Director David From. “Our state is now in a better position to compete for jobs because we have a better business environment than in years past. However, this report also shows that the massive tax hikes being advocated by many in Springfield will have the effect of making the Land of Lincoln a worse climate for job growth. AFP Illinois will continue to educate citizens on the importance of limited government and lower taxes in order to make Illinois the economic engine of the Midwest.”
Americans for Prosperity Illinois is the state’s foremost group of grassroots activists advocating for limited government and economic freedom.
* The Wall St. Journal chimed in with its usual cluelessness…
The College Football Playoff rankings are intensely contested by teams and their fans. This week the Tax Foundation released its tax policy equivalent, which ought to be a major embarrassment for the blue state conference. […]
The trophy for most-improved this year goes to Illinois, which jumped to 23rd from 31st—no thanks to Democrats in Springfield. The Tax Foundation notes that the leap occurred “due to the sunset of corporate and individual income tax increases” that Democrats “first imposed in 2011 as temporary levies to address the state’s backlog of unpaid bills.” First-year Republican Governor Bruce Rauner has let the income-tax rate lapse to 3.75% from 5% and the corporate rate to 7.75% from 9.5%, though Democrats are trying to push them back up.
Keeping taxes low is critical to turning around the Prairie State, which trails its neighbors in economic growth. Would that liberal state politicians cared as much about their tax ranking as colleges do about their football standings.
Actually, it was the Democrats who let the tax hike sunset after Rauner demanded it.
And Rauner has been saying for months that he’s willing to raise the tax rate to 4.75 percent - a tiny bit below where we were a year ago.
Also too, where is the business boom and rising state revenues from the lowered tax rates here?
* The reality is, unlike the NCAA rankings, the myriad tax rankings out there have little to no value. We were just below the middle of the pack before the tax expiration, and yet we were losing population and jobs. We’re just above it now and yet the BLS numbers aren’t great. The October BLS state-level numbers haven’t been published yet, but BLS showed a strong national surge last month. Let’s see how Illinois does in those rankings.
*** UPDATE *** October’s report is pretty decent news for a change. We have 4 percent of the nation’s population, but got 5 percent of last month’s 271,000 new jobs…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that Illinois’ nonfarm payroll employment gained +14,100 jobs and the unemployment rate in October held at 5.4 percent, based on preliminary data released by the Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). October’s gain follows four consecutive monthly declines. Illinois’ average job growth since the employment recovery began in January 2010 remains below the national average, however, and employment will not recover from the 2007-2009 recession until December 2016, according to IDES analysts. The nation is currently 3.1 percent above its prior peak level of employment.
“For 2015, job growth this month was the strongest since February and it is positive that we reversed the four-month decline preceding these numbers. Our job growth rate, however, continues to lag behind the nation,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “While the unemployment rate remained unchanged in October, our workforce participation rate edged up slightly as more people entered the labor force and more people found jobs during the month.”
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Jimenez likely Poe successor
Thursday, Nov 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about this days ago, but here’s Politico’s take…
A SURE DEAL? — Republican sources say they’re certain Illinois first lady Diana Rauner’s chief of staff, Sara Jimenez, will get Gov. Bruce Rauner’s backing to replace Republican state Rep. Raymond Poe. Rauner just picked Poe to head the state agriculture department.
– While Rauner has authority to appoint someone to finish Poe’s term, the seat will be up for reelection next year. “It will be an epic battle,” said one Republican source. That’s because it’s in a heavily Republican district, but also a heavy union district. It’s expected labor will spend what is must to block a Rauner-appointee from taking the seat, given the governor’s year-long blasting of unions.
Sara is the likely appointee, but, of course, it’s the county party chairmen who appoint legislators, not the governor. And in this case, Sangamon is the only county in Poe’s 99th District. So, it’s up to Rosemarie Long, who appears to be pretty close to the governor. It’s her appointment, but the widespread belief is that she’ll do Rauner’s bidding.
And I don’t know what organized labor can spend to block the appointment because it’s not a campaign. I would expect the unions to put up a fight, but can they get a Republican on the primary ballot by the November 30th deadline? I haven’t heard any names as of yet, but I’ll check around. Unions will likely do battle in the fall, but that district is pretty darned GOP.
* Jimenez does have some detractors out there…
One of the contenders to be named to replace former GOP state Rep. RAYMOND POE in the 99th District doesn’t have a solid Republican voting record.
SARA WOJCICKI JIMENEZ voted in Democratic primaries in 2002 and 2008 and didn’t vote in partisan primaries in 2004 and 2006, records show. She voted in Republican primaries in 2010, 2012 and 2014 as well as this year in the special primary in the 18th Congressional District.
Wojcicki in 2008 went from a job as Statehouse reporter for WICS-TV Channel 20 to become a spokeswoman for then-Democratic state Treasurer ALEXI GIANNOULIAS. About a year later, in the spring of 2009, she became spokeswoman for then-House Republican Leader TOM CROSS of Oswego. In 2013, she went to work for then-Comptroller JUDY BAAR TOPINKA as director of intergovernmental affairs and program communications, and earlier this year, she took the $100,000-a-year job as chief of staff to first lady DIANA RAUNER — her current job.
Sangamon County election records don’t show any Democratic primary votes among three other people vying for Poe’s seat: KENT GRAY, BRYCE BENTON or GRAY NOLL. Noll has been identified by Rosemarie Long, who chairs the Sangamon County GOP, as Poe’s preferred candidate.
What some hardcore partisans often fail to comprehend is that people do change their party affiliations. And that’s a good thing for the parties who get those new people. It’s called growth.
Either way, I seriously doubt that this will hurt Sara’s chances at the appointment.
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* Remember yesterday’s “Weirdest story of the day” post about how Illinois Racing Board Commissioner Kathy Byrne resigned after Arlington chairman Dick Duchossois killed off her proposal to prevent racehorse slaughters?
Well, Ms. Byrne sent this late yesterday afternoon…
Hi Rich-
It’s not really such a weird story. Since August I have been trying to get an amendment to the [Illinois Racing Board] rules to provide some protection and monitoring of racehorses so they are not shipped to Mexico or Canada for inhumane slaughter. According to the USDA, 80,000 horses are shipped off this way–alive– each year. They don’t monitor by breed, but it’s estimated that about 10% of these are racehorses.It’s a horrible death for the horses, but it’s also a black eye for the racing industry.
I worked very hard with all the tracks, the horsemen’s associations and the breeders to come up with language that was agreeable and served the purpose. Arlington Park has strong anti-slaughter policies, and was very helpful in proposing language for the amendment and I used that language.
For whatever reason, and I honestly don’t know why, the chairman and the general counsel of the IRB seemed determined not to let this amendment come up for a vote. The obstructions are too complicated to get into here, but after four months of pushing and groveling I finally got it on the agenda yesterday.
So, I was surprised and shocked when Arlington Park very publicly pulled its support, objecting to language that it had asked to have incorporated into the amendment. The specific sentence is one that requires owners and trainers to fill out an exit/destination slip when they take a horse from the track, and for the track to notify the IRB if they refuse. Arlington’s objection was seized upon by the chairman and counsel, who began arguing that there was no need for the rule at all. Rather than have the Board vote against protecting racehorses from slaughter, I withdrew it.
It has been a deteriorating and increasingly hostile situation for me since March when the new chairman was appointed. As of yesterday, I had six months left in my term and it was obvious to me that if the controlling forces on the Board were fighting me on something as benign as this amendment, anything else I might offer in the next six months would also be DOA. So rather than spending six months doing nothing, I resigned.
I hope this helps explain what happened yesterday. I’m sad to go, but it’s better this way.
Kathy Byrne
Discuss.
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* Mark Kirk campaign oppo…
Duckworth Says She Has Confidence In America’s Vetting Process
Duckworth Said She Has Confidence Our Security Can Properly Vet Syrian Refugees Entering The United States. But U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Schaumburg, said at a separate event that the country needs to “have confidence in our intelligence services” and not put up walls. “Our nation is better than that,” Duckworth said, underlining her support for a measure to allow up to 200,000 refugees from the war-plagued country in the U.S. (Greg Hinz, “Stark political split opens up on Syrian refugees,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 11/16/15)
In A Press Conference Tammy Duckworth Said She Was “Confident” US Can Filter Terrorists. “.@RepDuckworth “confident” US intelligence can filter terrorists from Syrian refugees.” (Charles Thomas Twitter Feed, 11/16/15)
But In 2014 She Said She Did Not Trust The Vetting Process
VIDEO: In 2014, Duckworth Said She Was Not Comfortable With The Vetting Process When It Comes To Syrian Rebels. DUCKWORTH: “I can’t trust the Syrian rebels, Kate. We don’t know who they are. I’m not comfortable with the vetting process, and I don’t know how long this commitment is.” (CNN, 9/17/14)
* Initial Duckworth campaign response…
More of the same fear-mongering from Mark Kirk. Incredibly dishonest and disingenuous.
She’s explicitly referring to the plan to arm Syrian rebels - in Syria - a program, by the way, she was right about and has since been suspended.
We’re talking now about refugees who are attempting to flee the awful effects of the Syrian civil war. This isn’t even apples to oranges, it’s apples to bowling balls, and they should be ashamed for trying to blur the difference on a crucial matter of national security.
* And then came the roundhouse from Team Duckworth…
It is an apples to oranges comparison. They are completely different processes. The refugee process is 18-24 months while they were handing out weapons to Syria rebels like candy.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/09/politics/us-syria-rebels-arms-program-suspended/
The flip of this is Kirk supports the vetting process of giving guns to Syria rebels but not the vetting of orphans and widows. This vote was less 18 months ago
Kirk Voted To Train And Equip “Appropriately Vetted” Syrian Forces To Fight ISIS. “Durbin was explaining why he would be voting for a measure, to run through Dec. 11, to train and equip ‘appropriately vetted’ Syrian forces to battle the Islamic State group - also called ISIS or ISIL - and temporarily fund the federal government. A day after the House approved similar legislation, the Senate concurred 73-22 on a bipartisan roll call, with Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., also voting yes. […] Earlier in the day, after Durbin said he would vote for the measure - which did not specifically authorize a war against ISIL - I asked him about his decision. […] Kirk told me he also wants an authorization vote. And if the Obama White House called him, Kirk said, ‘I could offer some very good guidance to build bipartisan support for the military mission in Iraq.’” [Chicago Sun-Times, 9/19/14]
I’ll let you know if the Kirk campaign responds.
*** UPDATE *** The Kirk response is good…
The simple truth is that Rep. Duckworth has expressed confidence in a vetting process that is not shared by either the Director of the FBI, the Director of National Intelligence nor the Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center. Moreover, Rep. Duckworth seeks to let in 200,000 refugees over the next 13 months–that’s twenty times more than the administration is requesting–utilizing a vetting system that has failed before.
ABC News Headline: Terrorists Once Used Refugee Program to Settle in US. (James Gordon Meek And Brian Ross, “Terrorists Once Used Refugee Program To Settle In US,” ABC News, 11/18/15)
Two Men Who Had Used A Refugee Program Turned Out To Be Al-Qaeda Linked Terrorists. Of the 31 states that have declared their opposition to taking in Syrian refugees, one state, Kentucky, has a specific reason to be wary of the background check process: previously two Iraqi refugees who settled in Bowling Green turned out to be al Qaeda-linked terrorists with the blood of American soldiers on their hands, an ABC News investigation found. Both pleaded guilty to terror-connected charges after trying to acquire heavy weapons while in America’s heartland. (James Gordon Meek And Brian Ross, “Terrorists Once Used Refugee Program To Settle In US,” ABC News, 11/18/15)
Other Suspected Terrorists Had Been Let Into The Country Posing As War Refugees From Afghanistan. The 2013 ABC News investigation also revealed that several dozen other suspected terrorist bombmakers, including some who were believed to have targeted U.S. troops, may have mistakenly been allowed to move to the U.S. as Iraq and Afghanistan War refugees, among the tens of thousands of innocent immigrants. (James Gordon Meek And Brian Ross, “Terrorists Once Used Refugee Program To Settle In US,” ABC News, 11/18/15)
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Question of the day
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
Illinois groups that help Syrian refugees resettle are calling on Gov. Bruce Rauner to reverse his decision to temporarily stop accepting new Syrian refugees after the attacks in Paris.
Members of groups including RefugeeOne and the Heartland Alliance said Wednesday they believe Rauner doesn’t have the authority to halt the federal resettlement program, but they want a welcoming atmosphere in Illinois. They say Rauner and other GOP governors’ similar decisions were made out of fear. They say refugee screening processes are vigorous.
Since 2010 Illinois has received 169 Syrian refugees.
RefugeeOne executive director Melineh Kano says at least 21 more individuals are expected in December. She says Rauner’s administration has requested information on them.
Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth has also weighed in with a Tribune op-ed.
*** UPDATE *** A new statement from the governor…
“The Governor has been very clear — we need to preserve our heritage as a state welcoming of refugees while addressing the all-too-real security concerns that continue to evolve every day,” the statement reads. “A State Department official confirmed to our staff this morning that ISIS has demonstrated an interest in infiltrating refugee populations heading to the West. The official also confirmed that in recent years, some refugees admitted to the United States were later discovered to have terrorist ties.
“At the same time, we continue to request briefings from the federal government on refugees being resettled to Illinois before they come — and the federal government has no official information sharing mechanism to coordinate directly with Governors on such individuals. As California’s governor reportedly said to the White House chief of staff last night, the federal government must evolve with the threat and modernize their information sharing with state governments. This is a reasonable and responsible step to take to ensure we maintain a balance between compassion for refugees and security for our citizens.”
* The Question: Should the governor reverse his decision? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
survey service
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No need to read more than this
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mark Brown…
The city of Chicago’s last chance for finding a semi-soft landing to its pension crisis appeared to fade away Tuesday as the Illinois Supreme Court looked askance at Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to save two of its troubled pension funds.
Just as they were when state officials argued they had found the magic legislative end run to the Illinois Constitution’s strict pension protection clause for public employees, the justices were tough in their questioning of City Corporation Counsel Stephen Patton, signaling that they’re no more impressed by the city’s effort to thread the needle.
Tough questions aren’t always an indication of how a court will rule, but when coupled with the court’s earlier ruling overturning the state’s pension reform efforts, this would seem a good time for everyone to buckle up in anticipation of when they do.
Every other story is pretty much the same.
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* From a press release…
Governor Bruce Rauner and the following labor unions have agreed to terms on new four-year collective bargaining agreements: Service Employees International Union (“SEIU”), Local 1 Chicago, the International Union of United Food and Commercial Workers, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Three Councils of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, Mid-Central Illinois Regional Council of Carpenters, and the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenter’s Regional Council), the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers – Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers, the Laborers International Union of North America, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, & Transportation Workers, and Illinois State Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers.
In October, the Administration announced agreements with the International Union of Operating Engineers, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, and the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers. These agreements have now been ratified. Over the summer, the Administration reached collective bargaining agreements with 5 different bargaining units represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, all of which have also been ratified.
Altogether, the Governor has now successfully negotiated new collective bargaining agreements with 17 different bargaining units representing more than 5,000 state employees. These developments stand in stark contrast to the ongoing negotiations with AFSCME Council 31. Despite being offered substantially the same material terms as the Teamsters and the Trades, AFSCME has to date rejected the Governor’s chief proposals.
The agreements announced today include:
· The State will expand the existing group health insurance program by offering employees a variety of new options. In the expanded program, employees will receive on average $967 per month to either maintain their current premiums, maintain their current coverage, mix and match in the way that is most beneficial to them, or shop for an entirely new custom health insurance package potentially on a new health insurance marketplace. Employees can also use the State’s contribution to purchase insurance through a union plan.
· A new performance incentive program to reward employees with bonuses for cost-saving measures and meeting or exceeding performance standards.
· A new, collaborative managed competition program that allows management and the unions to work together to provide low-cost alternatives to outsourcing.
· A reduction in the payout for accumulated unused vacation from 75 to 45 days for employees hired after January 1, 2016.
· Continuation of a 40-hour work week with overtime earned after 40 hours.
· A program to enable the State of Illinois to address minority underutilization in state government.
· Increased training and certification opportunities for employees.
· Continuation of the prevailing rate system administered by the Illinois Department of Labor.
AFSCME is now on the opposite side of these negotiations from their own colleagues in organized labor. AFSCME continues to reject many of the same, reasonable proposals being ratified by wide margins by their fellow state employees:
· AFSCME continues to reject the health insurance framework accepted by the trade unions. AFSCME’s proposal is to continue the same unaffordable health insurance system that the credit rating agencies have noted in the recent downgrades.
· AFSCME continues to reject a new performance incentive program accepted by trades and Teamsters. AFSCME’s proposal is to continue to pay employees unaffordable automatic wage increases.
· AFSCME continues to reject a new, collaborative managed competition program accepted by trades and Teamsters.
· AFSCME continues to resist moving the overtime trigger to the common workplace benchmark of 40 hours.
· AFSCME continues to reject a program to enable the State of Illinois to address minority underutilization in state government.
· AFSCME continues to reject a four-year wage freeze. Teamsters, in contrast, not only agreed to freeze their wages but did so on top of the 75% in-hire rate.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From AFSCME Council 31…
Contrary to statements from the Governor’s Office today, the Rauner Administration has failed to reach agreement on union contracts covering the vast majority of state employees. In addition to AFSCME, unions that have not reached agreements include the INA, LIUNA, IFT, FOP, PB&PA and SEIU Healthcare, which together represent more than 40,000 state employees and tens of thousands of state-funded independent providers.
In contrast, the trades unions whose agreements were announced today represent only several hundred state workers.
The issues at stake in the trades negotiations are likewise very different. Because these unions have independent health plans, their members have the option not to take state health insurance. Similarly, their pay is typically set by the prevailing wage. Our union negotiates the health plan covering state and university employees and retirees, and bargains wage schedules for more than 500 job titles.
In negotiations with AFSCME, the Rauner Administration is demanding a four-year wage freeze and huge hikes in employee health costs, forcing workers to pay double their current premium to keep their coverage and driving down their take-home pay.
The Rauner Administration is also seeking to eliminate our contract’s safeguards against reckless privatization of public services, and demanding a so-called “merit pay” scheme that opens the door wide to cronyism by letting politically appointed bosses determine who gets a raise.
Like all working people, caregivers, child protection workers, correctional officers and other AFSCME-represented public service workers in state government deserve wages that sustain a family, affordable health care, retirement security and a voice on the job.
Our union is committed to reaching a fair agreement that achieves those goals. If the governor shares our commitment, he will correct his staff’s misleading claims and alter his confrontational tactics that make it harder, not easier, to find common ground.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Following is the statement of SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Keith Kelleher in response to the breaking news that the Bruce Rauner administration had reached a contract deal with a unit of SEIU Local 1:
“While we are happy for our sisters and brothers at SEIU Local 1, the fact remains that the state’s largest bargaining units, the 52,000 low-income Illinois home healthcare and child care workers of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, continue to work without a contract while Bruce Rauner presses extreme demands that would totally destabilize this workforce.
“Our contracts expired June 30th. At the bargaining table, Gov. Rauner has sought to strip the lowest-paid workforce in the state of health insurance and training, along with other demands meant to diminish if not outright eliminate the workplace voice of these vital workers. He also is demanding a wage freeze for workers earning poverty-level wages. Already, he has stopped payments to the healthcare funds for our workers, raising immediate threats of misery and economic hardship on a large scale.
“For some reason, Rauner appears to be willing to single out SEIU Healthcare for demands harsher than the other units of government with whom he has reached a deal and ALL OF WHICH were able to keep their bargained-for health insurance—and their union voice.
“Rauner recently attacked our workforce through administrative rules meant to diminish the size of the home healthcare and child care workforces. And he bankrolls anti-union groups that are shamefully attacking our workers in the courts and in the media. His ongoing attacks at the bargaining table are part of his greater hostility against collective bargaining in general and his billionaire agenda to permanently weaken the union movement.”
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Weirdest story of the day
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Daily Racing Form…
A move to create new rules to prevent racehorses in Illinois from being sold for slaughter was voted down and tabled until at least next month during a meeting of the Illinois Racing Board on Tuesday, prompting Kathy Byrne, the commissioner who has pushed for enhanced anti-slaughter regulation and submitted the item on the Tuesday agenda, to withdraw the proposal and hastily leave the meeting, saying she was resigning her post. […]
Enhanced anti-slaughter rules were first brought up by Byrne during an IRB meeting in August. Byrne attempted to bring forth the measure during the IRB’s September meeting to award racing dates, but Brincat insisted it be put off until October, and when that meeting was canceled, Byrne’s measure to initiate rulemaking was rescheduled for Tuesday.
The amended official language under consideration would have required racetracks to monitor horses leaving their grounds to attempt to ensure that they were not on the way, directly or indirectly, to slaughterhouses. Trainers or owners would be required to sign forms attesting to a departing horse’s destination.
Both Chicago-area horsemen’s groups, the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, supported Byrne’s measure, which seemed to be on the way to passage Tuesday when Arlington chairman Dick Duchossois rose to speak against it, expressing concern about racetracks’ legal liability. Duchossois said Arlington needed more time to review the proposal, but Byrne said the specific language called into question had come straight from Arlington during negotiations over the measure.
And that’s when she quit and walked out.
Mr. D isn’t to be trifled with, apparently.
Byrne, by the way, is the daughter of the late Mayor Jane Byrne.
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* Press release…
ICPR to Governor, Leaders: Skip Hour Long Opening Remarks, Proceed Directly to Budget Talks at Dec. 1st Meeting
Last week, ICPR and other leading Illinois reform organizations called on Governor Rauner to propose a bipartisan agenda for the upcoming budget meeting with the legislative leaders, now scheduled for December 1st. On Friday, Governor Rauner circulated a letter outlining a tentative agenda for the meeting, which allots the first hour for individual statements by each meeting participant. ICPR and other signing reform groups believe that proceeding directly to open budget discussions between the Governor and leaders would ensure a more productive meeting.
The groups recommend focusing on recently released bipartisan budget proposals as a starting point for budget talks. ICPR Board Chair Hon. Susan Garrett believes that “these proposals could serve as an important framework and jump-start the budget negotiation process.” Copies of ICPR’s letter were distributed to the Governor and legislative leaders’ offices on Wednesday. Click here for a copy of Governor Rauner’s letter. Click here for a copy of ICPR’s letter.
ICPR, the League of Women Voters of Illinois, Business and Professional People for the Public Interest, the Citizen Advocacy Center, Illinois PIRG, and CHANGE Illinois were signers on the letter.
The Better Government Association did not sign the letter, which could be an interesting development. But if the BGA comes out against this idea, they’ll surely be reminded of the governor’s very large contributions to the group.
* The letter, with emphasis in the original…
November 18, 2015
Hon. Bruce Rauner, Governor State of Illinois
James R. Thompson Center 100 W. Randolph, 16-100 Chicago, IL 60601
Dear Governor Rauner:
Thank you for circulating your November 13th letter regarding the upcoming budget meeting, now scheduled for December 1st. We continue to be hopeful that this meeting will lead to a meaningful budget framework accepted by all parties – one that will provide a springboard to finding a solution to the ongoing impasse.
Illinois needs and deserves an immediate budget resolution for many reasons, most importantly to provide fiscal certainty to millions of individuals, families, businesses, municipalities, and organizations that provide much needed services. Without a budget resolution, Illinois will lose even more credibility nationwide. We cannot afford another week or month without a clear solution in sight.
We write today to respectfully express our reservations with your plan to devote the first hour of the meeting to individual commentaries from the leaders and yourself “on the issues about which they feel most passionately.”
Instead, given the urgency of the situation, we encourage you to dispense with the hour of individual statements and proceed directly to a public and open discussion of the various comprehensive bipartisan budget proposals that have been recently released. We believe this approach will enable all participants to collectively discuss their priorities on critical budget issues and lead to a more productive meeting.
We believe this discussion has the potential to generate a path to resolving the ongoing budget stalemate. Like many across the state, our expectations and hopes are high.
…Adding… It is worth pointing out, however, that all legislative leaders except Speaker Madigan have publicly agreed to the governor’s format.
I wouldn’t expect this to have much impact, unless MJM uses it somehow.
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Focus on this now
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times editorial…
As reported in the Sun-Times on Sunday, the State Police have largely ignored a state law that they track what happens to guns owned by thousands of people whose gun ownership rights have been revoked for mental health reasons. The state police started doing so only in recent weeks — and only after Sun-Times reporters Frank Main and Mick Dumke began asking questions.
Many local police departments also have paid no attention to the law, often unaware that it even exists.
At every level, then, law enforcement agencies in Illinois largely have failed to perform a basic and legally required task — check whether people whose gun ownership rights have been revoked for good reason are, in fact, complying with the law.
After the mass shooting at Virginia Tech University in 2007, Illinois required health professionals to notify the state of any patient showing “violent, suicidal, threatening or assaultive behavior.” Then, as part of a 2013 law allowing concealed carry in Illinois, State Police were required to send notification letters to Firearm Owner’s Identification Card holders when their cards are revoked. The cardholders have 48 hours to turn in the cards, transfer the firearms to the police or a valid FOID holder, or file a report with police saying how many guns they have, where they are and whether they plan to transfer ownership.
If they don’t follow the rules, police can get a warrant and search their homes.
The idea behind the law makes sense. The vast majority of people struggling with issues of mental health are not violent, obviously. And people who have been diagnosed with mental health issues are, almost by definition, seeking help. But it is a matter of common sense that people who have been judged a legitimate threat to themselves or others shouldn’t own guns.
Last year, the State Police revoked 1,415 cards because of mental health issues and denied 1,791 new applications. What they did not do is check to see if the people whose cards were revoked actually got rid of their guns. They don’t know if people whose cards have been revoked are complying with what the letters say they have to do.
* And along those same lines, here’s Wordslinger in comments today…
Since Sandy Hook, there have been more than 1,000 documented mass shootings in the United States.
Guess how many involved Syrian refugees?
Meanwhile, it was reported here the other day that 50,000 Illinoisans have been refused issuance or had their FOID cards revoked, under state law, due to mental illness.
Yet the ISP has no clue as to how many of those folks currently possess guns, illegally. and no authorities are employing the tools of the state law to find out.
That would appear to be a public safety issue.
Who in the administration is carrying the ball to ensure that state law is being executed faithfully, when it comes to guns and the mentally ill?
What’s gonna happen if, God forbid, we have a school shooting here and it turns out that the cops didn’t follow state law?
Get on it, folks. Now.
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That’s optimism?
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oy…
[Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville)] said he does not expect there will be a budget passed by the end of the current calendar year.
“But I’m more optimistic, and expect that the budget will be approved in February or March,” he said.
Just for context here, the governor’s next budget address has been scheduled for February 17th.
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* From US Sen. Mark Kirk…
Keeping Americans Safe from ISIS
Dear Friend,
This week, I urged President Obama to ensure no refugee related to the Syrian crisis is admitted to our country unless the U.S. government can guarantee, with 100 percent assurance, that they are not affiliated with ISIS.
Um, the government can’t guarantee anything with 100 percent certainty. No human entity can do that. Ever. Human beings are not perfect. Sen. Kirk ought to know that.
I asked Kirk’s office for an explanation. Here it is…
“Currently, the FBI, the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center all have grave concerns about our national ability to filter and vet Syrian refugees to prevent ISIS infiltration into the United States. In the Senate, Senator Kirk is introducing legislation to pause the refugee program until a time when our law enforcement and defense entities reach a level of certitude that they can in fact prevent ISIS infiltration via refugees without unnecessary risk to Americans.”
A “level of certitude” to protect against “unnecessary risk” is a whole lot different than “100 percent assurance” that nobody has ISIS ties.
* There are some legit concerns, however…
In a call with senior Obama administration officials Tuesday evening, several governors demanded they be given access to information about Syrian refugees about to be resettled by the federal government in their states. Top White House officials refused.
Over a dozen governors from both parties joined the conference call, which was initiated by the White House after 27 governors vowed not to cooperate with further resettlement of Syrian refugees in their states. The outrage among governors came after European officials revealed that one of the Paris attackers may have entered Europe in October through the refugee process using a fake Syrian passport. (The details of the attacker’s travels are still murky.) […]
“There was a real sense of frustration from all the governors that there is just a complete lack of transparency and communication coming from the federal government,” said one GOP state official who was on the call.
The administration officials, led by McDonough, assured the governors that the vetting process was thorough and that the risks of admitting Syrian refugees could be properly managed. He added that the federal government saw no reason to alter the current method of processing refugees.
Gov. Rauner did not participate in the call. I’m told that they had “a senior administration official and subject matter expert on the call.” One of those folks was Rauner’s chief legislative liaison Richard Goldberg, who has significant foreign policy experience and came from Mark Kirk’s office.
* Crain’s…
We expected better of Bruce Rauner. When Illinois hired him to be its 42nd governor, we counted on him to do what he said he would do: to take on the state’s biggest problem—namely, the pension-fueled deficit crisis—and to do it as the more-or-less compassionate conservative that he styled himself to be on the campaign trail.
What a difference a year makes.
The governor this week joined the chorus of Republican governors who, in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, declared they would accept no further refugees from Syria. This from the governor of a state whose Syrian refugee population so far numbers in the hundreds.
There is no rational basis for Rauner’s action. The terrorists responsible for the Paris atrocities were not Syrian refugees—they were European nationals. And while the governor argues that Syrian refugees represent a security threat grave enough to merit even a temporary review of our immigration procedures, we are not hearing him object to waving in refugees from other war-torn regions. How are the thousands of refugees coming into the U.S. from Afghanistan and Iraq any different from Syrians?
As the Economist recently pointed out, if a potential terrorist is determined to enter America to do harm, there are easier and faster ways to do it than via this nation’s complex refugee resettlement process. Refugees, in fact, are among the most heavily vetted of any U.S. immigrants, undergoing at least 18 months of background checks before being allowed to move freely on U.S. soil. […]
What’s shameful is the governor very likely already knows banning additional Syrian refugees from the Land of Lincoln is ridiculous. Why do we think so? Because we know he’s a smart and fairly reasonable person. Yet he made this declaration anyway—despite evidence that he doesn’t have the legal authority to do so.
* Um, OK, did the Crain’s editorial board forget about this?…
With Election Day fast approaching, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is seeking to inoculate himself against criticism he hasn’t done enough to jump start Illinois’ economy, while Republican challenger Bruce Rauner is trying to make the final week of the campaign about the Ebola virus. […]
Rauner said his support for an Ebola travel ban was based in part on conversations with Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk’s staff.
Gov. Quinn had no legal authority to institute a travel ban and everybody, including Crain’s (which endorsed Rauner), knew it. This is not some new Bruce Rauner.
* Lynn Sweet…
A Syrian family fleeing war starts a new life in Chicago on Wednesday, despite Gov. Bruce Rauner’s temporary ban on accepting Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris attacks.
The Muslim family of five – parents and three children – will be assisted by volunteers organized by Exodus World Service, the non-profit headquartered in suburban Bloomingdale dedicated to mobilizing “the Christian community to welcome refugees.” […]
A spokesman for the Jewish Federation of Chicago, the agency that administers the Illinois Refugee Social Services Consortium, a network of nine non-profits who contract with the federal government to provide services, said Tuesday nothing has changed.
What will Rauner do about those three kids? He can’t expel them. Will he deny them federal benefits that the state controls?
* Meanwhile…
In Germany, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin that a Syrian passport found with one of the Paris attackers with the name Ahmad al Mohammad may have been a false flag intended to make Europeans fearful of refugees. The passport showed registrations in Greece, Serbia and Croatia, which he described as “unusual.”
He said the multiple registrations by a person using the passport were “evidence that this was a trail that was intentionally laid, but it can’t be ruled out at the moment that this was an IS terrorist who came to France … via Germany as a refugee.”
* Related…
* Overall hate crimes down, except against Muslims: FBI
* Steinberg: Give Rauner a break
* Tribune editorial: The case for a refugee pause: Cooler heads, and this includes House Speaker Paul Ryan and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, have called for a “pause” in the acceptance of Syrian refugees. The Obama administration should take heed.
* Sneed exclusive: Burke plans to reaffirm Chicago as sanctuary
* Tom Kacich: State — and C-U — once welcomed refugees
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An idea whose time has come (maybe)
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* An interesting idea…
In the Massachusetts 2012 Senate race, Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown proved that when candidates are serious about curbing the influence of super PACs on their race, they can work together to make it happen.
In an agreement known as the People’s Pledge, Warren and Brown made a mutual promise to reject the support of super PACs. They pledged that if a super PAC spent money to support either of their campaigns, whoever benefited from the expenditure would offset it by forfeiting money from their own campaign coffers. The idea was new, bold, and bilateral, and it changed the calculus of spending in the race.
Because super PACs saw that making expenditures to support Warren or Brown would ultimately hurt them, it no longer made sense for super PACs to spend money in the race. As a result, the People’s Pledge successfully eliminated virtually all super PAC spending, and it helped to cut the volume of negative advertising – which super PAC money almost exclusively buys – in half. In short, with the mere stroke of a pen, Warren and Brown gave the people of Massachusetts a substantially more accountable race.
* Press release…
New television advertisements airing this weekend in Illinois are targeting both frontrunners in the Illinois Senate race by challenging Mark Kirk (R) and Tammy Duckworth (D) to refuse the flood of unaccountable election spending by outside groups. The ads, which will air online during the week and on local CBS around the Chicago Bears game on Sunday, are part of a campaign run by CounterPAC, a group backed by tech entrepreneurs advocating for fair elections by curbing the influence of outside spending.
The new video ads follow print ads in October from CounterPAC in the Chicago Sun-Times and the State Journal-Register that encouraged the Illinois’ Senate candidates to “Take the Pledge” and mutually agree to reject expenditures by outside groups during the 2016 campaign. Recent reports indicate that spending from outside groups in the Illinois’ Senate race has already eclipsed $1.7 million, with more than $1 million favoring the Democratic side.
The ads highlight the candidates’ own criticism of the influence of outside spending and challenge them to do something about it by taking the CounterPAC pledge to reject outside money. The ad targeting Kirk plays on Kirk’s comments that an unknown group could run ads saying he strangles kittens – then offers a short glimpse of a Mark Kirk: Kitten Killer style ad. The ad targeting Duckworth highlights the inconsistency of Duckworth’s stated commitment to stemming the tide of money in politics as she rides a wave of outside spending in her own campaign for Senate.
“Both Mark Kirk and Tammy Duckworth have been outspoken about the trouble with elections that are dominated by super PACs – so this is a chance for each of them to put their money where their mouth is,” said CounterPAC Executive Director Jay Costa. “A simple pledge could erase outside money – giving voters a race free of unlimited outside spending and offering a model of accountability for other races across the country.”
CounterPAC is prepared to act as the arbiter and enforcer of a “no outside spending” pledge after candidates have mutually agreed to the terms, which include rejecting expenditures from outside sources and countering rejected expenditures by donating 50 percent of the cost of the rejected expenditure to a charity of the opposing candidate’s choice. In the 2012 Massachusetts Senate race, Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown agreed to a similar pledge. That agreement set the precedent for the CounterPAC pledge and was widely regarded as successfully limiting outside spending.
A recent poll conducted by Bloomberg shows that 87% of Americans think the current campaign finance system should be reformed to curb the influence of wealthy donors, with 78% saying specifically that they disapprove of the unlimited corporate spending unleashed by the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.
Your thoughts?
…Adding… From a good pal…
I worked on Brown’s campaign. It ended up being a bad deal for Brown, which is why he didn’t do it in 2014.
The problem was not so much with the outside spending that it did ban, as the outside spending it did not. Specifically, only TV, radio and print ads were banned. Outside groups could, and did, spend money on direct mail, robocalls and, most crucially, get out the vote drives.
Get out the vote drives are a traditional strength on the Democratic side, particularly unions, and a traditional weakness for Republicans. Outspending them on the air was the Republican counter. The People’s Pledge, combined with Warren’s extremely robust fundraising, made that impossible.
Point taken.
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* Give the governor credit for his chutzpah. I mean, an anti-union governor endorses a replacement for a pro-union Republican in the center of AFSCME’s universe? Whew…
Rosemarie Long, who chairs Sangamon County Republicans, said Tuesday that she hopes her party can name a replacement in the Illinois House for state Rep. Raymond Poe by Friday.
And Gov. Bruce Rauner may become involved.
“The governor is watching the process closely and has not weighed in at this time, but plans to make an endorsement,” said Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly.
Poe resigned from the House, where he served since 1995, last week to begin his new job as director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, to which he was appointed by Rauner.
If Team Rauner and the local GOP can keep any other Republican candidate off the ballot, they’ll have a very good shot at winning. Rauner won the district, but so did Jim Oberweis. Jesse White and Lisa Madigan won it, so I suppose that gives the Democrats a tiny ray of hope, and Democratic turnout will be stronger next year than it was last year. But just imagine a Raunerite House member in the 99th. That would truly be something.
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Oops
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday at 4:43 pm…
NRDC: Senator Kirk Votes to Ignore Climate Change
CHICAGO (November 17, 2015) – Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) voted for a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to cut dangerous carbon pollution from power plants. President Obama is expected to swiftly veto the parliamentary maneuver, which has rarely been successfully used by Congress.
The following is a statement by Henry Henderson, Midwest Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council:
“Senator Kirk admits that climate change is real and a huge threat to our future. But he votes to kill the only proposal out there to take action to meet the huge threat: the Clean Power Plan. If Senator Kirk opposes the best tool available we have to address climate change, then what is his solution to a problem he calls ‘too important to ignore’?
“The Clean Power Plan will reduce dangerous carbon pollution while creating good jobs, boost the economy and protect public health right here, right now in Illinois. Senator Kirk’s vote against the Clean Power Plan threatens these benefits for all of us — for today and for future generations. Senator Kirk should focus on the people over polluters.”
For more information please see the following:
-Poll showing Illinoisans Ready To Lead On Clean Energy - http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/hhenderson/polling_shows_illinoisans.html
-Henry Henderson Blog - Senator Kirk: If climate is too big to ignore around the world, it is too big to ignore here too: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/hhenderson/senator_kirk.html
-African American attitudes toward climate change that includes information from Chicago focus groups - http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aquintero/poll_most_african-americans_co.html
* Yesterday at 6:19 pm…
UPDATED: NRDC: Senator Kirk Votes Against Climate Action Blocking Bill
CHICAGO (November 17, 2015) – Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) today voted against a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would have blocked the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to cut dangerous carbon pollution from power plants.
The following is a statement by Henry Henderson, Midwest Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council:
“Senator Kirk has gone against many in his party leadership that wished to block the Clean Power Plan. The Senator has noted that climate change is real and a huge threat to our future; and today he voted for action.
“The Clean Power Plan will reduce dangerous carbon pollution while creating good jobs, boost the economy and protect public health right here, right now in Illinois. Senator Kirk’s vote today keeps those benefits on the table for Illinoisans now and in the future. I hope that today’s vote forecasts things to come for Senator Kirk.”
NRDC ran ads this summer criticizing Senator Kirk for an earlier vote against the Clean Power Plan.
…Adding… The NRDC may have messed up, but some enviros sang Kirk’s praises after the vote…
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About that poll
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Good Wednesday morning, Illinois. We have first dibs on a new poll that asks Illinois residents about the state’s budget mess. It shows 35 percent of those surveyed point the finger at the Illinois Legislature and another 25 percent blame Gov. Bruce Rauner. The majority of those surveyed want government pensions cut (though respondents were only given four choices). And people overwhelming (81 percent) feel the state’s headed down the wrong track. […]
– This may shock you but — residents don’t want new taxes! The survey of 600 registered Illinois voters shows 66 percent want to plug the state’s $4 billion shortfall by cutting state spending.
– 15 percent support raising taxes.
– 3 percent backed borrowing, 4 percent wanted a combination of raising taxes and spending cuts and 1 percent supported raising taxes and borrowing.
As noted later in the story, the poll was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity Illinois. Yes, AFP is a Koch brothers group, but the state chapter claims it raises its money here. The poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies. Click here for the full poll. Crosstabs are here.
* From the poll…
3. Who do you think is more responsible for the wrong direction of the state, (ROTATE) Governor Rauner…or…the Illinois General Assembly?
26% GOVERNOR RAUNER
35% ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
15% BOTH (DO NOT READ)
1% OTHER (SPECIFY: _______) (DO NOT READ)
4% DO NOT KNOW (DO NOT READ)
This is a question asked of only those who said the state was on the wrong track. The question wasn’t about the “state’s budget mess.” It may seem like a minor point, but there’s more to this state’s problems than the budget mess, despite what Speaker Madigan says [/snark].
And even though more people blame the GA for the state’s slide than the governor, it ain’t by much. Add in the 15 percent who said “both” and you get half blaming the GA and 41 percent blaming the governor. He’s not owning it yet, but the GA isn’t the overwhelming villain here, either.
* Also, check out this question about household income…
26% UNDER $40K
24%^ $40K-$80K
40% OVER $80K
That percentage of households earning more than $80K seems kinda high, and the percentage earning under $40K seems a bit low so the answers may be skewed. However, the other xtabs don’t seem too off.
* Also, the majority of respondents clearly believes in magic beans…
Would you favor or oppose a proposal to close the state budget shortfall that would cut one dollar in state spending for every one dollar in additional taxes?
(IF FAVOR/OPPOSE) And, would you STRONGLY (favor/oppose) or just SOMEWHAT (favor/oppose) this proposal?
To help close the state budget shortfall, which of the following programs and services would you prefer to see cut? (RANDOMIZE) (ACCEPT MULTIPLE RESPONSES)
53% GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE PENSIONS
6% MEDICAID FUNDING
22% PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
3% EDUCATION FUNDING
1% ALL OF THE ABOVE (DO NOT READ)
16% NONE OF THE ABOVE (DO NOT READ)
3% DON’T KNOW (DO NOT READ)
1% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
If you want a dollar for dollar tax hike/budget cuts, let’s see the cuts, because, regardless of what the majority thinks, cutting government employee pensions is not gonna work.
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