* I just found out that a very good friend of mine passed away. That’s three lost friends since last fall. I need to go be by myself for a while, so I won’t be monitoring comments. Be good to each other. See you tomorrow.
* I already posted my newspaper column, but I want to pick out one section for our discussion here…
Meanwhile, it occurred to me as I watched Quinn’s speech at the Illinois State Fair’s Governor’s Day event that the guy wouldn’t recognize a campaign theme if it was bleeding to death on his front lawn.
Voters need simplicity. When they think about a candidate for major office, one word or short phrase needs to come to their minds. “Hope,” “Change,” “It’s the economy, stupid,” “What’s she thinking?” etc.
But Quinn is just all over the place, not only with his attacks on Brady, but in his defense of his own governance. One minute, he’s whacking Brady for not paying his taxes, the next he’s talking about the new jobs at Ford, the next he’s whacking Brady on some social issue or for missing a vote, the next, he’s holding a news conference to sign some obscure bill.
* The Question: What campaign theme would you recommend for Gov. Pat Quinn? Snark heavily encouraged.
* When we first learned that the Rod Blagojevich jury was deadlocked, I was silently hoping that the holdout wasn’t an African-American juror because I knew we’d end up with commentary like this…
It was no surprise to learn that Jo Ann Chiakulas, the juror who refused to convict Rod Blagojevich of selling a U.S. Senate seat, was an African-American. When Blagojevich was governor, blacks were his strongest supporters. By the end of his governorship, they were his only supporters. In late 2008, Blagojevich’s approval rating was 13 percent. Among African-Americans it was 32 percent.
The headline on that piece was: “How Blagojevich Really Tainted the Jury Pool (Hint: Black Folks Like Him!)”
Nevermind that there were four African-Americans on that jury and only one was a lone holdout on some charges. Nevermind that a poll taken the day after his arrest showed 68 percent of black respondents thought Blagojevich should go to prison, about the same level as all respondents 65 and older. There were other retirees on that jury, and the holdout was also retired, but retirees aren’t the object of attack here. And nevermind that the same poll found that black people and males were just two points apart on whether Blagojevich should resign. The holdout was a female, but there were lots of males on that jury. Also, nevermind that the same poll found that almost half of Illinois Republicans - 46 percent - believed it was somewhat or very likely that President-elect Barack Obama was somehow involved in the alleged Blagojevich crimes. And, finally, nevermind that the poll referenced in that above story showed that barely over half of Democrats disapproved of Blagojevich’s job performance near the end of his career.
No. It’s Chicago, so the race card is obviously going to be played by somebody.
And this is just stupid…
Chiakulas was also a state employee, a toxic combination of liberal leanings that made her inclined to support the governor who signed AllKids and tried to pass the Illinois Covered universal health care plan.
Anybody who wrote that doesn’t know much about state employees during Blagojevich’s reign of error. They despised him. Also, the coverage isn’t clear whether she was a state employee under Blagojevich for very long, if at all.
All that having been said, it is no secret that Blagojevich heavily targeted the black vote while he was governor overtly targeted black jurors after his arrest. His choice of lead defense counsel was probably no accident. But, again, three out of four black jurors voted with the overwhelming majority to convict on numerous counts. Tarring an entire race (or religion, or whatever) for the actions of one person seems more than a bit extreme.
But if you really want to read something extreme, stupid and bizarre, click here. Yeesh.
Defense attorney Terry Ekl, who represented Blagojevich chief-of-staff John Harris, said he was surprised Blagojevich wasn’t found guilty on all counts. “What the defense did was really jury nullification. It was not about following the law,” Ekl said. “They said, ‘Well, it was just talk. He’s broke.’ But, that’s what conspiracy is. Even if he just intended to get something, he’s guilty. You probably had two or three jurors who didn’t understand that even just talking is still a crime.”
I agree. But John Banzhaff, a Professor of Public Interest Law at the George Washington University Law School says it’s perfectly OK…
Although many do not realize it, and judges usually refuse to let defense attorneys argue — or even mention — it to members of the jury, jurors have a legal right, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, to refuse to convict for any reason and all, or for no reason at all. Indeed, under the doctrine of jury nullification, jurors may disregard a judge’s instructions and return not guilty verdicts even if the evidence of guilt is overwhelming.
If a jury finds a defendant not guilty because they believe that the law is unjust, there was governmental overreaching, or simply out of sympathy for the accused, that verdict cannot ever be overturned or even reviewed, and the defendant can never be recharged, even if overwhelming evidence eventually comes to light.
* Related…
* Blagojevich on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace. Transcript
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column is a warning to Democrats to start facing reality…
Lots of people are having trouble getting their heads around the fact that Republican state Sen. Bill Brady may well be our next governor. This is, after all, a Democratic state.
But it’s way past time to consider Brady a very real, even likely probability. Gov. Pat Quinn’s poll numbers, along with the economy and the state budget, are in the dumper. Scott Lee Cohen likely will target African-American voters and badly damage Quinn’s chances. The Green Party’s candidate won’t help, either. And almost $2 million spent on negative TV ads attacking Brady on abortion, health care and the minimum wage haven’t yet worked.
I’ve told you this before, but I think it’s even clearer now. This campaign looks more and more every day like the 1980 presidential campaign between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. We have the decent, honest person who can’t seem to run a government up against a conservative guy whom all the liberals love to hate.
Carter, remember, relished the opportunity to run against Reagan because he thought Reagan would be the easiest Republican to beat. Carter and friends vastly underestimated Reagan, believing him to be a telegenic empty suit with an actor’s smile and dangerously out of step positions.
Sound familiar?
And Reagan had to clear a hurdle that Brady doesn’t have to worry about. The nuclear button. Once voters decided that Reagan wasn’t crazy enough to blow up the world, they were more willing to give him a shot at the top office. Whatever Brady does as governor, he probably can’t end civilization as we know it.
But it’s not just current polls, spoiler candidates, a failed paid media strategy and an eery American history parallel that point us in Brady’s direction. The Republicans are surprisingly united behind Brady’s candidacy. That’s something few would have believed the morning after the primary, when the state woke up to discover that Brady led his fellow state Sen. Kirk Dillard - the “regular” Republicans’ candidate - by a tiny handful of votes.
The Republicans have been in disarray since George Ryan’s downfall. Jim Thompson gave a less than rousing speech at the Governor’s Day festivities during the 2002 state fair for fellow Republican Jim Ryan, then ended up co-chairing Democratic victor Rod Blagojevich’s transition team. Longtime Republican moneybags Bill Cellini moved in Blagojevich’s direction almost before the last Republican had filed out of the fairgrounds that year. Four years ago, the party’s right wing ridiculed Judy Baar Topinka’s candidacy, and the party never really unified behind her.
The GOP is fully engaged this time, however. The regulars are almost all on board. The right is pleased as punch that they have one of their own on the ticket. And the moderate Republicans are so happy that their party has a real shot at winning that they’ve hardly spoken a discouraging word.
Their party is hungry for victory, but most did their best at the state fair last week to not show how ravenously starved they really are. Their criticisms were pointed, but mostly measured.
Meanwhile, it occurred to me as I watched Quinn’s speech at the Illinois State Fair’s Governor’s Day event that the guy wouldn’t recognize a campaign theme if it was bleeding to death on his front lawn.
Voters need simplicity. When they think about a candidate for major office, one word or short phrase needs to come to their minds. “Hope,” “Change,” “It’s the economy, stupid,” “What’s she thinking?” etc.
But Quinn is just all over the place, not only with his attacks on Brady, but in his defense of his own governance. One minute, he’s whacking Brady for not paying his taxes, the next he’s talking about the new jobs at Ford, the next he’s whacking Brady on some social issue or for missing a vote, the next, he’s holding a news conference to sign some obscure bill.
The scattershot approach may be satisfying to some partisans, who want their governor to provide as many reasons as possible to support him and deliver as many hits as possible on the other side, but if you can’t tie it up with a unifying ribbon, then this stuff will just go over everybody else’s head. It’s just background noise, and that’s no way to deliver an effective message.
Quinn just hired a new media consultant, so we’ll see if anything changes. If Quinn wants to win, it had better.
Once a $400 million “partial pension holiday'’ expires in 2014, the system’s teacher pension tab is expected to soar from $196 million to nearly $600 million, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall warned.
Talks to replace three-year contracts for UIC clerical, technical and service workers had stalled. Service Employees International Union Local 73 was gearing up to begin a three-day work stoppage at the university and its medical center this morning.
The groups were identified because they failed to file required returns for 2007, 2008 and 2009. Many of them were never required to file tax returns before that because of their size.
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 required all tax-exempt organizations other than churches and church-related organizations to file an annual return with the IRS.
It’s a safe bet that 99.99 percent of Chicago-area drivers using I-88 or the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate Highway 290) probably have no idea that they are on stretches of a new national highway corridor: the 532-mile Chicago-Kansas City Expressway. In the state, it also goes by Illinois Highway 110.
* Nearly 10,000 in 7 Illinois counties apply for flood aid
Cost considerations led Hainesville to eliminate its two-year-old police department and contract for service with Grayslake. Hainesville expects to save about $300,000 over the next budget year, which runs to April 30.
“This is yet another stunning report involving the administration of Governor Pat Quinn. Today’s revelation suggests that on the very day Pat Quinn was confronted with evidence by the Inspector General of an ethics violation, Pat Quinn put his political interests before citizens yet again and fired the Inspector General himself. This disturbing report leads to a myriad of questions that the citizens of Illinois deserve to have answered.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Gov. Quinn’s statement…
“Gov. Quinn has accepted Jerry Stermer’s resignation, effective immediately.
“The Office of the Governor complies with investigations of the Office of the Executive Inspector General and takes its inquiries very seriously.
“Jerry Stermer, who previously led the nonprofit organization Voices for Illinois Children for more than 20 years, has served as Gov. Quinn’s chief of staff since Feb. 9, 2009, at an annual salary of $150,000.
“In the case of the three emails in question, Jerry Stermer himself reported the inadvertent use of his state email account to both the governor’s ethics officer and the Office of the Executive Inspector General in order to allow the OEIG to both investigate and recommend corrective action under the state Ethics Act. Jerry Stermer disclosed the emails to the appropriate authorities in order to address the emails in the most honest and ethical manner possible.
“Gov. Quinn was briefed on the OEIG’s report and recommendations on Aug. 13 and has accepted Jerry Stermer’s offer to resign from his position as chief of staff, effective immediately.
“Ricardo Meza was appointed by Gov. Quinn to head the Office of the Executive Inspector General on August 15, 2010 after a lengthy search process which began in the summer of 2009. Ricardo Meza replaced an inspector general appointed by the previous administration whose term expired in 2008. The replacement was not in response to this or any other specific OEIG report, and these events are in no way connected.
“Gov. Quinn is committed to reforming state government, increasing ethics and accountability. All allegations are taken seriously, and acted on as appropriate.”
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* Gov. Pat Quinn’s chief of staff Jerry Stermer has resigned, but the resignation raises more questions than it answers. Why? This..
Quinn removed [Executive Inspector General James A. Wright] Aug. 13, the same day the governor was briefed by his staff about findings against Stermer by the executive inspector general.
Wright concluded that Stermer “engaged in prohibited political activity” and encouraged Attorney General Lisa Madigan to file a complaint against him before the state Executive Ethics Commission, according to a confidential report written by Wright and obtained by the Sun-Times.
Normally, one would say that this firing of Wright is a blatant attempt at a cover-up. But Stermer actually reported himself to the OEIG…
Stermer, Quinn’s chief of staff since February 2009, actually initiated a complaint with Wright’s office Jan. 12 to report that campaign-related e-mails he sent “inadvertently” last October and December from his state-issued BlackBerry or personal computer may have broken state ethics laws.
“While my intention was not to do anything wrong, I recognized that a mistake was made and quickly disclosed this information to the governor’s ethics officer — a former assistant U.S. attorney — who recommended that I provide the information to the OEIG for appropriate investigation,” Stermer said. “I voluntarily provided the information to the OEIG for investigation, and made it clear that I was prepared to accept the consequences for my mistakes.”
The plot thickens…
The first of Stermer’s alleged missteps came last Oct. 11 in a response to an e-mail sent a day earlier from the Quinn campaign’s media consultant, John Kupper. He wanted to formulate a response to an expected argument from Democratic gubernatorial rival Dan Hynes about Quinn being a “tax and spender,” the Wright report said.
That ain’t much, and neither are the other two e-mails. If that’s really all Stermer did, and if Stermer really did report his own behavior way back in January, then why, all of a sudden, was Wright demanding an attorney general complaint with the ethics commission? It took him eight months to conclude that Stermer was a bad guy?
Still, firing your inspector general the same day he files a report against your own chief of staff - no matter how rinky dink - is a really stupid idea. Wright could’ve been playing some internal politics to keep his job, but that’s the way it goes. Dumping him that same day was truly idiotic.
Also, John Kupper is the “K” in AKPD, which was fired last week as Quinn’s media consultant. Everybody’s going down at once, it appears.
What a great way to kick off the first week after the Blagojevich verdict.
“I have offered my resignation as Gov. Quinn’s chief of staff effective immediately.
“Last year, I inadvertently used my state email account to send three emails that the Office of Executive Inspector General later found to be prohibited under the state’s Ethics Act. While my intention was not to do anything wrong, I recognized that a mistake was made and quickly disclosed this information to the governor’s ethics officer - a former assistant U.S. attorney - who recommended that I provide the information to the OEIG for appropriate investigation. I voluntarily provided the information to the OEIG for investigation and made it clear that I was prepared to accept the consequences for my mistakes.
“The people of Illinois must have full confidence in the leadership of their state, and I will not be a distraction in achieving that goal. Gov. Quinn has built his career on the belief that government must be honest and accountable. Today, I am holding myself accountable for a mistake I alone made. I do not want to be a distraction for the governor, the work of his administration and - most importantly - for the people of Illinois. “
* I borrowed a golf cart on Republican Day and took some friends on a tour of the Illinois State Fair. While we were joy-riding, we used my iPhone to video the entire fairgrounds. The idea was to have a little fun, but also show some of you who’ve never been to the State Fair what it looks like. I also thought it would be a good video to watch this winter when we’re all cold and miserable and need some warm memories.
Trouble is, I didn’t turn my iPhone camera on for the first portion of the tour. Oops. Luckily, I figured out the problem as we approached the area in front of the Grandstand.
The video is shaky, the audio is lousy, but we all had a really good time. Ryan McLaughlin of Mac Strategies is the videographer, I’m the driver-narrator, and my intern Barton Lorimor and Ryan’s VP Ryan Keith are in the back, chuckling away.
* I probably shouldn’t post Part Two, since we kinda abused the borrowed cart a little bit, but I was determined to drive down that hill to Happy Hollow behind the Illinois Building. Mac was all for it, but Barton didn’t think we could do it…
* WBEZ’s Justin Kaufmann and Steve Edwards launched a new show from the State Fair this week. It’s called “The Best Game in Town,” and I was fortunate enough to be a guest. Click here to listen.
[Gov. Pat Quinn] brushed aside a question about whether his campaign efforts are too undisciplined. “I have nothing bad to say about anybody,” Quinn said. […]
Quinn, who faces Republican state Sen. Bill Brady, Green Party candidate Rich Whitney and independent candidate Scott Lee Cohen on the Nov. 2 ballot, said he wants to ensure his message gets throughout Illinois, saying voters are interested in jobs.
“That’s what I want to focus on,” said Quinn, adding he has “a lot of message work to do, especially on ads.”
If the election for Congress was today, would you vote for a Democrat or a Republican?
46% Democrat
40% Republican
14% Undecided
Even though the Democrats are ahead, that’s a bit misleading. It isn’t good news. The pollster explains…
In Illinois Democrats lead the generic Congressional ballot by a 46-40 margin. That may not be terribly reassuring though given how much the party runs up the score in a small number of districts. Six of Illinois’ districts voted for President Obama at a 70% rate or higher in 2008.
…the 6 point generic ballot lead for Democrats in Illinois exceeds the 2 point lead we found for Alexi Giannoulias. That may give you a better idea of the shape Democrats would be in that race if they’d chosen a nominee with less baggage.
What that means is a whole bunch of targeted Democrats are in trouble.
* Speaking of targeted Democratic congresscritters, Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson did have a replacement in mind when she ousted her campaign manager. She’s bringing in Julie Merz…
“The Halvorson camp is talking with Julie Merz about taking over as campaign manager, Vanderbilt said. Merz’s resume includes being campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.), both of whom are members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats committed to fiscal responsibility and government accountability. She also worked on former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley’s (D-N.J.) presidential campaign in 2000.”
They’re more than just talking about it. I’m told it’s a done deal.
Illinois voters say they would be negatively influenced if a candidate was endorsed by Barack Obama. And if his support isn’t an asset in his home state it’s hard to imagine where it is.
40% of voters in the state say they’d be less likely to support an Obama endorsed candidate to only 26% who say it would be an asset. The reality at this point is that Obama turns Republican voters off to a much greater extent than he excites Democrats. That’s reflected in the fact that 83% of Republicans say an Obama endorsement would be a negative with them while only 49% of Democrats say it would be a positive. Independents also respond negatively by a 38/19 margin.
The numbers on an Obama endorsement are perhaps more relevant with undecided voters. Among those who have not yet made up their minds in the Senate race 21% say an Obama endorsement would resonate positively with them while 33% say it would be a turnoff.
The full results are here. According to PPP, 24 percent of Illinois voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by Sarah Palin, while 52 percent would be less likely.
In Illinois Durbin is the favorite politician of 41% of voters in the state, followed by Pat Quinn at 10%, and Roland Burris at 6%. Like Pennsylvania the lack of Republicans in major offices in Illinois leaves 42% of voters saying no opinion. Durbin’s tops among Democrats, 60-11 over Quinn, independents, 40-8 over Quinn, and Republicans, 17-12 over Quinn.
*** UPDATE *** I just have no words to describe how I feel about this press release…
Rod’s Appeal: Blagojevich To Appear At Chicago Comic Con!
Former Illinois Governor To Sign Autographs, Pose For Pictures, Meet Fans At Pop Culture Festival Saturday!
The verdict is in! Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will appear at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con on Saturday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Blagojevich will sign autographs, pose for pictures and meet fans at the pop culture convention.
The photo session will begin at 10:30 a.m., with autographs to follow at 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
“I’m looking forward to meeting loyal supporters and other fans on Saturday,” said Blagojevich, whose many recent television appearances included a stint on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
“Wizard World Chicago Comic Con is all about pop culture, and Rod Blagojevich is as relevant to today’s news as it gets,” said Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard Entertainment. “We think the court of public opinion will show him to be a popular figure at the show.”
Keep in mind, that some of these counts don’t match up with what others are reporting. For instance, NBC reported that a majority of jurors voted against convicting Blagojevich on the alleged Children’s Hospital shakedown. But WTTW’s count shows that a majority was in favor of convicting on one act and split down the middle on the two others…
[”Guilty” is red, “Not Guilty” is blue.]
And the Sun-Times reported that the jury voted 9-3 to acquit Robert Blagojevich. WTTW’s totals don’t reflect that at all…
The father-son team of Sam Adam Jr. and Sam Adam Sr. will not represent Rod Blagojevich in a retrial, a defense attorney with knowledge of the situation told the Chicago News Cooperative.
According to the attorney, the duo has known for some time they would not stay on for another round. Speaking to reporters following Tuesday’s verdict, the lawyers refused to commit to continuing to represent Blagojevich. Although they were maligned by outside observers throughout the case, Adam Sr. and Adam Jr. will leave the former governor’s side having done better than many expected.
Blagojevich’s other main attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, has not indicated whether or not he will stay on for a retrial. Messages left with Adam Jr. and Sorosky seeking comment were not returned. A receptionist at Adam Jr.’s law office said that both attorney’s were out of town and could not be reached.
* 10:30 am - More really bad campaign news for Gov. Pat Quinn. His media firm, AKPD, has just exited the campaign [it was fired]. And check out this harsh goodbye statement…
“We and the Quinn campaign agreed that our divergent approaches to disciplined, professional communications are incompatible. We wish Pat well.”
Oh, man, what a shot that was. When was the last time you saw a national media firm issue a statement like that? Yikes.
AKPD produced the last two ads of the primary which most believe helped keep Quinn in office. Here’s my favorite of the two. It really was an excellent spot…
* 10:52 am - The Quinn campaign has reportedly hired Joe Slade White as a replacement.
* Quinn apparently fired AKPD after hiring White.
* One of White’s more recent ad campaigns was that 2008 ad blitz by T. Boone Pickens…
I’m getting mixed reviews on White. He’s a “big concept” guy who clicks with Quinn, but he’s not a top tier consultant who can also be hired more cheaply than others.
* The Republicans did their best yesterday to look like a governing party and not a collection of angry outsiders. State Sen. Bill Brady even walked away from reporters when he was asked whether he thought Pat Quinn was corrupt…
Unsuccessful candidate for governor Dan Proft took a shot at Kirk’s Democratic opponent for the U.S. Senate, Alexi Giannoulias, saying, “Getting a lecture from Ali Giannoulias on honesty in government is like getting a lecture from Drew Peterson on domestic violence.”
Oof. That was a bit more than just tossing red meat at the base. But, Proft is Proft. Last year, the Republicans barely allowed anybody to speak. This year, they probably let too many take the podium.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Giannoulias campaign wants you to see this statement from Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky…
“Did Mark Kirk think Dan Proft was being clever and funny? If not, he should immediately repudiate Dan Proft’s offensive and misogynistic rhetoric that makes a joke of violence against women. Every one of the Illinois Republicans that shared the stage with Proft should do the same.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Proft responds…
“Of course Jan Schakowsky rallied to the defense of Alexi Giannoulias. One Chicago Democrat crime family trying to protect another. What else is new? Rep. Schakowsky bailed out a bank (Shore Bank) that aided and abetted her convicted felon husband’s illegal check kiting schemes and Mr. Giannoulias’ bank (Broadway) was seized by federal regulators because he couldn’t figure out how to make loaning money to mobsters a self-sustaining business. Those two deserve each other and Illinois doesn’t deserve either one of them.”
Cedra Crenshaw, who fought a Democratic attempt to kick her off the ballot in November, is now blasting “the Chicago machine,” which initiated the petition challenge. Crenshaw is running in a traditionally Democratic district, but has become a cause celebre among Republicans nationally.
“What rational business would want to expand or locate in a state with $130 billion of debt?”
As I noted to subscribers this morning, Crenshaw was making her comments at about the same time that Boeing announced an expansion into the Metro East. The Republicans probably ought to avoid looking like they’re running down their state while they criticize the party in power.
* But for the first time in years hope was in the air at the Illinois State Fair...
“We’re going to have a great new governor in Bill Brady, but he is not going to have success if Mike Madigan remains the Speaker,” said Rep. Tom Cross, the House Minority Leader. “We need 12 seats to retake the House.”
Cross said he had 20 seats in play and with the crowd’s help he could retake the house.
“People are as angry as I’ve ever seen them,” Cross said. Kirk agreed.
Voters are quite angry, but I’d like to see what “in play” means before agreeing with Cross that’s he’s that far in the hunt.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk stressed the importance of winning not only a six-year term this fall but also the special election on the same Nov. 2 ballot for the remaining two months of the Senate seat held by Blagojevich-appointed Democratic Sen. Roland Burris.
Kirk, a five-term North Shore congressman said the special election “could mean all the difference for the economic future of the United States.” Kirk contended Democrats in a post-election, lame-duck congressional session will try to approve a massive spending bill that would “shock” the stock market and the economy.
* Tom Cross said something yesterday about the Blagojevich verdict that’s on many minds right now…
“I think maybe in their minds they can say, I’ll send my own guilty verdict so to speak and my own message by voting for Republicans in the fall,” said Illinois House Republican leader Tom Cross. “I don’t know that we need to say that. It’s not like Rod Blagojevich is going to be hiding in the back room over the next two months.”
I don’t know if he’s right, but I do know that this “voter verdict” should be one of the Democrats’ biggest fears. It’s certainly one of the Republican’s greatest hopes. But they can’t actually come out and say it. But they can’t stay away from the topic, either.
My intern Barton Lorimor asked state party chairman Pat Brady yesterday about his statement the other day on WBEZ that he wouldn’t make political hay out of the verdict. Brady said he had changed his mind and blamed it on the Democrats. Watch…
Chairman Brady also talked about Blagojevich to the AP…
A federal jury’s failure to reach a verdict on most of the charges and the government’s intention to retry him means Blagojevich will be in the news for months to come.
“That was probably the worst day for the Democrats since this race started,” said Illinois GOP chairman Pat Brady. “It’s going to keep this issue alive.” […]
Democrats argue they deserve credit for removing Blagojevich from office after he was arrested. Republicans scoffed at that, saying Democrats knew years earlier that Blagojevich was behaving unethically, if not criminally.
“Those guys sat on their hands until the U.S. attorney’s office came and yanked the guy out of his house,” said Pat Brady, who is not related to GOP nominee Bill Brady.
Illinois Republicans say they don’t intend to spend the next 10 weeks hitting voters over the head with reminders of Rod Blagojevich.
But they have no intention of letting them forget, either.
That was the mixed message emerging Thursday as GOP organizers from across Illinois, gathering in Springfield for their annual “Republican Day,” pondered how to get the most out of the political gift that dropped into their lap this week — without appearing to relish the state’s ongoing trauma.
“They ran arm in arm with Rod Blagojevich for his re-election. Just as there’s accountability in the courtroom, there ought to be accountability at the polling booth,” said U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria. Schock represents parts of Springfield in Congress.
While he talked mostly about the need to create jobs, Bill Brady stopped short of pledging not to use Blagojevich in campaign advertising.
“I have no idea what our experts are going to run,” Bill Brady told reporters at the morning event. “Make no mistake, this election is about winning. … But we’re going to do it honestly. And we’re going to give them something to believe in.”
“This is going to keep the issue on the front burner. People will be asking Pat Quinn, ‘where were you when all this was going on,” said Pat Brady, the Illinois Republican chairman. “The Democrats haven’t had any accomplishments other than making us one of the worst financially-run states in the country.”
The administration attributes the shortfall to the County Board’s decision to cut the sales tax rate by a half percentage point against the wishes of Board President Todd Stroger, who earlier had pushed through a 1 percentage point increase. The county also expects lower federal funding, which had spiked because of economic stimulus efforts. […]
But Finance Committee Chairman John Daley, D-Chicago, said he believes the shortfall could be even more and supports the 10 percent cuts.
Once an aide to former governor James R. Thompson, Gates had been tapped by Daley for McPier with a mandate to get the authority’s finances in order. Gates said Daley also spoke with him about the RTA job.
“Six-sixty was right there,” Dixon said, pointing to the site of a vanished building. “Seven-fourteen was right there. But it’s been so long I can’t remember them all.”
But Julie Dworkin, policy director for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, said the new program does nothing to address the lack of affordable housing that prevents many homeless people from finding permanent shelter. If 125 people are moved to the top of the housing waiting list, that will simply mean 125 other people will have to wait longer, she said.
The review focuses on new Englewood District Cmdr. Anthony Carothers.
He’s the brother of Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers (29th), who was sentenced June 24 to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to corruption charges. Isaac Carothers, a former deputy Streets and Sanitation commissioner, chaired the City Council’s Police and Fire Committee and was one of Mayor Daley’s staunchest supporters.
Anthony Carothers was promoted from lieutenant to commander on July 16.
A plan by three struggling suburban school districts to create a revenue-generating wind farm has picked up some velocity this summer.
Empowered by recent legislation, Keeneyville School District 20, Carpentersville’s Community Unit School District 300 and Prospect Heights School District 23 have joined together to build a 13-turbine wind farm that would sell energy to defray their own electrical bills.
The unique project would be in rural Stark County, about 140 miles southwest of Chicago.
In a pugnacious, triumphal interview on NBC’s Today, Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted on charges of lying to the FBI but escaped conviction on 23 corruption charges, vowed never to cop a plea in his upcoming retrial, saying he was guilty only of “political horse trading.” Blagojevich compared himself to the Biblical King David, and suggested U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald should charge himself with hypocrisy for making deals with convicted felons in exchange for testimony. […]
Asked if he would accept a plea deal, given that jurors voted 11-1 to convict him of trying to sell Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, Blagojevich said, “I’m absolutely determined to continue to seek full vindication. I have done absolutely nothing wrong. This is a persecution by a prosecutor who for six years has targeted me. He has spent tens of millions of dollars trying to get me.” […]
“Why are they wasting taxpayer money?” the ex-governor asked. “Chicago is now the crime capital of the world. Children are being gunned down. Police officers are being shot in front of their homes where they were playing. They’re spending millions of dollars to prosecute me when they should instead be using that money to address the real crime problems in places like Chicago.”
You did a good job on Celebrity Apprentice,” Vieira teased Blagojevich at the end of the interview. “Will we see you in another reality show? Are you going to be with Snooki?”
