Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you’re going to the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois event tomorrow, I’ll see you there. If you still haven’t bought a ticket, click here. If you contributed and can’t go, thank you very much. If you can’t go and haven’t contributed, please click here.
* And since I know many readers will continue working on their respective campaigns hours after I shut down comments here tonight, how about we give those folks something to pep them up a bit? Mountain will play us out…
She moved better on wine
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* I received this text last night. I’m getting tons of texts these days, so for whatever reason I didn’t see it until this afternoon…
Just got a text from someone who saw a new Quinn ad on cbs 2 here in Chgo
Said it had a survivor of a nursing home victim talking to camera
I’ve been asking for the ad for the past couple of hours. Anybody seen it?
Hopefully, this post will break it loose from the Quinn campaign.
*** UPDATE *** It’s out. It’s OK. Don’t think it’s a killer punch, though…
I’ll leave comments opened for a while so you can digest this one.
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* The Illinois Chamber’s president sent his members an urgent e-mail today about a poll he’d commissioned…
The poll, completed just last night, shows Rauner receiving 44.9% support to 41.1% for Quinn and 6.4% for Libertarian candidate Grimm. The 3.8% margin is outside of the poll’s 3.36% margin of error.
* The minimum wage referendum result is no surprise, but the millionaire’s tax kinda is…
Please don’t overlook two referendums on the ballot that are intended to show support for proposals that would cause even greater harm to small businesses. One asks voters whether the minimum wage in Illinois should be raised to $10/hour.
Our poll shows that when voters are not educated on this issue - Illinois already has the highest minimum wage in the Midwest - a majority of voters support its surface appeal.
The second referendum asks if voters support a so-called “millionaires’ tax” which would increase income taxes on small business owners and entrepreneurs. Fortunately, it looks as if more voters recognize the negative impact of raising taxes on jobs creators. A majority opposing the tax in our poll.
* Other results…
US Senate: Durbin (D) 48.9%; Oberweis (R) 38.2%; Hansen (L) 5.7%
Attorney General Madigan (D) 50.6%; Schimpf (R) 32.9%; Koyl (L) 5.0%
Treasurer Cross (R) 36.8%; Frerichs (D) 32.9%; Shopek (L) 5.4%
Still lots of undecideds in that treasurer’s race.
* Methodology…
The survey was conducted over three nights from 10/21-10/23 by polling firm Cygnal. It includes 853 respondents for a margin of error of +/- 3.36%. 22% of respondents were contacted on cell phones.
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Last call for tickets!
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I know some of you can’t make it to the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois’ 33rd Annual Amicus Certus celebration tomorrow night because you’re working campaigns, or it’s out in Arlington Heights, or whatever.
But, hey, how many times is an upstanding institution like LSSI gonna honor me for being a “true friend”? You should go.
Plus, how many times are you gonna see me in a tuxedo? By the way, check out the swank hall…
* So buy a ticket. If you don’t want to use the online form, just contact Ed Newton at 847-635-4656 or Edward.Newton@LSSI.org. You can be a sponsor as well by clicking here.
And if you legitimately can’t make it, click here and donate.
* The folks at LSSI have done a great job with the event and with ticket sales. I just figured I’d try to help out at the end by giving it one little extra push. So click here and get going!
Thanks.
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[The following is a paid advertisement]
Based on a recent poll of registered voters in Illinois, there is overwhelming support for increasing the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Illinois:
- 95% of voters support energy efficiency
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Voters prioritize a clean energy future.
- 84% of voters want to move towards cleaner sources of energy.
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The message from Illinoisans is clear: Legislators should prioritize voter-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency and support policies that maximize job creation in Illinois’ clean energy economy.
The survey was completed by a bipartisan research team of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) and Public Opinion Strategies. More info on this poll is available at ilenviro.org/cleanenergypoll.
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* From the Chicago Newspaper Guild…
Members of the Chicago Sun-Times newsroom have questions for Sun-Times CEO Timothy Knight and its parent company Wrapports board chairman Michael Ferro following the resignation of Chicago Sun-Times political reporter Dave McKinney. McKinney wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times for almost two decades. He co-authored a recent piece about litigation involving a former LeapSource business executive,who alleged that Illinois government candidate Bruce Rauner threatened her, her family and her future job prospects. The story ran with the backing and support of Sun-Times editors, McKinney wrote in his open resignation letter. However, McKinney said after the Rauner campaign pressured his superiors, he was yanked from his beat, placed on leave for a week and then was not allowed back to his political beat. Rauner is reported to be a former investor in Sun-Times Media. This situation raises ethical questions about what happens when politicians and investors interfere with news content.
* The petition…
Mr. Michael Ferro and Mr. Timothy Knight:
We are deeply troubled by the situation leading up to Dave McKinney’s resignation. It raises incredible questions about whether Sun-Times reporters risk retaliation from management after writing stories unfavorable to a politician or our company’s investors.
We have basic concerns about whether we will be able to do our jobs moving forward without interference.
We want to know: did a politician or someone tied to that politician lodge a complaint with Mr. Ferro over a story? If there was indeed a breach in the firewall that is supposed to exist between owners and the newsroom, how do we know that will not reoccur? Would you or Mr. Knight address the newsroom to answers these questions and others?
Respectfully,
Chicago Sun-Times Newsroom and supporters
Get over there.
Any bets on how many BGA execs will be signing?’
Hat tip: Ahern.
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Same song, different century
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I couldn’t embed it, so click the pic for a brief video of then Illinois Treasurer Pat Quinn campaigning at Eli’s Cheesecake Factory for then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton in 1992. Quinn could’ve given that same speech today, right down to the “Make the will of the people the law of the land” line. Today’s speech might be longer, however, since he’s now governor. You can skip the first 45 seconds or so if you want…
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Question of the day
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis was interviewed today on Watchdog Radio with Ben Yount. When asked about his position on gay marriage, Oberweis said: “times change” and “attitudes change”. […]
…Oberweis is personally against gay marriage. A campaign spokesman told IR that Oberweis’ quote about times changing “refers to the ability of social conservatives to be able to stop the momentum toward government allowing it
* Tribune…
Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin enters the final days of his campaign for a fourth term holding a substantial advantage over Republican challenger Jim Oberweis, a new Chicago Tribune poll shows.
The survey found Oberweis, a first-term state senator from the far western suburbs, making headway in his home base of the collar counties. But Oberweis is running into a political dynamic that’s been one of Durbin’s strengths over the years — a dual base of support. Not only is Durbin racking up big numbers in heavily Democratic Chicago, but he’s from Springfield and is holding his own downstate.
The math adds up to 50 percent for Durbin and 36 percent for Oberweis. Libertarian candidate Sharon Hansen had 6 percent, while another 7 percent of voters were undecided or supported someone else.
Oberweis is up for reelection in the Illinois Senate in two years.
* The Question: Do you think he’ll run for state Senate again in two years, run for something else or retire? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Those of you who choose “something else” should also state your predictions of what that “something else” might be.
survey tools
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Quinn finally wins a newspaper endorsement!
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m not sure, however, that touting support from Illinois State University’s student newspaper is gonna look all that convincing in a TV ad…
The Vidette Editorial Board chooses to endorse Pat Quinn for the position of governor of Illinois in the 2014 General Election.
Such crisp enthusiasm!
But, hey, at least the guv finally broke his losing streak… kinda.
* Meanwhile, Bruce Rauner finally chatted with the SJ-R’s editorial board today…
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* Progress Illinois has some oppo on another business relationship between Bruce Rauner and Sun-Times parent company Chairman Mike Ferro…
Ferro and Rauner have a long-standing relationship, having worked on a number of deals together, including purchasing the parent company of Sun-Times Media, Wrapports LLC. Prior to running for governor, Rauner sold his share of the company to Ferro for $5 million.
But what many do not know is that Rauner also invested millions into Merge Healthcare, for which Ferro’s company, Merrick Ventures, paid $20 million for a controlling stake in 2008.
Merge Healthcare was close to going under when Ferro jumped in to save the health records and imaging software firm. By 2010, Rauner owned 900,000 shares of Merge Healthcare. Other notable Chicago-area billionaires who bought into the struggling company, once stewarded by Ferro as chairman, include J.B. Pritzker and Matt Hulszizer.
Rauner has since divested from Merge Healthcare. But the business relationship is still a notable one considering the multi-millionaire once plunged millions of dollars into a struggling company owned by Ferro. And considering many question whether the Sun-Times’ recent decision to endorse Rauner, after the newspaper stayed out of the endorsement game for three years, has to do with the GOP candidate’s former ties to the newspaper and Ferro, one can only logically extend that train of thought to the Merge Healthcare deal.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s camp, along with numerous community groups and organizations in the state, have repeatedly requested that Rauner release his full tax returns and schedules from previous years as a means to ensure that the GOP candidate is clear of business relationships that could be a conflict of interest if he were to take office as governor. […]
Those cries for transparency could be validated and strengthened by the Sun-Times’ McKinney debacle, as Rauner’s ties to Ferro are at the very least questionable when looking at how the endorsement and the veteran reporter’s treatment at the newspaper has played out.
Discuss.
* Related…
* Few legal options for ex-Sun-Times reporter
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Bost’s “anger,” Cook’s ratings, Foster’s ad
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico has a big profile of Mike Bost today…
He’s preoccupied by the scrutiny into what’s become known simply as “the dog story” — the resurfacing of which, he insists, is the work of Democrats trying to damage him. As he pulled into his driveway on Sunday afternoon, after showing a POLITICO reporter around his neighborhood, his Labradoodle, Betty, darted in front of his car.
“What if I killed a second dog in front of a reporter?” he joked darkly as Betty scampered up the steps to his house.
During a parade in Mt. Vernon on Saturday, nearly a dozen people told Bost they’d seen the ads about his temper. But most of them seemed unconcerned. “I see you on TV,” one man said to laughter from the candidate. “Don’t you be getting mad at me!”
Another voter said the ads made her want to vote for Bost. “About time someone got mad,” she said.
* Let’s move along to Charlie Cook…
IL-10: Brad Schneider (D) - Chicago north suburbs: Lake Shore
Toss Up. Schneider unseated Dold by just a point in 2012 with the help of President Obama’s 58 percent showing in this district, but some voters still think Dold is the incumbent. Unlike in 2012, Schneider has outraised Dold. But this year, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn may not carry the 10th CD. Most polls continue to show the race tied or within the margin of error. It’s a total coin flip once again.
IL-12: Bill Enyart (D) - Southwest border: East St. Louis, Carbondale
Toss Up. Even though Enyart won by nine points in 2012, both parties now consider him the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the state. GOP state Rep. Mike Bost has simply outworked Enyart so far, and Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is about to get clobbered in Downstate Illinois. Enyart benefited from a late surge in 2012, and Democrats have tried to pull out all the stops here once again.
In September, as expected, Democrats launched ads using infamous footage of a Bost temper tantrum on the floor of the Illinois State House. Some GOP operatives believe Bost’s outrage at the legislative leadership is actually shared by most voters in the 12th CD, so Bost tried to spin it to his advantage. Republicans believe Bost is still leading the incumbent, but it’s anyone’s guess.
IL-17: Cheri Bustos (D) - West: Rock Island, parts of Peoria and Rockford
Lean Democratic. Democrats are much more confident about Bustos’s reelection prospects than those of several others in the state. This is a Democratic-leaning seat by design, and Bustos is an energetic campaigner who has styled herself as a Blue Dog. However, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is badly behind in this district, and Bustos got some bad press for failing to forgo her congressional pay during the shutdown as promised.
Meanwhile, former GOP Rep. Bobby Schilling is back for the rematch with a new campaign team that includes experienced hands rather than his son, who managed the 2012 race. Republicans aren’t expressing as much enthusiasm for this race as they did a month ago, and a new We Ask America survey showed Bustos leading 55 percent to 39 percent. It’s not one of the GOP’s better opportunities at the moment.
* Lynn Sweet…
Rep. Bill Foster D-Ill., a physicist, is running his first television spot in his race against state Rep. Darlene Senger, an upbeat piece starting Friday that portrays him as a little boy fixing an old TV set — with dials — and as a young scientist studying proton decay.
The two Naperville residents are battling for the 11th Congressional District seat, turf that includes portions of the western suburbs, including large chunks of Aurora, Joliet and Naperville.
The ad goes on to show the adult Foster who says his priorities in Congress are raising the minimum wage and changing the law so student can refinance student loan debt.
* The ad...
Kind of a weird segue to the minimum wage, but whatevs.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
“Exelon Corp. is urging state utility regulators to press for changes in power markets that would boost revenue at the company’s Illinois nuclear power fleet by about $580 million.” [Crain’s Chicago Business, September 24, 2014]
Exelon wants a $580 million rate hike!! $580 million…for what??? Even if ratepayers bail out Exelon’s plants with $580 million every year, they won’t even guarantee to keep the plants open.
Illinois’ businesses and citizens are still struggling and the last thing we need is a massive rate increase to bail out Exelon nuclear plants built during the Nixon administration and already paid for several times by ratepayers.
Even ComEd, Exelon’s own sister company, doesn’t agree with subsidized generation at above-market prices:
“ComEd has long believed that competitive markets will work in the best interests of our customers…so we are concerned about the negative impact on our customers from a requirement that would force utilities to buy subsidized generation at above-market prices.” [Crain’s Chicago Business, November 20, 2013]
Yet now Exelon is demanding an annual 580 million dollar bailout from ratepayers—industrial, commercial and residential—because they don’t want to face the risks of the market they championed when it helped Exelon. So much for the “best interests of our customers.”
Just Say No To Exelon’s $580 Million Rate Hike!!
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Rauner pumping dollars
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Natasha Korecki…
In two days, Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner plowed another $3 million of his personal fortune into his candidacy for governor, bringing the venture capitalist’s total investment in his own campaign to more than $23 million.
So far in October, Rauner has steadily added $1.5 million every week, and now it appears to be ramping up. He’s put $9 million into his own campaign since Oct. 3, state finance records show.
That’s ever closer to onetime U.S. Senate candidate Blair Hull who spent a record $26 million on his failed candidacy. Hull, however, spent all of that money in the primary alone.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Kent Redfield crunched the numbers for the governor’s race to date. Click here to see his full report, as of 11 this morning.
But the most relevant piece is this…
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Rauner pushing IDOT back into the news stream
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The IDOT revelations were mostly drowned out earlier this week by other campaign news and (in the Chicago area) by reports on that apparent mass murderer in Northwest Indiana. So, the Bruce Rauner campaign is trying to get the topic back into play, and they are succeeding…
Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner on Thursday said voters have a “duty” to oust Gov. Pat Quinn, pointing to a federal judge’s ruling that the court should oversee hiring at the Illinois Department of Transportation after allegations that patronage hiring at the agency increased under the Democratic governor.
Rauner maintained Quinn has failed to clean up state government after the impeachment and removal of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and indicated he’s open to the idea of compensating applicants who may have been unfairly passed up for jobs in favor of workers with political connections.
“I think that should be looked into,” Rauner said during a campaign stop in Bloomington as he continues to tour Illinois to promote early voting. “But what we’ve gotta do is change.”
“We’ve had six years now of Pat Quinn’s failure,” Rauner told reporters.
“We have a duty as voters to end that, hold him accountable, get him out of office,” he said.
* Sun-Times…
One day after a federal judge was appointed to monitor hiring at the Illinois Department of Transportation, two state Republican senators raised questions about whether those fired are working in other state positions, and insinuated there may be “corruption” in other state departments. […]
“We have no idea what it’s going to cost, but rack that up with the salaries lost, opportunities, and the court costs, and we’re finally zeroing in on the cost of corruption in this state,” state Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said. […]
“We know who made those [hires], who indicated these people should be hired. We want to know, are they still doing it? And what about other agencies? We know about IDOT, but state government is a big place. There’s a lot of people who may want to be ‘taken care of’ in the last three months. We want to be darn sure these people are not being seeded through state government who do not belong there. And that is not covered under this particular monitor,” Radogno said. […]
[Quinn administration spokesman Grant Klinzman said] “Leader Radogno has never spoken with the Governor’s Office about this matter and it doesn’t appear that she even reviewed the OEIG [Office of the Executive Inspector General] report because if she had, she would have been informed that the Governor has already ordered a review of Rutan-exempt positions at all state agencies,”
Klinzman said Radogno can file a complaint on the OEIG website should she want a further investigation of other departments.
* AP…
Gov. Pat Quinn says he’ll comply with a court-ordered monitor to review hiring at his administration’s Department of Transportation. […]
Quinn says he made reforms afterward, adding Thursday that the court-appointed monitor should work with the OEIG. […]
Republican Bruce Rauner claims it shows Quinn can’t be trusted to clean up government, which Quinn’s campaign rejects.
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Gov. Quinn runs new TV ad featuring FLOTUS
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rate it…
* Script…
“I know Pat Quinn.
“His push for the minimum wage is essential.
“If you think women should get equal pay for equal work,
“If you want our kids to have quality pre-school, have a chance to go to college -
“If we want a governor who shares our values, then we need Pat Quinn as Governor of Illinois.
“Remember, you can vote early, starting on October the 20th.
“So let’s just get this done and vote for Pat Quinn.”
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No, your eyes didn’t deceive you
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We had a massive site crash last night. Yesterday’s posts have disappeared. The crash appeared to be related to the outage from earlier in the week.
And, no, Bruce Rauner did not buy my hosting company.
At least, I don’t think so.
Carry on.
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Good morning!
Friday, Oct 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Before the B-52’s were a national sensation, they were a regional band in Georgia. Yes, that New Wave, openly gay-themed crazy-good band was from Georgia - in the 1970’s, man. That couldn’t have been easy. Heck, it wouldn’t be easy now.
But here they are, before they signed their first recording contract, in an Atlanta night club in 1978 performing a song that would earn them musical immortality. This takes almost a minute to get going, so be patient and celebrate..
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ve surpassed the 100 comment mark on the Dave McKinney resignation story, so it’s time for a fresh thread.
* The Question: What do you think happens next?
…Adding… The AP story is predictably “he said, she said”…
An Illinois political reporter says he’s resigned after being put on temporary leave when Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner’s campaign accused him of having a conflict of interest.
Oy.
…Adding More… From Jim Kirk, Sun-Times Publisher/Editor In Chief…
It is with reluctance that I accept Dave McKinney’s resignation. As recently as this Monday on our Op/Ed page, I stated that Dave is among the best in our profession. I meant it then and I mean it now. The pause we took last week was to ensure there were no conflicts of interest and was taken simply to protect Dave McKinney, the Sun Times and its readers as we were under attack in a heated political campaign. We came to the right result, found the political attacks against us to be false and we stand by our reporting, our journalists and this great newspaper.
I disagree with Dave’s questioning the integrity of this newspaper and my role as editor and publisher. I call the shots. While I’ve been here, our ownership and management have never quashed a story and they have always respected the journalistic integrity of this paper.
Yeah, he’s in charge. Rightio, pal.
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* The media blackout on the Dave McKinney story has got to end. Right now. Dave just resigned his position as the Sun-Times Statehouse Bureau Chief and posted his resignation letter online…
Faced with the Rauner campaign’s ugly attack, Sun-Times Publisher and Editor Jim Kirk immediately told the Rauner campaign that this “assault” on my integrity “border[ed] on defamation” and represented “a low point in the campaign.” In other statements, Kirk called the campaign’s tactic “spurious” and “sexist.”
Yet despite such strong rebukes, two days later, I was yanked from my beat as I reported on a legislative hearing focusing on Gov. Pat Quinn’s botched Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. My reporting for that day was then removed inexplicably from the Sun-Times website.
I was told to go on leave, a kind of house arrest that lasted almost a week. It was pure hell. Kirk told me that his bosses were considering taking me away permanently from the political and Springfield beats. He offered up other potential jobs at the paper, all of which I considered demotions. Because of my unexplained absence from my beat, colleagues started calling, asking if I had been suspended. Or fired.
Through all this, I simply wanted to get back to my beat, but the paper wouldn’t let me. And, Carol [Marin] and I were instructed not to contact you [Michael Ferro, Sun-Times Chairman] or [CEO] Tim Knight about the Rauner campaign’s defamatory allegations.
For guidance, I called Patrick Collins, a former federal prosecutor whose name is synonymous with ethics in Illinois. His involvement brought about an abrupt shift in the company’s tone from penalizing me to reinstating me. Ultimately, the company pledged I could return to the job with “no restrictions.”
Yet, on the first day back, I was advised I shouldn’t have a byline on a LeapSource-related story “right out of the gate” even though it was a legitimate follow-up to our initial story. While later relenting and offering me a contributing byline after I protested, the newspaper had failed an important test: It was not permitting me to do my job the way I had been doing it for almost two decades.
Was all this retaliation for breaking an important news story that had the blessing of the paper’s editor and publisher, the company’s lawyer and our NBC5 partners?
Does part of the answer lie in what Kirk told me – that you couldn’t understand why the LeapSource story was even in the paper?
Days later, the newspaper reversed its three-year, no-endorsement policy and unequivocally embraced the very campaign that had unleashed what Sun-Times management had declared a defamatory attack on me.
Readers of the Sun-Times need to be able to trust the paper. They need to know a wall exists between owners and the newsroom to preserve the integrity of what is published. A breach in that wall exists at the Sun-Times.
It’s had a chilling effect in the newsroom. While I don’t speak for my colleagues, I’m aware that many share my concern. I’m convinced this newspaper no longer has the backs of reporters like me.
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Another one pops
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday, we discussed three opposition research reports on Bruce Rauner. The lindane story finally popped late last night, and now the baby medicine story is in Crain’s…
The story is about how GTCR LLC, the private-equity firm that Mr. Rauner headed before he got in the gubernatorial contest — he’s the “R” in the name — increased thirteenfold the price of a medication used for premature infants with a heart defect. The huge hike, to nearly $1,500 from $77.77 for a three-vial treatment, came two days after GTCR gained rights over one of the few competing products. […]
“By acquiring its only competitor in the treatment of a serious heart condition affecting premature babies, Ovation has been able to charge dramatically higher prices for its drugs,” Acting FTC Bureau of Competition Director David P. Wales said in announcing the action. “While Ovation is profiting from its illegal acquisition, hospitals and ultimately consumers and American taxpayers are forced to pay millions of dollars a year more for these life-saving medications. The action taken today is intended to restore the lost competition and require Ovation to give up its unlawful profits.”
The FTC lost the case before Judge Ericksen. And it lost an appeal. In effect, Judge Ericksen ruled the two drugs weren’t competing against each other because physicians testified that the effectiveness of each drug, not its price, is what determined usage. And since the two did not share a market, there was no monopoly and no monopoly violation. […]
No, I don’t think Bruce Rauner hates old people, beats up women and wants sick babies to die, as Mr. Quinn’s ads suggest. But does his bottom-line fixation on making money leave enough room to care about those things? It’s a fair question to ask.
* Interestingly enough, commenters seemed in agreement that the other story, about workplace violence, strip clubs and the profit motive über alles, was by far the most interesting and outrageous to them…
I read the second link first also, and thought “Oh my God!” This sort of stuff is the death knell for a candidate if enough people find out about it.
And…
Rubbing toxic ooze in kids’ hair is bad. Republicans can see past it though.
But GOP voters are generally unaccepting of candidates who condone - nay, applaud - using the company account to visit strip clubs.
So, maybe that one’ll see the light of day, too.
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Reality vs. reporting
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For one reason or another, some members of the media have been reporting that Vice President Joe Biden would be campaigning with Gov. Pat Quinn today in the 10th Congressional District.
But Brad Schneider’s campaign has been saying that Paul Vallas, not Gov. Quinn, would be the one attending the rally ever since at least October 13th, when I received this notice…
Vice President Joe Biden will headline an early vote rally in Illinois’s Tenth Congressional District for U.S. Congressman Brad Schneider, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Illinois Lt. Governor Candidate Paul Vallas on Wednesday, October 22.
I have several more announcements with pretty much the exact same language in my in-box. Quinn wasn’t ever on the official schedule.
* But the Illinois Republican Party chose today to go with the reporting rather than the facts…
For the last week, Chicago media has been reporting that Vice President Joe Biden was coming to Chicago to campaign for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, both facing tough re-election battles. Here’s how WGN News reported it on Monday:
Democrats are sending in heavy hitters to bolster Quinn’s campaign, with President Obama in town Sunday and Monday, former President Bill Clinton here on Tuesday and Vice President Joe Biden in Chicago on Wednesday.
As recently as last night, ABC Chicago was still reporting Vice President Biden was coming to rescue Pat Quinn. And then this morning, the news broke – Pat Quinn is NOT attending!!
That’s right, Gov. Quinn is not attending a rally that was originally billed as part of the Quinn campaign’s rescue effort. Instead, Biden will only stump with one of his rubber stamps in Congress – Brad Schneider.
And we know why. Pat Quinn is VERY UNPOPULAR in the 10th Congressional District. And with Quinn pushing for an income tax increase right after the election, Brad Schneider wants Pat Quinn to stay as far away as possible.
* The NRCC sent out a statement today entitled, and I kid you not, “does Pat Quinn have cooties?”…
Brad Schneider sure thinks Pat Quinn does. Why else would the governor now suddenly be missing the Veep’s visit to Chicago today?
It was originally reported by WGN that Quinn would also be at the rally with Schneider and Biden, but now it’s being reported that Quinn’s not coming.
Could it be that Schneider is in the fight of his life and doesn’t want to be seen with the toxic gov? Or that Schneider doesn’t want to explain if he supports Quinn’s income tax increase?
Hey, considering polls taken for both myself and Congressman Schneider showing Quinn getting stomped in that district, I wouldn’t want the governor anywhere near me, either. That part is a fair hit.
But Quinn wasn’t a late cancel.
* And speaking of Paul Vallas, the Rauner campaign lobbed this one over the transom today…
Caption?
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New anti-Rauner theme: “Wolf of Winnetka”
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I think this is the third time the Quinn campaign has pushed this theme today…
Bruce Rauner: “The Wolf of Winnetka”
Pattern of Layoffs, Outsourcing and Putting Profits Ahead of People - No Wonder He Can’t Name a Single Company That Created Jobs
On the heels of Monday’s debate when Bruce Rauner couldn’t name a single one of his businesses that has created jobs, Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez and other labor leaders joined Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor Paul Vallas to highlight Rauner’s real business record of laying off workers and eliminating jobs and voice opposition to his plan to hurt workers by enacting right-to-work-for-less zones.
When asked on two separate occasions during ABC7’s gubernatorial debate, Rauner could not name a single business he ran that created jobs. Not one.
“Bruce Rauner didn’t dodge this simple question because he didn’t know,” said Vallas. “He didn’t answer the question because creating jobs is not what he does - eliminating jobs and lowering wages are his real business philosophy. That’s how Rauner did business - he laid off workers and outsourced jobs. Those are not the sort of business skills that belong in the Governor’s Office.”
Furthermore, in the debate Rauner tried to cover up his well-documented (and showcased on his website) plan to strip workers of protections and force right-to-work-for-less zones across Illinois, something that did not go unnoticed by Illinois’ labor community.
“In 13 days, we will have to make a fundamental choice,” said Ramirez. “Do we want to elect an out-of-touch billionaire who is trying to buy his way into the governor’s mansion and dismantle the middle class? Or do we want to elect a Governor who over the last six years has fought to create jobs in Illinois, with Illinois leading the country in job creation in September. We need to move forward in a direction that will rebuild our middle class and protect basic rights like a living wage, health care and the right to join a union.”
* And they debuted the first in a series of YouTube videos…
Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner is the “Wolf of Winnetka,” a new Web video series debuting today. Illinois has never seen a candidate as out of touch as the Wolf of Winnetka and now he’s aiming for his next corporate takeover: the Governor’s Mansion.
Watch the first trailer - focusing on Rauner’s job-eliminating record
* Here it is…
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Redefining Bobby
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
Most Republican candidates expect the usual pro-abortion, “coat hanger” ads to hit their constituents’ mailboxes as Democrat groups attempt to confuse voters by gining up baseless fear just prior to an election.
However, Democrat Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and the Illinois Democrat Party may have sunk to a new low in putting out a mailer accusing her opponent - former Congressman Bobby Schilling - of trying to redefine rape.
Shocked by the audacity of Bustos and the Dems, and angry about the deliberate deceit, Schilling spokesman Jon Schweppe told Illinois Review the mailer is “completely false.”
“The bill in question about ‘redefining rape’ was H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” said Schweppe. “Bobby co-sponsored this bill and voted for it when it passed the House. It contained exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and when the mother’s life was at risk. It had nothing to do with rape. To say so is shamelessly misleading and false.”
Actually, to say so is true.
* From March of 2011…
Last month, House Republicans proposed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act that would redefine rape so that women on Medicaid could only have abortion services covered if the rape was “forcible.” It would also deny abortion coverage to victims of incest who are 18 years of ago or older. Not surprisingly, people were outraged at the proposal and for weeks talk of the redefinition provision dominated discussions of the new Republicans’ anti-abortion agenda in the political blogs and the social media universe.
That was one bizarre DC fight over some creepy far-right conspiracy theories about women faking rape reports in order to get Medicaid coverage. The kooky language was eventually withdrawn, but it did, indeed, attempt to “redefine rape.”
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Pat and Bruce
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg hilariously bites the hand that feeds him…
When it comes to a high office such as governor, however, I assume most readers don’t need a newspaper to tell them what their guts tell them. I assume you either are already a supporter — and I’ll try to be impartial here — of good old Gov. Pat Quinn, the homespun Democrat whom everybody knows and loves, working like a plough horse trying to correct the problems left behind by the jail-bound Rod Blagojevich, and, before him, the jail-bound George Ryan.
Or you back Bruce Rauner, the Republican multimillionaire who popped steaming from the C. Montgomery Burns mold, bursting onto the scene like a party guest flinging his cape at a cringing footman, demanding the governorship be given him right now, as his birthright, a kind of droit de seigneur.
Darn, I’ve blown this whole balance bit, haven’t I? No big mystery as to why. I’ve had many encounters with Quinn over the years, conversations and coffees and discussions about important issues facing Illinois. He struck me as decent, hardworking, moral — he signed the gay marriage law that Rauner said he would veto, despite Quinn being Catholic and enduring threats of excommunication from a church now scrambling to catch up with him. Two years ago I invited Quinn to a party; he came, and said some kind words.
I couldn’t invite Rauner two years ago because he wasn’t in the public eye. A late life conversion to the joy of public service, apparently. I’ve met the guy a few times, tried to initiate conversation, but it was as if the valet had tried to chat up a Rolls Royce owner while being tossed the keys. Rauner looked at me as if I were a bug.
Yikes.
* I’ve had drinks with both men. The governor and I whiled away part of an afternoon in 2008, back when he was the lieutenant governor and didn’t have much else to do. I moderated a forum on the proposed constitutional convention at a North Side tavern and he was the panelist arguing in favor (Doug Whitley of the Illinois Chamber argued the other side). He stuck around after the crowd left and we bellied up to the bar.
He was human, he was funny, he was warm and modest and he was very bright. It was all off the record, so I can’t go into more, but I very much enjoyed our conversation over a couple-tree adult beverages.
* A few months ago, Bruce Rauner took time off from campaigning to spend a few hours with me - no staff, just the two of us - on a mutual friend’s front porch. He was fine as long as we didn’t get anywhere near his talking points. Whenever that happened, you could see him stiffen up and go into bot mode.
Other than that oddity, it was some of the most fun I had all summer. We swapped stories about our lives and made each other laugh for hours. He was brutally frank and open about every question I had (other than those darned talking points). Like with Quinn, the conversation was all off the record, but my takeaway was that he was a well-raised, extremely likeable, unusually self-disciplined (even after a few beers) yet quite nuanced man who believed with all his heart that he was on the mission of his life.
* These two guys aren’t cartoon characters. One isn’t evil and one isn’t wearing a white hat. Like all human beings, both men have their flaws. But they also have many, many redeeming qualities. Sometimes, it’s helpful to remember that.
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The lindane file
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Late yesterday afternoon, I posted a few pieces of opposition research on Bruce Rauner. The Rauner campaign sent over a memo last night about one of those stories, regarding a formerly GTCR-owned firm which marketed an anti-lice shampoo containing the pesticide lindane. You can read that Rauner campaign memo defending lindane by clicking here.
Lindane is powerful stuff. The EPA has banned its use as a pesticide. You can’t put it on your horse, but the FDA allows it to be used on your kid. It’s a second-line defense, meaning it’s only supposed to be used if traditional treatments fail. But it’s so toxic that it’s not supposed to be re-applied.
* Anyway, late last night, the lindane story finally popped loose in the Sun-Times…
Dr. Jonathan Fliegel thought he was well within his rights when he joined other members of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Michigan chapter at their state capitol a few years ago to urge lawmakers to impose restrictions on the use of a chemical called lindane.
He never imagined his activism as a citizen and physician in Michigan would result in getting sued in a federal case in Chicago.
The plaintiff in the 2006 civil lawsuit against Fliegel was an Illinois company called Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals Inc. It alleged that Fliegel, another pediatrician and environmentalists in that state had “negatively impacted” its business when they made statements about lindane.
The reason the case should interest you now is that Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals was owned at that time by the Chicago private-equity firm GTCR. And, as all but the most casual observers of Illinois politics know well by now, the “R” in GTCR stands for the firm’s founder and then-chairman Bruce Rauner, the Republican nominee for governor of Illinois in next month’s election.
Go read the whole thing.
I’ve been hearing rumors about this story for months.
* From the oppo file…
Morton Grove hired lobbyists to defeat lindane ban efforts in four states, including Illinois. In the spring and summer of 2005, MGP hired two lobbying firms – Winston & Strawn and Nicolay & Dart – to defeat a bill to ban the toxic lice shampoo, lindane. The lindane ban had sailed through the Illinois House with near unanimous support, but then MGP hired the high powered lobbyists and was able to kill the ban in the Senate.
The bill never made it out of committee in the Senate. Rauner’s firm sold the company in 2007 after profits dropped.
I’m told there’s more on this story, so perhaps you should stay tuned.
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US judge orders hiring monitor at IDOT
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Uh-oh…
* Bruce Rauner’s campaign was quick with a response…
Bruce Rauner, who for months has called on Gov. Pat Quinn to allow a federal hiring monitor at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), today issued the following statement after a federal judge confirmed that Pat Quinn cannot be trusted:
“A federal judge just confirmed what we’ve known all along – Pat Quinn is corrupt and cannot be trusted to clean up state government. Pat Quinn is a phony reformer and a federal judge just confirmed it. I applaud today’s decision and commit that my administration will work closely with the federal hiring monitor to root out Pat Quinn’s patronage and corruption.”
55 Comments
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Underdog endorsements
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times has been tallying up newspaper endorsements this month. So far, Gov. Pat Quinn hasn’t received any, but a couple of underdogs have managed to score one each.
The Peoria Journal Star endorsed Sheila Simon for comptroller…
We have no particular bone to pick with Topinka, and the polls have her far ahead. That said, Simon has solid credentials as a reformer in a state that desperately needs reform, butting heads with her own party over redistricting, legislative leader term limits, lawmaker economic disclosures, etc. The Simon family has a deserved reputation for being an incorruptible lot; if any of that is going to rub off on the Illinois version of the Democratic Party and the state government it now dominates, we’re convinced it must come from within.
She may be a long shot here, but Sheila Simon is endorsed.
* And the Northwest Herald endorsed Jim Oberweis for US Senate…
Oberweis seems thirsty to make the tough decisions when it comes to significantly cutting spending and bringing down the deficit. He is endorsed.
* Meanwhile, speaking of Oberweis…
U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis raised relatively little campaign money in the last reporting period, digging into his own wallet for a $550,000 donation to bump up his total, reports show.
Oberweis, in the period ending Sept. 30, had $738,410 in net contributions, including his own more than half-million-dollar donation.
That means he garnered only $188,410 in contributions from other individuals and political action committees. […]
The total of gifts and loans to his campaign treasury stood at $1,556,400 on Sept. 30. He has already loaned and contributed $9 million in his five previous failed bids for major office, according to state and federal records.
That’s one expensive hobby.
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Good morning!
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A legislator texted me last night asking if I’d post “Free Bird” some morning. No way, I said. I was in a band that played that song in high school. I’ve heard it about a billion times. I used to love it when I was a kid, but I just can’t listen to it anymore. It’s just so tired, so ridiculously overplayed, so… ugh. And my friends and I have long viciously mocked drunken tourists who inappropriately scream requests at Tom Irwin for their own favorite silly cover songs by shouting “Free Bird!!!” at them. Tom eventually wrote a tune called “Ain’t No Jukebox” in reply.
I looked around online for quite awhile (these morning music posts are taking up a huge amount of my time, by the way) and couldn’t find anything close to a fresh, vibrant cover, so I decided to post a killer acoustic tune by a direct descendant of Skynyrd’s red-hot southern insanity. Here’s Blackberry Smoke…
Well, my fall from grace was a sight to see
Good turned to bad and bad turned to misery
I found out what it is and what it’s not
And all I ask for sure ain’t what I got
Well I’ve been rained on, rode hard and put up wet
Danced with the devil ’til I’m in debt
Took all I got and there ain’t much left of me
I’ve been knocked down, drug out and left for dead
Barely held together by a few old threads
Hey, I’m still here, but there ain’t much left to see
Well I’m still holding on and there ain’t much left of me
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