We’re talking about a month here, people
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tuesday’s Tribune…
The director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources testified Tuesday that if state legislators do not act to set rules governing horizontal hydraulic fracturing the agency will not issue fracking permits “absent a court order to the contrary.”
The rules were on the agenda Tuesday of the 12-member Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, but the committee defered action until Nov. 6. The committee has until Nov. 15 to adopt the rules or the process of formulating fracking regulations would start over again.
* Thursday’s Tribune…
On Wednesday, [Amy Pollard, who leased land to oil drillers two years ago] and a dozen other landowners filed suit against [DNR Director Miller] and Gov. Pat Quinn in Wayne County circuit court, claiming the state’s delay in issuing fracking permits is akin to an illegal land grab. […]
The legal argument being used is called “inverse condemnation.” It’s the idea that regulation of a property’s use has gone “too far,” depriving the owner of a property’s value or utility. The precedent for such an argument was established in a 1922 U.S. Supreme Court Case called Pennsylvania Coal Co. versus Mahon.
Taylor said that because the state won’t issue permits for fracking, which is not illegal in the state, landowners have lost the right to sell that land for other purposes.
Pollard, of Wayne County, said she is concerned her four-year lease will expire before oil and gas drilling can begin. She owns a title searching firm whose business quadrupled three years ago when landmen from 10 companies descended on the area.
Oh, please. The law says the rules have to be finalized by November 15th. It’s been clear all along.
* Ann Alexander of the NRDC, which favors a fracking moratorium but diligently helped draft the new law, calls them out…
First, there really is not a plausible option of DNR issuing permits before the rulemaking is completed. Sorry, there just isn’t. The reason we have rules is to define how the statute will be implemented in practice. Without them, everyone is pretty much flying by the seat of their pants on some pretty critical questions that DNR was specifically told to write rules about. Things like how to address earthquakes caused by underground waste disposal, how public hearings are going to be run, how permit modifications will be governed, how to get information about chemicals to doctors in an emergency, and how enforcement will go down if drillers violate the rules. While we can understand why industry would prefer that such things remain murky and undefined, it’s not acceptable to the rest of us, and not consistent with the statutory directive to define essential procedures via rulemaking. Industry may be having trouble letting go of its fond memories of the old Oil & Gas Act and the minimally regulated fracking free-for-all it allowed prior to the 2013 statute, but that train has left the station.
Second, getting JCAR to prohibit the rules will not make the statute go away. It will simply delay its implementation. Of course, as far as we’re concerned, delaying the start of fracking is a fine idea in principle – calling a halt to the state’s ill thought out fracking gold rush is, in the larger sense, exactly what we should be doing. However, we’re also aware that sending DNR back to the drawing board to go through the entire rulemaking process over again, so it can reach a more or less similar result, is not a particularly sensible way to achieve that larger end. By the same token, if industry is assuming it will get a result substantially more to its liking the second time around, it may be deluding itself. For all their rhetoric about the revised draft rules being inconsistent with the statute, the truth is pretty much the opposite. As we explained to JCAR in a set of supplemental comments, DNR’s revisions actually fixed a number of first draft provisions that badly undercut the statute’s public protections. We have every reason to expect that if DNR ends up having to try again, it will continue to do its job and put forth rules that support rather than undermine the law.
And finally, if we’re wrong, and if a post-election DNR were to fold its cards on a second go-round and issue a set of rules that satisfies industry but not the statute’s requirements, citizens are not without recourse. If a future iteration of the rules is incompatible with the statute, citizens can ask JCAR to address the problem. And if worst comes to worst, they will have the option to take legal action. While we would rather than no fracking be happening at all, we will do what’s necessary to ensure that what does happen is governed by the set of stringent rules that the statute requires.
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“But at least I ain’t him”
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mick Dumke pretty much nails it…
When Quinn was first sworn in, his mission was clear: make sure everyone understood that he wasn’t Rod Blagojevich. He succeeded, even if he did it by being seen as boring when he was seen at all.
A year later, logic dictated that the governor’s office was there for the taking for the GOP. But then conservative state senator Bill Brady won the Republican nomination, and Quinn was happy to point out that, at the very least, he wasn’t the guy who wanted to restrict abortion rights.
When Texas governor Rick Perry came to Illinois last year to try to lure away businesses, he ended up helping Quinn by reminding many voters—especially those leaning Democratic—that the political leadership here could be much worse. Quinn still loves to bring up Perry. During his stop at Uber, he claimed that job creation in Illinois had surpassed that in Texas. “Someone ought to call Rick Perry,” he said. He also offered up a favorite zinger about the time he had to spend six days with Perry on a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. “It was the harshest punishment known to man.”
Now Quinn is able to campaign as the candidate who’s not Bruce Rauner. He and his allies have keyed in on Rauner’s vast wealth, stressing that Quinn isn’t the kind of guy who owns multiple homes and belongs to a $100,000-a-year wine club.
Go read the whole thing.
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Perhaps the best DCCC ad I’ve seen in a while
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I am usually no fan of DCCC TV ads. But this one I kinda like…
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching its first television ad in Illinois’ 10th Congressional District, highlighting how former Congressman Bob Dold is just a reliable Republican who is standing with Republicans who want to raise the retirement age, privatize Social Security and who has opposed a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, even restricting access to birth control and defunding Planned Parenthood. The ad starts today.
* It’s not the message so much as the style. It jumps right at you…
As a commenter noted this week, it looks like an ad for a new truck.
* Script…
For Republican reliability, take a look at the 2014 Bob Dold.
With features that include lockstep voting with Republicans, the Tea Party counts on Bob Dold.
Fully loaded with Republican ideas – like raising the retirement age, and privatizing Social Security.
Bob Dold puts the brakes on women’s choice, voting ten times with Republicans against women’s health, restricting access to birth control, defunding Planned Parenthood.
Typical, reliable Republican. That’s the 2014 Bob Dold.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.
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Even-Steven
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Republican Bruce Rauner’s campaign spent $20.3 million in the months from July through September, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. During the same period, he took in $20.5 million in contributions, including a $1.5 million check he wrote to himself last week. […]
During that same period, Gov. Pat Quinn spent the smaller – but still hefty – sum of $15.2 million, state records show. Unlike Rauner, Quinn spent more than he took in, raising just $8.2 million, the records show. That leaves Quinn with $4.7 million in the bank as the race heads into the home stretch – $1 million more than Rauner has banked.
That’s a bit misleading for two reasons. First, Rauner has given millions to the state GOP to help fund legislative races, which could help him locally, but wasn’t spent directly on himself. Secondly, the union-backed Illinois Freedom PAC reported spending $3.7 million on Quinn’s behalf in the third quarter. And that doesn’t count all the statewide referendum spending.
Again, if Rauner loses this race, his failure to bury Quinn by fully opening up his checkbook after the primary will be a big reason that I’ll point to. If he wins, he was frugally smart. If not, he was just plain dumb.
* We’ll get to the treasurer’s race in a bit, but check this out…
In the comptroller’s race, Democrat Sheila Simon brought in $154,000 and spent $558,000, leaving $105,000 in her checkbook.
Her opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, outraised Simon, taking in $248,000. She spent just a fraction of what Simon did, reporting a modest $69,000 in expenses. Topinka’s campaign fund balance of $1.4 million also dwarfed Simon’s $105,000.
That is one huge burn-rate by Simon, and one empty campaign kitty going into the final stretch, although she’s reported raising about $35K since the end of September.
…Adding… Ah, I see now. Simon prepaid for about $441K worth of October advertising. Not as bad as I thought.
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Is this really a scandal?
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Executives of a nursing home chain owned by Bruce Rauner’s investment firm made banned campaign contributions to Ohio lawmakers in 2003 and then improperly billed Medicaid for reimbursement of the donations, according to court records in the company’s ongoing federal bankruptcy case.
Company officials self-reported the actions to authorities more than a year after they became aware of the $48,500 in potentially illegal donations, according to a letter from lawyers for the nursing home chain known as Trans Healthcare. […]
The mishandling of the donations and Medicaid reimbursement eventually led to an $800 fine from Ohio election authorities and a $137,454 settlement with federal Medicaid regulators.
Details of the Ohio troubles, tucked inside the huge bankruptcy file, add to questions about what involvement Rauner had in oversight of the nursing home chain, which he helped launch as the head of Chicago-based equity firm GTCR. Those questions have become a matter of public debate because Rauner, the first-time Republican candidate for governor, is basing his bid to oust Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn on the strength of his business resume.
* The key here is “self reported.” Doug Ibendahl had the deets on this way back in February, when an amended complaint was filed in Florida against Rauner’s former nursing home chain. Ibendahl highlighted excerpts from the complaint and here’s some of what he pointed out…
¶ 84. Due to the severity of the fraudulent financial statements, THI terminated its former CFO, Jeffrey Barnhill. His subsequent litigation with THI revealed that Barnhill was involved in illegal campaign contributions on behalf of THI and its owners.
¶ 85. Barnhill was reimbursed for a $49,500 contribution as a non-salary and non-taxable event he made in 2003, for which THI then sought reimbursement from Ohio Medicaid. […]
¶ 88. In an effort to gain distance from the illegal contribution scheme, after Barnhill revealed the illegal scheme in a federal court pleading, THI and GECC utilized a law firm, the Mintz Law Firm, to be involved in “self-reporting” the Medicaid part of the crime to the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Office of the Inspector General, to seek forgiveness.
¶ 89. The Office of the Inspector General imposed a fine of $137,000.
¶ 90. THI was also advised to report the illegal contributions to the Ohio Election Commission, which issued an $800 fine.
So, they found out that their CFO was apparently crooked, fired him, got sued, discovered the campaign contributions billed to Medicaid, reported the violations and paid the fines.
Am I missing something here?
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Do my eyes deceive me?
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times announced years ago that it wouldn’t be endorsing any more candidates. Then came today’s editorial…
If Pat Quinn is re-elected, Illinois can expect a continued slow ascent… The danger — the real and formidable danger — is that recovery at this speed, such as it is, won’t come soon enough to save our state from ultimate and permanent economic decline. Not for nothing does Illinois have the second-highest out-migration — folks picking up and leaving — of all 50 states.
There are drawbacks to Rauner’s proposed remedies as well. His budget numbers, to begin with, don’t completely add up. But Rauner, a private equity investor by nature and politician by choice, does seem to understand down to his toes that time is up — big things have to happen fast or Illinois will become a backwater state, so economically far behind it can never recover. Illinois is desperate for big change, not cautious steps.
Rauner wants to roll back the income tax, though wisely he plans to do it over four years. And, if you read between the lines in his “jobs and growth agenda,” he is committed to rolling back the income tax fully only if other reforms take place first.
And concludes…
For every voter in Illinois, the question becomes which candidate understands that best and has the skills — both the business acumen and the political savvy — to get the job done.
While there’s still time.
That sure looks like an endorsement to me.
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* Public Policy Polling has released a new Illinois survey taken October 10-12 of 812 likely voters. Let’s take a look…
* Do you support or oppose raising Illinois’ minimum wage from $8.25 per hour to $10.00 per hour?
Support 61%
Oppose 33%
Not sure 6%
* Bruce Rauner once favored eliminating Illinois’ minimum wage entirely. Does this make you more likely to support him, less likely, or does it not make a difference?
More likely 17%
Less likely 47%
Doesn’t make a difference 35%
Not sure 2%
* Do you think you could support your family on a minimum-wage salary, which comes out to about $1,430 per month, or $17,160 per year, or not?
Think you could 15%
Think you could not 74%
Not sure 10%
* Which of the following comes closest to your view? ‘I think the best way to create an economy that works for everyone is by cutting taxes and regulations on big businesses and the wealthy,’ or ‘I think the best way to create an economy that works for everyone is by paying fair wages and investing in American workers’?
Cutting taxes and regulations on big businesses and the wealthy 29%
Paying fair wages and investing in American workers 61%
Not sure 11%
* The intensity among women is pretty strong…
* Independents appear to like the idea…
* Lately, I’ve been seeing some polls that show Latinos are a bit more conservative and GOP than we might expect. Check out these results…
Go read the whole thing and discuss.
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Rate Quinn’s new ads
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The first ad we’ll discuss today is currently running on broadcast TV. From the Quinn campaign…
Governor Pat Quinn’s commitment to fighting against gun violence and standing up for victims and their families is highlighted in a new TV ad released today by his campaign.
The ad comes on the day which Governor Quinn was honored for his strong leadership in supporting gun safety, and a day after a debate in which his opponent Bruce Rauner again refused to support a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
In the new 30-second ad, the parents of sons and daughters who were killed by gun violence tell their stories and outline why they stand with Governor Quinn: “He listened,” explained Pam Bosley, who lost her son Terrell to gun violence in 2006.
“He’s there because he cares,” said Annette Holt, who lost her son Blair to gun violence in 2007. “He does have Illinois in his heart.”
* The ad…
* Script…
Tonya Burch: He was just accepted into the Air Force the day that he was murdered.
Pamela Bosley: His goal was to be a famous gospel bass player.
Annette Holt: Blair was the average 16-year-old.
Cleo Pendleton: She LOVED to read.
Nate Pendleton: During our tragedy, everything was a blur. I remember certain people that stood out, and Pat Quinn was one of them.
Pamela Bosley: There’s a lot of politicians–when the cameras are gone, they’re gone. But Governor Quinn, he stayed back, he listened.
Annette Holt: He’s there because he cares. I stand with him and I support him because he does have Illinois in his heart.
* This next one is an online ad…
Quinn for Illinois rolled out a new noir account of how Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner built his fortune: “On the misfortune of others.”
The web video, narrated by famed actor Martin Sheen, recounts the scandals that have marked Bruce Rauner’s GTCRauner business dealings, including the massive Lason accounting fraud; Synagro’s Detroit bribery; the outsourcing of Zenta; and the deadly abuse at Trans Healthcare Inc, all which took place under Rauner’s leadership.
The greed-driven Rauner formula - buying up companies, sucking them of their value, laying-off workers and selling those companies before criminal acts, mismanagement and abuse and neglect are revealed - is documented by Sheen in the new video.
The video fades to an image of the Illinois Statehouse as Sheen concludes:
“In the end, Bruce Rauner made a fortune: A fortune on the misfortune of hardworking people. He’s a man who runs over people to get what he wants…. Now he wants something new.”
* The ad…
* Script…
NARRATOR: “Bruce Rauner. He made a fortune on the misfortune of hardworking people. He got his start with Mitt Romney and those Bain boys; after that, he headed west, to the Windy City.
“Bruce Rauner: He’s the R in GTCR, a big-time private equity firm right on the Chicago River. Their model was simple: Use borrowed money to buy out companies, then squeeze profit out of them, and then get out before the bill comes due.
“One company wasn’t enough for Bruce Rauner: he just got that itch, and nothing could stop him. There was Lason: Three executives went to prison for one of the biggest accounting scams since Enron. At Synagro, his boys bribed the mayor of Detroit, and Rauner himself…well, he made out okay. At a company named Zenta, Rauner bragged about shipping American jobs to places like China and India.
“The pattern started to emerge: Patterns with zeroes and dollar signs, patterns where other people suffered, where other people took the hit. And Rauner? He took the money and ran.
“There was Trans Healthcare: That was Rauner’s little empire of nursing homes—it was disturbing, and tragic. The negligence and abuse was so bad there that seniors not only suffered—some died. Rauner took the money and ran from there, too—time and time again, when things went wrong, he let others take the fall.
“In the end, Bruce Rauner made a fortune: A fortune on the misfortune of hardworking people. He’s a man who runs over people to get what he wants…. Now he wants something new.”
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* Bruce Rauner has not stopped repeating his claim that Gov. Pat Quinn has cut education spending by $500 million, even though I wrote recently in Crain’s Chicago Business that his statement was the “most easily disprovable falsehood of this year’s gubernatorial campaign.”
Well, the Civic Federation did its own analysis and came to the same conclusion I did. State education spending has gone up, not down…
General Funds spending on education in FY2010 is shown in budget documents as $7.3 billion. But that number includes $790.8 million in federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Some analysts might deduct that amount to maximize comparability, which would reduce the General Funds figure for FY2010 to $6.5 billion. Based on that calculation, General Funds spending on education increases by $358 million to $6.8 billion in FY2015. Similarly, budget documents in FY2009 show education spending at $7.4 billion, but that amount includes $1.0 billion of stimulus funding. Deducting that amount results in General Funds spending of $6.3 billion in FY2009 and an increase of $522 million to $6.8 billion in FY2015.
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Good morning!
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You just can’t get any better than this. Ella and Pops will wake us up today…
Oh, I wasn’t a bit concerned
For from history I had learned
How many, many times the worm had turned
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Today’s number: 3.3 percent
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I asked Lewis Lazare last night about Channel 2’s ratings, and he ended up doing the legwork today to find out how many people watched the gubernatorial debate…
The hour-long debate notched an average 4.6 Nielsen overnight rating for the hour time slot at 6 p.m. That was good enough for second-place in the time period behind the ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7’s winning combo of its 6 p.m. local newscast., which averaged a 6.8 rating and the syndicated “Wheel of Fortune” game show that averaged an 8.5 overnight rating. One rating point equals 35,000 households in the Chicago market.
* 4.6 times 35,000 equals 161,000 households. Whether everybody in those households watched the debate is another question.
And, in context, there are about 4.8 million households in Illinois. In other words, a mere 3.3 percent of Illinois households had the debate on the tube last night.
* By contrast, 49.1 million households watched the first presidential debate of the 2012 fall campaign, or 42.6 percent of all American households.
This is why I keep telling y’all that you cannot judge a gubernatorial debate like it’s a presidential debate. Few people actually watch gubernatorial debates. The vast majority get all of their info about the debates via news sources, workplace conversations or candidate TV ads.
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Caption contest!
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Illinois Republican Party’s latest mailer is a cartoon. To see it, click here and here.
“Tax Man!” is the premise and the main character is, of course, the governor…
Repurpose this image to your heart’s desire.
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* Illinois Review…
A controversy that erupted in early September over Cook County GOP Chairman Aaron Del Mar appointing a 7th Ward former Democrat as the Ward’s new GOP Committeeman heated up more this week, when Del Mar abruptly stripped Charon Bryson of her new position - a move Bryson is resisting.
Bryson said she was ousted Monday because of dispute between Cook County GOP co-chairman Darnell Macklin and a family member. The family member is Dorian Myrickes, who is the father of Bryson’s children, she said.
Macklin then allegedly threatened Bryson, saying “I will ruin your family,” she claims. Bryson said that when she made that known to the ILGOP and the Cook County GOP, they did nothing.
“I thought I was appointed to change the mindset of African-American voters in the ward because of my community involvement and dedication to my ward,” Bryson told Ilinois Review. “In turn, they removed Dorian Myrickes and Nicholas Myrickes from early voting judges and removed me from the 7th ward committeeman.”
* Chairman Del Mar explained to IR that Bryson was removed because she attempted to appoint Democrats to Republican election judge slots. “That is simply unacceptable,” Del Mar said.
But, wait, there were just 196 Republican ballots requested in the entire 7th Ward this past primary. That’s not exactly a huge pool to choose from, compared to the 5,536 Democratic ballots. There are 46 precincts in the 7th Ward and many of them saw just 1, 2 or 3 GOP ballots cast.
So, it would seem to me that if the county GOP was interested in expanding the party, they’d naturally have to accept local converts from the Democratic side, including very recent converts.
* Either they’re complete goofballs or something else happened. I’m not gonna speculate, but a black woman claiming that a party official threatened to “ruin” her family just days after the big blowup over Rauner’s alleged threat to “hurt you and your family” if a former employee filed a lawsuit, the unruly mob at the debate last night and the story about the armed private detective allegedly intimidating Libertarian petition passers all add up to a possible real problem here.
…Adding… And speaking of LeapSource…
Quinn for Illinois Statement Regarding Bruce Rauner’s Deception About Threatening a Woman
No More Hiding: Release Your Deposition, Mr. Rauner
CHICAGO - Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner made a stunning and false statement last night in explaining the threats he made - according to sworn testimony by witnesses under oath - against a woman executive at one of his companies who he fired after she wouldn’t lay off enough workers at his company. Communications Director Brooke Anderson responded with the below statement and a fact-check on Rauner’s false claims:
“Bruce Rauner deceived voters last night - period.
“Mr. Rauner said this was a frivolous lawsuit, when in fact he settled the lawsuit for more than $500,000. He implied the allegations of his threatening this woman were dismissed when in fact the judge did not address those threats and rather confirmed that Rauner played hardball every step of the way. He called the accusations false - yet he ordered his own deposition in the case to be sealed in court and hidden away from public view.
“Mr. Rauner’s deception last night about this serious case of alleged wrongdoing makes it even more urgent that his deposition be immediately released to the people of Illinois.
“The issue of how Bruce Rauner treated a female executive is too important to be swept under the rug. Release the deposition, Mr. Rauner.”
Rauner’s False Claims - and the Facts He Hid
Last night, Bruce Rauner said, “Let me be clear, you are running an ad about a false accusation, a frivolous lawsuit that was thrown out in court by a judge who dismissed it on summary judgment.” Let’s take it one by one.
Rauner Claim: “False accusation”
Fact: Witnesses testified under sworn oath in a court of law that Rauner made these threats. Is Mr. Rauner saying that these witnesses perjured themselves?
Rauner Claim: “Frivolous lawsuit”
Fact: Bruce Rauner settled this lawsuit for half a million dollars and went to great lengths to put his own deposition under seal. If the claims are so frivolous why did he pay half a million dollars to make them go away, and why did he seal the deposition?
Rauner Claim: “Dismissed it on summary judgment”
Fact: The judge never ruled on the threats made to the woman executive by Rauner. Indeed, the judge said that Rauner played “hardball” with the woman executive every step of the way. Parts of the lawsuit that were dismissed were done so based on legal technicalities.
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Rate Rauner’s new radio ad
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some commenters mentioned a new Bruce Rauner radio ad, so I asked the campaign for a copy. Here’s “Throw Me Out”..
* Script…
NARRATOR: What is Pat Quinn promising Illinois the day after the election? Another massive tax hike, this year. Here’s what Quinn said when the media asked him about his plan to raise income taxes on every Illinois family.
QUINN: It’s gonna happen in 2014, in November and December.
NARRATOR: Pat Quinn broke his promise and raised taxes before. This time he’s not even bothering to lie about it.
QUINN: It’s gonna happen in 2014, in November and December.
NARRATOR: Quinn’s tax hike would raise income taxes on every working man and women in Illinois. Every single one.
QUINN: It’s gonna happen in 2014, in November and December.
NARRATOR: After 100 years of failure, Pat Quinn wants four more years? And even more tax hikes this year.
RAUNER: Here’s the deal. Give me a shot to deliver more jobs and lower taxes, and if we don’t get it done, throw me out in four years.
NARRATOR 2: Bruce Rauner, shake up Springfield, bring back Illinois. Paid for by Citizens for Rauner, Inc.
…Adding… My own thought is that if you’re upset about the income tax hike, you’re not voting for Quinn anyway. I’m not sure how many new voters this brings to the fold, but, hey, I could be wrong. Your own take?
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“The black vote”
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ABC 7…
In a debate at the DuSable Museum of African American history, candidates for governor vied for the black vote that Republicans are not conceding this year.
“Governor Quinn, in my opinion, is taking the African American vote for granted,” said Rauner.
Rauner told the majority African American audience and panel that blacks had not fared well under incumbent Pat Quinn’s leadership.
“Brutally high unemployment, deteriorating schools, lack of a proper social services,” said Rauner.
I’m not sure how you can accuse Quinn of using an anti-violence program to buy black votes four years ago and still say he takes the black vote for granted. Should he do another NRI or something?
* Tribune…
[Rauner said] the Democratic governor “could have and should have” made Stephanie Neely, the black city treasurer of Chicago, his running mate but threw her “off his ticket” in favor of former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas.
“African-American families are suffering in Illinois — brutally high unemployment, deteriorating schools, lack of proper social services and rampant cronyism and corruption that’s taking away job opportunities from African Americans,” Rauner said.
The Neely snub definitely upset some members of Chicago’s African-American elite, so that was a good line for Rauner that’ll play well with a small group of folks. I wonder how Neely feels about Quinn and/or Rauner today?
* AP…
Quinn was asked how he’d help build trust among minorities with law enforcement.
He noted his record of trying to clear the clemency backlog of more than 2,500 cases that built up under his predecessor, saying he’s considered cases “based on justice and mercy.”
“That is part of helping ex-offenders who have made mistakes, who have served their time, get a fresh start,” he said.
But Rauner said Quinn has failed on crime, public safety and the prison system, saying the best way to reduce crime is to grow the economy to create jobs.
“We have crime because we have a lack of opportunity,” he said.
Neither candidate actually answered that question, and it’s a very important one in the community.
* But, speaking of “creating jobs,” Mary Ann Ahern reported that some participants in a loud and rowdy protest outside the governor’s debate admitted to being paid to attend. That was confirmed by Natasha Korecki…
Ward is pretty well known in some South Side circles as an agitator.
Ward didn’t say who was paying him, but said it wasn’t the Rauner campaign, even though he had a bus to take them away…
I’m told by one reporter who was there that it appeared Rauner’s people asked the protesters to stop and they complied.
* Meanwhile, Rauner’s campaign is blanketing the interwebtubes with some new YouTube videos of prominent African-American supporters. I’m seeing these ads almost everywhere I navigate today. The full list is here, but let’s just watch a couple of them. Pastor Corey Brooks…
* Rev. James Meeks…
* President Obama will appear with Gov. Quinn this weekend on the South Side. And he had this event scheduled for today…
As part of his Birth to Five Initiative, Governor Pat Quinn will announce an investment in early childhood education in one of Illinois’ most underserved communities.
WHEN: 11 a.m.
WHERE: Gads Hill Child Development Center
2nd Floor
2653 W. Ogden Ave.
Chicago, 60608
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Some riveting TV
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For me, anyway, the best part of last night’s debate was near the end, when the two candidates were allowed to ask each other questions…
“On the 27th of February of 2001, Mr. Rauner, you fired a woman executive at your firm for not laying off enough workers, and you threatened her. You said you would bury her. You said you would bankrupt her and her family. You said you would hurt her and her family,” as Quinn asked the question, Rauner shook his head, smiling.
“Why did you say that Mr. Rauner? It’s never right to threaten anyone.”
The crowd laughed a bit in reaction to Quinn’s last comment, teeing up Rauner to unleash a visceral attack at Quinn.
“Gov. Quinn, this is more of the baloney you throw out continuously. I can’t keep up with the lies that you spin.
“Let me be clear, you are running an ad about a false accusation, a frivolous lawsuit that was thrown out in court by a judge who dismissed it on summary judgment,” Rauner retorted.
“You are taking an accusation and spinning it into an ad because you can’t run on the truth. The truth is, you’re the worst governor in America. You are failing the people of Illinois … You can’t run on your record, you’ve got to make up lies about me in order to win.”
Rauner shouldn’t have laughed when Quinn asked the question, but he sure as heck did fire back with both barrels.
* A “body language expert” opined to Fox 32 that Quinn “looked like a beaten dog”…
WFLD, Chicago’s Fox affiliate, spoke with a body language expert who said Quinn’s appearance, especially in the last two minutes, was “pretty bad.”
“It was as bad as I’ve ever seen anyone get beaten up in a debate,” said Perry Myers, president of MSI Detective Services. […]
“You’ve failed in every regard,” Rauner said in the final minutes of the debate. “You can’t run on your record-you have to make up lies about me.”
Myers noted the Rauner was “much more confident” than Quinn, who could not look the Republican candidate in the eye. “[Quinn] was shaking with every word,” Myers added.
Watch…
It’s my own view that Quinn really doesn’t like direct, face-to-face conflict, so that may be why he seemed so timid about asking the question. There have been times in the past when he’s been so angry at me over something that he wouldn’t even look at me when I asked him questions during press conferences. He’s just that way.
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* Sen. Mark Kirk appears in a new TV ad for Republican congressional candidate Bob Dold. Kirk represented much of this district when he was in Congress. Have a look…
* Meanwhile, Lynn Sweet obtained a polling memo from Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider’s campaign…
· In a rematch of their 2012 contest, Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider now leads former Republican Congressman Bob Dold by a solid 8-point margin, 48% to 40%, while 11% of likely voters remain undecided with less than four weeks to go until Election Day.
· At the top of the ticket, Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is leading Republican Jim Oberweis by 12 points, 52% to 40%, but Democratic Governor Pat Quinn trails Republican Bruce Rauner by 7 points, 40% to 47%.
· On a generic ballot citing no specific candidates, an unnamed Democrat for Congress leads an unnamed Republican by three points, 45% to 42%.
· Voters are more likely to view Schneider’s performance in Congress positively (5% excellent/37% good) than negatively (25% not so good/13% poor).
· Despite being the incumbent, Schneider (13% never heard) is actually less familiar to voters than Dold (3% never heard), providing the Democrat more room to grow.
As I’ve pointed out before, Gov. Quinn should be doing well in this district and he’s getting pounded by Rauner.
* And this is from the Schneider campaign…
U.S. Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) launched a new broadcast TV ad highlighting his Democratic priorities, including protecting a woman’s right to choose, preserving our environment and strengthening Medicare.
The new ad, “A Good Fit,” will be paired with the “On the Floor” TV ad currently running on broadcast that hammers Schneider’s opponent Bob Dold for his reliable Republican record, including his votes to defund Planned Parenthood and end the Medicare guarantee.
* The new ad…
* Script…
Husband: Let’s try this again.
Wife: OK
Husband: OK, Brad Schneider and the Democrats, protecting Lake Michigan
Wife: And our drinking water…
Husband: Retirement security…
Wife: Puts the middle class first and protects my right to choose.
Husband: Equal pay…
Wife: and marriage equality…
Husband: Definitely more our style
Wife: It’s a keeper.
Husband: It matches the couch.
Wife: It’s a perfect fit.
We’ve already discussed the companion ad, but it’s here if you want a refresher.
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Diana Rauner tries to soften husband’s image
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The GOP gubernatorial candidate’s wife is featured in a new ad that’s likely intended to blunt the impact of Gov. Quinn’s harsh TV spot about the alleged threats of a female executive…
Bruce Rauner today launched a new TV ad featuring his wife Diana reminding voters why Pat Quinn and his special interests allies are attacking Bruce with false negative smears.
“When Bruce decided to run for governor, we knew it would be rough,” Diana Rauner says in the new 30-second spot titled “Hope.” “False vicious attacks – the machine politicians will do whatever it takes to keep power. Bruce doesn’t owe anybody anything and that scares special interests. But he’s smart, honest, successful – everything our state government isn’t. I’m Diana Rauner, if you’re ready to turn our state around and create new opportunities for our kids and our future, then I hope you’ll vote for Bruce.”
* Will it work? Rate it…
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Post-debate spinning
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* During last night’s debate, Bruce Rauner refused to answer repeated questions about whether he’d ban assault weapons. I thought the questions were a bit silly because he’s already said he didn’t favor a ban, but it’s an issue in the Chicago-area, and Quinn will attempt to take full advantage today…
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is drawing on the support of families of mass-shooting victims to highlight the issue of gun control in his re-election bid against Republican Bruce Rauner.
Quinn’s campaign is planning a Chicago event Wednesday with Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, the parents of a young woman killed in the 2012 theater shootings in Aurora, Colorado. The event also will feature families of Illinois victims of assault-rifle shootings.
* Meanwhile, the Rauner campaign released this video last night about Gov. Quinn’s repeated attempts to evade questions about whether he’d back a post-election extension of the income tax hike. Again, kind of a silly question because of course the governor plans to make another push to pass the extension if he wins, and won’t be able to get it done if he loses. But, anyway, here’s the YouTube video…
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Good morning!
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* “My mama said that every man is only worth his unbroken word,” laments Daniela Andrade in her gut-spilling, knife-sharp original “Don’t Care,” which has close to a million YouTube views. Let’s ease our way into Andrade’s unselfconsciously literate planet this morning by tuning into her and Gia Margaret’s seminal and beautifully melodic cover of Springsteen’s “Dancing in The Dark”…
Man, I ain’t getting nowhere
I’m just living in a dump like this
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