* The Daily Line‘s Mike Fourcher was on WGN Radio yesterday talking about how Biss had dumped his running mate…
It makes it very clear that Daniel Biss changed direction in a big way because of a particular interest group, and that’s a terrible narrative. I mean, basically, you’re no longer able to say ‘I’m a man for myself and I stand for my ideas.’
So… people who oppose what essentially amounts to an economic blockade of Israel are members of an “interest group”? And, um, Biss is no longer able to stand up for himself because of who, exactly?
Look, this pick was a terrible idea from the beginning, but if he’d stuck with his choice he would’ve destroyed his candidacy and he probably would’ve never been able to look his mom (the daughter of Holocaust survivors) in the eye ever again. He definitely hurt himself, but there’s still plenty of time to mend fences.
Biss’ endorsements from political figures include U.S. Representative Robin Kelly, Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner, and at least seven Democratic members of the General Assembly.
Questions about a plane ticket to Japan for the girlfriend of the mayor of Bloomington point to just the latest case of questionable spending at city halls in Illinois.
The Edgar County Watchdogs, John Kraft and Kirk Allen, said Bloomington is not the only city where it appears city leaders are misspending city money or misusing city assets.
Kraft said the available facts for the Bloomington case don’t answer all of the questions. Mayor Tari Renner is accused of buying a nearly $1,900 plane ticket for his girlfriend to go to a Sister Cities event in Japan – or at the very least “floating” her airfare on the city’s credit card.
Kraft said that’s against the law, and he thinks Renner knows it. He believes Renner claimed his girlfriend would reimburse the city for the ticket only after he was caught.
“To us it’s more [a question] of the actions that Mayor Renner and some of the City Council members took after it was publicized what happened,” Kraft said.
The two-year Illinois budget stalemate reduced enrollment in the state’s public colleges and universities by more than 72,000 students, eliminated nearly 7,500 jobs, and cost the Illinois economy nearly $1 billion per year, according to a new study released today by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“Illinois public universities and community colleges are a $16.1 billion economic engine that support nearly 124,000 jobs and serve nearly 800,000 students every year,” said study co-author and University of Illinois Professor Robert Bruno. “Faced with a $660 million cut in state support, many institutions exhausted their financial reserves, raised tuition, experienced credit downgrades, cut programs, laid off workers, and reduced in enrollment. Even with most funding now restored, damage has been done that will have a lasting impact on the state’s economy.”
The local economies hardest hit by the impasse were in the Northeast (Chicago and suburbs) and East-Central (home to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) regions of the state. Collectively, these two regions represent nearly 80 percent of all statewide losses in higher education-related jobs and economic output.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job losses included more than 2,300 instructional positions, touching vital fields such as computer science, nursing, education, business, and mathematics.
On average, in-state tuition and fees at Illinois’ public universities rose by 7 percent during the two-year budget stalemate, and grew by as much as 12-14 percent at some institutions. Enrollment declines were experienced in every region of the state, but were most acute in the Northeast and Southern Illinois (home to Eastern Illinois University and the Southern Illinois University System).
Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Tuesday announced their 10-day enrollment figures, indicating that fall 2017 enrollment will be 14,554, a decline of 8.96 percent compared to the fall of 2016.
The largest drop was seen in the incoming freshman class, which has 408 fewer students than fall of 2016, or a 19.19 percent decrease.
* Now that petition filing season has begun, what are your thoughts on which Democratic gubernatorial candidates will not file signatures with the Board of Elections come deadline day?
A man of peace appears to have helped make some peace between the state’s top political adversaries, teaching Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Mike Madigan they needed “to talk to each other and trust each other.”
Cardinal Blase Cupich, who quietly became a major player in a rare school funding compromise, says he urged all the politicians involved – Democrat and Republican alike — “to call their better selves and their better angels.”
“I’ve said all along, just because someone is your opponent, doesn’t mean they’re your enemies,” Cupich told the Chicago Sun-Times. “There’s a difference between your opponent and your enemy.”
The influential head of Chicago’s Catholic Archdiocese told the Sun-Times on Thursday that he believes the Republican governor and Democratic House speaker in particular did learn a lesson in trust, citing the agreement, which puts new money for education into the state’s poorest and neediest districts but also includes a private school scholarship and tax credit program that some have criticized.
Rauner privately warned his remaining staff of “enemies” — everyone from Democrats, media, bloggers and “people who shouldn’t be our enemies, including people who used to work for this administration.”
But in the earlier conference call to staff, Rauner maintained there was a larger, even more encompassing messaging mission — the need to counter his “enemies.”
“The reality is in addition to the enemies on the other side of the aisle (Democrats), we have enemies in the media and enemies who should be on our side, some of them former members of the administration,” the source recounted Rauner as saying.
There’s plenty of talk in Democratic circles that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s first truly big legislative “win” was his last.
Rauner signed a major education funding reform bill into law on Aug. 31. It contained almost nothing he demanded in his initial amendatory veto, and even though it gave Chicago Public Schools more money than the vetoed bill he deemed a “Chicago bailout,” he has his signature on a law that will positively transform education funding for decades to come and he also got a $75 million pilot project to provide income tax credits for private school tuition programs. So, it’s a “win.”
But that’s it. No more. The Democrats want him gone, and they don’t need his help on anything else, so it appears they plan to tread water until after the 2018 election, when strong national headwinds will, they believe, push the incumbent Republican out of office.
And there’s no doubt that the constant warring of the past 21/2 years has ruined the governor’s ability to work with legislative Democrats and even with a significant number of Republicans. They just don’t want to deal with him any longer. It’s no accident that the education funding reform bill was negotiated among the four legislative leaders while Rauner was kept at a safe distance from the talks.
But, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 530 more Illinoisans were employed in June of this year compared to January. The politicians of this state simply have to put their parties and their personal animus aside to deal with this sickening lack of growth.
I’d repeat my request for some workers’ compensation insurance reform, but the two parties don’t seem to be interested in compromise. The Democrats, particularly in the House, say their 2011 reforms need more time to work, and the Republicans are demanding that the Democrats alienate their allies in organized labor.
So, how about something that just about everyone in Springfield loves?
Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed Executive Order 17-05, creating the governor’s Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force.
The task force will be co-chaired by Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti and Dr. Nirav D. Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. The task force will look at strategies to prevent expansion of the opioid crisis, treat and promote the recovery of individuals with opioid-use disorder, and reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths.
We already have an Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council, which works on preparedness and prevention.
* Also from yesterday…
Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, several state agency officials, stakeholders, and advocates today helped release the State of Illinois Opioid Action Plan. A coalition of state agencies has developed a strategic framework that outlines what Illinois needs to do to address the opioid crisis and why it needs to be done.
“The opioid epidemic knows no neighborhood, no color, and no class. It is not confined to alleys in urban settings, nor isolated in rural communities,” Lt. Gov. Sanguinetti said. “Illinois needs a comprehensive opioid strategy that destigmatizes addiction and appropriately aligns resources across state agencies in partnership with community priorities.”
Since 2013, the number of heroin deaths in Illinois has nearly doubled, and the number of prescription opioid deaths has almost quadrupled. Last year, there were 1,889 opioid overdose deaths, an increase of 76 percent from 2013. Recent analyses of death records in Illinois shows that overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids have increased more than any other category of opioids. The largest increase was in the number of deaths involving fentanyl, and drugs similar to fentanyl, which led to a tenfold increase in synthetic opioid overdose deaths between 2013 and 2016.
Earlier today, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed an Executive Order creating the Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force. The task force will look at strategies to prevent expansion of the opioid crisis, treat and promote the recovery of individuals with opioid-use disorder, and reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths. The task force will be co-chaired by Lt. Gov. Sanguinetti and Dr. Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“The death toll continues to rise exponentially, and, if left unchecked, estimates show that more than 2,700 people in Illinois will die from opioid overdoses in 2020,” Dr. Shah said. “The opioid crisis is not something that can simply be solved with more treatment, increased prevention, or more arrests. It will take all of us, in all capacities to end the crisis.”
The goal of the plan is to reduce the anticipated number of opioid-related deaths by 33 percent in three years. The plan identifies three areas of focus: prevention, treatment/recovery, and response. To address those three areas of focus, the state has identified six priorities:
• Safer prescribing and dispensing of opioids
• Education and stigma reduction
• Data monitoring and communication
• Increasing access to care
• Supporting justice-involved populations
• Increasing naloxone access and use
…The state will collaborate actively with other key stakeholders, including the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council, to build on the plan’s framework.
Wednesday, Governor Bruce Rauner signed an executive order establishing the Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force to address the epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse in Illinois.
Aiming to reduce the more than 1900 expected opioid-related deaths in Illinois this year, the Task Force will focus on preventing high risk individuals from developing an addiction, as well as treating overdose cases through training and availability of medications that can help revive patients.
Take a look at some of the coverage from Wednesday’s order signing:
Look, good politics is good governance and we definitely need a better strategy for dealing with the opioid situation. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50.
I just hope they aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel in order to score a few points.
* Meanwhile, a joint House and Senate hearing was held yesterday on legalizing and taxing marijuana. It was chock full of 1980s talking points from law enforcement…
Also testifying Wednesday was a panel representing the Illinois States’ Attorneys Association, which is opposed to recreational marijuana legalization.
“I think everyone would agree that government’s most important function is public safety,” DuPage County States’ Attorney Bob Berlin said. “It’s our position that legalizing marijuana does not advance public safety at all. In fact, it moves the ball in the other direction.”
Berlin said marijuana is addictive and can lead to users trying even more dangerous drugs, such as opioids.
But Neill Franklin, executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, said in his 34 years as a cop, he’s seen firsthand that prohibition isn’t working and it’s time to legalize marijuana.
You know what leads quite a large number of people to try opioids? Doctor prescriptions. Let’s try living in the real world.
* I’ll let you know if the other candidates respond…
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Kennedy is challenging his primary opponents to at least five statewide televised debates beginning in January 2018 and concluding before the Democratic primary on March 20, 2018. Kennedy proposed that a minimum of two of the televised debates take place outside of the Chicago media market.
“Next March, Democrats face an important choice about Illinois’ future. We must make the right choice as a party to defeat Bruce Rauner because Illinois has never been in worse shape than it is today,” Kennedy said. “The primary voters can’t make an informed decision without vigorous issue-oriented debates where each candidate can lay out their vision for our state’s future.”
Representatives for the Kennedy campaign will contact the campaign representatives for his primary opponents to begin negotiations on logistics, format, dates and venues for these debates. Those details will be announced at a later date.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Ouch…
Breaking: Chris Kennedy governor campaign discovers its email password, sends us first release since July 26.
Why wait until January? It should happen now. We’re ready.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Rep. Scott Drury’s campaign…
“By starting the negotiations at 5, Mr. Kennedy actually seeks very few debates. Given the size of Illinois and its diverse population, there should be 10 televised debates, with at least 4 taking place in Central and Southern Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Pritzker campaign…
“JB looks forward to participating in at least five debates and he’s enjoyed the 15 forums he’s already attended across the state.”
Kennedy, I’m told, has missed 5 of those 15 forums.
* Ameya Pawar’s gubernatorial campaign just reported a $250,000 contribution from Will Hobert, the founder of WH Trading, a high-speeding trading firm which had previously contributed $11K to the campaign. Hobert is also a member of CME’s board of directors. This is not the usual contributor to Pawar’s campaign, so his operation (via spokesman Sam Hobert, who is Will Hobert’s eldest son) released a statement from Will Hobert and his spouse…
We want Ameya Pawar and his “New Deal for Illinois” to be part of this primary process. We want Ameya’s smart and bold stances on campaign finance reform, equitable education funding, universal child care, single-payer healthcare, criminal justice reform, a $15 minimum wage to give working families in Illinois a chance to get ahead.
This election should be about electing the best candidate for all Illinoisans, not just the one who can self-fund or who has the deepest rolodex. If we want our democracy to work for all of us, none of us can sit on the sidelines - there’s just too much at stake.
With this contribution, we hope others will be inspired to support Ameya who shares a compelling vision for a more fair and just Illinois.
We are fortunate enough to be able to make this contribution, but we know writing a check isn’t even enough - we’re lacing up our boots, grabbing a clipboard, gathering our friends and hitting the streets to bring about the change we want to see, alongside Ameya Pawar and 2,800 of his fellow volunteers around the state. Attend an event, ask tough questions, knock on doors, and give as much time and money as you can to Ameya’s grassroots campaign as you can afford. We hope you will join us. - Julie + Will Hobert.
This is by far Pawar’s largest contribution. The next biggest was a $15K check from California investor Kristy Kitzmiller. It brings Pawar’s contribution total up to about $743K.
Even as Gov. Bruce Rauner has worked to quell questions surrounding staffing upheaval in his office, his former general counsel — perhaps the most sensitive position under the governor — is at the center of a brewing controversy.
The attorney, Dennis Murashko, was the subject of a complaint alleging he had misused the powers of his office, sources with direct knowledge of the accusations told POLITICO.
But Murashko also authored a memo to the governor raising the question of whether the administration was properly keeping politics out of the office, sources with knowledge of that memo say. […]
Several sources talked to POLITICO about the nature of the allegations, including that Murashko was accused of using his position to dole out plum duties to someone with whom he had a personal relationship.
Reached by POLITICO, Murashko denounced the series of allegations in strong terms, saying it “has zero truth to it.”
“I’ve never been made aware of any OEIG investigation, nor have I done anything to warrant an investigation or even a complaint about my service in state government,” Murashko said to POLITICO in a statement.
I was sent an unsigned Murashko-related complaint in mid July, but haven’t been able to verify the contents. The letter to the OEIG alleges he used his authority for “retaliation, intimidation, abuse of power and inappropriate office behavior.” It’s quite something, but, again, it was unsigned because the person said he was a state employee “so I do not want to sign this complaint for fear of retaliation.” The letter has been circulating for a while now. I know of at least one other reporter who has had it since July.
There’s speculation from inside that the memo Murashko wrote about politics in the governor’s office might have been drafted to somehow protect himself from the OEIG beef. Then again, that memo was reportedly signed by another attorney in his office, who then reportedly took his name off the memo later, perhaps under pressure.
I’ve reached out to Murashko about the memo and other stuff, including whether he was escorted out of the office a day after his resignation was accepted, but well before he was scheduled to actually resign. I haven’t yet heard back.
After conducting a thorough review of the out-of-balance fiscal year 2018 budget passed by the General Assembly in July, Gov. Bruce Rauner today announced he intends to exercise borrowing authority to issue $6 billion in bonds to pay down a portion of the state’s bill backlog.
“Illinois has been deficit spending for many years, resulting in a huge unpaid bill backlog. The state has been, in effect, borrowing from local service providers, including nonprofits and small businesses, because it takes months for them to get paid,” Gov. Rauner said. “My preferred solution has always been for state government to reform its spending, and for a strong, competitive economy to grow family incomes faster than the cost of government.
“Unfortunately, the General Assembly passed a tax hike and an out-of-balance budget over my veto. Even with a permanent income tax increase costing the average Illinois household more than $1,000 a year, the budget is more than $1 billion out of balance and is still growing the unpaid backlog. We’re choosing to exercise borrowing authority because it’s better to have Wall Street carry our debt than Main Street Illinois.”
A significant portion of the bill backlog is currently subject to late-payment interest penalties at rates of up to 12 percent annually. The governor directed his staff to initiate a bond issuance to refinance this high-cost debt by borrowing from banks at a much lower interest rate, which will result in considerable savings to the state.
The General Obligation Bond Act was amended by the legislature as part of the fiscal year 2018 budget package. It grants the state the authority to issue up to $6 billion in general obligation bonds as Income Tax Proceed Bonds. The Income Tax Proceed Bonds must be issued before Dec. 31, 2017, and must be used to pay for expenses vouchered from general funds or state employees’ group health insurance costs that were incurred before July 1, 2017.
Bonds issued under this authority must be paid within 12 years from the date of the sale and require level principal payments each year. For example, a $6 billion issuance would require 12 annual principal payments of $500 million, plus interest payments depending on the interest rate.
The legislature-passed budget did not account for the increase in debt service costs to cover the bill backlog bond issuance. The governor’s office is identifying several hundred million dollars in possible spending reductions to address this budgetary shortfall. The governor also would like the General Assembly to return to Springfield this fall to work with him to balance the budget and enact structural reforms that could save much more.
“Illinois cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past,” Gov. Rauner said. “We have to work together to truly balance the budget. We must protect residents from further tax hikes while ensuring the most vulnerable receive the services they need. Building upon the success of the recent bipartisan education funding law, we can find common ground for real solutions.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today applauded Gov. Rauner’s decision to finally agree to refinance debt that carried a staggering 12 percent interest rate.
“Gov. Rauner finally made a good decision. It is frustrating to know that his delay likely cost taxpayers $62 million in interest payments,” Frerichs said.
Illinois’ $15 billion bill backlog borrows money from unwilling lenders because it does not pay vendors. These unpaid bills accrue interest rates as high as 12 percent. The interest payments alone equate to $2 million each day.
Gov. Rauner’s decision to refinance current debt is possible because Democrats and Republicans in July came together to override the Governor’s budget veto. In doing so, lawmakers authorized Gov. Rauner to refinance debt incurred prior to July 1, 2017.
“Willing lenders will gladly refinance this debt at interest rates far below 12 percent,” Frerichs said. “This decision is long overdue.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Comptroller Mendoza…
This is a good day for taxpayers. We are pleased to see Governor Rauner has listened to the many voices of Illinois residents and businesses urging him to issue bonds as the General Assembly authorized. This news will come as a relief to businesses around Illinois owed money by the state.
We look forward to working with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget to move this process along as quickly as possible — especially considering the fact that every delay costs taxpayers at least $2 million a day in additional late payment interest penalties. Refinancing our debt at a much lower interest rate - just like any sensible homeowner with a high mortgage rate would do - will provide payment for services rendered to thousands of people across the state and save Illinois taxpayers billions of dollars over the life of the bonds.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady…
“I believe Governor Rauner is taking responsible action,” Leader Bill Brady said. “Using this tool from the Democrat majority’s budget can get payments out the door to struggling state vendors, save taxpayers’ money and begin a renewed dialogue on how to manage the deficit in the Fiscal Year 18 budget,” Brady said. “The Administration is forced to manage the budget as crafted by the Democrat majority but I am hopeful the Democrat leaders are willing to work collaboratively to try to close the gap on that deficit.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Sen. Donne Trotter…
Following a press conference Assistant Majority Leader Donne Trotter (D-Chicago) held in Chicago Tuesday urging the governor to use the borrowing authority given to him through Senate Bill 42, the governor’s office announced today it plans to use the tool.
“I’m glad to see the governor is taking the General Assembly’s lead and is using the bonding authority given to him that will help save taxpayers billions over the next 12 years,” Senator Trotter said.
“If only he’d made this decision back in July, instead of vetoing the legislation and forcing an override he could have saved taxpayers millions. As of today, this delay has cost the state approximately $132 million.
This step will finally help pay down the state’s debt and provide a sense of financial stability our state so desperately needs.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** Press release…
“The Chicagoland Chamber fully supports the Governor’s decision to issue $6 billion in bonds to pay back a portion of the state’s bill backlog. For too long, the many Chicagoland businesses to whom the state owes this money have been forced to carry the state’s debt, waiting months, and even years, to be paid. With this act, Governor Rauner is providing much-needed cash flow and stability for these companies and their employees. While we all look forward to a day when Illinois boasts a strong and growing state economy, coupled with real fiscal restraint, that makes the need for this type of borrowing a thing of the past. Today, we see the Governor’s decision to borrow at a lower rate than taxpayers are currently paying as a fiscally responsible first step toward a stronger Illinois,” said Michael Reever, Acting CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.
Pritzker Putting Cronies Before Taxpayers with 6 Days Until Soda Tax Repeal Plan
Between Juliana Stratton and Toni Preckwinkle, Pritzker’s Chicago ties to Soda Tax supporters run deep
With 6 more days until the Cook County Board of Commissioners hears a plan to repeal the disastrous Soda Tax, JB Pritzker and his allies continue to ignore the wishes of Cook County voters.
His support of the tax becomes more clear, however, when looking at the ties between his running mate Juliana Stratton and Soda Tax champion Toni Preckwinkle.
In a move that would make Mike Madigan proud, Preckwinkle publicly backed Stratton, her “protege,” to beat fellow Democrat Ken Dunkin to show “any wavering Democrats” that “the kind of prostitution Dunkin engaged with is not going to be rewarded.”
Clearly, having thoughts independent of Madigan and Preckwinkle is grounds to lose your support.
The Soda Tax is just another example of what the ousted Dunkin said of the Madigan Machine: “[Madigan] is the lone wolf out there and the people are suffering.”
Will Pritzker stand up to the Madigan-Preckwinkle alliance, or stay silent while the people suffer?
* Anybody who has paid any attention for the past few years has heard Gov. Bruce Rauner talk about his Swedish grandparents. He particularly idolized his grandfather…
“My best friend growing up was my grandfather on my mom’s side. Swedish immigrant. Didn’t speak much English. Lived in a double wide trailer in a cornfield outside Whitewater, Wisconsin. Dairy farmer. Taught me to milk cows. Taught me about huntin’ and fishin.’ Taught me about hard work and giving back.”
I also idolized my maternal grandfather and spent countless glorious days on his farm. Rauner and I spoke briefly about this shared history a while ago. My paternal grandmother lived in a trailer for a time, so we had that in common, too.
It was of little surprise then that, as he appeared with immigrant activists to sign a controversial law putting limits on policing of the undocumented, Rauner retold his own favorite story of immigrants — the Ericksons from Sweden.
“My grandparents were proud immigrants to the United States of America, here to Illinois in the late 1800s,” Rauner said. “My grandparents did not speak English when they were young.”
Variations of the Erickson story have been staples of Rauner appearances for years. But the key word here is “variations,” because the governor has not always been consistent in the telling.
“He kept on talking about his immigrant grandfather, immigrant from Sweden who could barely speak English, sometimes he would say he didn’t speak English. He also said his grandmother was like that,” said the BGA’s Bob Secter, who authored the piece in partnership with Politfact. “So we went back and looked at the census records to find out about it and they just aren’t immigrants. They were born in Wisconsin.”
In a YouTube compilation on the topic, there was only one time (of several instances in which he discussed his immigrant relatives) that Rauner, when asked by a reporter, clarified that he was speaking about his great-grandparents.
Records from U.S. Censuses taken between 1910 and 1940, the latest year publicly available, clearly show that both of Rauner’s maternal grandparents were born in Wisconsin — Clarence Erickson in 1901 and Viola Erickson (nee Wedin) in 1900. In other words, neither of them were immigrants.
What’s more, the census shows that Viola’s mother — Rauner’s great-grandmother — was also born in Wisconsin. Viola’s father, while born in Sweden, emigrated to the U.S. at age 6 in 1868. As for Clarence, the census describes him as speaking English and having a seventh grade education. In the 1940 count, his profession was listed as “buttermaker.” […]
We have no reason to doubt that Rauner’s grandparents meant the world to him. But the Census plainly refutes his claim that they were immigrants. What’s more, both couldn’t have come to the U.S. in the late 1800s because they weren’t even born until the early 1900s — in Wisconsin, not Sweden. Rauner’s assertion in August that his grandparents immigrated to Illinois is yet another inaccuracy.
Since we don’t have a time machine, we can’t say for certain what language was spoken in the Erickson and Wedin childhood homes. But to the extent that Rauner implies the Ericksons’ facility with English was limited, Census reports refute that notion as well.
Topping all that is the acknowledgement by Rauner himself in his 2014 Tribune interview that his grandparents were not immigrants. Still, he continued to repeat the claim on many occasions.
Census records and Rauner’s own admission show that this statement has no credibility. That is why it earns our lowest possible rating, Pants On Fire.
Frankly, this revelation has disturbed me more than anything else I’ve ever read or learned about Gov. Rauner. To lie about his own grandfather, a man he clearly loved, to score political points is just beyond the pale.
And if he won’t tell the truth about that, how can anybody trust him on anything else?
Consider fall 2006. J.B. Pritzker was raising money to build a Holocaust museum in north suburban Chicago. Gov. Rod Blagojevich was raising money for his re-election campaign.
Each had what the other wanted.
On Oct. 27, Pritzker and his wife gave $100,000 in campaign contributions to Friends of Blagojevich.
Four days later — a week before the election — Blagojevich announced he was giving a $1 million state grant to support construction of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie. Pritzker was the museum’s chief fundraiser.
The piece makes a ton of assumptions and rhetorically connects dots that are not actually connected by facts. No witnesses, no sources, nothing. A whole lot of sizzle in a straight news piece which reads like an opinion column.
I mean, of course Rod would want to dole out a Holocaust Museum grant right before an election. That’s what governors do, particularly that governor.
And that particular governor was also well known for connecting campaign contributions to government and/or political favors. I could definitely see him waiting on Pritzker to help his campaign before releasing the grant money, even if he never told Pritzker any such thing.
* The Pritzker campaign was indignant and made some assumptions of its own…
JB Pritzker Proud of His Work with Survivors to Build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
Baseless Attack by Chicago Tribune is an Affront to an Institution Teaching Illinoisans to Fight Hate
Chicago, IL – In 2009, JB stood with Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and opened the doors to a museum that honors the memory of those killed in the Holocaust and turns powerful lessons of history into positive actions today. It was the culmination of years of work by JB and survivors to make the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center a reality.
Thanks to that hard work, now over 60,000 Illinois kids and teachers come to the museum each year to learn how to fight bigotry and hate. The founding principle of the museum is “Remember the Past, Transform the Future” – an important creed for Americans less than a month after white supremacists descended on Charlottesville.
But in a story out today, the Chicago Tribune tries to reduce the work of JB and Holocaust survivors to a groundless political attack. The story comes as the paper’s pick for governor, Bruce Rauner, has had a horrendous summer and continues to implode. Just yesterday it was reported that Rauner’s former general counsel is the subject of a government ethics complaint.
“JB has nothing but pride for his work with survivors to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen. “At a time when the phrase ‘Never Forget’ has never felt more relevant, it’s disappointing that the Tribune would try to reduce this museum to be a part of their political agenda.”
One should never connect the editorial stance of a large newspaper to its reporting.
* From the ILGOP…
Pay To Play: Pritzker and Blagojevich Trade $100K Campaign Check for $1 Million State Grant
Tribune report reveals another sad chapter in the extensive Pritzker-Blagojevich relationship
“J.B. Pritzker is just another corrupt insider who tries to buy influence and power. First we learned from FBI wiretap tapes that Pritzker considered buying his way into public office by seeking an appointment to the Treasurer’s office from Rod Blagojevich. Now, we learn Pritzker gave Blagojevich a $100,000 campaign check in return for a $1 million state grant. Illinoisans should be worried about what Pritzker will do if he’s allowed to buy the governor’s office.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
* And again today…
Quid Pro Quo: Since 1996, Pritzker and Blagojevich Bankrolled Each Other’s Political Interests
Pritzker: “I know Rod [Blagojevich] is going to be very helpful.”
“Quid pro quo - that’s the name of the game for J.B. Pritzker and Rod Blagojevich. Since 1996, Pritzker bankrolled Blagojevich’s political campaigns. In return, Blagojevich propped up Pritzker’s failed campaigns and gave him insider access to state government. Illinoisans should be worried about what Pritzker will do if he’s allowed to buy the governor’s office just like he bought influence with Blagojevich.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Yesterday in yet another bombshell Tribune report on J.B. Pritzker’s close ties to disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich, it was revealed that Pritzker and Blagojevich traded campaign cash for state grants.
But Pritzker and Blagojevich are no strangers to helping each other out.
Since 1996, Pritzker bankrolled Blagojevich’s political interests, and in return, Blagojevich and Chicago ward bosses propped up Pritzker’s failed plans to run for office.
While Blagojevich may have failed to elect Pritzker, Pritzker still held up his end of the bargain. Pritzker and his family contributed over $160,000 to Rod Blagojevich’s campaigns.
Slayen also said the grant was “dated as beginning on Oct. 1, 2006, before any contribution was given.” The agreement, however, does not indicate that Oct. 1 was when the grant began — it states only that the funding applies to costs the museum incurred after Oct. 1. In addition, the grant agreement was not signed until January 2007.
This whole story is really about a gubernatorial announcement, not an award. The grant began October 1st, but the money wasn’t disbursed until January.
In a bombshell announcement in the Illinois governors’ race, State Sen. Daniel Biss has dropped Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) as his running mate over the alderman’s stance on policy related to Israel. The announcement comes in the wake of Biss sustaining a high-profile lost endorsement over Rosa’s comments. The removal comes just six days after Rosa joined the ticket.
“Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and I have reached a difficult decision about our ticket. As of today, I’ll be moving forward with a new running mate,” Biss said in a statement. He went to note his personal family history—which includes grandparents who survived the Holocaust and great-grandparents who were killed under the Nazi regime.
The move hinges on Rosa’s stance on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS), the pro-Palestinian campaign which advocates for various kinds of boycotts against companies that do business with Israel.
Biss said in his statement that he believes BDS “moves us further away from a peaceful solution” in the region. He said that Rosa initially told him he was also opposed to BDS
“Since we’ve announced his selection, we have been asked about his position on BDS. After much discussion, it’s become clear that Carlos’ position has changed.”
Ramirez-Rosa denied he had changed his position on Israel since being interviewed by Biss, and said he was sorry if the state senator misunderstood.
“I’ve been consistent in my position for several years,” Ramirez-Rosa said. The 35th Ward alderman said a two-state solution is preferable, but the U.S. should use its leverage over Israel and that BDS should be part of the conversation.
Even before Wednesday’s announcement, Ramirez-Rosa’s position on Israel was cited by Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield as the reason he pulled his endorsement of Biss for governor. […]
Ramirez-Rosa also was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, prompting some in the Democratic Party establishment to question Biss’ choice.
Moreover, some Democrats said privately that Ramirez-Rosa had been working in recent weeks to explore a potential challenge to Democratic U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, including conducting a recent poll. Ramirez-Rosa said he still wants to pursue a progressive agenda at the local level, but that does not mean a run against Gutierrez
Rosa himself would not vow his support for Biss in the Democratic primary.
“I will be supporting the candidate who is most likely to deliver a $15 minimum wage, affordable child care and free college tuition for all,” Rosa said.
How badly this mars the Biss campaign lies squarely with Biss and how he steers his own path forward. Time is on his side. It’s early. If he picks a solid running mate in a matter of days as his campaign promises, he has the potential to re-calibrate and remain relevant and competitive.
But Biss just lost those he was trying to woo by choosing Rosa in the first place. Bernie folks are hopping mad. Just read this compendium of replies. While he can work to win some back through merit, and perhaps others through their own “lesser evil” calculation, the excitement has evaporated. Rosa, however, is now a hero to his supporters.
Chicago Democratic Socialists of America called Biss a coward, then accused him of “abandoning principle and yielding to this sort of pressure and causes us to question the commitments he claims to have towards democracy, solidarity, and the interests of working people and marginalized communities.”
In an interview with DNAinfo, Ramirez-Rosa said Wednesday evening his position had been consistent in favoring BDS at the federal level while opposing it at the state and local level.
“I’m sorry the senator didn’t understand the facts,” Ramirez-Rosa said.
Biss, a state senator from Evanston, said in an interview with DNAinfo on Sept. 1 that he “thought hard” about partnering with Ramirez-Rosa, given his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America.
“Now is not a time to be cautious,” Biss said at the time. […]
Ramirez-Rosa said he would continue working to build a “diverse coalition” to resist Republican President Donald Trump and Gov. Bruce Rauner, but did not answer a question if his removal from the ticket would exacerbate the divide in the Democratic Party.
*Getting ratio’d: Democratic state Sen. Daniel Biss had been courting progressives as he runs for Illinois governor, looking for a different path to the nomination than the one being traveled by establishment candidates like J.B. Pritzker and Chris Kennedy. On Wednesday, Biss dumped Chicago Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his running mate as the two disagreed over Israel. And boy, did Biss pay the price on Twitter.
The reaction GIFs telling Biss he made the wrong decision included appearances by Adam Sandler (in “Billy Madison”), Julia Roberts (in “Pretty Woman”) and even Yoda. Also weighing in was Matt Christman, one of the hosts of “Chapo Trap House,” a podcast popular among supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
As of 6 p.m., however, no one had used the troll tactic we expected to be in full effect: Biss’ social media ad last year where he juggled flaming sticks.
Biss, as the kids say, got ratio’d (the number of replies to his tweet were dwarfed by the number of favs and retweets).
Richard Goldberg, former chief of staff to Gov. Bruce Rauner, said it was the right decision, calling the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement “at its core … a political manifestation of anti-Semitism.
“Under Governor Rauner’s leadership, Illinois became the first state in America to divest its public pension funds from companies that participate in BDS. This should always be a bipartisan issue and I applaud Congressman Schneider and Senator Biss for making clear to the far-left that BDS has no place in the Democratic Party.”
Biss will have to find another running mate in order to start gathering signatures.
Just after midnight Thursday morning, Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office began transmitting $541 million in General State Aid to schools around the state. These are the funds that were supposed to go out on August 10th and 20th, but were delayed because the Governor vetoed the School Funding Bill.
The next payment of $264 million will go out tomorrow, Friday, to cover the first September payment due Sunday, Sept. 10. That means a total of $805 million will be going out to schools this week.
“I am grateful legislators were able to forge a bipartisan compromise to allow passage of the school funding bill which finally puts the state on a path to equitable school funding,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “The start of the school year should be about kids happy to see their classmates again and resuming the learning process — not worries about whether schools will have to close midyear. Parents, children and teachers can finally have the confidence and peace of mind to know that their schools will not only open on time, but more importantly, stay open for the full academic year.”
* Comptroller Mendoza…
Two months ago today, the General Assembly authorized Governor Bruce Rauner to refinance a portion of Illinois’ $15.4 billion bill backlog.
Two months later, his inaction on this common-sense budget mandate has cost taxpayers at least $120 million. Currently, the state is paying up to 12 percent interest on a large portion of its bill backlog at a cost of $2 million a day in late payment interest penalties.
This simple, bipartisan refinancing provision is no different than when a homeowner swaps out a higher mortgage rate for a lower one, but we have yet to see any movement on it from the Governor’s Office, Comptroller Susana Mendoza said Wednesday.
“Over 12 years, this refinancing plan will save taxpayers between $6 billion and $8 billion, or between $550 million and $650 million annually. Right now, we’re paying $2 million dollars a day for the Governor’s inaction,” she said. “This is money that will never go toward early education, to our public universities, toward job creation, or to our struggling social service providers. Stalling on the bonds is fiscally irresponsible and taxpayers should be outraged.”
By law, the refinancing must be applied to the state’s bill backlog. It will give relief to not only taxpayers, but also thousands of service providers and businesses awaiting payment from the state. Over the past two years without a budget, many entities owed money by the state have had to exhaust their lines of credit, lay off employees, turn away Illinois citizens in need of services and, in some cases, close for good.
Last week, the Comptroller visited the Orthopaedic Institute of Southern Illinois in part because they are owed about $6 million from the Group Health Insurance program that covers public employees, including university employees.
The state’s backlog of bills is about $15 billion. Of that, about $5 billion are bills from group health. Those bills, along with other medical bills, incur some of the highest late interest penalties.
“Three days’ worth of late payment interest penalties could pay off the Group Health Insurance bills owed to the Orthopaedic Institute of Southern Illinois,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “Until Governor Rauner moves to refinance this debt, Illinois is burning money that could be used to pay businesses and providers what they are owed and inject stability into the Illinois economy.”
Champaign County agencies are taking a breath after two years of stalled state funding, but directors are nervous that break won’t last long.
The passing of the state budget on July 6 has given places like the Rape Advocacy, Counseling & Education Services (RACES) in Urbana a solid dollar amount to expect, with RACES expecting $215,000 in annual state funding.
That amount is paired with federal funding, as well as local funds from county taxes. RACES Executive Director Adelaide Aime had an overall sense though that next year’s numbers could be in jeopardy.
“I am not confident that a year from now that the legislature is going to pass another budget,” Aime said. “So we are going to be very cool. But we are not going to lock ourselves in.”
Aime said RACES found itself locked in a difficult cycle while running on partial funding the past two years since a majority of its budget came from the state.
“It was horrible. First (RACES) cut staff hours, and then they had to lay people off,” Aime said. “And then after a whole year with no money, they continued laying people off, and really the agency went down to a skeleton and was only providing a sliver of services.”
Domestic violence shelter Courage Connection went through a similar gutting during the budget impasse. Executive Director Isak Griffith said the biggest pain was losing staff, and they are finding themselves trying to get back to where they were before the budget impasse.
* The Pritzker campaign responds…
A recently released report detailed the destruction done to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA) by Bruce Rauner’s 736-day manufactured budget crisis.
ICASA, which administers 29 rape crisis shelters in Illinois, had to put its building at risk by borrowing nearly $1.5 million because of Bruce Rauner’s budget crisis. The two centers highlighted in the report had to lay off staff and provide “a sliver of services” after losing state funding due to the budget crisis.
“Bruce Rauner decimated ICASA and caused irreparable harm to Illinois women and children as a result,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “The damage has been done by this failed governor.”
* Choosing a running mate is the most important decision of any gubernatorial campaign and Sen. Biss blew it. Badly. From a press release…
Statement from Daniel Biss on Lieutenant Governor Selection
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and I have reached a difficult decision about our ticket. As of today, I’ll be moving forward with a new running mate.
Growing up with an Israeli mother, grandparents who survived the Holocaust, and great-grandparents who did not survive, issues related to the safety and security of the Jewish people are deeply personal to me.
I strongly support a two-state solution. I support Israel’s right to exist, and I support Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. I also care deeply about justice for Palestinians, and believe that a vision for the Middle East must include political and economic freedom for Palestinians.
That’s why I oppose the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS, as I believe it moves us further away from a peaceful solution.
When I asked him in the interview process prior to his selection, Carlos said he too supported a two-state solution and opposed BDS.
Since we’ve announced his selection, we have been asked about his position on BDS. After much discussion, it’s become clear that Carlos’ position has changed. While I respect his right to come to his own conclusions on the issue, it simply wasn’t the understanding we shared when I asked him to join the ticket.
In light of this, we have agreed that I will be moving forward with a new running mate. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right decision.
The values that I was raised with have fueled and shaped my public service. I’m running for governor to create a more fair and just community. That’s why I’m fighting for health care for all, a tax system that calls on the rich to pay their fair share, and good schools for every child in every neighborhood. Carlos and I agree about these issues and I am glad that he will continue fighting for these progressive causes in his role as alderman.
We’ll have news in the coming days about how we move this campaign forward—because we will move forward. The upcoming election is too important, and the future of our state is at stake. Illinois’ middle class and working families are hurting, while the rich and well-connected have a monopoly on power. We have the opportunity, this year, to move our state in the right direction and build a progressive future together. And I’ll do everything I can to make sure that’s exactly what we do.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the Bernie Sanders group…
Statement from Our Revolution Illinois/Chicago on Biss Campaign Lt. Governor Reversal
On August 31, we were excited to learn that gubernatorial candidate Sen. Daniel Biss selected progressive Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his running mate. It showed his understanding that the Bernie wing of the Democratic Party must be heard in the upcoming gubernatorial primary. Today, we are disappointed and shocked to learn that Sen. Biss has chosen to drop Ald. Ramirez-Rosa from the ticket.
Ald. Ramirez-Rosa was a delegate for Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2016 presidential election and is a leading progressive voice in the Chicago City Council. We are proud of Carlos for the integrity he has shown in standing by his convictions as a strong and unwavering advocate for working families. We believe he was an excellent candidate for Lt. Governor and are saddened that his voice will be missing from Sen. Biss’ campaign.
With Carlos on the ticket, many were encouraged that important issues like Medicare for all, the fight for a $15 minimum wage, affordable childcare and free college tuition would be part of the agenda for Illinois. These issues that resonate deeply with working families and millennials were central to the Bernie Sanders campaign–and are the reason he won 79 of 102 counties, 11 of 18 congressional districts, and almost a million votes in Illinois.
Following is a statement by Carlos Ramirez-Rosa on his departure from Daniel Biss’ ticket:
“While I was honored to be chosen as Senator Daniel Biss’ gubernatorial running mate, it became clear over the past few days that while we share a total commitment to peace, security, and statehood for the Israeli and Palestinian people, and both oppose pursuing BDS at the state level, the difference of opinion we have on the role the BDS movement plays at the federal level would make it impossible to continue moving forward as a ticket.
I was asked to join the ticket to even more strongly advocate for the critical issues facing this state, such as medicare for all, a $15 living wage today, affordable childcare, and free college tuition. While I am no longer part of the ticket, I have every confidence that Senator Biss and I, in our different roles, will continue to be strong advocates for these progressive issues.
I especially want to thank the members and organizational leaders of Reclaim Chicago, Our Revolution IL, and Democratic Socialists of America, and the thousands of activists who have shown their commitment to addressing these critical concerns for their confidence in me, and their continued work on these progressive issues. There is so much work to be done, and I am proud to stand by your side while we continue to build our progressive movement.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** The Democratic Socialists stand up for one of its own members…
