A viral snowstorm of misinformation online. Political ads disguised as newspapers. Darren Bailey and his allies incessantly spreading myths and obvious falsehoods.
There is no “Purge Law” in Illinois. The law allows judges to keep violent defendants behind bars. Convicted criminals currently in jail will not be released.
Did you know Darren Bailey runs a school? And they use quite the curriculum.
Lessons like:
Women in the workforce have been harmful to America.
Evolution isn’t real.
Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on Earth at the same time.
Gay people have no more claims to special rights than child molesters or rapists.
The majority of slave holders treated their slaves well.
Class dismissed. Darren Bailey is too extreme for Illinois.
* The Question: Your ratings for each ad? Don’t forget to explain.
Republicans elsewhere who, with Mr. Trump’s endorsement, won primaries against the wishes of their local political establishments are facing similar disparities in TV advertising in the final weeks of the midterm campaigns. Along with Mr. Mastriano in Pennsylvania, Trump-backed candidates for governor in five other states — Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Michigan — have combined to air zero television advertisements since winning their primaries.
Trump-backed candidates are very likely to win GOP primaries given the sway the former President still holds over the party faithful. But those candidates oftentimes appear ill-equipped to run the sort of professional (and well-funded) operation that is required to persuade voters in a general election. […]
Of course, Trump could help solve this problem – or at least mitigate it. He is sitting on more than $90 million in his Save America PAC, all of which could be spent on ads to bolster the underfunded candidacies of the likes of Mastriano and Dixon. To date, he has not done so, though his allies formed a new super PAC last week aimed at supporting his endorsed candidates.
“Public safety is on the ballot this November. This election is about more than the usual policy differences; it’s about what kind of state we want to be on January 1st when the Democrats’ no-cash-bail provision is slated to go into effect,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “Beyond merely being ‘soft-on-crime’, Illinois Democrats are fast becoming the party of ‘crime’. 15 Democratic legislators and Chicago Alderman have been indicted, convicted, or plead guilty to criminal misconduct since Pritzker became governor. Some of these same legislators helped pass the [un]-SAFE-T act in the dead of night. We must send corrupt Democrats packing and repeal the Democrat’s no-cash bail law on November 8th, before it’s too late.”
Steve Cochran: You’re running for Congress in the Sixth. And the incumbent, your opponent, has not spoken out about something that’s very important to Illinois residents the you have. I’m talking about the SAFE-T Act. There are lots of things that have been said on the far right. There are some reactions on the far left, but it’s hard to argue with 100 state’s attorneys who all say the same thing, this is a bad law. So what do you say to potential voters about how you could, if not repeal it prior to going into play, at least fix it?
You’d think a bigtime radio host who’s been doing this politics thing forever would know the difference between a state and a federal law. Sheesh, man. C’mon.
Well, so you’re right about my opponent. And that’s because at the national level, he voted on a law that was very similar to this, to impose it federally, that would have done many of these things nationwide. It didn’t pass. But so we have a very different, very different opinion. This law, as you mentioned, it’s very dangerous, as all states attorney’s have said, and we have to do something to to repeal it, or at least make significant changes. And the changes are so significant. And this is what happens when you pass a 760-page bill in the middle of the night with 40 minutes for people to review it. You get extremely bad laws like this that are very, very one sided and frankly, quite dangerous. You talk to our police officers, you talk to our police department, that we’re not exactly sure how we’ll handle it. We do have some workarounds, like we have entered a new partnership with the ATF to deal with, two of our officers are now part time special agents, and they will be able to take anything that’s weapons related. So a lot of violent crimes we can take straight to the USA and go federal which will allow those people to be kept behind bars on bail.
Unless, of course, they bail out of jail.
…Adding… Pekau’s campaign just purchased $39,000 in cable TV ads.
* CD8 press release…
Yesterday, we saw the impact of the anti-police rhetoric Raja Krishnamoorthi’s allies in Washington DC continue to promote. An active shooter training turned into a live shooter situation putting the lives of officers and civilians at risk when the offender turned his weapon on police.
Chris Dargis released the following statement:
“Raja Krishnamoorthi has hid behind one local grant to bolster his ‘law and order’ credentials but has stood idly by as his allies in Congress decry our law enforcement, leading to violence like we saw yesterday in Chicago. This is hardly an isolated incident, and while Democrats like Raja continue to defame law enforcement, chaos on our streets will continue.”
Blaming a suburban congressman for some whacked-out nutjob trying to break in to a Chicago police station is a bit much, but, whatevs. Politics.
* CD13…
Today, Nikki Budzinski, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, called out her Republican opponent, Regan Deering, for her silence on Republicans’ recent policy agenda, “Commitment to America,” which doubled down on extreme Republicans’ recent promise to implement a nationwide abortion ban. The plan was even praised by the radical anti-choice organization, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which is supporting Regan and advocating for a national abortion ban if Republicans win back Congress this November.
Deering said that she was “thrilled” when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June and supports allowing states to outlaw abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or danger to the life of the woman.
Nikki Budzinski made the following statement: “Regan supports allowing states to ban abortion without exceptions, and now she is standing by and saying nothing while extreme Republicans work to implement a national abortion ban. It’s clear Regan will be a rubber stamp for national Republicans. She is drastically out of step with voters in this district on choice and many other issues. I’ll always stand up for a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions without interference from the government.”
Awake Illinois founder Shannon Adcock announced her bid for the Indian Prairie District 204 School board this week.
The announcement comes two days after her organization and the parents rights group she chairs, Mothers for Liberty, hosted a school board candidate training program in Des Plaines — an event that drew protesters opposed to the organizations’ positions on several issues, including diversity curriculum. […]
After losing in 2021, Adcock launched Awake Illinois to push against school and library COVID-19 mitigations and then went after schools for equity and inclusion training. […]
Cassie Creswell, director of Illinois Families for Public Schools, said plans are underway to host candidate training sessions for people who support equity and inclusion.
They’d better start cranking up.
* New ad by MKO…
Justice Mary Kay O’Brien, candidate for Illinois Supreme Court, Third District, released a second commercial today. The ad highlights the pro-choice organizations that support Justice O’Brien’s candidacy and the extremist groups that support opponent Mike Burke, who want to ban all abortion for Illinois women.
The new ad is entitled “Clear Choice.”
TRANSCRIPT: Now that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade -
In Illinois, extreme groups are trying to take away women’s freedom to choose
And THIS State Supreme Court race will decide who controls our Court.
Mike Burke says he agreed with the decision to overturn Roe.
He’s supported by the extreme groups that want to ban all abortion for Illinois women.
Justice Mary Kay O’Brien is supported by pro-choice groups, and in the past fought to protect a woman’s freedom.
Illinois has a clear choice, Mary Kay O’Brien. A Justice for All.
* Democratic nominee for Macon County judge voted in Republican primary: “At this point, the ballot is set,” said Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections. “That candidate could have been challenged in the primary, was not, won the primary (and) went on to be certified. So I’m unaware of any process at this point where they could file any sort of objection to it.”
* Kane County Democratic Women to host forum on abortion rights: The panelists will be Ameri Klafeta, director of the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project for the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union; State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin; and Rianne Hawkins, director of Advocacy and Campaigns for Illinois Planned Parenthood.
* Candidates draw distinctions in state 32nd Senate District and 64th House District races: Wilcox said he considers himself a right-to-life legislator and candidate, though he does not see the Illinois General Assembly changing the law here. He believes it will remain legal. He said there is a lot of support for the law as it was decided in 1973, but people pushed for more including in Illinois. “Had abortion remained safe, legal and relatively rare, Roe v. Wade would likely not have been overturned,” Wilcox said.
The actual transfer of assets, however, has hit some roadblocks, one of which was a lawsuit filed shortly after the permanent investment fund boards began their work.
In February 2021, the boards of 16 municipal police pension funds and two firefighters pension funds, along with some participants from each fund, filed a lawsuit in Kane County Circuit Court against Mr. Pritzker, the consolidated police and fire pension fund boards and others, alleging the legislation consolidating the pension funds’ assets was unconstitutional.
The lawsuit said the law violated the state’s pension protection clause, the contracts clause and the takings clause of the Illinois Constitution by terminating “plaintiffs’ authority to exclusively manage and control their investment expenditures and income,” according to the original court filing.
Daniel F. Konicek of Konicek & Dillon PC, attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a phone interview the judge will rule May 20 on the constitutionality of the investment funds.
* The Kane County judge ruled in favor of consolidation. However, the local pension systems which filed the lawsuit appealed the decision. Jake Griffin on the delay’s cost…
[Bill Atwood, executive director of the new statewide Firefighters’ Pension Investment Fund] said the firefighters’ pension agency has paid nearly $140,000 to its own lawyers since the suit was filed in February 2021. Those costs are covered by the pension system, which is funded by employee contributions, investment income and municipal tax dollars. […]
Firefighters began the consolidation despite the lingering lawsuit. Only four of the 292 local firefighter pension plans have yet to transfer funds to the consolidated system; two are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
But barely 60% of the 357 local police pension funds are consolidated so far, according to Richard White, executive director of the Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund. Most of the fund transfers took place after the judge’s ruling in May. […]
“We anticipate a reduction of $34 million a year alone on investment fees,” Atwood said. “The bottom line is it’s much cheaper to manage a single $7.5 billion portfolio than 296 funds that add up to $7.5 billion.”
Experts say the savings ultimately will require less local property tax revenue to fund pensions and reduce pension debt. The longer the local pension systems hold out from consolidating, the longer it will take to reap those benefits.
A 2019 law championed by Pritzker seeks to combine more than 600 local public safety pension funds into two funds — one for firefighters and another for police. Pritzker argues that doing so would increase the funds’ returns and contribute to fixing the problem of low funding levels that has weighed on budgets and dampened credit ratings. However, his plans are being delayed by a pending circuit court lawsuit and mistrust about shifting local funds to a state entity, particularly among the police pension plans. […]
The stakes are high for Illinois, the U.S. state with the lowest rating despite upgrades from S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service. Moody’s bumped up the state’s rating in June and again on Thursday to Baa1, citing its “capacity to rebuild financial reserves and increase payments towards unfunded liabilities.”
While the state’s $130 billion unfunded pension liability weighs on its rating and finances, the same problem plagues towns and cities across Illinois. The collective unfunded liability of local public safety pension plans through the end of fiscal 2020 was $13.3 billion, according to state data compiled by the Illinois Municipal League.
The state isn’t obligated to find solutions for the local plans, but underfunded pensions weigh on budgets and soak up revenue that could be used for other services. It can also lead to higher property taxes and erode credit outlooks. And, if its municipal governments struggle, the state’s economic rebound that already lags the national average could fall further behind.
* From Paddock Publications’ announcement last week that it was dropping the printing and distribution contract with the Proft papers…
Paddock Publications has made the decision to cancel commercial printing jobs with LGIS. As an independent newspaper publisher, we want no part of the flame-throwing accusations taking place between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and LGIS. Many critics cannot or refuse to differentiate between a commercial printing operation, for which the parent company Paddock Publications has many customers, and the Daily Herald’s editorial mission to be unbiased and fair.
On Thursday morning came a public news release from Pritzker’s campaign manager, Michael Ollen, excoriating Paddock for the print job. No one from Pritzker’s office had contacted the company regarding its concerns and instead sent out a news release announcing it would withdraw from an upcoming online forum with his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, because of the printing issue.
The Daily Herald arranged for the forum on behalf of the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors group, which represents dozens of newspapers around the state. The joint forum was created to provide a variety of papers access to the candidates.
Senior company leaders sought an audience with Pritzker Thursday afternoon, but he was unavailable. Instead, campaign manager Ollen agreed to meet. Senior management outlined Paddock’s position on the printing, but Ollen would not commit on the governor’s behalf to participate in the forum.
Withdrawing from the forum would be a grave disservice to voters.
* The Chicago Tribune’s chief political reporter Rick Pearson was on John Williams’ WGN Radio show yesterday and had this to say…
Pearson: When Paddock Publications said that Pritzker’s non-participation would be a ‘grave disservice to the voters,’ you perhaps could argue the same thing that by printing these political mailings filled with vast amounts of misinformation and distortion does a great disservice to the voters.
Williams: I suppose so, but the newspaper could also argue that that was not the newspaper’s decision, that was this company that could be on Mars for that matter. Granted, they have co-owners but they are not co-deciders, that company made a decision. The newspaper makes a decision. What do you think of that?
Pearson: The company owns the newspaper. [Cross-talk] I mean, the printing plant is the Daily Herald Printing Center. It’s not Paddock Publications Printing Center. […]
Williams: So you think that Paddock Publications made the right decision to no longer print, ostensibly, Darren Bailey’s campaign literature?
Pearson: The mere fact that these are fake newspapers is a disservice to journalism. That’s just the bottom line. They’re nothing more than political mailers that are fake as newspapers. To try to use and distinguish and give them the credibility of legitimate newspapers. It’s phony. And to assist in the phoniness of this is beyond the pale.
To help ensure the State of Illinois achieves the goals of the SAFE-T Act, State Senator Scott Bennett filed legislation to clarify language and improve how officials can enforce the law.
“As a former prosecutor, I understand the importance of presuming innocence for individuals before being proven guilty, supporting police and keeping violent criminals out of our neighborhoods,” said Bennett (D-Champaign). “Senate Bill 4228 is an effort to improve consistency in the SAFE-T Act and allow law enforcement officials to continue to effectively perform their duties and protect our communities.”
The intent of the law aims to do away with cash bail in an effort to end systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Senate Bill 4228 updates many provisions in the SAFE-T Act by clarifying language to address concerns raised by local law enforcement officials.
Sen. Bennett’s legislation states pretrial release will apply to individuals arrested on or after Jan. 1, 2023. The measure also permits judges to deny pretrial release for any alleged crime if the person arrested poses a threat to the safety of any person or the community.
Sen. Bennett is going to continue to work with all stakeholders, advocates, and his colleagues in hopes of a resolution on these issues during the fall Veto Session.
The following is a statement from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice (INPJ) responding to the Safe-T Act trailer bill introduced yesterday to modify the Pretrial Fairness provisions of the law. INPJ is a coalition of 42 organizations whose advocacy and policy work helped shape the Pretrial Fairness Act, a piece of the Safe-T Act:
“The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice strongly opposes SB4228, the Safe-T Act trailer bill introduced yesterday to modify the Pretrial Fairness provisions of the law. If passed, this bill would cause the number of people jailed while awaiting trial to skyrocket and exacerbate racial disparities in Illinois’ jails.
“The Pretrial Fairness Act was passed after the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor galvanized millions of people to demand action to address the racism that permeates the criminal legal system. The changes being proposed are in complete opposition to the spirit of those calls for racial justice and criminal legal system reform.
“The Pretrial Fairness Act was designed to ensure that everyone has access to the presumption of innocence, and the changes included in SB4228 would deny all Illinoisians that right. If passed, these measures would create a pretrial system that is far worse than the one in place today.
“It is absolutely essential that any changes to the Pretrial Fairness Act be made in the same spirit in which it was written. Using this historic legislation as a vehicle for incarcerating more Black and brown people would be a slap in the face to the communities that have suffered under the injustices of the money bond system for decades.”
Creates a presumption of detention for people charged with crimes that would require them to serve life in prison if convicted. The Illinois Constitution requires that the state have the burden to prove that an individual should be detained. The individual cannot be given the burden to prove they deserve release. […]
Removes the Pretrial Fairness Act’s provisions requiring tickets instead of arrests for very minor, non-violent crimes, allowing police to arrest in nearly every circumstance.
* Meanwhile, DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin has a reputation for being a voice of moderation on this topic…
With so many questions about bond provisions in Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, we invited DuPage County state’s attorney Bob Berlin to the studio to outline his concerns as well as changes he would support. Here’s our conversation on @WGNNews https://t.co/IX7wJwzldJ
* SAFE-T Act takes center stage at candidate debate: [Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex] voted against the bill. “The bill has a lot of good merits [including use of body cams] and it also has some real problems,” Joyce said, noting that he has having conversations with sheriff’s offices and state’s attorneys’ offices to continue understanding what’s needed in the bill before it’s to be signed on Jan. 1.
* SAFE-T slander: Misinformation surrounds Illinois’ new criminal justice reform law
* Here’s what a Republican-led ‘Contract with Illinois’ would look like: 1) Make Illinois a safer and better place to live. This starts with an immediate repeal of the “SAFE-T Act,” which ends the practice of “cash bail” and removes an important roadblock preventing hardened criminals from simply reoffending without much consequence. In other areas, such as funding for mental health professionals, we can work to make sure our local police departments have the resources they need to keep our communities safe.
As retired military, the words ‘duty and honor’ mean everything to me. Those values mean nothing to Governor Pritzker, who tried to get me fired from my job as a nurse. People like me and you need to STAND UP to J.B. Pritzker’s mafia politics.
* Streetsblog Chicago co-editor John Greenfield notes that Miles previously said she couldn’t prove that Pritzker was the one who beefed about her allegedly violating the federal Hatch Act, and her attorney concurred…
Yep. Miles says in this ad "[Pritzker] tried to get me fired." But she previously told Patch, "I can't prove [Pritzker tried to get me fired.]" (1/2)https://t.co/iLDBEBC94Dpic.twitter.com/GoajEbwdUX
Well, that’s not good. Sure appears actionable, unless they’ve uncovered some new evidence which they haven’t yet shared.
* I was watching Fox 32 Sunday evening and saw Proft’s Beverly Miles ad. I asked the Pritzker campaign about it, and the campaign’s legal team apparently reached out and gave the station until the end of business today to pull the ad off the air.
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released her first campaign ad for her re-election to the U.S. Senate this November. In the ad titled “Sacrificing,” Duckworth highlights her work in holding big corporations accountable for their price gouging that hurts working families. Earlier this year, Duckworth introduced her Gas Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would stop big oil companies from excessively price gouging in times of crisis.
In 2022 amid Vladimir Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine, Big Oil companies blamed soaring gas prices on the conflict, but netted record profits to line the pockets of CEOs and shareholders while working families felt the burden the most.
In contrast, Duckworth highlights her and her family’s military service and their sacrifice as a way of life. Her father was a Vietnam Veteran and her family has served in uniform during every period of conflict in our nation’s history, dating back to before the Revolution. Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran and Purple Heart recipient who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.
But today, Illinoisans are back to work, the driving force behind our growing economy whose GDP is larger than it was pre pandemic. For 20 consecutive weeks, Illinois has had historically low unemployment claims, outperforming expectations. Our unemployment system is back on track and the balance of the unemployment trust fund continues to experience strong and steady growth.
Thanks to Illinois’ economic recovery, the Illinois Department of Employment Security has advised me that the UI trust fund balance is sufficient enough to pay down another $450 million of its pandemic-related debt. This payment will reduce the remaining balance of our loan by 25% and reduce interest costs by an estimated $10 million over the course of the next year.
This announcement comes just months after the General Assembly and I directed $2.7 billion of federal ARPA dollars toward the loan, cutting the original $4.5 billion loan down to $1.8 billion.
Today’s action is another major step toward eliminating pandemic-related UI debt, which we intend to complete by the end of this calendar year. And we will. I will work closely with the General Assembly to continue supporting the agreed bill process between labor and business to conclude negotiations.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
…Adding… Press release excerpt…
“Paying down this debt continues to strengthen our fiscal security, adding to the benefits the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is seeing from historic low unemployment,” state Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) said. “The fund now has a $1.2 billion surplus due to fewer claims, making it very practical to pay back the borrowed funds. It’s another great step in our state’s record of continuous financial improvements of the past few years”
Illinois has remained below the previously recorded low of just more than 70,000 continued claims for twenty consecutive weeks, unprecedented since the beginning of the series in January 1987. Since the start of this year, Illinois has gained nearly 120,000 jobs throughout the state, with the most significant increases seen in the hotels and food services, manufacturing, healthcare and social assistance, construction, and transportation and warehousing industries.
Federal funds borrowed under Title XII were necessary to supplement the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and provide economic relief to unemployed workers throughout the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic. A plan to pay off the remaining balance on the loan will need to be developed through the agreed bill process.
…Adding… The talking points didn’t completely bite the dust, but yeah…
Another big step in fiscal responsibility for our Illinois government. Another GOP talking point hits the dust. https://t.co/CwF2RhzzDf
On September 27, Governor JB Pritzker held a press conference to tout the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s (IDES) use of $450 million from Illinois businesses’ tax dollars to pay down the remaining $1.8 billion borrowed under Title XII of the Social Security Act. Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and State Senator Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills), who were the Senate Republicans’ chief Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund negotiators, released the following statements in reaction to the announcement:
“While it is always good for the state of Illinois to make down payments on its outstanding debt, today’s announcement comes on the verge of the largest tax increase on businesses in Illinois history and does little to nothing to prevent it,” said Sen. Rezin. “No matter how the Governor and his allies try to spin this, Illinois is one of only five states to still owe money on its UI Trust Fund loan. This $450 million already paid by Illinois businesses will have no impact on future taxes that they will be forced to pay if we don’t completely repay our loan. We should have and could have filled this hole with the unexpected money we received from the federal government. Instead, the Majority Party waited for that money to be depleted on other proposals and programs, including personal pork projects.”
The state of Illinois received $8.1 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, which was designed to be used for COVID-19 relief and help with economic recovery. The federal government approved ARPA funds to be used on items like the UI Trust Fund, which prompted 31 states used their APRA dollars to eliminate their deficits and replenish their Trust Fund balance.
“It is disingenuous and a disservice for the Governor and Democratic lawmakers to be patting themselves on the back for today’s payment when they know that the burden of paying the remaining debt of $1.3 billion will be placed on struggling Illinois businesses,” said Sen. Stoller. “Illinois businesses did not create the lockdowns or give out billions of dollars of unemployment benefits to fraudsters that helped create our state’s nearly $5 billion UI Trust Fund debt. Now, Democratic lawmakers expect businesses to fix a problem of their own creation, which they could’ve easily fixed with the billions of dollars that the federal government provided them.”
If remaining UI Trust Fund debt isn’t repaid by Nov. 10, Illinois employers will lose Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) credit in 2023. The FUTA tax credit loss will be 0.3 percent of the first $7k of wages per employee or a maximum of $21 per employee. Consequently, for each employee earning $12,960 in 2023 a minimum rate taxed employer, the UI tax per employee will increase from $93.96 to $173.28 and for each employee earning $12, 960 in 2023 a maximum rate taxed employer, the UI per employee will increase from $988.20 to $1,326.72. The General Assembly is not expected to return to Springfield until the fall Veto Session on Nov. 15.
The proposed Illinois amendment would guarantee not only the right to organize for the most common elements of collective bargaining, like wages, hours and working conditions, but also for “economic welfare and safety at work.”
It also would essentially ban so-called right-to-work laws or ordinances, which prohibit companies and unions from agreeing to require union membership as a condition of employment. Right-to-work laws disempower unions by allowing workers to avoid paying “fair share” fees to unions — money used for nonpolitical union costs for actions such as collective bargaining. […]
It was intentionally drafted to apply to all workers, Poulos said, adding it will cover “droves” of workers not yet protected by federal or state law, such as agricultural workers and independent contractors, and would also work as a backstop if the federal laws that protect many private workers were ever repealed by federal courts or legislators. […]
The amendment would make the state uniquely anti-business, said Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Many nearby states that could be competing for business have right-to-work laws, he said.
“It’s a terrible message to send to the rest of the nation,” Maisch said.
* Proft on his PAC’s new book…
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has published a new book, The Governor You Do Not Know, written by former Chicago Sun-Times columnist and long-time moderate Democrat Dennis Byrne. The book has been mailed to voters across Illinois and is available to download for free at www.pritzkerbook.com. On Monday morning Byrne was interviewed by PBR PAC President Dan Proft and host of Dan & Amy on AM 560 Chicago’s Morning Answer. That full interview is also available at www.pritzkerbook.com.
About The Author: “I can’t remember exactly when I was no longer a committed and loyal Democrat. It started to happen, gradually, back when I wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times. As a member of the paper’s editorial board, I had to argue and defend opinions and values that were basic to most Americans way back then. But the cracks had started to form.”
…
Some more excerpts: “To make a change means taking a risk. It means many of you will have to temporarily step outside of your old political comfort zone. To not make a change also entails risk. In fact, hoping things get better with the same people pursuing the same destructive policies…is actually the most hopeless choice of all.
…
“I hope you will travel along with me in this little book, all the way to the last chapter. It should not take you very long. You will find out many things not reported in the news media, which I hope will help you make an informed decision for your future—for you, your family, your neighbors, and your fellow citizens of Illinois.”
…
In The Governor You Do Not Know Byrne explains what the major changes in Illinois’ laws brought about by Pritzker and his “new” Democrats will mean to moderate Democrat and Independent voters who may have voted for the governor four years ago…and what lies ahead for us who live in Illinois if he wins again.
Dennis Byrne is a native Chicagoan and long-time journalist who was variously an op-ed columnist, editorial board member, science writer, transportation reporter, and urban affairs writer for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Chicago Daily News. He blogs at The Barbershop: Dennis Byre, Proprietor, and is also the author of the historical novel Madness: The War of 1812. He now lives in Florida with his wife, Barbara, and their extended family.
To book Byrne for interviews, contact Mike Koolidge at michael@koolidge.com.
* Just another day in the life of our Republican nominee for attorney general…
The gender fluid, all-inclusive, woke liberal agenda, etc., etc. is simultaneously rearing its head in every nation…
As part of his focus on expanding Illinois’ innovation economy, Governor JB Pritzker and the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute unveiled the design for the new headquarters in The 78, a vibrant new innovation district along the Chicago River.
In addition, CVS Health announced today that it will be an anchor employer for DPI’s new partnership with technology services firm Interapt. Over the next five years, the Chicago/Skills apprenticeship program will provide as many as 2,500 individuals with tuition-free technology training and paid apprenticeship opportunities, with a focus on diverse apprentices. CVS Health has committed to hiring more than 200 successful participants over the next three years.
“The State of Illinois is building a world-class innovation hub in the heart of Chicago on the site of an old railroad yard that has sat vacant for decades,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “Already DPI has helped launch our state’s COVID-testing system, is searching for COVID-19 and other viruses in our wastewater, and is training hundreds of students for careers in tech – and has a plan to spread the opportunities equitably. This futuristic design from OMA/Jacobs matches our ambitions.”
“This new building is a testament to the innovation and forward-thinking ideas Illinois aims to foster across the state,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “The future headquarters will also show how much we can do to grow and progress when we invest in infrastructure that pushes us forward. That was the mission of Rebuild Illinois, and the funds coming from this plan continue to positively shape diverse communities throughout the state.”
Located on a one-acre site southwest of the Loop, the new DPI headquarters will provide more than 200,000 square feet of office, classroom, lab, and event space for DPI and its university and industry partners.
The State of Illinois is committing $500 million in capital funding to launch DPI and establish its Innovation Network at regional universities throughout the state. DPI is part of the University of Illinois System.
Construction has begun at the site of the former United Airlines headquarters in Mount Prospect, with recent demolition at the property clearing the way for the creation of a $2.5 billion data center campus expected to launch in 2024.
Officials with CloudHQ, a Washington, D.C.-based global data center provider that specializes in the design, development and operation of “hyperscale” data center facilities, said the 1.5 million-square-foot campus is expected to create 75 to 100 jobs for each of three planned buildings, including operations, maintenance and security positions.
The site, which is bordered by Dempster Street and Algonquin and Linneman roads, is anticipated to generate up to 3,000 construction jobs during construction of the three buildings.
* First, an update on the Burr Ridge Mayor, via Patch…
Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso earlier this month suggested the village had the power to determine which guests local hotels could accept under its village license.
A lawyer by trade, Grasso has not publicly cited the village’s legal authority. […]
Patch could find no provisions in the village code in which the mayor or Village Board could require a hotel to reject certain groups of paying customers. In this case, the state paid for the lodging. […]
Grasso did not cite any specific legal authority in which the village could compel the hotel to reject migrants or lodgers who were there as the result of “politically charged events.”
As of Sept. 24, Chicago has accepted 1,177 asylum-seekers who have arrived from Texas on buses sent by Abbott since the first bus arrived in the city on Aug. 31. […]
According to city officials, many children and infants are among those seeking refuge in the United States, many of whom traveled through several countries en route to Texas.
“Illinois is a welcoming state. We are committed to assisting each family and individual, providing human services with respect and dignity. We expect more arrivals to be welcomed and the City will continue to provide daily updates on those arrivals,” city spokesperson Joseph Dutra said.
Dutra added that upon arrival, migrants are provided immediate shelter and support with in-depth case management and connections to city and community-based services and agencies.
Earlier this month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Department of Human Services held conversations with Evanston leaders about housing some of the more than 1,000 refugees that have been bused to Illinois, according to City Manager Luke Stowe.
At the moment, Evanston’s shelters are full and most hotels are booked with Northwestern football games and other events coming up this fall, Stowe said. So no arrangements have yet been set.
But Illinois officials, including Pritzker, expect more migrants to arrive in the coming days and weeks, and the state is looking for Chicago and surrounding suburbs to help provide food, clothing and shelter until these people have a chance to get on their feet and find more permanent housing.
“We’ve had multiple discussions with the Governor’s office and IDHS in September about whether Evanston could help house migrants,” Stowe told the RoundTable. “One of the challenges is that the request is typically for 60 to 90 days of housing, which is difficult for our hotel partners due to Northwestern events and demand for hotel rooms. We are not currently housing any migrants, but we expect future requests and are preparing for it.”
The City of Peoria is preparing for the potential arrival of asylum seekers in the coming weeks. [..]
“At that point, we started putting our thinking caps on,” [Mayor Rita Ali] said. “We scheduled an emergency meeting for this week with, really, many of the same public and private agencies that responded to COVID and had an emergency response plan and really a system for dealing with that here.”
Latin American language speakers will be needed to serve as cultural connections. The migrants also will need access to shelter, food and health care. Peoria does not have an official welcoming center, and Ali said some private shelters are already full. […]
She said the city was told a bus of migrants sent to Peoria would most likely transport around 50 people. The city would hopefully receive advance notice of at least three hours, the mayor said.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said while the city is not necessarily inviting buses of migrants, the potential for their arrival is certainly present. City leaders and other key community stakeholders are developing a game plan if migrants are brought to the area.
“They often get off the bus needing medical attention, I know that’s not the way you should treat human beings,” Ali said.
While plans for migrants to be sent to Central Illinois are not imminent, Peoria leaders are getting ready in case that changes.
“We want to be prepared, we don’t want to be blindsided by that,” Ali said.
* Anyway, the school board candidate training was met by a protest…
Saturday morning parents from an array of suburban school districts along with representatives of state and local advocacy organizations, including Equality Illinois, ADL Midwest, Illinois Families for Public Schools, and more, gathered out front of the Marriott Courtyard hotel in Des Plaines to share their stories of how extremism is seeping into the public sphere—whether it be at school board meetings, public libraries, bakeries that support LGBTQ+ rights, and more.
Inside the Marriott, a school board candidate training took place sponsored by the anti-equity, anti-equality groups Moms for Liberty and Awake Illinois. Posing as concerned parent groups, these organizations have made calls to action against LGBTQ+ friendly events, harassed school board members and school staff, mounted opposition to a diverse and rich history curriculum that reflects all students, called for book bans, and more.
Opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs and support for civil rights protections for transgender and non-gender conforming youth in public schools has emerged around Illinois in recent years. Then in the summer of 2021, parents and others virulently opposing covid mitigation measures in schools began organizing to disrupt school boards and harass and threaten board members. They then pivoted to attacks on “Critical Race Theory”, a term erroneously used to characterize schools teaching accurate and honest history that addresses racial injustice in the US. In 2022, the focus of their attacks has been to spread transphobia and homophobia via book bans and attempts to exclude and eliminate protections and support for LGBTQ+ students. “We are here today in solidarity with parents, with teachers, with youth and our partners to call out the hate and intimidation and to tell LGBTQ+ Illinoisans, and particularly youth, that you belong, that you matter, that you are beautiful, that you are exactly who you are meant to be, and that we are grateful that you are in the world,“ said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, Deputy Director of Equality Illinois. “LGBTQ+ people deserve the same rights, same treatment and respect as our straight and cisgender allies. We are here because we will not let these hate groups control our narratives, our families or our ability to see ourselves reflected in our schools and our libraries,” added Ruiz-Velasco.
Parent of four, Asafonie Obed of District 204 (Indian Prairie) contacted after the event, said, “I encountered the founder of Awake Illinois, a fellow-parent at my children’s school, when she told me to start a charter school if I wanted diversity, equity and inclusion practices and a social justice framework at District 204. I was flabbergasted. And then I helped organize our community so she would not have a seat at the important school board table, where policies impacting my children are made.” (You can see Obed’s video of her story here. She was unable to attend in person due to family illness.)
In Downers Grove, students and parents defeated an attempt to ban Gender Queer. School board meetings were attended by members of the Proud Boys hate group, there to intimidate the students who were speaking out for the basic right to see themselves reflected in books in the school library. Downers Grove parent Kylie Spahn said, “It’s not always an easy battle, but it is winnable if you are organized. Due to being outspoken, I was attacked verbally at meetings, and my employer was called by someone a number of times who claimed I was a groomer and shouldn’t be around kids.”
In District 200, Wheaton parent Shannon Limjuco has witnessed how these anti-equality groups have reacted to pushback over the last year, saying “They continually model the worst bullying behavior possible for all of our children. I’ve seen them target and harass in person and online, school board members, administrators, teachers, and even parents who speak out against them.“ The message shared by all the parents was that organizing has worked thus far, and that it is more important than ever to stay focused on these races and vote in them next spring. Some coalition groups will be doing their own school board trainings to ensure Illinois schools are inclusive, child-centered and welcoming to all families and students.
A group of Republican state legislators who support former President Donald Trump have called on the Illinois GOP to censure Congressman Adam Kinzinger for “incendiary language, wild exaggeration and personal opinions” during the House select committee’s hearings investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
But GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey, who’s backed by Trump, and Illinois Republican Party President Don Tracy are ignoring the request, signaling a division within the party as the General Election approaches in November.
Political pivot: Bailey and Tracy issued statements worded the same way that address party kumbaya, not Kinzinger. “The Illinois GOP is focused on uniting the party to defeat Gov. [JB] Pritzker in November and make Illinois a safe and affordable place for people to live. That’s what Republicans are rallying around. That is our priority.”
The message being: Bailey and party leaders are working together after a bitter primary and in spite of their historically divergent political views within the Republican Party. Bailey’s far-right-leaning politics holds sway Downstate but not so much in Chicago.
Darren Bailey has made a major pivot. His team told reporter Mark Maxwell that “Mike Pence followed the constitutional process” and “Joe Biden is the duly elected president.”
Jan. 6 connection: Bailey made his comments in response to a former campaign aide being charged in the attack on the Capitol, according to KSDK’s Maxwell.
‘Definitive’ pivot: “Those comments may represent the most definitive statement from Bailey’s campaign to date about the outcome of the 2020 election and could be another sign Republicans fear litigating the last election might interfere with their designs to win a statewide race in 2022 in a state where Joe Biden won handily,” reports Maxwell.
Don’t go thinking Bailey is woke. On Tuesday, the GOP candidate for governor stood with members of Awake Illinois, an anti-mask, anti-LGBTQ and anti-Critical Race Theory organization, protesting at the state Capitol. Bailey stressed the importance of fighting for “these freedoms that are being taken away from us,” report Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Dan Petrella.
Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey won the endorsement of Donald Trump in the GOP primary, but he’s all but ignored the former president as he heads into November’s General election.
The big pivot: Bailey has “largely avoided answering reporter questions about the former president,” Mark Guarino writes in The Washington Post. There’s a reason, of course. Bailey knows that Chicago and its collar counties lean more to the left than Trump and his acolytes.
The Republican state senator who once pushed Illinois to secede from Chicago, has also pulled back from his anti-abortion claims, acknowledging he can do little to change the state’s laws supporting abortion rights.
The question is whether Bailey’s pivot away from far-right rhetoric is enough to help down-ballot Republicans. State GOP leaders aren’t so sure. They set out on the election season hoping to gain seats in the General Assembly but concede it will still be an uphill climb.
* The Question: How would you rate the success of these multiple “pivot” attempts? Explain.
* This is big, and particularly timely considering the recent Daily Herald scandal…
The Robert R. McCormick Foundation today announced investments in Block Club Chicago, Capitol News Illinois, Injustice Watch, and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. These investments complement the Foundation’s investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, formed with the Better Government Association and announced in 2021.
Together, these commitments to strengthening and scaling impactful reporting in Chicago and Illinois are intended to increase government transparency, enhance accountability of decision-makers to their constituents, and ensure public investments are creating and supporting opportunities for all, especially Chicago’s South and West Side residents.
McCormick Foundation grants to Block Club Chicago and Injustice Watch will support more robust investigative reporting on persistent challenges disinvested communities face and the promising efforts many are leading, in Chicago and elsewhere, to create thriving communities. Springfield-made decisions, from education spending to public safety policy, play a pivotal role in Chicago’s communities, but the attrition in statehouse reporting means these political transactions often go unexamined and remain outside the public eye. The grant to Capitol News Illinois will help a promising three year-old outlet scale to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield.
To ensure these funds drive long-term change, the grants include support for both editorial and business operations at Block Club Chicago, Capitol News Illinois, and Injustice Watch to help these outlets implement sustainability plans that will see them augment and diversify their revenue streams to support continued editorial growth and impact.
Medill, which is already supporting several local news outlets, will be able to expand its support for local media with the new grant from McCormick and provide a range of business analytics, market research, and expert advice to help outlets sustainably scale and serve the Chicago region’s residents.
“Chicago is fortunate to have one of the most dynamic and innovative networks of nonprofit news organizations in the country,” said Timothy P. Knight, the McCormick Foundation’s President and CEO. “All of these organizations have a history of collaborating closely with others, and several of these organizations currently collaborate with each other on a range of editorial, promotional, and operational initiatives. The simultaneous investment in each of these organizations, together with our investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, is intended to promote and strengthen collaboration and recognize the strong, complementary skills each of these organizations brings to Chicago and Illinois media.”
Block Club Chicago will receive $1.6M over three years to build a six-person investigative team and deepen its coverage of Chicago’s South and West Sides. Launched in 2018, the nonprofit newsroom delivers daily nonpartisan coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. Its more than a dozen reporters embedded in neighborhoods across the city provide residents continual insights on economic, political, and social developments in their communities. The new investigative team will complement Block Club’s existing daily news team and be positioned to act on tips and pursue longer-lead, high impact stories to improve government transparency and accountability.
“When reporters are embedded in the communities they cover, they’re able to report with context, respect and deep knowledge instead of parachuting in. Block Club’s reporters have proved time and again that our ground-level approach builds trust with readers, leads to news that is more responsive to the community’s needs and offers a more accurate portrayal of our neighborhoods,” said Stephanie Lulay, Executive Editor and Co-founder of Block Club Chicago. “Thanks to the incredible support of the McCormick Foundation, we’re excited to give Chicago neighborhoods the dedicated investigative coverage they deserve.”
Injustice Watch will receive $1.5M over three years to grow its editorial capacity and expand its audience and revenue building efforts. The outlet is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization that focuses on issues of equity and justice in the courts, especially in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The outlet’s public service journalism is bringing needed awareness and transparency to court proceedings and judicial elections, while engaging community members in the process. The outlet’s three-year strategic growth plan will add investigative reporters and editors, alongside an audience and fundraising team to increase in-person and digital engagement and grow the outlet’s readership and supporter base.
“The McCormick Foundation’s grant to Injustice Watch will enable the organization to amplify its impact,” said Juliet Sorensen, executive director of Injustice Watch. “Our research-driven, human-centered approach to systemic issues will reach more community members and inform and engage them in the process. We are honored by this investment in our future.”
Capitol News Illinois will receive $2M over three years to expand its editorial capacity and add more investigative and Chicago-based reporting. Importantly, the outlet will also hire its first full-time fundraising position and start to build a team to diversify its revenue. It will also add broadcast journalists to their reporting team in 2023 in a partnership with the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Capitol News Illinois (CNI) is a nonprofit news service that covers state government daily for newspapers statewide. Launched in 2019, its stories have been published more than 70,000 times in 460 daily and nondaily newspapers statewide. Since its launch, the news service has added a daily newsletter and a podcast and last year launched a partnership with Illinois Public Radio stations.
“Our news service has had a big impact in its first 3-plus years in the state’s print media because of the initial investments made by the McCormick Foundation and the Illinois Press Foundation,” said Jeff Rogers, director of the IPF, which operates Capitol News Illinois. Rogers is also editor of Capitol News Illinois.
“We are excited about the significant next steps our news service will be able to take with this investment from McCormick. We look forward to greatly expanding our funding base and business operations, extending our audience into TV and radio, and growing our reporting team in the next 3 years. We’re also looking forward to being a part of a collaborative investigative journalism powerhouse McCormick is fostering with these grants.”
Medill will receive $2.4M over three years to launch the Medill Local News Accelerator, a program to spur innovation and improve long-term sustainability of independent Chicago news organizations. The Accelerator will grow audience engagement; spur revenue growth through digital subscriptions, memberships, sponsorships and other diversified income streams; and create strategies for long-term self-sustainability of Chicago news organizations. Additionally, Northwestern will launch a new, immersive media leadership training program. Faculty experts from Medill and the Kellogg School of Management, along with media thought leaders outside the university, will provide in-depth training for Chicago media leaders to help give them the tools they need to better manage their news outlets for long-term sustainability.
“We are honored that the McCormick Foundation has chosen to invest in our efforts to help bolster outlets in the Chicago media ecosystem,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “We look forward to partnering with a wide swath of local news organizations to help them chart paths that will lead to their long-term viability and the continued production of robust journalism for our communities.”
* And from Capitol News Illinois…
Capitol News Illinois will significantly expand its operations as it enters the fifth year of operations in 2023 because of a significant grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
The McCormick Foundation has announced a three-year, $2 million investment in Capitol News Illinois, a nonprofit news organization that provides daily coverage of state government and is operated by the Illinois Press Foundation.
The CNI grant is one of four being announced by the McCormick Foundation, which is also investing in Block Club Chicago, Injustice Watch and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. The four grants total $7.5 million over three years. The grants complement the McCormick Foundation’s investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, formed with the Better Government Association and announced in 2021.
The McCormick Foundation has granted Capitol News Illinois $700,000 over its first four years of operations. McCormick said the increased investment in CNI will “help a promising outlet scale to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield.”
Jeff Rogers, the executive director of the Illinois Press Foundation and editor of Capitol News Illinois, said the McCormick investment will be used to expand the news service’s print reporting operations, launch a broadcast news operation in 2023, and hire a development director that will be tasked with growing and diversifying revenue streams to support continued editorial growth and impact.
Other Capitol News Illinois initiatives planned in the coming months and years with the McCormick investment include adding print reporters outside of the Springfield area; continuing to grow the broadcast newsroom; and hiring a photographer/videographer, a web/digital developer, an events coordinator, and a college internships coordinator. News literacy and civics initiatives are also planned, as is an expanded effort to provide analytical reporting and commentary.
“Capitol News Illinois’ mission has always been to connect as many people as possible to state government in Illinois,” Rogers said. “We have been very successful in doing that through the more than 460 newspapers in Illinois that have published CNI stories since 2019. This investment in Capitol News Illinois from the McCormick Foundation will allow us to expand our audience significantly through broadcast reporting and through significantly expanded print offerings.”
Capitol News Illinois stories have been published more than 75,000 times in Illinois newspapers with a combined circulation of about 2 million.
“Equally important is the investment in CNI’s business operations which will yield more funding for our newsrooms in the coming years that will enable us to continue to grow our news service,” Rogers said.
Capitol News Illinois operates solely on grants and donations. It does not charge a subscription for access to its coverage or a fee to publish its stories. The McCormick Foundation and Illinois Press Foundation have been the major donors to CNI during its nearly four years of operation.
Rogers also said CNI is “looking forward to being a part of a collaborative investigative journalism powerhouse McCormick is fostering with these grants.”
Timothy P. Knight, the McCormick Foundation president and CEO, shared that sentiment.
“All of these organizations have a history of collaborating closely with others, and several of these organizations currently collaborate with each other on a range of editorial, promotional, and operational initiatives,” Knight said. “The simultaneous investment in each of these organizations, together with our investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, is intended to promote and strengthen collaboration and recognize the strong, complementary skills each of these organizations brings to Chicago and Illinois media.”
In recent weeks, Capitol News Illinois has also received financial commitments from the Illinois Broadcasters Association and the Southern Illinois Editorial Association that will also aid in the news service’s expansion efforts. More details on those investments will be made soon.
Rogers said searches for a development director, an additional print reporter, and broadcast reporters are underway. He can be reached at jrogers@capitolnewsillinois.com.
Far-right activist Dan Proft has proved time and time again that he is very effective at calling attention to himself and getting under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s skin in the worst way.
Proft’s newspapers have, for instance, published several articles with photos of Pritzker’s daughter. Sometimes the stories were wrong, like when a false claim was made that Pritzker’s daughter was sitting outdoors at a Chicago restaurant with several friends in violation of the 10-person rule during the pandemic.
“It wasn’t her,” Pritzker told reporters back in November 2020, when COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations were rising sharply. “But the picture falsely identifying her started making the rounds on social media, helped along by the trolls who permeate these social media platforms these days. My office put out a statement making clear this wasn’t my daughter. But that didn’t stop Republican elected officials, a network of propaganda publications in the state and some radio shock jocks from telling people that the picture was of my daughter, despite knowing that this was a lie.”
“Put yourself in the shoes of a high school girl who is being weaponized against her father by his political opponents. Weaponized with lies,” Pritzker said. Even so, the photo and the story are still online.
The papers, owned by parent company Local Government Information Services (LGIS), have run articles showing the young woman partying in the Bahamas outdoors, riding on a horse outdoors and having fun with friends outdoors at Lollapalooza.
Proft also co-hosts a morning radio show with Amy Jacobson, who spoke at a public rally against the governor’s pandemic mitigations and regularly showed up to Pritzker’s press conferences to ask loaded questions, to the point where she was eventually banned from the pressers, although the ban was lifted not long after.
Proft’s exact affiliation with LGIS is not clear. The print version is being mailed unsolicited on a regular basis to large numbers of registered voters. The latest edition features a front-page claim that Pritzker and his transgender aunt (a wealthy Republican who supported Bruce Rauner) are in league to eliminate the “myth” of gender, a claim that has been circulated by far-right websites for months.
The papers have also been accused of publishing incendiary, racist stories about accused criminals who would soon be released into suburban communities. Pritzker himself addressed that edition, calling it “messaging that’s coming from a racist political consultant.” The paper also printed wildly false claims by a state’s attorney who warned that the reforms in the now-notorious SAFE-T Act would bring the “end of days.”
It’s unclear who is funding the papers, but Proft also heads the People Who Play by the Rules PAC, an independent expenditure committee backing Darren Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign and funded solely by far-right billionaire Dick Uihlein.
Last week, a Shaw Local newspaper story about the Proft papers noted in passing that LGIS was using Paddock Publications’ postage permit. According to a recent Illinois Press Association news release, Paddock’s Schaumburg printing facility is owned by the Daily Herald Media Group.
Many journalists and others were stunned by the revelation. Proft’s papers have been accused of deliberately spreading disinformation and amplifying racism and homophobia. The Illinois Press Association has tried its best to point out that LGIS is not a member and the company’s papers are not actually news. That a respected publisher was printing and mailing those papers came as a shock, particularly since the Daily Herald has taken an active role in the Illinois Press Association.
Pritzker then goosed the story into overdrive by backing out of a debate hosted in part by the Daily Herald. Hours later, Paddock Publications announced that it had dropped its printing and mailing contract with LGIS, claiming it wanted no part in the fight between Pritzker and Proft, but denying that it did anything wrong. In a bitter response, Proft claimed that he was a “longstanding client” of the Daily Herald, so you gotta wonder how long the Daily Herald has been doing this.
The big loser in all this is the Daily Herald, which lost an incalculable amount of respect for its integrity that it may never regain because of its active participation in a tsunami of viral disinformation during dangerous times. Pritzker prevailed and was able to keep the focus off other important campaign issues. And Proft got attention for himself and his radio show and a platform to say things like calling Pritzker a “bedwetting, spoiled brat.”
“Many critics cannot or refuse to differentiate between a commercial printing operation . . . and the Daily Herald’s editorial mission to be unbiased and fair,” the letter states, without addressing the still-unanswered question of whether LGIS mailed these materials on Paddock’s dime. “The perception for some has become that the Daily Herald favors one party over another and by printing for LGIS, it’s somehow promoting its message. That is not true.”
Actually, producing and apparently providing postage for this stuff is pretty much the definition of promoting this message. And, to be clear, the look would be just as bad if Paddock had printed and lent its postal permit to sham newspapers that amounted to unlabeled ads for Pritzker or Lightfoot.
We’re not talking about slick pamphlets, brochures or posters here—the kind of material that voters are accustomed to finding in their mailboxes, stuck into their doorjambs or pressed into their hands as they run for the train during campaign season. We’re talking about deceptively designed mailers that are clearly meant to simulate newspapers—printed and evidently distributed by a company that, however inconveniently in this case, happens to be in the news business.
* ‘Deceptive’ Chicago City Wire Hitting Mailboxes Looks Like A Newspaper. But It’s Really A Conservative Campaign Mailer: While media law experts said that the publications were protected by the free speech provision of the First Amendment, they agreed that they were essentially political mailers, intentionally disguised as newspapers. “I don’t call them newspapers for a very good reason,” said Don Craven, president of the Springfield-based Illinois Press Association. “They’re not.”
*** UPDATE *** Money will always find a way around impediments, but that doesn’t mean the Daily Herald had to sully itself…
This is where we say: Thank you, Your Magnificence. You honor us by agreeing to answer questions from the jesters of your court.
P.S. Paddock Publications has been replaced as the printer by a bigger operation and the distro of newspapers will imcrease.https://t.co/4xLgAP1XII
