“I’m going back into the private sector to lead a new initiative that will leverage one of his other greatest victories, that of the Janus v. AFSCME fair share case that was just picked up by the United States Supreme Court,” Rasmussen said during the call. “So whether we are inside of government or outside of government there’s so much opportunity for us to change policy and change lives for the better. ”
Rasmussen said she had “two key responsibilities” during her tenure: to “refresh the staff” and to deal with the school funding crisis. […]
Heaton said he knows that there can be “anxiety and uncertainty that comes with change.”
“I just want to encourage everybody to take a deep breath. I’m not coming in with some kind of vision that I need to bring in my own separate, new group of people,” Heaton said.
I have the same source material, but since I was out of the office and Tina got it, too, you can just click here and read the rest of her story. Saves me some work.
* I have a doctor’s appointment (nothing life-threatening) and will be back later this afternoon. Discuss any breaking news or whatever, as long as it’s Illinois-centric. And please do your utmost to be kind to each other. Thanks!
* Back in the days when smart phones didn’t exist and texting was fairly rare, AOL Instant Messenger was all the rage. The company eventually developed a small mobile device which could send AIMs to other AOL users. Several campaigns used the very edgy technology.
But after 20 years, it’s shutting down. From a message I received this morning…
Hi there! We wanted to let you know that AIM will be going away on December 15, 2017. Until then, you can continue to use AIM normally, but as of December 15, AIM will be discontinued and you will no longer have access. Thank you for being an AIM user - we loved working on this product for you.
Only a handful of people I know still use it, but I still get occasional messages from folks on the system.
A political friend was at one time the most prodigious AIM user I’ve ever known. I walked into her office one day and mentioned I had been trying over and over to send instant messages to her and wasn’t getting a response. She looked and said she had 200 active AIM conversations on her desktop computer and, apparently, that was the company’s limit. It had happened before, she said, which is why she knew.
* The Question: What are the various ways you electronically communicate with others? Explain if necessary.
Gov. Bruce Rauner announced today that Rodger Heaton will become his chief of staff effective Monday, Oct. 9. Heaton, a former U.S. Attorney and most recently the director of Public Safety and chairman of the Statewide Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform, succeeds Kristina Rasmussen, who will remain on staff until Friday, Oct. 13, to help ensure a smooth transition.
Heaton has served as public safety director and the governor’s Homeland Security adviser since January 2015. In these roles, he has worked extensively with members from all three branches of Illinois state government and is familiar with the workings of the Office of the Governor and the priorities that the governor has established.
“I’m excited to promote Rodger to be our team leader,” Rauner said. “His combination of legal, legislative and policy experience will help us build on the significant improvements that Kristina accomplished in a very compressed and challenging time.”
Heaton has had a 30-year career in law, litigation, law enforcement and policy. From 2005 to 2009, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, the chief federal law enforcement official for 46 counties. He also served on the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, a body that advises the Attorney General on all policy matters related to the justice system.
The governor lauded the work of outgoing Chief of Staff Kristina Rasmussen, who is leaving the administration to pursue other interests.
“I brought Kristina on last summer because of her reputation as a foremost policy leader and organizational innovator,” the governor said. “I asked her to reinvigorate our staff and advance our goals in improving education, growing jobs, and protecting taxpayers … and she delivered on all fronts.
“Kristina built and organized a team that is enhancing our executive operations, making them more focused, more effective and better prepared to win a growth agenda for Illinois,” Rauner said. “I know she will be a great success in any endeavor she chooses in the future.”
* I asked all the Democratic gubernatorial candidates and Gov. Rauner’s campaign this question the other day…
What specific legislation would you propose to lessen the risk of a mass shooting in Illinois?
Their deadline was noon today. The Rauner campaign did not respond. The answers in the order they were received:
* Tio Hardiman…
“As Governor, I would make sure that we enforce all of the Gun Laws on the books in Illinois to the highest level because having strict gun laws without enforcement is like turning your back on the law abiding citizens of Illinois. Additionally, I would work with members of the Illinois General Assembly and Members of Congress/Senate on Banning Assault Weapons period. This is necessary to help the state of Illinois remain safe from incidents like what just took place in Las Vegas.”
* Bob Daiber…
“The effort to stop mass shootings in Illinois begins with passing and signing into law SB1657 “The Gun Dealer Licensing Act.” This legislation gets to the root of the problem as to whom sells weapons and the process by which individuals can obtain rapid-fire devices. I support a ban on such weapons for further sale to the general public. To address the long-term issue of manufacturing assault weapons, we must enforce restrictive patents on the development of any such weapons so they may not be marketed beyond the initial intent. As a state, we must also address this issue by reinstating mental health services to serve citizens who have a diagnosis that may present a risk to society. “
* Chris Kennedy…
We have the ability to limit illegal, unlawful use of guns, without violating responsible gun owners’ second amendment rights. We should immediately take steps to:
* Pass the Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing Act, which would mandate state licensing for all Illinois firearms dealers who are currently only required to be licensed at the federal level. This would reduce a major source of illegal guns from entering our communities.
* Crack down on the gun train problem by putting the railroads on notice. Guns that are being shipped across the country sit in unprotected rail yards, making it possible for thieves to steal and resell illegal weapons throughout the state.
* Pass a Lethal Violence Order of Protection (LVOP) to empower immediate family members who are concerned about a loved one hurting themselves or others.
* Create a gun tracing program like they have in New York City so we can trace the ownership of all guns that were used in a crime and cooperate with other states that are creating similar programs so that our data collection and reporting techniques are compatible.
* Ban anyone on the terrorist watch list from receiving a FOID card in Illinois and call on President Trump to share the terrorist watch list with the state police immediately, or to explain why he refuses to do so.
* Pass an assault weapons ban in the state.
* Implement universal background checks to determine whether the prospective buyer has been convicted of a felony.
* Study the gun violence epidemic. If the federal government won’t reinstate research from the CDC to study this public health crisis, then we need to do it right here in Illinois, where we have sophisticated public universities like the University of Illinois-Chicago to take the lead.
* Sen. Daniel Biss…
“We are in desperate need of common sense measures to prevent gun violence and mass shootings, and we can’t wait for the federal government to take action. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring the Gun Dealers Licensing Act, and introducing a Senate companion to the newly-filed HB4107 to ban bump stocks, high capacity magazines, and assault weapons. These are all important steps we can take today to better protect our communities.
“But crucially, we also must expand access to mental health care, and de-stigmatize those with mental health issues. To do that we must fight for Medicare for All, and for a sustainable budget that fully funds our state’s social service providers.”
* Ald. Ameya Pawar…
As Governor, Ald. Pawar would:
-Sign SB 1675, the Gun Dealers Licensing Act which would:
1. Require background checks on all gun dealer employees
2. Require video surveillance on the outside of gun shops, and
3. Train employees to help identify straw purchasers.
-Propose a ban on the sale of bump stock.
-Propose a ban on the sale of automatic weapons.
-Propose a ban on the sale of high capacity magazines.
And as Ald. Pawar wrote in a 2013 Tribune Op-Ed (link here) he would propose a gun liability law to prevent straw purchases because if we can insure guns we can ensure we can save lives.
A gun liability law would include:
1. Tying a firearm owners identification card to proof of gun liability insurance.
2. Requiring gun sellers and dealers to verify proof of insurance prior to any gun transaction.
3. Requiring every purchased gun be listed on an insurance policy.
We also must attack the root of the problem and recognize that mass shootings and gun violence are a result of a lack of economic opportunity and ready access to mental health services. As Governor, Ald. Pawar would invest in communities by passing a New Deal era capital bill and invest in mental health services destroyed under Governor Rauner.
* JB Pritzker…
The mass shooting in Las Vegas was the worst in U.S. history and this is the third time in ten years we’ve said that. Enough is enough. Gun violence is a public health epidemic, destroying families and communities, and taking the lives of 675 people in Chicago last year alone. We can’t just send hopes and prayers, we have to take action.
There are several measures we can take to address gun violence. First, I support a ban on assault weapons, high capacity magazines, and bump stocks to make it harder for people to do so much harm, so quickly. Second, I believe we need to put in place universal background checks, pass a gun dealer licensing bill, and close the gun show loophole. Third, we need to work with neighboring states to stop guns from flowing across our borders. Finally, I support lethal violence protection orders so that families can step in to protect loved ones from harming themselves and others.
These are steps we can take to help keep our families and communities safe, but they are only part of the equation. Social service funding and mental health services in Illinois have been decimated by Bruce Rauner’s budget crisis. As governor, I will work to restore funding for these services and create economic opportunity across our state so that we can bring opportunity and hope back to every community in Illinois.
Having recently gained the national spotlight, Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon confirmed his interest Thursday in a statewide run to become the next Illinois attorney general.
But his final decision will hinge on his ability to do justice to the heavy workload on his docket.
McMahon, a Republican, became state’s attorney in 2010, but it was just this past summer that his name came onto the national media scene for his appointment as a special prosecutor in the Laquan McDonald murder case. McMahon is still knee-deep in that prosecution.
He’s also juggling several pending lawsuits in Kane County, including a potential $60 million judgment involving a drug-treatment center application rejected by the county board.
* I asked the Republican Attorneys General Association for comment. RAGA has been backing Erika Harold’s bid and RAGA spokesman Zack Roday sent me this…
“We’re incredibly excited about the momentum Erika Harold is already showing and the wide range of support she is gathering from Republicans and Democrats alike – all across the state.”
You’ll recall that Peter Roskam was the only Republican Congressman to not endorse Erika Harold this week. He told the Tribune he was waiting to see what McMahon did.
Van Dyke was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm—one count, apparently, for each bullet he fired at McDonald. Van Dyke had previously been indicted on charges of first-degree murder and misconduct in office. Special prosecutor Joseph McMahon filed the new indictment—which included the original charges—to replace the first one. […]
(E)ven if jurors find Van Dyke not guilty of murder and not guilty of the battery charges attached to the first few bullets, they could still potentially convict him on battery charges for the later bullets. The prosecutor’s strategy seems tailored to counter the special consideration a police office usually receives in shooting cases: “He’s covering his bases. Doing what a good prosecutor would do.” […]
Milan won’t speculate on how a jury might rule, but he agrees that if the prosecutor’s strategy succeeds, it could easily spread to police shooting cases in other places.
Rasmussen's departure will be announced today. Her exit was delayed by the search for her replacement, solidified over HB40 signing. https://t.co/hMHQmDf1lg
I started hearing it on Wednesday night and by last night I was getting flooded with texts and calls.
Heaton is a former US Attorney for Central Illinois. He’s been the governor’s top public safety guy. He’s also in the Samuel K. Gove Illinois Legislative Intern Hall of Fame, which I didn’t know until a little bit ago.
* But I didn’t mention this one, partly because Patty wouldn’t even come close to confirming it…
Source also says Patty Schuh to be named new Comms chief for @GovRauner#twill
I still think it’s likely happening in the near future, however. She would definitely be an improvement.
* We may know more about Rasmussen/Heaton when this staff meeting gets underway, or maybe not. I’m hearing some don’t believe it will be announced that soon…
There's now a 1 p.m. all-staff call for Rauner staff, seemingly to discuss new chief of staff, other changes. #twill
…Adding… The Sun-Times needs to restore their old stories. This is from a blog post I did in 2006…
* You gotta wonder what the heck Rodger Heaton was thinking when he made these dinner reservations. From Mark Brown:
If I were a gossip columnist, I could give you the entire substance of today’s column in just a sentence, then let the insiders make of it what they will.
It would read something like this:
Seen breaking bread recently in the Grill Room of Springfield’s Sangamo Club were Rodger Heaton, the new U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois, and his dinner companions, Republican power brokers William Cellini and Robert Kjellander. […]
But from the outside looking in, this seems exactly the kind of too-friendly relationship between federal prosecutors and Illinois political figures that caused former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald to insist on going outside the state for his U.S. attorney selections
In a Nod to Madigan, Longtime Madigan Front Group Expected to Endorse Pritzker
IL Dem County Chairs Assoc. has funneled campaign cash to Madigan’s allies and vulnerable House Democrats for years
“ILDCCA President Doug House is taking orders from Madigan - that’s why tomorrow’s expected endorsement of J.B. Pritzker comes as no surprise. For years, Madigan has used the ILDCCA to funnel campaign cash to his allies and vulnerable House Democrats. Now, Madigan is using the ILDCCA to bestow Pritzker with the Democratic nomination for governor.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Tomorrow, the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association will be conducting a vote to endorse a gubernatorial candidate for the upcoming Democratic primary. In a nod to Speaker Mike Madigan, the ILDCCA is expected to endorse J.B. Pritzker, Madigan’s candidate for governor.
ILDCCA President and Madigan front man Doug House has already stated he will be casting his endorsement vote for J.B. Pritzker. House’s endorsement comes as no surprise - he’s already urged his fellow Democrats to “play nice” and not upset Madigan, as Madigan continues to steer support to Pritzker.
House and his predecessors have long done Madigan’s bidding and used the ILDCCA to funnel campaign cash to Madigan’s allies and vulnerable House Democrats.
After taking big campaign checks from special interest groups associated with Madigan and allies of Madigan in the General Assembly, the ILDCCA turned around and funneled that campaign cash to former House Democrats and Madigan-enablers like Kate Cloonen, John Bradley, and Mike Smiddy.
It’s clear the ILDCCA is one of many Madigan front groups.
Now, Madigan is using the ILDCCA to bestow Pritzker with the Democratic nomination for governor. The fact that Madigan will do anything to ensure Pritzker wins the nomination should worry Illinois voters, particularly Democrats.
I count 19 mentions of the word “Madigan” in that release. And it’s 21 if you include the subject line of the e-mail.
*** UPDATE *** From the ILDCCA…
Rich,
I wanted to respond to the ILGOP press release that you posted on the blog. This is the typical ILGOP response to everything. Blame someone eles for their constant failures. This response is also hysterical given the ILGOP has been bought and paid for by Bruce Rauner.
The IDCCA is made up of 102 independent County Chairs who will meet tomorrow and decide for themselves who will be the best candidate to defeat Bruce Rauner.
While the ILGOP continues to become unhinged in the midst of their own civil war, at least they could come up with something better than the same old response.
If you need anything else, please let me know. Thanks
Dan Kovats
Executive Director
Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association
* Republican Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison says he’s filing a new ordinance to repeal the county’s pop tax and has more than enough votes to override a veto from Board President Toni Preckwinkle if they all stand firm.
Morrison’s original ordinance would’ve repealed the tax immediately, which would be next Tuesday. The new ordinance would allow the tax to expire at the end of the fiscal year, which would be December 1st.
Commissioner Morrison says he has 12 co-sponsors on the measure, with perhaps more soon because some commissioners couldn’t sign on before he filed it. It takes 11 votes to override a veto. Commissioner John Daley is a co-sponsor, Morrison said. Daley said yesterday that he had switched positions and now wanted to repeal the tax.
So, that could be the end of the much-hated pop tax.
…Adding… The Tribune has the names of the other flippers…
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Preckwinkle’s floor leader; Stanley Moore; and Dennis Deer. All are Chicago Democrats. Garcia and Moore voted for the tax last November. Deer was recently appointed and this will be his first major vote. All are expected to seek reelection next year.
…Adding… From a Chris Kennedy fundraising e-mail yesterday that I didn’t see…
Food can be medicine and it can also be poison. In a food swamp, almost all the food is poison. Discouraging unhealthy foods is important but so is an investment in healthcare and access to healthy foods.
That’s not what we’re doing with this soda tax in Cook County. What we’re actually doing is hurting working families in Illinois.
It’s time to stop with these regressive taxes that hurt our working families. Chip in $5 to our campaign so that we can make sure that we reform to our tax code to help our working families, not hurt them.
Cook Country thinks it can clean up its finances with a patchwork of regressive fixes like a soda tax. Illinois needs a wholesale reform of our tax code, starting with ending our reliance on a broken property tax system to fund local schools.
Saying we’re helping kids when we’re simply imposing another tax on their families, is playing pretend.
* The Illinois Policy Institute’s news service is staying focused on HB40…
With the fall veto session weeks away, Gov. Bruce Rauner says he hopes the Republican caucus “stays strong,” allowing his vetoes to withstand attempts by Democrats to override. Angry over Rauner’s signing of a controversial abortion bill, a retiring GOP lawmaker responded to Rauner’s hopes, saying, “We’re all free agents now.” […]
Retiring state Rep. Barb Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, said Rauner’s signing of a bill expanding public funds to pay for abortions after pledging a veto was enough for her and many others to write off the freshman governor completely.
“Quite frankly, it makes us all free agents in regards to what happens in the veto session,” she said. “This veto session is going to be very different than what he probably could have expected had he stayed with us when we asked him to.”
Wheeler thinks Republicans should take little stock in Rauner’s wishes in respect to the coming veto overrides.
“They should represent their district, not taking into consideration what the will or want is of the governor,” she said.
“They should represent their district.” That is always good advice, and it would’ve been great advice starting in January of 2015.
Subscribers know a bit more about what to expect in the upcoming veto session. But you gotta figure that the governor’s veto of the comptroller’s Debt Transparency Act will be overridden. The roll call was one vote shy, but some people were absent and some may flip to “Yes” after HB40. The legislation had strong support from editorial boards across the state and, in what I think may have been an overlooked turning point for the governor, those edit boards lashed out at Rauner in August after he vetoed it.
While Cook County commissioners and Board President Toni Preckwinkle battle over the controversial sweetened beverage tax, city taxpayers may be seeing some relief on that front.
In an interview for “Chicago Tonight,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel refused to take sides on the county tax debate, but indicated he would take action at the city level.
“I’m going to focus on my budget, and in my budget, there’s going to be some tax reduction in that area,” Emanuel said.
The mayor will release the city’s 2018 budget on Wednesday, Oct. 18. He was not specific about how much taxes would be reduced, or which tax would go down. Not including alcoholic drinks, there are three retail beverage oriented taxes: a 9 percent syrup tax paid by the distributor, a 3 percent soda tax paid by the consumer, and a 5 cent bottled water tax.
* However, one of the mayor’s spokesmen said to me this morning that reducing the city’s beverage taxes (some of which I didn’t even know existed) was “Not what [the mayor] meant and not happening.”
“We’re looking at tax relief,” the spokesman said, “but not the specific area of taxes on sugary/sweetened beverages.” It was, the spokesman said, a “reasonable misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding all the same.”
Aurora may get a Small Business Development Center to help fledgling businesses succeed, according to Gov. Bruce Rauner. […]
He told an audience in the Arthur N. Bonifas Conference Center next to Alarm Detection Systems that there is money in the current budget proposal for a small business center in Aurora. While that budget is still in flux — he said the current projected $1.7 billion deficit is too much and must be cut — he said officials are looking for an Aurora location for the facility.
The SBDC, as it is called, would help small businesses develop a network of relationships, assisting them to find resources they might need to be succeed, Rauner said.
“The key to sustaining successful business is being in a network,” Rauner said. “You need a network of relationships.”
Springfield’s fiscal mess continues to rack up victims: small-business development centers on college campuses around the state, which are shutting their doors or retrenching because of funding shortfalls.
About a quarter have closed, the latest at Governors State University in south suburban University Park, which is going the way of abandoned locations at Joliet Junior College, Illinois State University in Normal and Waubonsee Community College in Aurora.
For three decades, the centers have been a free resource for fledgling entrepreneurs starting companies or trying to keep them going. Juicy Luzy Sangria owner Luz Cavazos is opening a 1,500-square-foot plant in Oak Lawn with $20,000 from small-business lender Accion and said it wouldn’t have happened had Governors State’s SBDC not helped draft a business plan.
Once numbering 36 statewide, the centers typically serve a few hundred clients each and cost in the neighborhood of $200,000 annually to operate. They’re jointly funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and matching state funds; some directors said schools chip in an amount equal to three-quarters of the state match through employee salaries and in-kind contributions.
…Adding… I missed this DGA press release yesterday…
Today, Governor Bruce Rauner visits Aurora to speak to announce the opening of a new Small Business Development Center, but perhaps he should explain why the previous center closed under his watch. Or why the state’s economy lags under his failed leadership.
Illinois Small Business Development Centers were hit hard in the two-year budget impasse. Crain’s Chicago estimated that a quarter of all SBDC’s on college campuses closed in Illinois including one located on Waubonsee Community College campus. The Aurora Beacon-News reported that the center closed in 2016 due to the budget impasse, and had served 400 businesses the year before.
WCC is about 20 minutes from Aurora.
* Pritzker campaign today…
Yesterday, Bruce Rauner announced an expansion of the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity’s Small Business Development Center Network (SBDCs) – the same program he’s decimated as governor.
Under Rauner’s failed leadership and manufactured crisis SBDCs in Illinois were decimated, forcing almost one quarter to close and slashing the number of jobs created and retained by them.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and Bruce Rauner destroyed many of the small business development centers needed to help them grow and thrive,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “With jobs leaving this state and businesses shutting their doors, Bruce Rauner’s damage is done.”
…Adding… Heh…
Getting press for opening offices that you closed is kinda like using quotes about other people in your TV ads. https://t.co/NyBMPkmhrN
Biss for Illinois announced today that, for the second quarter in a row, Daniel Biss has raised more than JB Pritzker and Chris Kennedy, both of whom have written personal checks to their own campaigns to reach their quarterly totals.
The campaign raised over $825,000 in the third quarter and now sits with more than $2.6 million cash on hand. Donations came from more than 2,650 donors representing over 270 cities and towns across Illinois. Seventy-five percent of these donations were for under $100, and ninety-six percent came from in-state.
Biss Campaign Manager Abby Witt issued the following statement in response to third quarter fundraising results:
“JB Pritzker is spending over $120,000 of his own money every day. That’s more than Daniel and his wife’s combined income in an entire year. Chris Kennedy has written his campaign two checks, totaling $500,000. That’s more than Daniel’s house is worth.
“There’s a reason a math teacher and state legislator can out-raise ultra-wealthy political insiders: Illinoisans are tired of the rich and powerful holding the reigns of power in this state. Instead of resigning themselves to a broken system, voters are taking politics into their own hands by electing a middle-class governor they can trust to fight for them.”
Yes, he did raise more money than Kennedy. Again.
But Sen. Biss’ fundraising pace has slowed since the second quarter, when he raised just over a million bucks. That’s not a good sign. The lieutenant governor debacle may have hurt him. It didn’t kill him off, but it surely didn’t help.
* This story has been going around all day, but the Tribune confirmed it…
Stephen Paddock, the gunman who fatally shot 58 people and wounded nearly 500 in Las Vegas Sunday night, rented two rooms in August at Chicago’s Blackstone Hotel overlooking the Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park, according to a law enforcement source.
Paddock reserved the rooms on the park side of the hotel with a clear view of the outdoor festival, but he never showed up, according to the source, who asked for anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to publicly disclose the details.
The dates of the reservations covered the four-day event, which drew hundreds of thousands of music fans, including former President Barack Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha, as well as Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The Blackstone, in a statement, said a Stephen Paddock reserved rooms at the hotel but no one by that name stayed there.
The National Rifle Association on Thursday endorsed tighter restrictions on devices that allow a rifle to fire bullets as fast as a machine gun — a rare, if small, step for a group that for years has vehemently opposed any new gun controls.
Twelve of the rifles the Las Vegas gunman, Stephen Paddock, had in a high-rise hotel suite when he opened fire on a crowd on Sunday were outfitted with “bump stocks,” devices that allow a semiautomatic rifle to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, which may explain how he was able to shoot so quickly, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds of others. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has ruled that bump stocks do not violate laws that tightly limit ownership of machine guns, and some lawmakers have called for them to be banned.
The bureau should revisit the issue and “immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law,” the N.R.A. said in a statement released Thursday. “The N.R.A. believes that devices designed to allow semiautomatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”
* The Question: Should “bump stocks” be banned in Illinois? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
A day after the two Democratic primary frontrunners bickered over attendance at a forum, all seven candidates for governor kept things civil at a debate hosted by Whitney Young Magnet High School on Wednesday evening on the city’s Near West Side. […]
State Sen. Daniel Biss (9th) and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) were in lock-step with Pritzker and Kennedy in calling for a progressive income tax, changing the funding formula for Chicago Public Schools, raising the minimum wage, reinstating funding for mental health facilities, protecting DACA recipients and banning assault weapons.
Bob Daiber, regional superintendent of schools in downstate Madison County; anti-violence activist Tio Hardiman; and small-business owner Alex Paterakis joined the other candidates in hammering Gov. Bruce Rauner as a crony of President Donald Trump pandering to corporate interests. […]
The only time Pritzker called out Kennedy by name was to agree with him that the state should increase investment in Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab to improve the state’s renewable energy prospects.
Democratic governor candidate Ald. Ameya Pawar released a new nearly 5-minute long digital ad as he was scheduled to begin on Thursday the second leg of his “Don’t Close Our Communities” tour.
The ad called “Unity” shows the Chicago alderman on previous bus visits across the state. The latest leg of his tour is supposed to take him to 14 cities in four days. He’ll be joined by his running mate, Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman.
“It’s easy to prey on people’s economic anxieties and turn other communities into the ‘other’ when people feel like they haven’t been listened to. That economic violence is how we get to a place where bombast and ugly political rhetoric is the same as political authenticity,” Pawar says in the video.
“We need to fight back against that. But the only way you fight that is with a positive agenda that brings people together,” he says.
* Hyper-local, but still interesting, considering the history there…
In these troubled times for the nation, it was touching to see peace break out this week in a Far North Side neighborhood long plagued by political conflict.
It was only this summer that a daughter of the 50th Ward’s late, long-serving Ald. Bernie Stone, Ilana Feketitsch, lashed out at the current alderman, Debra Silverstein for what she thought was Silverstein’s delay in naming a park in Stone’s honor. Wounds inflicted during Silverstein’s 2011 election victory over Stone clearly hadn’t healed.
But at an official ribbon-cutting Wednesday at the newly unveiled Berny Stone Park in West Ridge — attended by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and dozens of friends and family of Stone — it was all so much water under the bridge.
A smiling Feketitsch (who previously said of Silverstein’s successful campaign to unseat her father that she was “shocked” at how “some people” would “just dig their claws into you”), and Silverstein (who fired back through gritted teeth in June, “I’m sure she’s very happy”), hugged it out in front of the mayor.
* Heh…
* Related…
* Republicans picnic in Palos Park without Gov. Rauner: “When Gov. Bruce Rauner ran three years ago he said he had no social agenda, and here we are,” said David Dewar who attended the picnic in the character of Uncle Sam. “He promised a lot of pro-life religious organizations that he wasn’t going to do this,” Dewar said. “I believe in the right for babies to decide, not in reproductive rights. Now, they’re forcing me to take my tax dollars to fund something I don’t believe in.”
The veto is self-explanatory. We discussed the “nothing short of a miracle” quote from the governor’s new TV ad yesterday. It was actually used to compliment Sen. Andy Manar for his work on the education funding bill.
* The “Illinois is worth fighting for” slogan in Rauner’s new TV ad was used by US Rep. Cheri Bustos during her 2016 campaign from beginning…
Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos released the first ad of her reelection campaign… “I’m running for reelection because, just like the hardworking men and women across our community, I know that Illinois is worth fighting for.”
Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos released her final TV spot of the 2016 campaign… “Just like the hardworking families I serve, I’ll never give up because I know Illinois is worth fighting for.”
Chris Kennedy’s campaign continues to build a groundswell of support from people throughout Illinois, as evidenced by this quarter’s fundraising results.
The campaign announced today that it’s raised more than $2.75 million, with more than $1.05 million of that coming in the third quarter.
“For far too long, our political system has benefited a wealthy few and left too many behind,” Campaign Manager Brendan O’Sullivan said. “As our campaign progresses, we see the power of the people coming together to support a candidate who will challenge the status quo to bring fairness and opportunity back to everyone throughout Illinois.”
Kennedy’s grassroots approach is reflected in the campaign’s fundraising results:
* Nearly 8,000 contributions have come from about 5,300 individual contributors.
* Nearly 80 percent of third quarter contributions came in at $100 or less.
* Contributions to the campaign have come from donors in 90 of Illinois’ 102 counties.
In addition to thriving on the power of the people throughout the state, Kennedy made his commitment clear by making a $250,000 personal contribution to the campaign this quarter.
[Emphasis added]
“We’re right where we need to be,” says a Kennedy person.
For context, Sen. Daniel Biss raised that same amount during the second quarter. Kennedy raised just $700,000 in the second quarter. JB Pritzker has put $21.2 million into his own campaign.
…Adding… The “Nearly 80 percent of third quarter contributions came in at $100 or less” refers to the number of actual contributions, not the amount raised.
* Greg Hinz reports something that’s being discussed widely in Cook County Democratic circles. Voters are refusing to sign the Democratic slate petitions because they have Toni Preckwinkle’s name on them…
Democratic Organization precinct captains are running into something they rarely face as they pass candidate nominating petitions this fall: rejection. […]
“Voters aren’t just refusing to sign, they’re providing their own, not-so-kind editorial opinions” about Preckwinkle and County Assessor Joe Berrios, said one Democratic ward boss who asked not to be named. “The bulk of the comments are about the pop tax and county sales tax,” which Preckwinkle returned to level raised by her predecessor, Todd Stroger. […]
“It’s a huge problem,” said one source close to the matter who asked not to be named. Some precinct workers are resorting to folding over the top line of the nominating petition so that Preckwinkle’s name, which is listed first, is not visible when voters are asked to sign. […]
Dart has been advertising for volunteer petition passers on his Facebook page. Earlier this week he emailed supporters saying, “In order to get on the ballot we need your help circulating petitions and collecting signatures,” and directing them to a sign up page.
A spokeswoman said Dart is passing both the joint petition and one for himself alone. He has done that in the past, but did not do so four years ago, she said.
Sometimes, I’m told, voters are writing “messages” to Preckwinkle on the petitions.
Cook County Board Commissioner John Daley has decided to vote to repeal the controversial soda tax, boosting the chances for repeal next week.
“I am going to vote to repeal,” Daley told the Chicago Tribune. “I listened to the community, the residents I represent, and there’s been a strong outcry.
“It’s a lot of taxes they’ve been hit with,” added Daley, referring to city property taxes, garbage fees and the recent increase in the state income tax. “It’s every economic group. It’s every ethnic group. It’s every part of the district.” […]
Several commissioners said Daley’s flip on the issue could cause a domino effect among the other seven commissioners who originally supported the tax. But Daley said he won’t try to sway anyone and that commissioners have to make the best decisions they can in the interest of the people they represent.
* Related…
* Preckwinkle: County has ‘reached moment of truth’ on budget, pop tax: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday struck a defiant tone defending the controversial soda pop tax as she delivered her 2018 budget address, telling commissioners to back the tax or make severe cuts to county services.
* Sen. Jason Barickman had been one of Gov. Rauner’s staunchest allies. But check out his interview with Eric Stock at WJBC…
State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said he believes some in the GOP have lost faith in Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner after he told them and other pro-lifers he would veto a bill to fund abortions before he signed it.
“In our house, that’s a lie,” Barickman said. “You certainly don’t want to do that to the public, to (Chicago) Cardinal (Blase Cupich), a representative of the Catholic church. I think his credibility really got tarnished on this.” […]
“He had already been identified as one of the most – if not the most- vulnerable governor in our 50 states that was up for election next year, This issue, I think, makes him more vulnerable.”
I’ve been talking to rank and file Republicans this week and their anger is so real you can almost feel the heat through the phone.
Some Republicans are floating their names. Rep. Ives is certainly one of them… And I truly believe what they’re doing is looking for someone to commit to them some large campaign contribution to make them a viable candidate.
I would guess that if someone had $5 million bucks they’d put a credible challenge to Bruce Rauner in the primary. […]
It could be someone from Texas, you know, calls ‘em up and says, ‘I’m so angry that Bruce Rauner did this, I’m going to write you a check for $5 million, 2 million, 10,’ I don’t know. And then, suddenly, you’ve got a real primary going. And as much as Bruce Rauner has unlimited money, I don’t see that unlimited money as quite as impactful in a primary when he’s a known quantity.
* Barickman said Rauner would use much of his own money to attack the other candidate…
The fundamental question will be is there a match. A match between some wealthy contributor and some candidate who could withstand the negative scrutiny… That’s a really ugly election to go through.
Rauner and Pritzker have fundamentally changed politics in this state. I’m not trying to pick on Sen. Barickman here because what he said is being said by lots of others. But Republicans have become so addicted to their BVR ATM that they are currently looking for a magical replacement rather than doing the work of raising that money on their own. Raising $5 million in this climate is not insurmountable, particularly since the caps are off.
The Democrats should keep this predicament in mind. What happens when their sweet cash machine becomes too toxic or simply goes away?
As Domestic Violence Awareness Month begins, JB Pritzker released a domestic violence plan to help children and families break the cycle of violence across Illinois. State Representative Sara Feigenholtz has worked tirelessly to ensure survivors and their families have the resources they need. Rep. Feigenholtz, a longtime supporter and friend of JB Pritzker, endorses JB’s plan and pledges to stand with him to break the cycle of violence in the lives of these families.
While more than 53,000 Illinoisans receive support from community-based providers each year, Bruce Rauner did long term damage to the tools domestic violence survivors need to build a path toward self-sufficiency. JB’s plan would put Illinois children on a path to success and give parents the tools they need to build better lives. As governor, JB will:
* Implement evidence-based screening, detection, and prevention models to identify and help children who witness domestic violence.
* Ensure that schools and community-based providers help children who witness domestic violence rebuild their lives by utilizing trauma-informed treatment models.
* Ensure families have access to the tools they need to rebuild their lives by stabilizing state investment in domestic violence shelters and services that have been hurt by Governor Rauner’s budget crisis.
* Work with community-based programs to help them build and maintain a trained workforce able to fully address the needs of domestic violence survivors.
“Trauma-informed intervention services for survivors of domestic violence can change lives,” said JB Pritzker. “These services help survivors and children break cycles of violence to pursue safe and healthy futures. As governor, agencies and the survivors and families they serve will have a real advocate in Springfield.”
“JB’s plan to break the cycle of violence prioritizes screening, detection and healing for children and families experiencing domestic violence,” said State Representative Sara Feigenholtz. “I am proud to stand with JB, and I know that as governor he will be a partner in efforts to empower survivors and do whatever it takes to help them rebuild their lives.”
I’m told by the campaign that the plan won’t cost additional money. The idea on the spending side of the equation is to stabilize the system by reliably funding it for a change.
In his latest political ad, Pritzker opens up about how his mother, Sue Pritzker, coped with the death of Pritzker’s father and how it shaped his own life. Pritzker was 7 when Donald Pritzker died of a sudden heart attack. […]
Before the new ad hit the airwaves, Pritzker talked to me about how it came about. It wasn’t something he planned to include in his campaign to unseat Gov. Bruce Rauner. “Someone turned a camera on me and asked me some questions,” he said in an interview this week. After wrapping up the Q&A, Pritzker told staffers that that portion of the video “wasn’t usable in any way.”
But the campaign staff saw a human side of a man who has the world by the tail. They convinced him to share it. The ad explains what Pritzker’s friends see – a man empathetic to issues that cross wealth and class.
When I was 7 years old, my dad passed away, and my mother was left with three young children. She lost her job as my father’s partner in business. She lost her life partner, and she was afflicted with alcoholism.
She struggled valiantly to overcome a disease so she could take care of her own kids, and even though she lost the battle, she ultimately won because although she passed away, all three of us survived.
I think that when you watch somebody struggle, you develop a kind of empathy and understanding. It becomes your responsibility to step in.
I’ve tried to do that during my life wherever I could. I think it’s, in a way, a way for me to honor my mother. She needed help. We needed help. When I have the ability to do it, I should do it.
Pritzker’s campaign also has a fairly recent TV ad featuring his wife. Click here for that one.
Grundy County State’s Attorney Jason Helland is preparing to announce his campaign to run against Democratic Secretary of State Jesse White.
“I met with Governor Rauner’s campaign staff,” Helland told WCIA Wednesday night, “and after thorough discussion, ultimately, I made the decision to go for it.”
Helland is supremely confident his campaign will secure the public support and financial backing of the Republican Governor and the state party.
“I have reason to believe [Rauner’s endorsement] is a done deal,” Helland said.
I’m not sure tying himself so closely to Rauner is gonna help in these trying times, but he may wind up being the only Republican who gets on the ballot.
And still we wait for Republicans to float their names for treasurer (against a not well known incumbent Democrat) or comptroller.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Thursday will launch a three-week advertising campaign against Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, who occupies one of three Republican-held congressional seats in the St. Louis region that Democrats say they will target next year.
The others are the Metro East district held by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville; and the Missouri 2nd District seat held by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin. […]
The campaign committee, a national congressional election arm of the Democratic Party, said it will spend an unspecified amount — “sizable six-figures,” a spokesman said — attacking Republicans in a dozen districts around the country. Incumbents in those districts include Bost, who is in his second term of office.
The ads — on radio, national television and social media — will target Republicans for their efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act and argue that they will not stop doing so until they lose control of Congress. Bost voted for a repeal and replacement of the law, often called Obamacare, that, so far, has failed to pass the Senate.
Since entering in late July, Democratic candidate and first time candidate Erik Jones raised approximately $220,000. “That’s an average of over $3,150/day in his first 69 days in the race. As a first-time candidate, Erik’s ability to raise money shows that his message and campaign are resonating,” his campaign says. Others vying for the seat now held by Republican Rodney Davis are Democrats, Jonathan Ebel, David Gill, Betsy Londrigan and Benjamin Webb.
* And the GOP incumbent issued this press release today…
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today released this statement after signing onto a letter to asking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to review the law regarding bump stock technology that was reportedly used in the Las Vegas shooting earlier this week.
“Fully-automatic weapons have been illegal in the U.S. for the last 30 years, but recent technology has made it easier to legally simulate a fully-automatic weapon. Until this week, I had never even heard of a bump-stock so we are asking the ATF for more information – to be educated on the issue and current law. There is no place for politics in this debate or knee-jerk reactions, but I believe we can have a thoughtful, non-partisan discussion about the facts. To be clear, those who believe that gun control or one law is going to put an end to mass shootings are, unfortunately, severely shortsighted. As someone who experienced gun violence a few months ago, I know all too well that this is a much larger issue of hate, of mental illness, and of evil and we cannot lose sight of that.”
* “Our Revolution” is billed as “the next step for Bernie Sanders’ movement.” Here’s a press release from the Illinois chapter…
On October 8, Our Revolution Illinois, Chicago Teachers Union, MoveOn, Progressive Democrats of America, United Working Families, Reclaim Chicago, National Nurses United, Indivisible Illinois, Kane County Progressives, Will County Progressives and over 50 progressive organizations across Illinois will be holding the first-ever Progressive Gubernatorial Forum. All announced Democratic candidates for Governor have confirmed their attendance (see below).
The forum will be moderated by Mary Ann Ahern, political reporter for NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) and will cover issues important to Illinois working families. The forum is open to the public and press. More information and a list of sponsoring organizations can be found here.
WHAT:
The first-ever Progressive Gubernatorial Forum in Illinois.
WHO:
Illinois progressive organizations and labor unions
Daniel Biss
Bob Daiber
Tio Hardiman
Chris Kennedy
Robert Marshall
Alex Paterakis
Ameya Pewar
J.B. Pritzker
Moderator: Mary Ann Ahern
WHEN:
12:45 PM CT
WHERE:
Chicago Teachers Union Hall
1901 W Carroll St
Chicago
So far, much of the Democratic primary has been a race to the left. Looks like that trend will continue for a while. Holding it at the CTU hall is a nice touch, too.
* Meanwhile, this isn’t much of a surprise since the former congressman is also a Madigan guy…
Former metro-east congressman Jerry Costello is backing J.B. Pritzker in the race for the Democratic nomination in next year’s gubernatorial election.
“I have met with leading candidates in the race, both J.B. and Chris Kennedy. I believe J.B. Pritzker is the type of person who will bring people together to get things done for the metro-east, Southern Illinois and the state,” Costello said Wednesday.
“Also, (he is) the only candidate who has released a jobs plan to help the economy, rebuild our infrastructure and help rural Illinois as well. I just think, too … he’s a uniter, not a divider. He has a plan to help our economy that we sorely need at this time.”
Costello said he also met with Madison County Regional Office of Education Superintendent Bob Daiber before making his decision.
* WCIA’s Mark Maxwell and Raquel Martin heard that Speaker Madigan would be attending a fundraiser in Decatur yesterday and got several minutes of his time. Nothing really earth-shattering here, but definitely worth a look because Madigan doesn’t often do this…
We tracked down Speaker Madigan at a private fundraiser in Decatur. Here's what he had to say:
Hello everyone. Thank you to DeKalb Stands and Northern Illinois University for hosting this great event. I’m so sorry I couldn’t be with you tonight. My running mate Juliana Stratton was looking forward to joining, but unfortunately my opponents didn’t want to share a stage with her. I can’t say I blame them. Juliana is an incredible woman and a powerful fighter for Illinois and together we’re going to put Springfield back on the side of working families.
* After reading his statement, the moderator quickly corrected Pritzker. The other candidates did not object to Stratton’s presence. It was the organizers, she said, who set those rules…
That video came in over the transom from someone who was most definitely not with the Pritzker campaign.
But I think somebody in the Pritzker campaign has subscribed to my YouTube page, so they got a notification and watched the video after I uploaded it and then asked for time to comment. After that, things got a bit testy.
This is from a September 21 e-mail sent by the organizers…
Also, the lineup of candidates has changed slightly. Chris Kennedy is joining the group. J.B. Pritzker can no longer come, but Juliana Stratton will appear in his place.
So, as of a couple of weeks ago, the organizers were obviously OK with Stratton appearing.
* Galia Slayen at the Pritzker campaign maintains that Kennedy threatened not to attend if Stratton was allowed on the stage…
“It’s unfortunate that after Chris Kennedy skipped at least 10 forums and sent surrogates like Emil Jones to represent him, that he refused to be on the same stage with Juliana Stratton and threatened not to attend if JB wasn’t there. To be clear, the forum organizers had originally accepted having Juliana attend until Chris Kennedy’s campaign complained. JB has attended over 25 multi-candidate appearances and looks forward to continuing to share his message with voters across the state.”
* Rebecca Evans at the Kennedy campaign called Slayen’s statement “petty and insulting to voters”…
It was a unanimous decision by the organizing board to keep yesterday’s Democratic gubernatorial candidates forum to just candidates for governor. For the Pritzker campaign to spend their time citing a tally of forum attendance that doesn’t accurately reflect all of the events and meetings Chris has with people throughout Illinois is petty and insulting to voters who want a substantive leader to unite our state. It’s also a signal that, despite paying millions of dollars for TV ads, Pritzker’s campaign must be feeling very insecure about their candidate’s status in this race.
After waiting hours on both campaigns to provide their responses, I reached out to the person who sent that e-mail about Stratton at around 2 o’clock. So far, I’ve heard nothing back. I’ll let you know.
But, hey, if nothing else, I did inadvertently manage to get both spokespersons to go after each other on the record.
Progress! /s
I often host a party the weekend before the primary and invite top staffers from every campaign to attend. I’ve never once seen a fight or even an argument. Next March’s could be different.
*** UPDATE *** From the organizer…
Hi,
We had a great forum last night. We certainly missed Mr. Pritzker and Mr. Pawar, but the five candidates who attended did an excellent job and had a really appreciative audience.
In answer to your question, both are correct. It was a unanimous decision of our group, made after a call from Kennedy’s campaign objecting to Stratton’s being substituted for Pritzker. However, it was only Kennedy who objected, not the other candidates (the reason for our correction to Pritzker’s statement). Kennedy did not threaten “not to attend if JB wasn’t there,” as stated in your email. What Kennedy’s staffer said was that he wasn’t prepared to go onstage with a lieutenant governor candidate and would send his own lieutenant governor candidate as his surrogate in the event that Stratton was involved.
Cities across North America are pulling out the stops to become the home of Amazon’s second headquarters. […]
In an effort to bring HQ2 to Tucson and Southern Arizona, economic development group Sun Corridor loaded a 21-foot Saguaro cactus onto a truck to deliver to Amazon. […]
Birmingham, Alabama has installed three massive Amazon delivery boxes around the city to coincide with the launch of Mayor William Bell’s formal bid for the second headquarters. The city plans to add more boxes, too. […]
Amazon, Georgia? Earlier this week, the Stonecrest City Council in Georgia voted to de-annex 345 acres of its land if selected for Amazon’s second home. The new area would be called the city of Amazon.
No, in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.
* The Question: What “futile and stupid gesture” would you recommend for Chicago in this Amazon HQ2 sweepstakes?
* Chris Kennedy was asked last night during a candidate forum about his position on legalizing marijuana…
KENNEDY: I’ve seen the crowd’s reaction on this, I’d like to take a pass on this one. [LAUGHTER]
MODERATOR: Are you sure?
KENNEDY: No but I think we are all struggling with the same issue, and I’m not going to take a shot at anybody and I certainly don’t mean to. I think it is dangerous to embrace a public health hazard simply because you want revenue.
That’s what I think. And that’s what makes, and I’m not aiming that at anybody. I’m cautious because we haven’t studied this issue thoroughly because the Republicans in the Congress in the House and the Senate have prevented the federal government from doing so. We have great research institutions in Illinois, nothing is going to happen under Gov. Rauner. We should challenge a place like Northern or U of I, UIC to study the effects, make an informed decision, defer to the scientists and the doctors and don’t let politicians make scientific decisions.
Now, in fairness, Sen. Daniel Biss said a few minutes earlier that he believed marijuana was a “public health problem” But, he said, “Let’s find a public health solution, not a criminal solution.”
Daiber said he supports it because it is now socially acceptable.
“If you wanna buy some pot, you probably can on this campus,” he said to laughter. But he wanted Illinois to legalize marijuana by referendum and not legislation.
The only boos from the crowd on the night came when Hardiman said marijuana was a gateway to other drugs.
“Yes, it’s been proven in addiction studies,” he said in response. “I do support it, but we need to take a good look.”
Biss said he supports the legalization of cannabis because the laws are enforced unequally, because he wants to address it as a public health issue and because taxing it could be used for revenue.
Veteran political commentators agreed. “Governor Rauner said from the time he was a candidate that he was a fiscal conservative with no social agenda. His wife, Diana, a major Planned Parenthood donor, said they were both ‘social-justice warriors.’ One of them turned out to be a liar — and it wasn’t Diana,” says Dan Proft, a conservative Chicago-area talk-show host and former Republican gubernatorial candidate. “Rauner’s fiscal conservatism never materialized, but the radical-left social agenda did, which is why his poll numbers read like a Chicago thermometer in February.”
Maybe the state party will finally have a comment on Proft now that he’s opening up on Rauner. I’ve asked the party for a response yet again, but haven’t heard anything back.
…Adding… The governor was asked about stuff like this today and here’s his response…
Asked about unity of IL GOP, Gov. Rauner repeats "Reasonable people can reasonably disagree." Says "no group is defined by any one issue.”
Speaking of Personal PAC, the group is using Rauner’s signature and threats of a repeal of the abortion-expansion bill to promote its fundraising luncheon later this month.
“The ink had not yet dried on HB 40 becoming law before anti-choice state representatives and senators held a press conference announcing their plans to file legislation immediately repealing HB 40,” says an email from Personal PAC President and CEO Terry Cosgrove.
“We cannot let this happen! The 2018 elections will determine the future of HB 40 and reproductive rights going into the next decade. Your support is now more important than ever,” says the email, which then urges supporters to “buy your tickets now” for the group’s Oct. 30 awards luncheon.
In a case that could reshape American politics, the Supreme Court appeared split Tuesday on whether Wisconsin Republicans gave themselves an unfair advantage when they drew political maps to last a decade.
If Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote almost certainly controls the outcome, is prepared to join his liberal colleagues, the court could rule for the first time that districting plans that entrench one party’s control of a legislature or congressional delegation can violate the constitutional rights of the other party’s voters. That could lead to changes in political maps across the country.
* As we’ve already discussed, this case revolves around the “efficiency gap,” which, the SCOTUS blog explains, “looks at the number of votes ‘wasted’ in each election, either because they are cast for the losing candidate or because the victorious candidate did not need them to win”…
(M)uch of [the court’s time] was spent in the weeds, on what Justice Stephen Breyer described as another “hard issue” in the case: If courts are going to get involved with partisan-gerrymandering cases, what are manageable standards that they can apply to evaluate the claims? Breyer offered Tseytlin a five-part test that looked at, among other things, whether one party controls the legislature and the redistricting process; whether the redistricting maps create “partisan asymmetry” – that is, they do not treat the different political parties equally; and whether that asymmetry is “persistent” and extreme. “I suspect,” Breyer told Tseytlin, that the test is manageable. […]
[Erin Murphy, arguing for the Wisconsin State Senate] picked up this theme, reminding the justices that the kinds of standards that the plaintiffs have proposed have identified “false positives” – districts that appear to be the result of gerrymandering but are not – 50% of the time. What, she asked rhetorically, are legislatures supposed to do when confronted with problems like these? […]
[Justice Elena Kagan] seemed to be on board with Breyer’s standard, but looked for reassurance that the courts would not be inundated with challenges to other redistricting maps in the future. Smith suggested a variety of measures that seemed to placate Kagan, but not Roberts, who complained that the kind of statistics-based predictions that Smith’s measures would call for had “been a very hazardous exercise” for the court in the past. Alito also complained about the “dozens of uncertainties” in the process that Smith was proposing.
* The potential for a large number of cases disputing whether a state’s map is in compliance is real. For example, there are strongly differing opinions on whether Illinois would be ruled out of compliance…
(A)ccording to Nick Stephanopolous, a law professor and lawyer for Wisconsin Democrats, it would leave Madigan’s partisan cartography undisturbed.
“At this point, no, (the Wisconsin case would not affect Illinois), simply because the ‘efficiency gap’ isn’t big enough for Illinois,” he said.
In 2012, [Illinois] Democratic House candidates got 52 percent of the vote statewide but captured 60 percent of the seats, report political scientist Kent Redfield of the University of Illinois at Springfield and policy consultant Cynthia Canary. In 2014, Democrats got 50.5 percent of the vote and 60 percent of the seats. This year, Madigan’s party again won 60 percent of the races.
That’s why Illinois Republicans may side with Wisconsin Democrats on one issue: partisan gerrymandering.
* From a Change Illinois fundraising e-mail…
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a landmark case that could change America’s political landscape and establish constitutional limits to partisan gerrymandering. If the Court establishes a new constitutional standard prohibiting partisan gerrymandering, this will apply nationwide and could be used to finally change Illinois seriously flawed redistricting process before new legislative maps are drawn after the 2020 census.
“Could” is the operative word there. Maybe, maybe not.
* I’ve asked the candidates for a response and will post if they ever arrive…
“The silence from the Democrat candidates for governor speaks volumes about their respect for taxpayers. Rather than offer relief after backing Madigan’s 32% tax hike, Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss are keeping quiet on the unpopular soda tax in a desperate attempt to curry favor with Chicago Democrat insiders. Taxpayers won’t let the Democrats’ deafening silence drown out their cries for help.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Days before the October 10th hearing of a plan to repeal the hugely unpopular soda tax, the Democrat candidates for governor - Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss - are maintaining their silence in a desperate attempt to curry favor with Chicago Democrat insiders like soda tax-loving Toni Preckwinkle.
Poll after poll after poll has revealed that support for the soda tax will quickly sour relations with voters, but that hasn’t stopped the Democrat governor candidates who are eager to push their tax hike agenda.
Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss will do anything for support from the Chicago Machine, even if it means keeping quiet as beleaguered Cook County taxpayers cry for help after being whacked with massive income, sales, and property tax hikes.
Even as Madigan and vulnerable House Democrats join Republicans in opening up a new front in the war against the soda tax, Pritzker, Kennedy, and Biss are staying the course and staying mum.
The silence from the Democrat candidates for governor speaks volumes about their respect for taxpayers; in that, they have none left.
* The Illinois Policy Institute has tended to avoid openly opining on “social issues” and has concentrated instead on its economic and government reform agendas.
Gov. Bruce Rauner suffered new fallout Friday from his shocking decision to sign a controversial abortion bill — scratched as the featured speaker at a suburban Republican picnic to avoid creating a “distraction.”
The backlash even hit a personal note from one of Rauner’s closest political allies, John Tillman, the CEO of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute.
The think tank leader labeled the governor “Benedict Rauner” for disregarding his previous claims that he wouldn’t sign the controversial House Bill 40, which expands public funding of abortion and protects it in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe V. Wade.
No federal money for abortion, but Illinois can and will pay
There is a law that bans the federal government from using tax dollars to pay for most abortions. Illinois’ new law that will have taxpayers pay for abortions gets around that by leaving federal money out of it.
Taxpayers in Illinois will pay for 100 percent of the costs of a new law that allows women on Medicaid to get an abortion because of the federal Hyde Amendment, which bans federal dollars from paying for most abortions. […]
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which oversees Medicaid, said they estimate the cost at almost $2 million a year.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said the cost could be ten times that.
Ives said Illinois can barely afford the 3 million people enrolled in state Medicaid right now.
Yes, because Rep. Ives would know the potential costs better than the state agency which administers the program.
Also, DHFS filed a fiscal note estimating the cost at $1.8 million before Rauner said he’d veto the bill and long before he signed it.
But, hey, just quote someone who has been talking about running against Gov. Rauner in the primary or at least how she will work to ensure his defeat without once mentioning her political intentions…
The news service does some good work. I use their stuff often. This article gives me pause.
* The Illinois Policy Institute not only damaged Gov. Rauner’s brand when several of their employees went to work for him, it damaged its own brand by associating too closely with an unpopular governor. And then again damaged its brand when their people failed to right the ship. And then again when Rauner signed several “liberal” bills into law while some of those same staffers were on the payroll (including his chief of staff and his chief policy advisor).
Jumping into social issues will only cause more damage.
Illinois’ current budget needs either more taxes or less spending to balance. After Gov. Bruce Rauner flip-flopped on a controversial abortion bill, will GOP members upset with the betrayal break with the party and support more taxes or fees to balance a budget?
Republicans are doubtful, but it happened with budget and tax hike votes in July and could happen again.
In signing House Bill 40, Rauner went back on his promise to conservative lawmakers that he would veto the measure that allows taxpayer money to fund elective abortions in the state. With the ensuing backlash, the governor and other GOP leaders will have to keep an unhappy party in line come time to address the state’s budget, which Rauner has in tax hikes.
On what planet is a veto session tax hike to balance the budget being considered? That’s just plain goofy, but it’s another way they can work their HB40 rage into their “fiscal” stories.
Attorney General candidate Erika Harold proudly announced the endorsements from the following Illinois Republican Congressmen:
Congressman Mike Bost
Congressman Rodney Davis
Congressman Randy Hultgren
Congressman Adam Kinzinger
Congressman Darin LaHood
Congressman John Shimkus
“It is an honor to have the support from the members of our congressional delegation,” said Erika Harold. “As leaders from across our state, our congressmen know how important real reforms are to our state. I look forward to continuing the fight for reforms that will put the people’s interests ahead of the interests of the powerful political class.”
“Erika Harold is exactly who we need to take on the political machine. A Harvard educated lawyer and a national leader combatting school violence, Erika Harold tells the hard truths and always stands up for those in need. I know she’ll take on the corruption in state government.”– Congressman Rodney Davis
* The Tribune claims the endorsement could “potentially clear the field” for Harold, but notes the one absent voice…
Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton said Tuesday evening that Kane County State’s Attorney Joseph McMahon has an interest in seeking the GOP attorney general nomination and is waiting to see what transpires. Kane County is part of Roskam’s 6th District
Among those backing Harold: Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, who was challenged by Harold in the 2014 Republican Party primary in the 13th Congressional District. Davis won districtwide, 55 percent to 41 percent, but Harold beat Davis in Champaign County, 70 percent to 28 percent.
The two ran polite campaigns in that race, never getting personal and agreeing on most major issues, such as opposition to abortion, support for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one woman and one man, elimination of the estate tax and giving federal judges more leeway in sentencing. They debated only once, at a Bloomington radio station eight days before the primary.
* I’m hearing that Mike McRaith is considering a bid for attorney general. McRaith ran the Department of Insurance for Gov. Pat Quinn, and then served as President Obama’s first director of the Federal Insurance Office.
McRaith is also very active in Illinois‘ LGBQT community. So, that could add a significant twist to the campaign, partly because it sets him apart in an ever-growing field of candidates and partly because he would have a reliable fundraising base.
* From the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform…
Illinois’ most expensive attorney general race on record was the 2002 showdown between Lisa Madigan and Joe Birkett. 2002 saw an interesting mix of political circumstances: a first-term Republican president, scandals in the Governor’s office, and an open attorney general seat. The Primary and General Election candidates spent a total of $18 million in the race for the open seat. Since then, the most expensive AG race cost candidates $4 million.
Since 2002, only 5 races for attorney general across the US have cost more than the $18 million Illinois contest. The most expensive race took place in California in 2010, when $34 million was spent between Democrat Kamala Harris, who won the race, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, and their seven combined primary opponents. That same year, California also saw the most expensive gubernatorial race in US history, which cost an estimated $280 million.
Current trends in the gubernatorial race and state legislative races indicate 2018 could witness unprecedented spending by candidates and super PACs, and the same could happen in the race for AG. National trends also point to an increased significance for the AG post as states continue to battle with the Trump administration.
* Speaking of outside money, here’s a RAGA press release…
The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) released the following statement regarding Democrat Nancy Rotering announcing her candidacy for Illinois Attorney General.
“Nancy Rotering is too extreme for Illinois,” said RAGA Executive Director Scott Will. “In one breath, Rotering claims the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is ‘…one of the greatest things that has happened in the last 10 years…’ and in the next admits that costs continue to rise. What a typical politician, trying to have it both ways. Real leaders identify a problem and offer a solution. The rest of Illinois is sick of Chicago liberals telling the rest of the state what is best for them. Rotering is the Bernie Sanders in this race and just like voters in the 10th Congressional District rejected her, so too will the entire Land of Lincoln.”
Sharon Fairley, the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, is moving forward as a possible candidate for Illinois attorney general.
A spokeswoman for the new police oversight agency known as COPA said in September that Fairley “is definitely considering a run for Attorney General,” but declined to offer more details.
Since then, Fairley has taken the step of creating a political committee to support her run, filing to create “Friends for Fairley” on Monday, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Fairley’s committee will support her run for the office that will soon be vacated by Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and sources told NBC 5 she has begun asking supporters for campaign donations.
* COGFA looks at the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers…
(C)onstruction jobs (seasonally adjusted) in Illinois grew 0.6% between June 2015 and June 2017. This rate of growth ranks Illinois 46th in the nation for this rate of improvement in this subsector for this time period. Even more disappointing are the results when comparing the number of construction jobs in Illinois today compared to 15 years ago. Construction jobs are down 22.0% in Illinois over this time period, ranking Illinois 50th for this rate of change.
Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan — the Chicago Democrats who control the Illinois General Assembly — are mapping plans for the state to help pay for infrastructure improvements in and around Jackson Park related to the Obama Presidential Center.
The two leaders “are looking for a commitment from the governor to support road projects that would support the Obama Presidential Center,” Cullerton told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday. […]
A source told the Sun-Times that over time, the state could be asked for more than $100 million for transportation improvement projects triggered by construction of the Center.
At that Sept. 19 meeting, “The Speaker reminded the others of the estimate that the city has developed about infrastructure needs, the road networks that might serve that property,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Tuesday.
Patty Schuh, a spokeswoman for Brady, said the conversation also included a discussion of legislation to provide capital for state infrastructure projects. “We are certainly interested in a capital bill moving forward and are reviewing any necessary components,” she said on Tuesday.
* At the time of the meeting, however, she and others denied that capital was even discussed…
.@SenBillBrady spox denies he introduced capital bill of any kind, claims it wasn't even discussed. Several sources say otherwise. https://t.co/1bu2JUrWPx
Illinois’ [overall unemployment] rate of 5.0% ranks them 41st in the nation. Midwest states with better unemployment rates than Illinois include Iowa (3.3%, ranked 8th); Wisconsin (3.4%, ranked 11th); Indiana (3.5%, ranked 12th); Minnesota (3.8%, ranked 15th); Michigan (3.9%, ranked 18th); and Missouri (4.0%, ranked 22nd). The only neighboring state with a higher unemployment rate than Illinois was Kentucky at 5.4%.
Citizens for Rauner today released a new tv ad highlighting the historic school funding bill signed by Governor Rauner that results in record funding for Illinois public education, a first ever tax credit scholarship program for low income students, and historic changes to the public school funding formula to provide more funding for those children who need it most.
Improving education was a major reason why Bruce ran for governor. He believes education is the most important thing we do as a community and that every child in Illinois deserves an opportunity to attend high quality schools regardless of zip code or family background. Before running for governor, Bruce and his wife, Diana, committed their personal resources to improving education in Illinois schools by supporting early childhood development, charter and choice schools, better teacher training and merit pay.
After taking office, Bruce established the bipartisan Illinois School Funding Reform Commission and tasked it with reforming the way our state funds schools, ensuring our neediest communities receive the school funding necessary to provide a
great education. The result: after decades of other governors and legislatures falling short, Bruce signed historic education reform this fall.
It’s been called ‘nothing short of a miracle.’ Against all odds, the highest level of funding for Illinois public education ever. Common sense tax credits for donations to scholarship programs And historic changes to the public school funding formula to help provide more funding for those children who need it most.
There’s a long way to go. And it won’t be easy. But Illinois is worth fighting for.”
* Maybe this will stop all the questions about whether he’s running again…
Gov. Bruce Rauner can probably expect reporters to keep asking whether he’s running for re-election every time he’s out in public until he offers a definitive answer.
While his campaign team repeatedly has said the governor will seek a second term next year and nominating petitions are being circulated, Rauner has yet to formally kick off his re-election bid either through a video or rally.
That the question is even being asked is indicative of the unorthodox political moves Rauner has made in recent weeks. He signed into law an abortion bill and immigration bill opposed by conservative Republicans, who are part of the base he’ll need to keep to avoid a significant challenge in the March primary and to turn out in the November general election. And after opposing a school funding bill as a Chicago bailout all summer, Rauner switched course and signed the measure into law, declaring victory in the process.
And now he’s running a TV ad about that school bill.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The bill actually hasn’t been called “nothing short of a miracle,” as the ad claims. Those words were used about Sen. Andy Manar’s efforts to pass the bill…
“He basically picked a fight that no one else wanted to touch. The fact that he got it done in this political environment is nothing short of a miracle,” says Amy Ballinger-Cole, former director of government relations for Advance Illinois (a nonpartisan education advocacy group that worked closely with Manar).
*** UPDATE 2*** DGA…
“Apparently Bruce Rauner has decided to run his reelection campaign in an alternate universe,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “For months, Rauner opposed Illinois’ new historic education bill and used the bill to sow divisions within the state. Then, Rauner pushed the state into crisis by vetoing the legislation, threatening schools with closure all for political gain. Now, Rauner is misleading the public to distract from his record of failed leadership.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Pritzker campaign…
“Bruce Rauner pitted Illinois communities against each other, manufactured a school funding crisis, and then forced others to clean up his mess. It’s shameful that this failed governor would now try to take credit for a school funding formula he opposed,” said Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Rauner needs to stop peddling sham narratives while using our students as pawns in his political games.”
Over the past fiscal year, the lack of an enacted budget has resulted in the State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) building up a large backlog of unpaid claims. With the passage of a state budget, money has been made available to pay bills in a timelier manner. However, there has not been sufficient funding provided to fully pay down the backlog of invoices accumulated over the course of the budget stalemate. Accordingly, the total of claims held by the State has risen from the last update provided by the Commission. As of the end of September, approximately $5 billion in SEGIP claims were being held by the state from various insurers, organizations, and companies. […]
Concurrently, the estimated time for claims to be held was 523-889 days for Managed Care/Medicare Advantage, 587-643 days for Open Access Plans, and 693-770 days for CIGNA.
According to COGFA, the state owes $600 million in interest on those unpaid bills.
At a flu shot event Tuesday, Rauner was asked about gun control measures and called the shooting “so horrible, it’s beyond description.”
“Mental illness and behavior like that is just, it’s such a terrible challenge in our society. I hope we as a society can talk further about things we can do to help keep people safe, safer,” the governor said. “No easy answers, but I look forward to having the ongoing dialogue and see what we can come together as a society to deal with mental illness, deal with behaviors that are so outrageous like to try and prevent it.”
Asked if he favors an assault weapons ban, Rauner said he was “not going to get into specific policies. I think all of us should take a moment to remember and to keep the victims and their families in our in thoughts and prayers and I hope we can have an ongoing, constructive dialogue about what we can do to keep all Americans safer.”
Either side of the gun debate can have a tough time changing state laws because of the differing regional attitudes toward firearms across Illinois. Previous efforts to ban assault weapons haven’t succeeded in Springfield, and it took a federal court decision to compel lawmakers to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons. Another challenge is that it’s difficult to define an assault weapon, as gun makers can make minor tweaks and fall outside the criteria.
*** UPDATE *** Today…
.@GovRauner was asked specifically about banning bump stocks in Illinois, a device used in the Las Vegas shooting. Here’s his response 👇 pic.twitter.com/sUDWRgRYI7
Calling Springfield a place where “you’re not supposed to think for yourself,” David Harris, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Illinois House, said Tuesday evening he won’t seek re-election in 2018.
“It has to do with the ability to be effective,” Harris, of Arlington Heights, told the Daily Herald. That ability, he said, is “somewhat diminished” by a deep partisan divide in state government that led to a multiyear budget standoff. The impasse was resolved in July only after a number of Republicans, including Harris, broke ranks with GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner to approve a 32 percent income tax increase. […]
That vote made Harris a target by several conservative groups opposed to the tax increase, including the Taxpayers United of America, which distributed “wanted” fliers for “crimes against taxpayers” with Harris’ picture on them at locations across the 53rd District, including Randhurst Village mall in Mount Prospect and Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights. Since then, Republican Katie Miller of Mount Prospect has emerged as a primary opponent backed by radio host and former candidate for governor Dan Proft, who runs a conservative political action committee.
“The Illinois Republican Party, we’re fighting an internal battle,” Harris said Tuesday, adding he is personally opposed to “spending $400,000 or $500,000 to get through a divisive primary.”
* And here’s his press release…
State Representative David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) announced today that he will not be a candidate for re-election next year as State Representative from District 53.
“My service in the Illinois House of Representatives has been one of the highlights of my life.” said Harris, “I will always value having worked with my distinguished colleagues on both sides of the aisle. But it is now time to look forward to the next fulfilling chapter in life.
“During my service in the House, I have served as the Republican Spokesman on the House Revenue & Finance Committee and the House General Services Appropriations Committee. I have developed a deserved reputation as one who knows the revenue and spending numbers well and understands the details of our State’s budget.”
Recognizing that the tenor of discussion in politics has become more personal and partisan, Harris stated, “I believe my constituents have been well served by my ability to work in a bi-partisan manner with my Democratic colleagues. I never forsake the Republican principles that I have held all my life. At the same time good governance requires reasonableness and cooperation in order to achieve public policies that are in the best interests of all the citizens of our great State. It is becoming harder and harder to be effective in Springfield because of the political bitterness, and that is frustrating for me.”
“My colleagues know me as a conservative legislator,” said Harris. “My voting record reflects that, and that is helpful when negotiating on issues. My conservatism can mix with doses of realistic practicality to fashion legislation that reigns in liberal policies and helps make the wheels of government turn. The Founding Fathers of our country understood the need for compromise when necessary.”
Harris’s service in the House has been recognized by groups as diverse as the Illinois Chamber of Commerce that recognized him with its 2015-2016 “Champion of Free Enterprise” Award and the Community Renewal Society that recently gave him its “Public Servant Lighthouse Award.”
Harris added, “Politics at both the state and federal levels has become extremely divisive, and that does not serve citizens well. We should strive to lessen the partisanship that is so evident and strive to raise the level of public debate. In Illinois there are important issues to address and simply engaging in personal attacks on our political opponents does not engender positive engagement on issues. We can debate public policies without ad hominem attacks.”
“Within the Republican Party, there are sharp divisions which I think will hurt the Party in the long run,” Harris continued. “There seems to be no willingness to consider various points of view. It seems that one has to adhere to some set of dictates coming from on high or one does not belong in the Party. Our Republican Party should be one of inclusion, not one of exclusion. If we hope to build our electoral chances for success in the future, we need to broaden the base, not make it more narrow. That does not mean forsaking principles, it means listening and responding to citizens in a principled way.”
“I have been extremely fortunate in my career,” said Harris. “I have had the great opportunity to give public service in several ways. My military service is a source of much pride, since I share the family tradition of wearing the uniform of our country with my father, brother and son, all of whom served. And it has been a genuine honor to serve the citizens of this area in the Illinois House of Representatives.”
Harris had served in the Illinois House in the 1980s and early 1990s. When he left the House in 1993, he took the position as Senior Vice President of Government Relations for the Illinois Hospital Association. He was called back to State government by the Governor in 1999 and appointed as The Adjutant General (Commanding General) of the Illinois National Guard. Harris initially entered military service in 1970; he had served for 20 years in the Illinois Army National Guard and risen to the rank of Colonel when he was selected to be The Adjutant General. He retired from military service after 33 years with the rank of Major General.
Harris has been involved with Republican politics at many levels all his life. He cut his political teeth with the Reagan campaign in 1976; he then became a member of the White House Advance Team during the Reagan Presidency, during which time he traveled nationally and internationally with the President and his staff.
Harris has deep roots in the district he represents. He was raised in Mount Prospect, attending Lincoln School and then Saint Viator High School. He and his wife have been residents of Arlington Heights for nearly 40 years; their two grown sons attended Saint Viator, too. The family is a member of Our Lady of the Wayside parish.
Harris says that he will look for opportunities to continue to give public service that take advantage of his years of experience.
* Dan Proft had recruited a candidate to run against Harris in the primary. His react…
Good riddance.
And that makes 9 of the 15 that have walked rather than face a primary challenge. Shouldn’t go unnoticed since Durkin’s philosophy is to protect incumbents regardless of behavior. The existence of our team is an accountability mechanism–and the only one in the ILGOP.
In the wake of legislation signed by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner that would allow for the use of taxpayer money to cover an unlimited number of abortions anytime for any reason, members of the Illinois Republican Congressional Delegation voted to advance bipartisan legislation H.R. 36 – the Unborn Pain-Capable Child Protection Act – to restrict abortions 20 weeks or more after conception, the point at which unborn fetuses can feel pain.
Representatives Peter Roskam (IL-06), John Shimkus (IL-15), Randy Hultgren (IL-14), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), Darin LaHood (IL-18) and Mike Bost (IL-12) released the following statement:
“Henry Hyde championed the rights of the unborn through the Hyde Amendment, which expressly prohibits federal funding for abortions. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2005 to 2014, the infant mortality rate in the United States dropped 15 percent. Much of this progress can be attributed to technological advancements in medicine that gives children born prematurely and with various medical issues a fighting chance. H.R. 36 protects children like Micah Pickering who was born at 22 weeks and is a thriving toddler today. Read his story here.
“In a reversal of long-standing Illinois policy, Governor Rauner has let down Illinois taxpayers and the unborn by signing H.B. 40. Today, the Illinois delegation stands together in our support of H.R. 36 to protect human life.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a party’s entire state congressional delegation criticize their own party’s governor like that before. Or, at least, excluding the time during Rod Blagojevich’s arrest/impeachment.
And, like with Blagojevich, the criticism actually may help these Republicans electorally by putting some distance between themselves and a very unpopular person. Not many Democrats suffered electoral consequences from their past relationships with Blagojevich mainly because they so thoroughly trashed him at the end.
Congress is preparing to vote on a bill that would impose a nationwide ban on abortion at 20 weeks. This dangerous, out-of-touch legislation is nothing more than yet another attempt to restrict women’s access to safe, legal abortion.
Nearly 99 percent of abortions occur before 21 weeks, but when they are needed later in pregnancy, it’s often in very complex circumstances. For example, severe fetal anomalies and serious risks to the woman’s health — the kind of situations where a woman and her doctor need every medical option available.
20-week bans are also highly unpopular throughout the country. 61% of all voters say abortion should be legal after 20 weeks. Plus, Democrats (78%), Republicans (62%), and Independents (71%) say this is the wrong issue for lawmakers to be spending time on.
*** UPDATE *** Illinois ACLU…
It is a sad reflection that seven members of our Illinois Congressional delegation yesterday issued a statement that purposefully misrepresented the facts about Illinois House Bill 40, signed into law by Governor Bruce Rauner last week. That new law simply extends coverage for health care, including abortion care, to all women in our state, even if they get their health insurance through the State. The law in no way changes abortion law in Illinois regarding when an abortion can be legally and safely performed. It is simply political distortion to say otherwise – and these lawmakers should retract that assertion.
It is fascinating that the Congressmen link their fake critique of House Bill 40 to federal legislation they support – H.R. 36. This abortion ban relies on fake “science” and fake claims. The assertion that the Congressmen supported the federal measure as a response to House Bill 40 is laughable and should fool no one. These seven members are long-time anti-abortion partisans, who have supported numerous restrictions on the ability of women in Illinois and across the country to make the most intimate decisions – about when and if to become a parent.
We can only stand in bewilderment that members of our congressional delegation champion H.R. 36, which counts among its prime sponsors a member of Congress who urged a woman with whom he had an affair to terminate her pregnancy. This is hypocrisy and political partisanship of the highest order.
House Bill 40 will help women in Illinois. These members of Congress should applaud, not condemn, such legislation.
Gubernatorial hopeful J.B. Pritzker had the most damning take on President Donald Trump, calling him “a racist and a bigot and a xenophobe and a liar.”
Cook County’s penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages, often called the “soda tax,” would be repealed under legislation (SB 2238) filed by State Sen. Chapin Rose.
“Many people just ‘roll their eyes’ at Cook County’s new soda tax as more of the same from the ‘nanny state’ that is Chicago,” Rose said. “But, people need to realize that Chicago’s actions will have a direct negative impact here in Central Illinois as one of the primary ingredients in any sweetened beverage is corn. So, agriculture will take a hit under this tax that is aimed at lowering consumption. Moreover, downstate companies and industries like ADM and Tate & Lyle and the shipping sector are directly engaged in the manufacturing of these ingredients. So make no mistake, Cook County’s actions will negatively impact us.
“I previously fought my own Republican Leader, and successfully, when she and others in the legislature last spring wanted to tax sugary drinks at the statewide level. But now Cook County is imposing its own tax. Thankfully, it looks like even some Chicago Democrats have had enough, so I am filing this bill and will be encouraging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join in the effort to undo Cook County’s insanity. Many Democrats have already signed onto a similar repeal in the House. Let’s give the Democrats in the Senate a chance to sign onto this bill and see if we can’t move it forward.”
The person most actively pushing a sweetened beverage tax at the state level last spring was Gov. Rauner, who isn’t mentioned above.
Nationally, about 6 percent of corn is used for sweeteners or corn syrup. The Illinois Corn Growers Association did not take an official position on the Cook County tax, but [Tricia Braid, communications director for the Illinois Corn Growers Association] says they would oppose expanding the penny-per-ounce increase statewide. […]
Mike Doherty, senior economist with the Illinois Farm Bureau, agrees the impact now might be small, but any expansion of the tax could become a problem.
“[Corn syrup] is a component of what drives the demand for corn. So farmers do have a stake in it,” Doherty said. “The concern would be these taxes would be replicated in other large metro areas and would become a part of coast-to-coast taxation.”
Last December, he forwarded $50 million of his personal fortune to his campaign committee, signaling to others who might consider challenging him within the Republican party. A campaign spokesman insists Rauner’s petitions are on the street now and will be filed in December.
However, when asked directly about his re-election on Tuesday, Rauner said, “If you just watch and see how I’m working, the one thing I can say to you is I will never give up on working to protect Illinois, working to create a better future for the people of Illinois. I will never give up, I will never back down, never give in. Our system is broken, it’s fundamentally broken and I believe that we can have a movement, a movement of all people in Illinois.”
“It doesn’t matter what political party, doesn’t matter what background, or what part of the state, we can have a movement to dramatically change Illinois and improve our state,” the first-term governor continued. “And I believe we can do this in the coming months, I will do everything I can to help lead that movement. We need to change, our system is broken. We need dramatic change.”
Rauner added that “this is not about Democrats versus Republicans, this is about the people against a corrupt system, that is failing the people, we will change it by being strong together.”
* He also said this today and then tweeted it out…
Illinois is worth fighting for. You deserve great schools, value for tax dollars and a booming economy. That's our mission. #twillpic.twitter.com/8CVc6K86Um
* It’s possible. The union which represents the guards at Cook County Jail isn’t exactly in love with Sheriff Dart…
State Rep. Edward Acevedo updates his campaign committee to support a run for Cook County Sheriff against incumbent Tom Dart #twillhttps://t.co/HPAcKD65UD
The relationship between Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Sheriff Tom Dart has virtually broken down over a key new labor contract, with a bitter exchange between the two offices over a pending deal with the Teamsters Union covering 3,500 guards at the county jail and related positions.
In a series of letters I obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request—you can read two of them at the end of this story—Dart’s office says it is “disappointed” that Preckwinkle aides “did not follow through” in bargaining work-rule changes needed to curb soaring overtime at the jail. Preckwinkle’s office replied that Dart’s letter is “full of mischaracterizations and blame” and that it’s Dart’s fault more concessions were not obtained.
At one point, the Preckwinkle letter suggested that, to get what he wanted, Dart need to go slower and “be willing to give something in exchange for what you hope to receive from the unions. . . .You have to build relationships, build trust with your employees.”
Dart and Preckwinkle often have clashed through the years. Nonetheless, this sharp exchange is dropping jaws all over the County Building, with board members saying it provides a “disturbing” and “alarming” look at bargaining on the new contract, which could come up for board action in October and, if approved, set a pattern for deals now being negotiated with other unions.
Illinois Republicans are split over whether to support Gov. Bruce Rauner after his decision to sign the abortion funding measure, House Bill 40.
Wheaton State Rep. Jeanne Ives has been approached by conservatives to consider opposing Rauner in the March primary, but for now, she is noncommittal.
“I’m not actively pursuing it, I’m letting it kind of boil up and we’ll see what happens,” Ives said. “I’m hoping somebody comes forward to run against him and we take him out as Republicans. Or I’m hoping that he decides on his own, ‘Look my base is eroded beneath me, there’s no chance of me winning because my base is going to stay home.’”
Wow! Almost 100 likes already! Thank you for showing your support! Invite your friends to like the page and join us in supporting Jeanne Ives for Governor.
As candidates for legislative positions jump into various races in Southern Illinois and around the state, state Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, is still waiting to determine his next move.
McCarter, who is not running for re-election in 2018, has been recommended by Illinois Republican congressional members to be the next ambassador to Kenya. He has interviewed for the position, but the White House has yet to decide who it will nominate. […]
McCarter’s reaction to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s decision to sign House Bill 40 allowing Medicaid to pay for abortions left him and others saying Rauner should not run for re-election.
McCarter added he’s had numerous people ask him to consider a run for the governor’s office.
“My statement that he should not run for re-election has nothing to do with me and what my plans are,” McCarter said. “I believe he has betrayed in the greatest way the people that got him elected.”
“I was frustrated,” said State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, who was recently named the party’s Senate leader. “This is a bill that I opposed. I have voted pro-life, I am pro file. I had a number of meetings with the governor, one-on-one, to talk about this.”
Brady told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin Illinois Democrats pushed through the abortion measure with Rauner in office to cause a rift within the Republican party.
Brady added the governor isn’t pushing a social agenda, but he doubts anyone would mount a primary challenge against Rauner next year.
“The governor would be very tough to beat and I think anyone who is thinking about a primary run better have a lot of money and better realize this is a big state and it’s hard just to jump into,” Brady said.
Brady said any challenger would likely need a lot of money and wouldn’t have a lot of time.
Former Springfield restaurant owner Mike Murphy won the endorsement of the Sangamon County Republican Party Monday night to replace retiring state Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez.
Murphy, 63, is the former owner of Charlie Parker’s Diner in Springfield.
Murphy beat out six other candidates to win the nod for the 99th House District seat from the party’s precinct committeemen Monday.
Seven candidates presented credentials to the party’s executive committee Monday before the meeting of all precinct committeemen. Party chair Rosemarie Long said the field was whittled to two before Murphy got the endorsement. Mike Coffey Jr. was the other finalist, she said.
“I think they liked (Murphy’s) business background,” Long said. “He also had farming in the family, and I think his passion to devote his full time to the office, I think that swayed people.”
Illinois’ new school funding plan — approved in August and hailed as a historic change — relies on the legislature to give every school the same state aid it got last year, plus push another $350 million through a new formula. That $350 million is crucial because it’s the part designed to address the inequity that has plagued Illinois schools for decades.
State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, a Democrat from Shorewood, wants to make sure lawmakers don’t skip that step.
She filed a measure today tying it to a tax break for people who provide private school scholarships. […]
Since the General Assembly has a history of “pro-rating” school funding, Bertino-Tarrant wanted to find a way to hold lawmakers to their $350 million promise to public schools. Her legislation would nix those private school tax credits any fiscal year the General Assembly fails to appropriate full funding for public schools.
Bertino-Tarrant’s measure, Senate Bill 2236, was filed in response to Senate Bill 1947, which includes a five year pilot program that would award a 75 percent tax credit to donors that contribute to scholarship funds for students to attend non-public schools. The credits are capped at of up to $1 million per taxpayer and $75 million statewide.
Bertino-Tarrant said this could take valuable taxpayer dollars away from Illinois’ public schools especially if the minimum funding level is not met.
“I’m proud that the General Assembly worked in a bipartisan manner to put our children first, now we need to take the next step,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “Since we embarked on this mission, our goal has remained funding our schools in a way that guarantees our children are provided an excellent education regardless of their zip code. This initiative solidifies our mission by keeping Illinois’ children our top priority.”
The new school funding mechanism outlined in Senate Bill 1947 established an evidence-based funding formula to dispense state dollars to public schools. The formula institutes a base funding minimum for school districts that serves as a hold harmless to ensure schools do not lose state dollars the next year.
Any additional funding the General Assembly appropriates is distributed through a tier-based system that prioritizes the state’s poorest and disadvantaged schools. The funding plan outlined in the new law includes a minimum funding level of $350 million in additional funding each year, with the goal of meeting the total statewide adequacy target over a period of time.
* Sen. Daniel Biss touts himself as a math wiz, but one of his papers had to be retracted, which is an exceedingly rare occurrence…
The Sun-Times inquired about some errors made in the Evanston Democrat’s mathematical papers, including an “erratum” — or an error in printing or writing — made to the Annals of Mathematics about a 2003 paper and another “erratum” submitted for a paper he wrote in 2006. Another paper from 2002 was retracted. Some of the errors were noted on Retraction Watch, which tracks scientific errors.
The website in February noted a retraction in a paper Biss wrote in 2002. “Topology and its Applications” wrote that the article was retracted “after receiving a complaint about anomalies.” The editors asked for further reviews “which indicated that the definitions in the paper are ambiguous and most results were false.” The website followed up and said the journal noted the findings were “inaccurate” but “not fraudulent.” […]
Biss’ campaign noted that “in a few cases” some of his papers “didn’t stand up.” But they said “revisions” are part of a normal part of the academic process. A CBS News story from 2015 noted that just 0.02 percent of some three million mathematical papers were retracted, but retractions are not necessarily seen as a bad thing. Instead, many view them as a better option than scientists and mathematicians choosing to let their errors live on in the academic realm.
“Theoretical mathematics is a field built on proposing new ideas that are scrutinized by peers over time, revised and perfected to move understanding forward,” Biss’s campaign said. “Whether it was training at MIT or the University of Chicago, Daniel has had dozens of academic papers reviewed by his peers and published. In a few cases, further research has found that the case posited in the original article didn’t stand up, and he revised his findings.”
* Biss recently got a very detailed question about the issue at an event. Biss had been invited to explain his support for the pension reform bill…
AUDIENCE QUESTION: I have a question about your general candidacy. From what I’ve read, it seems you’ve had two camps in your professional life so far, when you were an academic and now as a politician. And I see, you know, some of your history in both of those having two big blunders. Excuse me, but two big blunders. As far as your academic career, you made some fame and notoriety for yourself by publishing a few papers, and they were put into very good mathematical journals, for which, you know, you were applauded for. But as you know, a Russian mathematician found that the math that was involved in the proofs was fatally flawed, and so you were forced to withdraw those publications from the press. And I imagine that affected, you know, being at the University of Chicago too, your publication record, maybe your tenure track. I don’t know about those details, I’m just speculating.
Now at that time then, you also decided to switch courses then and go into politics. And you’re most famous for what you just talked about, and that is the SB1 bill. Because it is the bill you co-sponsored that had the most far-reaching affects to the state of Illinois. But again, a big blunder. A catastrophe really, I would call it, because of course it enraged state employees. I was at Eastern Illinois University. We spent two years raging against that bill that you co-sponsored. We’d go to Springfield, we rallied, we sent postcards, we’d make phone calls. And we got nowhere, of course it was passed like you said, and ultimately the Supreme Court of Illinois deemed it to be illegal. And it went up in flames. So what was the outcome of that? Nothing good. That bill that you co-sponsored disen- not disenfranchised but disappointed so many Democrats, and I know some of them, good Democrats, who said I’m not voting on the Democratic ticket this time around when Quinn went up for governorship. And some of them said they were even going to vote for Rauner, but they were good Democrats otherwise. And Rauner won by a sliver, and I think it’s a fair statement that some have proposed, that a lot of the blame for Rauner coming to power and wrecking the devastation that he’s done must be laid at your feet because of the SB1 bill.
So now you want us to endorse you as governor to fix the mess that you helped create. So my question here, I guess, is why did it take you almost four years to come to the conclusion, from 2013 to now, that it was a mistake? Because I saw a video of you in 2013 being not apologetic and being defensive about that bill when you were being challenged by some retired professors, or teachers rather. And then I met you about a year and a half ago in Mattoon, at an event that the local Democrats put on. And I asked you about the SB after you gave your talk and you were equally defensive and not apologetic. So now I hear – and I hear that you went on Fred Klonsky’s radio show and you were apologetic. So I assume that’s true. And I hear today that yes, you regret having done what you did. But why would it take so long? Excuse me for being cynical, but it happens to coincide when you’re running for governor. So can you calm my fears about your record and what it’s all about?
BISS: Sure. About my academic record, you know I’ve published dozens of papers and it’s very normal in the course of academic life for a subsequent academic to come and poke holes. And I think my academic record was strong, and I’m proud of a lot of the work that I did. The great majority of which, of course, did hold up. And I think that’s a standard part of the push and pull about that. Happy to go into more detail about that if you’re interested, but I think that’s probably not what most of the people here are hoping to hear.
So I’ll say a couple things. The first thing is that I think your timing is a little bit, a little bit off. Certainly for several years now I’ve been giving that spiel, almost identical to what I just said, since long before I was even considering running for governor, much less actually running. I spent a lot of time, a lot of sleepless nights during that effort and after that effort thinking about what that all meant. And I think an important turning point was the supreme court decision that helped contextualize, as the courts are very useful in doing, not just what that narrow piece of legislation itself meant, but what the opportunities the state of Illinois had at the time were. And if you recall, the argument that the attorney general used to defend the bill in the court was exactly this kind of, ‘hey listen, this is rough, this is frustrating, this is hard, but really we had no choice but – and so we had to.’ And that’s the argument that people who supported the bill used, and that’s the argument that the court shot down.
And watching that argument play out, watching both sides make those arguments during the course of the previous year as the litigation happened and seeing the court decision really made a big impact on me. And I don’t want to go through the calendar in a sort of argumentative way, but I remember talking in the summer of 2015 in a way that was almost identical to what I just said to you.
Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Monday’s briefing that “there’s a time and place for a political debate, but now is the time to unite as a country.”
Asked about the issue again, Huckabee Sanders went on to bring up Chicago violence, as the president often has.
“I think one of the things that we don’t want to do is try to create laws that won’t create or stop these types of things from happening,” Sanders said. “I think if you look to Chicago, where you had over 4,000 victims of gun-related crimes last year, they have the strictest gun laws in the country. That certainly hasn’t helped there. So, I think we have to, when that time comes for those conversations to take place, then I think we need to look at things that may actually have a real impact.”
Some of Chicago’s previously tough gun laws, though, have been struck down in court. The Supreme Court has thrown out the city’s bans on handguns and gun stores. And a court decision led to Illinois now allowing for the concealed carry of firearms.
Donald Trump said, “In Chicago, which has the toughest gun laws in the United States, probably you could say by far, they have more gun violence than any other city.”
Chicago once had very tough regulations against guns, but they’ve been considerably watered down after the Supreme Court ruled that cities can’t ban handguns.
Additionally, the state at one time didn’t allow concealed carry, and now it does. Its rules for allowing concealed carry are more relaxed than in California or New York — states that allow local jurisdictions to regulate concealed carry within their boundaries.
Nor are penalties for violating gun laws in Illinois the toughest in the United States. Mandatory minimum sentences make New York state’s laws tougher than those in Illinois. […]
* NFL gear to be shot at in shooting range near Ottawa, IL: Below Buffalo Range’s announcement, a woman asked on Facebook, “What are you going to do with (the gear)? Burn it?” The range replied, “Destroy it the only way we know how…,” with an image of a handgun at the end of the sentence.
I don’t know if you saw this yesterday, but the Census Bureau released their 2016 estimates for population and other demographics by congressional district. As we are expected to lose a district after 2020, this gives a clue as to where the losses have been greatest so far this decade. I’ve converted the raw population estimates into percentages that each congressional district is short of the national average.
If population trends continue this way through 2020, then IL-01, 04, 12, 16, and 17 will all be at least 10% below the national average by the time of the census. That roughly suggests the amount of population those districts would have to add to comply with the next round of redistricting.
* A friend sent me this the other day. He circled the two items and blacked out the name…
Um, after HB40, isn’t he now part of the liberal special interests? /s
And, yes, that letter was dated a couple of weeks ago and things have changed a lot since he signed HB40. But still, he’s quoted by his own campaign committee as firmly saying he’s running for reelection.
[Rep. Jeanne Ives] said she and other Republicans remember in the 2014 primary when Rauner told them he was personally anti-abortion but had no social agenda, and instead would focus on economics. She later learned that Rauner had privately signed a statement that same year with an abortion rights advocacy group — which didn’t become public until this year — that he supported the public funding of abortion.
“It just feels he was the Manchurian candidate all along and we’re just now figuring it out,” Ives said.
Rauner’s campaign spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski responds: “It was well-known in 2014 that Bruce was pro-choice. Any claim to the contrary is preposterous.”
So, how could Rep. Ives fall for this? You’ll recall that even the late Jack Roeser, who at the time was the state’s most prominent pro-life activist, said during the 2014 campaign that Rauner is a “morally right-to-life guy” even though Rauner had said he was pro-choice.
* One of the answers is right in front of us and it hasn’t been covered much, if at all, by the media. This is what Gov. Rauner said during his HB40 press conference last week…
The passions, the emotions, the sentiments on both sides of these issues are very powerful. I respect them very much as a person.
The moral argument against HB40 is very powerful. In my view, it’s not debatable. It is irrefutable. I respect it very much.
Through my life, I have respected that view and supported candidates for office who are pro-life. And I have voted for and supported public officials and public servants in office who are pro-life.
So, he firmly believes that the moral argument against the legislation he signed into law is “irrefutable.” He’s been saying stuff like that for years and that’s what people like Rep. Ives and Roeser heard, or wanted to hear.
On the other side of this issue, the arguments, the position for women’s rights, women’s equality, women’s health are very powerful. I support them. I personally am pro-choice, I always have been. And I’ve made no qualms about that when I was elected governor. And I have not and never will change my views.
I personally believe that a woman should have, must have the right to decide what goes on in her own body. […]
I also believe that no woman should be forced to make a different decision that another woman would make purely based on her income.
When he talks to pro-life people he emphasizes his belief that life begins at conception. And when he is with pro-choice people he emphasizes his pro-choice beliefs. And that allowed him to get elected, but now this dichotomy has caught up to him.
* The elephant in the room is that Rauner’s money bought silence. His big checkbook convinced people to look the other way or bite their tongues. Terri Koyne, a former county party chairman, penned this for the Illinois Review…
The ILGOP was broke at the time and Rauner promised unlimited funding. This was their opportunity to publicly cast aside the Platform and the party’s conservative base (something that they had been doing for years behind closed doors, by the way).
Long story short – they willingly sold the party to Bruce Rauner.
The ILGOP selling out was bad, but who was the most deceptive during the 2014 election? By far, it was his supporters on the ground who were the most dishonest in all this. I include some of the Tea Party-type groups in this category. These devoted supporters were bullies and almost militant at times. The people I dealt with were telling people that Rauner was “personally pro-life”, and when further questioned on the issue, would quickly follow with “But we shouldn’t be focused on social issues this election anyway. Rauner said he won’t do anything to expand abortions in Illinois, so we need to stay focused on fiscal issues.”
* Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) referred to Rauner’s signature on HB40 last week as “unconscionable and the ultimate betrayal of trust of the majority of Illinois citizens who oppose the destruction of unborn children at taxpayers’ expense.”
Morrison is one of the most pro-life members in either chamber. This 2014 video has been making the rounds lately. Part of it shows Rep. Morrison explaining why he supported Rauner’s campaign at the time. It’s definitely worth a watch…
The primary’s over. We had four candidates running. I had friends in each one of the four camps, believe it or not. I stayed out of it as far as an endorsement goes, but now Rauner’s our candidate. […]
With the second-highest unemployment rate in Illinois and likely to climb higher if we can’t turn around this economy, funds for crisis pregnancy centers, for right to life groups, for Illinois Family Institute, they dry up. If someone can’t afford to have a roof over their head, they can’t write a check to Dave Smith at IFI. […]
You know the issue, whether it’s marriage, whether it’s right to life, it’s not strictly fought in the legislature. That battle is not fought in the courts, it’s not fought alone in the legislature, it’s not fought alone in the schools.
Three reasons: Partisanship, economics and it’s not solely a legislative issue.
On HB40, Rauner put himself in a trick bag by taking two diametrically opposed positions. He was going to burn somebody.
Rauner decided he could betray the ones who took his money; figured they were bought and paid for, a reasonable assumption. After all, they were complicit in all the damage he caused running up billions in unpaid bills and taking the wrecking ball to social services and higher ed. They sure weren’t looking out for their constituents by supporting Rauner’s actions then.
So now some Republican lawmakers are “outraged?” Then give Rauner his money back. Refuse to take any more from him. Show that your principles outweigh his principal.
* Mark Brown notes that as vulnerable as Gov. Rauner may seem, he’s not yet beaten, and Brown expects the governor to run for reelection…
As he has for the past four years, Rauner is going to campaign against what he will portray as the corrupt Illinois political establishment — personified by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan — that has blocked him from accomplishing his goals.
He’s going to ask voters for the sake of the future of Illinois to allow him to finish the job that he’s started.
And Rauner will spend his millions to savage his to-be-determined Democratic opponent in campaign ads until voters are nearly as sick of that candidate as they are of him. […]
There are those who argue the businessman in Rauner will look at his re-election chances and the tens of millions of his personal wealth that he’s expended to date and decide it’s a bad investment to double that.
But the wealthy businessman has said from the start that he made an eight-year commitment to politics because he believed it would take that long to turn Illinois around. And I don’t believe for a moment that we’ve seen the outside limit of what he’s willing to spend to achieve his goal.
But supporters say Rauner may actually be better positioned now to at least remain competitive in a general election in a blue state where Hillary Clinton won by double digits last year. The Democratic gubernatorial primary is crowded but J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire, has consolidated support of major labor groups and party insiders. Pritzker has already demonstrated he can go toe to toe with Rauner financially and has spent some $14 million, advertising on TV and radio for months.
Rauner’s decision to sign automatic voter registration, and a bill making it easier for transgender individuals to obtain changes to their birth certificates, will burnish his appeal to moderates in both parties, supporters say.
“There are a lot of people I believe who aren’t necessarily vocal right now that totally support what the governor has done. It’s a center to left-of-center state, and being pro-choice or being for health care for poor women is not necessarily a bad place to be as a Republican,” said Pat Brady, a former Illinois Republican Party chairman. “It doesn’t make sense to me that all Republicans are going to revolt against him because he doesn’t like HB40. I understand completely that people are upset over HB40 … What are they going to do? Support J.B. Pritzker? [Democratic House Speaker Mike] Madigan’s guy?”
“Taking out a sitting governor sitting on that kind of money is no easy feat. It’s a heavy lift, you need manpower and money. He vetoed the tax hike — that is one of the biggest things he’s going to be able to run on, particularly in a Republican primary. A massive education overhaul got through … For Republicans in Illinois, he’s probably their best hope.”
Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin could be getting a challenge in the March primary, a reflection of the continued and deepening turmoil within the state GOP.
Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub said Monday that while he has long thought about running for higher office, the “icing on the cake” came when several Republicans joined with Democrats in July to enact an income tax hike and budget package over GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto. […]
Straub was featured Monday on WIND-AM 560’s morning show hosted by Dan Proft, a failed 2010 Republican primary governor candidate. Proft also is a political operative who was once a Rauner ally and is now at odds with the governor after he signed the abortion bill.
On his show, Proft was highly critical of Durkin. But Proft said his Liberty Principles political action committee, which got $2.5 million from Rauner last year, “did not convince anybody to run” against Durkin.
Straub said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that he had been encouraged by many conservative groups to challenge Durkin, including getting support from Proft and Patrick Hughes. Proft and Hughes co-founded the politically tax-exempt group, the Illinois Opportunity Project.
* Meanwhile, I asked the ILGOP for a response to all this, so here is Chairman Tim Schneider’s quote…
“I am strongly supporting Leader Durkin in his primary. As Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, my sole focus is on beating the Democrats and breaking up the Madigan Machine that has destroyed this state. When Republicans are fighting each other, Mike Madigan wins and Illinois loses.”
* But I also asked for a specific comment on Dan Proft and this is what I was told…
Concerning Proft, the Illinois Republican Party has no comment at this time.
One reason why Gov. Bruce Rauner promised to veto HB40 last spring was to prevent a House Republican revolt on the state budget.
The bill deletes a so-called “trigger” provision in current law, which states that if the Roe v. Wade case is overturned by the US Supreme Court, Illinois would automatically revert to outlawing abortions.
There’s a dispute about whether this is needed, but the more controversial part of the bill would allow state funding of abortions through Medicaid and the state employee group health insurance program.
Everyone knew from the beginning of the two-year budget impasse that the House Republicans were the key to victory for both sides. As long as Rauner could hold them completely together, he could continue the impasse fight with the Democrats. By April, however, mutinous rumblings were growing in that caucus and one way Rauner could placate them was to swear he would veto HB40 if it ever reached his desk.
There are no remaining pro-choice Republicans in the House, and there are certainly no supporters of taxpayer funded abortions in the caucus. Legislative threats were made to the pro-choice governor that there would be holy heck to pay if he signed HB40 into law. They’d abandon him in droves and there would be nothing he could do to stop them from working with the Democrats on a budget solution. So the governor told several House Republicans to their faces that he’d veto the bill.
But then a couple of months later, some of the same House Republicans who’d been demanding an HB40 veto broke with the governor and voted for the tax hike.
That tax vote may have played into the governor’s decision to become the first American governor to sign a taxpayer-funded abortion bill into law. He may have simply decided that he wasn’t bound to his promise because the House Republicans didn’t hold their caucus together.
The trouble is, he made that veto promise to more than just the House Republicans. As Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) pointed out after Rauner signed the bill into law, the governor made a “public commitment” to veto the bill. “His flip-flopping on this issue,”
McConchie said in a statement, “raises serious questions on whether the Governor’s word can be trusted on other matters.”
The reason this issue became such a huge crisis in the first place is that Rauner’s can’t be taken as truth. This started to become apparent on election night, when the governor claimed during his victory speech that he’d spoken to House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton even though he hadn’t.
Rauner spent more than two years traveling the state to tell everyone who would listen that he would stop the Democrats from muscling through a Chicago Public Schools “bailout,” but then he signed a bill into law that actually gave CPS more money than the Democrats had proposed.
The governor told the Chicago Tribune in the spring of 2015 that a budget crisis would give him the leverage to obtain concessions from Democrats on his pro-business, anti-union agenda, then flat-out blamed the Democrats for the next two years for creating the crisis the governor had wanted.
I mean, the man repeatedly lied about his own grandfather to score political points. The governor has claimed over and over that his “best friend” growing up had immigrated from Sweden - the last time was when he bragged about it during a speech to an immigrant rights group when he signed a bill into law restricting what the police can do to undocumented immigrants. In fact, his grandfather was born in the United States. Politifact awarded the claim its harshest rating: “Pants on fire.”
The list is just endless with this guy. When Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich publicly calls you out for breaking your promise to veto HB40, you know you have a problem.
Candidate Rauner explicitly promised the pro-choice group Personal PAC in 2014 that he would sign legislation for government-funded abortions. So the question really boiled down to who the governor would wind up lying to.
With a tax hike passed over his veto and an education funding reform plan in place, the calculation could’ve been that he just doesn’t need the House Republicans for much of anything next year.
But the governor’s campaign insists that Rauner is running for reelection. If he manages to win, he’s going to have to eventually find a way to reestablish his relationships with legislative Republicans. Time will likely heal some of these wounds within his own party, but only if he makes a genuine attempt to reestablish his credibility.
If you’ve watched much network or cable TV over the past six months, you may already have grown weary of all the J.B. Pritzker TV ads. And it won’t ease up anytime soon. The billionaire has spent millions of his own dollars since early May to fund his Democratic bid for governor, but the primary election is still more than five months away.
Can TV spending alone buy an election? Nope. But Pritzker already has locked down the endorsement of several unions, including the Illinois AFL-CIO, along with lots of county parties, like the Cook County Democrats, and statewide officeholders Secretary of State Jesse White and Comptroller Susana Mendoza. He has also put together a large staff that’s functioning at a pace and a level far above anyone else, including Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s team.
Can Pritzker be stopped?
As I always say, the true beauty of politics is that it can be so unpredictable at times. Plenty of seemingly “inevitable” candidates have lost. Even Chris Kennedy looked like he could have a lock on the Democratic nomination for governor a year or so ago. But then another inevitable-looking Democratic candidate lost the presidential race and Pritzker, suddenly without prospects for a Cabinet-level appointment, decided to run for governor.
It was always presumed that a member of the Kennedy family—the son of Bobby, nephew of JFK—would have no trouble raising tons of money. But in the last quarterly fundraising reporting period, which ended June 30, he raised just $700,000. That’s pocket change when you’re up against a billionaire. Pritzker, by comparison, raised $14 million in the third quarter; Biss raised $1 million.
So, everyone I’ve talked to about this campaign says one thing and only one thing about Kennedy: He needs to
