* We’ve discussed before that it’s very difficult for the down-ballot statewide candidates to pierce through the media’s wall-to-wall coverage of the governor’s race.
Well, this development might just do that. Former Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has endorsed Republican state Rep. Tom Cross for the office over Democratic Sen. Mike Frerichs.
Check the one-hour, twelve-minute mark of Rick Pearson’s “Sunday Spin” show. Giannoulias bemoans the hyper-partisanship of today’s politics and shifts to the treasurer’s race…
We just need good people in office, we need people who care and individuals who understand what they’re doing…
While I’m a proud Democrat, proud of what we’ve done, I do think there are certain people who run for office on both sides who are willing to reach across the aisle.
I’ve known Tom Cross for a while, I think he’s got courage, I think he’s a good guy. He sponsored Illinois’ embryonic stem cell law to help researchers find cures for diseases like Diabetes and Alzheimer’s. He’s pro-choice. He was one of the deciding votes for Illinois’ marriage equality law. He supports common sense immigration reform. He has said that he is willing to talk about a minimum wage increase, which is something I think we should be talking about.
And while I’m not in politics any more, who I’m friends with and who I think would be a good leader is probably not important to a lot of people, I do appreciate the fact that Tom Cross has done his homework on the office of the treasurer, he understands the role. And when you talk about people who are willing to break with their party and do what’s right, I think he represents one of those people.
* When asked why Frerichs might not be up to the task, Giannoulias talked about Frerichs’ infamous Israel bonds stumble - when he repeatedly demanded that the treasurer’s office divest itself from all foreign investments, even though Israeli government bonds are the only foreign investment currently in the office’s portfolio. You can read some background on that issue by clicking here.
Back to the program…
I’m not here to bang on Mike Frerichs… I think his statements on Israel bonds weren’t carefully thought out. It’s been one of the better investments in the state treasurer’s office. There’s never been a default. Since the Israel bonds came out they’re about, last I saw, they’re about 1.4 percent higher over a ten-year period than US Treasuries, so it’s a good investment.
I just think it’s important for folks to do their homework before they make certain statements.
Ouch.
If this story doesn’t break through the white noise, then pretty much nothing will. I’ll open comments on Monday.
*** UPDATE *** From Frerichs’ campaign manager…
“Tom Cross has repeatedly said he thinks Dan Rutherford is doing a good job. Mike Frerichs is going to run the Treasurer’s office differently. On day one, Mike will launch an independent audit, roll back the political internship program and sweep politics out of the Treasurer’s office.
Tom Cross repeatedly opposed increasing the minimum wage, voted repeatedly to make it legal to fire people for being gay, and Tom Cross worked to elect anti-choice, anti-equality Tea Party candidates. His actions are clear when it comes to progressive issues and working families.“
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* The John Howard Association has responded to today’s new TV ad that slams Gov. Quinn’s 2009 early release program…
As Illinois’ only non-partisan prison watchdog, the John Howard Association doesn’t care who becomes the state’s next governor, but we do care about safe, fair, and effective criminal justice policy. That’s why in 2012 we led a broad-based coalition to reform Illinois’ early release program, which Govern Quinn had suspended a few years before. Our proposal won significant bi-partisan support in both chambers and was signed into law not only because it made needed changes to the old early release program, but also because it addressed the fundamental reality of our prison system: almost all prisoners eventually come back.
Illinois needs a correction system that is as good at returning people safely and successfully to their communities as it is at incapacitating offenders. The state has made significant progress in this respect since 2009, from reducing our costly use of juvenile incarceration to removing barriers to employment for people with criminal records, but we have a long way to go before we can say our prison system makes wise use of our limited resources. The only way we are going to get there is if we continue to embrace thoughtful approaches to crime and punishment and abandon the failed policy and politics of over incarceration.”
John Maki
Executive Director
John Howard Association
* Somewhat off-topic, but the new Rauner ad has a typo…
A Quinnster commented…
The more desperate they get - the sloppier their work
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* A Bruce Rauner TV ad opens a brand new (for this year) and powerful front against Gov. Pat Quinn.
The new ad slams Quinn him for his administration’s botched early prisoner release plan that just about cost the governor the 2010 Democratic primary. Bill Brady didn’t really emphasize the botched program, but Rauner isn’t making that same mistake. [They’ve fixed the typo mentioned above and posted a new ad] Have a look…
* Script…
230 violent criminals, secretly released early by Pat Quinn.
Sex offenders, wife beaters, convicted murderers.
What happened after Quinn freed them is unthinkable.
Sexual assault of a minor, violent domestic abuse and more senseless murders.
The unthinkable didn’t have to happen.
Now Pat Quinn wants four more years?
* This is no one-off, either. Expect Quinn to get pounded on this and other topics for the rest of the season.
* Documentation from the Rauner campaign…
On December 14, 2009, The Associated Press Reported That The Illinois Department Of Corrections Had Instituted A Secret Early Release Program Known As “MGT Push” And That 850 Inmates Had Already Been Released Weeks Earlier Than They Should Have Been. “Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has suspended a prison program that allowed repeat drunk drivers, drug users and even people convicted of battery and weapons violations to serve less than three weeks’ total time behind bars. Records obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press show that since September more than 850 inmates were released weeks earlier than they ordinarily would be. The Corrections Department was saving money by abandoning a policy that requires inmates to serve at least 61 days and awarding them discretionary good-conduct credit immediately upon entering prison.” (John O’Connor, “Ill. Suspends Program That Released Inmates Early,” The Associated Press, 12/14/09)
At Least 230 Of The Inmates Quinn Released Early Were Serving Sentences For Violent Crimes Or Crimes Involving A Weapon. “Corrections also dropped a 61-day minimum stay for all inmates, meaning scores of prisoners spent a total of less than three weeks behind bars, including county jail time. They served, on average, 26 days in the state pen, from as few as seven to 60, just below the old minimum. On the updated list, at least 230 released early were convicted of violent crimes or those that involved weapons. (John O’Connor, “Ill. wrongly reported early release prisoners, The Associated Press, 1/23/10)
Criminals With Histories Of Murder And Rape Were Released Early Under Quinn’s Program. “A west suburban man sentenced to prison for murder conspiracy was freed early under a controversial state program that Gov. Quinn called a ‘mistake’ and discontinued last week, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis has found. Also sprung early were 20 other men with killings or attempted murder in their criminal backgrounds, records show. Six were convicted of murder, five of second-degree murder, one of manslaughter, one of murder conspiracy and seven of attempted murder…During a news conference last week, neither Quinn nor Randle pointed out the degree to which people with murder, armed robbery, rape and other convictions for violent crimes had been released under the program.” (Frank Main and Chris Fusco, “Back on the street,” Chicago Sun-Times, 1/6/10)
Criminals With Histories OF Domestic Battery Were Released Early By Quinn. “Quinn on Wednesday has backtracked from earlier statements, acknowledging that he knew ahead of time that the state Department of Corrections had planned to release some inmates early as part of a cost-saving measure. Quinn, however, has refused to say whether he knew that some of the prisoners had been convicted of violent crimes that included domestic battery.” (“Gubernatorial Challenger Hynes Takes Quinn To Task,” Belleville News-Democrat, 12/17/09)
Darrell Bracey Was Released From State Prison On September 23, 2009 Under MGT Push, After Serving Just One Year Of A Three-Year Sentence For Burglary. “The 23-year-old Bracey was freed Sept. 23, 2009 after serving one year of a three-year sentence for burglary, including 55 days in the state penitentiary.” (John O’Connor, “Ill. Parolee Wasn’t Picked Up After Battery Claim,” The Associated Press, 9/20/10)
On January 4, 2010, Bracey Allegedly Had Sex With A 14-Year-Old Girl. “If he had been picked up in December, he could have been back behind bars Jan. 4, the day he admittedly had sex with the 14-year-old girl, according to investigators. Naperville police investigated the incident as a criminal sexual assault, records show, but prosecutors have not filed charges because the victim’s family is not cooperating, according to the Will County state’s attorney’s office.” (John O’Connor, “Ill. Parolee Wasn’t Picked Up After Battery Claim,” The Associated Press, 9/20/10)
Joshua Paddock Was Let Out Of Prison November 6, 2009 And Was Arrested December 12 For Domestic Battery. “Joshua Paddock, 21, who was sentenced to four years in early 2008 for aggravated battery. Lake County Jail held him about 18 months, he left Stateville Nov. 6 after 14 days, and was arrested later that month for driving without a license. But Corrections did not revoke his parole until after he was arrested Dec. 12 on four charges of domestic battery.” (John O’Connor, “Quinn: Secret prison early release ‘big mistake’,” Associated Press, 12/31/09)
Paddock’s Victim Was Beaten And Choked For Four Hours In A Hotel Room. “According to the Corrections documents, the victim contends Paddock stripped her, kicked her, choked her and dragged her across the pavement and back into a hotel room over the course of four hours.” (John O’Connor, “Crimes come to light Gov. Quinn denies knowing offenses of released inmates,” Associated Press, 1/9/10)
Edjuan Payne Was Serving Time For Criminal Damage To Property When He Was Released Early Under MGT Push. “Payne was serving time for criminal damage to property when he got out last fall as part of Quinn’s secret early prison release program, although he also had an earlier murder conviction. He was sent back in January for violating parole on the property damage charge by drinking alcohol and not properly reporting to his parole agent. He was freed in March. On Friday, he was charged with murder in Peoria.” (”Parole Violator Now Charged With Murder Was Released Early,” The Associated Press, 5/18/10)
Payne Was Sent Back To Jail In January Of 2010 For Violating His Parole. “Payne was serving time for criminal damage to property when he got out last fall as part of Quinn’s secret early prison release program, although he also had an earlier murder conviction. He was sent back in January for violating parole on the property damage charge by drinking alcohol and not properly reporting to his parole agent. He was freed in March. On Friday, he was charged with murder in Peoria.” (”Parole Violator Now Charged With Murder Was Released Early,” The Associated Press, 5/18/10)
Payne Was Released From Prison Again On March 29, 2010. “Payne would have served the remainder of his sentence (which was one year because the state counts each day served as two) and been released at the end of July 2010. The state’s Prison Review Board, however, allowed Payne to be released from prison on March 29, 2010. The PRB is an independent agency. It does from time to time make confidential recommendations to the governor relative to clemency petitions.” (Andrew Greiner, “Former Convict Accused of Second Murder,” NBC Chicago, 5/14/10)
On May 13, 2010, A Month And A Half After He Was Released From Prison, Payne Was Arrested For the Murder Of A 41-Year-Old Peoria Woman. “Peoria police arrested a Chicago man Thursday in connection with the death of a 41-year-old woman whose body was found in an alley. The woman’s body was found Thursday morning in the alley in the 1400 block of Northeast Perry Avenue and she has been identified as Orvette Davis. The 8-month-old infant found lying on the ground next to her is her granddaughter, Aaliyah Gaston. The infant was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center on Thursday morning with what police described as non-life threatening injuries. Police arrested Edjuan L. Payne, 40, of Chicago and booked him on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and endangering the life of a child. (Scott Hilyard, “Police Arrest Homicide Suspect,” Peoria Journal Star, 5/13/10)
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* So after an exhausting bout with an ear and throat infection, I woke up early yesterday morning with a stye in my left eye. I put some medicine into it and went back to bed, then noticed that Oscar the Puppy had gotten sick in the bed and then on the floor.
The poor little guy looked so pathetic I almost cried. I took him outside (with one eye closed), then cleaned up the bedroom. I carried Oscar to the tub and gave him a bath and took him to his room and then I started to get sick. I wrote yesterday’s Capitol Fax with one eye closed in between sprints to the bathroom. I was exhausted all day, and went to bed right after work.
I woke up this morning and the stye had moved to my right eye.
“No way am I doing this again,” I said as I medicated my eye and crawled back into bed with Oscar. We both slept until nine.
* My brain is mostly OK, but my body feels completely spent. The combination of a long weekend at the Phases of the Moon Festival, the ear/throat infection, yesterday’s illness and yet another stye has me feeling like I’ve been beaten up.
If it wasn’t for the kindness of two friends who brought me soup (chicken on Tuesday, beef on Wednesday), I’m not sure I woulda made it. Also, I have a new intern and he drove me to the doctor’s office on Monday and has run some other much-needed errands this week. He’s been invaluable. Good kid. You’ll meet him soon.
And thanks to everyone I deal with every day for trying not to be overly harsh to me during this amazingly screwed-up week.
* With the TMI stuff out of the way, let’s move on to the Phases of the Moon festival. I wanted to write about it all week, but I was too tired, too busy and too ill to get into it.
I posted some videos on my Facebook page (I’ve switched pages, so click here to “like” and follow).
You can’t control the weather, and there will be hiccups with the first anything. It was cold. It rained. It was a bit muddy. I didn’t really care. Everybody was sweet and nice and chill. I loved every moment of it.
* As I told you last week, I missed Thursday because I was working. I arrived Friday evening in time for most of the Grace Potter and The Nocturnals show. Wow, that woman has some pipes…
Grace was followed by The String Cheese Incident, who put on a solid show. After their first set, I went back to the camp site to set up my camper and chat with my neighbors, including Rep. Chad Hays and Rep. Mike Tryon. I’d missed their performance on Thursday and they filled me in on what was going on, how best to get around, etc. Around midnight, some of us ventured forth to see the Monophonics, but I was just too tired by then and wandered back home through what sure seemed to me like freezing rain or even snow. Man, it was cold.
* We started Saturday with an 11:30 am set by Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers. She called it the “hangover show.” The sun came out and she was eventually joined on stage by members of Leftover Salmon…
What a great way to start your day.
We went back to the camping area for a fabulous breakfast, then on to Leftover Salmon, followed by, for my money, the biggest breakout act of the weekend, Jackie Green. Here he is doing “New Speedway Boogie”…
* Tedeschi Trucks Band was the next set I saw, and it was the best show I’ve seen all year…
We ended the night with Widespread Panic. Actually, that’s not true. We had several musicians back at camp (Sen. Don Harmon had left, but then returned Saturday) and they entertained us until the wee smalls. It was freezing cold, but they never stopped playing. We’re going to need a fire pit next year for sure.
* Sunday morning started with a rockin’ set by Leon Russell, then Vintage Trouble, then Robert Randolph…
And then Gov’t. Mule…
Man, I surely didn’t expect to hear “No Quarter” Sunday night.
By then, I had to go home. I missed Railroad Earth (which I really wanted to see) and Widespread Panic’s second set. Not to mention all the side stage acts throughout the weekend that I didn’t make it to.
* Phases was one of the best festivals I’ve ever attended and I will definitely be back next year, but with warmer clothes and boots!
…Adding… Many thanks to the festival organizers, particularly Jeanie Cooke. You’re the best. Thanks to Chad Hays for scouting out a perfect camping spot in advance and for keeping things moving smoothly all weekend - and to Mrs. Hays for being the best “camp mom” ever. Thanks to the local county sheriff and his deputies for being so laid back and so understanding of a somewhat “foreign” culture. The workers and volunteers did the best job humanly possible of cleaning up after Wednesday’s storm, so thanks to them, too. Literally everybody I came into contact with - from the tschotske vendors, to the golf cart taxi drivers, to the security folks, to the artists, to everyone in the crowd - were warm and inviting and friendly. I just couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
Have a great weekend!
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*** UPDATE *** I thought he’d lay low. Apparently not…
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Greg Hinz…
The Illinois Republican Party has just received another big bag of sweet stuff from its favorite sugar daddy.
That would be GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner, whose campaign committee, according to a disclosure filed today, donated another $750,000 to the suddenly flush state party yesterday. By my count, that makes at least $2.75 million this summer alone, with most of that cash originally coming from Mr. Rauner himself.
Neither Team Rauner nor the party’s spokesman is commenting on how the money will be spent. It appears to be a combination of Mr. Rauner running expenditures for mailers through the state party so it can get a better rate on postage than the Rauner campaign can on its own. More significantly, donations will be used to help candidates for the Illinois Senate and, particularly, the House.
* Dave McKinney…
By far, the largest expenditures the state GOP has made since Rauner opened up his campaign committee’s fundraising spigot have gone to the House Republican Organization, which is focused on ending House Speaker Michael Madigan’s 71-vote supermajority.
State campaign records show that the House Republican Organization has collected more than $577,000 from the state GOP since June.
If Madigan were to lose just one seat, House Republicans then would have the power under the next governor to block veto override attempts and borrowing proposals.
* Meanwhile, on a somewhat related front, a buddy sent met this stuff the other day…
In June Bruce & Diana Rauner donated the max $10,500 each to the Illinois Republican Party.
On 9/12 one of them donates $10k to Henry County Repubs
On 9/17 Henry County Repubs donate $7k to Illinois Republican Party.
On 8/14 Rauner donates $7k to Hanover Elects Responsible Officials (HERO
On 9/17 HERO donates $7k to Illinois Republican Party. HERO had $1,399 in the bank on 6/30.
I asked the state party what was going on and they didn’t have an explanation. You’ll recall a similar thing happened a few years back with a couple of other wealthy Republican donors, the Griffin’s.
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Question of the day
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ben Yount discussed “Downstate independence” in the context of yesterday’s failed Scottish referendum…
I think his fatal flaw is believing that Downstaters want “smaller government.” If you look at the pension votes, the screams about facility closures, etc., lots of Downstate legislators, at least, don’t necessarily want a smaller government in their areas.
* Greg Hinz…
Maybe we could learn something from that. And maybe some of our politicians would learn something from Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, the main instigator of the independence movement.
After his view that Scotland would do better as an independent nation was rejected by voters by a better than 55 percent to 45 percent ratio, he announced his resignation both as leader of Scotland and as head of its leading political party. The message: The people have spoken. They rule.
When’s the last time you saw an American politician fall on his sword, metaphorically? When did a House speaker who couldn’t deliver what he promised, a mayor who has fallen short or a governor who has struggled to deliver anything at all accepted responsibility, much less offered to quit? And let’s not even talk about the last indicted Illinois legislator who walked away from his job, rather than waiting for the trial and impeachment.
Good for the Scots. I hope someone in Illinois is watching.
* The Question: Did you learn anything from the failed Scottish independence campaign? Explain.
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* From Illinois Review…
Friday, Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general Paul Schimpf sent out an email asking for financial help in getting the following radio ad on the air. His Democrat opponent, incumbent Attorney General Lisa Madigan is sitting on $4 million in her campaign coffers.
* His hoped-for ad…
Schimpf has reported raising $19,155.69 since July 1st.
* Meanwhile…
Paul Schimpf, the Republican candidate for Illinois Attorney General, issued the following statement today in response to news that a federal grand jury has recently issued subpoenas relating to the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative and the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority of which Ms. Madigan co-chaired:
“I call on Ms. Madigan to disclose whether she, her office, or any members of her staff have been subpoenaed to provide information in this federal investigation. Whether state funds were used for political purposes is at the very heart of this investigation. As evidenced by a recovered email, Ms. Madigan’s Chief of Staff was directly overseeing bonuses and raises as a result an election. The citizens of Illinois deserve to know the extent of Ms. Madigan’s involvement in this matter and whether subpoenas have been issued to anyone connected with her office.”
* I asked AG Madigan’s spokesperson about this and her reply was…
We have not been served.
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This is what you’d call a “tell”
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune editorial page has often been called the “Winnetka Talking To Wilmette” section of the newspaper. Check out today’s editorial about how the Art Institute was just rated the top museum in the world by TripAdvisor…
Now, let’s ask a potentially embarrassing question: Have you spent more time in museums in Paris or New York than you have in your hometown?
Yep, I don’t see those folks pushing a minimum wage hike any time soon.
* The full TripAdvisor list is here, by the way. Also, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was rated 19th best in the US of A.
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#QsforQuinn
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’re coming to this a bit late, but the governor is hosting a live Q&A on Twitter. Some of the questions are good, some are funny, some are goofy trolls and the Rauner campaign has jumped in as well (Rich Goldberg’s tweets). Follow along with ScribbleLive…
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* From a press release…
Downstate Democrat Mike Frerichs, candidate for State Treasurer, is calling on his Republican opponent Tom Cross to drop his party’s effort to knock Libertarian candidates off of the November ballot. The Libertarian Party has called for a criminal investigation into allegations of voter intimidation by armed security guards working on behalf of Cross and gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner. A Sangamon County judge rejected efforts by the Illinois Republican Party to force Libertarians off the ballot on Thursday, but the GOP has refused to say whether they will continue their legal challenge.
“I find Tom Cross and the Republican Party’s tactics outrageous,” says Frerichs, who at age 26 ran against a candidate backed by House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. “I know politics can be pretty rocky, but when Republicans sent men with guns to people’s homes and intimidated them, they crossed way over the line.”
Throwing Madigan under the bus, eh? That’s an interesting little turn of events. I covered that race. The Madigan guy went on to lose the general. Frerichs might’ve done better, were my thoughts at the time.
* They have a local angle as well…
The Frerichs campaign is also calling on Tom Cross and the GOP to drop plans to restrict voter access on college campuses and in minority communities on Election Day. Frerichs notes that the Republican Party has a long history of blocking student voter participation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), which Frerichs represents. On campus, Republicans have required college students to provide multiple forms of identification in order to cast ballots, generating long lines at the polls and discouraging voting.
* And then they tie him to ALEC…
Tom Cross has a history of opposing voter participation in Illinois. Cross voted against legislation in 2013 sponsored by Frerichs (House Bill 105) that encourages student voter participation. Republicans staunchly opposed the bill when it was amended to allow same-day voter registration to ensure that Illinoisans aren’t denied their vote simply because they had moved recently because it benefits students and poorer families. Cross was also one of only 22 conservative House lawmakers to oppose House Bill 226, a measure that allowed 17 year-olds to vote in the primary elections provided they turn 18 before the November general election.
Tom Cross is also affiliated with national efforts to block voter participation, according to the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), a nonpartisan watchdog group. The CMD website, Sourcewatch.com, says Cross is a leader within the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a rightwing corporate think tank. According to CMD, ALEC has led efforts to disenfranchise “students, African Americans, low-income, and older citizens” by passing voter identification laws across the country.
CMD also notes that Cross is a leading member of ALEC’s committee on civil rights. In 2011, Cross participated in an ALEC conference aimed at restricting the rights of women, racial minorities, gay Americans and older workers in all 50 states to sue for wrongful termination, workplace discrimination and sexual harassment.
“When the cameras are on and everyone is paying attention, Tom Cross says nice things and even occasionally votes the right way,” says Zach Koutsky, campaign manager. “When Tom Cross is exposed in the back room, it is a different story. The public should visit Sourcewatch.com to find out what Tom Cross and ALEC really stand for.”
Discuss.
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* Keep in mind that this is only a Web ad…
Rauner Web Ad: “Cut from the Same Cloth”
Over the past week Pat Quinn has admitted to protecting 103 illegal patronage hires – including 20 that could be fired immediately – and found himself at the center of a second criminal investigation by a U.S. Attorney.
In other words, it’s become clear that Pat Quinn and Rod Blagojevich are cut from the same cloth.
* The video…
* The script…
Today’s finding was conclusive, guilty on 17 of 20 corruption counts.
Rod Blagojevich is just the tip of the iceberg here, the weight is on Pat Quinn.
Gov. Pat Quinn and impeached ex. Gov. Rod Blagojevich filled hundreds of positions at IDOT.
Culture of patronage when it comes to hiring.
It seems politicians have gotten better at covering their tracks.
Another day, another political scandal for IL Gov. Pat Quinn.
It feels like deja vu…
* There’s a reason why this isn’t on TV. The message probably won’t work on a mass scale. People don’t like patronage, they don’t like using government money to benefit a political campaign, but they generally don’t think the other party would be any different.
And since Rauner didn’t use the spring and summer to pound a “Quinn is corrupt” message home with millions of TV dollars, it may be too late to effectively start that track now. So, throw it up on the Web and get some media coverage.
* Plus, there’s a key difference here between what RRB did and what Quinn’s IDOT and Quinn’s top staff (and, maybe Quinn himself, we don’t know yet) did or are accused of doing.
Patronage is a civil issue. It became a criminal offense in Chicago because the patronage operation there did clearly illegal things, like claim a job applicant was interviewed on the same date the guy was actually out of the country.
The Illinois Attorney General conducted a massive investigation of Blagojevich’s hiring practices, but the US Attorney asked her to shut down her probe and forward him the results. He never used the info.
* From Steve Schnorf in comments last night…
How do you know the clouting was political, not personal, in each case? How do you know that none of the people were qualified for the positions they were hired in to? How do you know all the staff assistant titles were misused and that none of the people hired into them performed the work called for in the job description? How do you know the promotions or transfers in each case happened as soon as possible? How do you know the promotions or transfers were each improper or unfair? How do you know each benefited “knowingly”? I missed answers to those question in the IG’s report. Do you have information that most of us don’t have, or are you inferring the answers?
Were there Rutan violation? My guess is there were a bunch. Were each of these the same, like a cookie cutter? Based on experience, I’ll bet there are a whole bunch of different scenarios that occurred here. Is patronage illegal per se? I don’t know how. Should those hirings be done in violation of Rutan? Surely not. What happened at DOT was clearly a significant problem, no doubt about it. On the other hand if things haven’t changed too much, the State probably hired in 20-25,000 people over the past twelve years, and promoted that many more, so 245 isn’t a huge number. If you see this as institutionalizing corruption, so be it. But I don’t…
* And as far as NRI goes, from what we know so far the corruption was mostly at the bottom of the rung. Now, the Quinn administration could very well be hiding something. Right now, though, there’s nothing in the documents released that connect any illegal dots directly to him.
Was the anti-violence program designed to help Quinn get reelected? Sure. But politicians do this sort of thing all the time. Bridges, roads, new facilities, new programs, new grants, whatever. And most people get that.
* This isn’t meant to be a defense of Quinn. It’s just a look at the realities of Illinois. If you want people to believe that Quinn the “reformer” is actually corrupt, you’d better spend a ton of money to do it. And spend it early. So far, neither has been done.
We’ll just have to see what happens. If that video goes viral, then maybe Rauner is on to something and it’ll wind up on TV.
…Adding… The Quinn campaign passed along this link to a 2007 interview with Rod Blagojevich where he claims that Lt. Gov. Quinn wasn’t part of his administration.
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Bost claims poll shows him up by 4
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
Today, the Bost for Congress campaign announced a recent poll that shows Illinois 12th Congressional District candidate Mike Bost continues to maintain his lead over incumbent Beltway Bill Enyart.
Key Findings from Polling:
Mike Bost has a +4 point lead over Democratic incumbent Congressman Bill Enyart.
43 percent of district voters indicate that they would vote for Bost, 39 percent would vote for Enyart, 7 percent are voting for Green Party candidate Paula Bradshaw, and 11 percent are undecided.
Bost continues his months-long polling lead. Throughout the race, Enyart has never lead in polling.
“Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama have spent millions trying to gloss over Bill Enyart’s disastrous record and it’s not working,” said Bost Campaign spokesman Jim Forbes. “This poll is just more proof that Beltway Bill Enyart and his Washington, D.C. cronies don’t understand what’s important in Southern Illinois. Voters would rather have Illinois authenticity than beltway talking points.”
The poll was conducted by the Tarrance Group, a nationally-recognized and widely-respected polling organization.
That Greenie may be hurting Enyart as much as Pat Quinn.
But notice no date is given for when the poll was taken. This release may be due to some nervousness about the new Enyart/DCCC “rant” ads.
…Adding… The Bost campaign says the poll was conducted Sept. 16-18.
* Meanwhile, the NRCC has a new TV ad in the district…
“Congressman Bill Enyart went to Washington and let Southern Illinois families down. Instead of fighting for them, he has sided with Nancy Pelosi to support Obamacare while voting to give himself taxpayer-funded perks. It’s time for new leadership in Washington and Mike Bost is just that. Bost has fought for this community for years and will continue that fight in Congress.” – Katie Prill, NRCC Spokeswoman
* The ad…
* Script…
ANNCR: Bill Enyart claims he’s for us, but his votes tell a different story.
Enyart backed a plan that gives Congressmen taxpayer funded perks and special benefits.
Bill Illinois families got higher premiums and layoffs.
Bill Enyart let us down.
Mike Bost is different. He runs a small business, opposes Obamacare because we need lower premiums and more jobs.
Change Washington with Mike Bost.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is responsible of the content of this advertising.
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More than just unclear on the concept
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This piece is now “Exhibit A” when demonstrating the gross intellectual dishonesty of the Illinois Policy Institute…
In the throes of Illinois’ fiscal crisis, nearly every nook and cranny of the Illinois state budget should be fair game for review and reduction. But some state lawmakers don’t seem to think so, especially when it comes to their money.
In the waning hours of the final day of this year’s spring session, state politicians chose to exempt their own budget from the scrutiny of the annual appropriations process, the first line of defense against irresponsible spending.
House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton joined forces to introduce and enact a law prohibiting reductions from year to year in the appropriations made available in the annual state budget for legislators’ salaries and legislative operating expenses. Plus, their new law permits the payment of these salaries and expenses even if there is no annual appropriation for that purpose. […]
The authority to spend without an annual appropriation (called a “continuing appropriation”) is traditionally strictly limited. Its primary use is to ensure holders of long-term state debt that the state will continue to pay debt service when due until the debt is fully paid, which can take 20 years or more. To equate the payment of current expenses for the General Assembly to these long-term obligations of the state is absurd.
To authorize a continuing appropriation for this purpose sets a terrible precedent. And, in a time of significant budgetary crises, it runs counter to responsible budgeting.
* The “think tank” never explains the reason for the continuing approp language: Gov. Quinn vetoed legislative salaries last summer during his pension reform push. Bruce Rauner would surely try the same thing if elected. A precedent had been set and it had to be stopped in its tracks.
Without that 2013 precedent and Rauner’s shut-down threats, I could see the Institute’s point. I mean, who in their right mind would veto legislative salaries?
* This measure addressed a very real issue - an issue that is only mentioned in the most oblique way (and in the 13th paragraph of a 15-graf piece) by the Institute…
What prompted legislators to pursue this “no cuts allowed, no appropriations needed” measure for their own budget in the first place was an ongoing political and budgetary dispute between legislative leaders and Quinn.
That’s it? That’s all the explanation? C’mon.
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Quinn: “Everybody in? I’m driving”
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Taking advantage of newly announced unemployment rate numbers, the Quinn campaign is unveiling a new positive TV spot today…
Quinn for Illinois today rolled out a new campaign ad highlighting the Governor’s commitment to driving job creation and turning the Illinois economy around.
Set in front of the Ford plant in Chicago he worked with to help grow, the ad ends with Governor Quinn strapping into the driver’s seat and saying, “We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re making the tough decisions to get us rolling again.”
The state’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest level since July 2008, and there’s more work to do.
“Everybody in?” Gov. Quinn asks to conclude the ad.
The Ford plant is just one example of Governor Quinn’s commitment to jobs.
* The ad…
* The script…
Governor Quinn: “This Ford Explorer was built at that facility by these folks right here in Illinois. Our economic initiative allowed Ford to hire 2,500 more workers, and that supports other Illinois businesses, creating even more jobs. Unemployment is now at its lowest level since before the Great Recession.
“I’m Pat Quinn. We’ve got a ways to go but we’re making the tough decisions to get us rolling again.
“Everybody in? I’m driving.”
* Meanwhile, from yesterday…
“The key words I think today are unemployment is down and jobs are up,” Quinn said. […]
“It’s the steepest decline in unemployment in the last 30 years in Illinois,” he said.
In August of last year, the Illinois jobless rate was 9.2 percent. Last month’s rate was 6.7 percent as state officials report the creation of 13,800 jobs, including 2,000 in manufacturing.
“These unemployment rate statistics can be misleading,” Rauner said. […]
“Many thousands of families in Illinois have stopped looking for work,” Rauner said. “That’s not a good reason to have the unemployment rate fall.”
* Tribune…
Speaking at a downtown job fair for veterans, Rauner said the data could be “misleading,” arguing the jobless rate may have dropped because many people have simply stopped looking for work.
“The voters know and they’ve told me crystal clear that they don’t believe Illinois is going the right way and they are suffering,” Rauner said, before attending a closed-door fundraiser with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate. […]
“For those who want to be naysayers, they’re missing the boat. Get on board, get on board with the people of Illinois,” Quinn said, before criticizing Rauner’s investments in companies that outsourced jobs overseas.
* Rauner has a point, up to a point. The reality is Illinois’ unemployment rate is hugely lower than it was a year ago and there’s simply no denying that. The non-stop naysayers need to take a breath already. Y’all are starting to remind me of those relentlessly goofy poll “unskewers” from 2012.
Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal has a totally different take. He thinks the federal government is somehow skewing the unemployment rates because Republican states are experiencing increased rates while Democratic states are showing declining rates. I kid you not…
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The sleep gap
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Atlantic…
Though Americans across the economic spectrum are sleeping less these days, people in the lowest income quintile, and people who never finished high school, are far more likely to get less than seven hours of shut-eye per night. About half of people in households making less than $30,000 sleep six or fewer hours per night, while only a third of those making $75,000 or more do.
“We all have sleep problems,” McCalman says, speaking of his fellow airport workers. “Everyone who is doing two jobs has a sleep problem.”
* The chart…
When I was a young boy, my dad always worked at least two jobs and often three to make ends meet. I don’t know how he did it.
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DCCC releases second Bost “rant” ad
Friday, Sep 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* With the DCCC’s first “rant” ad, Mike Bost’s defense ad and Bill Enyart’s ad, we’re now up to four rant TV advertisements…
* Script…
In Springfield, Mike Bost likes to throw tantrums…
But it’s what that means for people, that’s really concerning.
Bost wasted taxpayer money on a Chicagoland golf course.
But opposed funding for veterans’ disability benefits.
And even signed a pledge that protects special tax breaks for corporations shipping our jobs to places like China.
Mike Bost would make Washington worse.
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* From an Equality Illinois fundraising e-mail…
You may think it unimaginable that in 2014 in Illinois we are still sounding alarm about the risks to LGBT equality. However, it is expected that the midterm elections this November will have the lowest turnout ever and nearly every political analyst predicts that if we do nothing to change this we will lose this election, placing all our hard-won victories at risk. That’s not acceptable.
But there are concrete things to can do to prevent that from happening, such as supporting Equality Illinois voter education and engagement efforts that will make the 2014 election a success for our community and the equality agenda. Please make your donation now of $35, $50, or $100, so that we can leave no stone unturned in the next six weeks leading up to the election. When you give today, MillerCoors will MATCH YOUR DONATION dollar for dollar and you will be entered in a drawing to win a pair of tickets to an upcoming Broadway in Chicago performance.
In order to win this November, Equality Illinois, in partnership with our progressive allies, is:
• Registering and turning out new voters
• Turning out core voters and educating the undecided
• Activating and getting out voters who don’t traditionally vote in the midterm elections
Equality Illinois is leading this groundbreaking effort to engage prospective voters who care about equal rights and treatment for LGBT individuals. In order to activate them to vote, we are relentlessly exposing the conservative social agenda of viable candidates, including explicit threats to marriage equality and equal treatment for LGBT individuals.
Remember the days when Coors was deemed a right-wing corporation? Those days are obviously gone. Now, they’re helping pay for EI’s anti-Rauner campaign. We live in fascinating times.
…Adding… From Equality Illinois…
Our operations are supported by dozens of corporate partners who believe in LGBT equality, including MillerCoors. MillerCoors’ partnership grants exclusively support our educational and other charitable activities. This year, with the company’s support, we’ve been able to reach Illinoisans and educate them on the new changes in the anti-bullying law, on their equal marriage rights, grow programs on financial literacy,and help businesses develop LGBT-inclusive practices.
In your online blog, you say that MillerCoors is paying for our anti-Rauner campaign, which is not the case. Your readers should know that we do not use any of MillerCoors’ grants to fund any of our political or candidate work. That work is done exclusively by our walled-off PAC which uses specially-raised private contributions.
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Rauner takes batting practice
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bruce Rauner showed again today on WGN Radio that when he’s asked questions he’s answered many times before, he can sound like a master politician. He easily sprinted through every one of his talking points this morning, brushing aside the small handful of follow-up questions…
His problem is that when journalists who don’t get this sort of access want to ask tough, out of the ordinary questions, he doesn’t appear to know what to do. So, he turns away, or tries to laugh them off, or promises to unveil a detailed plan really, really, really soon.
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Stagnant income, except at the top
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Issues…
The median household income for Illinois in 2013 was $56, 210—the same as it was in 2008, the year that the U.S. financial collapse began. Illinois’ median household income is slightly higher than the national of almost $52,000, which has stayed relatively flat over the same time period. Stateline, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts, crunched the state numbers into this handy map for state comparisons. Meanwhile, the average income for the state’s top 5 percent of earners is $363,159. That number has increased by 6.4 percent since 2008.
According to Pew’s analysis, most of Illinois’ neighboring states saw an increase in median income. The exceptions were Indiana, which had a .9 percent decrease, Wisconsin, which had a 1.2 percent decrease and Michigan, which had a .7 percent decrease. However, the average household income for the top five percent of earners went up in all three states.
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* Man, this is one irresponsible lede…
State Sen. Donne Trotter took $2,000 in cash from a convicted felon who got the money from an undercover FBI agent posing as an Indian businessman, lawyers for a South Side man allege.
And C. Gregory Turner’s attorneys hinted that other Chicago politicians also were approached as part of a federal sting in 2009.
So, Trotter allegedly took two grand during a federal sting operation five years ago but the feds never busted him?
C’mon. He’s a state legislator. If they had him dead to rights, or even if they only kinda had him dead to rights, off to the big house he’d go.
Everybody knows I’m a friend of Trotter’s. But as I tell all my friends, if you screw up there’s nothing I can or will do about it. It will be what it will be. This doesn’t look like one of those cases.
* The allegation…
According to Turner’s lawyers, Prince Asiel Ben Israel, Turner’s co-defendant, met at the Trump Hotel restaurant in 2009 with an FBI agent who posed as an Indian businessman and gave Ben Israel cash to pass along to Illinois politicians in exchange for future political favors. Ben Israel later told authorities he gave $2,000 of the money to Trotter, a longtime friend, but Trotter has denied any knowledge of the cash payment, Turner’s attorneys said.
* And the feds are standing by Trotter…
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas acknowledged Ben Israel was caught up in the undercover sting but said there was no evidence Trotter ever accepted any of the bribe money.
* And…
Ben Israel has since pleaded guilty to failing to register as an agent of Mugabe, and [Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas] said that there was no evidence of any “quid pro quo” Trotter performed in return for the alleged bribe.
* Trotter’s attorney…
“I learned a long time ago not to answer questions that are baseless,” [Thomas Anthony Durkin] said.
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Today’s number: 20x
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Yale’s Andrew V. Papachristos…
Anyone looking at a crime map in any city can tell you that violence tends to concentrate in particular places, and this remains true even as crime rates move up and down. The result is a huge gap, not only in rates of crime and violence across communities but in how people experience crime rates.
For example, the violent crime rate in Chicago’s West Garfield Park, one of the most violent parts of the city, fell nearly 30 percent over the past three years. Yet, its average homicide rate during this period of 64 per 100,000 is more than 20 times the rate of Jefferson Park on the city’s Northwest side.
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Cross endorsed by Democratic mayor
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Non-gubernatorial news is pretty hard to find in the mainstream media these days, but this one is kinda big…
Three-term Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, a 2012 delegate for President Barack Obama and a donor to Gov. Pat Quinn, has endorsed [GOP Rep. Tom Cross] in his campaign against state Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign.
“I’m a fiscal conservative. I think Tom is also. I’ve known him for a number of years. He’s always been trustworthy as far as my experience went. I think he’s a down-to-earth individual, serious about public service, and will certainly do well,” Weisner told Early & Often, the Chicago Sun-Times political portal.
* The Frerichs response..
A spokesman for Frerichs questioned whether the Weisner endorsement amounted to a conflict of interest since the city of Aurora is listed with other municipalities as clients on the website of Cross’ Joliet law firm, Mahoney, Silverman and Cross.
“Mayor Weisner is free to endorse Tom Cross. But if Tom Cross wants to be treasurer, he owes the public a full disclosure of how much money his law firm has pocketed over the years from clients like the city of Aurora with legislation before the General Assembly, particularly the more than two dozen units of local government, and whether or not he voted on any legislation impacting them,” said Zach Koutsky, Frerichs’ campaign manager.
The Cross campaign responded that in the past twelve months, Cross’ firm has billed Aurora for $250.
* Meanwhile, in another statewide race…
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon said Wednesday she was offended by comments Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka made about her family name while speaking to The Southern Illinoisan editorial board on Tuesday afternoon.
Topinka was asked to address an issue that made headlines recently when she apparently asked Gov. Pat Quinn for helping getting her son a job at SIU Carbondale during a public bill signing event, something Simon has criticized Topinka for doing.
Simon, a Democrat, and Topinka, a Republican, are both running for comptroller.
In a press release, Simon, of Carbondale, said the following comment made by Topinka was “insulting:”
“I’m sure my opponent did not feel that the Simon name hurt her in Southern Illinois, you know. What can I say? Same difference.” [Topinka said] […]
“I’m proud of my father’s work and legacy,” [Simon’s] statement continued, “but it’s been important for me to build my career on my own. I entered statewide politics only after my father’s death. To compare a patronage request to my decades of hard work is insulting.”
She entered statewide politics when Pat Quinn picked her.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Et tu, Cubbies?
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Despite a close proximity and upgrades, Kane County will lose its affiliation with the Chicago Cubs to South Bend [Indiana].
The Cubs will announce Thursday their new agreement with South Bend after two successful seasons with Kane County, which promised upgrades to its facility that included a climate-controlled batting cage, an expanded weight room and a video room for players and coaches for evaluation purposes at Fifth Third Bank in Geneva.
* Meanwhile, from Indiana’s Economic Development Corporation…
Chicago Craft Bottling, LLC announced plans today to locate its first Indiana bottling facility here, creating up to 35 new jobs by 2017.
“Companies like Chicago Craft Bottling save money in Indiana, from our lower tax burdens to our more affordable cost of doing business,” said Eric Doden, president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. “Those savings earn companies a competitive advantage, allowing them to reinvest in their operations. That keeps Indiana businesses growing, expanding our economy and creating more jobs for Hoosiers.”
The Chicago, Illinois-based company will invest $910,000 to construct and equip a new 10,000 square-foot bottling and packaging plant. The new facility, which is expected to be operational by the end of the year, will allow the company to provide bottling and co-packing services to craft and innovative beverages, including its anchor client, Crafthouse Cocktails. Chicago Craft Bottling plans to hire for approximately 10 new positions in Indiana by early November. […]
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Chicago Craft Bottling, LLC up to $295,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. Michigan City approved additional tax abatement at the request of the Economic Development Corporation Michigan City.
So, they want the obvious cachet of our largest city’s name, but they don’t want to make it here. The mayor ought to do something about that one.
* Now, on to some good news…
The Illinois unemployment rate fell in August for the sixth consecutive month to reach 6.7 percent while employers created +13,800 jobs, according to preliminary data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The data is seasonally adjusted.
The drop from 9.2 percent one year ago marks the largest year-over-year decline since 1984. The last time the rate was lower than 6.7 was in July 2008 when it was 6.6. Also, there are +40,600 more jobs than one year ago.
“Five months of job creation coupled with increased help-wanted advertising indicate a bit of momentum as we head into the Fall,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said. “It is not surprising that fewer people are looking for work given retirement trends, although it does underscore that more needs to be done to give the long-term unemployed the skills necessary to secure meaningful employment.”
Since 1976, the monthly Illinois rate has averaged 0.6 points higher than the national rate. August marks the second consecutive month that the state rate has hit that benchmark. Illinois last did so in Spring, 2012. […]
August job growth was led by Leisure and Hospitality (+5,000), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+4,300), and Professional and Business Services (+3,300). Other Services (-1,800), Education and Health Services ( 1,700) and Financial Activities (-300) declined.
*** UPDATE *** Bruce Rauner…
“It’s always good news when more Illinoisans are working. Unfortunately, we still have a huge ways to go to get out of the massive hole that’s been dug in our state by the Quinn-Madigan-Blagojevich machine. We need to put our economy on jet fuel, and under Pat Quinn it’s struggling along on leaded gas. It took eight months to add a single job this year.”
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Cutting to the chase
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Whet Moser at Chicago Magazine is fast becoming my favorite political blogger.
Moser doesn’t post a lot, but when he does it’s clearly after he’s given things much thought. For instance, during all the hooplah over Bruce Rauner’s $140,000 wine club, Moser took a decidedly contrarian, but fact-based position…
Napa Valley Reserve isn’t a wine club in the sense that you plunk down six figures and get a bottle of wine in the mail. It’s somewhere between a dude ranch, a time-share for hobbyist winemakers, and Costco for wine collectors.
And it might be a bargain. Here’s how Food & Wine describes it:
An alternative to owning a vineyard is belonging to the Napa Valley Reserve, winemaker Bill Harlan’s new club. A $150,000 deposit buys the right to purchase from one-half to three barrels of wine. You can do as much of the work as you want, from grape picking to barrel tasting. About 275 people have joined so far, half from outside California, and Harlan expects to cut off membership at 400.
According to a 2010 Huffington Post piece, members can buy bottles for $78.
He did the math of deposit plus wine costs and concluded that members could buy wine for about $250 a bottle. But that wine actually retails for between $450 and $900 a bottle….
Plus the Reserve deposit is refunded if you quit. At these prices, you’d be crazy not to join.
Excellent point.
* One of his more recent posts does a good job of explaining this exceedingly frustrating statement by Rauner…
* Moser uses some past articles to explain that this is how Rauner does business. From a 2011 Rauner interview in Chicago Mag…
Most private equity firms buy mature companies and unwanted divisions of large corporations, managements intact. But you seem to go out and find management and then, together with them, go buy the companies.
We’re in two businesses: industry research and executive recruiting. We study industries, and we network like crazy to find the superstars. Today, we’re partners with two dozen CEOs. Some we’re backing for the second, third time. It can take from six months to nine years from the time we meet someone until we actually become partners with each other.
* Rauner’s 1999 explanation of how GTCR is involved with companies…
We’ll take one or two seats on a company’s board of directors, and then help out in areas where we can be useful, focusing on issues like recruiting additional executives; identifying acquisitions for the company; helping structure, price, and negotiate acquisitions, if they ask us to do that; arranging other types of capital in addition to our own arranging debt or mezzanine financing, arranging joint ventures or leasing terms, etc.; helping the company go public selecting the underwriters and the analysts, and getting it public at the right time at the right price. We try to be supportive partners and advisors, without getting in the way.
* Whet’s conclusion…
It’s banking and management, but not necessarily the operations of the business itself.
And that might go some way towards explaining Rauner and his goal-first, plan-later approach. He’s accustomed to targeting acquisitions or industries in which to create a business, setting goals for that business—and then assembling management to carry out those goals.
Rauner has been emphatic about his plan to put together a can-do bureaucracy from experts; indeed, that’s much of his expertise, a hands-on recruiter of talent… But much of Rauner’s “management” will be selected by the fractious, divided state he wants to govern in the form of the legislature. Will it work? He wants you to trust him—and for the state to pick him on the basis of his business success, as he’s done his whole life.
Discuss.
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Welcome to the NFL, rookie
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you’ll recall, Channel 5’s Mary Ann Ahern asked Bruce Rauner about the NFL domestic violence scandals yesterday. Last night, she reported this…
The Rauner team was not happy with today’s questions on the NFL and said we should have submitted them ahead of time.
The Rauner campaign flat-out denies anybody told her that. Ahern firmly stood by her story this morning. She also denied, and deemed it personally insulting, that anyone would claim her NFL questions were planted by the Quinnsters.
* The first-time candidate might be dismayed at the way he’s being treated by the city’s media, but it’s merely his turn in the barrel. The governor has served his time in said barrel quite often and will be back in there very soon.
And it’s only gonna get worse. Much worse.
* And while the governor’s campaign talked to me about the NFL abuse issue and Rauner’s Steelers ownership two nights ago, Chicago reporters can always smell a good local angle on a hot national story, and the NFL abuse scandal is the hottest thing going right now. Rauner, as a part-owner of an NFL team, gave them the perfect local angle. Craig Dellimore…
Republican candidate Bruce Rauner called a news conference to talk about ethics but as a partial owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was asked what he thought of the way the NFL handled recent domestic violence incidents including former Baltimore Raven Ray Rice knocking out his then fiancé. He sidestepped.
Why Rauner wasn’t prepared to answer that question is just beyond me. He could’ve turned it into a huge positive. Instead, he whiffed.
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* 11:00 am - Sangamon County Circuit Judge has ruled against an attempt by Illinois Republican Party attorneys to knock the Libertarian Party’s statewide slate off the November ballot. The full ruling is here.
*** UPDATE *** AP…
Kelley found that the evidence supported the board’s decision, noting that the court could overturn it “only if it finds the rulings are clearly erroneous.”
Illinois GOP attorney John Fogarty had argued that thousands of signatures were invalid because they were illegible, not genuine and because petition circulators didn’t reside at their stated addresses.
While approving the Libertarian’s candidacy, the board ruled that Green, Constitution and Independent party candidates should not be on the ballot because the parties gathered too few valid signatures. Democratic Party attorneys had challenged the validity of the signatures for the Green candidate, who could have taken votes away from Quinn.
Fogarty declined comment Thursday on whether attorneys would appeal. Illinois GOP spokesman Andrew Welhouse said the party would “continue to work in every part of Illinois to elect Bruce Rauner and Republicans up and down the ticket.”
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Callis releases new negative ad
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* She isn’t going down without a fight…
* Script…
NARRATOR: Rodney Davis will tell you he started out small, but Davis hit the big time in Washington. As a congressman, Davis spent forty grand at DC steakhouses. He wined and dined with insiders, and voted to protect tax breaks for millionaires. Davis shut down the government, but kept his own taxpayer funded perks like a private gym and first class flights.
CALLIS: I’m Ann Callis, I approve this message. I’ll do without the perks, so we can do more for middle class families.
* Davis campaign response…
To distract the public from her growing residency scandal, Ann Callis once again throws untruthful bombs in her latest TV commercial. Instead of talking about actual issues, or coming clean on where she lived while serving as an elected official in Illinois, Callis continues her attacks on Congressman Davis.
As we know, Callis’ last ad attacking Congressman Davis was a flat-out lie. In reality, fact checkers called the attacks in the last Callis ad “smarmy.” (Washington Post 5/5/2014). That Callis attack received a Four Pinocchios rating by fact checkers…the worst rating possible.
She continues the pattern in this latest ad:
Callis ad: “Davis shut down the government”
Truth: Congressman Davis actually voted to keep the government up and running. (Roll Call Vote #478, 9/20/2013)
Callis ad: “kept his own taxpayer funded perks like a private gym and first class flights”
Truth: Congressman Davis voted to BAN first-class flights by members of Congress and have never flown first-class on the taxpayer’s dime. He voted to stop Members of Congress for receiving taxpayer-funded health care for life. (Roll Call Vote #177, 4/10/14). Davis also pays his own money for his gym membership.
“Ann Callis is running a desperate campaign of deceit and untruthfulness,” said Tim Butler, Davis campaign manager. “This ad only continues a dishonest pattern established over many years when she signed multiple documents attesting to her residency in Missouri while serving as an elected judge in Illinois. As an attorney, she should know that her residency in Missouri violated the Illinois Constitution.
“Ann Callis also needs to let the public know about her own gold-plated judicial pension,” Butler continued, “and her free lifetime health care, both courtesy of the taxpayers of Illinois. I doubt she wants to talk about that, but instead she will continue to attack Congressman Davis.”
* But Callis has her own documentation…
Background:
Davis Drops Nearly $40,000 on Washington Steakhouses
In 2013 and 2014, Congressman Davis spent $38,834 in campaign funds at exclusive Washingon steakhouses.
[State Journal-Register, 7/26/14]
Davis Twice Voted for the Ryan Budget, Giving the Average Millionaire a Tax Cut of $245,000
Congressman Davis twice voted for a budget that gives Americans with incomes of $1 million or more an average net tax cut of about $245,000.
[House Clerk, H Con Res 96, Vote #177, 4/10/14, H Con Res 25, Vote #88, 3/21/13; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 3/17/13]
Congressman Davis Signed a Letter Urging the House Republican Leadership to only Fund the Government if it Defunded the Affordable Health Care Act
According to Freedom Works, Rodney Davis signed a letter authored by Tea Party Congressman Mark Meadows, “affirming that they will refuse to vote for a CR that contains ObamaCare funding.”
[Freedom Works Website, 8/14/13; Meadows Letter, 8/21/13]
Davis Voted for a Continuing Resolution that would “Likely Result” In a Government Shutdown.
In 2013 House Republicans passed a Continuing Resolution that the Associated Press reported would “likely result” in the shutdown of the federal government.
[House Clerk, HJ Res 59, Vote #478, 9/20/13; Associated Press, 8/23/13; New York Times, 9/18/13]
Congressman Davis Voted Sixteen Times Against Efforts to Re-Open the Government
Following the government shutdown, Congressman Davis voted sixteen times against efforts to vote on a clean government funding resolution by allowing consideration of the Senate-passed continuing resolution.
[House Clerk, H Res 370, Vote #509, 10/02/13, HJ Res 70, Vote #512, 10/02/13, HR 3230, Vote #515, 10/03/13, HJ Res 72, Vote #517, 10/03/13, H Res 371, Vote #519, 10/04/13, HJ Res 85, Vote #521, 10/04/13, HJ Res 75, Vote #523, 10/04/13, H J Res 77, Vote #527, 10/7/13, HJ Res 84, Vote #529, 10/08/13, H Res 373, Vote #531, 10/08/13, HR 3273, Vote #533, 10/08/13, HJ Res 90, Vote #536, 10/09/13, HJ Res 79, Vote #539, 10/10/13, HJ Res 76, Vote #541, 10/11/13, HJ Res 380, Vote #543, 10/11/13, HJ Res 80, Vote #547, 10/14/13; New York Times, 10/07/13]
Congressman Davis Defends Keeping the House Gym for Members of Congress During the Government Shutdown
During the government shutdown the House gym for Members of Congress stayed open despite assurances that it would close and even though employees were furloughed and tours were canceled. Congressman Davis did not sponsor or cosponsor H.R. 3276, The Shutdown Prioritization Act, a bill that would have explicitly banned this activity. Davis’ office defended his continued use of the facility during the shutdown.
[NBC 4, 10/9/13; Congress.gov, 9/16/14; State Journal-Register, 7/21/14]
Davis Refuses to Support Commonsense Ban on Taxpayer Funded First Class Flights for Members of Congress
Congressman Davis voted against a budget that would have explicitly banned first class travel. He also is not a sponsor or cosponsor of H.R. 4632, If Our Military has to Fly Coach then so should Congress Act of 2014, a bill that bans Members of Congress and their staff from using taxpayer dollars to pay for first class tickets for flights.
[House Clerk, H. Con. Res. 96, Vote #176, 4/10/14; Congress.gov, 9/5/14]
I am way too ill today to include any of the dozens of hyperlinks in both those press releases. Sorry. New maladies have befallen me. Gonna be a long day.
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* Remember this Bobby Schilling TV ad I posted yesterday?…
Munos: [Congresswoman Cheri Bustos] voted to cut veteran benefits by six billion dollars.
Ron Tady (East Moline): Six billion dollars!
Moffett: That’s billion with a B.
Munos: After promising she never would.
Moffett: How could you cut our benefits, Cheri? […]
Tady: How could you? Shame on you.
* Well, FactCheck.org takes a look at the vote in question and pronounces it “shamefully misleading”…
The ad refers to the bill introduced last Dec. 10 by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, chairs of their respective budget committees in the House and Senate. Ryan, who was also the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2012, said at the time: “I’m proud of this agreement. It reduces the deficit — without raising taxes. … I ask all my colleagues in the House to support it.”
And the deal was approved overwhelmingly, by a vote of 332 to 94 in the House on Dec. 12, 2013, with 169 Republicans and 163 Democrats voting in favor. The Senate followed suit a few days later, passing the package on Dec. 18 by a vote of 64 to 36. This time, all 55 members of the Democratic caucus voted in favor, but only nine Republicans did so.
The deal avoided any tax increase or revisions to Social Security, Medicare or other major entitlement programs, and restored some earlier “sequester” cuts to the military budget. But one of the offsetting cuts was a reduction in future cost-of-living adjustments to the pensions of military retirees that would cut spending by an estimated $6.2 billion over 10 years, beginning in fiscal year 2016.
That would have affected about 750,000 military retirees, only a small fraction of the roughly 22 million that the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates have served in the U.S. armed forces. So the large majority of veterans would not have been affected.
Nevertheless, the pension cut quickly drew fire from military and veterans groups, prompting a rapid retreat by Congress. The House voted Feb. 11 to restore the old cost-of-living formula for all who had signed up for military service prior to 2014. The vote was 326 to 90, and Bustos was among the 120 Democrats who voted in favor. The next day, the Senate voted 95 to 3 for final passage, and the president signed the repeal into law on Feb. 15.
Given all that, we find the ad to be shamefully misleading. The man in the ad who says, “Shame on you, Congresswoman Bustos,” might accurately have said instead, “Thank you, Congresswoman Bustos, for restoring our full military pensions.”
* She’s being hammered for doing the right thing. She and the rest of Congress retreated, which was chicken-hearted, but the right political move. They retreated partly because they could all foresee ads like Schilling’s in their next elections.
There are no innocents here, but it is most definitely a misleading ad. I even wonder whether any of Schilling’s vets would’ve been among the tiny fraction who would’ve received a slightly lower COLA.
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Rauner zeroing in on 20 IDOT workers
Thursday, Sep 18, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
Yesterday, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn was asked to explain why he won’t fire 103 illegal patronage hires that remain at the Illinois Department of Transportation. Here was his response:
“Those that are still in the state government they did apply for positions that were covered by civil service, they followed all the rules, they were hired under those particular proper rules, and I see no need to fire them if they followed the rules and the agency followed the rules.”
What a load of baloney. All of these people were hired illegally – they got inside the IDOT system improperly while Illinois workers, particularly our veterans, were never given opportunities to apply. And once inside the system, Quinn’s cronies had preferential access to job openings – ahead of other Illinois job seekers.
Meanwhile, while Pat Quinn tries to hide behind “job protections” for some of the remaining 103 illegal patronage hires, IDOT publicly stated that 20 of these cronies do not have job protections against being fired. Why can’t Pat Quinn – at the very least – fire these 20 illegal patronage hires? Who is he protecting and why?
Background:
According To IDOT, Twenty Of The Illegal Hires That Quinn Is Protecting Do Not Have Job Protections Against Being Fired “The 103 IDOT workers who Quinn’s office said will keep their jobs include 83 who have moved into positions that come with job protections they didn’t have when they hired in as staff assistants. Another 20 don’t have those protections, but still are not expected to be let go, Tridgell said.” (Ray Long and Monique Garcia, “IDOT To Retain 103 Hired Despite Anti-Patronage Rules,” Chicago Tribune, 9/13/14)
Current IDOT Employees Are Given Preferential Access To Job Openings Within IDOT. “When the employer determines to fill a permanent vacancy within the bargaining unit, the Employer shall post for 10 days within the Agency the position is located, by District Offices and Central Bureaus and will make a reasonable attempt to provide the same information to field offices. The posting notice shall state the position classification, any specialized skills, training, experience or other necessary qualifications, the shift, the work location and assignment, rate of pay and shall indicate that it is a bargaining unit position. Any bargaining unit employee may bid on a position in any Agency under this collective bargaining agreement; however, they must be deemed qualified and eligible in order to be considered for selection.” (IDOT Collective Bargaining Agreement, Accessed 9/18/14, p. 32)
Discuss.
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