Reader comments closed for Thanksgiving
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I just want to say one more time how thankful I am for all of your contributions to our tornado relief effort. We raised over $10,500 since last Friday. Special thanks to David Yepsen, Dan Egler, Andy Raucci, Gary Saake, Jeff Dixon, Terry Steczo, Vince Persico, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bob Glaves, “Loop Lady” and everyone else who contributed today.
What a nice kickoff to Thanksgiving.
Of course, if you haven’t yet contributed, or would like to contribute more, just click right here.
* I’ll be back on Monday, but watch the blog Friday for a possible update on pension reform.
* As is our custom, we’ll close out the week with Alice’s Restaurant..
Kid, have you rehabilitated yourself?
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Pension reform deets
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz has the best details on the pension reform bill of anyone in the mainstream media…
Under the proposed new formula, the COLA only would apply to one’s years on the government job, times $1,000. That means, for instance, that a 25-year government veteran would get a 3 percent annual COLA only on the first $25,000 of their pension, even if the total pension was $50,000. That employee would get no COLA on that second 25-grand.
That $1,000 figure would increase with inflation. But insiders say there would still be huge savings because of the portion of one’s pension that would not get a COLA. Those with particularly high pensions would be really zapped; lower-salaried workers, less so.
Subscribers have known about this for quite a while now.
* This isn’t new, either, but won’t please many…
In addition, all COLA would be eliminated for one to five years for current state workers (not retirees), depending on their age.
* More…
Another savings would come from raising the retirement age. Those workers who are at least 45 years old would see no change. But younger workers would gradually have to work up to five years longer to start receiving their pension. (In some plans, you can retire as young as 58.)
In exchange, workers would contribute 1 percentage point less of their salary toward their retirement than what they pay now.
Discuss.
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A few things to ponder
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As I told you earlier, Senate President John Cullerton visited Quincy this week, which is in Sen. John Sullivan’s district…
Sullivan and Cullerton described the differences between their Senate districts to the QU students. Sullivan has the largest geographic district in the state Senate with about 6,000 square miles in it. Cullerton’s district is one of the smallest, with about eight square miles, including Wrigley Field.
Both men have about 220,000 residents in their districts.
Sullivan’s district is larger than three US States - Connecticut (5,543 square miles), Delaware (2,489 square miles) and Rhode Island (1,545 square miles).
Bruce Rauner’s proposed term limit constitutional amendment would also reduce the number of state Senate districts, so Sullivan’s turf would get much larger.
* Speaking of Bruce Rauner, Jack Craver at The Capital Times up in Madison, Wisconsin has some interesting thoughts on how Rauner’s campaign looks a lot like a familiar one to cheeseheads…
(T)he frontrunner for the Illinois Republican gubernatorial nomination is trying his best to mimic the regular guy persona that [Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker] used in his first campaign for governor in 2010. Remember the brown bag lunch, the old Saturn and the Harley?
Here’s an excerpt from candidate Bruce Rauner’s official campaign bio: “He still drives a 20-year-old camper van, wears an $18 watch, and stays in the cheapest hotel room he can find when he’s on the road. He is the proud father of six children — two boys and four girls — and his wife Diana is the love of his life. He hunts birds, hikes, loves riding his Harley, and jumps at every opportunity to fish.” […]
Rauner’s campaign manager is Chip Englander, who was in charge of former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann’s unsuccessful bid for Wisconsin’s Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010. Neumann, the multimillionaire who touted his executive business experience and his master’s degree, lost to Walker, the college dropout who claimed to pack two ham-and-cheese sandwiches (with mayo on wheat) in a brown bag for lunch every day.
Englander may have learned the hard way that the regular-guy persona works.
In addition, Rauner’s communications director is Mike Schrimpf, the twin brother of Chris Schrimpf, a former Walker flack. Until recently, Mike was a spokesman for the Republican Governors Association, a group that poured millions of dollars into boosting both of Walker’s gubernatorial campaigns.
* And Maria Konnikova has an interesting story in the New Yorker about how the way politicians look can correlate into the votes they get. A smallish excerpt here, so go read the whole thing because there is a lot more to this…
In 2003, the Princeton psychologist Alexander Todorov began to suspect that, except for those people who have hard-core political beliefs, the reasons we vote for particular candidates could have less to do with politics and more to do with basic cognitive processes—in particular, perception. When people are asked about their ideal leader, one of the single most important characteristics that they say they look for is competence—how qualified and capable a candidate is. Todorov wondered whether that judgment was made on the basis of intuitive responses to basic facial features rather than on any deep, rational calculus. It would make sense: in the past, extensive research has shown just how quickly we form impressions of people’s character traits, even before we’ve had a conversation with them. That impression then colors whatever else we learn about them, from their hobbies to, presumably, their political abilities. In other words, when we think that we are making rational political judgments, we could be, in fact, judging someone at least partly based on a fleeting impression of his or her face.
Starting that fall, and through the following spring, Todorov showed pairs of portraits to roughly a thousand people, and asked them to rate the competence of each person. Unbeknownst to the test subjects, they were looking at candidates for the House and Senate in 2000, 2002, and 2004. In study after study, participants’ responses to the question of whether someone looked competent predicted actual election outcomes at a rate much higher than chance—from sixty-six to seventy-three per cent of the time. Even looking at the faces for as little as one second, Todorov found, yielded the exact same result: a snap judgment that generally identified the winners and losers. Todorov concluded that when we make what we think of as well-reasoned voting decisions, we are actually driven in part by our initial, instinctive reactions to candidates.
Again, go read the whole thing.
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Rauner responds to leader deal on pension reform
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I asked Bruce Rauner’s campaign spokesman Mike Schrimpf to respond to House Speaker Michael Madigan’s claim that Rauner opposed the pension reform proposal…
Unfortunately, the Springfield insiders have kept Illinoisans in the dark about the details of this bill. We’ve seen politicians do this before and it is rarely a good sign for taxpayers.
Any deal that would rank pension payouts to government union bosses ahead of priorities like education and public safety should cause grave concern and will lead to higher taxes.
I’m not really sure what that means. First, details will be released five days before the scheduled start of the special pension reform session. Second, Speaker Madigan said today that Rauner was opposed to the deal because of a pension funding guarantee mechanism.
Anyway, maybe you can translate.
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[Subscriber protection removed and comments opened because the Sun-Times now has this story independently.]
* 11:58 am - From House Speaker Michael Madigan’s press secretary…
Leaders have reached a pension agreement.
Details will be distributed to members on Friday.
Final elements were put together by the Speaker in recent days.
*** UPDATE - 12:09 pm *** From the Senate President’s spokesperson…
Yes, there is an agreement on a plan. We are notifying our members that they should return to Springfield for session on Tuesday.
I’m hearing a one-day session on December 3rd beginning at 11 o’clock in the morning.
* Sun-Times…
“We have a deal,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, told reporters at the Bilandic Building, where leaders met Wednesday morning. […]
Without offering specifics, Durkin identified three elements to the package, including a change to the COLA, a defined contribution plan and an adjustment to the retirement age.
Asked why the deal came together now, Radogno said, “It’s just the urgency. Every leader had concerns, and we’ve all accommodated.”
“Having the leaders, all four agree, is a huge step in the right direction.” Radogno said.
* 12:12 pm - From the House Republicans…
There is an agreement. The leaders are beginning the process of reaching out to the members. Details will be released to members and the media in short order.
In a follow-up e-mail, I was told by the House GOP spokesperson not to expect any details today.
* 12:28 pm - From the twitters…
Subscribers know more about that. So far, though, Rauner hasn’t pulled off too many votes, if any. We’ll see.
* 12:34 pm - Greg Hinz…
The deal reportedly would save taxpayers about $160 billion over the next three decades.
* More from the twitters…
* As subscribers already know, Madigan has been doing shuttle diplomacy for several days…
* AP…
Despite no knowledge of the details, the state’s major employee unions said Wednesday they were opposed to the deal, saying they were left out of negotiations and that they believe elements are unconstitutional.
“We have tried for three years now to work with legislative leaders and the governor to develop pension reform … that is fair to workers and retirees,” American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union spokesman Anders Lindall said Wednesday.
* 12:57 pm - I asked Bruce Rauner’s campaign a while ago to comment on Speaker Madigan’s statement about Rauner being opposed due to the bill’s guaranteed funding mechanism. Awaiting a response.
* Sun-Times video of Madigan…
* From Gov. Pat Quinn…
Governor Pat Quinn issued the below statement regarding today’s agreement among the legislative leaders on a comprehensive pension reform solution:
“I commend the legislative leaders – Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin – for their hard work to reach this critical agreement. I also commend members of the conference committee for their work throughout the summer and fall to get us to this point.
“When I proposed the creation of a conference committee in June, I asked members to draft a plan that eliminated the unfunded pension debt and fully stabilized the systems, and this plan meets that standard.
“We have more work to do. I look forward to working with the leaders and members of the General Assembly over the coming days to get this job done for the people of Illinois.”
* From the We Are One Coalition…
“Unions representing hundreds of thousands of public employees and retirees were not included in the leaders’ talks. If their new plan is in line with what’s been reported from earlier discussions, then it’s an unfair, unconstitutional scheme that undermines retirement security.
“It’s no compromise at all with those who earned and paid for their retirement benefits. In fact, reports suggest the leaders have repackaged Senate Bill 1 and barely bothered to disguise it. On top of this, by expanding 401(k) plans, the leaders will further jeopardize retirement security for the vast majority of public employees and retirees who are not eligible for Social Security.
“If their bill resembles SB 1, we will urge lawmakers to reject it and continue to fight to protect the hard-earned life-savings of Illinois public servants as well as the sanctity of the state’s constitution.”
* Tribune…
Increasing the retirement age, now set at various levels based on the type of work, would impact the youngest workers the most. Younger workers could see up to five years added to their retirement ages, Radogno said.
The cost-of-living adjustments would be altered “to be sure that the lower-paid, longest-serving employees have the biggest protection,” said Radogno. It would be largely patterned after a provision she pushed and was included in a bill that Speaker Michael Madigan passed in the House.
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Plummer settles suit filed by stiffed friend
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A story from last summer to refresh your memory…
A fundraising consultant and longtime acquaintance has filed suit against Jason Plummer over outstanding debts from his failed Congressional campaign.
Franny Decker of Decker Consulting Services in Washington, D.C., has sued Plummer personally and his election committee, Plummer for Congress, for more than $50,000. Decker alleges that she is owed payments for her fundraising work on Plummer’s 2012 campaign for the 12th Congressional District. […]
The suit was filed in Madison County Circuit Court on June 17, and states that Decker “greatly exceeded” the goals set for her to raise money from political action campaigns to support Plummer’s run. […]
Decker is a longtime associate of Plummer’s, having met when they were both members of College Republicans at the University of Illinois, according to the lawsuit’s filings.
* Ms. Decker’s attorney is Kent Gray. Kent sent me an e-mail this morning…
Franny Decker reached a settlement with Jason Plummer on the outstanding balance due. He has made payment.
That was the last of the vendor cases I had against Jason. Franny’s was the only one that required a lawsuit be filed to settle.
Consider this an early Thanksgiving present for Oswego Willy.
…Adding… I asked Kent Gray how much the case was settled for. His reply…
Dear Rich,
In response to your request, Franny asked that I provide the following description of the amount paid in settlement by Mr. Plummer:
“The amount paid by Mr. Plummer was approximately the original invoice amount. Ms. Decker agreed to waive the late fees under the original contract in order to reach a mutually agreeable settlement.”
Have a great weekend,
Kent
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Thankful for Clean Energy
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
It’s the time of year to reflect on our blessings, and one thing we’re thankful for is the great start Illinois has made on the road to a clean energy future.
We’re thankful for the 19,047 jobs created bringing Illinois wind power online, and for the contractors and electricians installing solar on the rooftops of homes and businesses.
We’re thankful that adding clean power to the grid has cut wholesale power prices by $177 million per year.
We’re thankful that clean energy is making a dent in the pollution that is causing climate change. Already we’ve avoided 5 million tons per year of the air pollution linked to more violent storms, drought, disease, and heat waves.
We’re thankful for all the local governments who are choosing renewable energy for their local power supply, and for the voices in Illinois communities working for a just transition from pollution to prosperity.
We are thankful for this progress, and hopeful for the future if we stay on the road to a clean energy future. We have work to do to stay the course, but today we count our blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving.
www.ILikeCleanEnergy.org
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Second poll confirms Rauner primary lead
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you’ll recall, Public Policy Polling’s recent statewide poll showed Bruce Rauner leading the Republican gubernatorial primary race with 24 percent.
A Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll taken before Rauner went back on the air with hundreds of thousands of dollars in TV ads had Rauner in fourth place with 11 percent. The object was to do a benchmark poll to test the effectiveness of Rauner’s advertising campaign.
Well, the Rauner ads appear to be working. After PPP published its results, We Ask America went back into the field. Here are their new results for the GOP primary from last night with PPP’s results in parentheses…
Bill Brady 18% (17%)
Kirk Dillard 10% (10%)
Bruce Rauner 26% (24%)
Dan Rutherford 17% (14%)
Undecided 29% (36%)
The We Ask America poll surveyed 1,233 likely GOP primary voters. It had a margin of error of +/-2.79 percent. Click here for results.
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*** UPDATE *** Our tornado relief effort has surpassed the $10,000 mark. Way to go, everybody! Thanks! If you haven’t yet, please click here to give.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Thanks to generous donations from Sen. John Sullivan, Rep. Emily McAsey, Elizabeth Austin and others, our total raised so far for Washington, IL-area tornado victims is now $9,300. Thanks to all. Your donations will be put to good use. If you’d like to contribute, just click here. It’s easy to do and you’ll feel good afterwards.
* The Washington area wasn’t the only hard-hit location. Rep. Chad Hays asked me to remind you that Gifford residents were hard hit by the massive tornados. The Gifford State Bank has set up a PayPal account to accept donations. Click here to help. [Fixed link.]
* I’ve also been asked to post this Tweet…
* Secretary of State Jesse White is a contributor to our fundraising drive. White sent a mobile unit to Washington for the past several days. From a press release…
“Last week my office’s mobile unit provided direct service to nearly 200 people,” said White. “These are important services that help residents get a duplicate state ID card or driver’s license, or expediting a duplicate title. I am pleased to extend the mobile unit’s stay for another day in Washington.”
The mobile unit is designed to bring a variety of office services directly to the community, including: duplicate certificate of title, duplicate vehicle registration, duplicate driver’s license and duplicate state ID card. There will be no charge for these services.
In addition, White said the mobile unit will participate in the priority title service on titles, duplicate titles, and corrected titles for residents of Washington. The fees for these services will also be waived. White noted that the priority service allows his office to process these title requests within just two days.
White initiated a law effective in July 2012 that gives his office authority to waive certain fees for residents impacted by natural disasters and living in counties that have been declared disaster areas by the governor.
As is his custom, Secretary White himself will distribute 13,500 turkeys to the needy on December 20th in Chicago.
* From Greg Goldner at Resolute Consulting…
We want to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend!
We are thankful for our family, friends, employees and the many relationships we have formed over the years.
As you give thanks this year, consider volunteering or donating to local food depositories to help those in need throughout the holiday season.
For those in the Chicago area, check out the following:
You can also use Feeding America’s food bank locator to find the food bank nearest to your community.
* Do you have a charitable cause you’d like to publicize before Thanksgiving? Tell us about it in comments. And don’t forget to give to our tornado fund. Thanks!
…Adding… I had this in the queue and forgot to post it…
State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) is helping collect food to benefit the Lakeview Pantry East this holiday season.
“The last few years have been tough for many local families,” Feigenholtz said. “The economy has put a strain on food pantries at a time when they are needed the most.”
Items needed include peanut butter, jelly, whole grain products (e.g., cereal and pasta), canned tuna, canned meat, canned beans or vegetables, canned fruit in juice, low sodium soup, vegetable juice or V8, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other non-perishable, non-expired food items.
Donations will be collected at Feigenholtz’s office at 3223 N. Sheffield Ave., Suite A, between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. through Wednesday, Nov. 27. The items will then be delivered to the Lakeview Pantry East, located at 3831 N. Broadway next Wednesday.
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An unusual request for bipartisanship
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Senate President John Cullerton was in Quincy earlier this week and was asked by the local media about a new capital bill. Money from the last capital bill is just about all spent, and infrastructure needs persist. Cullerton said he’d be in favor of a new proposal next spring, but only with certain conditions…
“As long as Republicans are willing to sit down and talk about those things I am as well,” Cullerton said.
He said one hurdle would be coming up with revenue to pay off bonds to cover the construction projects. The 2009 capital program relied on liquor taxes, gambling revenues and other fees or taxes. It gained Republican votes, but tax increases have generally been opposed by the GOP.
“We have to pass it out of both chambers. There’ll be a governor’s race going on. We’d have to have bipartisan support, perhaps even from the two people running for governor,” Cullerton said.
“If that can happen and the politics can be put aside, even though it’s an election year, it’s something that I’d be very much in favor of.”
Getting both legislative parties involved in a capital bill negotiation isn’t extremely difficult because just about everybody wants infrastructure upgrades for their districts. But convincing both gubernatorial candidates to sign off on a capital bill and its funding mechanisms would be quite something to see.
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* Rep. Jack Franks has introduced a new bill…
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Lowers the age in which a person may apply for a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card without parental or legal guardian consent from 21 years of age to 18 years of age.
* From local news coverage…
Under current law, residents under age 21 must produce a notarized affidavit from a parent or guardian, who cannot themselves be ineligible to have the FOID card required by law to possess firearms and ammunition.
Franks said he was surprised when he learned from upset constituents that college-aged adults had the extra requirement. He called the extra burden unnecessary and an impediment to law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights that does nothing to keep criminals from obtaining guns.
“If you’re 18 and able to join the military and defend our country, I don’t think it makes sense that you have to get your parents’ permission to get a FOID card in Illinois,” Franks said.
The bill does not eliminate the parental permission requirement for people younger than 18 to obtain a FOID card. Children under state law can handle firearms without a FOID card in the presence of a parent, guardian or someone acting in a supervisory capacity who has a valid card.
Franks’ bill is likely to face opposition from Chicago lawmakers, who advocate strict gun control, as well as from gun control groups. The state’s oldest, the Illinois Council to Prevent Handgun Violence, is reviewing Franks’ bill, Executive Director Colleen Daley said Friday.
Thoughts?
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Proft on “messaging to win”
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dan Proft, yes Dan Proft…
At the top of the list of fortune-cookie phrases that should be eliminated from the Republican Party’s messaging is, “Running government like a business.”
1. Government is not a business and never will be. It is not possible to run government like a profit-maximizing business. (See James Buchanan’s work on public choice theory that earned him a Nobel in Economics for a detailed account)
2. More importantly, people neither see themselves as numbers on a balance sheet nor do they want a government they perceive to be treating them as such. They see government as a non-profit provider of public goods not a business per se.
3. Illinois at present is a good example of “running government like a business” in a sense. Business is good for the proprietors of big government—the Royals in Springfield. Politicians who are viewed as “running government like a business” (often like a family business in Illinois) are not generally seen in positive light, are they? That phrase is just as often used to describe politicians who enrich themselves at the public’s expense as it is to describe those proposing to operate government more efficiently. This should be instructive as to why the phrase has limited currency (in addition to its overuse).
4. To the extent the trite phrase of “running government like a business” is a proxy for applying business principles in service to others, that description needs to be made explicit and the specific principles to be applied must be articulated along with an explanation of how the application will occur and what particular benefits non-politicians can expect from their precise application.
Candidates who trot out this surface-skimming cliché do more than fail to provide value. They stunt their ability and correspondingly their party’s ability to move into their camp those centrist voters who do not want their money squandered but who do want the government to effectively deliver public goods.
It is necessary to have a debate about just what is included in the phrase “public goods” as well as how those agreed-upon public goods should be provided. But where there is agreement on the provision of a public good—e.g. police protection, state services for individuals with developmental disabilities who need state services through no fault of their own, etc.—the extent to which the GOP offers messages that are human-being centered rather than green-eyeshades intensive is the extent to which the GOP can build a lasting center-right governing coalition.
In Illinois, if the GOP wants out of the super-minority, put the phrase “running government like a business” out of business and focus on delineating how free-market policy prescriptions best advance our shared values of caring about our fellow man and caring for our fellow man.
I thought he was with Rauner. Guess not.
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Today’s numbers
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From IDOT…
Motor vehicle crashes involving deer were responsible for four fatalities in 2012, a decrease from six fatalities in 2011. Injuries resulting from a motor vehicle – deer crash decreased from 613 in 2011 to 608 in 2012.
The number of deer-vehicle crashes decreased significantly to 15,489 in 2012, as compared to 18,044 in 2011.
The top 10 counties for collisions involving deer in 2012 were:
1. Cook – 460
2. Madison – 456
3. Peoria – 432
4. Will – 370
5. Fulton – 368
6. Sangamon–335
7. Lake - 333
8. Pike – 288
9. McHenry - 279
10. Kane - 276
They’re as thick as flies by my house.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Scott Reeder’s latest column is on pension reform…
But perhaps the biggest problem with the pension system is that it forces government to predict the future and taxpayers to underwrite those predictions. What will the stock market’s performance be over the next 30 years? How much longer will people be living in 2045? What will the annual rate of inflation?
All of these items are factored in when calculating pension payments. And yet they are pretty hard to calculate with much certainty. And taxpayers are on the hook for these predictions.
To be blunt, the best solution is to walk away from the system. Eighty percent of private sector employers have embraced 401(k)-type plans. In these plans, employees actually own their retirement savings and they can make decisions on how it is invested.
It’s time for Illinois to consider switching public school teachers, state workers and state university employees over to such plans. The state would still be responsible for the pensions of those who have already retired. But it’s time to move current and future employees into a more sustainable plan.
* The Question: Do you think private sector workers with 401(k) retirement plans are better off than public sector workers with defined benefit plans because they “actually own their retirement savings and they can make decisions on how it is invested”? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
surveys
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Tornado relief update
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Folks contributed well over a thousand dollars to our tornado relief effort for Washington IL-area victims since yesterday morning. That brings our total to date to $8,814.
Many, many thanks to folks like Secretary of State Jesse White, Jeff Glass, Jim Morphew, Bob Yadgir, Claude Walker, Pat McGuire, George Korda, Ryan McLaughlin, Chris Dudley, Vince DiFiore and lots more for your recent donations.
* That generosity deserves an Oscar the Puppy pic…
Click here to keep it going. Thanks.
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More Rauner dollar deets
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* More details on Bruce Rauner’s money…
(A) spokesman says Rauner owns a stake in the Bulls as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Boston Red Sox.
Rauner says if he’s elected he’d put his holdings in a blind trust.
The sports teams are just his sexiest investments. Click here for the full list. His disclosure report (which is infinitely more detailed than mandated by law) shows stock holdings in British American Tobacco PLC and Imperial Tobacco PLC, Canadian Oil Sands Ltd, Education Management Group (which owns for-profit colleges), a partnership in Goldman Sachs, membership in Ken Griffin’s Citadel Tactical Trading and on and on and on and on. Tell us what you find.
* Sun-Times…
The banner financial year Rauner had last year came with a cost. His tax forms show he paid $10.1 million in federal taxes in 2012, which amounted to an effective tax rate of 19 percent — a percentage still below what many middle-class families pay. Rauner paid state government $2.6 million in taxes for the year. […]
The immense wealth certainly doesn’t square with the common-man image Rauner has tried to portray to voters — that of a man who loves wearing an inexpensive watch, Wrangler jeans and Carhartt jackets, driving a “20-year-old camper van,” and toasting a rural Downstate audience with a swig of Stag beer.
But by openly putting his wealth on the table and releasing his taxes on the same day he filed his nominating petitions, Rauner moved to deprive his rivals from getting the first crack at defining him and his wealth.
I assume that Gov. Quinn will eventually demand that Rauner follow Mitt Romney’s lead and release all tax documents, not just the few pages he disclosed yesterday.
* React by two GOP opponents…
A theme of the governor’s race has been that a newcomer to politics, venture capitalist Bruce Rauner of Winnetka, has already put more than $1.2 million into his own Republican campaign for governor. And a Chicago Tribune story Monday described Rauner’s real estate portfolio, including a 6,870-square-foot home in Winnetka, two units including a high-rise penthouse in downtown Chicago, a $10 million penthouse along New York City’s Central Park, a waterfront villa in the Florida Keys, ranches in Montana and Wyoming, and a condo in a Utah ski resort. The story also noted that Rauner talks in a TV ad about his $18 watch.
Asked about that story, Dillard said he has “two kids and a mortgage.”
“I worry about how I’m going to send my children, financially, to college,” said Dillard, who also has a law practice. “And I just think when you have that much property and you flaunt it, it just shows you are out of touch with regular Illinoisans. I’ve seen these kinds of acts before in a combination of Rod Blagojevich and Dan Walker, and the people of Illinois should never let anybody buy the governorship. … It’s buyer beware.” […]
“What people tell me is they find it a bit hypocritical that you spend millions of dollars running an ad on an … $18 watch, and then you have all these mansions,” Brady said. “But you know, Bruce has earned it. He’s made a lot of money. You don’t fault anybody for living the American dream.”
Brady’s comment was right on the money. And if Sen. Dillard is that worried about sending his kids to college, maybe he should be working full time at his law firm and not running for governor. Just sayin…
* Rauner fired back…
“Why’s it bad in America to start up from a middle-class background and work really hard and be successful?” he said.
That ain’t what’s bad, Bruce. What’s wrong is that you’re a kazillionaire portraying yourself as an ordinary Joe. It’s kind of insulting to people who, unlike yourself, actually report income from wages on their tax returns.
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* Public Policy Polling has a new poll of 557 Illinois voters conducted November 22-25. Let’s start with gubernatorial job approval/favorables…
Do you approve or disapprove of Governor Pat Quinn’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 34%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 60%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 6%
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Bill Brady?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 20%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 31%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 48%
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Kirk Dillard?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 19%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 25%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 56%
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Bruce Rauner?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 15%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 23%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 62%
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Dan Rutherford?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 24%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 20%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 56%
Those “not sures” indicate that a strong majority of voters don’t know enough about three of the four Republican candidates to make a judgement.
* Head to heads are basically neck and neck across the board…
If the candidates for Governor next year were Democrat Pat Quinn and Republican Bill Brady, who would you vote for?
Pat Quinn……………………………………………….. 41%
Bill Brady………………………………………………… 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 18%
If the candidates for Governor next year were Democrat Pat Quinn and Republican Kirk Dillard, who would you vote for?
Pat Quinn……………………………………………….. 39%
Kirk Dillard ……………………………………………… 39%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%
If the candidates for Governor next year were Democrat Pat Quinn and Republican Bruce Rauner, who would you vote for?
Pat Quinn……………………………………………….. 41%
Bruce Rauner………………………………………….. 38%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%
If the candidates for Governor next year were Democrat Pat Quinn and Republican Dan Rutherford, who would you vote for?
Pat Quinn……………………………………………….. 39%
Dan Rutherford ……………………………………….. 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 20%
Rutherford ahead by two and Rauner down by three may be significant, but it’s so early that it probably doesn’t matter much.
*** UPDATE *** I missed it in my first reading, but PPP also did a primary head to head. It’s only 375 GOP respondents, so take it for what it is…
The biggest share of Republican primary voters - 36% - is undecided about who they want as their candidate for Governor next year.
Bruce Rauner leads with 24% to 17% for Bill Brady, 14% for Dan Rutherford, and 10% for Kirk Dillard.
Brady has the lead 21/18 with the ‘very conservative’ voters who helped him secure the nomination in 2010. But among moderate Republicans- less of an endangered species in Illinois than other places- Rauner leads Brady 33/14, giving him most of his overall lead in the primary. [Emphasis added.]
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* OK, now on to the US Senate…
Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Dick Durbin’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 46%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Not great, but way, WAY better than generic congressional.
* Head to heads…
If the candidates for Senate next year were Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Jim Oberweis, who would you vote for?
Dick Durbin …………………………………………….. 51%
Jim Oberweis ………………………………………….. 36%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
If the candidates for Senate next year were Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Doug Truax, who would you vote for?
Dick Durbin …………………………………………….. 51%
Doug Truax …………………………………………….. 33%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%
He’s over 50 against both of them. Need I say more?
* Two more results…
Do you approve or disapprove of President Barack Obama’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 50%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 46%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 3%
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Rahm Emanuel?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 36%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 46%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 19%
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* I can understand the reasoning, I can totally sympathize with the plaintiffs and I am glad they’re now allowed to get married; but it still makes me somewhat uncomfortable that a federal judge would so easily toss aside a strict requirement in the Illinois Constitution…
US District Court Judge Thomas Durkin has ordered the Cook County, Illinois, clerk to issue an expedited marriage license to Chicago lesbian couple Vernita Gray and Patricia Ewert as Gray is terminally ill.
Gray, 64, has brain and bone cancer and Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on the couple’s behalf to ensure that they can marry before she dies.
Despite being signed into law by state Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois’ law allowing same-sex marriage does not take effect until 1 June, meaning without the ruling the couple would have a half year wait before they could marry.
Cook County clerk David Orr has said that he will comply with the court’s order, noting that expedited marriage licenses are granted to heterosexuals in similar situations.
* From the Illinois Constitution…
A bill passed after May 31 shall not become effective prior to June 1 of the next calendar year unless the General Assembly by the vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house provides for an earlier effective date.
This language was inserted into the Constitution after the public voted for an amendment in 1994.
* Back to the plaintiffs…
Gray, who has inoperable brain tumors and breast cancer that has spread to her bones, learned of the news shortly after undergoing chemotherapy, which left her in a weakened state. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996.
“She may choose to wait a day or two to get married, just because the day after treatment can be very difficult,” said Camilla Taylor, the couple’s attorney. Taylor said Gray’s brain tumors could begin to fatally swell any day. “It could happen at any time without warning.”
Courtney Greve, spokesman for Clerk David Orr, said the paperwork for the marriage license would be hand-delivered to the couple Monday night and would make them eligible for marriage at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
* Tribune…
Orr’s office, which was represented by the state’s attorney’s office, chose not to defend itself against the lawsuit.
Durkin essentially ruled that because of the special circumstance, the women should get a marriage license. The ruling affects only them but could serve as an inspiration for other couples facing similar situations, their attorneys said.
“This case illustrates the cruelty of being made to wait seven months to be able to marry,” Taylor said. “There is no sense to that, and there are many Illinois families that are suffering significant harm because they are not married. While this family’s situation is particularly dire, there are others, too, who need to be able to marry.”
This could set some interesting precedents.
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* Republican US Senate candidate Doug Truax talked to the Sun-Times about rival Jim Oberweis and the fact that Oberweis’ spouse established residency in Florida to avoid Illinois taxes…
“As a state senator, I think he should show better leadership in general,” Truax told reporters after submitting signatures at the State Board of Elections. “If you’re going to be on the state payroll and set up a luxury tax shelter to avoid paying state taxes, most of us can’t do that. I can’t imagine why he’d think it’s OK.
“But if you lost five races in the last 11 years,” Truax continued, referring to Oberweis’ string of electoral failures, “you might be looking for a different state to run in, so I can understand that.”
* The Oberweis campaign issued an even-keeled response…
“Julie’s very involved with the business,” Oberweis spokesman Jon Zahm said. “I don’t think this campaign is about candidate spouses, so we’re not going to make an issue out of Doug’s spouse, and I don’t think he’d make an issue out of Jim’s.
“We’re just going to keep it on the issues, keep it on our business experience, keep it on our record in the state Senate, keep it on our conservative values and not make an issue out of the children, grandchildren or spouses of candidates,” Zahm said.
Discuss.
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*** UPDATE *** A commenter just pointed out that Rauner reported contributing another $500,000 to his campaign late this afternoon. That puts him at almost $1.25 million from himself.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Well, this is a heckuva way to bury a news story. Release your tax returns on the same day as candidate filing and a few days before Thanksgiving. From a press release…
Rauner 2012 Tax Summary:
Income on Federal Return: $53,487,803
Adjusted Gross Income on Federal Return: $53,069,810
Federal Income Taxes Paid: $10,136,134
Federal Tax Rate on Income: 19%
Federal Effective Tax Rate on Adjusted Gross Income: 19.1%
Illinois Net Income on State Return: $55,128,335
Illinois Income Taxes Paid: $2,657,192
View the 1040 by clicking here
Rauner 2011 Tax Summary:
Income on Federal Return: $28,154,293
Adjusted Gross Income on Federal Return: $28,066,984
Federal Taxes Paid: $6,072,630
Federal Tax Rate on Income: 21.5%
Federal Effective Tax Rate on Adjusted Gross Income: 21.6%
Illinois Net Income on State Return: $31,700,229
Illinois Income Taxes Paid: $1,582,102
View the 1040 by clicking here
Rauner 2010 Tax Summary:
Income on Federal Return: $27,158,836
Adjusted Gross Income on Federal Return: $26,915,158
Federal Taxes Paid: $4,585,913
Federal Tax Rate on Income: 16.9%
Federal Effective Tax Rate on Adjusted Gross Income: 17%
Illinois Net Income on State Return: $29,987,092
Illinois Income Taxes Paid: $899,613
View the 1040 by clicking here
I’ll post his running mate’s returns in a bit.
…Adding… As promised…
Sanguinetti 2012 Tax Summary:
Income on Federal Return: $212,790
Adjusted Gross Income on Federal Return: $212,790
Federal Income Taxes Paid: $31,542
Federal Tax Rate on Income: 14.8%
Federal Effective Tax Rate on Adjusted Gross Income: 14.8%
Illinois Net Income on State Return: $202,171
Illinois Income Taxes Paid: $9,254
View the 1040 by clicking here
Sanguinetti 2011 Tax Summary:
Income on Federal Return: $210,392
Adjusted Gross Income on Federal Return: $210,392
Federal Income Taxes Paid: $33,051
Federal Tax Rate on Income: 15.7%
Federal Effective Tax Rate on Adjusted Gross Income: 15.7%
Illinois Net Income on State Return: $200,014
Illinois Income Taxes Paid: $9,150
View the 1040 by clicking here
Sanguinetti 2010 Tax Summary:
Income on Federal Return: $267,658
Adjusted Gross Income on Federal Return: $267,658
Federal Income Taxes Paid: $52,270
Federal Tax Rate on Income: 19.5%
Federal Effective Tax Rate on Adjusted Gross Income: 19.5%
Illinois Net Income on State Return: $209,477
Illinois Income Taxes Paid: $6,284
View the 1040 by clicking here
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* From an e-mail to House Democrats…
All members should be plan on being in Springfield for Session on Tuesday, December 3 at 11 a.m.
The House would expect this to be a one day session.
In addition, some committees may be posted for Monday, December 2 for midafternoon. Postings will be done on Tuesday, November 26.
Executive Committee will be meeting on Monday, December 2 at 3 p.m.
Thanks and have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving Day.
Tim Mapes | Chief of Staff
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A clue or a hack?
Monday, Nov 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This was posted on “Da Speaker’s” Twitter account and was then quickly deleted…
The identity of “Da Speaker” has been a mystery for months. S/He’s a pretty funny person, whoever it is. A recent chuckler…
* Anyway, “President Klickna” referenced in the deleted Tweet is the Illinois Education Association’s President Cinda Klickna. Could Da Speaker be with the IEA? I asked IEA spokesperson Charlie McBarron via e-mail if either he or his union are involved…
Hi Rich:
Wow. We just put that video up on our site about 45 minutes ago.
No, sorry. We aren’t him.
I hope this increases our views though.
Charlie
* And then this appeared…
Hacked? Yeah, right.
Wasn’t that Chief Keef’s excuse?
* I then e-mailed Illinois Issues’ Jamey Dunn, who profiled Da Speaker in a recent piece, and asked whether she’d seen the Tweets. She hadn’t, but she did say this…
I was just talking to somebody the other day about how the parody account thing could be pretty tricky just for that reason. It would probably be easy to fire off a tweet from the wrong account.
Yep.
I sent Da Speaker a direct message via Twitter. I’ll let you know if I get a response.
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As noted below, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tio Hardiman and his running mate filed nominating petitions today. Hardiman has contributed a few thousand dollars to his own campaign, but is still filing reports on paper.
* He has a website which lays out his “20/20″ economic development plan…
Tio Hardiman’s 20/20 Plan for Job Creation in Illinois has three core components.
Eliminate the Head Tax in Illinois to Create more Jobs
As Governor, I plan to eliminate the Head Tax in Illinois which has caused many corporations to consider doing business in another state. Eliminating the Head Tax will help encourage economic development in Illinois. Revisions to the Illinois Tax Code will be required to entice businesses to stay in Illinois and cause others to return. I am opposed to balancing the problems of the state on the backs of working class people and corporations doing business in Illinois.
Recruiting Investors
As Governor, I would organize strategy sessions with select billionaires to help strategize on how to boost the economy. He will also use this opportunity to help small and mid-size businesses reach their fullest potential.
Reducing the Deficit and Reforming the Pension System
Tio Hardiman has a plan to help reform the Illinois pension system and reduce the state deficit. He would propose a special tax on business transactions executed at the Chicago Board of Trade and a special set aside Lottery that goes directly into a Pension Fund which cannot be liberated by the General Assembly other than for pension purposes only.
* He has a new Internet video…
* From the Twitters…
* The Question: Caption?
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What’s in a backlog?
Monday, Nov 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an SJ-R story on the state’s bill backlog…
[Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka’s spokesman Brad Hahn] said that a strong tax season this year allowed the office to “aggressively pay down bills” in April and May. By the end of May, the backlog was down to $5.8 billion and vendors were waiting a minimum of two months to be paid, half what they were waiting at the start of April.
That was, however, the high-water mark in the state’s efforts to pay bills on time. By the end of June, also the end of the state’s fiscal year, the backlog was sitting at $6.1 billion.
By Oct. 1, the backlog was up to $7.5 billion, including bills being held in state agencies prior to being given to Topinka’s office for payment. And as of late last week, the total was at $8.8 billion — an even higher number than at the start of April.
Hahn said the office believes the total will hit $9 billion by the end of December, exactly where Topinka predicted it would be last summer. It is the second year in a row the backlog will sit at about $9 billion at the end of the calendar year.
* Drudge had a little fun at Illinois’ expense today…
* But let’s define “backlog,” shall we?
According to the comptroller’s office today, $4.6 billion of that $8.8 billion “backlog” is less than 30 days old. I’m not sure how that can be defined as old bills.
Also according to the comptroller’s office, $1.6 billion of those bills are between 30-60 days old, so that’s not terribly horrible. But, $2.6 billion in invoices have surpassed the 60-day mark since the comptroller received the payment paperwork.
Yes, the trend is not good. But the problem isn’t as bad as reported.
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* Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon has not yet filed her nominating petitions and according to her campaign won’t be filing any today.
From Simon’s campaign manager…
We’re still rounding up and verifying.
Simon has no Democratic primary opponent, so filing nominating petitions today is not really necessary.
But petition filing day is more than just standing in line and handing in sheets of paper. It’s also about perception. Filing on time is seen as a sign of strength and organization. Not filing can show weakness.
* I mean, heck, even Bob Grogan filed for treasurer today.
Grogan, by the way, loves to trumpet the fact that he’s a “certified fraud examiner.” From the Association of Certified Fraud Examiner’s code of ethics…
A Certified Fraud Examiner shall not engage in any illegal or unethical conduct, or any activity which would constitute a conflict of interest. [Emphasis added.]
But if you look at Grogan’s endorsement list, you’ll see that the vast majority are officials whom Grogan audits.
Conflict perhaps?
* Meanwhile…
Since landing work outside Illinois more than a decade ago, former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas hasn’t just focused on leading troubled school systems in Philadelphia, New Orleans and Bridgeport, Conn.
Last summer, in a little-publicized $311,000 consulting deal with the Illinois State Board of Education, Gov. Pat Quinn’s newly named running mate offered a financial blueprint to turn around the nearly bankrupt North Chicago school district.
Teachers weren’t happy.
To avert insolvency in North Chicago Community Unit District 187 by 2015, Vallas recommended closing four of the district’s nine schools and laying off 130 teachers and staff — 39 percent of the district’s workforce.
Vallas, a longtime backer of charter schools, also singled out the financial drain caused by the lone charter school in District 187 but didn’t offer strategies in the report to address what he said “inequitably amounts to a heavy subsidy at the expense of the rest of the district.”
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Unions ponder next move
Monday, Nov 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Illinois union leaders are reportedly mulling several options about what to do in the governor’s race. But the only thing the leaders appear to agree on so far is that anti-union Republican gazillionaire Bruce Rauner cannot be allowed to win.
Some union honchos are looking at endorsing a candidate in the Republican primary. State Sen. Kirk Dillard, for instance, already has strong support from the Operating Engineers, a union that is now even more opposed to Rauner since the candidate’s endorsement by the strongly anti-union Associated Builders and Contractors group. Other unions have also taken keen notice of that endorsement.
Surprisingly enough, Dillard is also being looked at by some public employee unions. They’re hoping that he’ll be a “No” vote on pension reform. Dillard told the Kankakee Daily Journal several days ago that he wants employees to pay more into the system and wants a later retirement age, neither of which appear to be in the cards at the moment. Dillard would know what was going on behind the scenes with the pension reform conference committee because his running mate, Rep. Jil Tracy, sits on the committee.
However he chooses to explain it, a “No” vote on pension reform could bring him closer to a possible union nod. Then again, Dillard told the Sun-Times last week that he had always supported pension reform and denied rumors that he was planning to vote against the bill. But even a pension bill “Yes” vote will not, in and of itself, prevent some unions from endorsing Dillard.
Dillard’s campaign has struggled to raise money, barely able to meet its expenses (if that), so a labor endorsement would bring in much needed dollars. Unions have backed Dillard in the past, to the tune of $400,000 from public employee unions alone during his career. They know he’s a social conservative (he was endorsed last week by noted figures on the far right like Phyllis Schlafly and Penny Pullen), but they feel they can at least get a fair hearing from him.
Treasurer Dan Rutherford has tried to reach out to labor, particularly on the pension issue. He has attempted to steer away from taking a hard public line on pension reform, urging compromise. But Rutherford doesn’t have much history with the unions, so he’ll have to work very hard to woo labor leaders if he wants their support. Dillard speaks their language while Rutherford is more of an unknown quantity. Rutherford’s campaign has far more money on hand than Dillard’s, but nowhere near enough to compete with Rauner.
Still, does any candidate really want organized labor’s support in a Republican gubernatorial primary? If you’ll recall, a Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll conducted August 21st found that a whopping 80 percent of likely GOP primary voters said they’d be less inclined to vote for a Republican candidate for governor “who received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from public employee unions.”
So, others in organized labor are strenuously arguing against any endorsement at all, believing today’s Republican Party voters are so hostile to labor’s interests that overt support for a preferred union candidate would almost surely result in a political death sentence and result in a host of unknown, uncontrollable possibilities.
That particular faction is arguing hard for an all-out assault on Rauner during the primary. None of the other candidates would be nearly as hostile to labor’s interest as Rauner would be, goes the reasoning.
An all-out TV advertising assault on Rauner could knock him out of contention. There’s a thick opposition research book on Rauner, but his association with Democrats like Mayor Rahm Emanuel would be just as enormously toxic for GOP primary voters as public employee campaign contributions (83 percent less likely to support, according to an August Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll).
However, some labor leaders say that Gov. Pat Quinn has been moving to the opinion that running against Rauner might not be so horrible after all. Despite Rauner’s potential to spend tens of millions of dollars next year, some Quinn backers think Rauner’s background gives them enough ammunition to thump him.
Yeah, well Rauner has enough of a personal fortune to stay on the air from now through next November without a break. His ads are already focused on painting Quinn as the bad guy, and that theme will only intensify if he wins the GOP primary. He could bury Quinn before the governor has a chance to bury him.
Discuss.
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Rauner’s money
Monday, Nov 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune has a story on Bruce Rauner’s wealth…
“Bruce has never let his success change him,” declares the campaign’s official bio. “He still drives a 20-year-old camper van, wears an $18 watch, and stays in the cheapest hotel room he can find when he’s on the road.”
But while Rauner may have a bargain-basement Timex on his wrist, his real estate portfolio is pure Rolex.
* Illinois Review helpfully compiled the nine Rauner homes into a handy list…
* A New York penthouse on Central Park in a century-old Beaux Arts style building known as The Prasada, which they paid $10 million for eight years ago, and now worth possibly $48 million.
* An oceanfront home in Key Largo, Fla., currently worth almost $7 million.
* A farm in Wyoming where he grows barley, alfalfa and winter wheat
* His New Moon Ranch in Livingston, Mont with a 6,000-square-foot home valued at $2.2 million
* A condominium in the luxury Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, east of Salt Lake City valued at $1.75 million
* Two condominium units on East Randolph Street in Chicago’s Loop. Records show Rauner paid more than $1.2 million for the smaller one, $4 million for the other.
* A second ranch in McLeod Montana.
* A Winnetka house estimated at $3.3 million, the property the Rauners consider their primary residence, on which they paid $64,337.84 in property taxes this year.
* More from the Trib piece…
Rauner, 57, who describes himself as just a middle-class kid “who worked his fanny off,” grew up mostly in upscale North Shore suburbs. His father was a vice president at electronics giant Motorola.
The watch stuff I can take because it appears to be real. The myth about his hard scrabble upbringing is just goofy, however.
* Meanwhile, the Sun-Times looks at the history of wealthy candidates…
With the exception of former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald — the Illinois Republican who self-financed his campaign and spent one term in Washington — a good number of millionaire statewide candidates who attempted to fund their own campaigns, in whole or in part, have suffered sound defeats.
There are common pitfalls: They’re too touchy and too stuffy. Many, having been CEOs, are not used to taking orders, not willing to get in a room with voters or not willing to listen to expert staff, particularly when it’s the candidate’s own money on the line.
They’re rigid enough for business but lack warmth needed on the campaign trail.
“If you wrote a sentence about any of those guys, would the word ‘charisma’ be in it?” said Paul Green, director of the Institute for Politics at Roosevelt University.
Green said millionaire candidates often fly off the handle at debates and crumble under criticism.
“When everyone’s telling you ‘yes’ your entire adult life, you develop an awfully thin skin,” Green said. “It develops because they’re used to people kissing their butt.”
Except that really doesn’t apply to Rauner. He seems to be enjoying himself out there.
* Also this…
Gidwitz spent $4 million of his own money and raised another $5 million. In the end he got roughly 75,000 votes.
Rauner has already raised over $4 million from people other than himself. Rauner has far greater appeal to donors than Gidwitz did.
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* I went to a restaurant at the Springfield Hilton last night to meet with some people and ran into several folks who were in town to file their nominating petitions. It was a jovial atmosphere. Petition filing day is sorta like the beginning of spring training. Optimism abounds. Anyone can be a winner.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s campaign has filed his nominating petitions. I’m told they collected something like 25,000 50,000 signatures and pared that down to their best 10,000 over the weekend.
Quinn’s Democratic primary opponent Tio Hardiman has filed his petitions, although there’s a mistake in his running mate’s name on the Board of Election’s website. Her actual name is Brunell Donald-Kyei. She’s an attorney who started at the Public Guardian’s office and is now in private practice. She’s a former foster ward, who went into the system after her mother’s death. She has no political background.
*** UPDATE *** Sun-Times…
Hardiman undoubtedly will face a challenge to knock him from the ballot, but he vouched for his signatures and thanked his consultant, former state Sen. Rickey Hendon, D-Chicago, for personally “vetting” the names to “make sure the signatures were solid.”
Hendon usually does a pretty good job with petitions (he also became an expert at knocking people off the ballot), so Hardiman has a good shot at staying on the ballot.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
All four of the Republican candidates have filed petitions.
* Both Jim Oberweis and Doug Truax have filed petitions to run for US Senate. From a Truax press release…
Doug Truax’s building campaign passed its first milestone early this morning as the West Point grad, Army veteran and successful entrepreneur filed his nominating petitions in Springfield for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.
As a political newcomer, it is a daunting task for a first-time statewide candidate to gather the needed signatures. Truax passed the test with flying colors and has gained additional momentum with two important early endorsements.
“Our campaign is bringing young and old, men and women, rural, urban and suburban regions together in a growing coalition to retire Dick Durbin and take Illinois and Washington in a better direction,” Truax said in Springfield Monday.
In the first two important joint appearances before major Republican audiences where both major candidates spoke, Truax strongly bested perennial candidate Jim Oberweis.
On Saturday in Bolingbrook at the state convention of the Federation of Illinois Young Republicans, Truax won the straw poll vote with 70.9 percent of the vote.
Last week, Truax won 64 percent of the vote at Palatine Township Republican Organization after hearing from both candidates.
“There is a yearning out there for a new kind of conservative candidate who can build a wider coalition in order to defeat Dick Durbin,” Truax said. “We are pleased that the early results indicate that our message is resonating with GOP voters.”
* You can click here to watch the petitions come in and search those already filed. Tell us what you see.
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Rauner and Madigan
Monday, Nov 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My Sun-Times column…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner has made no bones about his eagerness to take on House Speaker Michael Madigan if he’s elected.
Rauner constantly claims he is the best man for the job of cutting the entrenched, powerful Democrat down to size.
The other three Republican candidates also claim that they are the best people to deal with Madigan. But Rauner has been more forceful than all of them put together, going so far as to say he will “stand up to Madigan, because I know where his special interest groups are, and I can go after them.”
Much of this is just red meat for the GOP masses, who despise Madigan. Heck, some of the same folks who are backing Rauner now have also backed Madigan or worked with him.
Ken Griffin, the richest man in the state, gave half a million dollars to Stand for Children’s Illinois political action committee back in 2010. So did a lot of other Rauner pals. Rauner himself takes credit for bringing the school reform group into this state. And as part of Rauner’s own legislative strategy, the group made huge contributions to several of Speaker Madigan’s candidates. They kicked in $50,000 to Madigan last year for good measure.
So, if Rauner “goes after” Madigan’s special interest groups, at least some of them will be his own friends.
Rauner is no fan of teachers’ unions, and those unions, in turn, really don’t care for Speaker Madigan, either. Indeed, Madigan eagerly took all that cash from Stand for Children in 2010 because he was warring with the teachers unions over education reform.
Rauner also detests AFSCME, the union that represents state workers. Madigan is no fan of that union, either, which has boycotted contributions to his campaign committees. Mention the name of the union’s executive director Henry Bayer to Madigan and he rolls his eyes. Last year when AFSCME was backing a candidate for the Illinois House who was also a member of the union, Madigan barely lifted a finger to help the guy.
And, of course, the public employee unions are all up in arms over the way Madigan has pushed to cut pension benefits.
Would Madigan like to see AFSCME’s wings clipped? Probably so. Same goes for the teachers’ unions.
Madigan pushed for gay marriage, Rauner says he doesn’t oppose it. Both men spend a lot of time hanging out with rich people, corporate CEO’s, etc. They speak much the same language.
They do have their differences, of course, but it’s mainly a matter of degree. Rauner is pushing hard for term limits, but his proposed constitutional amendment won’t take effect until January 1, 2023. By then, Madigan will be almost 81 years old.
Frankly, I think both men could work together pretty well if Rauner is elected. They both have a keen understanding of how money and politics intertwine, for example. Rauner was one of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s largest contributors. He made Mayor Rahm Emanuel a millionaire by hooking him up with a sweet corporate deal. He understands, like Madigan, that the best way to a politician’s heart is through his wallet. They speak the same language.
But, maybe Rauner won’t want to work together. It’s very possible that he could take the Rod Blagojevich route, declare war on Madigan, shut down government and generally make a disaster of things. A little “creative destruction” is necessary every now and then, but Blagojevich always took things way too far.
If that turns out to be Rauner’s chosen path, well, Madigan has plenty of experience dealing with such matters.
Discuss.
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Tornado relief update
Monday, Nov 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Thanks to generous donations from Senate President Pro Tempore Don Harmon, Tom and Lori Cullen, Donna Baiocchi and many others, our total raised for Washington, IL-area tornado victims is now $7,504.
We did good.
If you haven’t participated yet, you can still click here to donate for as long as you want. I’ll update the total again tomorrow.
Thanks so much to everyone who contributed.
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* A generous $500 contribution from Rep. Dave McSweeney bumped up our fundraising total to $4,804 as of 5:43 this afternoon. Many, many thanks to everyone for helping out the Washington, IL-area tornado victims.
Of course, you can still contribute any time. Click here to give. Thanks!
*** UPDATE 1 *** As of late Saturday morning, our grand total is now up to $5,969! Many, many thanks to Rep. Mike Zalewsi, Allen Skillikorn, Jo Johnson and several others for their generous contributions since yesterday afternoon. Click here to help. Thanks!
Here’s a photo of Oscar at his birthday party last night…
*** UPDATE 2 *** A bigtime donation from Rep. Lou Lang as well as other generous gifts have helped push our grand total so far to $6,679. Thanks to all! Click here to keep it going!
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* Oscar the Puppy is loving his birthday haircut, by the way. Here’s a bit of chaotic video I shot at the salon when I picked him up…
He’s such a little cutie.
* Will Cousineau helped choose the winner of today’s caption contest. I’ll be donating $100 to our tornado relief fund in Oswego Willy’s honor…
“We know you are married, but where does ‘Speaker Madigan’s Ward Office’ fall on your ‘Speed Dial’…”
* Rep. Greg Harris generously donated $250 to our tornado relief fund today. Greg’s had a pretty good week, what with his gay marriage bill being signed into law. So, I let him choose our Friday music video. He didn’t disappoint…
Here’s what we call our golden rule
Have faith in you and the things you do
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Wow!
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Thanks to some incredibly generous donations from people like Mark Glennon, Reps. Greg Harris and Dennis Reboletti, Matt O’Shea and many, many others, as of 3:42 pm we’re just shy of $4000 raised today!
Thanks to everyone from the bottom of my heart for helping us raise money for the tornado victims in Washington, East Peoria and Pekin.
* Unfortunately, I can’t yet share a post-haircut video of Oscar because he’s still at the “salon.”
But here’s an Oscar the Puppy photo collage made by his mommy. Click it for a larger version…
I have never been able to get over how cute that little guy is.
* There’s still plenty of time left in the day. Please, click here and help! Thanks.
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Rate the Oberweis announcement video
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* State Sen. Jim Oberweis announced his US Senate campaign via YouTube today. He answers a question right off the bat about why he’s running again. He admits to making “mistakes” in his past campaigns. He even says he plans to work across the aisle in the Senate. Oberweis also criticized Sen. Dick Durbin for serving in DC since Michael Jordan was a college sophomore.
Rate it…
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Caption contest!
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Will Cousineau runs campaigns for House Speaker Michael Madigan. Last night at about 7:30 a friend of his sent me a photo of Cousineau camped out at the State Board of Elections with a big stack of nominating petitions…
I texted Cousineau to see how he was doing. His reply…
Just enjoying a nice evening outdoors.
He said that two years ago he was actually able to get a good night’s sleep and was hoping to do the same this year.
At the time, he said, he and his wife were the only people standing in line.
Campaign work ain’t all glamour and glitz. It’s mostly stuff like that.
* I’m off to the groomer’s for Oscar’s birthday haircut, but I will donate $100 to our tornado victim fundraiser in honor of the funniest commenter.
So, have at it. And don’t forget to donate!
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Our second goal has been reached!
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I said that I would match your contributions for Washington, IL-area tornado victims up to a thousand dollars, and we’ve already reached that goal. So, I’ve kicked in my match.
As a way of saying thanks, here’s another Oscar the Puppy video. Playing tug of war with his dad…
We started out the day with $415 raised via my Facebook page. So, we need a few hundred dollars more to get donations from this website up to a grand. I’ll post another Oscar the Puppy video when we’ve reached that goal.
Please, click here to donate. Thanks!
* Meanwhile, click here to check out before and after satellite photos of Pekin, East Peoria, and Washington, IL.
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Question of the day
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Subscribers know more, but the four legislative leaders said there was progress on pension reform during a teleconference meeting yesterday. Sun-Times…
[Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton] declined to outline any specifics of the plan being discussed, but said talks on the cost-of-living issue have used a plan proposed last spring by Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, as a general template.
Earlier this year, she proposed giving a retiree annual increases of 3 percent of an amount equal to the number of years they worked for state government, a university or Downstate and suburban school district, multiplied by $1,000.
An aide to House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, characterized the talks as productive but stressed a final deal isn’t in place to deliver to rank-and-file members.
“We’re optimistic there will be something done before the end of December. We’ve said that all along. But there’s no plan. There’s nothing solid yet to present to the members or anything at this point,” Durkin spokeswoman Vicki Crawford said. “But the talks have been very productive and are ongoing, and that’s a good thing.”
The legislative leaders are expected to resume talks again next week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.
* The Question: Have you changed your mind about whether a pension reform bill will be passed in the early December session? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
survey software
Also, notice that I did not ask you about whether you wanted it to pass or not. It’s about your thoughts on whether it will or won’t pass.
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We’ve reached our first goal!
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told you earlier today that as soon as the tally board hit $1000 on our fundraiser for Peoria-area tornado victims that I’d post an Oscar the Puppy video. That goal has now been reached.
* Oscar and I haven’t been able to sit outside lately because of the weather, so we’re hanging out in our “great room,” by the fireplace. Occasionally, though, I get busy and he gets bored and wants to play. Sometimes, he makes that frustration audibly evident, as he did yesterday…
Many, many thanks to everyone who has donated so far. If you haven’t yet contributed, please click here. It’s a very easy process.
* Meanwhile…
State Sen. Bill Brady is opening his Bloomington offices to accept donations for Washington tornado relief tomorrow.
The tornado-ravaged city is running out of places to store much needed donations. Brady said his office will accept toiletries, baby items, hats and gloves and basic hygiene items.
Brady said gas cards are also in demand.
“A lot of the folks are having to travel a great distance to and from school, to and from work and wherever they are living,” Brady noted.
Brady’s offices at 2203 Eastland Drive will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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A very good question
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The four Republican candidates for governor were asked during a forum yesterday whether they’d allow the temporary income tax increase to expire. All four said they want it to go away. But Treasurer Dan Rutherford added this…
“I don’t want it to stay, but when someone says they’re going to outright veto it, a fair question is: where are you coming up with $6 billion to $7 billion worth of cuts,” he said.
Sen. Kirk Dillard does have a plan…
“The Senate Republican caucus has a plan that shows you how you phase out that tax. It lays out a menu of options,” he said.
That plan, you may recall, was used by the Senate Democrats last year to hammer Republicans for wanting to cut programs. Republican slams against the Democratic tax hike didn’t work.
Then again, that was last year, a presidential election with the state’s own resident at the top of the ticket. Next year’s electorate will be different.
* Also, this…
As for how the state would make up for that huge loss of revenue, Brady said he would “demand the Legislature live within its means,” while Dillard suggested a constitutional amendment that would withhold legislators’ pay if they didn’t adopt a balanced budget.
* Brady also wants some growth, which would help balance the budget…
Brady said a major goal if elected governor would be to create 100,000 new jobs annually and put policies in place that “move (Illinois) to the forefront of this nation’s economy.”
* From the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s announcement that the state’s unemployment rate had fallen to 8.9 percent…
Illinois has added +268,900 private sector jobs since January 2010 when job growth returned following nearly two years of consecutive monthly declines. Leading growth sectors are Professional and Business Services (+117,700); Education and Health Services (+57,700); and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+51,600). Government has lost the most jobs since January 2010, down -27,300.
That’s an average annual rate of about 70,00 jobs, so Brady would need to raise that growth rate by about 42 percent.
* In other GOP primary news, Rauner’s fundraising juggernaut continues…
State filings from yesterday (11/21) afternoon show Illinois’ richest man, Ken Griffin, pitching in $250,000 to Rauner’s campaign.
It’s the second time this week Rauner received a donation worth a quarter of a million dollars. […]
Both of Rauner’s biggest contributors have previous ties to Democrats. Former CEO of AllScripts Glenn Tullman donated to Gov. Pat Quinn in the last governor’s race. And Griffin, who’s President of Citadel, helped out Chicago Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel to the tune of $100,000.
This isn’t the first time Griffin has helped a candidate promising to change how things are done in Springfield; back in 2002 and 2003, Griffin gave $70,000 to Rod Blagojevich.
Not including the $500,000 he put into his own campaign, Rauner has raised more money in the last nine days than Rutherford has raised all year. He’s reported raising more money in the last three days than Dillard has all year. And Rauner raised almost twice as much yesterday as Brady has raised all year.
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* I somehow missed this one earlier in the week…
GOP state Sen. Jim Oberweis told me Tuesday he is definitely making a U.S. Senate bid and, in an unusual twist, confirmed his wife, Julie, became a Florida resident because of the “tax advantages” of the Sunshine State.
Julie Oberweis voted in 2012 from Florida and ironically will not be able to cast a ballot for her husband next year. […]
His wife, however, Oberweis confirmed, spends winters at their condo in Bonita Springs, Fla., which they bought in 2010 for $1.3 million.
She became a Florida resident three years ago. “Obviously, there are tax advantages to being a Florida resident,” Oberweis told me. Oberweis, an anti-tax hawk, ticked off the Florida tax benefits: no state income tax and lower estate and property taxes.
He told me he and his wife file separate state income tax returns and joint federal income tax returns. […]
I told Oberweis it seemed to me the unusual situation regarding his wife’s Florida residency could impact his Illinois Senate run. Voters may not appreciate the Oberweis tax-avoidance strategy.
Oberweis mentioned that Durbin’s wife, Loretta, is a Springfield lobbyist.
I don’t know how “spending winters in Florida” can qualify as an out of state residence, but maybe the Department of Revenue can clear this one up.
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Oscar the Puppy birthday fundraiser!
Friday, Nov 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oscar the Puppy was born on Thanksgiving last year, which is a year ago today. He’s going to the “salon” later today for a much needed haircut…
* This little dog has given me so much love and affection since I got him in January that I cannot possibly imagine life without him. Watching reports of the Illinois tornados last Sunday got me to thinking what I would do if something happened to him. Not a pleasant thought.
But it did get me to thinking that I should do something positive for the world on Oscar’s birthday, and I wanted to give y’all a chance to do the same. So, we’re going to do a bit of fundraising today.
* I called an animal shelter near Washington, IL and they suggested that we donate to the Red Cross. Donating to specific causes on the Red Cross website isn’t easy, but then I found a site sponsored by the Morton Chamber of Commerce that is raising money for the American Red Cross of Central Illinois to support supplies, food, and community restoration for the victims in Washington, Pekin, and East Peoria. I set up a companion site for our own fundraiser. Click here to see it.
I posted the site on Facebook last night, so we got a little head start.
* I will match your contributions up to a total of $1,000. I’ll also give Oscar a big hug every time somebody donates. If we make it to $1,000, I’ll post an Oscar video, and for every $1K afterwards I’ll do the same.
So, let’s get to donating!
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* From a press release…
The campaign manager for Republican candidate for Governor Kirk Dillard and his running mate Jil Tracy denounced the campaign tactics of billionaire Bruce Rauner, who reportedly steered thousands of dollars to the Palatine Township Republican organization ahead of the group’s official endorsement.
“This is the height of pay-to-play,” Glenn Hodas said. “Rauner and his allies are basically buying votes while making it appear as though he’s getting widespread support. It’s absolutely unacceptable.”
The Illinois Observer reports Rauner gave $1,000 to the Palatine Township GOP and $2,500 to Palatine Township Committeeman Aaron Del Mar’s personal political committee earlier this year. Del Mar is also the Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party.
In addition, the Observer reports, Rauner ally and wealthy activist Jack Roeser and his company have contributed a combined $56,500 to Del Mar since Del Mar took over the Cook County GOP organization last year.
Rauner’s campaign was also believed to have paid the $25 membership fee required for several individuals to attend the endorsement session and cast their vote. In the end, Rauner handily won the group’s backing.
“Not only will Rauner spend millions for TV commercials, he’s trying to buy votes at the grass roots level,” Hodas said. “This is the kind of thing Republicans ought to be against. It’s really shameful.”
* The other campaigns chimed in…
“I just don’t think the Republican Party is looking for someone who’s going to try to buy an election,” Bill Brady, Republican, candidate for governor. […]
“The fact is he’s got a lot of money. The fact is he’s got a lot of people with a lot of money and he’s going to go out and try to buy name I.D. and positive favor,” Dan Rutherford, Republican, candidate for governor. “And no one’s ever taken as much special interest or out-of-state money as Bruce Rauner.”
* Denials all around…
Dillard’s news release states Rauner’s campaign “was also believed to have paid the $25 membership fee required for several individuals to attend the endorsement session and cast their vote.”
Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf said that wasn’t the case. “The Rauner campaign spent no money last night, however we do greatly appreciate the endorsement as well as the free publicity generated by other campaigns touting our victory,” Schrimpf said in an email.
Del Mar, who is also chairman of the Cook County Republican Party, said donations didn’t have anything to do with the Palatine Township GOP’s endorsement of Rauner. In fact, Del Mar says, Dillard himself made a $250 contribution to the committee this year.
“I believe Bruce Rauner is the best candidate for governor we have,” Del Mar said. “He represented very well to our organization and won our endorsement. Period.”
Del Mar also denied that Rauner “paid anybody’s dues.”
Discuss.
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