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· Did anyone else find it odd that the Illinois Federation of Teachers announced its endorsement of Gov. Rod Blagojevich on a Saturday during a three-day weekend?
· The blogger behind the Elginite blog has a couple of great news feeds devoted solely to Elgin happenings. I’m a big fan of news feeds, as you’ve probably figured out by now, and this is a fantastic idea for micro-politics bloggers.
· The Post-Dispatch had a story yesterday about an Illinois political fundraising event in Arizona and ran an editorial calling Gov. Blagojevich “Lord Bountiful.”
· Best satire of the past week. Blagojevich introduces his pizza franchise.
· DuPage tries to win back Republicans who took Democratic ballots.
· The Tribune appears to be moving towards a 24-hour a day coverage cycle. Before, they’d wait until early morning to put big stories online. But yesterday at noon they had a story up about the GOP gubernatorial debate, and then updated it at 7:18 with a full story. At 5:30 they posted a full story on CUB’s efforts to fight a ComEd rate hike. At 8:27 pm, they ran a piece about how Bob Kjellander no longer represents The Carlyle Group. And at 10:20 pm, they had a story up about how car dealerships are fighting a new law in Springfield.
· The Decatur Herald & Review gives a thumbs down to Gidwitz ad. “Hard-hitting ads are fine, but they should be based on facts.”
· The original headline on this article was “Republicans Smear Blagojevich During Debate,” which I thought was weird. It was eventually changed to “Republican Candidates Lash Out At Topinka’s Ethics.”
· Was Mike Lawrence muzzled? Sure looks that way.
· Two Illinois congressional races make Larry Sabato’s “Dirty Thirty” list of the most contested US House races in America.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 12:11 am
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I am curious, who do you all think is the most likely GA member to lose a primary next month?
Comment by Lorenzo the Edgy Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 12:26 am
According to Sneed, Eisendrath’s campaign manager has resigned. And I’m sure the Illinois Congressional delegation just loved his letter to them undercutting their attacks on Republican corruption. Could his campaign get any more pathetic?
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 5:43 am
Well, if the pizza thing’s the best satire…then I guess we’ve got a long way to go in the satire department. Just not that funny.
Comment by SenorAnon. Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 9:19 am
It looks like the leadership of the IFT (I said leadership because anyone who thinks the union’s rank-and-file get to make a dumb decision like this is totally naive) has a death wish.
Comment by Randall Sherman Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 9:42 am
SenorAnon,
Point us to your daily blog for your version of humor … or is your “name” the best you’ve got?
Comment by Senorita Anon Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 10:01 am
Truly disturbing that Glenn Poshard put the brakes on Mike Lawrence’s columns. So much for free speech at institutes of “higher” learning…
Comment by Paul Simon Museum Guy Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 11:19 am
I’m curious as to whether there would have been more attention paid to Lawrence’s muzzling if the Governor had been a Republican.
Frankly, I don’t blame Poshard for silencing Lawrence. Everyone knows how vindictive Blago and his sycophants are.
Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 11:55 am
Norseman,
If the Governor was republican Mike would probably be officially shilling for him instead of mouthing off from a patronage appointment at SIU. It is about time someone made him shut up. If he wants to be in politics he should give up his place at the trough and sign on with Obie or Gidwitz. That is where the real money is.
Comment by Bill Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 12:18 pm
I found it very odd that the Illinois teachers association endorsed Blago at all… I personally know several teachers that are really upset with the governor for robbing from the pension fund. Just goes to show who is just a tool of an incumbent… and maybe the democratic party…
Comment by Lovie's Leather Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 1:49 pm
Bill, Bill, Bill, even campaign workers have to have some credibility. Mike Lawrence was one of the most respected journalists in Illinois. Every decent Democrat would be disgusted with your attack on him. If you have any doubt, call Poshard and see what he has to say about the man’s integrity.
Now back to your campaign computer and start dishing out more dirt about Edwin and Judy.
Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 2:00 pm
Norseman,
I didn’t say anything about his integrity. I just don’t think 8 years of working for Edgar makes up for his lack of academic credentials. The fact that he spews forth his opinions while supposedly being director of the Public Policy Institute just calls attention to his lack of credentials for his position.
I am not a camapign worker, just a concerned citizen with no axe to grind…. just one of the millions of Illinois citizens who admire the Governor and the way he takes care of real working men and women in this state.
Comment by Bill Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 2:37 pm
Bill, please! Your use of the phrase “officially shilling” was not an attack on his integrity? Like the tactics your beloved administration is known for, you’re trying to change your story when called out. Now it’s a matter of lacking academic credentials.
Try this new argument on Poshard and see if he agrees. This IS a publc policy institute. I would say that a man who spent years covering state government as a journalist and eight years as a key advisor to a Governor is extremely qualified to be its director. Evidently Paul Simon, a Democrat I think, thought highly enough of his qualifications to have hired him as the assistant director.
I’m glad you don’t have any axes to grind. The sparks around your posts had me fooled, but you really can’t expect me to believe that your a “concerned citizen.”
Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 3:07 pm
Senorita, do I have to be a pizza chef to point out a bad pizza? Must I be a screenwriter or a director to know a bad movie when I see it?
Your argument is so weak, I can’t believe I just wasted thirty seconds addressing it.
Comment by SenorAnon. Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 3:34 pm
Hey CaptFax! Should you accussed on underselling the little Post Dispatch story on GOP fundraising?
Illinois GOP aims golf outing at getting lobbyists’ cash
By Kevin McDermott
As Illinois Republicans hammer at political ethics issues this election year,
they will fund their message in part with money raised this month at an Arizona
resort - where Illinois lobbyists paid $3,000 each to play golf and drink
cocktails with top Illinois GOP legislators…
The two-day fundraiser in Scottsdale included a reception at the Arizona home
of one Illinois lobbyist who represents major gambling and utility interests,
according to a Post-Dispatch review of documents and interviews with
participants.
Three Illinois legislators - including the top Republican in the House -
skipped part of a legislative session day to travel west for the outing. About
a dozen lobbyists attended, according to interviews.
“Given the climate right now, naturally, I think all of us are taking a close
look at lobbyists and the kind of relationships they have with legislators,”
said Cynthia Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a watchdog
group. “There’s nothing illegal about this . . . (but) it does raise questions
about how cozy these relationships get.”…
One Republican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said last
week that such questions hurt the party’s position when it tries to make the
case that Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich is too cozy with special interests
and businesses.
“To miss a session day to do a fundraiser 1,500 miles away . . . I think it’s
highly improper,” said the official.
An organizer of the event said last week that the Democrats’ domination of
political fundraising in Illinois made it necessary for Republicans to offer
potential donors a reason to open their wallets.
“We’ve had to get more creative about fundraising. There’s only so much money
out there anymore, and Blagojevich seems to be getting it all,” said state Rep.
Angelo “Skip” Saviano, R-Elmwood Park. Saviano is chairman of the House
Republican Organization, which held the fundraiser to gather donations for
various GOP House campaigns this year.
“This $5,000-a-plate quiche doesn’t work anymore. We have to give them
something to get something. We try to give them some value to make it worth it
for them to participate,” Saviano said. He added: “I think it’s a nice thing to
do for these guys.”
The invitation-only event was held Feb. 10 and 11 at Scottsdale’s Grayhawk Golf
Club,
Three top GOP House members - Saviano, House Minority Leader Tom Cross,
R-Oswego, and Deputy Minority Leader Brent Hassert, R-Romeoville - were listed
as absent from the House session day of Feb. 9, the Thursday before the Friday
start of the Arizona outing.
Louis for Arizona.
A spokesman for Cross referred questions to Saviano.
“I shot a 46 on the front, and I fell apart on the back,” said Saviano….,
Comment by Mr. Anon Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 3:41 pm
Norseman,
Maybe its just me but I really don’t consider being a reporter for however many years the equivalent of a graduate degree that most “directors” at a major research institutions are required to have. My only point is that if I were in his position and I wanted to stay there I would not be writing political columns.
Also I really don’t consider a press secretary to be a key adviser. I think shill would more accurately describe it.
Whatever, if I hurt your feelings Mike, I apologize.
Comment by Bill Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 5:31 pm
====The fact that he spews forth his opinions while supposedly being director of the Public Policy Institute just calls attention to his lack of credentials for his position.
Isn’t part of being a director of a Public Policy Institute spewing forth analysis? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for basic research on relatively esoteric questions in policy analysis, but a Public Policy Institute is about analyzing policy.
BTW, the last guy wrote columns and was a college dropout to boot–he also brought in Lawrence.
Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 5:47 pm
Mike Larwence was’nt muzzled,he was put to sleep. When an attack dog goes bad you have to put him down. Let’s face it,when you cut out the gravy train most will do what it takes to keep the feed coming. Remember these are the people that run your tax dollar universitys!!!
Comment by FATKAT Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 6:45 pm
Bill - I wonder what people you are referring to when you say the governor takes care of the real working people of the state. You certainly aren’t referring to the real people who have to do the paper work for all these “initiatives” he keeps proposing but can’t afford. Those real people work hard and have to put up with the governor calling them names but making all kinds of demands to make him look good, while seeing their pensions taken away to other more politically expedient schemes. The state is BROKE! There is no money to play Santa Claus to everyone. What part of that don’t you understand? The budget is not balanced - it’s a smoke screen. Or don’t you understand that either?
Comment by anonymous Tuesday, Feb 21, 06 @ 11:11 pm
Anon,
I am talking about working families who despite working hard to support their families can’t afford health insurance for their children, unlike state employees who get relatively cheap coverage. I am talking about one and two parent working families who can’t afford pre-school for their children. I’m talking about people who, unlike state employees, are forced to work for minimum wage, who got a decent raise when the governor supported raising the minimum wage in Il.. I’m talking about people with children in public schools who saw their foundation fudning level raised under the Gov more than any other governor in history. I’m talking about senior citizens who , in our great state, will not have to worry about Bush’s donut hole in their drug coverage. . Rod accomplished all of this and more without raising sales or income tax.
The state is NOT BROKE. Jobs are increasing, revenues are increasing, no one had their pensions “taken away” or raided.
The Gov has made a committment to the real people of Il to direct the state’s resources to the people that really need them, not state employees or any other special interest group.
The best is yet to come! 4 more years!
Comment by Bill Wednesday, Feb 22, 06 @ 5:58 am
Lovie’s Leather, just to be clear, this was the IFT’s endorsement, not the IEA’s … two different groups. As far as I know the IEA has not yet endorsed any candidate in this election cycle. It’s not surprising that the IFT endorsed Blago … they are primarily representative of Chicago Teachers and he is the Chicago Governor.
No idea who, if anyone, the IEA might endorse, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be Oby after his little rant about tenure and merit pay.
Comment by YNM Wednesday, Feb 22, 06 @ 7:09 am