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Beware October

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Illinois

* As we already know, the Legislative Audit Commission will be resuming its investigation of Gov. Pat Quinn’s anti-violence initiative in early October. And now, a couple of weeks later, the IDOT lawsuit hearings resume…

A legal battle between an anti-patronage lawyer and Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration will return to federal court less than two weeks before voters will decide if they want to re-elect the Chicago Democrat.

Anti-patronage attorney Michael Shakman has — as part of a lawsuit — requested an investigation of hiring in Quinn’s Department of Transportation and a monitor to ensure the administration complies with bans on political hiring for nonpolitical jobs. Quinn’s attorneys argue the judge should reject the request because it would be detrimental to state officials’ duties of hiring workers.

During a brief hearing on Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier gave attorneys time to file motions and told them to return to court Oct. 22.

Is Quinn’s much-vaunted luck finally running out?

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 12:30 pm

Comments

Luck is kind of like insurance. You need it most when things are the worst. We won’t know till 11/5.

Comment by Mason born Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 12:38 pm
It ain’t over til it’s over. Who knows what other October Surprises are in store for either side.

Comment by Nearly Normal Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 12:45 pm
Luck has nothing to do with it.

These are all self-inflicted wounds.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 12:47 pm
==Luck has nothing to do with it.

These are all self-inflicted wounds.==

Hence the thought that his luck has run out. If he still has luck, something will happen that he avoids self inflicted wounds.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 12:57 pm
I believe HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” promo ad states that “all empires must come to an end.” #quinntriedandcouldnotcuthtemustard #quinnsdeparturislongoverdue
#idothiringisthetipoftheiceberg #newleadershipplease

Comment by Black Ivy Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 12:59 pm
Yeah, that’ll make great media for Rauner that even his money can’t buy. Brutal timing for Quinn.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 12:59 pm
Dare I say it? Have his prairie chickens come home to roost? -:)

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:00 pm
Wanna bet the State requests a continuance?

Comment by phocion Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:01 pm
I should say, the State will file a motion requesting an extension of time to file its brief.

Comment by phocion Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:02 pm
BTW there is a more useful thing you can do this afternoon.
Vote
http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-aquarium/

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:05 pm
Luck can only keep you ahead of self inflected wounds for so long, one they reach critical mass your done.

Comment by RMW Stanford Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:05 pm
Quinn is in a huge hole and it will take more than luck this time to get him out. I can’t see the national Democrats putting any more money in trying to help him. They have too many other places to spend their money with a lot greater chance of success.

All things eventually end and Quinn’s time on the political stage is past his expiration date.

Comment by Cassiopeia Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:25 pm
Where’s Scott Lee Cohen when you need him?

Comment by Mittuns Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:27 pm
Slow and painful…

Slow and painful.

At some point, too much is just too much.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:35 pm
Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier, you’re not helping!

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:37 pm
Wonder what Paul Vallas’ feelings are about all this. Rather mixed, I’d imagine.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:53 pm
I voted for Seattle.
Fire, Aim, Ready.

Comment by Befuddled Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:56 pm
When you are as holier-than-thou as Pat Quinn, you had better run a very tight ship. He doesn’t, so he takes the hit. Incompetence, not luck, is the issue here.

Comment by Skirmisher Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 1:56 pm
It sure looks like his luck has hit the same wall as the can that’s been kicked down the road.

Comment by A guy... Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 2:01 pm
PQ was the wrong guy at the right place at the right time!

Comment by Kerfuffle Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 2:09 pm
It’s better to be lucky than good, but luck does not last forever.

Comment by Ahoy! Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 2:17 pm
The timing is brutal. Just enough time to raise concerns in everyone’s minds about trust; not enough time to respond, or to sink in, if there’s nothing serious found.

Comment by walker Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 2:26 pm
Pat Quinn was never cut out to be governor. I shudder at the prospect of Bruce Rauner as governor, but that is a foregone conclusion. Rauner is going to win big, and the Democratic Party has no one to blame but itself.

Comment by Lovecraft Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 2:26 pm
Yes.

Comment by Commander Norton Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 2:48 pm
Wow people. Maybe Quinn looses, maybe he wins, but jeez Louise, the Quinn haters come out of the woodwork when there is bad news.

Look, this campaign hasn’t really even started. Have we seen the “Rauner killed grandma” ads yet? Or the “Rauner used his insider clout to cheat the system” ads? What if, by the end of October, the average voter sees them both at corrupt? Who wins then?

Quinn is not a politician (in the generic sense). Blago was. Blago knew how to win elections. But, Quinn has beaten Hynes, Brady, and others with his style. Will he win? I don’t really know, but stories of his demise are premature.

Comment by Try-4-Truth Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 3:43 pm
This is what happens when you can’t run and control the office you hold.

Comment by One of the 35 Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 3:51 pm
Quinn’s luck is having voters who don’t read the news, don’t believe what they read in the news, won’t vote for the rich Guy, and vote Democrat no matter what.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 3:52 pm
What if, by the end of October, the average voter sees them both at corrupt? Who wins then?

Then the voters will decide if they want to keep the old bum, or throw the old bum out in exchange for a new bum. They will do that if they are motivated enough by being “fed up”.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 4:02 pm
Most accidental governors don’t last six years, so I’d say it would be somewhat fluky for him to survive this. But he campaigned in 2010 in somewhat better a manner than an accidental politician, and if he wriggles out of this, it will be in the same way.

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 4:07 pm
==, but jeez Louise, the Quinn haters come out of the woodwork when there is bad news.==

Calling people who are merely trying to assess and understand the political landscape and build campaign strategy around the Governor’s obvious audit commission problems “Quinn haters” may be a little off base.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 4:09 pm
As Hillary Clinton said, Pat Quinn is the “luckiest politician in American”. But like most people at the table, he didn’t know when to call it a day while he was ahead. Rauner and his people are too smart to be as dumb as Bill Brady was the last weeks of his campaign.

Comment by OLK 73 Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 4:15 pm
==What if, by the end of October, the average voter sees them both at corrupt? Who wins then?==

Rauner for me. I’d rather elect someone who wants to use his own money to buy my vote than someone who wants to use my money to buy someone else’s vote.

Comment by Anon. Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 4:22 pm
Luck run out? Rauner is still the only alternative. No luck would be for Quinn to run against a decent hardworking Joe or Jane from Peoria.

Comment by uptown progressive Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 4:49 pm
Clinton made her remark after Bill Daley dropped out.

I don’t believe that was luck either. I think both Daley and Madigan were shrewd to not want to run for governor.

Rich has explained time and again the reality behind Quinn’s 2010 comeback myth. I guess you could say Quinn was pretty lucky Dillard didn’t win in 2010, that probably would have been a very different outcome. Certainly a very different race.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jul 29, 14 @ 7:57 pm
Looks like Squeezy might just squeeze the life out of Quinn, not pensioners.

Comment by Jechislo Wednesday, Jul 30, 14 @ 8:58 am