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LAC collapses its tent

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* Toni Irving was Gov. Pat Quinn’s deputy chief of staff, so she had direct access to the governor. Part of her portfolio was the governor’s 2010 anti-violence initiative. She’s a big part of the Auditor General’s stinging report.

But after grilling other witnesses for hours on end, the Legislative Audit Commission asked Irving questions for maybe 10 minutes before dismissing her today.

Irving is an African-American, and with some backlash being ginned up out there, that could’ve played a role in the brief questioning. But another witness was grilled this afternoon for only a few minutes and then released. That witness was a white male.

As I write this at around four o’clock, the LAC has adjourned.

And that may be the biggest surprise to emerge from this entire exercise.

The Republicans pushed hard yesterday and came up mostly empty when it came to the non-audit side issue of whether the anti-violence initiative was used to win the 2010 election. They pushed hard again today with Jack Lavin and didn’t make much progress.

The promised October disaster for Gov. Pat Quinn ended with a quiet thud.

* Look, the audit is the audit. The anti-violence program was a complete fiscal mess. Two US Attorneys and the Cook County State’s Attorney are investigating. That’s as it should be. Let the pros do their jobs.

The past two days showed what can happen when politicians try to play prosecutors for political advantage without first making utterly sure that they could prove their case.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:06 pm

Comments

“Sorry I pushed so hard to make you guys look like Dopes, ILGOP GA members,

Signed,

No one.”

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:09 pm
I hope everyone in the GOP got a good gander at David Reis’ humiliation from by the universally-respected Bill Holland.

He just couldn’t help himself, and I bet he didn’t learn a thing.

Comment by LincolnLounger Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:10 pm
Isn’t that Trial Attorney 101? “Don’t ask any questions unless you know you’ll get the answer you want.”

Comment by Skeptic Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:11 pm
Well, it was an October surprise …just not the one the IL GOP was expecting.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:13 pm
Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Not a word on Channel 7 4 o’clock news.

They put themselves in a trick bag when they peddled the vote-buying slush-fund story.

The audit itself is harsh. Why not just go with that?

Oh, I forgot — Quinn’s been putting on an act. He’s actually a sinister crime lord.

Lot of commenters have been telling us for weeks that these hearings would be a game-changer.

Well, look at you now.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:17 pm
The momentum was with Quinn going in to this week. Nothing has happened to change that. Looking forward to tonight’s debate!

Comment by Snucka Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:17 pm
“It is a tale
“Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
“Signifying nothing.”
— Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:18 pm
Quinn wins.

And, yes. That’s me.

Comment by Macbeth Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:23 pm
Politicians are always to be suspected of grandstanding, but I would never suggest that the elected members of the General Assembly have no role to play in such an investigation.

Sadly, the General Assembly has many members who are about as useful as members of the Chicago City Council when it comes to acting as a deliberative legislative body. When rare opportunities come along for the legislature to act like other official bodies do, many of the reps and senators seem totally out of practice.

Comment by Under Further Review Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:23 pm
MrJM +100

Comment by Bill White Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:24 pm
To the “Folding of the Tent”,

Welp. This is what happens, you parliament of owls, when Bruce Rauner “wants what he wants”.

You do what you’re told, and you look like fools.

I can’t believe the GOP members were so sure of themselves. Look at yourselves now. Cowering. Responding like 3rd graders;

“Oh yeah, well, it’s not a witch hunt if federal prosecutors do it and … whatever, we’re Kool, you’re not!”

Pathetic.

The parliament of owls - “The ‘Who’ Gang” that mlk new nothing, except how to look berating, discourteous, callous, and many times snide.

But, when your owned by the man writing the checks, you dance his tune. Right? Exactly right.

You couldn’t just let the ambiguity be the pristine hay. You guys couldn’t let a federal investigation save you from the optics. How embarrassing it had to have been when Ms. Shaw didn’t answer your owl call. I was dumbfounded on the complete lack of preparedness. You guys had months.

All you had was…”Who?”

And even when I felt you could just go at it in October, you were so ill prepared, you could have done this poorly months ago and saved everyone the belly laughs.

Bruce Rauner counted on you to bring him Quinn. You couldn’t bring him a sack lunch! You could tweet about the sack lunch, but neither the lunch or Quinn you could deliver.

For good measure, question Mr. Holland. That went well. The utter ignorance of thinking in the vacuum of no responses is breathtaking.

Now you made it so neighborhoods in Chicago will be told how you belittled. They will be told of witch hunts, and told My Party doesn’t care, they care about politics over people.

You guys did that. Congratulations.

How about next time, milk the idea of having your hands tied, because of an ongoing federal, possibly criminal, investigation doesn’t need to be impeded.

And leave to owls at Hogwarts with the Slytherins.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:25 pm
===The past two days showed what can happen when politicians try to play prosecutors for political advantage without first making utterly sure that they could prove their case.===

Exactly right.

===Isn’t that Trial Attorney 101? “Don’t ask any questions unless you know you’ll get the answer you want.”===

Yes.

This was amateur-hour questioning. The Raunerites wanted the hearing so they just tried to jam their square pegs into a round hole of “no there, there”

You noticed?

Comment by Mighty M. Mouse Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:32 pm
Hey GOP: Your grandstanding trying to tear down a program designed to help inner city residents aint plain well in the community. Was it mismanaged? Probably. But it wasn’t the “slush fund” that the Repubs tried to make it out to be… Good government makes good politics. Its as simple as that. I just hope that folks look at other ways we can improve things for our inner city neighborhoods. Quinn truly cares about them. Rauner? not so much.

Comment by Voice of Reason Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:38 pm
===Oh, I forgot — Quinn’s been putting on an act. He’s actually a sinister crime lord.===

Sorry word, but you also forgot that he’s the worst governor in America. He’s both. Never forget that. It’ll be important if Quinn wins.

Should I start calling him Godfather or Don Quinn?

I’m thinking Don Cornelius will fit him just fine.

Comment by Mighty M. Mouse Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:39 pm
Channel 7 just up with a short story.

Sandack asked: “Was it corruption.”

“I don’t know, I don’t think so. I think it was gross mismanagement, incompetence.”

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:42 pm
But who threw the towel in the ring?

Someone smart like Durkin? or Radogno?

Comment by walker Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:45 pm
===- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:42 pm:

Channel 7 just up with a short story.

Sandack asked: “Was it corruption.”

“I don’t know, I don’t think so. I think it was gross mismanagement, incompetence.”===

What a Dope!

@FakeRonSandack - I dunno if it was corruption or not, I’m just suppose to badger witnesses and ask “who” like Bruce told me #DopeyOwl #NeverAboutAnswers #PolitcsOverOptics

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:46 pm
These hearings confirmed one thing; Governor Quinn and his staff, are inept. 54 million spent with no oversight, no plan and with no measured outcome. Yea, I get it’s hard to measure outcomes in things like this but good lord man, how much money can we spend I with nothing but hope that it does some good? Is the GA just supposed to sit by and watch money flow out the door like this without questioning it? Quinn is the luckiest man alive to steal a quote HRC. He’s also the dumbest Governor in Illinois history and perhaps our nations history.

Comment by Big Muddy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:49 pm
NRI, RIP!

One more day closer to D-Day.

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

From Edward Fitzgerald’s translation of the poem The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, 1859

Happy debate, everyone.

Savor Bloodtober while it lasts!

Comment by Mighty M. Mouse Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:49 pm
===These hearings confirmed one thing; Governor Quinn and his staff, are inept===

You needed hearings for that???

You might be the inept one.

Just sayin…

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 4:54 pm
-the dumbest governor in Illinois history-

How quickly they forget.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:11 pm
Big Muddy, the audit came out last February.

The promise of these hearings was vote-buying.

Never over-promise, always over-deliver.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:14 pm
Rich,
I don’t need hearings for that. The hearings just brought that ineptness out for all to see yet you say this:
“The past two days showed what can happen when politicians try to play prosecutors for political advantage without first making utterly sure that they could prove their case.”
So you admit the Quinn administration has the problem solving skill sets of a cinderblock and the Republican members of the bipartisan commission take blame for even investigating this?
All due respect Rich but bite me. We ALL need to call out government when it sucks this bad.

Comment by Big Muddy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:15 pm
===n take blame for even investigating this?===

If they had confined themselves to the horrific audit, then fine. I did tons of stories about this audit when it came out.

But you know what was going on there, or you’re just too willfully blind to see.

Bite me, indeed.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:17 pm
===So you admit the Quinn administration has the problem solving skill sets of a cinderblock and the Republican members of the bipartisan commission take blame for even investigating this?===

How about the parliament of owls not worried about investigating, but playing “gotcha!” and having a “witch hunt”…and even if it wasn’t, the optics made it so?

The “Who” brigade of owls blew this yesterday, and after a day to calibrate, blew it again, and so badly, the optics made continuing the “who”, untenable.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:21 pm
BM, pay attention.

The audit came out last February.

The LAC didn’t get interested in the story until July, after they found out about grand jury investigations.

The could have done their job last spring, it they were so concerned.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:24 pm
Iran-Contra if was not.

Once again, the Illinois GOP snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

Who gets credit for this? Sandack?

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:28 pm
@ Big Muddy,

Go start your own blog with your incredible insight and persuasive writing.

” We ALL need to call out government when it sucks this bad.”

And what exactly did the GOP accomplish? Oh yeah…nothing except coming across as crass and uncaring, only out for a non-occuring soundbite.

It’s been nice knowing you. Really it has. No I’m serious, it’s been great.

Comment by How Ironic Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:28 pm
Investigating? You call the last 6 months “investigating” after watching that 2 day clown show? Where is the proof of slush fund street money, the vote-buying?
Between failing to prove any substance to their accusations and live tweeting insults about people testifying in front of their commission, I don’t think that word means what you think it means.

Comment by Lester Holt's Mustache Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:34 pm
===Who gets credit for this?====

Who? Who? Who?

I think the three Dopey owls responding like 3rd graders is a good start, but “who” should really go to the hammer vas the shaker, the Steeler owner with no response to domestic violence unless his spokesman has one…

…and the bank-roller of the tweets and press releases that mirrored another commission member.

And I’m right, exactly right.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:34 pm
These hearings were almost as much a political dudd as Matt Breitbart’s overhyped “vetting” of President Obama from a few years back

Comment by train111 Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:35 pm
The live tweeting stuff was surprising. Who’s supposed to take you seriously when you’re doing that?

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:37 pm
===The live tweeting stuff was surprising. Who’s supposed to take you seriously when you’re doing that?===

@FakeRonSandack - I’ll respond to that charge after I ask who again and play candy crunch #DopeyOwl

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:39 pm
The fact that Barickman didn’t have a game plan for this is strange. Why have the hearings if you don’t zero in on the specific issue? Why ask the questions if you don’t know where the answers will lead?

If you don’t have a smoking gun, don’t conduct public hearings.

Barickman — you’re the loser here.

Comment by Macbeth Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:48 pm
So???? Quinn’s RECORD will be enough to cost him the election.

Comment by Tboon Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 5:57 pm
I second OW. Dopes.

Comment by Toure's Latte Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 6:01 pm
TBoon: If so, that’s how it should be.

Comment by walker Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 6:03 pm
I am waiting to hear from VM who has said for months this would be the end for Quinn. What happened Dude?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 6:06 pm
“So???? Quinn’s RECORD will be enough to cost him the election”

Is that right? Here I was thinking the crime boss, slush fund, street money, vote buying thing was going to cost him the election. Glad we got that straight.

Comment by Lester Holt's Mustache Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 6:11 pm
“So???? Quinn’s RECORD will be enough to cost him the election.”

I actually think Quinn’s record is one of his best assets:

*Raised the income tax and made pension payments

*Paid down a substantial portion of unpaid bills

*Passed pension reform multiple times, answering the clamor of those on the right

*Passed fracking legislation, which could bring many jobs

*Passed Obamacare Medicaid expansion that helped hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans

President Obola–I mean Obama–is pleased.

*Had a social agenda and passed landmark legislation: MMJ and SSN

Did Quinn make mistakes? Of course, but he has accomplishments on which to run.

I think that Quinn not articulating his record could be a bigger liability than his record.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 6:17 pm
You needed hearings for that???

You might be the inept one.

Rich, maybe a little blame can be placed on the general assembly who abdicated its greatest responsibility, the power of the purse, when it gave the governor a lump sum budget

Not saying gov office isn’t blame free…just saying that if you give a teenager a sportscar and tell them not to speed part of the blame rests with you.

It’s hard to type this… But I agree with senate Brady that the biggest takeaway is the inherent problem in a lump sum budget.

Comment by Abe the Babe Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 6:28 pm
How Ironic,
U mad bro?
Relax. It’s all just politics. Quinn is a dope. The GOP are mopes and we are all suckers for not demanding better from elected officials. We are quick to jump on those trying to do good and expect to little from those in power. We got it backwards folks.
Now you can all bite me cuz I’m going to go watch hockey! : )

Comment by Big Muddy Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 7:04 pm
It would be news if the Republicans did something noble or brilliant.

Comment by Perplexed and Perterbed Thursday, Oct 9, 14 @ 7:30 pm
Like I said, it was all wishful thinking that this was going to be a bloodbath. Voters don’t know the LAC.

For that same reason, I’m dubious that any “backlash” is going to amount to much, except that I will say it gave the Quinnsters a pretty good talking point for NRI questions- “Yes, it was rushed and imperfect, but the Governor was responding to a crisis, and over 14,000 people were helped.”

Comment by Adlai Friday, Oct 10, 14 @ 8:15 am