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[Kind of in a strange location today, but at least it’s here.]

* Topinka opposes statewide smoking ban

* The Southern asked readers to submit questions for Gov. Blagojevich yesterday but this is the article they came up with

* McClain: After a long campaign laced with scandal, Illinois voters seem less than enchanted with either candidate

* McQueary: Todd trouble

* Guv gets more mileage out of power plant

* Questions Over Electric Rate Freeze Continue

* From The Hotline On Call:

Karl Rove talked to “All Things Considered”: On ‘06: “I see several things; first, unlike the general public, I’m allowed to see the polls on the individual races and after all this does come down to individual contests between individual candidates. Second of all, I see the individual spending reports and contribution reports. For example at the end of August in 30 of the most competitive races in the country, the house races, the Republicans had 33 million cash on hand and Democrats had just over 14 million.”

NPR’s Siegel: “We are in the home stretch though and many would consider you on the optimistic end of realism about.”

Rove: “Not that you would exhibit a bias, you just making a comment.”

Siegel: “I’m looking at all the same polls that you are looking at.”

Rove: “No, you are not. I’m looking at 68 polls a week for candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, and Governor and you may be looking at 4-5 public polls a week that talk attitudes nationally.”

More Rove: “I’m looking at all of these Robert and adding them up. I add up to a Republican Senate and Republican House. You may end up with a different math but you are entitled to your math and I’m entitled to THE math” (NPR, 10/24).

* Barack Obama will eat your souls.

* AP: The former head of the state’s I-PASS electronic toll-collection system, who stepped down in March amid questions about his handling of a contract, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

* Tribune: Although they promise to move Illinois forward, none of the candidates running for governor has offered a comprehensive blueprint or a bankroll to repair and widen congested, crumbling roads and make mass transit a preferred travel mode.

* Quote of the Day: “If Judy was in the governor’s office, she would be out there scooping the snow herself … and scooping a lot of other things as needed,” Tracy said.

* Once an independent loner in her party, Judy Baar Topinka now heads the ticket

* McMillin: Greens planting problems in elections

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 9:23 am

Comments

Interesting assessment by Rove.

Comment by Wumpus Diva Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 11:45 am
I think IL political reporters need to start doing some fact checking of their own on the Governor’s “puffery.” He said this in The Southern article ” adding he had directed his campaign to give Rezko’s donations to charity. ” Well? Have they? How much? To what charities? The press needs to follow up on these classic-Blago throw away lines, or they will be just as responsible for his next four disasterous budgets as the national press is for our mess in Iraq.

PS - anyone got a match?

Comment by Mike's Used Sports Section Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 12:12 pm
Rove’s polls have the patented Diebold margin of error factored in. He’s delusional.

Comment by doubtful Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 1:09 pm
Hilkevich’s column is sad but true. But look for a capital bill for transportation this spring, no matter who gets elected, and look for the payback to be shoved way off into the future like the pension deal.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 1:12 pm
eating my soul

Hmm, so maybe I just need to change my nickname for him from “The Prince” to the “PoD”

Maybe “oPoD”? *^^*

Comment by Pat collins Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 2:14 pm
Regarding - AP: The former head of the stateâ€™s I-PASS electronic toll-collection system, who stepped down in March amid questions about his handling of a contract, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.
Rusty Castillo is now a Chief of Procurement for the Illinois Tollway (the warehouse operations so it covers more than just the procurement portion) and they made it its own department. Rusty was the manger over procurement when the printing fiasco was done. Rusty Castillo is very upset today.
Where were Executive Director Jack Hartman and James A. Wright, Inspector General of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority?
Well, Hartman bailed, and Wright got promoted to Executive Inspector General.

GOOD JOB ROD!

Comment by Do Da Do Da Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 4:45 pm
That may not have been Rod - I hear they put the Autopen on automatic pilot.

Comment by Citizen A Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 6:16 pm
Kristin McQuery’s column was excellent for insights into Toddler’s campaign.

There must be some interesting ties between recent contributors to Stroger’s campaign and county business. Particularly from the lobbying community.

Comment by StrogerNoonanSameThing Thursday, Oct 26, 06 @ 6:17 pm