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Do you remember the Black Caucus’ legislative golf outing I blogged about yesterday? The outing was held in the Chicago area while the General Assembly was in session in Springfield.
Well, WLS Radio reporter Ryan Hermes reports today that the governor’s office is the one that tipped reporters to the story. A Blagojevich spokesperson flatly denied responsibility, and Andy Shaw, who ran with the golf outing story Monday night, said he didn’t hear about it from the guv’s office. Still, Hermes is a good reporter and here’s his piece…
At a time when the governor could use all the friends he can get - his office reportedly tried to paint the legislature’s black caucus recent golf outing in a bad light. […]
Two black caucus members and another lawmaker confirmed to me that the governor’s office called reporters in Chicago to tell them about the event, where it was, and to suggest they ask why the lawmakers taking part were golfing as opposed to working in Springfield.
This revelation is not going down well with BC members, of course…
State Representative Art Turner (D-Chicago) is a member of House leadership and was in Springfield - not golfing - on Monday. But that still doesn’t mean he is fine with what was said.
“For the governor to even think that it’s going to get him some kind of headlines to even move (closer) to resolving this budget issue, I think he’s sadly mistaken,” said Turner. […]
[Rep. Marlow Colvin]: “When you play sports you learn how to work together, how to show leadership, and how to bring people together. Well, the governor’s always been a runner and a boxer - two individual sports - where competition against other people is always the goal.”
That’s a fascinating insight by Colvin.
Thoughts?
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:16 am
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Marlow Colvin is one of the sharpest knives in the drawer.
Comment by Napoleon has left the building Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:22 am
Seth Webb’s parting shot?
Comment by Don't worry, be happy Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:26 am
WOW!! If this is true this is definitely not a good thing. Karma baby!
Comment by anon Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:30 am
I don’t think Blago has to worry about the African American vote, golf outing-outing or no.
He’s their man until an African American runs for guv, which doesn’t seem to be on the horizon.
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:35 am
What’s he thinking?
Comment by Bluefish Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:36 am
I gotta agree on Colvin - he’s a smart guy.
Comment by gulag Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:39 am
Casandra,
Two words
Senator Meeks
Comment by OneManBlog Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:39 am
Oh ya!
Comment by Northside Bunker Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:42 am
I completely agree with Representative Colvin. He is someone who plays sports, obviously.
Sports reflects on a person’s character - just as hobbies do. This is a person’s free time, and we do what we like to do during free time. What does Blagojevich’s dedication to running say about him? As another runner, swimmer and skier, I have something in common with him, so I’ll share.
Running lets you set your own pace. You get to be outside, watching the seasons change, feeling the breeze, and on a day like this, the hot sunshine. You hear your own panting and feel your own muscles relaxing as they stretch and warm. You go into a rhythmic state of mind - you think a great deal, and if you run the same course daily, objects your encounter cause you to return to ideas and thoughts to work out in your head.
Rod has young children, as do I. We want to be healthy fathers. We want to look young, feel great, and stay skinny. We like to sweat.
How does this reflect on our abilities to work in groups? Actually, it reflects quite a bit.
We don’t have to depend on others. We don’t have to play nice. We don’t have to change our personal schedules to accommodate others. We don’t have to show up on time. We can endure a great deal of personal discomfort. We focus on a goal, at all costs. Nothing stops us from getting to where we want to go. Mother Nature can throw blazing heat, rain, gale winds, and snow, but that only makes us feel even more forceful as we cross our personal finish line. We laugh at hill, and love to feel our hearts bursting as we reach crest them.
The Governor runs regularly and experiences these things on a regular basis. He probably does this 5-9 hours a week. So, yes - what Blagojevich does for sports sets a tone and says quite a few things about who he is.
If you are not a sportsman, your personality is reflected by your hobbies. If you spend an hour a day in a bar drinking, it reflects on you. If you spend an hour racing pidgeons, not only does that reflect on you - I’d feel sorry for you too, (but you do get to eat the losers - just don’t tell PETA
).
Couple his running with his boxing and you have a governor who probably couldn’t play “Go Fish” with a two-year old without cheating. Put him in a room of politicians and he’ll do fine, as long as he doesn’t have to work with them.
Representative Colvin has stated what I have thought for five years, everytime I run past the Lagoon. Somehow I have Blagojevich paired up with the Lagoon when I run by. I just see him in a swamp, I guess.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 9:53 am
Yes, it’s obvious that Blago consults with the most important advisor he knows: himself.
I don’t think sports define who you are. I used to lift and workout by myself all the time, but that didn’t mean that I was a loner who hated people or shunned cooperation. I merely preferred doing it on my own. Many people I have known that played football in college or for a semi-pro team are calm and collected and wouldn’t hurt a person. And a friend of mine who is an MMA fighter is laid-back and humorous.
Hobbies, however, are different. Hobbies often show what a person is committed to and interested in, whereas people often may play sports or exercise just to lose weight or stay in shape.
Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 10:11 am
Blagojevich a boxer ? Has anyone ever thought to check his boxing record or lack of. Please this guy was a joke.
Comment by Lula May Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 10:28 am
What an interesting take on the whole mentality of this Governor. Way to go Marlow!!!!
Comment by Kid Vegas Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 10:31 am
I am disappointed in Andy Shaw and Jay Stewart who Shaw interviewed. Both of them know better. They know what is going in Springfield, they know rank and file members have nothing to do, they know that the Gov is granstanding, yet they file (Shaw) and participate in (Stewart) a story who’s only purpose is to play on the public’s perceptions of “do-nothing” politicians. Shame on them.
Comment by pjs Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 10:47 am
What hapens if; whenever the leaders decide that they have a budget proposal in the best interests of all, that the Black Caucus decides to hold out their support, believing that this is their opportunity to leverage their collective minority power for greater weighting of a priority item for their constituency?
Having the Black Caucus views represented in negotiations, is not necessarily the same as tallying their votes on the floor.
It appears to an outside obeserver that the universal collective support of the Black Caucus is all too often taken for granted by many, and much like the recent dissension of the Hispanic Caucus (especially in the Senate)storm clouds could be forming on the horizon, even though it appears as though it might be perfect weather for golf.
Let’s see what happens when push really comes to shove, but I would not be at all surprised to see some that have always been assumed to be pushovers, suddenly start to push back, at the most inopportune time for those that are used to doing the pushing.
Comment by Off the Reservation Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 10:48 am
Cassandra,
It’s not about switching your support. It’s about withholding it. Present votes, staying home on election day, that sort of thing.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 10:57 am
But for Blago, I believe, the next election is the only thing that’s really important. Sure, he’d like to do some populist, pr-friendly programs that he can talk about endlessly on the campaign trail. But the main thing is….get re-elected in 2010. He’s a campaigner, not a policy guy.
And African Americans probably won’t vote for Lisa in a primary fight.
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 11:05 am
Vanilla Man,
First post of yours I’ve agreed with, ever and not only do I agree with it, I think it should be required reading for anyone dealing with the Gov.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 12:51 pm
Vanilla Man,
Why didn’t you push him into the lagoon with all of the ducks? A little water splashed on the face may wake him up out of the two month stupor and figure out how to negotiate with someone besides himself……
Comment by Concerned Citizen Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 1:16 pm
Cassandra - How you conclude that African Americans probably won’t vote for Lisa Madigan in a primary fight is beyond me.
1. Madigan garnered nearly 200,000 more votes in the ‘06 primary than Blagojevich, including 100,000 more votes in Cook County. That’s despite the fact that her race was down-ballot and uncontested.
2. Edwin “Anybody but Rod” Eisendrath garnered 275,000 votes against Blagojevich, including 154,000 votes in Cook County. Essentially, Lisa Madigan starts out with 275,000 votes in the bank against Blagojevich before she even becomes Lisa Madigan.
3. In 2002, when both Madigan and Blagojevich had contested primaries, Madigan got 211,532 more votes in Cook and even got 29,521 more Democratic votes in downstate, even though Downstate was supposedly “Rod Country.”
4. I don’t think that anyone would deny that Madigan’s popularity and job approval numbers have steadily improved since 2002, while Blagojevich’s have been in steady decline, or at least stagnant.
5. Primary voting patterns in African American precincts, especially in Chicago, are driven mainly by local endorsements and get-out-the-vote efforts. Who do you think has more friends among black political leaders, Lisa Madigan and Mike Madigan, or Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn? Not even a contest.
6. And in case folks have forgotten, Marlow Colvin is one of the key decisionmakers in Stroger’s 8th Ward organization. The 8th alone produced 14,749 Democratic primary voters in 2006, which included 13,256 votes for Rod. Those votes could just as easily swing 13-1 against Rod. And to put the 8th Ward in perspective, there are only 6 COUNTIES in Illinois that produce more Democratic Primary voters. Oh yeah - Jay Hoffman’s Madison County and Doug Scott’s Winnebago County aren’t in that list.
I think Andy Shaw is being completely disingenuous. Maybe the tip call didn’t come directly from the Governor’s Office — maybe it came from Doug Scoffield or a friend-of-a-friend, but several reporters told the Black Caucus before the event that they’d gotten a call from the Governor’s office encouraging them to go to Harborside Golf Course and play “Gotchya.”
Unfortunately, Shaw was suckered into being the Gov’s tool, which is kind of pathetic for a veteran.
Politics aside, why’s the Governor attacking lawmakers for raising money for a scholarship program to send kids to college? How dumb is that? And if Andy Shaw or Jay Stewart had a longstanding commitment to help raise money for kids on what was supposed to be their day off, and their boss asked them to come into the office, wouldn’t they tell their boss “On any other day I’d love to, but I can’t break my promise to these kids.”
The irony of course is that every member of the Black Caucus has put in more time and effort getting a budget passed than the Governor. If he’d bothered to show up for the first five months of his work year, we probably wouldn’t have this problem.
And if you don’t think this will come back to bite Rod in the butt, think again. The Black Caucus members were never thrilled about Rod’s “Illinois Covered,” but at least some of them were willing to support it because their loyal Democrats, and he is the Democratic Governor. But “Illinois Covered” is deader than dead right now, I guarantee it.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 1:39 pm
After all, politics,like boxing, is a blood sport.And the Governor keeps bleeding from self-inflicted wounds.
I think it’s quite possible that there will be an African Amrican candidate (Meeks?)running in the primary against the Governor, which will dilute his base in the African American community.
Regardless, I think Lisa Madigan or Dan Hynes will defeat the Governor soundly in a primary. Even if he does not get indicted (I hope he isn’t inmdcted), I think the Governor will be seriously wounded politically by the corruption that apparently swirled all around his adminstration during his first term in office.
2010 is nort likely to be a good year for our incumbent Governor and Cook County Board President. My best guess is that the electorate is going to be in a “throw the rascals out” mood.As it stands now this it appears that this is likely to occur in a primary rather than the general election. Republicans aren’t looking very competitive. But a lot can change between now and then.
Comment by Captain America Wednesday, Aug 1, 07 @ 4:37 pm