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* 11:00 am - The House just posted the first of its two hearings on the Senate-approved gaming bill. It’ll be held on Oct. 17th at 10:00 o’clock in the Thompson Center. [Hat tip to a subscriber in comments.]

* 11:03 am - You may have noticed that Bernie mentioned this site in his Sunday column…

Then there’s a flier, recently posted on www.thecapitolfaxblog.com, that accuses Madigan and President Bush of being “weapons of mass destruction” and says both are guilty of “failed leadership.”

“Madigan is an old style plantation political boss,” that flier says.

Brown said he believes the flier was distributed during budget battles this year at some South Side churches in Chicago and one in Decatur, where churchgoers are primarily black. Brown believes Blagojevich is behind the distribution. He called it “typical low-class crap you see from Blagojevich and his camp.”

REBECCA RAUSCH, spokeswoman for Blagojevich, didn’t immediately respond.

Here’s the flier, which was originally posted in the subscriber-only section. Click either pic for the full copy in pdf format…

* 11:20 am - My YouTube page has some new features. There are specialized playlists for videos about the Congressional campaigns, state legislative races and Cook County politics, plus several others. Go check it out.

* 11:40 am - The governor took some big whacks at Speaker Madigan on WBBM’s At Issue program over the weekend. Head to 780’s site to listen or just do so below…

[audio:blagoatissue9_30_08.mp3]

*** 11:48 am *** The House is scheduled to convene at noon today and then after the preliminaries they’ll open the Committee of the Whole to discuss the governor’s vetoes. I’ll be at the Statehouse and likely won’t blog much about it unless something big happens (and I’m paying attention - there’s more news I need to gather), so I’m asking readers to please live-blog the hearing in comments.

*** You can listen or watch by clicking here *** Thanks.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:00 am

Comments

That’s a pretty nasty flier.

Comment by Squideshi Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:08 am
Mike Madigan is one of the few things in Springfield holding the Governor back from really messing up the state. I am guessing by cooperate with the Governor, they mean fall his every word like a mindless rhetoric spitting robot.

Comment by RMW Stanford Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:13 am
Whoever designed that flyer needs to be checked into a mental institution cause they are very delusional and mentally whacked.

Comment by Crimefighter Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:15 am
Sorry
If Madiagan is a old style plantation boss,
what’s that make Blagojevich?

Comment by Pepperdine Rocket Scientist Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:19 am
“If Madiagan is a old style plantation boss,
what’s that make Blagojevich?”

Well its very telling that Rod worships Elvis who was often accused of stealing African American music and recording it as his own.

Comment by usedtoworkforhim Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:42 am
Don’t let the bad grammar and design fool you. I will not be in the least surprised when it comes out later that this flyer was sponsored by Team Blago.

Raush was wise not to comment; she remembers the last time. A SCURRILOUS flyer was distributed during the Gay Pride parade, Team Blago and Rebecca denied it all the way… until it was proved they had in fact distributed it, indeed, written the template for it. They blamed it on Seth Webb, who was gone by the time the recriminations came around. Wonder who will inspect the underside of a Greyhound for this job.

I wonder if the state had to print that hate speech using a union printer? Because I don’t see their logo on it. But Blago’s fingerprints are all over it.

Comment by Gutenberg Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 12:21 pm
Reading this flyer is like examining the note tied to a brick that was thrown through someone’s window. It is gutter-level politics. The people responsible for it say a great deal about their lack of respect for their intended audience, doesn’t it?

Just how stupid do they think their target readership is? It looks desperate and unconvincing in every possible way.

When a governor bullies, insults and brow-beats his opposition repeatedly, it become more difficult for him to not be accused of tactics like this one.

That said, I wouldn’t want to believe that a governor or a governor’s staff would stoop to this level - even a governor like Blagojevich.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 12:22 pm
Smells like something Rove would do, but fails in the execution. Makes it sound very much like His Hairness’ kind of tactics.

Comment by Mr. Interlocutor Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 12:32 pm
Word is the guy who did the Gay Pride flyer iw getting a fancy new office in the Bilandic Building to field “consumer complaints”
Most belive consumer fraud is handled by the AG, but that before BlunderBoy came on the scene.

Comment by Mr. W.T. Rush Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 12:40 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t a similar racially tinged flier mysteriously appear during the previous over time session claiming that certian House members were under Madigan’s control?

It’s interesting that those fliers appeared shortly after Blagojevich went on a speaking tour of Chicago churches. Coincidence? Perhaps…

It’s cliche but almost always true. The more things change…

Comment by M80 Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 12:56 pm
Ministery for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda strikes again.

Comment by Wacker Drive Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:10 pm
These fliers are hysterically bad.

But some of the language on them doesn’t seem like stuff that would come out of blago’s staff.

Maybe they put stuff on there to throw people off. But this almost looks like it is more likely to have come from the Emil world.

Why?

The line about ComEd. The only person who would criticize Madigan for his “attack on Commonwealth Edison” would be Emil or one of his supporters.

Furthermore - I don’t think Blagojevich has ever “supported the grassroots” or the “independent democratic movement.”

Just a strange (and mean-spirited) flier all-around.

Comment by GoCubsss Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:11 pm
Wow, from the idiotic, corrupt gov to the corrupt mayor, looks like that race card may need a new deck..or at least shuffled.

Comment by Wumpus Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:13 pm
[…] And Rrich is reporting that his readers are liveblogging the legislature. Is this a great country or what? […]

Pingback by Peoria Pundit » Blog Archive » Politics: 18th District candidates on YouTube Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:20 pm
Human Services providers have a good showing already. I don’t envy the administration when the media are plastering the Gov’s veto of these services on their papers

Comment by KIR Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:44 pm
How many House members are present?

Comment by Ben Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:00 pm
“What would Lou do?” This from the AP story…

Lifelong Chicago Cubs fan Rod Blagojevich told a crowd of cheering fans today that he’s stopped asking himself what the right thing to do is when he’s governing the state. Instead, the governor joked that he asks himself “What would Lou do?”

God is on the Governor’s side and now, apparently, has been reincarnated as a baseball manager? The Governor can’t even act like a statesman at sports rally? Dennis Rodman had more class with a dress and a wig on than Governor 312.

What would Lou do? He’d send your butt down to the minor leagues — that’s the appropriate class of your politics, Governor.

Comment by DC Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:12 pm
Did the flux capacitor ever get replaced on the Governor Blagojevich’s plane?

Comment by Time Traveler Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:14 pm
Ben,
fewer than 50 last time I ventured into the chamber.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:20 pm
A guess the question here should be - Why is the Governor at the Cubs rally instead of at the House COW meeting defending his budget cuts?

Comment by Bluefish Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:26 pm
Governor Hairdo just jinxed the Cubbies!

Comment by Another Democrat's Love Fest Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:29 pm
Simple, Bluefish -

He was invited to the Cubs rally.

He wasn’t invited to the Committee of the Whole.

And, let’s face it (sorry Rich), the Cubs are just more interesting.

Comment by GoCubsss Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:32 pm
Bluefish - Blago is at the Cubs rally because the legislature doesn’t matter, the Governor can make all state government decisions by himself.

Silly question.

Comment by Napoleon has left the building Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:34 pm
I am among the countless people that attended a Madigan hearing where anyone that wanted to discuss healthcare and even the capital bill was shut out.

The flyer is funny and is nothing compared to the Madigan infomercial format of the hearings that just wasted taxpayers’ funds.

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:38 pm
I attended a hearing and several individuals were given the opportunity to voice there opinion on healthcare

Comment by RE: Anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:41 pm
Dang that whole process of filling out a card to testify… what bureaucracy, what a travesty… (puh-leeze).

Comment by DC Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:43 pm
Rich,

Is there any truth to the flyer’s allegation of Frank Clark refusing to do business with Madigan (his law firm?) as O’Connor did?

Comment by JustWondering Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:48 pm
Anon 2:41
I am sure none of the healthcare folks were on the prescreened Madigan list. I know of at least one foolish rep that told people that healthcare was not germane to the hearing. I’ll say it again, they wasted a lot of people’s time.

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:51 pm
This Blago/Madigan “soap opera” has become too ugly for me. I no longer give a damn.

Comment by Patriot Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:53 pm
DC

Regular people and organized labor had to wait until after the Madigan monologue and preselected testimony before being heard.

If they didn’t like your message you had to wait until after 9:30 or in some cases people were not even heard at all. It was a trumped up show. That’s all. It will save some unions money from giving this year and that is ok.

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:57 pm
Autism, Mental health, drug and alcohol treatment….health care discussed up and down the state. the hearings probably skipped how to get Wyma’s insurance clients more business or Filan’s bod buddies a new issue.

Comment by Mr. W.T. Rush Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:00 pm
I’ve said all along the analogy that the legislative process is like watching sausage being made is truly an insult to the pork industry. Having testified on several bills in the past (granted not this go around), I know the process of actually being called can be frustrating (especially if you’re dissenting or you don’t have a huge PAC checkbook). For whatever the faults of these hearings in which people are upset — is it not better to at least have some opportunity for input rather than having the decisions made for you with a handshake, a pinky swear and wink of the eye from 5 men behind closes doors?

Comment by DC Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:07 pm
I was at a hearing, there was an open period for public comments. Nobody was told they couldn’t speak, most were limited to 2 minutes though. Any claim that the panelists were not legit is just unfair.

Comment by Napoleon has left the building Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:29 pm
Patriot…when you give up…they win…stay concerned! It is only then WE can make a difference…

Comment by Siyotanka Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:33 pm
I am getting tired (and sleepy) from listening to legitimate organizations talk about their legitimate needs for state funding.

I need some LOU LANG to wake me up. Please LOU for g-d’s sake, do some speechifying! LOU LOU LOU!

Comment by beavis Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:34 pm
I predict that gov will spin this Committee of the Whole Session as just what he hoped for when he bludgeoned and hacked the budget. How many families and individuals have been damaged directly and or indirectly by gov’s horrendously reckless actions? My god! Has he no conscience? Compared to this gov, Attila the Hun and Al Capone ran humane organizations. Over ride these AVs and move on to simply rolling over this speed bump we call a governor. It is time!

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:57 pm
Just listened to “At Issue”…BlunderBoy is really starting to ramble these days. Pressure must be mounting.
Zaniest answer came on the 7% solution disaster he has caused. Guess he forgot that we know he was MIA during the session (January to August) on the issue. Guess he forgot he signed the first 7% bill which was a 3 year program.
No wonder he will be surprised when he gets whacked on this one.

Comment by BlunderBoy Biographer Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 4:02 pm
Regarding the “cut” to autism…most families of childen with autism would rather the funds go to the new Children’s Medicaid Waiver and therefore directly to serving the children as opposed to hundreds of thousands of dollars for plasma screen TV’s and travel. Any money appropriated to the Waiver is federally matchable, grant funds are not.

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 4:26 pm
I am with those who say they are sick of this madigan infomercial tour. I mean seriously. They are staged. They are biased.

I know people who wanted to go testify. Because they werent on the pre-screened list they were first told the could NOT testify. Then when they finally were let on the list to testify (two days before the event) Madigan stuck them at the very end so no one else would be around.

Wait til he starts his anti-gambling tour!

Rod is not blameless, but dont act like Madigan is the messiah.

Bottom line. He doesnt want to give Blago any victory because he fears him politically. Doesnt matter the issue. He is worried that Blago might upset his apple cart with Lisa.

Comment by EL SALSA Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 4:36 pm
The flier is totally disgusting. I hope they find out who did this (as if I haven’t guessed already).

Also, is it true that the Gov was ‘booed’ at the Chicago baseball game last week?

Comment by girl friday Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 4:43 pm
I personally attended a local hearing where agencies, and individuals were free to speak. Some of these posts do not ring true, which leads me to believe that some of the posters are posers…… Similar to the ones that were sent to the local budget hearing I attended with FALSE INFO fliers in hand. Representative Al Riley said it best when he exposed some of the statements on the flier as lies when he asked questions of one village official whose village was named on the flier. The “facts” on the distributed flier were FALSE. Rep. Riley said that when we are trying to address serious issues and constituents are participating in the process, there is no room for lies. The posers left the meeting. GOOD RIDDANCE! These who are experiencing the cuts at the Governor’s hand are real people. They should not be pawns in a game for ANYONE’S gain. To cut healthcare to provide healthcare with your name on it is unforgivable. The voters are smart, very smart. They WILL NOT forget politician’s who use or abuse them to promote themselves. I pray they get their news from sources other than TV. TRUTH???? INTEGRITY???? MORE RICH MILLER!!!! LESS TV!!!!

Comment by Say WHAT? Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 4:58 pm
Like Da Mayor said, “Mr. Governor, when the Cubs win the World Series, Lou can go down to Springfield and help you straighten it out”!

What a great line!

Go Cubs!!!

Comment by South of I-80 Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 5:03 pm
Wow BlunderBoy has his bloggers working hard this afternoon. Looks like no one is buying. Too bad
How will he stop President Jones from overriding ?
Maybe a kidnapping. Stay safe Emil

Comment by BlunderBoy Biographer Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 5:07 pm
To Say What,
I wish you were correct but you are not even close. Most voters are not smart or very smart. Politicians of each party generally use whatever they can to promote themselves and most voters don’t know or care. Just look at who we elected starting with the Governor if you doubt me.

Comment by Silent Majority Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 5:20 pm
I learned many years ago that integrity means two things: telling the truth and keeping your word.

I never achieved perfection. But hopefully, I made some progress. If I did, I hope that it was because I tried to remain teachable.

Comment by Larry McKeon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 5:33 pm
Not just kind of booed, he was MAJORLY jeered. If even the drunks don’t like you, well…

Comment by He's Not Lou Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 5:39 pm
The Committee of the Whole proceedings sounded a lot like a recitation of offenses by gov for which they were holding a hearing! Perhaps this was practice for the proceedings against gov retaining office. It definitely should be.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 5:53 pm
What is strange about the hearing was how little the public, and even many at the Statehouse, are of all the “goodies” packed into a budget to get the members support.

While I agree that many of the projects sound like they do good, the funding is really hidden from the average taxpayer. They may appear in the final budget deal but who reads that? If the projects are so worthy of my tax dollars, put them in the budget of various departments, don’t hand out the goodies in the dark.

Comment by In The Spotlight Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 7:25 pm
- In The Spotlight -

“..don’t hand out the goodies in the dark..” This budget is not for a township, it is for a very large and complex state. The detail is there, but you may need to read hundreds if not thousand plus pages of budget detail to find what you are interested in. The format/style of a budget document is deliberate and straight forward once you understand its logic. It does remain complex, however.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 7:33 pm
I think it’s disgusting. How low can people go. Just when you think Blago can’t go any lower, he somehow does.

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 10:15 pm
Rich, it’s amazing. Whether it was Blago or Jones, as an african american, this is the most blatantly racist flier I have seen in a while. Basically, it says that the black folks leaving their church services are just poor ignorant sharecroppers with peanut brains that of course will now blindly see Madigan as the Master Racist. I mean these folks are saying black people are plain stupid, and you know Madigan did not put it out. Would you see this flier in a middle class white neighborhood? Of course not, because the author apparently feels white people can think. Isn’t anyone else getting that? And where is the press on this?

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 10:42 pm
Silent Majority 5:20 your words are Gold!!!!!!!!! Best comment of the day and year!!!

Comment by anon Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 10:45 pm
I find it telling that the Governor chose to be at the ballpark instead of in Springfield fighting for his budget and “standing up” to Madigan. Saw him on WGN tonight, messing up some kind of attempted witticism. He tried to say that for the day he was not a governor that liked baseball, but a cubs fan who happened to be governor. or something like that. Instead, he bobbled it, and it came out just sounding like “Im not really the governor”.

No kidding.

Swing and a miss! Where’s Redbyrd with that brave patter of his now? i.e. “Another home run!”

More like run home.

Comment by Mr. Interlocutor Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:12 pm
I want to see Blago stand before TV cameras and swear that neither he nor any of his staff had anything to do with the racist flyer. Give us that Bill Clinton poker face and tell us, to our faces, not hiding behind the girls.

I know better than to hold my breath. But the Chicago press should pester him for the personal denial mercilessley until he delivers it.

So we can play the tape back later when we find out the truth, of course.

Comment by Gregor Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:16 pm
Didn’t Madigan get booed at the Democrats Days? That would be the same day his pride and joy blew off the fair — like she did when Alexi was first running. Oh yeah, Hynes wasn’t here either. Go Alexi, Go Obama!

Comment by anon Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 4:22 am
Um, Madigan was only booed by some people that admitted Blago had hired them and transported them down to he fair from Chicago specifically to be hecklers, Sheila, I mean, “anon”.

Stay classy, Rod.

Comment by Gregor Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 6:57 am
I just listened to the At Issue piece. My God that man is an embarrasment to this state. How some of you continue to work for and defend Blago is beyond the imagination.

Comment by Anonymoose Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 8:51 am
Larry, great to hear from you. Hope you are well. Silent Majority, I understand your point, although I sincerely hope that my theory and belief will prove true. Only time will tell.

Comment by Say WHAT? Tuesday, Oct 2, 07 @ 11:44 am