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* 1:35 pm - I’m told that Sen. John McCain is making his first trip to Illinois as the presumptive nominee February 20th to attend an event for Jim Oberweis in Aurora. If Democrat Bill Foster’s latest poll is even close to right, then Oberweis may have trouble in the March 8 special general election and will need all the help from McCain that he can get…

The telephone survey of 525 “likely voters,” conducted in the five days after the Feb. 5 dual congressional primaries, showed Republican Oberweis leading 45 percent to Foster’s 43 percent. […]

Of the respondents, 41 percent said [they were] Democrat and 40 percent Republican. Given that result, and the narrow difference between responses for the actual candidates, Bowen described the abbreviated race as a “dead heat” in a district that gave retired Republican Rep. Dennis Hastert 60 percent of the vote in 2006.

You can read the full memorandum at this link.

* 1:45 pm - Midway privatization plan nears fruition…

The city on Wednesday took what it called a “milestone” step toward cashing out on its investment in Midway Airport, announcing that most of Midway’s airlines back a privatization plan and issuing what’s known as a request for qualifications.

The RFQ asks that firms and investment groups interested in leasing Midway for at least 50 years respond by March 31.

* 1:58 pm - A good friend just pointed out to me that SJ-R readers voted this blog their favorite. Read the full list here. Thanks to all who voted. I didn’t even know the contest was going on.

* 2:18 pm - Tempers appear to be boiling over at the Statehouse among some Latino legislators. Sen. Willie Delgado just angrily confronted Rep. Susana Mendoza on the 1st floor about her support for his primary opponent. Earlier, in a super-classy move, Delgado and Sen. Iris Martinez both yelled at my intern about their coverage.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 1:36 pm

Comments

Pulling out the big guns. That’s my district from growing up and I think it really is a close race. Should be interesting.

Comment by Aaron Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 1:45 pm
Maybe we can get John McCain to comment on the Illinois budget situation, too?

“Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Filan…”

Comment by GoBearsss Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 1:46 pm
How does McCain fit with Oberweis? McCain doesn’t seem conservative enough for Obie, and why McCain would want a whackjob’s support, rich though he may be, I don’t fathom. McCain just went down a notch in my estimation.

Comment by I don't get it Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 1:50 pm
GoBearsss, that’s your best comment in weeks. Keep up the good work.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 1:57 pm
ask global strategy group / foster to release the actual language of the “profile” question…is it a realistic portrayal of the race? Does it include the most likely negatives that will be used against Oberweiss and Foster? Or, it it a question designed to give Foster the edge?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:02 pm
Strange, given their immigration positions. Will Oberweis take him up in the helicopter and show him the Mexican invasion of Soldier Field? Is this McCain’s way to stick it to Hastert for his pre-primary comments? Or is it fence-mending? Wonder if Denny will be there.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:03 pm
McCain doesn’t need Obie’s support, the primary is already over. Maybe McCain thinks this will boost his “helping the party” credentials by helping a conservative.

Comment by Frank Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:08 pm
Rich, I don’t think I have commented in weeks!

But thank you anyway!

Comment by GoBearsss Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:12 pm
Having McCain come in shows that Obie is willing to compromise his ideological principles just for a win. What a shocker! Obie and McCain are a total mismatch. Then again, Hastert and McCain had no love towards each other either. I have to wonder how this appeals to Obie’s base. Remember, this special election in the 14th is goofy (voting on a freaking Saturday?), so the GOTV is critical. Not sure how this helps.

Comment by Bluefish Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:15 pm
Seems like King Richie is willing to sell the meat of the City for a buck.

Unloading the Skyway which was a money loser from the start was one thing, but Midways is another. Selling tha airprt is like selling the Lottery at the state level. Short term gain, but long term loss…..

Run the airport at a profit and feed the coffers that way. If you sell all the fixed assets to pay these pension obligations, what will you sell to fund the next ones?

Comment by plutocrat03 Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:25 pm
Somewhere you’ll find me commenting Oberweis sounded just like McCain responding to Foster on withdrawel from Iraq during the League of Women Voters debate.

I’ve long beend disappointed with Oberweis on immigration among other things but if he sticks with McCain, he may pull it off.

I think his latest TV ad good. He should have been running those instead of the ones featuring Hastert during the primary.

Comment by Bill Baar Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:26 pm
Getting yelled at as an intern, do you get a badge for that? Or do you just get your first round paid for at Boone’s?

Comment by Kiyoshi Martinez Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:28 pm
He can take it… mainly because he’s apparently a lot more mature than those two sore winners. Amazing how people think nobody has a right to challenge their seats and get all upset when people write about said challenge.

Pure class.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:30 pm
“Earlier, in a super-classy move, Delgado and Sen. Iris Martinez both yelled at my intern about their coverage.”

I always find that is always a fool-proof way to impact the coverage you are receiving.

:)

Comment by GoBearsss Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:33 pm
Apparently everyone is in a great mood. Representative Black just spent 20 minutes in a committee screaming at staffer.

Comment by It's gonna be a long year Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:35 pm
They’ll get the coverage they deserve, which has always been the case with them and everyone else.

I told Kevin to just consider the source and move on.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:36 pm
why does the press let Daley off the hook about selling off City assets to pay for current obligations? This is the same thing they chewed out Blagojevich for. It’s a lousy tradeoff, no matter who’s doing it. I’ve got no problem with privatization - it’s when the payment stream is lump sum instead of on-going. The Mayor should be taken to task for this.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:39 pm
Did Bradley’s wife win her election?

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 2:54 pm
Does Kevin get to yell back when people yell at him? I think I already know the answer to that. lol

Comment by Levois Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:01 pm
On what factual or financial basis Annon 2:39 and Pluto assert that the Skyway was a “bad deal?” The City’s bond rating and cash-on-hand ratings were raised by all the Wall Street rating agencies as a result of the deal. So in addition to the cash generated from the deal, they have lowered costs for all future financing needs. In most publications the Skyway and city garage leasing deals were praised as great examples of how public-private deals should work. The lottery is a whole other story and was panned for good reasons.

Comment by P3 is Ok with Me Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:12 pm
This is the first I’ve heard of their readers poll too. Why is best blog the only category with only two winners instead of three?

Comment by sj-r Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:23 pm
got yelled at

Look at the bright side - you know you are “somebody” when you are important enough to be yelled at by officials.

Comment by Pat Collins Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:23 pm
You shouldn’t use the words class and Iris Martinez in the same sentence.
Yes, Bradley’s wife won, barely.

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:24 pm
What’s with all the yelling and bickering? They should all just shut up and try doing their jobs for a change.

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:27 pm
Anon 239 wrote “why does the press let Daley off the hook about selling off City assets to pay for current obligations?”

Because the vast majority of the assets were NOT used to pay for current obligations, but instead set aside to produce revenue for future obligations. How ’bout that.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/n
ewspaper/printedition/thursday/chi-skyw
y25oct25,0,272886.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

Comment by With p3 Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:30 pm
Just think, smothing in their brains told them it was a good idea to try and improve their press coverage by yelling at Kevin. Setting aside the poor taste of the act, consider that in their minds they thought this was a good idea to get what they wanted!!! This is the wisdom they have gained from life.

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:36 pm
I said the skyway was a money loser for the city from the start. There was not prospect if ever turning it around.
Selling that albatross was a good idea for the taxpayers, but a bad idea for the users.

The airport is not a bad asset to keep control of.

Comment by plutocrat03 Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:41 pm
If Foster has any clout, he will get Obama to do a campaign appearance here for him. Now THAT would be interesting.

Highly unlikely, but you never know.

McCain is a good fit for promoting a candidate for the 14th. I think he won most or all of the counties there.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 3:54 pm
Yelling at someone else’s intern shows a complete lack of class. It’s bad enough when a legislator or official yells at his or her own intern.

Oberweis could easily lose this race. It wouldn’t shock me, either, since Obie and his campaign manager are doofi.

Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:00 pm
They can’t beat up our pledges!

Yeah! Only we can do that!

Comment by Napoleon has left the building Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:08 pm
Rich, I don’t think Delgado and Martinez were yelling about their coverage, I believe they were complaining about YOUR coverage.

But its not every day you hear an f-bomb in the Senate.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:13 pm
most of the coverage of the races involving the
Latino caucus were in your subscriber only
portion so it is impossible to assess what you said.
While I think that yelling at the intern is not
a nice thing to do, are the links to the coverage
now open so a full assessment can be made by all of us? that full assessment will determine whether the intern was unloaded on because he was the first CapFax person
Willie and Iris saw (interesting since they are not pals) and he got what you would have gotten if they had seen you.

don’t know, did not read it, but, tempers in those races ran real high.

Comment by Amy Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:13 pm
Wow.
ChopperJim and Whacky Jack together.What happens if ChopperJim gets spanked? Doesn’t McCain get a week of bad press about failing get a wing nut into Congress. Remember this is general election….moderate GOPers can vote for the D.
Seems like a loser for McCain. I am sure we can have some with a sudden “change of schedule” notice in a few days.

Comment by IncrediblyDumberThanYouThink Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:13 pm
The Dems in the 14th are NOT going to be able to pull off the GOTV on a Saturday in what, 22 days now?! The Republicans are hanging on by a nail in Illinois, and so every nail comes out………believe me when I say that there will be threats a flyin for those R’s that don’t get out and vote. Dems, fat chance of any coordination, they would have had to ID every mailbox in the district.
Obama would be smart NOT to stand by Foster……….Foster is a hiding, bought and paid for (and paid not yet paid up) dud!

Comment by Its all about GOTV Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:13 pm
Levois,

Kevin gets to write back. And, seeing as how he’s an intern, he’s going to have probably a longer career in the field than any currently sitting State Senator — he’s just starting.

Don’t tick off the people who buy ink by the barrel…

Congrats on the ‘rite of passage’ Kevin. Seeing as how what you wrote was factual, consider it a badge of honor. (If you had erred, they’d have every right to be livid — but that’s not the case.)

Comment by Rob_N Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:20 pm
It’s all about GOTV…

Keep up the hollow fraidy cat attitude — it’s quite becoming.

Chopper Jim has a lot to be worried about, without your juvenile comments having to point out just how scared Kane Republicans must be.

Comment by Rob_N Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:21 pm
Don’t tick off the people who buy ink by the barrel…

… Or can buy gigabytes of bandwidth and storage by the dollar.

Comment by Kiyoshi Martinez Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:24 pm
Selling off public assets was one of the pillars of Thatcherism. Now the dems who were so critical (at least their ideological ancestors were) want to do it. Bad idea then, bad idea now.

Comment by Puzzled Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 4:30 pm
“Amazing how people think nobody has a right to challenge their seats and get all upset when people write about said challenge.”

Bingo! Excellent observation here, Rich.

Comment by Squideshi Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 5:02 pm
Using the term “yelling” and the names “Delgado and Iris Martinez” in the same sentence is just plain wrong. If anyone knows either of the two, they were probably having a cordial conversation. They just seem to come across as yelling with their typical exaggerated mannerisms and angry pitched tone. Its a cultural thing. You wouldn’t understand!

Comment by The Puerto Rican Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 5:16 pm
Even in the throes of Obamarama, the 14th is still GOP turf. There are more solid R voters in the district than there will be ballots cast in the special. Obie needs to have his people stay focused on the “X’s and O’s” and stay out of the mud pit.

But it certainly must be satisfying for McCain to come in to Illinois two weeks after Private Citizen Hastert dumped all over him to try and save the seat that Denny abandoned three months ago. Denny should get a more time-consuming hobby.

Comment by Adam Smith Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 5:33 pm
If Iris had received all the “coverage” she deserved, Bradley might have won the primary.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 5:33 pm
seriously Rich, please provide us with the
links to your coverage of the Latino caucus
races. You are a source of information but
you are an opinion column, so it’s important
to see what information you presented and
how you did it.

that said, the only person any Democratic State Senator is really concerned about is Emil.

Comment by Amy Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 5:41 pm
Those two are bozos. Seriously–Willie and Iris? Get a life. I hope Kevin told them off right back.

I remember one time a Rep yelled at me. I informed him, quite seriously, that I did not work for him and was doing him a favor (which I was. I wasn’t assigned to him). He quickly backed off. Usually these people are like that. They try to take advantage of you because they have egos big enough to drive a Mack truck through, but when you call them on it they get quiet real quick.

Now, when my boss yelled at me, that was when I took notice and was quiet. If he raised his voice, there was probably a good reason, and I tried to learn from it, however distasteful it may have been. I worked for HDem leadership, not loudmouth Reps.

Comment by some former legislative intern Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 5:48 pm
Sorry P3 and with P3. The numbers don’t add up. The Mayor got $1.8 billion for the Skyway, giving away 99 years of revenues. Some he used to pay of bonds of 30 years or less. Less than 30% got set aside in a “long-term” rainy day fund, and the rest is being dissipated in the short run - the next several years. For the next 99 years, the City will get nada except the rainy day fund. Any way you slice it, this was stealing from the future to make the present rosier. Not a GOOD deal - just less of a BAD idea than the lottery sale.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 6:25 pm
Again, does McCain’s appearance help the Milk Stud?

Here’s how McCain did in the counties of the 14th-

Kane McCain 50% Romney 29%
DuPage McCain 53% Romney 28%
Kendall McCain 46% Romney 31%
DeKalb McCain 48% Romney 28%
Lee McCain 47% Romney 25%
Bureau McCain 43% Romney 32%
Whiteside McCain 40% Romney 31%
Henry Romney 38% McCain 37%

A winner in a 5-way race in all counties but Henry, where he was edged out by 10 votes.

Oberweis won every county in the race and actually did better out west.

His campaign claims McCain’s appearance is part of a strategy to reach out to Independent and democratic voters.

By having the GOP presidential frontrunner appear?

These are strange times indeed. Can’t think McCain will hurt the Stud, tho.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 8:32 pm
I witnessed Willie Delgado’s tantrum that was thrown at Rep. Mendoza. He is a disgrace. It confirms that Willie is nothing more than an insecure blowhard that does not even deserve to be in the same room as Rep. Mendoza. He seems to still be scared that a political newcomer, his opponent, won 10,000 votes and has no sign of slowing down. He should be scared. Rep. Mendoza is a class act who has nowhere to go but up. Evident by last week’s numbers, and his actions today, Willie is sinking lower everyday.

Comment by Witness Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 9:08 pm
Why is Iris Martinez complaining about your coverage of her–you predicted she would win.

Susanna Mendoza was in the Peter Zelchenko book It Happened 4 Years ago about the 1999 race for alderman in the 1st ward. A rare glimpse into Machine politics.

Comment by LK Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 9:24 pm
Lets see..Mendoza’s former staffer loses big to an alderman and then runs’s someone that also loses against Willie. I’d say that she better hope to go anywhere but up. Congrats to both Iris and Willie. Both are a credit to the statehouse and not bought and paid for embarrassments.

Comment by ss Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 9:31 pm
Oh yeah, I also forgot about the losing campaign she ran for Michelle Chavez…Nice person but she’s gone astray.

Comment by ss Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 9:33 pm
Yelling at anyone, from the lowest to the highest in the Statehouse is just plain undignified. Have some respect for the place, the institution and yourselves, for God’s sake. Your current reputations with the voting public could use a little polishing.

Comment by Disgusted Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 10:43 pm
well, again, since there is no access to what Rich Miller wrote in the protected capfax bits, onto the other fight….. it looks like the divide here is between House people and Senate people, no surprise. and it seems that Emil scored big on election day, with one House win, which I am sure makes the House people a little on edge.

wow, driving Willie into the arms of the Senate
President into an alliance with Iris. very interesting people.

Comment by Amy Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 10:57 pm
Amy, if you want to read the stories, subscribe.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 11:18 pm
SS is right. Although i cannot comment about Delgado yelling at an intern, “yelling” at Mendoza is a different matter. He was talking to other members who when it happened when she walked by. It lasted about 10 seconds.

Delgado has had some very close elections in the past and relatively speaking, he kicked butt in this one. She was up front and center supporting his opponent. I guess any one of us would do a little trash talk

Comment by anon Wednesday, Feb 13, 08 @ 11:19 pm
Congrats to Sen Martinez and Sen Delgado. Both deserve re-election. Its a sad day when one of Madigan’s (Chairman of the Democratic)chief allies and our Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s former campaign manager threatens the Senate President’s pick for his leadership team. Mike Noonan had no right to threaten Martinez. I am glad he and others, like him, were unsuccessful.

Comment by anon Thursday, Feb 14, 08 @ 8:52 am
For those of you who do not know - Martinez was told, as reported in the Chicago Reader, that they would take her out (or something to that effect)if she accepted the Senate President’s offer to make her part of the leadership team.

Comment by anon Thursday, Feb 14, 08 @ 8:55 am
rich, i wish i could spend the money to subscribe but that is outside of my budget to support what is for me just a fun hobby, reading about politics.
but, since this blog is very interesting, I am sure
your subscription is well worth it.

Comment by Amy Thursday, Feb 14, 08 @ 9:26 am