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* Sun-Times

The governor also acknowledged the Illinois State Police is on alert for synagogues and gathering places for Jewish people across the state. He said there is no immediate threat that the FBI or law enforcement has detected.

“But they are remaining vigilant, as should all of you,” Pritzker said.

* WBBM Radio

As the backer of the new state law penalizing book bans in Illinois, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias says he is getting death threats just like some library officials have.

Giannoulias says it’s abhorrent that people are making threats against libraries because they have books on their shelves that some find objectionable. The new law he proposed withholds state grants to libraries that agree to ban books.

Now, he’s getting threats, too, Giannoulias said at a Union League Club of Chicago luncheon Tuesday.

* Click here to check out the replies


If you dare, check out the extreme vitriol in comments from both the far left and far right https://t.co/oSnwZxdRf3

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 11, 2023

* Bailey supported Donald Trump’s preferred candidate Jim Jordan…


Not surprised that establishment lapdog and career politician, @RepBost, betrayed Southern Illinois and President @realDonaldTrump and voted for establishment candidate, Steve Scalise for speaker. We deserve better. #twill

— Darren Bailey (@DarrenBaileyIL) October 11, 2023

* During last night’s University of Chicago Institute of Politics event, Gov. Pritzker was asked by the moderator: “There’s a sense that blue states are getting more and more progressive and red states are shifting in the other direction, getting more and more deeply conservative. Do you feel like we are at a point now where we are in essence living in two different Americas?”

The great sort, as we’ve seen. Look, I do think that there are people who are choosing to leave places like Texas and Florida, which are taking away peoples’ rights. I mean, if you’re a parent of a transgender child, why would you stay in Texas? Why would you stay in Florida? If you’re a woman who’s seeking to exercise her reproductive health rights, why would you stay in Texas or Florida? And we can name lots of other states like that right now. Missouri or Iowa. The fact is that I do think it’s important for us to make the case to people that they should move to our state. But here’s what I would say to you. When you say, well, the red states are moving red and the blue states are moving bluer. I mean, does anybody think Georgia is getting redder? I don’t think so. Does anybody think Texas is getting redder? I don’t think so. And in fact, those two are great examples of a real shift that’s happening in the South, where if we can protect voting rights in those states, and many other Southern states have excluded people of color or tried their best to do that. And there have been case after case after case that’s been brought to protect their rights. And the more we do that, the more we’re going to see people step up and go vote. And believe me when I tell you that across the South that there are an awful lot of Democrats who, if they show up at the polls, we will win.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

* There’s a tendency
among some in the Washington, DC press corps to blame Democrats for Republicans moving so far to the right, as if Republican voters and the people they elect have no personal agency. The Washington Post followed in that tradition over the weekend with an Illinois-related piece

Illinois Democrats drew new maps. The changes pushed the GOP to the right.

The governor was asked about that as well last night

I want to have you pay attention to one really important thing. We did not create the problem that Republicans are having now. They are extremists. Mary Miller, who is a member of that crazy caucus, and is a Representative here, US representative here in Illinois, legitimately beat another congressperson to win the seat. He didn’t run as good a campaign. Donald Trump was very popular in the area and chose to endorse her over the other Republican in that primary. That you know, that challenge is happening with Republicans all over the country. And they’re the ones who have this problem. I mean, they, like I said, there’s a fever in the Republican Party and primaries, you’re seeing it. There’s a race going on in Southern Illinois right now between incumbent Republican Mike Bost and his Republican opponent Darren Bailey. And I think one might say that what is going on here, this is the Republicans eating each other alive. So, that article, I want you to look at the chart that’s in the middle of that article. That chart shows the states that that they said were gerrymandered. You know, how many of them were Republican gerrymanders versus Democratic gerrymanders? It was like three to one Republicans over Democrats. So this is a national problem. If you’re going to solve redistricting, and the problem of redistricting, you have to do it at the national level. It cannot be done state by state because we would be unilaterally disarming.

The chart

Deputy Gov. Andy Manar also commented on the WaPo piece

And the idea that congressional districts in rural America should be molded around the (mostly Republican) incumbents that occupy them to save Republican Party from itself is so DC.

Your thoughts?

* Maybe now Bloomberg will stop its incessant claims about how Johnson had proposed a tax on electronic trades. Tribune

But the vast majority of Johnson’s economic agenda that he laid out during his campaign and entailed a bundle of new taxes was not included in next year’s budget proposal. Those campaign plans, which were met with trepidation from the business class, included reinstating a $4-per-employee corporate head tax on large companies, boosting the jet fuel levy, instituting a charge on securities trades and increasing the hotel tax. […]

Closing the gap will entail Johnson taking a record $434 million from tax-increment financing funds, $39 million more than last year while $50 million more will come from the previous year’s surplus. Taking money from TIFs is a tactic previous mayors have used that has been controversial because it is a one-time fix.

The administration is also counting on an additional $112.6 million in “operational efficiencies within our departments as we look towards service deliveries without service cuts,” his budget director Annette Guzman told reporters in a Tuesday briefing. Another $89.2 million will be saved via bond refinancing, and $41.5 million will be trimmed from personnel expenses on health care management.

In an unexpected prediction, the city also is projecting $186.8 million more in revenue, mostly from local taxes, than it previously indicated while another $35 million in funds will come from revenue enforcement collections.

* Center Square gonna Center Square

Police union president: Chicago crime ‘getting worse, not better’ […]

Catanzara said numbers may show crime is down in some areas, but perception is everything.

“We are taking suggestions and recommendations on what should be done because it is getting worse, not better,” Catanzara said. “Violent crime may be down, but the feeling of being less safe in this city is prevalent.”

* Tim Mapes has been reaching out to old friends and acquaintances asking them to send character letters to his judge ahead of his sentencing hearing. Click here to read it.

* Isabel’s roundup…

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:09 pm

Comments

  1. Catanzara’s source: “Trust me, bro.”

    Comment by The Truth Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:17 pm

  2. ==“Violent crime may be down, but the feeling of being less safe in this city is prevalent.”==

    FOP Lodge 7 demands an additional $3 billion in the forthcoming City of Chicago budget for enhancements in vibes-based policing. “If it feels like it should be a crime, we should be able to enforce what we think the law should be accordingly.”

    Comment by Roadrager Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:18 pm

  3. The premise of the WaPo piece was that Democratic redistricting pushed Illinois Republicans way to the right. But the Illinois GOP, in fact, made that move all by themselves. They were the ones that voted out Rodney Davis in the GOP primary. And the increasingly extreme right-wing tilt among Republicans is why they are marginalized in Illinois.

    Comment by jackmac Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:27 pm

  4. “The governor also acknowledged the Illinois State Police is on alert for synagogues and gathering places for Jewish people across the state”

    That is a good thing when local protestors marched on the Israeli consulate holding “from the river to the sea” signs protesting against Israel when it was Hamas militants that killed over 1000.

    https://abc7chicago.com/palestinian-protest-in-chicago-today-israeli-consulate-downtown/13879122/

    Comment by Donnie Elgin Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:27 pm

  5. Because progressives like JB Pritzker are moving further left and the eastern block is moving further right, and the fact that politicians have totally distorted the maps to minimize swing districts, a record number of voters nationally-49% now identify as independents and only 25% identify at Republican or Democrat

    https://www.axios.com/2023/04/17/poll-americans-independent-republican-democrat

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:27 pm

  6. Catanzara said. “Violent crime may be down, but the feeling of being less safe in this city is prevalent.”

    . . . which I’m sure has nothing at all to do with the nonstop fearmongering from Catanzara and his ilk.

    Comment by charles in charge Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:32 pm

  7. - LP -

    Explain Darren Bailey getting 56+% in a 6-way primary… statewide.

    Don’t hurt yourself.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:36 pm

  8. Polarization is a problem and gerrymandering does contribute to it, but I don’t know that the Washington Post is putting out the best examples. Republican primaries lean right and Dem primaries lean left, regardless of how the map is drawn. I mean, Marie Newman beat Dan Lipinski in what was nominally a moderate district because progressive show up to vote in Dem primaries at a much higher rate than moderates. If the Miller/Davis district was made more moderate by say including Dem precincts in Metro East, I don’t think the outcome would have been any different because those voters are not gonna show up to vote in a GOP primary.

    Comment by Roman Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:37 pm

  9. Oh.

    Lemme be even more clear…

    Rodney Davis was too “liberal” to Mary Miller, not enough “cultish” and Davis purposely pandered… purposely pandered… to the far right.

    It’s not a map where statewide and concentrated Republicans can’t and won’t move to a center. See also pro-life, pro-gun, and “religion”

    It’s their base now.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:41 pm

  10. Per the WashPo chart/map: when did Oklahoma become a border state? Someone should probably tell New Mexico.

    And I look forward to visiting our great neighbors to the north … Iowa.

    Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:47 pm

  11. ===a record number of voters nationally-49% now identify as independents and only 25% identify at Republican or Democrat===

    If that’s true and Illinois mirrors that, for argument’s sake, Republicans being 0-8 statewide, not even close in some races, how is the ILGOP trying to attract independents, with book bans, abortion, and 2A freedoms?

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:50 pm

  12. Re: Mapes request. — was his letter really addressed as “Dear Friend”? All those years of asking for votes when they were needed the most in the days before the election and he never learned to personalize it?

    Comment by Just Me 2 Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:51 pm

  13. JB would be more believable on R extremists if he hadn’t spent millions to enable one so he could face him in an election.

    Comment by og Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:53 pm

  14. The WaPo story buried the lead. As much as I think states should ban gerrymandering regardless of what other states do, the Democrats have offered to ban it across the nation, the GOP refused.

    Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:57 pm

  15. ===believable on R extremists if===

    Again, if you don’t know who the ILGOP is, they are telling you who they are.

    “Please don’t tell people who are old, angry, white, rural, Trumpkins that their candidate is Bailey.”

    If you can’t control your party, it’s no longer a party.

    Geez, Louise…

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:57 pm

  16. As for planting trees in Springfield, there is a huge chance that next year we will lose the most trees ever, if what I read is true. It seems we have a 13 year locust and a 17 year locust that will emerge in May of next year and this has not happened since 1803. One eats the trees inside out and the other outside in. Thus, if a storm comes, too many trees will be at their weakest point in over 200 years.

    Comment by Lurker Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:02 pm

  17. I’m so used to the garbage in replies this one wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. I mean, it’s awful, just not as awful as that site has trained me to expect.

    Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:09 pm

  18. the Mapes letter request brings back memories of the Friend to Friend campaign requests from Madigan land. I may still have a copy of that…

    Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:18 pm

  19. Serial candidate Darren Bailey is at it again. Bailey is quick to apply labels like lapdog and career politician to his opponent Bost.

    Yet, Bailey is a major fanboy for the multi-indicted former president. Of course, the labels Bailey placed on Chicago during his failed campaign for governor will always follow him.

    When a candidate (Darren Bailey, I’m talking to you) resorts to whine and cheese, there is little substance in the message.

    Comment by Rudy’s teeth Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:20 pm

  20. The ludicrous argument that the Dems are pushing the MAGA GOP further to the right defies reality. The pundits living in nirvana where one-dimensional analysis is sufficient. For the Dems to simply play nice, while MAGA goes beyond hardball politics to break norms and laws to achieve and maintain power, basically surrenders democracy to the authoritarians.

    Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:21 pm

  21. I’ll only admit this because I can hide behind a Nickname. Regrettably, Mary Miller is my Congress Critter.

    Comment by Gruntled University Employee Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:21 pm

  22. Talk about tone deaf. Almost all of the anti-Semitism in America these days is on the Left. Just look at all of the rallies standing up FOR the Hamas terrorists in Chicago and all the college campuses. There are Democrat congresspersons right now who still refuse to condemn the slaughter of Jewish women, children and babies by Hamas. But u want to talk about “Republican problems”? What a bunch of buffoons.

    Comment by Mildred Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:22 pm

  23. Re: WaPo, regardless of how you feel about Democratic versus Republican-led redistricting at large (i.e. taking a national look), the piece was poorly written and reported.

    1) It makes an assumption that in so-called competitive districts you will get moderate elected officials, but that’s not how people hold political positions, nor make a choice in an election. It’s magical thinking that assumes the voters themselves at large are moderates, when they are not.

    2) There is no world except for the fever dreams of the ultra right-wing in which Rodney Davis was a moderate. Just because someone isn’t frothing at the mouth on a Steve Bannon podcast doesn’t make them moderate. During the Trump administration, he didn’t vote his district, he voted Trump. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/rodney-davis/

    3) It tries to blame Mary Miller for McCarthy’s downfall, but she was a staunch McCarthy supporter in January and last week. That fact, despite it being contradictory to the heart of the piece, is just casually swept into a broader assertion that McCarthy was too bipartisan. But if McCarthy was so bipartisan why didn’t Democrats vote to keep him as Speaker with a coalition majority? Well, for one, no such proposal was on the table. In fact, according to (guess who?) the Washington Post, the so-called moderate Republicans and McCarthy rejected even offering such a proposal!

    4) It uses the graphic with the Princeton data, which conflates partisan and racial gerrymandering. Just one example of the misleading data involved is Iowa. If you hover over Iowa, it says that Iowa’s redistricting is set by commission, but that’s not true. The commission’s work has to be enacted by the legislature there and the legislature specifically rejected the commission’s first set of maps for not being partisan enough. How does that get a B grade? Well, if you hover over various states, it becomes clear the data isn’t about whether the redistricting was more evenly partisan or promote minority representation, it is largely based on whether a commission (or a court) ran redistricting, regardless of whether the commission was actually fair or not as far as the partisan/racial metrics.

    Comment by Google Is Your Friend Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:23 pm

  24. ===the piece was poorly written and reported.===

    It’s basically just a puff piece for Rodney, who is running a lobbying firm in… DC, where the story was read.

    Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:25 pm

  25. I don’t have to explain it to you OW, but you obviously didn’t read the article

    You already know that JB spent 30 million on ads for Darren Bailey who ended up with 458,102 votes in the primary in a state of almost 13 million people.

    As a candidate, JB promised to veto maps drawn by politicians because he knows that is popular, but he broke his word to the voters as an elected Governor.

    Pretty obvious a lot of independents didn’t like their choices between two extremes

    Don’t pretend the Democrats new sex ed curriculum for younger kids is popular with independents, over 90% of districts have opted out.

    Maybe you have something to cite about the progressive agenda is popular with independents in Illinois but I will hold my breath

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:26 pm

  26. = Catanzara said numbers may show crime is down in some areas, but perception is everything. =

    In other words, “My mind is made up. Don’t bother me with the facts.”

    Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:30 pm

  27. ===You already know that JB spent 30 million on ads for Darren Bailey who ended up with 458,102 votes in the primary in a state of almost 13 million people.===

    You also don’t say it’s not true, the ads, and it catered to the base.

    What, you want to throw away your base, LOL

    Also, for that whole year, not a single time did you disagree with Bailey on policy.

    Not. Once.

    ===As a candidate, JB promised to veto maps drawn by politicians because he knows that is popular, but he broke his word to the voters as an elected Governor.

    Pretty obvious a lot of independents didn’t like their choices between two extremes===

    Meh. Pritzker won.

    Republican drawn map in Alabama was redrawn by a court.

    Pritzker signed maps were approved by the Court… meeting the VRA. So, there’s that too

    ===Don’t pretend the Democrats new sex ed curriculum for younger kids is popular with independents, over 90% of districts have opted out.===

    Republicans should run on that.

    That, and denying a woman to control the choices of her body… all things like that.

    ===Maybe you have something to cite about the progressive agenda is popular with independents in Illinois but I will hold my breath===

    Brandon Johnson won….

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:35 pm

  28. - LP

    Think on this.

    How many sitting, today, GOP GA members would likely vote for SSM?

    How many sitting GOP GA members in recent past supported a woman’s right to choose?

    How many sitting GOP GA members supported assault gun ban legislation?

    It’s not like the GOP GA is overwhelmingly moderate.

    That’s not the map, otherwise candidates in the collars that support those items should win suburban districts.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:39 pm

  29. A female family member received Tim’s request. It was personalized and folksy. I’m not sure he thought through his request, as his track record with my family is all bad. The comment I heard from my family member was: “He wouldn’t want anything I have to say read in court!” She won’t be responding.

    Comment by LurkNoMore Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:01 pm

  30. ===It’s basically just a puff piece for Rodney, who is running a lobbying firm in… DC, where the story was read.===

    I am enjoying the bantering about, but in the end, “we are not it’s audience”

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:15 pm

  31. ===Additionally, I also am requesting that this matter NOT be posted to any social media
    platform.===

    Noted.

    Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:20 pm

  32. Dear Tim Mapes,

    What you will learn is a hard lesson.

    Those you felt the need to protect, the need to shield, the need not to betray… they aren’t going to be the ones that will be sad you go away. It’s your family that will be sad.

    Instead of being concerned you may hurt someone, you only hurt yourself, for nothing.

    Count yourself lucky if any reach out to you to wish you that happy birthday. You’re alone.

    I’ll never understand your choice here. Agree with you, like you, don’t like you, no matter how one feels about you, it’s confusing to find you as you are here. Your reward is asking for letters.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:30 pm

  33. OW as you are well aware, I said many times that Bailey couldn’t win.

    Why can’t you just leave it as disagreeing with me?

    Instead you misstate or completely fabricate my views. It is completely dishonest but you know that.

    https://capitolfax.com/2022/08/22/hey-uihlein-you-helped-get-the-guy-win-so-maybe-do-something-to-help-him-now/

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:34 pm

  34. === the Mapes letter request brings back memories of the Friend to Friend campaign requests from Madigan land. ===

    Ah the Friends and Family program. A very successful program if done correctly.

    Comment by Hannibal Lecter Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:35 pm

  35. ==Talk about tone deaf. Almost all of the anti-Semitism in America these days is on the Left.==

    It’s nice that you chose to post here on your first day on the internet.

    Comment by Roadrager Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:45 pm

  36. ===as you are well aware, I said many times that Bailey couldn’t win.===

    Again, you supported every policy and social policy point Bailey campaigned on.

    It’s true. It’s who YOU are. Not once denouncing, but consistently supporting. It matters not if he could win, you believed as he did on that campaign.

    It’s why you felt a need to parse, as you have no light between where you both believed. From primary win to general Election Day.

    Oh, yes. Let’s revisit your link…

    ===- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Aug 22, 22 @ 10:48 am

    OW I have said many, many times Bailey can’t win.

    Does this mean that JB’s record as Governor is not up for debate?===

    Friend, that’s not disagreeing with Bailey, which you never did. Ever. Good try.

    Another? Sure…

    ===- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Aug 22, 22 @ 11:18 am

    I have never said the election was stolen, I have condemned the raid on the Capitol and have never made any racist comments but I am a frequent critic of the Governor and his administration.===

    Never calling it an insurrection, that’s you, and if you read further, you “whatabout” the “stealing” of elections, not condemn it.

    Dude, you’re not helping yourself, it’s highlighting how you want it rationalized that’s it’s “fine” you agreed with Bailey on everything because you wanna say “we’ll he can’t win”

    Then you are readily admitting, you’re on the wrong side.

    Your gaslighting in the aftermath of that post Rich had, I dunno how that helps you either.

    In the end, you supported each and every Bailey policy stance, fiscal and social, and refused to call the insurrection what it was, but tried to whatabout an attack on our democracy.

    You don’t like it, but it’s you.

    It’s all there… in your own link.

    You are those voters in Illinois that the piece is trying to explain for Davis.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 4:52 pm

  37. - JB spent 30 million on ads for Darren Bailey who ended up with 458,102 votes in the primary -

    Did they say anything about Bailey that wasn’t true? Face it loser, this is your party now.

    Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 5:03 pm

  38. Re Catanzara, crime was demonstrably worse in the 90s but no one blames Richie Daley for it or calls him a failed mayor. Hmmm what is different between Daley and the last two mayors that would explain this double standard?

    Comment by Big Dipper Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 5:41 pm

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