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* 11:53 am - That poll I told you about earlier today had a couple of other items that weren’t originally published…

Over half of Illinois voters (55%) said that Gov. Blagojevich is doing a “poor” job in office. Just under a third (31%) said he’s doing a “fair” job, while 13% said he’s doing a “good job.”

The General Assembly fared only slightly better: 26% said it was doing a “poor” job while a majority (52%) said the General Assembly is doing “fair” and 17% ranked its performance as “good.”

Remember, this poll was conducted before the Tony Rezko verdict and the end of session meltdown. Oof.

[402 interviews were conducted… by telephone April 21 through May 4, 2008… The margin of sampling error for the Illinois survey is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points at the 95% level of tolerance… The survey was funded by the Joyce Foundation]

* 12:00 pm - Via the SJ-R’s flood blog, check out the interactive news map for the Flood of 2008.

* 12:09 pm - From a press release…

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today added St. Clair and Edgar counties to a state disaster declaration, a move that will expedite state assistance needed to help Edgar County in southeastern Illinois recover from recent storms and flash flooding and St. Clair County battle flooding along the Mississippi River. The Governor also announced that the state’s public health director will be visiting public health departments in western Illinois Thursday to ensure medical and health needs are being met in counties affected by historic Mississippi River flooding.

* 12:54 pm - Guv orders cancellation moratorium…

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich directed the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to impose a 60-day moratorium on the cancellation of any insurance policy for late payment by policyholders who live in counties impacted by the recent storms and flooding. The moratorium covers the insurance policies of families and business owners in all of the counties designated as disaster areas by the Governor since June 10, 2008.

* 1:53 pm - With a hat tip to PI, MSNBC reported about an hour ago from Quincy…

* 3:36 pm - From a press release…

Several thousand state employees, retirees and their families will rally at the State Capitol in Springfield on Monday morning, June 23, then march to the Hilton hotel downtown, site of scheduled negotiations over a new union contract between the state and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31.

The state workers and their families will come from all over Illinois to express their growing impatience with the slow pace of contract negotiations and the Blagojevich Administration’s insistence on massive economic concessions from workers, including higher pension contributions and sharply increased health insurance premiums, deductibles and co-pays.

* 4:46 pm - I’ll bet 20 bucks he never pulls the final trigger on this…

A rumor that State Rep. Jack Franks plans to announce a 2010 gubernatorial bid at a Monday fundraiser is not true, the Democrat from Woodstock said Thursday.

Franks, a long-time and harsh critic of embattled Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, said he is mulling a run for the office. But he said any decision he makes will not come until after the presidential election. […]

The rumor stemmed from a Sunday column by Sun-Times gossip columnist Michael Sneed, who said she heard that Franks would enter the race at an annual fundraiser held for him by Chicago 33rd Ward Alderman Richard Mell and other Democratic politicians. […]

“I think that Sneed just got a bit overzealous,” Mell said.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 11:53 am

Comments

I’d like to see polls on how people feel about the leadership meetings, Madigan not attending, who they feel is holding up progress out of all of the leaders, and Madigan overall.

Comment by reasonable 1 Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 12:14 pm
wasn’t there a leaders meeting today?

Comment by hmmmmm? Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 12:59 pm
with only 3 pieces of information about survey (sample 402, funded by Joyce Foundation, and telephone) results shouldn’t be published. No matter how inept are the executive and legislative branches.

Comment by Bman Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 1:05 pm
I have the full poll, and the rest is posted below.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 1:06 pm
reasonable 1 “I’d like to see polls on how people feel about the leadership meetings, Madigan not attending, who they feel is holding up progress out of all of the leaders, and Madigan overall. ”

I think a lot of the ‘answers’ to this type of poll would depend on what one defines “holding up progress” means. Does one want to move along just to move along or is one looking at constructive progress that takes into considertion of a great many factors. I for one don’t feel that all the governor’s agendas over the last few years are progressive in a postive light that the state should indeed procede with. Did progress on the program/project get slowed down or shot down? Yes it has. Does that mean then that it was a bad thing that progress did not continue? No.

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 1:29 pm
Like Princeville said, “progress” is not always synonymous with “moving forward.” If you’re going in the wrong direction or into a dead end, turning around and going back is “progress.”

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 1:32 pm
What’s up with the AFSCME situation? Is the governor getting a pass because he’s actively dealing with the flooding?

Comment by Macbeth Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 1:43 pm
Macbeth–a pass? You’re kidding, right? AFSCME is marching/rallying Monday the 23rd.

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 2:01 pm
The insurance moratorium is a good idea. So far the folks wih the State look to be doing an excellent job. Arease are getting quickly declared as disaster areas; a decent size inmate force is helping sandbag; pre-planning by stockpiling water and so forth.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 2:56 pm
How are these afscme folks being organized? I’m union and hadn’t heard a thing about this march.

Comment by Lurker Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 3:42 pm
Lurker, if you’re serious, then check out the homepage of AFSCME Council 31 and/or contact your local, this is not a ‘new’ thing, it’s been in the planning stage for a bit and many of the locals are providing buses.

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 3:48 pm
AFSCME Local 31:

http://www.afscme31.org/

Comment by Macbeth Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 3:54 pm
great time for state workers to march. people throughout the state are dealing with massive flooding and state workers are going to march to show their dissatisfaction with the pace of the contract negotiations and the fact that they might have to contribute a little more to their pensions? Are you KIDDING me? If they had any brains, that march would go straight to Quincy, or Lake County, or any other afected area and fill sand bags instead of complain about their benefits package.

You wonder why AFSCME has such little respect throughout the state, and why people hate the bureaucracy. I cant wait to see the news on Monday as they interview these whiners in green shirts. Henry, go fill sandbags! Your members should have to do more than bully with marches to get increased benefits — thye should pitch in and help those who need it most.

Comment by anon Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 3:55 pm
annon, don’t even go there. Rich would be forced to ban me for eternity if I cut loose on the statement you just made. Do you know if any state workers are down there now? No, you don’t. You’re just ramming your fingers in a cheap shot.

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:04 pm
I currently pay 8 1/2 percent of my pay into retirement on top of social security. How much more do I need to pay. Employees have always paid their part. The whole problem with the retirement system is the state has not paid their part for years. Including the two year pension holiday by Madigan, Jones, and Govnot.

Comment by MIDSTATE Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:10 pm
anon, that’s a healthy attitude the administration has. Might I remind you how long it took the governor to get out into the flood zones? I’ll let it go for now.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:15 pm
anon - you obviously don’t understand contract negotiations. You have a contract with your bank and you expect them to honor it as you agreed and this is precisley what State employees are trying to do with this administration. The front line employees work hard and if you had been around for the last big flood you would know that State employees took time off from their jobs to reinforce the Sny Levee for months. State workers have feelings and care about the flood victims because it impacts their lives as well as how this administration is effecting every state worker and their families.

May I suggest instead of you blogging and blaming state workers for not helping sand bag maybe you should get out of your office chair and hit the road jack!!!

Comment by FedUp2 Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:16 pm
anon understands enough to try to undercut a union with red herrings.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:19 pm
Sounds like we need to “consider the source” of anon’s comment about sandbagging.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:43 pm
Maybe the state workers could pick up a few of the dead animals that are now littering the roads of Illinois as they make their way to Springfield.

It’s the new tag line for Illinos tourism - “See Illinois wildlife - Up close!”

Comment by Downstater Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:44 pm
Hey now, downstater, we can only follow orders. Roadkill left was Rod’s idea. I think he’s lifted the cease order now, don’t blame a state worker for what Rod and company orders, take that up with Rod

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 4:48 pm
What a lousy time for contract negotiations for so many reasons. Dysfunctional government, workers getting squeezed by gas and food spikes, the state’s broke. Not going to be a lot of fun.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 5:06 pm
Rich,
I’d give Franks $20 to run because then he’d have to give up his state rep seat and there’s no friggin way he even gets out of a Dem primary for gov.

so think of it as an investment in a Franks-free General Assembly. if that’s his campaign theme, he could probably raise a couple mill, just from the House GOP.

Comment by Frank Booth Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 5:47 pm
I’ll bet Rod’s friends would chip in, too. Make Hendon and Trotter his finance chairmen.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 5:55 pm
Don’t rule Jack out, he might not be kidding around. He’s certainly got a nice RV to tour the state in. If I remember correctly, he’s loaned it out to other successful candidates.

Comment by Bob Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 6:49 pm
franks…what a joke…nough said

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 7:25 pm
Why was a franks supporter calling around Monday telling PAC’s that he was going to make an announcement and that they ought to be there????

Comment by Joe Schmoe Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 8:56 pm
Rauschenberger! Up to the task.

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 9:29 pm