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Kennedy unveils “government reform agenda”

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Illinois

* Press release…

Chris Kennedy, Democratic candidate for governor, and his running mate, Ra Joy, presented their government reform agenda today to prevent the destruction of democracy in Illinois.

During a speech where he outlined a range of policies, Kennedy cited the need to restore faith in government by not letting, “Crony capitalists infiltrate our party and betray the democratic activists who have always made up the mosaic-like fabric of our party.

“With millions of dollars flowing into campaigns for Illinois Republicans from just two or three donor families, like the Rauners, Ken Griffin and the Uhlines, the Democrats have become desperate.

“Democrats now believe that to compete, they must adopt the same behavior as those who have oppressed us. We are mimicking behavior that we abhor. Just as debilitating behavior can be passed from one person to another, so too can self-destructive traits be passed from one party to another.

“A small group of billionaires has realized that, if they can control the government, then they can reap massive financial benefits at the expense of everyone else.”

Kennedy and Joy’s plan includes the following five priority areas to increase voter registration and voter turnout, implement campaign finance reform and campaign reform, and improve the Democratic Party and the political system:

Voter Empowerment

* Increase voter registration by fully implementing automatic voter registration and supporting the infrastructure and appropriate staff levels to guarantee same-day voter registration at every voting site.
* Increase staffing at early voter sites making it easier to vote and less time consuming.
* Move primaries to a more hospitable month, like May or June.
* Align the Illinois gubernatorial election with the presidential election year cycle.
* Align municipal races with midterm congressional elections.

Direct Democracy

* Adopt direct democracy by pursuing a constitutional amendment that will allow voters to make major decisions by ballot initiative or referendum.

Campaign Reform

* Draw fair maps so voters can choose their elected officials instead of elected officials choosing their voters.
* Institute term limits for statewide office, including the governor, to end the stagnation and careerism that plague our government.
* Support elected school boards.

Campaign Finance Reform

* Ban political parties from making contributions to any candidate during a primary election.
* Create a small-dollar donor matching system in Illinois that allows campaigns to raise a majority of their funds from small dollar donors to compete with the campaigns financed by special interests, crony capitalist donors, and suppliers.

Conflicts and Corruption

* Put a year-long ban on the revolving door that allows elected officials to go into private practice and lobby that same office, just like their employees are subject to.
* Ban property tax lawyers from making contributions to local assessors or to the assessors’ political organizations or even to political parties that have a hand in slating these political candidates.
* Ban family members from working as lobbyists and agents before elected officials from their own family.
* Separate party leadership roles from elected official roles.
* Create an Inspector General role that is responsible for ensuring that the legislature follows these rules.

“If we can fix the way the system itself works, we can get good people into office who can make the other necessary reforms,” Ra Joy said. “To stem the rising power of oligarchic big money in our elections and the increasingly unrepresentative nature of our institutions, we must pursue these reforms.”

The campaign’s government reform policy speech is part of a series of policy speeches intended to cover a range of topics and plans that will help bring lasting change and move Illinois forward. Over the summer, Kennedy spoke about ways to end the state’s property tax racket and he presented an eight-point plan to address the scourge of gun violence throughout the state.

Chris Kennedy is a Democratic candidate for Illinois Governor, who ran the Merchandise Mart and is currently leading a privately-financed construction project that is bringing 2,000 jobs to Illinois. Along with his wife, Sheila, he founded Top Box Foods, a community-based nonprofit that offers healthy food at affordable prices. Previously, he served as chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Chris is the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy and is the eighth of their eleven children. He and his wife have four children and reside in suburban Chicago.

Some of that is good, if not particularly new.

But having the primary during or just after spring legislative session would not be a good idea. Legislators could wind up falling all over themselves to please the PACs while they’re taking final action votes.

Also, banning political parties from contributing to primary candidates seems fruitless because they’ll just get around it another way. Money is fungible.

Putting statewide races on the same schedule as presidential cycles would be great for Democrats. I’m not sure Republicans would love it here, though.

Anyway, do you have any other thoughts on these proposals?

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:41 pm

Comments

===Direct Democracy===

Pat Quinn called. He wants to know where Kennedy was when Quinn was pushing this idea twenty years ago.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:46 pm
Yes, our current provision for binding referenda is absurdly narrow, but I’m not sure we want to become California in that regard.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:47 pm
===but I’m not sure we want to become California in that regard. ===

Yeah, well, we’d prolly get pot legalized quicker.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:51 pm
=== * Increase staffing at early voter sites making it easier to vote and less time consuming. ===

Early voting sites are usually pretty dead most of the time. If a voter is too turned off to wait a minute to vote at an early voting site (not to mention they can also vote by mail) I don’t think we really need those people voting.

=== * Ban family members from working as lobbyists and agents before elected officials from their own family. ===

Big deal. So, some niece of a state legislator won’t be able to lobby one out of 177 legislators — and as if that legislator won’t know what bills their niece is addressing. And who knows even if that is a legal prohibition.

Comment by Just Observing Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:52 pm
===If a voter is too turned off to wait a minute===

A minute? Not in the city.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:54 pm
…Seriously, if Chicago was run by the Republicans, Democrats would be screaming about voter suppression because of the long lines.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:55 pm
–Yeah, well, we’d prolly get pot legalized quicker.–

That’s not so much what worries me. It’s the volume and the overall kookiness of some things they see out there.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:57 pm
==- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:51 pm:==

Imagine the tax caps the GOP could get.

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 3:59 pm
“Align the Illinois gubernatorial election with the presidential election year cycle.”
Governor and President was deliberately staggered to improve turnout. We should keep it the way it is.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:06 pm
==Adopt direct democracy by pursuing a constitutional amendment that will allow voters to make major decisions by ballot initiative or referendum.==

I vote to give you the authority to make decisions. Wanting to come back to me because a decision is hard. Make the decision and then run on your record next election.

Direct democracy at this level of government is dumb.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:09 pm
Kind of, meh

Comment by Shytown Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:12 pm
Overall, this is good, and well thought out. I have some disagreements….initiative, elected school board….but I like that he’s thinking through a full list of things as ways of changing the political culture.

Comment by Amalia Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:12 pm
There is a ban on employees going directly to firms to lobby? Someone should tell all the staff members who have gone to work lobbying in the past year they aren’t allowed to do that.

Comment by DuPage Bard Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:12 pm
Don’t like moving municipal elections to November. It would be very difficult for local candidates to be heard through all the heavy congressional advertising.

Comment by Dance Band on the Titanic Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:14 pm
“* Align the Illinois gubernatorial election with the presidential election year cycle.
* Align municipal races with midterm congressional elections.”

No more odd year elections? Perhaps only for school boards?

Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:17 pm
To the Post,

===Some of that is good, if not particularly new.===

This is where this begins and ends, for me.

I’ve seen this movie before, just all these characters in different versions of the films.

Ok, here’s where Kennedy-Joy is. The marker is now down, and there’s some interesting points, but where is the new to invigorate an electorate to either think this is important NOW to move or the freshness in the packaging for stale ideas talked about often, but seemingly without the gumption to get across their finish lines.

These, collectively, make a marker.

Ok, now show me how this is sold to build momentum for these issues and Kennedy-Joy.

Make me see how the retail part of moving these suggestions can be used to build a campaign.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:18 pm
That Voter Empowerment section is a Democratic Party wish list. The only thing missing is straight-party voting.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:19 pm
No on direct democracy. There are reasons why you want some things locked away in a constitution, hard to get to.

Also no on term limits. You think lobbyists have power now? Wait until office holders know they’ll be needing a job after one or two terms.

Comment by Nick Name Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:21 pm
Missouri is using binding initiative/referendum to overturn right to work.

I like it.

Comment by Sugar Corn Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:23 pm
Term limit only state wide offices? What about reps and senators?
Yeah have laws made by referenda. Get ready for open carry, ban abortion and no real estate taxes and who knows what

Comment by DuPage Saint Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:24 pm
This guy, sheesh. Like 47th said, where’s he been all these years? When he was the scion of a wealthy family with the famous name and all of the supposed establishment connections, he was assuming he’d automatically get the D nomination in Illinois and had nothing to offer on any of these subjects. Now that he’s just one of several candidates, the one who can’t raise money and can’t appear at an public event without coming off as a condescending goober, it’s all “Crony capitalists infiltrate our party and betray the democratic activists who have always made up the mosaic-like fabric of our party.” Get our of here with that noise, you bandwagon-jumping hypocrite.

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 4:36 pm
Also, notice what’s missing. Nothing about ensuring that signature levels are rationalized for third parties, and nothing about implementing Instant Runoff Voting.

Comment by Odysseus Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 5:03 pm
The key as always are can he get it done.

Comment by Generic Drone Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 5:14 pm
The individual elements of this agenda probably deserve more thought than a quick peruse before commenting on the blog. I give Chris credit for showing he’s heard a lot of the dissatisfaction and complaints that people have about government and the political processes in IL and is at least thinking about solutions with more specificity than I’ve seen from other candidates so far.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 5:18 pm
Mike Madigan and JB Pritzker also called and said Illinois is not ready for any reforms to restore citizens faith in government.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 5:35 pm
There are a lot of interesting points that need to be picked through and analyzed. My initial thoughts:
*on instituting term-limits and redistricting reforms– personally I am against term-limits in state elections. Elections serve as a check on elected officials. Additionally, reforming the redistricting process would amplify the importance of reelection campaigns by making them competitive again.

*I like the proposal of an Illinois small donation matching fund.

Overall decent policy proposals. Let’s see how the Kennedy campaign gets its message to the public.

Comment by Red fish blue fish Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 6:36 pm
The contribution bans are likely unconstitutional.

Comment by Southside Markie Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 7:09 pm
I sm really trying to be a Kennedy supporter. Seriously. Theres isnt a middle class voter in tjis state that gives a rats … Anout those talking points.

Comment by Blue dog dem Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 8:48 pm
This was good. The electorate still think reform is needed. The business community thinks Illinois is a failed state. I am a voter who is skeptical about Pritzker.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 10:32 pm
I didn’t see any proposed new revenue to fund existing services or cuts to pay down the debacle of Rauner’s two plus years in office. It’s the budget, man.

Comment by McLincoln Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 11:44 pm
Did they really spell Uihlein wrong?

Comment by CEA Thursday, Oct 19, 17 @ 11:55 pm
Kennedy starts out by attacking “cronyism “. He hired Jeff Rush(disgraced son of Rep. Bobby Rush). Jeff Rush spent months in Kane County Jail and Macon County Jail for being a sexual predator upon female inmates in the State of Illinois. I think this falls in line with “Cronyism”.

Comment by Dave King Kong Kingman Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 12:02 am
Policy-wise, I think many of these are very good ideas. Especially early voting staffing. It’s not just a Chicago issue. Some of the collar county election authorities are run by one party, but there are sites in that county that are big draws for the other party. Long lines discourage participating. I imagine that in 2-3 election cycles, the on site registration could also add to the capacity issues.

These wonky type reforms and reform in general is a good message for him, it resonates well against his opponents. But as with all things Kennedy, he’s not the most effective at delivery

Comment by siriusly Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 7:41 am
==Mike Madigan and JB Pritzker also called and said Illinois is not ready for any reforms to restore citizens faith in government.==

Weird, then, that Pritzker is on the record in favor of leadership term limits and independent maps.

But I know, I know, you never let the truth get in the way of proclaiming that Madigan’s done everything wrong in the state, *especially* the stuff that Bruce Rauner has done wrong.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 10:41 am