Today at Illinoize...

John Ruberry tells us that cult leader Fred Phelps is coming back to Illinois.

Mickey Segal gets ten years, Pat Hickey reports.

Dan Johnson-Weinberger muses about Judy Baar Topinka's announcement locale.

IllinoisPundit asks readers about JBT's abortion stance.

David Morrison (of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform) writes about politicos who owe campaign-related fines.

Jim Muir (Southern Illinoisan columnist and blogger) has some good advice for Judy.

And much, much more. Go see for yourself.

Question of the day

Should Barack Obama run for president in 2008, or should he wait? Why?

UPDATE: Comments closed.

Swift-boated

Carol Marin has a different take than I did in today's Capitol Fax about Personal PAC and Planned Parenthood's Judy Baar Topinka press conference yesterday. Although it's pretty darned good.

...Planned Parenthood of Chicago and Personal PAC told reporters they had serious questions about whether Topinka is, in fact, pro-choice.

That question will no doubt surprise some people who thought that matter was already settled. After all, Topinka has for years been described in political circles and in the media as a Republican "moderate" who supports the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision establishing a woman's right to choose. And in fact, she is. And does. But with notable exceptions. Topinka supports parental consent, opposes the so-called partial birth abortion and has voted for legislation that allows for spousal notification. [...]

Though he wasn't in the room, Gov. Blagojevich was a presence at Tuesday's news conference. [...]

...his dismal poll numbers mean that Blagojevich is going to have to do much more than tout his accomplishments. That clearly hasn't been enough so far for citizens in general or women in particular. And now that a woman has entered the 2006 governor's race, Blagojevich has to draw a clear distinction between himself and Topinka, who is the clear front-runner in a field of five Republicans. And one of the ways to do that is abortion.

Also, thanks to Carol for the mention in her column today.

Good link

Campaign websites.

I found this yesterday but can't remember which website pointed me there. Sorry for no hat tip.

This is a state politics open thread.

Monroe Flinn... Updated

I always liked former state Rep. Monroe Flinn, who was perhaps best known near the end of his career as the man who would cut off lengthy and boring House floor debates by moving the previous question.

But he was much more than that. He was a director of the state's Constitutional Convention, and as the story linked below points out, JCAR still calls its annual report the "Flinn Report."

Former state Rep. Monroe Flinn died Tuesday at Anderson Hospital in this village near St. Louis. He was 87. [...]

Flinn, who served for 24 years in the Illinois House of Representatives, died from natural causes, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.

The Democrat, who retired in 1995, earned respect from members of both parties because of his honesty and loyalty to residents of his district, state Rep. Thomas Holbrook, D-Belleville, told the paper in a 2001 interview.

He kept in touch after his retirement, dropping by the Statehouse for visits. It was always good to see him and I'll miss him now that he's gone.

The funeral will be handled by Colonial Funeral Home in Cahokia. I'll post the info here later.

UPDATE: Sorry it took so long, but here is the funeral information.

Visitation 3-8 p.m. Thursday
Services 10 a.m Friday
Braun Colonial Funeral Home
3701 Falling Springs Road
Cahokia, Il 62206
618-332-6793

The big guns

Dick Simpson writes an otherwise scathing commentary about how Rahm Emanuel should support Christine Cegelis for Congress, but lets drop these little bits:

Emanuel courted Army Major "Tammy" Duckworth to run as the Democratic candidate. He cynically believes that people will vote for her just because she is a wounded veteran of the Iraq War. She has no political platform and no indigenous campaign organization. She is still undergoing physical therapy for her war injuries and she had to get permission from the military to run. She will leave active duty on Dec. 1 to do so.

Apparently the campaign staff and cash would be helicoptered in from Washington because there has been no base built in the district even though nominating petitions are to be filed beginning Dec. 12. David Alexrod has been picked by Emanuel to run her public relations campaign locally.

Axelrod is on board? If they have the money for bigime media, Axelrod is one of the best and Cegelis is toast.

And, Dick, attacking a wounded war hero doesn't play all that well in Democratic primaries.

(Hat tip Austin Mayor)

This just in... Rep. Pat Bailey convicted

More in tomorrow's Capitol Fax.

Background here.

Here is the story.

After a one-day bench trial, Ill. Rep. Patricia Bailey (D-Chicago) was convicted at around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday of charges she lied about her home address on several occasions leading up 2004 primary election.

Criminal Court Judge Diane Cannon found Bailey guilty of three counts of perjury and two counts of forgery; and not guilty of two separate counts of forgery, three counts of perjury and two counts of mutilation of election materials.

Those counts were split between three different false addresses she was accused of using on her candidacy papers in 2003 and while registering to vote in 2002.

Bailey, who was first elected in 2002 and reelected in 2004, is required by Illinois law to forfeit her office, and could be sentenced to serve up to 5 years in prison, according to Assistant Attorney General Vincenzo Chimera.
Probation is also an option for Cannon, when she sentences Bailey on Dec. 21.

UPDATE: Comments closed because some people can't act like reasonable adults. Really, people, do you think having your comments up for a few minutes before they're deleted makes any sort of impact?

This just in...

From a press release:

DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett will be hosting a press conference TODAY, November 29 at 5:00 p.m. to announce the findings of the Grand Jury investigation regarding the murder of Jeanine Nicarico.

Further details will be discussed at the press conference.

Today at Illinoize

Illinipundit analyzes the latest polling on the governor.

That they've not improved is indicative of a serious credibility problem - that voters and the media regard him and his accomplishments cynically, no matter how meritorious - that is going to be very, very hard to overcome.

Diane talks about the IHSA's attempt to achieve competitive balance in its high school sports tournament.

Jill Stanek discusses continuing controversy over the morning after pill.

And much, much more. Get over there.

Question of the day

First, read this:

Unable to get lawmakers to support a ban on junk food in schools, Gov. Rod Blagojevich is asking the Illinois State Board of Education to use its authority to bar the sale of soda and other unhealthy foods at elementary and middle schools.

"I believe that if we successfully implement a ban on junk food at elementary and middle schools, it will help build the case for a ban in high schools," the governor wrote to board members Monday in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. "So I'm asking you to help our most impressionable kids form good eating habits, and prove that schools are better off without junk food." [...]

In his letter to the state education board, Blagojevich wrote that he is sensitive to such concerns but believes the costs associated with selling junk food in schools outweigh the benefits. Jesse Ruiz, chairman of the state board of education, said he is inclined to support Blagojevich's proposal and noted that childhood obesity is a growing problem.

The Blagojevich administration focused its junk food ban on elementary and middle schools because a ban at the high school level would be less effective since high school students have more access to junk food elsewhere, Regenstein said. High schools also would lose revenue from vending machines, he said. [...]

Kathleen Dezio, spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association, said the industry adopted voluntary guidelines last summer that restrict what drinks are available in school vending machines.

Do you favor the governor's proposal? Why or why not?

38-57

Here is that new SurveyUSA poll I told you about in this morning's Capitol Fax.

Not good news for the governor. Not good news at all.

Read and discuss - and try to keep the "all polls are unreliable" crackpot remarks to yourself. Thanks.

Not a good idea

The Sun-Times editorial board thinks that Attorney General Lisa Madigan should broker a deal to help Neil Bluhm's group take over the idle 10th casino license.

Though her office has initially indicated otherwise, there may be enough flexibility in the language of the Riverboat Gambling Act to allow the license to pass to another party through a negotiated settlement. Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, the last standing contender for the license, asserts strongly that that's the case. Headed by real estate magnate Neil Bluhm, Midwest Gaming says a settlement allowing it to build a casino in Des Plaines would provide five-year tax revenues of $1.1 billion. He's showing us the money.

Bluhm's outfit became a prime contender after Rosemont was effectively removed from the picture by Madigan, based on allegations of mob ties that put the northwest suburb "under a cloud of doubt and mistrust." Rosemont is now seeking restitution of the $45 million it claims it spent on a parking garage for the casino. Bluhm's lawyers and others believe that the garage issue can be resolved through bankruptcy court without impeding his plans under a settlement that could be reached in just a few months. [...]

With so much on the line for the state treasury, we think Madigan should exhaust all possibilities to broker an agreement.

The problem with this is pretty obvious. Bluhm was a huge contributor to AG Madigan's last campaign. The Rosemont people already believe that she shafted their boat to help Bluhm. If she negotiates an agreement to help a major campaign donor, she could be letting herself in for lots more criticism.

Sticking by her consultant

I'm still catching up on my reading and my blogging, but part of Bernie Schoenburg's latest column caught my eye.

Among GOP candidates for lieutenant governor is SANDY WEGMAN, the Kane County recorder of deeds. [...]

Wegman was in Springfield with her husband and consultant, ROD McCULLOCH of Westmont, just before McCulloch was charged in DuPage County with turning in petition sheets for a Milton Township candidate with fraudulent signatures. McCulloch denies he did anything wrong, and Wegman said he’s still consulting for her.

“He knows a lot of people,” Wegman said. “He’s making contacts for us that perhaps we wouldn’t be making otherwise. He’s been professional in handling that.”

“Everyone’s entitled to a trial,” she added. “In this country, you’re still innocent until proven guilty.”

Most likely to succeed

This has been making the blog rounds for the past few days, but I've been away and haven't been able to write about it.

Sen. Barack Obama, already portrayed by the Washington press as the Senate equivalent of a rock star, has wowed his Democratic colleagues as well.

National Journal, a respected Washington weekly magazine covering politics and government, asked 101 members of Congress and 137 lobbyists, former government officials and other political insiders which politician has the greatest potential to become president in 20 years.

The answer: the 44-year-old freshman senator from Illinois.

Of the 89 Democrats who responded, 45 percent picked Obama, the Senate’s only black member, National Journal reported in its Nov. 11 edition. The second choice was “don’t know,” at 13 percent.

Some sample anonymous comments from poll respondents: “He’s a laser in a room of lamps,” and “He has the charisma and steady leadership qualities to make it to the White House.”

Four candidates for US Attorney

From the News-Gazette's political blogger, Tom Kacich:

At least four men have applied to succeed Jan Paul Miller as the U.S. attorney in the region that includes Champaign-Urbana and Danville. It also includes Springfield, which some believe is chock-full of political corruption but which yielded not a single official misconduct indictment during Miller's three-plus years here.

Among the four known candidates are two who would seem to have impeccable political connections: state Sen. Rick Winkel, R-Urbana, who has never been a state or federal prosecutor but has the support of three downstate congressman, and Darin LaHood, a 37-year-old assistant U.S. attorney in Las Vegas for the last four years and a former assistant state's attorney in Tazewell County who also is the son of U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, a powerful congressman from Peoria and a close ally of Hastert's.

The other known candidates also have central Illinois roots and impressive prosecutorial backgrounds but their political bloodlines aren't as rich.

John Michelich, a senior trial attorney in the criminal division at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., grew up in Auburn, in Sangamon County, graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, and got a law degree from Drake University in Des Moines. He was an assistant state's attorney and a first assistant state's attorney in Sangamon County for more than 10 years, handling major felony cases and overseeing a staff of 17 lawyers.

Since 1988 he's worked for the Department of Justice and has worked in the child exploitation and obscenity section, the narcotic and dangerous drug section, and the criminal fraud section. He also was sent to The Hague to assist the Justice Department in investigating and prosecuting international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia.
Michelich says he's handled more than 75 jury trials in the state and federal courts and has led federal grand jury investigations in more than 15 states. In 2002, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft gave him his distinguished service award.

The fourth known candidate is Rodger Heaton, an assistant U.S. attorney in the central district of Illinois, who grew up in McLean County, attended the University of Illinois, earned a law degree from Indiana University and now lives in Rochester.
Heaton worked in the U.S. attorney's office in Springfield from 1990 to 2000, including a stint in the Office of the Independent Counsel, where he prosecuted former Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker and two business associates in a tax fraud case.

Dart slated

All the whining and gnashing of teeth by Tom Dart's supporters in the comments section here last week was obviously overblown. Dart was slated for Cook County sheriff today.

The endorsement of Tom Dart was wired from the get-go by his boss and neighbor in the 19th Ward on the Southwest Side -- Michael Sheahan. Sheahan started lining up support for Dart before last week's announcement that he's not running for re-election. Dart was also burning up the phone lines and that -- along with Sheahan's clout -- pretty much wiped out the competition. But it also infuriated black and Latino activists and four other candidates who showed up to pitch themselves Monday -- even if it was a done deal.

Andy Shaw's story also includes some very weird quotes.

"Sylvester Baker will be honest, fair, and inclusive," said Sylvester Baker, (D) Candidate for Sheriff. [...]

"I served as alderman for 16 years in this city of Chicago and didn't get indicted," said Robert Shaw, (D) Candidate for Sheriff. [...]

"I don't have anything personally against you, but you're just repulsive to me in regards to the fact that you say one thing and do another," said U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, (D) Chicago.

And this interesting tidbit at the bottom of the piece.

House speaker Michael Madigan didn't vote for or against Dart. He voted present but wouldn't say why. Speculation is he doesn't want competition for his daughter -- the attorney general -- if she ever runs for higher office

I'm only going to say this once, Dart people, behave or I'll shut down comments right away. No warnings tonight.

This just in...

Rep. John Fritchey won't run for state treasurer. The decision was not unexpected. He has more info about his decision on his blog. Hopefully, he'll also cross-post that at Illinoize, where he is a contributing member.

UPDATE: Oops. He already did cross-post it at Illinoize.

Illinoize

I've started a new group blog called Illinoize. A boatload of bloggers, Capitol Fax commenters and others have been invited to post and several have already done so.

I started the new blog for a few reasons. Most of my readers are busy people and they just don't have time to read the dozens and dozens of Illinois blogs every day. Others are blog addicts who spend quite a bit of time surfing the Web looking for interesting stuff.

Illinoize will help both of those groups. Now you can surf one site to get an idea of what's going on elsewhere in the Illinois blogosphere.

Illinoize will also showcase some very good bloggers who ought to have more readers and perhaps encourage some of the better commenters here to start their own blogs. It's a win-win for everyone.

I'm hoping that Illinoize will essentially run itself. I don't have the time or the energy to do much more, so I wanted a place that was open and free and interesting, but requiring as little work on my part as possible.

Unlike almost all other group blogs on both the right and left, Illinoize has contributors from across the political spectrum, which I think should be much more interesting for readers.

I hope you'll give Illinoize a try. Thanks.

UPDATE: It also just occurred to me that some of the Illinoize bloggers will be exposed to large numbers of readers from a different viewpoint for the first time. Except for the occasional trolls, conservative blogs tend to attract conservative readers, and the same goes for liberal blogs.

With a cross-section of readers at Illinoize, these righties and lefties will have to be prepared to defend their positions, in some cases for the first time. It's already starting to happen over there and I think that's a very healthy thing.

Question of the day

Who do you think Judy Baar Topinka should choose as her running mate?

Durbin takes swipe at Blagojevich

US Sen. Dick Durbin took a rare public swipe at Governor Blagojevich in an AP story.

When Gov. Rod Blagojevich gave his last State of the State address, he bragged that his personal lobbying and the help of U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert had produced an extra $490 million for Illinois' hospitals and nursing homes.

It was an unusual account coming from a governor who, according to members of Congress, rarely takes a personal role in lobbying or thanks the officials who work with him.

Unlike other Illinois governors of recent decades, Blagojevich's lobbying style does not include backslapping office visits and chatty phone calls. And the state's Washington office also has cut back its personal contacts.

"I would have to say Governor Blagojevich's style doesn't include that. It is rare for me to speak to him personally," said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield resident and the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate. "I still know what his priorities are in his administration and do my best to try to help him."

I wonder if the guv got the message.

A must-read

If you haven't read the Tribune's Sunday story about the governor's PR machine, make sure you do so now.

With his re-election campaign looming, Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration has built an unprecedented image-shaping machine, sending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer-funded promotional letters to constituent groups, urging agency directors out into the field and grading the media's coverage of events. [...]

An administration effort this summer to use parole agents to distribute a letter from the governor to various constituency groups, extolling his work to track sex offenders, ignited strong protest from his allies in organized labor and the Democratic Party, who complained it came perilously close to forcing state workers to do political work for the governor. But the parole initiative was just the tip of the iceberg.

Documents obtained by the Tribune show that at least 32 "Dear Friend" letters came from the governor's office between July and August. The letters, signed by the governor and appearing on his official letterhead, discuss topics ranging from women's health care to a new law banning younger drivers from using cell phones. One letter, appearing with the signature of Patricia Blagojevich, the governor's wife, extols a new law exempting nursing mothers from jury duty. [...]

[In July], the Illinois Department of Public Health sent more than 340,000 letters and more than 70,000 e-mails to state recipients of health-care benefits, plus hospitals, doctors, hospices, chiropractors and other groups, the tracking form shows.

There's too much to excerpt. Make sure you read the whole thing. And notice this at the end.

By their standard, Blagojevich had an excellent month in August, according to copies of agency logs obtained by the Tribune. Their count showed that 942 stories were written or broadcast about key agencies under the governor's control. Of those, 906 were deemed "positive," nine as "negative" and 27 were "neutral." For July, the scorecard showed 725 positive, 27 negative and 75 neutral.

So much for the constant complaint that the media is ignoring his message. That's supposedly the reason they have to do all this extra PR work.

I wonder if they're rating individual reporters as well.

In a related story, the guv has spent $130,000 in taxpayer funds to videotape state events that he has attended, which brought this rebuke from the State Journal-Register:

It is a continuing problem with this administration. Rather than rely on the natural good publicity that flows from doing good deeds, Team Blagojevich is driven to prove the brilliance of its leader at every turn and at any cost. It comes across as needy and desperate.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Comments are off until Monday. Light to nonexistent posting until then unless something big breaks or I get a few minutes of free time.

If you're looking for Illinois stuff for the next few days, you might want to go here. I'll explain next week what that's all about.

By the way, I'm thankful for my subscribers and the readers of this blog. You're all tops in my book. Have a good one.

Blagojevich to make late announcement?

Buried at the end of this story about Republican gubernatorial debates was this little tidbit.

Although Blagojevich has not formally announced his intent to seek re-election, a spokesman for the governor said Monday that he fully expects Blagojevich to file his petitions before the Dec. 12 deadline.

"He's given me every indication that he will file," said Pete Giangreco, spokesman for Blagojevich's campaign committee.

No date has been set for when Blagojevich will make a formal announcement, he said.

"I don't expect one until January or February or at least not until after the State of the State address," Giangreco said.

The State of the State is January 18th.

Congrats to Emil Jones

According to this column in the Defender, Senate President Emil Jones was married in Las Vegas over the weekend.

"Word" from Las Vegas is that Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. and Dr. Lorrie Stone were wed Saturday at high noon during a lovely garden ceremony at the exclusive MonteLargo Village on the shores of sparkling Lake Las Vegas. The one-of-a-kind posh, luxury resort 17 miles from the Vegas Strip is set amid Nevada's desert mountains. The Mediterranean-themed village, we're told, offers exquisite shopping and dining, golfing, European-style gaming, championship golf and lakeside recreation.

Congratulations, Senator!

(hat tip: AmyEAllen)

Also, while congrats may be in order, Jones' house was burgled while he was away. His car was also stolen but later recovered.

No excuse for this

IDHS really needs to get its act together:

Personal information -- enough to make an identity thief's mouth water -- keeps turning up in an unlocked trash bin behind a state office in Belleville, according to a published report.

Records containing names, addresses, home phone numbers, birth dates and Social Security numbers were found in the trash behind an Illinois Department of Human Services office, the Belleville News-Democrat reported today.

The records were found Saturday and again Monday evening, after the newspaper informed the agency. The finds occurred more than six months after the newspaper began to fish personal information out of open trash bins at various state agencies.

Not sure I'd want to be assigned the task of fishing through trash bins, but it's a good story.

Question of the day

For what are you most thankful?

(By the way, posting will most likely be very light today.)

This just in... Birkett stays put

Joe Birkett won't run statewide next year. From a press release:

NOTE: The following note is being sent today by DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett to his supporters.

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005
3:15 p.m.

I want to let you know that I am very grateful to you for your efforts on my behalf as I vigorously explored a run for Governor.

For the past several months, I traveled our state along with several other Republicans who were running or considering entering the race. During this exploratory campaign I traveled more than 50,000 miles and I met great people. Our message and our ideas were well received everywhere we went.

I have decided not to be a candidate for governor or any other statewide office next year. There are few things in life that are as all-consuming as politics – especially a campaign for Governor. While I fully intend to explore another run for statewide office in the future, I have found that it would be very difficult to simultaneously run and still perform my duties as State’s Attorney; especially at a time when my office is facing a number of significant challenges.

I want you to know that while I will not be on the statewide ticket, I will be very active in supporting fellow Republicans, including the candidacy of my good friend and colleague, Tazewell County State’s Attorney Stu Umholtz, who will be our candidate for Attorney General. I will also focus on bringing about needed legislative and policy reform to improve the justice system and the quality of life in Illinois.

Finally, thank you again for your continued support. We have a great opportunity to achieve Republican victories next fall and I look forward to working with you to help make them possible.

Once again, have a Happy Thanksgiving and a great holiday season.

Question of the day

As I told Capitol Fax subscribers last week and then again this morning, state Sen. Carole Pankau (R-Itasca) will challenge Democratic Comptroller Dan Hynes next year. Here's a story about the race. Please read it before you comment.

Do you think she can win? Why or why not?

Unhappy Republicans

School board president John Vivoda's decision to challenge Peter Roskam in the Republican primary for Henry Hyde's old seat has set off some sparks in DuPage.

...[Vivoda] said he wanted to avoid “this anointing of somebody who is an ultra-conservative.”

Vivoda thinks a moderate like himself will hit an untapped Republican electorate. [...]

His viewpoint, however, doesn’t sit well with area Republican leaders who see Vivoda as a spoiler.

If Vivoda is a true Republican, he wouldn’t want Roskam to spend precious financial resources in a primary fight, said state Sen. Kirk Dillard, the DuPage GOP chairman. Vivoda should let Roskam save his money for the general election next November, Dillard said.

“Sadly, Mr. Vivoda will only be helping the Democrats, since he will not beat Peter Roskam in the Republican primary,” Dillard said.

Read the whole thing.

Vivoda probably doesn't have a chance, but he sure knows how to stir things up. Check out this Tribune story:

[Vivoda] doesn't expect to get the support of the district's traditional Republican leadership, who he says "winked and nodded at George Ryan forever."

Whiplash

The main Sun-Times story on Cook Couty Sheriff's Michael Sheahan's retirement was pretty straightforward.

Stunning Cook County's political establishment, longtime Sheriff Michael Sheahan made a last-minute decision Monday not to seek a fifth term, and he tried to get Democratic leaders to slate his chief of staff, Tom Dart, to replace him.

The party's ward and township committeemen gave Sheahan two standing ovations when he addressed their slate-making session Monday, but they balked at his request for an instant endorsement of his popular deputy.

Instead they put off for one week the decision on whom to slate for the office. That will give other potential candidates time to try to scramble together campaigns.

The story mentioned that Ald. William Beavers and county board member Mike Quigley were both interested.

Not so says Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown.

[Ald. William] Beavers was telling reporters he was serious about running for the job himself, but he's not. What he's serious about is not wanting to be taken for granted in the decisionmaking [...]

Quigley was immediately discussed as a sheriff's candidate, based on his past criticism of Sheahan, but he said he wasn't interested.

Brown also wrote, "The 19th Ward braintrust may have outmaneuvered everybody again."

Not so, says Michael Sneed.

The Hatfields and the McCoys? Sneed hears Cook County Sheriff Mike Sheahan's decision not to run for re-election reportedly prompted an intraparty feud.

*Translation: Sheahan, who is pushing his chief of staff Tom Dart as his replacement, reportedly ran afoul of 19th Ward Dem strongman Thomas Hynes, our former Cook County assessor who is supposedly backing former U.S. Attorney Jim Burns for the job. (Burns is Secretary of State Jesse White's inspector general.)

*Explanation: Sneed is told the fuse was lit when Sheahan failed to inform Hynes of his decision to pull up stakes until after Sheahan had already told ward committeemen the day before.

*History note: No love lost here. Bad blood was drawn when Hynes' son Dan was chosen to run for state comptroller, a job Dart, then a state representative, wanted and felt he deserved due to his many years of service to the Dem party.

Get all that?

UPDATE: The next time I talk to Tom Dart, I'm going to make it a point to tell him what I think of his moronic supporters who've been posting here. Comments are closed because some people are just plain evil.

PUSH-CORE

You may have to subscribe to read this, but it's too good to let it stay behind the firewall. Greg Hinz writes about ComEd and an unlikely group of supporters.

...Which leads to the story of Commonwealth Edison Co., the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the question of why groups such as Rev. Jackson's Rainbow/Push Coalition are quietly helping the company in its bid to bump up electric rates, an increase that poor minority folks are especially ill-equipped to pay. [...]

Recently, [ComEd] set up a grassroots group, Citizens Organized for Reliable Electricity (Core), to push ComEd's plan for market-based electricity rates. Most members, predictably, are business folks who instinctively oppose government intervention. Some, like ex-Chicago Board of Trade President Thomas Donovan, have a second reason; Mr. Donovan says Mr. Clark and ComEd took extra steps to protect the CBOT against power outages.

But, notably, Core also has lured leading minority figures whose constituents can't pass on higher bills to customers, including United Neighborhood Organization CEO Juan Rangel and Rainbow/Push Chairman Martin King. Rev. Jackson also recently wrote Gov. Rod Blagojevich offering to "mediate" the dispute, and he wants to meet with the governor. [...]

I give Mr. Clark and ComEd buckets of credit for helping minority groups. But when someone as powerful as Rev. Jackson gets involved in a fight like this, it makes waves. Sometimes, it's best to just say no.

Man, everybody was in the tank on that Marty Cohen ICC chairmanship vote. Everybody.

Gidwitz proposes tax plan

It may be Thanksgiving week, but GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ron Gidwitz is still issuing press releases. Yesterday, he announced a tax plan.

Charging that Gov. Rod Blagojevich “just doesn’t get” how bad of shape Illinois’ economy is in, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ron Gidwitz Monday proposed a state-tax rebate for every new job created here over the next five years.

Under the plan, employers would get back 50% to 75% of the state income-tax liability for any hew hires—the larger figure applying to “higher quality” posts that offered health care benefits and retirement plans.

The initiative “would have no prerequisites for location, size of business, or number of jobs created,” said Mr. Gidwitz at a Chicago press conference. “This state needs an economic shot in the arm.”

The comments from Mr. Gidwitz, who headed Chicago’s Helene Curtis Industries before it was acquired by a Dutch firm, came after a series of recent reports suggesting that Illinois has lagged behind other states in recovering from the post-9/11 recession, and indeed that it has created fewer jobs than the rest of the nation since at least 1990.

What do you think?

Will Dart be next sheriff?

Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan says he won't run for a 5th term. His chief of staff Tom Dart will reportedly ask the Cook County Central Committee later today to slate him for the office.

Dropping a bombshell into Cook County politics, Sheriff Michael Sheahan called Democratic leaders this morning to tell them he will not seek re-election to a fifth term in the high-profile office.

“He has been in public service 38 years, sheriff since 1990,” said Cook County Democratic Chairman Tom Lyons. “He just wants to turn his attention to other matters.”

Exactly why the veteran Southwest Side politician decided to pull the plug remained somewhat of a mystery. He has been mentioned as potential candidate for higher office in the past, especially state treasurer, an office that will become vacant if Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka follows through with her plans to run for governor.

But none of the people Sheahan has been contacting said he spoke of any other offices when he gave them the news. Sheahan’s office has also been hit by investigations of inmates’ allegations of beatings at the Cook County Jail, but Democratic leaders insisted that played no role in his decision.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Considering how many comments we've had and the amount of bile expended, it took longer than expected to reach the 3-deletion limit. But we have hit the mark and so comments are now closed on this post.

Question of the day

Do you think US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has "criminalized politics" or is he just trying to get the criminals out of politics? Explain.

By the way, posting will be light today.

I need these people to contact me, please

Bill Baar, Grand Old Partisan, President Nixon, Sammy Esposito, RedByrd, Roy Slade, Scott Fawell's Cellmate, Steve Schnorf, Shelbyville, Tessa, The Dude, bardo, JSM, Team Sleep, rambler, Pat Hickey.

If you're one of these commenters, please e-mail me.

And, no, you're not in trouble.

Comments closed for the weekend

See you Monday.

Pool report

A reporter friend of mine sent this e-mail to me today.

I guess I didn't have anything better to do, but I attended yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "venue reform" in civil litigation. S.B. 1724 (sponsored by Kirk Dillard) would give plaintiffs fewer choices of where to file their lawsuits. The main witnesses in support of the bill were Ed Murnane and a lawyer from Worshington named Mark Behrens, who was working on behalf of the Civil Justice League.

The star senator was Don Harmon.

The Civil Justice League guys had argued that the disproportionate number of civil cases filed in Cook, Madison and Saint Clair counties placed a burden on Illinois taxpayers, plus made them more vulnerable to being selected for jury duty. But when Harmon asked whether these causes brought in any "litigation tourists," for example lawyers staying in hotels and eating in restaurants for an extended period, the witnesses revealed that of all the asbestos litigation filed in Madison County over the last five years, only two had gone to trial -- which showed that their "burden on the citizens" argument was B.S.

Harmon also asked whether the disproportionate number of cases being filed in these three counties had led to any actual injustice. None of them could answer yes.

Then Harmon attacked their argument that having these "judicial hellholes" discourages businesses from locating in Illinois. If businesses can be sued in Illinois no matter where their business is located, how does that hurt business development here, Harmon asked. The answer from Murnane: It just does!

Question of the day

Every Friday afternoon, before he was unceremoniously fired, WMAY talk-show host Mike Wilson did a segment called "Cake, or Ferrets in the Boxer Shorts."

For those unfamiliar with the segment, this is where you get to vote for the wonderful sweet person that would be deserving of a nice big piece of cake, and the total [expletive deleted] that would be worthy of having ferrets dropped in his or her boxer shorts.

Since he's no longer on the air, you can post this week's nominees here.

And, please, no profanity, libel, or other bizarre behavior. Seriously, y'all are getting a little too weird for me lately. Try to have some fun with this.

Not gonna do it

I've had lots of requests to create an IDOT post here in the wake of a few recent resignations.

I'm not going to do it for several reasons, one of which is that you IDOT people can get a little out of hand in the comments section. I know, you feel you are under siege, and some of you have provided some good info in the past, but I haven't been able to babysit the blog the last few days, so I couldn't risk it. Today is no different.

So, if you have theories, corruption tales, etc., I'd appreciate it if you would e-mail me.

First time for everything

US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is usually the definition of "cool under fire."

He's got one governor on trial, the vice president's former chief of staff and the Sun-Times' former owner under indictment; he's put a NY Times reporter in jail and now has a renowned Washington Post editor on the hot seat; and he has the mayor of the state's largest city and the current governor on the run, yet he's always Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected.

Until yesterday, when reporters asked him about People Magazine naming him one of the "sexiest men alive."

"I almost enjoy going back to the leak questions I can't answer," said Fitzgerald, blushing.

"Uhhh, I ... I don't wanna comment."

Fitzgerald couldn't wait to get back to talking about the intricacies of corporate fraud. But when pressed about the designation, which he shares with Matthew McConaughey and country star Keith Urban, Fitzgerald, a Harvard Law graduate with a Boy Scout reputation, responded with his typical wit.

"I played a lot of practical jokes on people for a lot of years and they all got even at once," he said. "OK, new topic."

He blushed? Does that mean he's human?

[emphasis added]

I forgot about this

I wrote about Secretary of State director of physical services Cecil Turner's firing in today's Capitol Fax, noting that White could come under fire for continuing the culture of cronyism at the SoS.

But I forgot about this one. The Sun-Times fills us in.

White's office faced questions in 1999 when Turner was hired despite having a criminal history.

In 1975, a federal jury convicted Turner of conspiracy for his role in a scheme in which a Petersburg, Ill., mail carrier stole $7,000 in income-tax refunds, veterans' benefits and other federal checks.

Turner was found guilty of forging signatures, possessing some of the illegally obtained checks and helping in the thefts. He was sentenced to three years in prison and served 11 months.

"We had known that at the time we hired him. We thought people are entitled to a second chance in life. He'd been a prominent citizen in the Sangamon County area, and we thought he'd do a good job," Druker said.

Maybe not.

Meanwhile, White's GOP opponent, state Sen. Dan Rutherford, has an interesting feature on his campaign website.

Rutherford has asked for suggestions on how to improve the SoS office, and some of them are pretty good.

I have a suggestion that can help those with illness. Add a Medical Alert to the Driver license. I have heard for EMTs that they will look in wallet for information before treating a person to see if there is any medical information regarding why they may have collapsed. This way they can just look for a State ID or Driver license to see what they need to do in order to help the person that is fallen ill and can't respond. This can save lives. Just a thought.

Rutherford then comments on most of the suggestions.

Very good idea.

New poll numbers

SurveyUSA has a new poll of President Bush's job approval ratings in all 50 states, and as you might image, the prez ain't doing so well here.

Just 31 percent approve of his job performance, while 67 percent disapprove. Yeesh.

His disapproval is up 11 points since May, while his approval is down 8.

Illinois and Massachusetts were tied at 44th highest approval of Bush in the nation. Nationally, he's at 37/60.

The poll of 600 adults was taken November 11-13. It has a margin of error of 3.9 percent.

Mike Wilson booted from WMAY

It turns out, I was on Mike Wilson's last show on WMAY yesterday.

Mike was my favorite Springfield talk-show host. He was witty and engaging and always a fun listen. I thoroughly enjoyed being on his program because we had a good chemistry between us and could just have lots of fun. It was the only show I did on a regular basis. Not sure if I'll ever do another.

The last thing I said, during the last minute of Mike's last show, was how great his program was and what an asset he was to the station. Neither of us knew what was about to happen next.

This morning Mike was fired for budgetary reasons.

I'll miss you, Mike. Good luck.

3 "cleared" at DCFS

A law firm hired by the state has cleared three DCFS officials to return to work.

Three state Department of Children and Family Services employees placed on paid leave Oct. 25 after the launch of a federal investigation into hiring practices have been cleared to come back to work.

But the personnel employees -- Robin Staggers, Tom Putting and Corey Novick -- are not going back to their old posts, DCFS spokeswoman Diane Jackson said Wednesday.

Staggers, formerly a deputy director of human resources, has been assigned to become the agency's African-American Affairs liaison. She is expected to assume those duties today.

Putting reported to work Monday in DCFS' Division of Monitoring and Quality Assurance. Novick, a lawyer, started work that day in the agency's legal department. [...]

The governor's office, Jackson said, hired a law firm to issue an independent opinion about whether Staggers, Putting and Novick should be allowed to return to work. DCFS acted based on the lawyers' recommendation that they return.

Question of the day

Should Illinois ban casino gaming, expand it, remake it somehow, or keep it the way it is?

Won't work

The Cross Bloggers have been up in arms lately abut this site that anonymously attacks one of their legislators. The people behind the offending site recently did a mailing to voters in the district advertising its existence.

The Crossers urged the legislator to retaliate with his own website, and he has now done so, although it's a bit on the weak side. Frankly, he ought to be sending his friends and family over there to bombard the other place with their own version of the truth, so that visitors can see for themselves if the allegations are overblown hype or not.

Anyway, this week, the Crossers made the following suggestion:

Do me and Paul a favor. Go over to the bad blog and click the little 'flag' button on the top right. If we get enough folks to 'flag' the site, we'll take it down.

I have the same "flag" button on my site, as do most Blogger.com bloggers. The Cross suggestion worried me a little because I don't want to be subjected to politically motivated harassment, so I sent Blogger Support an e-mail about this subject. I received the following reply:

Blogs with many flags are reviewed by our support staff and we do not take action against blogs simply for political opinions.

That's good to know.

Consider this a blog report thread. Hype your own blog or chat about what other blogs are doing.

Brought to you by...

This story wouldn't even be a story if the governor had not made this sort of thing an issue. His supporters claim he's being held to an unfairly high standard, but it wasn't that long ago that he placed himself on a very high pedestal.

The thousands of tollway commuters now able to cruise through the four I-PASS express lanes at the first redesigned toll plaza on I-294 will certainly know whom to thank.

Just above the overpass of toll-gathering gadgetry at the Irving Park Toll Plaza is a long permanent sign reading “Open Road Tolling — Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor.”

The declaration has Republicans howling, Democrats defending and a watchdog group raising an eyebrow two years after the governor pushed through an ethics package that, in part, was aimed at stopping political self-promotion through public projects. [...]

Blagojevich’s name does not appear above regular tollbooths, where drivers with cash are paying double to cover the tollway enhancement project.

The tollway erected the sign for commuters so they know why the new system is there and what to call it, Damico said.

It was the governor's idea to forbid the using of names, images, etc. in TV, newspaper and radio ads promoting a state program. What people often forget, however, is that his original proposal also included billboards.

Again, this is not a huge issue. But it is a very good indication of how the upcoming campaign will look.

Stroger steps on his message

The idea was to announce his candidacy, but Cook County Board President John Stroger allowed himself to get pulled off message yesterday.

...But at a press conference in which he was flanked by dozens of big-named supporters, Mr. Stroger ventured into dangerous political waters by strongly suggesting he’s about to call for a county property-tax hike. [...]

The county’s chief official reminded voters that when he first ran for office he pledged to hold the line on property taxes. He has done so, and, as a result, the county’s property-tax rate (not the levy) “has fallen 40% since I took office,” he said.

But, in answer to a question, Mr. Stroger said, “It looks like it (the tax freeze) may be coming to an end,” if state government does not come across with tens of millions of dollars needed for health costs.

“I’ll do what I think is right,” Mr. Stroger concluded. “The public will judge and, whatever happens after, I’ll live with it.”

Quote of the week

This has been mentioned in comments, so I thought it should be elevated:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Tuesday he's too busy to think about his 2006 re-election campaign and is unconcerned about the possibility of a Democratic primary challenge.

The first-term Democratic governor also dismissed recent Tribune reports raising questions about hiring in his administration as reporters "trying to justify their pay."

"They need to do work and so they have to look for stuff and write certain things," Blagojevich said.

UPDATE: Comments are closed on this post because some people are complete morons who should go find another blog to infect.

Question of the day

Politicians cringe when the Chicago Tribune publishes a negative editorial about them, and they gloat when the Tribsters heap praise. Trib editorials have been known to kill bills and nominees (Marty Cohen is a recent example), and have heavily influenced numerous state policies and political campaigns.

Do you think the Tribune editorial board has too much influence over Illinois politics? Why or why not? And do you think the Tribune handles the responsibility well? Explain.

Guv signs All Kids bill

As you probably heard, the governor signed his All Kids bill yesterday. The New York Times fills us in:

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich signed a measure on Tuesday intended to allow all children in Illinois, including those in working-class and middle-class families, to obtain health insurance.

National experts on health care said the new law, which will offer discounts on premiums for those who qualify, was the broadest plan to insure children by any state.

The article also included this choice little passage:

The critics also complained that the push for this bill, which sped through the Democratic-controlled Legislature, was a publicity stunt by Mr. Blagojevich, a first-term governor who might seek re-election next year and whose administration has received unflattering headlines over a federal inquiry into its hiring practices.

Might? Unflattering headlines?

This sucks

I had my share of disagreements, some quite nasty, with Libertarian Party of Illinois executive director Jeff Trigg, but I always found him honest and he was the strongest advocate for his party's ideals I've ever encountered (the source of most of our arguments).

Trigg was gearing up to run for governor as his party's candidate, but the LPs decided not to endorse anyone and then fired Trigg as ED after their weekend convention.

The man has devoted his life to this cause, so I think dumping him was a stupid thing to do, although the party is apparently broke.

Then again, maybe if he puts that same energy and zeal into a private sector gig he'll make a bunch of money and write this whole thing off as a difficult learning experience.

New poll numbers

SurveyUSA has a new poll that shows Vice President Dick Cheney's job approval in Illinois is just 29 percent. His disapproval was 66 percent.

The good news is that 69 percent of Republicans approve and 28 percent disapprove. 50 percent of pro-life Illinoisans approve, but 47 percent disapprove and every other demographic group strongly disapproves.

Cheney's national approve/disapprove numbers were 34/61, according to SurveyUSA.

Illinois tied with Massachusetts and Michigan for 41st highest approval rating. Top was Wyoming (which he once represented in Congress) at 55 approve, 44 disapprove. Lowest was Vermont, at 22/73.

The poll of 600 Illinoisans was conducted November 11 through 13 and has a margin of error of 3.9 percent. Despite being an automated poll, SurveyUSA has a good track record for accuracy.

For people on the go

I've wanted a Treo 650 for months. The phone is more powerful than the first three laptops I owned. Treos are on major sale right now (it cost less than my last cell phone) so I bought it and have been playing with it ever since, downloading free software, ordering an almost full-sized keyboard so I can blog more easily from the Statehouse, etc.

I decided a couple of days ago it would be cool to have a news feed page specifically designed for a mobile device like my Treo - stripped of graphics and extraneous links and code - so I can stay on top of things when I'm at the Capitol or out of the office.

It only took a few minutes to put together and it works great. If you have a mobile device that is web-capable, go check it out. The site will still contain the same advertising as here, but there will be no graphics, so the page will continue to load fast.

If you want to e-mail the link to your mobile device, just click here.

This just in...

The Gaming Board's Administrative Law Judge Abner J. Mikva has recommended that Emerald Casino’s gaming license be permanently revoked.

From a Lisa Madigan press release:

Today is a major victory for integrity and public confidence in the Illinois gaming industry and its regulators that for too long have operated under a cloud of doubt and mistrust.

For too many years, the Emerald Casino gaming license has tied up public resources and cheated state coffers out of desperately needed revenues.

But much more importantly, it has robbed the public of belief in a well-regulated industry that functions as it should in a lawful manner.

It is time to move forward – forward with getting the 10th casino license up and running and time to close the book on this chapter of greed, inside deals and backroom agreements.

More later.

UPDATE: Here is a news link.

Blagojevich becomes issue for Madigan

Lisa Madigan announced her re-election bid this week, but if kickoff day is any indication, Rod Blagojevich will be a major issue for her in the upcoming months.

Later, at the Capitol in Springfield, Madigan declined to endorse her party’s standard- bearer, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat who is expected to seek a second term in 2006.

“Today, the only political decisions I’ve made are to run for attorney general for another four years,” she told a reporter who asked whether she backs the governor. Madigan also said she’ll continue to probe allegations of misconduct in the governor’s office.

The governor’s office played down Madigan’s comments.

Gushing over Blagojevich at the State Fair while she was overseeing a grand jury investigation of his administration was the worst mistake Lisa Madigan has made since she was elected. If the feds indict higher ups and she doesn't, she could be in for a rough ride next fall - although she still has to be considered the frontrunner against anyone mentioned so far.

Question of the day

Does Ed Eisendrath have a chance against Rod Blagojevich in the spring primary? Do you think anyone else will jump into the race?

If you don't know anything about Eisendrath, please read the story linked above before you comment. Also, I'm amazed at the various conspiracy theories that have been concocted about this race. Try to play it straight today. Thanks.

UPDATE: I was planning to have more on this tomorrow after hinting about it in Monday's Capitol Fax.

At least one other Chicagoan is considering a run at Blagojevich. Cook County States Attorney Richard Devine has not ruled out a challenge to the first-term governor, whom he is investigating with Attorney General Lisa Madigan in an appointments-for-contributions probe.

UPDATE 2: Eisendrath just called. Devine's office called with the standard pablum response, but I told them I want to speak to him, not them. Still waiting. More in tomorrow's Capitol Fax.

UPDATE 3: From Crain's:

Adding to recent comments that he is “seriously considering” running, Mr. Eisendrath said friends and friends of friends around Illinois are circulating petitions in Peoria, Springfield, Champaign and the Chicago suburbs. [...]

“I don’t think this governor can get reelected,” said Mr. Eisendrath, the only known Democrat to have confirmed a possible race against Mr. Blagojevich. Even though he’s starting just a month before petitions would be filed, “There’s plenty of time to make the case.”

Coincidence?

Here's a little-known fact:

(S)ix current governors came directly from the U.S. House of Representatives: Bob Riley (R) of Alabama, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R), Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D) and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R).

According to SurveyUSA not a single one of those governors has a job approval rating above 50 percent.

Washington, DC-style politics does not play well at the Statehouse. I've tried to tell the Blagojevich people this for years, but they never listened.

Rest in peace

The Illinois Leader was a wacky place at times. But for years it was the only online location for Illinois news and views outside the mainstream - sometimes way outside the mainstream.

It was a fun spot in those early years, all brass knuckles right in your face. Just about everybody in Illinois politics with a computer and an Internet connection read it, even though most may not have admitted it.

The comment section was always out of hand, which made it fun at the beginning. (I've always taken the rapidly diminishing value of the Leader's comment section as a cautionary tale for this site, which is why I get a little upset at some of our more vitriolic denizens. Frankly, I got sick of the Leader's comment board and I'm very worried that this place will devolve into mayhem without an occasional strong hand.)

Anyway, things started to fall apart at the Leader last year when they lost some staff. The Alan Keyes disaster seemed to be a tipping point, although I never quite figured out the entire story. I thought they were getting it together earlier this year when Charlie Johnston started writing a spot-on conservative column every week. I was wrong.

The Leader was a big reason why I started updating my own website on a regular basis with "snippets" from the day's Capitol Fax. The Leader made me realize that I had an exposed flank. Then blogs exploded onto the scene and I was all but forced to start up this monstrosity.

Dan Proft gets a lot of grief in the comments here, but even though he never made the Leader financially profitable Proft showed true genius in recognizing a niche and then filling it with colorful, engaging content every day. I imagine publishing that thing was a real pain sometimes, considering the characters involved. But he perservered and he should be commended for his pioneering work.

From Cal Skinner's blog:

...Illinois Leader is dead. It has been on life support for a long time. [...]

Having long ago run through its start-up money, it now owes tens of thousands of dollars.

I hope Proft saves the archives. They did some very valuable stories over the years and I occasionally find myself cribbing that work.

Try to be nice in comments. It's rude to speak ill of the dead.

Blogger will be down later tonight

They claim it will ony be for two hours, from 7-9 tonight.

Fritchey: Eisendrath is in

John Fritchey claims that former Chicago alderman Ed Eisendrath will run against Rod Blagojevich in the Democratic primary. He's not just thinking about it, according to Fritch.

After a number of calls and conversations today, barring anything unforeseen, I'm saying that Eisendrath is IN THE RACE. While there is no official announcement, I think that it is safe to say that this train has left the station.

As I said before, this changes a LOT of calculations for a lot of people, not just the Governor. So roll up your sleeves, sit back and get ready to witness some fascinating politics.

UPDATE 1: ABC-7 has more.

The governor's campaign says Blagojevich is focused on providing better education and health care for working families -- not on potential opponents. But Susie Braman -- a North Side mother of five -- says she is recruiting people to circulate nominating petitions for Eisendrath because she is disappointed in Blagojevich and ready for a change.

"I am pretty passionate about he is a great, honest man and would like him to be governor," said Susie Braman, Eisendrath Supporter.

Eisendrath comes from a wealthy and politically prominent democratic family. He says if he does run, he will raise money ethically and not expect his family to subsidize the campaign.

Republican candidates for governor are understandably ecstatic about a democratic challenge that will force Blagojevich to spend money and defend his record. Instead of sitting back and watching them go broke beating each other up in their GOP primary Eisendrath says he will make a final decision on whether or not to run in a few weeks. But it's probably a go.

Eisendrath supported Blagojevich's 2002 candidacy, according to the article.

Question of the day

Let's hear your Republican gubernatorial primary results predictions.

He probably couldn't make it any worse

File it under "Don't they both have enough trouble without this?"

The World Series champion White Sox soon will be receiving a phone call from the White House to set up a meeting with President George Bush.

The Cubs, well . . . how about a meeting with Gov. Rod Blagojevich?

Blagojevich says he plans to call Cubs general manager Jim Hendry on Monday to set up a meeting to discuss ways to improve his favorite team.

"I asked [Hendry] if I could come and see him," said Blagojevich, who attended Kerry Wood's charity bowling event for Children's Memorial Hospital on Saturday night at 10-Pin Lounge. "I'm looking forward to that. I'm 48 going on 9 when it comes to baseball. I'm really excited to be here, and getting a chance to talk to Kerry Wood was a real thrill for me and my daughter Amy."

Emphasis added.

Our never-ending scandal

The Tribune has a good article on the governor's hiring practices.

A Tribune examination of job placements in agencies that have been under investigation found a system that has allowed the Democratic governor's allies to secure high-paying, high profile positions despite questionable experience.

Blagojevich has said the state and federal inquiries are not "a bad thing if you're confident that your systems are working and that you know that you try to do things honestly, ethically and responsibly."

Yet Blagojevich's hiring system has resulted in at least three men with no law-enforcement experience--a factory supervisor, a car-parts manager and a farmer--getting jobs as assistant prison wardens. In one case, a former Blagojevich campaign worker with a history of drunken driving arrests even got a job in traffic safety.

Go read the whole thing.

Opinion roundup

Greg Hinz at Crain's concludes his latest column about what Republican candidates are talking about lately with this pointed jab:

And you can expect to hear one other thing: A big horse laugh from Rod Blagojevich. Any campaign in which Republicans talk about sex museums and naughty T-shirts instead of taxes and indictments is a gift from above to the Democratic incumbent.

Aaron Chambers collected this choice quote for his weekly column:

“I can’t think of a stinkin’ value in the world that Judy Baar Topinka has got except to ride on a float in the gay-rights parade. She’s got a value there.”

That’s Jack Roeser, a Carpentersville businessman who, directly and through his political action committees, has donated millions to hard-right-wing political candidates in Illinois. His groups gave $20,000 to Oberweis in the first six months of this year. He told me he subsequently gave Oberweis an additional $75,000.

The Tribune editorial page weighed in with yet another harsh Sunday diatribe:

Blagojevich, who campaigned in 2002 with a vow to end "business as usual" in Illinois, has staunchly defended his administration. He says that he welcomes the federal scrutiny as "a good thing" and that his commitment to reform will be borne out. He has been unconvincing. [...]

The governor doesn't have the firm political standing that the mayor has long enjoyed. The governor cannot afford to remain in denial.

The governor has no control over the federal investigators. There's nothing much he can do about the scrutiny his administration is receiving, other than to make sure everyone cooperates.

But he does have a year until Election Day. A year to do more than talk, a year to clean house.

The Columbia Chronicle ends its "Illinois GOP’s identity crisis" editorial thusly:

The Illinois GOP is hoping that candidates will begin stepping aside so it can solidify its base and unify behind one opponent for Blagojevich. The problem is that they’re still trying to figure out exactly what that base is.

My column this week talks about that poll I told you about last week.

Comments closed for the weekend

Talk at you Monday!

More on the "corrected" memo

Once again the Tribune buries the most interesting part of the story.

The report also indicated that officials in Blagojevich's Corrections Department designed a special training program for Acevedo and Phelan, allowing them to train in a "condensed" four-week program instead of the usual six-week time frame.

But when inspectors looked into whether Acevedo and Phelan had completed their required 240 hours of training, they were given copies of "two virtually identical" memos allegedly signed by G.A. Pecoraro, who was chief of the agency's administrative services division under Ryan. Pecoraro, however, had left the agency not long after Blagojevich took office, and months before the date on the memos, the report noted.

The memo on Acevedo showed he had completed 184 hours of training, the report said. When inspectors asked if he had completed the rest of the required hours, they received a telephone call from an agency employee saying he would send a "corrected" memo regarding the training.

The corrected memo was almost identical to the first one, including Pecoraro's sign-off, the report said. Its content was also virtually the same, except that it said Acevedo was credited with 264 hours of training.

What the heck?

Question of the day

How well are House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson doing at their jobs? Explain.

And, please, let's try to tone down the partisanship a little, OK? A lot less passion and a little more thought would be greatly appreciated.

SBC wants to be deregulated in Chicago

Now that Marty Cohen has been denied his chairmanship, this could become reality.

SBC Communications Inc. on Thursday said it has asked the state to deregulate residential phone service in the Chicago metropolitan area, a move critics warned could lead to higher phone bills.

In a filing with the Illinois Commerce Commission, SBC said classifying local phone service as "competitive" would produce more choice and potentially lower rates for Chicago area residents. The company now must get ICC approval to change rates. [...]

The Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group, said deregulating the market would allow SBC to "raise rates as high as it wants anytime it wants." [...]

San Antonio-based SBC said it faces competition from 70 companies now providing local phone service in the Chicago market. The company said state regulation prevents it from competing on price by quickly changing its rates, because it typically takes months for ICC approval.

Over the top

The chances of AFSCME endorsing Gov. Blagojevich's re-election appear dimmer every day.

A union representing tens of thousands of government workers across Illinois has accused the state prison system's investigative arm of illegally meddling in organized labor matters.

In complaints filed with the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the state inspector general, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees claims the Illinois Department of Corrections' Office of Investigation and Intelligence has used its police powers to harass and intimidate union members.

Specifically, the union says the office launched investigations of union officers concerning a protest against suggested pension changes and the content of a union newsletter.

Dede Short, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman, said the department was aware of the union's complaint and that "if there's any information or any allegations regarding inappropriate actions, we will look into it."

Read the whole thing. The details are quite interesting. If AFSCME is telling the truth, then Corrections went way overboard on this.

Rove instrumental

Buried in a NY Times story today on Karl Rove's rebound was this little nugget:

In particular, several Republicans said, Mr. Rove drove the decision to recruit Judy Baar Topinka to run in the Illinois governor's race in 2006, a development this week that suddenly made the race competitive for Republicans. Although Mr. Rove is still leaving contact with candidates to his subordinates, especially Mr. Mehlman and Sarah Taylor, the White House political director, he is back to mapping out the nationwide strategy as he has in races past, several Republicans said.

Veterans Day

Whereas it has long been our customs to commemorate November 11, the anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the heroes of that tragic struggle and by rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace; and

Whereas in the intervening years the United States has been involved in two other great military conflicts, which have added millions of veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of this Nation; and

Whereas the Congress passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926 (44 Stat. 1982), calling for the observance of November 11 with appropriate ceremonies, and later provided in an act approved May 13, 1938 (52 Stat. 351) , that the eleventh of November should be a legal holiday and should be known as Armistice Day; and

Whereas, in order to expand the significance of that commemoration and in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this Nation, the Congress, by an act approved June 1, 1954 (68 Stat. 168), changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day:

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America , do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 , as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.

I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on Veterans Day.

In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.

Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this eighth day of October in the Year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-ninth.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Must have been a slow news day

Looks like my attempt at fun turned out to be newsworthy.

Just one day after Republican State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka said she would run for governor, the incumbent governor's father-in-law posed for a picture with her. It was at a union reception Tuesday, but after it was posted on the widely-viewed Capitol Fax Web site today, it was causing quite a sensation.

“If that picture exists, it's in a league of its own,” said Gov. Blagojevich. “I don't really want to comment on that.” [...]

As for the controversial photo, Mell said he never would have posed for it had he known it would become public. [...]

While Mell told me there is no significance to the photo, his son-in-law (the governor) clearly disagrees, looking wounded when first informed of it and then angry about it a few minutes later.

People really need to lighten up a little.

The story also supposedly ran on Channel 5, but it's not on their site at the moment.

I'll have a little more on this in Friday's Capitol Fax.

UPDATE 1: One Man makes an excellent point.

UPDATE 2: There wasn't room in today's Capitol Fax, so I'll tell the story here.

According to reporters, the governor's campaign was calling around yesterday encouraging media outlets to do a story on the photo. Allegations were made that Mell was "making calls" for Topinka, which turned out to be completely false. Governor Blagojevich was asked about the pic at a media "gang bang" yesterday - proving once again that Thursday was a very slow news day.

Late in the day, the Sun-Times photo editor called me and asked for permission to run the photo. I declined because I don't own the photo (it was taken by someone who is not affiliated with either Mell or Topinka) and I didn't have permission to pass it along for republication. I was a bit abrupt with her, which I regret, but I was on the other line working on a story and I really didn't have time to talk. If somebody at the CS-T sees this, pass along my apologies please. I'm usually nicer than that.

Congressional stuff

Two congressional stories today. The first is about Tammy Duckworth, who you read about here yesterday.

A helicopter pilot wounded in Iraq could take flight as a Democratic candidate for Congress in the Northwest suburban 6th District.

But she won’t say for sure.

Army Maj. Tammy Duckworth, 37, who lost her legs a year ago this month when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down, said her active-duty status prevents her from discussing reports senior Democrats are wooing her. The seat is being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde, a Wood Dale Republican.

“Because I’m on active duty, I’m prohibited from discussing whether or not I’m going to run,” Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates resident, said Wednesday. “My commitment to public service has only deepened since going to Iraq and since my recovery here at Walter Reed (Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.).

Paul Green has some good analysis at the end of the article. Go read it.

The second story is about Mark Kirk's district.

A Wilmette marketing director’s entry into the 10th Congressional District race means Democrats will have a primary to see who gets to face Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk a year from now.

Dan Seals, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, said he plans to send his candidacy papers to the Federal Election Commission in the next 10 days.

“I believe I can help get us back on track,” said Seals, 34, who grew up in Hyde Park and moved to Wilmette with his wife and two daughters in 2002.

Seals will run against Winnetka attorney Zane Smith in the March 21 primary. Democrats have had trouble mounting a strong challenge to incumbent Kirk since he first won the seat by a slim margin in 2000. A primary could hurt Democrats by diverting precious campaign cash away from the fall campaign against Kirk.

Hmmm

Buried at the very bottom of this story about patronage and allegedly getting around veterans hiring preference...

Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration approved personnel moves that helped two politically connected state employees circumvent Illinois law, a confidential and highly critical inspector general's report shows.

A copy of the report, obtained by the Tribune, said Blagojevich's chief of staff and top patronage aide signed off on documents that ultimately allowed the two workers at the Department of Corrections to skirt a law that gives veterans a preference in seeking state jobs.

The report noted that violating veterans' preference rules was a crime under state law but did not pin the blame on anyone in particular.

"It is, unfortunately, an example of more `business as usual' in state government," concluded the inspector general's report, appropriating a key phrase of Blagojevich's campaign pledges of reform.

Is this little nugget.

Agency officials also may have changed documents regarding the hours of training Acevedo completed, the report says.

One old memo was "corrected" after the investigation began, editing the number of hours of training completed so that they matched the requirement, the report said.

And the winner is....

The winner of yesterday's caption contest is Anonymous 2:19.

"This is the oldest accordion I have ever squeezed!"

If you can prove you are Anon 2:19, e-mail me and we'll talk about your prize.

Question of the day

Comptroller Dan Hynes didn't have the best time of it last year. Do you think he will eventually move up the ladder? How high can he go? Attorney General? Governor? Explain.

Winkel as US Attorney?

Is Sen. Rick Winkel the next US Attorney for central Illinois?

"U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, is recommending that retiring state Sen. Rick Winkel be named the new U.S. attorney for central Illinois. And at least two other Illinois Republican congressmen [—] Jerry Weller of Morris and John Shimkus of Collinsville [—] are supporting the recommendation.

The current U.S. attorney, Jan Paul Miller, announced Tuesday that he was stepping down from the position to join a St. Louis law firm. Miller has been the U.S. attorney since January 2002. Before that, he had been an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland.

Johnson has recommended to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois, that Winkel get the appointment. Hastert and Sen. Dick Durbin will consult before making a recommendation to President Bush, said Phil Bloomer, a spokesman for Johnson."

Aside from Winkel possibly getting a new job and doubling his annual income -- from $66,390 a year now to $140,000 -- the most interesting facet to this story is what it does to the race to succeed Winkel in the Senate.

If Winkel gets the U.S. attorney's job he'll be leaving his Senate seat about a year early. And the two Republican county chairmen in the 52nd District, state Rep. Bill Black in Vermilion County and Steve Hartman in Champaign County, get to name the replacement. Black told me today that he'd support appointing Judy Myers, who announced just last week that she will run for Winkel's Senate seat next year.

If all of this falls into place, it gives Myers' campaign a nice lift and may even give her a bit of an advantage next year when she faces the presumed Democratic candidate, Champaign County Auditor Mike Frerichs.

Black said all the maneuvering gave him some pause. If he had known about Miller's resignation and Winkel's possible appointment to the U.S. attorney's job, he said he may have announced for Winkel's seat.

'It might have made a difference," Black said. "I don't know, but if I had had a crystal ball about eight weeks ago, maybe things would be different."

New poll

Here is that new statewide poll I wrote about in this morning's Capitol Fax. (rtf file)

9. Illinois’ current Governor, Rod Blagojevich, made a campaign promise to end corruption and, in his words “clean up business as usual” in Springfield? Do you think Governor Blagojevich has cleaned up corruption in Springfield, do you think he has made corruption in Springfield worse, or do you think he has made no difference?

1. Cleaned up corruption 17%
2. Made corruption worse 11%
3. Made no difference 58%
4. Don’t Know…DO NOT OFFER 13%
5. Refused…DO NOT OFFER 1%

Question 9: Has Blagojevich cleaned up corruption

Cleaned Made Worse No Dif. Don’t Know
Chicago 26% 6% 55% 13%
Cook County 17% 9% 59% 15%
Collar Counties 11% 11% 64% 14%
West/Northwest 16% 9% 67% 7%
Central 17% 12% 55% 16%
Southern 13% 21% 48% 18%

Republican 6% 19% 61% 14%
Democrat 30% 6% 51% 13%
Independent 14% 9% 63% 14%

Male 16% 11% 61% 11%
Female 18% 10% 55% 17%

Caption contest

This photo was taken last night.

Decorated Black Hawk pilot to Congress?

A Republican source tells The Hill today that Democrats are trying to recruit Tammy Duckworth to run for Henry Hyde's seat, and against Christine Cegelis in the primary.

An Illinois GOP campaign aide said Democrats are banking on Tammy Duckworth, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot who was critically injured in Iraq; she is a double amputee.

Duckworth’s candidacy, the campaign aide said, could be modeled after that of Democrat Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran who narrowly lost to Republican Jean Schmidt in Ohio’s strongly Republican 2nd District.

More on Duckworth here. An RPG hit her helicopter and exploded between her legs.

Duckworth lost half of the blood in her body, said the woman who had served in Iraq with the Illinois Army Guard’s 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation, an assault helicopter unit, since last March. All three bones in her right arm were broken but have since been pinned and plated together.

Nearly all of her right leg has been amputated, and she has lost her left leg beneath the knee

UPDATE: E-mail from a friend who knows about this but wants to remain anonymous.

Apparently she's going through a process with the Illinois National Guard to get approval to run--she's still a member. Those pushing her tried to keep it quiet while that process was going on in the guard. A bunch of people are very unhappy this morning that it broke.

This just in...

Peoria County Board Chairman Dave Williams, a Democrat, will announce Friday that he will run for the state Senate seat of retiring Sen. George Shadid.

Sen. Shadid (D-Peoria) already has a choice of successors, Dave Koehler, so the primary could get interesting.

A little help?

I just posted a comment at the Cross Blog and figured I'd mention the subject here, too.

Some folks in comments have been talking about the Democratic wins yesterday, blaming it on President Bush and predicting the same thing could happen here next year.

What I'm curious about is what happens to the rest of the ticket when a president from one party is tanking and a governor from the other party is also tanking. Is it a wash? Remember, though, Bush won't be on the ballot here next year and Blagojevich will.

Since I mostly focus on Illinois, I'm not all that up on other states' politics. Does anyone know of a good comparison here and what eventually happened? Remember, I'm looking for incumbent presidents and governors of the opposite party both with bad poll numbers in off-year races.

Question of the day

I want you to be very careful when you answer this question. I don't want to see any names or easily identifiable persons in your responses. Those sorts of answers will be deleted and, remember, I now close comments after three deletions. So play nice.

With that in mind, where do you think the next scandal will emerge in the Blagojevich administration? Why?

Bear Stearns has more problems

The fallout continues from the pension scandals.

A second public pension fund in Illinois is taking back a hefty sum of cash it invested with Bear Stearns & Co. because of lower-than-expected returns and the firm's links to federal investigations.

Board members for the Teachers' Retirement System decided last week to reclaim the $747 million they've placed with Bear and temporarily give the money to two companies that will invest it in S&P 500 stocks. The board, which manages retirement savings for 330,000 suburban and Downstate educators, is considering several long-term options about what to do with the money, said TRS executive director Jon Bauman.

The board's action follows a similar one in September by the pension fund for 148,000 state employees, lawmakers and judges. That fund, the Illinois State Board of Investment, yanked about $400 million it had put with Bear in May 2004.

Trouble

Jim Laski may have some explaining to do.

With federal investigators turning up the heat, City Clerk James J. Laski acknowledged Tuesday that he made "a number of" personal visits to the city's Jardine Water Filtration plant to talk politics with First Deputy Water Commissioner Donald Tomczak, who has since been convicted of corruption charges. [...]

The government's interest in Laski reportedly stems from fresh information provided by Tomczak and supported by sign-in sheets at the Jardine Water Filtration plant.

Sources said Tomczak has told federal authorities that, on more than one occasion, Laski came to see Tomczak at Jardine and asked him to keep Hired Truck business flowing to Get Plowed. The clerk allegedly made the same pitch to Tomczak's admitted bag man, Gerald Wesolowski, sources said.

Sign-in logs maintained by the Water Management Department and seized by the government confirm the Laski visits to Jardine, sources said.

Oops

Trouble for Oberweis on the campaign trail.

Gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis was accused Tuesday of talking out of both sides of his mouth — railing against illegal immigration while having his Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg stores cleaned at subminimum wage by those same illegal immigrants. [...]

Ramirez and Jorge Ibarra, 35, said an Oberweis subcontractor stiffed them in May out of promised pay of $700 a month each for about 100 hours of work each and instead gave her and Ibarra just $350 each or $3.50 an hour, well below the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour and Illinois’ minimum wage of $6.50.

Oberweis immediately denied any knowledge of the activities of the subcontractor.

“Oberweis Dairy has never knowingly employed illegal aliens, and if it were discovered that an illegal alien were employed, to the degree legally possible, that person’s employment would be terminated,” a news release said.

Oberweis also claimed he was "smeared." But the immigrant group that brought the allegation points out that Illinois law holds the ultimate employer liable, not just the subcontractor.

UPDATE: Austin Mayor had the best reaction I've seen:

I am sure we all share Oberweis' disgust at the very idea that someone would use the issue of illegal immigration for political gain.

Another flier planned, but scrapped

DCFS was also told to hand out a letter from the governor, but decided against it.

Another state agency planned to tout Gov. Rod Blagojevich's legislative record but scrapped the idea amid complaints from the employees who were being told to give news releases and letters to foster families.

The Department of Children and Family Services intended to have its workers give families information on everything from violent video games and breast cancer research to rental housing and energy assistance, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The move coincided with a Department of Corrections policy of having parole agents deliver letters describing Blagojevich's record on tracking sex offenders.

But DCFS decided in August to abandon its plan.

"Due to the overwhelming concerns raised regarding the appearance, cost and labor required to inform foster parents statewide of the programs, initiatives and laws that may impact them, the Office of External Affairs is discontinuing this outreach effort," Delores Robinson, the agency's director of special projects, wrote in an e-mail.