GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - August 3, 2007
GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips for August 3, 2007 include news stories and commentaries, including:
- Budget impasse continues; Hynes says "Don't use shutdown as a tactic"
- Blagojevich orders immediate investigation of critical Illinois bridges
- DailyKos Liberal bloggers converge on Chicago
- Queenie controversy
and more . . .
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
-- Misconceptions about impeachment abound - Dan Rutherford
-- Hynes raps governor’s threat Don’t use shutdown as a tactic, says comptroller - Bernard Schoenberg and Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/13440.asp
http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/13440.asp
(FROM THE ARTICLE: House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said Blagojevich will be blamed for any government shutdown. “We have to fund essential state services, and if the General Assembly puts a budget on the governor’s desk that does that, I think it’s pretty hard to lay the blame on the General Assembly,” Cross said. . . Republican leaders initially favored limited growth in gambling, allowing only existing riverboats to expand. They also wanted the extra gambling revenue tied to a capital program, not used for ongoing state operations. On Tuesday, they indicated they might support a land-based casino in Chicago. But on Wednesday, they said the Chicago casino was going nowhere. “The Titanic goes down and someone brings it up again,” said Jones of the on-again, off-again talks of gambling expansion. )
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
-- Stick to 'irrelevant,' Governor - Editorial
-- VERY SAD: Dems go where the blogs are At YearlyKos in Chicago, Web writers flex 'netroots' muscle as candidates line up -
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Between candidate visits, there will be politically oriented workshops, speeches and panels, including one called "Outfoxing Fox" meant to offer strategies for challenging the network that liberals love to hate. But after candidates were criticized last year for throwing lavish parties, they are expected to stick to the basics this year. The presidential candidates have agreed to attend a roughly 90-minute forum on Saturday afternoon and will also spend 40 minutes answering questions in individual breakout sessions. Besides Clinton, Edwards, Obama and Richardson, also expected are Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will be here too. The presidential campaigns say they expect precisely worded questions at the forum, partly because this group includes both information and political junkies. The sponsors, contributing about $220,000 in cash and $56,000 in gifts, include about 70 entities, representing the nation's biggest unions, JetBlue Airways and groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The rising influence of the so-called netroots — Internet and grass roots — is indisputable among Democrats, and all of the leading candidates have aggressive Internet strategies. Edwards has hired Joe Trippi, an Internet evangelist who managed Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. Obama, who will be marking his 46th birthday when he appears Saturday, is even advertising this week on DailyKos.com. His campaign hopes to try to impress the visitors with the extensive efforts it has made online, ranging from 75,000 registered users on its Web site to 9,500 grass-roots fundraising pages that some of those users have created.)
-- VERY SAD: YearlyKos forum a magnet for (LIBERAL) bloggers and pols -
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Even before Saturday's candidate forum, at least four presidential candidates were wooing the bloggers with convention booths, including one sponsored by former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who featured inflatable plastic chairs and couches for the weary. Sen. Hillary Clinton's booth, meanwhile, stood strangely empty for part of the day, as those for Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson buzzed with activity. The convention, sold out with more than 1,500 registered attendees and 250 credentialed media, is version 2.0. The first was held last year in Las Vegas. Blogs are online journals that often feature commentaries on daily events, a rehash of traditional media and links to other Web sites. Like their conservative talk-radio counterparts, they tend to be far more freewheeling, opinionated and conspiratorial than the average newspaper or television network. And even as the presidential campaigns experiment with new technologies like text messaging and online videos, Democrats are actively courting these opinion writers, even as they live in fear of angering the most influential among them. YearlyKos originated out of the blog run by Markos Moulitsas, 35, a former Chicago resident. The Republican National Committee calls the convention a "panderfest to liberal partisans." Republicans have also pointed out that none of the major Democratic candidates had time to attend the annual conference of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council earlier this week, but still have time for the more liberal bloggers.)
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: OUTSTANDING: Illegals and advocates of illegal immigration, amnesty, more mass guest worker programs, more mass immigration, and preference based on race (Hispanic) and/or national origin (Mexico) are leaving Carpentersville
-- DNC PRESS RELEASE: William Strong undecided about '08 candidate - Becky Yerak
DAILY HERALD
-- How Blagojevich ended up on a political desert island - E
(THE EDITORIAL: The bottom line is that while health care for all topped his agenda, it topped virtually no one else’s. Although you can never be certain while the General Assembly is still in session, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich is slipping dangerously close to irrelevancy. This week, the four legislative leaders appeared to be on the verge of negotiating a budget deal to end the state-record overtime session without the governor’s involvement. Blagojevich threatened a veto, but that threat ultimately almost surely will prove hollow: after all, a 3/5th majority is needed to pass any OT budget. And 3/5th also happens to be the margin required to override the governor’s veto. So any veto would be quickly overridden, leaving the governor to call endless special sessions lawmakers will ignore. Blagojevich would be yelling into the empty abyss, like some overacting B-movie villain whose plans went awry. Assuming the fragile talks end in a deal, credit will go to House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. He’s exerted leadership and shuttle diplomacy with Senate President Emil Jones, who’s been battered all session for his alliance with Blagojevich, electricity rate games and nepotism. Taking the reins of leadership is something Blagojevich has seemed to shy away from, even though he was re-elected to be the state’s chief executive officer last November. By most accounts, the governor attended budget negotiating sessions, but simply reiterated his talking points about the need for more health care, drawing criticism from lawmakers that he’s a pre-programmed robot who’s not good at negotiating or leadership. When Blagojevich finally budged, saying he’d sign a gambling expansion or cigarette tax increase (both flip-flops), Madigan kept yanking away the proverbial football, using Republican reticence to block a gaming deal. How did the governor end up stranded on his political desert island? Blagojevich’s federal corruption probe limits his ability to appear in public, where reporters will grill him and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s office can jot down notes. That reclusiveness takes away Blagojevich’s much-hyped bully pulpit to build support for his programs. The governor’s taunting, slap-in-the-face, public negotiating style hurt him because he didn’t have the legislative leverage to back it up. His much-derided $600 make-up job didn’t help his image either. The bottom line, though, is that while health care for all topped his agenda, it topped virtually no one else’s. To horse trade his health care plan for more money for schools would have been doable this year, but Blagojevich’s pledge against raising the sales or income tax prevented that. The irony is that Blagojevich might well have avoided all of this if he’d just broken that promise. Absent the threat of a veto, Senate Democrats could have pushed through such a hike without any Republican support. And a few moderate House Republicans could have been picked off in that chamber. To break that promise would have opened up Blagojevich to a torrent of criticism. While he may not have kept his pledge to clean up state government, as the federal probes suggest, Blagojevich has, so far, kept his promise not to raise the income or sales tax. Voters give him credit for that. As I mentioned at the start, the General Assembly hasn’t gaveled to a close yet, so Blagojevich still may find a way to jump-start a super-scaled-back version of his health care plan. That would allow him to reclaim relevance with the public, even if lawmakers know what really happened. This is year one of his second term. There’s three more to go and none of them are looking any easier for anyone at this point.)
-- Illinois politics and Minneapolis bridge collapse -
(THE POSTING: It took state lawmakers only a matter of minutes Thursday to try to use the Minneapolis bridge collapse to deliver political messages here. Republican lawmakers, after requesting a moment of silence in the Illinois House for the victims, then broke that silence by saying the disaster in Minnesota points out why Illinois needs a multibillion-dollar road and bridge construction program. Illinois has not had such a spending program since Gov. Rod Blagojevich took office in 2003 because Republicans and Democrats have not agreed on how to finance one. That central conflict is among those at the heart of this year’s lingering budget impasse, now entering its third month of overtime. “I don’t want to make it political,” state Rep. Bill Black, a Danville Republican said of the bridge catastrophe before saying Illinois roads and bridges are deteriorating and lawmakers and the governor need to step up and approve a construction plan. “What does it take to put egos and politics aside?” Black said. A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, questioned Black’s reasoning and timing. “It could be he’s developed the same craving notoriety syndrome that’s affecting the governor these days,” said spokesman Steve Brown. Black wasn’t alone in speaking out about the Minneapolis tragedy. State Rep. Dave Winters, a Rockford-area Republican, said when he first saw the headlines regarding a “Twin Cities” bridge collapse, he feared it’d happened in Champaign-Urbana or Bloomington-Normal. Political tip For newcomers to Illinois politics, anytime someone says they don't want to make something political, it usually means they're about to.)
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Senator Martin Sandoval insults Bush
(THE POSTING: Blagojevich shutdown react In case anyone wondered how the governor’s threat to shutdown the state if he doesn’t get a budget he likes was playing in some circles, here’s this comment provided Thursday by state Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat and frequent Blagojevich critic: “Governor Blagojevich’s comments last night – shutting down state government – smacks to me as almost as bad as the abuse of power by George Bush declaring war on Iraq by sending all of our men and women to be killed and put in harm’s way and brought back in body bags.”)
-- You can’t stop the State Fair -
(THE POSTING: Although the governor says he’s prepared to shutdown state government, his administration isn’t willing to shutter everything. “We are having a State Fair,” said fair director Amy Bliefnick. The Illinois State Fair runs Aug. 10-19. If there’s no budget by then, it would mean thousands of employees would not get paid and schools across Illinois would not have received millions of dollars in state funding.)
-- Elk Grove Township Clerk Mike Sweeney eyes 33rd District Senate seat -
-- $555,211 in legal fees: DuPage County Forest Preserve District eyes in-house counsel - Marni Pyke
(THE ARTICLE: Hefty legal fees are prompting DuPage County Forest Preserve District leaders to consider hiring an in-house lawyer. The district paid $555,211 to its attorneys last fiscal year — and more bills could be forthcoming. “I feel that I have a duty and responsibility to see if there’s a more economically feasible way of addressing our legal bills,” district President Dewey Pierotti said. “We will be looking at the pros and cons of hiring an in-house attorney,” he said, adding that commissioners had advised the move. Currently, the district contracts with a number of lawyers, including specialists in environmental litigation and property acquisition. The lion’s share of the work is done by the firm of Kuhn, Mitchell, Moss, Mork, Kocsis and Lechowicz. Attorney Robert Mork advises commissioners at meetings and handles much of the legal work related to board resolutions. The firm was paid more than $254,000 for 2006-07. Pierotti said he was concerned about the district being hit with a double whammy when its attorneys call each other instead of paid staff or himself for direction. “It’s not that they’re not legitimate charges but I think we can make better judicial and economical use of our legal advice,” he said. Before reaching any decisions, the district is surveying how forest preserve districts in Kane, Lake and Will counties handle legal affairs. “Everyone does it in a different manner. Some have a full-time, in-house attorney, others have a partial in-house attorney,” Pierotti said. Commissioner Michael Formento of Glen Ellyn said the time had come to consider the cost-effectiveness of an in-house attorney, especially for routine tasks such as drafting legislation. “Obviously, there are a number of areas we have to define,” Formento said. “It would also allow staff questions to be answered quickly.”)
-- Small progress on illegal immigration - Sherman Reinhardt, Elgin
(THE LETTER: Illinois is beginning to make progress in the effort to end the flood of illegal immigrants who are invading our communities. Towns like Waukegan, Carpentersville and Hampshire are no longer allowing themselves to be intimidated by immigrants who have broken into our country and are demanding rights to which they are not entitled. But we have a long way to go. Waukegan has made a good start by putting in place the measures necessary to deport violent criminals. They should be held up as an example to other towns and cities across America. However, until we become unafraid to deport anyone who is here illegally, we will continue to surrender our sovereignty.)
-- Democrats want a deadline; here it is - John W. Strzelecki, Mount Prospect
(THE LETTER: The Democrats in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives are constantly screaming for a deadline to claim defeat in Iraq. I'm sorry, I mean a deadline to pull our troops out of Iraq. It gave me an idea. I thought since they want a deadline so much, I might give them one. Here it is: If the southern border of the United States of America is not secure by Nov. 4, 2008, you will be defeated. That's Election Day and numerous heads will roll if that border is not 100-percent secure by that date, period!)
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: "One-Party Rule" by Democrats has brought poverty and crime in Cook County, but "One-Party Rule" by Republicans has brought prosperity and safety in DuPage County; nevertheless, Dick Simpson wants Democrats elected in DuPage to increase the level of poverty and crime there
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Whose clout is keeping George Ryan out of jail?
(SNEED A Ryan report - Former Gov. George Ryan, who is awaiting the outcome of his appeal, was spotted dining with old pals, who included former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski and former Cook County Commissioner Ted Lechowicz, at a private gathering at a Rush Street eatery. Resolve 'em: Legal pundits are betting that the appeal of Ryan, who was convicted on corruption charges, may come within the month due to federal clerks putting the final touches on briefs before they head for vacation. Honor 'em: Mayor Daley specifically praised Gov. Ryan for being instrumental in passing legislation approving the expansion of McCormick Place at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.)
-- DIERSEN: ONE MORE REASON WHY NO REPUBLICAN SHOULD PROMOTE OBAMA: Openly gay bishop endorses Obama
-- VERY SAD: Yearly Kos: 1,500 liberal bloggers flex here Net 'has redemocratized America,' Dean tells liberals plotting for '08 - Abdon Pallasch
PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
-- More hopefuls look at LaHood's seat Morris to declare candidacy next week, McConoughey to launch exploratory committee - Karen McDonald
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
-- Sacia won’t go for Senate seat -
http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070803/NEWS10/108030050/1004/NEWS
http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070803/NEWS10/108030050/1004/NEWS
NAPERVILLE SUN
-- Furstenau won't run for state post - Paige Winfield
(THE ARTICLE: Naperville voters will help select a new state representative next year, but Dick Furstenau will not be a name on the ballot. The Naperville City Councilman did not immediately rule out the possibility of becoming a candidate after incumbent Joe Dunn announced in June that he might not run again for the 96th District - an area that includes western Naperville and portions of Aurora and Warrenville. But now Furstenau, 63, has announced that running for state representative is out of the question - at the moment. "That would be four elections in four years and that would be a bit much," he said, referring to his 2003 and 2007 City Council races and an unsuccessful bid for the 48th Senate District last year. "I don't believe I'm ready to take on that commitment." Furstenau was defeated by state Sen. Randy Hultgren in the primary race last year. The eight-year member of the City Council said it would be difficult for him to launch another race so soon. "I just got through collecting 2,800 signatures, and that's no small task," he said. But the ballot might bear the name of Michael Wisniewski, a Naperville resident who is serving his fifth year on the Will County Board. Wisniewski announced Thursday that he has formed an exploratory committee and will reveal his intentions by Aug. 20. "(For) the last three months, I have been calling and meeting and having coffees with a number of civic and community leaders," he said. Meanwhile, Furstenau is not eliminating the possibility of trying again for the Senate seat, which will open up next year when Hultgren's two-year term ends. He said he is more attracted to working in the Illinois Senate than in the House. "I think you have a little higher level of visibility and you're probably able to get some things done a little easier than a state representative," he said.)
-- Lauzen to host pork picnic Saturday, August 11
(THE ARTICLE: State Sen. Chris Lauzen, who serves the 25th Legislative Senate District, will host the 13th annual Lauzen Porky Picnic from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 11 at Blackberry Farm's Pioneer Village, 100 S. Barnes Road, which is west of Orchard Road, in Aurora. The picnic is located within the 25th Senate District. Sen. Lauzen invites everyone "to enjoy a Porkbustin'" good time with family and friends. There will be Fay's pork chops and chicken barbecue, bingo, raffles, inflatable kids' games and all the fun of Blackberry Farm. Tickets are $25 per person; $40 a couple; and $60 for a family. Call the Lauzen campaign office at 630-264-2419.)
COURIER NEWS
-- Obama tops Clinton in polls locally Kane and DuPage: Senator from state fares well with Democrats at fairs
(FROM THE ARTICLE: On the Republican side, the state party will have its own poll on Aug. 16 on Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, anticipates that several thousand people will participate in the poll. The poll also will give the major Republican candidates -- Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney -- a chance to demonstrate the organization and effectiveness of their campaigns in the state, McKenna said. "Our (poll) is intended to be a test of the strengths of the individual campaigns," he said.)
NBC5
-- VERY SAD: Liberal Bloggers Kick Off YearlyKos Convention In Chicago
(THE ARTICLE: CHICAGO -- Hundreds of political bloggers met in Chicago Thursday to begin a four-day convention filled with panels, presentations and lectures by some of the nation's leading Democratic politicians. The YearlyKos Convention is in its second year and was started as a way for left-leaning members of the blogosphere to "proactively influence their government." As bloggers' influence in politics and campaigns increases, the convention has become an important destination for dozens of local, state and national liberal politicians. The conference will be capped off Saturday evening when six Democratic presidential candidates, including U.S. Senator Barack Obama, attend a presidential leadership forum.)
WASHINGTON POST
-- VERY SAD: Yearly Kos: CPAC for the Left? - Jose Antonio Vargas
(THE ARTICLE: The four-day blogapalooza that is the Yearly Kos convention kicks off in the Windy City today. An estimated 1,800 conventioneers -- progressive bloggers who write about pols, pols who want bloggers to write about them, the media who's writing about the bloggers and the pols -- descend on Chicago to mingle, discuss the future and, for now, pat each other on the back. All signs point to the success of Democrats on the Web, at least for now. They're raising more money online for presidential candidates. They're rousing more support in social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube. They're generating genuine, grassroots excitement on the Internet. But we asked some online political strategists, both on the right and the left: Is there a Republican courtepart to Yearly Kos? Robert Bluey, director of the center for media and public policy at the Heritage Foundation and a contributor to the conservative site RedState, thinks the Republican's answer is CPAC -- the Conservative Political Action Conference, founded in 1973. "While it was started long before anyone had ever heard of blogging, it's been catering to bloggers for years," Bluey said. "At this year's conference, blog row was overflowing with political bloggers and candidates making pit stops to make their case to the new power players." And as the Democratic contenders for the White House are doing at Kos this weekend, Republican candidates flock to CPAC every year to woo the right. Markos "Kos" Moulitsas, the founder of Daily Kos and the namesake of the convention, doesn't think there's a Republican counterpart. "They all want to be next Bill O'Reilly, not actually do stuff," said Kos. "All talk, no action." Micah Sifry, co-founder of the bipartisan group blog TechPresident, doesn't see a "real equilavent." Why? "Part of the answer is cultural -- Democrats tend to enjoy introspection and debate more than Republicans -- part of it is structural -- Republicans already built their own alternative information network in the 1980s around talk radio and then Fox, so they didn't need to develop anything when the Internet took off -- and part of it is due to the fact that they've been in power until recently and thus didn't have the same combination of frustration . . . and need to connect," Sifry said. "Now that the GOP is losing power, some of these conditions are changing and we may see the rise of an alternative communications network on the Right that rejects the Republican insiders and tries to build something new. However, that day still seems far away.")
WASHINGTON TIMES
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Unhappy conservative RNC members label $30 billion Bono welfare resolution a "do-gooder program" and a step toward socialism
PITTSBURG TRIBUNE REVIEW
-- OUTSTANDING: Border security resolution at RNC Summer meeting: Seed of GOP revolt?: A call for conviction - Editorial
(THE EDITORIAL: Dozens of members of the Republican National Committee today will attempt to spark a long-overdue revolt against its misguided leadership. And on Friday, we should be able to count those with guts and those who more resemble common weasels. The RNC is holding its annual summer meeting in Minneapolis-St. Paul. That's where the GOP convention will be held in September 2008. Today, the resolutions committee is expected to adopt a measure calling first for securing our borders. It's a none-too-tacit rejection of giving amnesty and benefits to millions of illegal aliens. President Bush backs amnesty. So does Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., the RNC general chairman. At least 47 members of the 168-member full committee support the anti-illegals resolution, reports The Washington Times. A full floor vote is scheduled tomorrow. And still, the RNC hierarchy keeps its head buried in the sands of denial. Mike Duncan, the GOP's national chairman, downplayed the resolution, saying it represented no break with party doctrine or leadership. But it clearly does. And it's time for the Republican leadership and George Bush to start listening. Convictions, it once was said, are the mainsprings of action, the driving powers of life; what a man lives are his convictions. The same applies to political parties that have lost their way. Let the revolt begin.)
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
-- Running to the Left with Cong. Mark Kirk - Jeff Berkowitz
REAL CLEAR POLITICS
-- Ames Matters - Reid Wilson
NEW YORK TIMES
-- In Fox News, Giuliani Finds a Friendly Stage - Russ Buettner
