Watching the Blago trial from the jury box

By Rich Miller

Keep in mind while watching coverage of the Rod Blagojevich trial that reporters in the courtroom have a far keener understanding of what is going on than do the jurors. Their perceptions are not nece

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, June 10,2010

Candidate Mark Kirk is damaged goods

By Rich Miller

Political reporters and pundits have a bad habit of saying: “If present trends continue.. . .” The truth is, in politics, “present trends” almost always change. Last week, Illi

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, June 3,2010

A Republican gets thrown out into the cold

By Rich Miller

Illinois House Republicans had a universal message for Rep. Bob Biggins (R-Elmhurst) last week: You are officially an outcast.Rep. Biggins infuriated his fellow Republicans by switching his position a

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 27,2010

Jason, just release those tax returns

By Rich Miller

Twenty years ago, Secretary of State Jim Edgar and Attorney General Neil Hartigan ran for governor against each other. Both men released their tax returns without much fanfare.Four years later, Gov. J

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 20,2010

In Illinois politics, it’s Goofballs vs. Goofballs

By Rich Miller

It occurred to me not long ago that the best analogy for this year’s governor’s race would be if the Washington Generals played the Washington Generals.The Washington Generals basketball t

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 13,2010

Both sides to blame for the budget mess

By Rich Miller

One of the things that became crystal clear last week during the Illinois Senate’s debate over a new state budget was that the Democratic legislative leaders have completely broken the budget-ma

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 6,2010

Brady’s many unhappy returns

By Rich Miller

I was out with some political buddies the other night and the subject of Bill Brady’s taxes came up.Just about everybody agreed that Brady should never have released his tax returns. All he did

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, April 29,2010

I’m not getting my hopes up for early adjournment

By Rich Miller

The Illinois General Assembly usually tries to adjourn by the end of May. That hasn’t worked out too well the past few years as partisan bickering, the state’s huge budget problems and the

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, April 22,2010

The ‘Fair Map’ is going nowhere

By Rich Miller

Almost nothing frightens state legislators more than redistricting. The drawing of new legislative district maps after every census causes more bouts of heartburn than just about anything else.Take a

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, April 15,2010

Media go overboard to hammer Democrats

By Rich Miller

It seems like everywhere you look these days, the Illinois Democrats are getting hammered. Most of the Democratic carnage is self-inflicted, like the Scott Lee Cohen debacle, or the brutal gubernatori