Gov. Pat Quinn’s new TV ad is 60 seconds of one positive message after another. “Pat Quinn sees problems, takes action and gets the job done,” the ad claims. “Now, Illinois is making a comeback,” it continues. But the spot is being slammed by longtime campaign insiders in both parties as “spitting in the wind.” […]
Rich Miller
Posted inOpinion
Frerichs needs to up his game
Back in January, state Sen. Michael Frerichs formally kicked off his campaign for Illinois state treasurer and posted a video online touting the fact that he’d ended “free, lifetime health care for state legislators.” Actually, Frerichs had voted against that bill in the General Assembly. Frerichs’ campaign had to pull the video and replace it […]
Posted inOpinion
Public’s thoughts on Rauner’s economic plan
“This morning,” 1,063 respondents were told the evening of July 17 during a Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll, “Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner released an economic plan for Illinois.” “That plan calls for a freeze on property taxes and rolling back the 2010 tax increase. It also implements a new tax on services such […]
Posted inOpinion
Survey says: Transparency hurts Rauner and Quinn
A new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll found Republican Bruce Rauner leading Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn 51-39. That’s pretty much the same margin the pollster found for another client a month ago. The poll of 940 likely voters was taken July 8 and has a margin of error of ±3.2 percent. 30 percent of the […]
Posted inOpinion
Remap petition problems
Almost 90 percent of the “Yes for Independent Maps” petition entries tossed as invalid by the Illinois State Board of Elections this month were for people who were either not registered to vote or weren’t registered to vote at the address shown on the petitions, official documents show. The group is attempting to get a […]
Posted inOpinion
Magic money? Rauner’s state savings
“Today, I laid out more than $1 billion in structural reforms,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner boasted to his supporters via a blast email last week. Baloney. Rauner’s press conference to announce a billion dollars in alleged budget savings was an almost total farce. Fully half of what Rauner said he could save – $500 […]
Posted inOpinion
Legislative session rundown
There were lots and of losers during the state legislative session which ended last month. But there were a few winners, so let’s take a look at them. First up, Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner. Never before has a political party nominated a gubernatorial candidate who’s had more impact on a legislative session than Rauner […]
Posted inOpinion
The state of the new state budget
On the bright side, I suppose you could argue that last week’s budget passed by the General Assembly will lead to the largest tax cut in Illinois history come January, when the 2011 income tax increase partially expires on schedule. But that’s about the only bright side. And, really, pretty much nobody expects that some […]
Posted inOpinion
Six degrees of Michael Madigan
There’s an old Statehouse saying that House Speaker Michael Madigan cares mostly about two votes each Democratic legislator makes: One to re-elect him Speaker, the other for his chamber’s operating rules. Some, like Rep. Elaine Nekritz, have gotten away with voting against Madigan’s rules. Nekritz explained to Madigan why she voted against them and he […]
Posted inOpinion
Paying for the Obama presidential library
It’s been assumed all along that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s proposal to spend $100 million to help build Barack Obama’s presidential library was designed to put the Republicans on the spot and perhaps provoke an over the top, maybe even racial response, which would help gin up Democratic turnout a bit this November. President […]
Posted inOpinion
The Republican battle for backing
Out of power for a dozen years and hobbled even before that by anti-patronage court rulings, the state’s Republican Party infrastructure has all but collapsed.So, part of GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner’s task he’s set for himself from here on out is to try and somehow rebuild a grassroots infrastructure It won’t be an easy […]
Posted inOpinion
Poll numbers on Madigan
A poll taken for Rasmussen Reports earlier this month found that Gov. Pat Quinn’s unfavorable rating was 55 percent. That’s pretty darned bad, and perhaps the worst in the nation. But Gov. Quinn ain’t got nothing on Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. A new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll found Madigan’s unfavorable rating to be an […]
