January 2009 Archives

After seeing that day-old Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, D-Not Impeached, wants to stall next year's primary elections until September, The Hound started humming the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". You know, "meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

Who is Gov. Quinn kidding? Pushing back the primary, especially a Democratic primary, from the normal March date (except in 2008 when it was advanced to February to aid President Obama's successful primary bid) to September gives him the advantage of building constituencies, a campaign network and reaching out to campaign contributors. Let's face it, for seven years, Pat Quinn has been in the shadow of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, D-Impeached.

Quinn's campaign war chest, like the Illinois treasury, is fairly bare, while one of his likely opponents, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, has probably several million in the bank. Ad buys for television are expensive in the Chicago market. Right now, filing for the 2010 March primaries is set for December this year.

If delayed, Quinn would would be able to really run as an incumbent; if not, he'd just be seen as a temporary governor. So far, potential Democratic rivals haven't endorsed Quinn's proposal, but the Legislature would have to change the date. Madigan's father, House Speaker Mike Madigan, D-Chicago, would have a lot to say about that. It also would give any Republican challenger a lot more time to hit the hustings.

In the meantime, the new boss maintains that backing up the primary "gives us a whole year to repair the damage" of the Blagojevich/Quinn administration. Or perhaps the new boss forgot he was buds with the old boss.

In the end, it was really a simple solution for the political blood of Illinois. Get rid of a pest, sweep out the old, get a transfusion and in comes the new. Rod Blagojevich is gone; Pat "The Mighty" Quinn is in. The Hound wonders if things will change or Illinois will continue with this "wink and a nod" way of doing business in the Land of Lincoln.

The Hound also wonders how those who voted predictably Thursday to convict the ex-governor on the impeachment articles will square why they campaigned with him in 2002 and 2006. Many were the Lake County Democrats who embraced Rod Blagojevich. The Hound remembers two of them who cast votes Thursday to unanimously remove him. Well, that's why politics makes strange bedfellows.

The Hound still thinks there's a Lifetime channel movie in the trials of Rod Blagojevich. This country is all about second acts, so how 'bout a book, "Six Crises"? Oops, already been written by someone who resigned before getting impeached.

Next stop for the former governor, a date in a federal courtroom in the Dirksen Building in Chicago's Loop, perhaps an appearance on "Oprah" and a notation in the Political Boneyard. He is not riding off into the sunset, quietly or quickly.

Pat Quinn, the state's lite governor (less filling, tastes better to Illinois lawmakers), is primed to be the next governor once the Senate votes to convict Gov. Rod "I'm not a crook" Blagojevich as early as today or Friday, after Blago begs forgiveness. What then?

Well, for one thing, Quinn the Conqueror will probably live in the Governor's Mansion in Springfield, something Blago eschewed since taking office in January 2003. That always irked the folks in Springfield, like Blago was dissing them for being corny downstaters and not urbane Chicagoans.

Secondly, Quinn brings his own baggage to the office. After all, he was Blago's running mate in 2002 and 2006 and was a good campaign soldier for the governor. But, he waffled on the special Senate election which ended with Blago appointing Roland Burris to President Obama's upper chamber seat. Also, while painting himself as an outsider to his fellow Democrats, how will that play in what is expected to be a crowded Democratic primary in 2010?

Outside of (finally) naming an ethics panel (after the governor was arrested by the FBI), Quinn has occupied himself with working on behalf of veterans and their families, especially ones with tours of duty or returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. That's about all The Hound can remember Quinn has done the past seven years.

When asked if Blago is right and the lite guv and lawmakers want to raise taxes, Quinn says he's not sure how deep the red ink is flowing in Illinois government. Like, he couldn't call up fellow Chicago Democrat Dan Hynes, the state comptroller, or fellow Chicago Democrat Alexi Giannoulas, the state treasurer, to find out? Is he a milquetoast, or what?

We'll see if Gov. Quinn has the fortitude to stand up for the people of Illinois, or will continue to be a go-along guy as he did when he campaigned with and for his one-time pal, Bad Rod.

This traveling theme park --- Blago's World --- that Illinoisans have introduced to the rest of the nation continues its journey with the last stop in Springfield as state legislators continue on message to boot Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the curb.

Blago opened Monday on NBC's "Today" show, which trumpeted the Peacock Network had the first interview with the (battling, embattled, fighting, combative, struggling, wacky, contentious, brawling --- you choose the adjective), Illinois governor. Then he journeyed to "Good Morning America" to be interviewed by one-time Nixon administration functionary, Diane Sawyer. Is that irony, or what?

Then it was on to the ladies of "The View." Blago was scheduled Monday night to be on "Larry King Live" on CNN and "Nightline". Everybody has promoted his appearances. What, these TV folks think Blago is going to boost ratings?

The Hound can't figure why his handlers didn't try to get him on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart or the "Colbert Report" or Leno or Letterman. Wouldn't those guys have fun? Guess Jimmy Kimmel already was booked with too many guests for the governor to squeeze in. Could "Dancing with the Stars" or "The Mentalist" be next?

Another thing The Hound can't understand is who's advising these legislative Republicans? If The Hound was a GOP strategist there would be no hanging with the Democrats on convicting him at his impeachment trial. Senate Republicans should vote "present" when the roll call comes.

Why? Well, minority party members, Blago is a Democratic problem. Let the Democrats deal with it. They campaigned for the guy in 2002 and 2006. Let them undo the damage. Republicans could sit on the sidelines, considering they already got stung by their Dem colleagues over seeking a special election to fill the Obama Senate seat.

This is why Republicans will remain in the minority come 2010. They play ball with Democrats when they should be just fans rooting of getting rid of Blago, like the rest of Illinois. .

When last we left Gov. Rod "Tex" Blagojevich, he was holding a news conference once again offering the conspiracy theory that his impeachment trial is going forward to get him out of the way so those varmints legislative Democrats, in cahoots with their Republican colleagues, want to engage in taxation skullduggery.

To wit: The General Assembly wants Tex out of the picture so legislators can inflict taxing damage on Illinois residents. Blagojevich believes he is in a simular situation as his impeachment trial is set to begin next week as that of a cowboy accused of stealing a horse. One cowboy suggests the accused thief be hanged, with the other suggesting he get a trial first and then hang. Is that the Blago version of the "Ox-Bow Incident?"

While Tex has all the makings of a drug store cowboy, he may not be far afield from the tax hike roundup. The new president of the Illinois Senate, Chicago Democrat John Cullerton, hasn't closed the door on a possible tax hike sometime this year to help cure the state's financial woes.

Too, there are rumblings among rank-and-file lawmakers about other ways to raise revenues, including doubling the state's cigarette tax and increasing the state's gasoline tax. Lawmakers say Illinois faces a major decrease in revenue and a massive backlog of unpaid bills. They don't believe they can cut and chop their way into the black.

Even Republicans may be resigned to a tax hike, but not an increase in the income tax. Perhaps something smaller --- like jacking the cigarette tax, again. While The Hound could care less about taxing smoking materials, just how many times can you go to the well with a shrinking number of smokers?

There's only one thing Hopalong Hound can say in Tex Blagojevich's defense: "Taxes? We don't need no stinking taxes"

The Hound listened to Gov. "Fighting Rod" Blagojevich after he surfaced from his bunker to spend about 45 minutes on the Don Wade and Roma radio show on WLS Friday morning. This guy isn't going quietly, is he?

Don and Roma threw the governor a few softballs and then, like a Jedi knight, he launched into a defense of his time in office: "At the end of the day, it was all about trying to do the right thing for the people of Illinois.''

The Hound's favorite was when he said his Dec. 9 arrest by FBI agents for allegedly attempting to sell the vacant Senate seat of President Obama was his personal Pearl Harbor. That was so wrong, governor, so wrong.

Plus, he's "a soldier for constitutional rights" protecting future governors from the whims of legislators who want to boot him from office, in violation "of the will of the people." He certainly referenced the name of Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff, enough times. Blago contended Emanuel, the former Chicago congressman, would be one of his witnesses in next week's impeachment trial if the governor and his attorneys hadn't planned to boycott the proceedings. He said Emanuel would vouch he "did nothing wrong."

But the real gist of the governor's radio show windup was his warning to Illlinois voters that legislators want to remove him to have a clear path for raising taxes. "Pat Quinn wants to raise your taxes," he claimed. "The fix is in," he said, for hikes in the income and gas taxes.

The Hound can only hope the Democratic-controlled Legislature pushes through tax hikes a year before the 2010 elections. Guess who would be controlling the redistricting process for 2012? Republicans! Guess who would be the state's newest U.S. senator? A Republican! Guess who would be the state's next governor? A Republican!

For political theater, this was just the opening act of Blago's defense as a man of the people being forced from office by a "kangaroo court." Expect more of these unilateral media blitz appearances until he is removed from office. There's even talk of an appearance on "The View".

The governor who outsmarted U.S. Senate Democrats is on a roll. Hollywood may beckon after he is no longer wanted in Illinois.

Yowza, President Obama didn't waste any time getting down to business on Wednesday after a night of partying at inaugural balls. Americans are getting their money's worth for a commander-in-chief ready to get to work.

The guy hasn't moved in completely to the White House, but he attended the National Prayer Service then moved on to Middle East diplomacy, signed executive orders on ethics and open government, held separate strategy sessions on the economy and America's two wars. He also read over official papers, including one that will shut down the "terrorist" detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which the president is expected to sign today. Then, he greeted 200 guests invited to an open house at his new digs.

Whew! The Hound is tired just from reading that and would need a nap. No wonder President Bush took so many vacation days.

Plus, President Obama froze the salaries of about 100 White House aides who earn $100,000 or more a year. Not a bad first full day on the job.

Inauguration Day is here so join The News-Hound from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to chat live on this historic changing of the guard for the swearing in of our 44th president.

Two million people will be in Washington, D.C., to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama. That would be a lot more than the 400,000 who attended the 2005 inauguration of President Bush. Hmm, wonder why that is?

So, you won't be in the District of Columbia? Join The Hound today in Lake County to chat about this historic event.

With all the firsts happening tommorrow (Tuesday), Inauguration Day, The Hound will be blogging live during the festivities when former Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, D-Chicago, becomes President Obama, our 44th commander-in-chief.

Join The Hound for a flurry of barking from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as the nation and world notes this important event. If you were here for the election night live chat, you're welcome back. If you're new to The News-Hound site, you're welcome, too.

Exercise those digits overnight and get ready to chat Tuesday during the inauguration and the new day in America.

The Hound's snout took a whiff outside Saturday morning and, Lordy! --- it was a heat wave in the back 40. A whole 13 degrees above zero! Oh happy day!

The barn thermometer was above zero for the first time in about two days and it felt good, real good. Now, some doubters will say they can't tell the difference between 10 below zero and 13 above zero. The Hound can and 13 above is always preferable.

One problem with these balmy temperatures: Snow in the forecast.

Ah, but snow is a warm consolation after putting up with near -20 temps and double the windchills the past week. To welcome this heat wave, The Hound is serving pina coladas in front of the fire. Oh, happy day!

The Illinois Gaming Board rejected Waukegan's bid to put a casino at Fountain Square because of Illinois wheeler-dealer William Cellini. So who were the city officials that vetted this process and went along with the gambling consortium behind the bid? Is this a Democrat thing when it comes to failing to find out things in people's past --- like a treasury secretary nominee who couldn't figure his own taxes?

Cellini is well known in the state capital as a well-connected businessman who has done deals with Democratic and Republican administrations throughout the years from his Springfield base. He now stands indicted on federal charges of helping to shakedown a firm seeking state business for campaign contributions to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the old "pay to play" politics so prevalent in Illinois.

According to Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffee, Cellini and his family could have made deep six-figures if Waukegan had been awarded the casino. This is an odd finding since a member of the Waukegan group seeking the license contended Cellini had sold his stake in the consortium in 2007. Apparently, according to Jaffe, an associate of Cellini purchased the wheeler-dealer's investment for $32,450 and had to pay Cellini the balance of prior costs in the Waukegan project.

That's how things are done in Illinois and now we find out that's also the way it's done in Waukegan, which lost out to the lower casino bid offered by Des Plaines. If the city folks had done their homework, perhaps Waukegan's lakefront dreams could have been realized some time before the end of the 21st century.

As it is now, it appears to be another power broker gambit by an indicted political player.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is fond of waxing poetic of late. Here's some prose from one master of sonnets, John Donne: "Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that." After swearing in a new state Senate on Wednesday, senators thanked him by giving him a date for his impeachment trial, Jan. 26.

Can I have another? Blago asked. Sure. You've got to Saturday to respond to your impeachment, the Senate leadership said. The Hound asks: Will the trial be televised? If so, Court TV will have a bigger audience than for the original OJ trial, the one in which he was acquitted.

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald will preside over the governor's trial which could last in the vicinity of nine days. Guess Blago won't be sending Valentine's cards to members of the Senate.

Conviction requires a two-thirds majority, or 40 votes. Blago needs to persuade 20 senators, or offer them something, to vote in his favor to avoid conviction and removal from office. And, the Senate even has the power to bar Blago from ever again holding public office in Illinois.

The Hound is beginning to wonder what disbarred governors do after the party's over. Go on unemployment? Unless Democrats have a change of heart and don't want to take the man's livelihood from him --- he does have kids, after all. --- Blago's a goner. Will he still get his pension?

Before all you educational folks go ga-ga for President-elect Obama's pick for secretary of education, Arne Duncan, head of the Chicago Public Schools system, perhaps you missed this story from last week. With all the glare over Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris, the story about CPS employees who bent district rules to spend $67,000 for 30 cappuccino machines that mainly weren't used was overlooked by many of us.

Yup, the school district always complaining suburban Chicago districts spend more in per-pupil education and how it's sooooo unfair (Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago, where are you on this one?), bought these coolio coffee machines for a culinary arts program. Since the fine coffee machines were purchased, 22 hadn't been opened, one mysteriously disappeared and three were in use --- but not in the culinary arts program!

The Hound has to note that the CPS inspector general uncovered this obvious waste of Chicago taxpayers' money and determined that CPS employees split the purchases to stay under the district's level for competitive bids. On top of that, the school district overpaid for the machines by $12,000. Now that's some expensive cups of joe.

One worker was fired and three others are facing disciplinary action for the purchases. But, consider this when you hear the yearly lament after classes start next fall that Chicago schools get shortchanged.when it comes to school funding. Coffee, anyone?

The Hound has to give embattled Gov. "Fighting Rod" Blagojevich some props. This guy's got brass. Nearly all of Illinois, including Democratic lawmakers who once were all aglow with helping him get re-elected in 2006, wants him to disappear. He ain't budging.

Instead, he maintains after a 114-1 vote Friday for impeachment in the Illinois House that he's staying put in order to "fight for families" and against special interests and lobbyists. Wouldn't trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat one of his "special interests"?

What's really freaky deaky about this continuing freak show was that the impeachment was voted on Richard Nixon's 96th birthday. At least Nixon had the sense to resign the presidency --- not the governor's office --- after the U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted two articles of impeachment in 1974. Nines must not have been a good number for the former president. He left office on Aug. 9.

"Fighting Rod" still hasn't gotten the message that he's no longer wanted. He's becoming like one of those irritating guests at a party who is the last one to leave long after others have said their good-byes. And, he deserves the bum's rush, despite his poetic longing for Alfred Lord Tennyson.

And, wasn't it prophetic that Blago quoted from the novella by Brit Alan Sillitoe, "The Loneliness of the Long -Distance Runner", outside his Chicago bunker the other day?
Said Blago: "Let me simply say I feel like the old Alan Sillitoe short story 'The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.' ... And that's what this is by the way, a long-distance run."

The anti-hero in Sillitoe's story, later made into a movie with Tom Courtenay in the lead role, just happened to be incarcerated.

While the special Illinois House committee studying the first impeachment of an Illinois governor has agreed unanimously Rod Blagojevich must go, they're way behind Illinois voters who want him gone, post-haste. Every poll The Hound has seen indicates Illinoisans want this guy out and if he's still around come 2010, which The Hound doubts, they'll boot him to the curb.

The full House could vote today on sending a bill of impeachment to the Senate after the 21-member special House panel made its decision Thursday. Besides the attempt to auction off the Senate seat of soon-to-be-president Barack Obama, the panel lays out a litany of allegations which can be broken down to: "He isn't doing his job" and "abuse of power" as governor of the nation's fifth-largest state.

The Hound still contends Land of Lincoln residents gave the governor a vote of no confidence right after his Dec. 9 arrest by federal agents and haven't wavered from that spot since.

Fortunately for Blagojevich, he didn't move into the Governor's Mansion in Springfield, which means he escapes a nasty eviction, with Sangamon County sheriff's deputies placing all his clothes and furniture on the parkway. However, he could do the right thing and resign before this impeachment business continues further.

And let this be a warning to future Illinois public officials: Once the mob gets a taste of political blood, like the Jacobins of the French Revolution, it is difficult to escape its will.

Our Senator-in-waiting Roland Burris looks like he'll be seated, whenever the Illinois Supreme Court or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid get around to it. That could be sooner or later after Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and Attorney General Lisa Madigan put the ball back in Reid's court after Reid said Wednesday it is up to Illinois officials to sign off on what The Hound believes will be another lackluster Illinois senator. After all, Burris had a pretty lackluster career as state comptroller and attorney general.

Interesting how Reid, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, our senior senator, and any other Senate Democrat declared just last month: "Anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic caucus.'' Guess prodding from President-elect Obama had something to do with the change of heart, considering if this thing dragged out it would start to impinge on the Jan. 20 high noon inauguration of our 44th president.

Looks like Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Burris, who is scheduled to appear before the Illinois House impeachment committee, outsmarted some pretty heavy hitters in the nation's capital. Let's see what committee assignments Burris gets, if Blago can outsmart an impeachment committee and federal prosecutors, and Illinois voters have vengeance in their hearts come November 2010. This political soap opera just continues to keep its high drama ratings.

When last The Hound looked in on the saga of Roland "Mr. Opportunity" Burris, he was suing fellow Democrat, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, to sign credentials to be seated as the state's next U.S. senator. White didn't back down and Burris should be in Washington, D.C. today to present himself as Gov. Rod Blagojevich's man in the Senate. We'll see what happens next.

The likely scenario, Washington folks say, is first, Sen.-designate Burris needs White's signature. Absent that, he is is limbo. The Senate, most likely, also will refer the strange case of Mr. Burris to the Senate Rules Committee, which then doesn't have to do anything for 90 days. Sort of like being placed in the black hole of Calcutta.

By that time, the thinking goes, Blago is impeached and Lite Gov. Pat Quinn, the soon-to-be accidental governor, gets to appoint his own senator. The Hound suggests he name Jesse White, who is one of the few in Illinois who wouldn't carry any political baggage to Washington. That would also leave the secretary of state's office open for Mr. Burris to seek, with the full support and backing of the statewide Democratic Party.

In the meantime, Burris keeps barking that he is the junior senator from Illinois. Au contraire, The Hound barks back. He's a nobody unless he's seated. He's a senator-designate, which means so far he's close, but has no cigar to light in those smoke-filled rooms where the deals are consumated.

They might as well just pitch the big top over the Land of Lincoln because this political circus being run by ringmaster Gov. Goofball looks like it's here to stay. Things are moving so rapidly we definitely need all three rings to watch the acts.

The latest is that Senate appointee Roland Burris, a former tool of the Democratic machine who now contends he's Mr. Clean, has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to force certification of his appointment as Illinois' junior senator, replacing President-elect Obama. He did this after Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White rejected the governor's appointee.

This was after the former attorney general proclaimed on nearly every morning talk show --- from "Good Morning America" to "Today" to "Morning Joe" on MSNBC --- that he didn't need White to certify his appointment by Gov. Goofball.

But then, Burris also just a few weeks ago wanted Gov. Goofball to go away, sooner than later, like most of the former governor's one-time political friends. Shortly after the governor's arrest, Burris said the charges outlined were "appalling'' and "reprehensible'' behavior. He applauded a failed effort by Attorney General Lisa Madigan to have the courts remove the goofy gov.

Meanwhile, word from the G-men in the federal building downtown is the governor could be indicted some next week, just about the time Burris llinois plans to be in Washington, D.C., when new senators are sworn in. But, he said he won't make a scene if he's turned
away by Senate leaders who object to his appointment.

Right, like he also said he didn't need Jesse White's approval. The secretary of state is looking like the only one who understands what this is all about: A brazen power play by a goofy pol grasping at straws.

Despite all the haze surrounding Gov. Goofball and his latest chess move, one thing is clear: Roland Burris really, really, really wants to be a U.S. senator. Even if he's named by one of the circus clowns.