State GOP acknowledges Obama factor but sees upside in governor’s downside

August 31, 2008
BY DAVE MCKINNEY Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In a year when Barack Obama is expected to have long coattails, Illinois Republicans arrive here today for their national convention intent on finding ways to avoid a November bloodbath.
Besides cheerleading for GOP presidential candidate John McCain, hapless state Republicans will be doing everything they can to keep from losing long-held Republican congressional seats in the suburbs, avoid giving Democrats a veto-proof majority in the Illinois House and prevent Democrats from padding the gigantic 37-seat hold they have over the state Senate.

With such a daunting set of challenges, expect Illinois Republicans to come out of the gates in the Twin Cities showcasing one big difference between themselves and Illinois Democrats, who capped off their week at Denver’s Democratic National Convention with a series of touchy-feely group hugs between all of the party’s feuding factions.

“We won’t be stabbing people in the back. We won’t put on these ridiculous, false displays of friendship,” said Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Westchester), Illinois co-chair of John McCain’s presidential campaign. “We’ll talk about what we as a party have to do to take care of the problems of this state.”

With 80 elected and at-large Republican delegates converging on the Twin Cities, the weeklong event will bring together a group of potential 2010 statewide hopefuls, including Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett, Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac).

So far, the only Illinois Republican expected to have a speaking role at the GOP convention is U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who is in a tight re-election rematch for the North Shore 10th congressional district with 2006 rival, Democrat Dan Seals. The convention begins Monday.

Other congressional seats in play include the 11th Congressional District where Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) and Republican concrete contractor Marty Ozinga of Homer Glen are vying to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.).

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) and U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) also are having to fend off well-financed challenges in what has been traditional GOP turf in DuPage County.

Top Republicans freely acknowledge the Obama factor could spell trouble in November, but the GOP hopes to counteract that effect by beating the drum — loudly — over how badly Democrats have done in Springfield under Gov. Blagojevich.

“I think there will be favorite-son effect. There is not a single race we’re taking for granted. But the case we’re making is to challenge what does Democratic leadership mean,” said Andy McKenna, chairman of the state Republican Party. “We view the governor’s unpopularity as something voters feel. They are very frustrated with what’s happened in Springfield.”

House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego), a moderate and one of the party’s rising stars, will come to the Twin Cities with a focus on keeping House Democrats from boosting their ranks from 67 members to 71.

If Republicans lose four seats, especially in traditional Republican areas in the suburbs, they’ll become irrelevant in the House. But Cross said he thinks McCain and general disgust over Democratic rule in Springfield will stave off losses.

“The disgust and the anger with what the Democrats at the top of this party and state are doing is what’s going to offset the Obama factor,” Cross said.

GOP Rebuilding in Minnesota

Daily Herald  |  August 30, 2008

Illinois Republicans arrive in the Twin Cities today, buoyed by their national party leader’s choice of a potentially history-making vice president to counter the buzz of the Barack Obama campaign as it comes off the Democratic convention.

Yet while Republican delegates may share the same level of passion for their party ticket as Illinois Democrats who attended their convention in Denver last week, the mood of the delegations is vastly different.

Illinois Democrats stood tall in Denver – the honored friends and colleagues of the nominee, Illinois’ junior senator. It won’t be anything close to the same for Illinois Republicans in St. Paul, as neither John McCain nor Sarah Palin have strong ties in the Land of Lincoln.

And the Illinois Republican Party is hardly a factor to be reckoned with of late – having been locked out of state offices and legislative power for years and facing the potential for further power erosion with the November election.

Yet party leaders hope their time in St. Paul will be about more than the national ticket; they hope to use the time to regroup, test their future leaders and stage a comeback.

“This is a very unique and great opportunity to pivot around and move forward to have a real strong 2010 here in Illinois,” says Pat Brady, the National Republican Committeeman-elect from Illinois.

Even with their eyes set on a hopeful future, Illinois Republican Party elders carry the party baggage into the Xcel Center this week.

After all, if it wasn’t for the state party’s implosion during Barack Obama’s 2004 Senate bid perhaps the Chicago Democrat wouldn’t be the presidential nominee today.

When Republican nominee Jack Ryan dropped out of the race amid a sex scandal, party officials couldn’t come up with a replacement – leading social conservatives to fly in perennial lightening rod Alan Keyes. Obama trounced Keyes with more than 70 percent of the vote.

Keyes is merely the most illustrative example of the state Republican Party’s failure to field quality candidates. Most recently, Republicans lost the congressional seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert, the longest serving House GOP speaker.

“There is no question the Republican organization got comfortable and there is no question that due to failures in leadership, people got turned off to the party,” says Illinois Republican Chairman Andy McKenna. “That has been a challenge.”

Meanwhile, House Republican leader Tom Cross is defending several more seats this year than he is able to try and win back to his side of the aisle.

Most of the contentious ones are in the Northwest suburbs.

Cross sees hope, but not a real change until the statewide 2010 elections.

“In 2010 – I think it can be a lot better for us,” he says. “We are playing defense right now. That is the bottom line.”

Republican officials are looking at places where the party has done well for inspiration.

McKenna points to Peter Roskam’s 2006 victory in a fierce, costly fight with Democrat Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde’s old suburban seat.

Party officials also see promise in the congressional bid of state Rep. Aaron Schock in Peoria, who was just 23 when he won his Springfield seat in 2005, making him the youngest Illinois lawmaker ever.

Then there is Committeeman-elect Brady, of St. Charles. He was nominated by party insiders this summer to replace embattled committeeman Bob Kjellander.

McKenna says Brady’s background as a former federal prosecutor was fitting given his predecessor’s repeated “ethical issues.”

“I think he is a good example of the contrast with our own past,” McKenna says.

Kjellander’s name came up in the trial of Tony Rezko, who orchestrated a kickback scheme by trading on his clout with Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Prosecutors said conspirators in the case said Kjellander, long close to Bush insider Karl Rove, was working to oust U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

Kjellander denies the allegations and has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Regardless, finding fresh faces will be critical to moving the Republican Party forward, GOP officials say.
It is clear, though, that settling on the next Republican party leaders will not be easy.

In a recent Daily Herald survey, suburban Republican delegates to the convention offered a scattershot of names when asked who they wanted to be the GOP nominee for governor in 2010.

Some of the delegates offered as many as three answers. Those most often mentioned included state Sen. Kirk Dillard, House Republican leader Cross, state Sen. Bill Brady, DuPage County Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett and state Rep. Jim Durkin.

Despite the lack of agreement and a general dispirited state, many party faithful remain ready to hit the ground running.

They are looking to the convention for direction, but they are more so looking to future elections for redemption.

“I know a lot of parties and social events are planned for Minnesota, which is fine,” said delegate Mary Jo Mikottis of Elmhurst in a Daily Herald survey. “But I am hoping we also will be taking time and spending resources on working to win elections.”

GOP says budget cuts designed to trigger tax hike

Friday, August 29, 2008 5:03 PM CDT
By Kurt Erickson
kurt.erickson@lee.net

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s decision to cut hundreds of state jobs and close two dozen state parks and historic sites is part of a Democratic strategy to raise taxes on Illinoisans, a top Illinois Republican said Friday.

Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, accused the Democratic governor of creating a dire situation with the state budget as a way to force lawmakers to boost taxes to restore cuts and expand government.

”We’re being set up for a tax increase,” Watson said.

A spokeswoman for the governor denied the cuts were linked to a future tax hike.

”The governor has said repeatedly that he will veto any tax increase,” spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said in an email statement Friday afternoon.

On Thursday, the administration confirmed it was looking to cut state government by 450 positions and close 13 historic sites and 11 state parks as a way to deal with $1.4 billion that the governor cut out of the budget sent to him by lawmakers.

Blagojevich says he had to cut the money because the legislature wanted to spend more cash than will flow into state coffers this year.

Fallout from the decision continued Friday.

At the Department of Children and Family Services, spokesman Kendall Marlowe said the actual number of people who may lose their jobs could be closer to 325 because some positions in that agency may be left unfilled.

Officials also were reviewing whether they would remove road signs pointing motorists to sites that will be closed.

”That certainly won’t be done in the next few months while affected sites remain open,” said Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris McCloud.

”Nothing is determined on this,” said Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Parks targeted for closure on Nov. 1 include Moraine View State Park near LeRoy, Hidden Springs State Forest in Shelby County and Weldon Springs State Park in DeWitt County.

Historic sites that will close Oct. 1 include the David Davis Mansion in Bloomington, Lincoln Log Cabin near Charleston, the Bryant Cottage in Bement, the Cahokia Courthouse in Cahokia and Bishop Hill.

The cuts hit three sites in Randolph County — Fort Kaskaskia, Fort de Chartres and the Pierre Menard Home. The Hauberg Museum at Blackhawk State Historic Site would close, but the grounds would remain open.

State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, said cuts to the various agencies don’t make sense.

”This governor continues to try and expand Medicaid programs, but slashes funding for the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Human Services. He is balancing his bloated budget on the backs of some of our most vulnerable citizens,” Brady said.

Brady added that tourism and recreation are important revenue-generating businesses in Illinois.

”With rising gas prices, people are staying closer to home and visiting our historic sites and utilizing our parks. This governor is cutting off his nose to spite his face. Shuttering these sites will mean a significant loss of tax revenues,” Brady said.

Watson said the economic impact of closing parks and historic sites will cause outcry among local officials and businesses. He said that’s likely the strategy behind the cuts.

”When you touch the nerve of the public, there’s a reason for that.” Watson said.

Quinn, however, said the governor has consistently said he’s against raising taxes, even though he broke an anti-tax pledge in order to get more money to Chicago area transit systems last year.

”Why would he be pushing a tax increase?” Quinn said.

Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

Commission gets an earful on prison plan

Clinton, Iowa Herald  |  AP  |  August 21, 2008

PONTIAC, Ill. — By this morning, a commission considering Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s plan to close a central Illinois prison will have a mound of new information to weigh — the opinions of a number of people who would be directly affected.

More than 1,000 people attended the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s hearing on the governor’s plan to close the maximum-security Pontiac Correctional Center.

The people packed the Pontiac Township High School auditorium, a commons area outside and the nearby gym.

They heard state Department of Corrections Director Roger Walker insist that closing the prison makes economic sense, and they heard what they already knew — that Pontiac will pay a heavy price.

The governor wants to close the prison and move 800 of its roughly 1,650 inmates to a new, largely unused prison in Thomson, in northwestern Illinois. The others would be scattered around the state.

Walker says the move would save about $8.5 million in 2009 and 2010 as the state struggles with a budget deficit of roughly $700 million.

“The department has made a concerted effort the past few years to open Thomson,” Walker told the commission, which is made up of a dozen members of the General Assembly. “The best available option for the department at this time is to close Pontiac.”

But the town, which has about 12,000 people, would lose about 570 jobs at the prison. The facility, which has been here more than 130 years, is the second-largest local employer.

Mayor Scott McCoy told the commission he expects most of those people and their families to move, since many are career prison-system workers with pensions and benefits tied to those jobs. Those moves would rob Pontiac of many of its professionals, he said.

“Many of the spouses of those employees are our nurses, doctors, teachers and so on,” he said.

McCoy also said the plan to close the prison has already rippled on a small scale through the town, with people putting off plans to remodel homes or buy new ones.

One of the people who planned to speak late Wednesday night, Stephanie DeLong, said beforehand that the governor isn’t considering the people who hold those 570 jobs.

DeLong’s husband, Kevin, is a correctional officer at the prison, and she owns a restaurant in town that she doubts would survive the loss of the facility.

“(Blagojevich) refused to move his family to Springfield because he didn’t want to interrupt his daughter’s lifestyle. I’m thinking, I’ve got five kids and they don’t want to interrupt their lifestyles.”

Blagojevich has been heavily criticized in downstate Illinois for his insistence that he live in Chicago rather than the state capital.

The commission can’t block the governor’s plan. Its recommendation, which could come at any time between this week and late September, is purely advisory.

But Walker and his assistants nonetheless faced a battery of questions from commission members.

Sen. Christine Radogno, a Lemont Republican, noted that she and others heard in great detail during a tour earlier this year about the problems at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet.

Blagojevich initially planned to close Stateville, abruptly targeting Pontiac instead.

Sergio Molina, executive assistant to the Corrections director, didn’t directly address the reason for the change of course, but told Radogno the state could only afford to have one maximum security prison, and Thomson was a better choice than Pontiac.

“We can’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth,” Radogno told Molina.

Many in Pontiac see politics rather than economics behind the switch.

It came after Joliet Democratic Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi voted only “present” on a move to put a recall initiative aimed at Blagojevich on the November ballot. GOP lawmakers that represent Pontiac supported it.

And Blagojevich suggested earlier this month that the prison might be saved if the legislature passed his long-sought capital-spending plan that also includes roads, bridges and schools.

“Lets face it, the governor changed his mind a few days after the (recall vote),” Sen. Bill Brady, a commission member and Republican from Bloomington, said outside the hearing. “To me it clearly smacks of quid pro quo.”

Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen, who was not at the meeting, insisted the governor has no ulterior motive.

“Certainly closing the prison is not something he wants to do,” Williamsen said in a telephone interview. “At the same time, though, the funding needs to be available.”

Brady also doubts the Department of Corrections has the authority to use money now set aside for the Pontiac prison to operate the Thomson prison, as Walker said.

Pontiac officials might have grounds for a lawsuit to block Blagojevich’s plan, following the lead of three state legislators and Springfield city officials who have sued the governor to stop a similar plan to move 140 Department of Transportation jobs out of the capital, Brady said.

Brady turns up heat on director

By Erich Murphy, Managing Editor
Pontiac Daily Leader
August 21, 2008

Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, questions Illinois Department of Corrections Director Roger Walker during Wednesday’s hearing on the closing of Pontiac Correctional Center.

It was warm anyway. The auditorium at Pontiac Township High School is not air conditioned and with nearly 1,000 people packed into the room, it made for a steamy place.

So, too, was the stage, where Illinois Department of Corrections Director Roger E. Walker Jr. was seated.

That seat got even hotter for the man seen as the “bad guy” in the closing of Pontiac Correctional Center drama while State Sen. Bill Brady asked questions.

Brady, R-Bloomington, fired salvos at Walker that the director could not deflect.

“What happened,” Brady asked Walker, “when I went to bed, the governor said you were going to close Stateville, to when I woke up, you wanted to close Pontiac?”

“As far we’re concerned, everything shifted,” Walker responded.

“Obviously,” Brady retorted.

A loud roar came from the audience. It was apparent the supporters of PCC believed Walker was in trouble.

Walker tried to talk his way out of the hole he found himself in, but was not having success.

“Were you ever told by the governor’s office to change course in closing Stateville and find another place to close?” Brady asked.

“We were asked to go back and look at other places,” Walker answered. He also tried to provide an explanation of looking at different scenarios, but appeared to have trouble doing so in a manner that sufficiently answered Brady’s questions.

The two bantered for a bit before Brady, who was getting a bit angered by Walker’s lack of a logical response, posed a more direct question.

“Who told you to look at other places?” Brady fired.

“Obviously, the, the, uh, …”

Walker stopped short of possibly admitting it was Gov. Rod Blagojevich or someone in his office who suggested closing Pontiac after previously answering a question by saying “we were asked …”

As far as Brady was concerned, “I got my answer,” he said.

The seat Walker was sitting in was not getting any cooler as Brady continued to pelt the director with pointed questions that were seemingly tough respond to with a straight-forward answer.

Brady asked about financing. His focus was trying to get Walker to explain how closing Pontiac Correctional Center would be cost-effective.

“You’ve been running a tight ship, but you have $18 million you let loose of?” Brady asked.

Walker had no immediate response.

What Walker did say before the grilling was the “best available option at this time is closing Pontiac and open Thomson.”

This would be done, Walker said, using money earmarked for Pontiac at Thomson.

It appeared, however, that Brady had scored direct hits on the director. It certainly made for a long 15 minutes of question-and-answer for Walker.

Afterward, Brady told a Daily Leader reporter, that getting a direct answer was difficult.

“It was hard for (Walker) to give credible answers,” Brady said. “They literally don’t have credible answers to give.

“This thing was clearly put forth for political posturing. This governor’s politics, unfortunately, work toward destruction,” Brady added.

“He’s tearing the fabric of this community and other communities. It’s a shame and a sham. … I was hoping we could get some honest answers. Clearly, certain edicts came down from on high. The participants were directed what to answer and what not to answer.”

Saunemin Mayor Mike Stoecklin arrived late to the hearing due another commitment. When he was apprised of some of Walker’s comment, Stoecklin, who is also the president of the Livingston County Mayor’s Association, was agitated.

“That’s bogus,” Stoecklin said of Walker’s commentary on funding. “If he doesn’t already know, as DOC director, that money has already been approved in a budget for both facilities … then he shouldn’t be director.

“I find it difficult to believe that he doesn’t already know that. If he does already know that, then he is misspeaking,” Stoecklin added. “It doesn’t take a small-town, central Illinois mayor to point that out to him.”

McLean County Supports Pontiac Prison

By Josh Fowler
WEEK-TV

Story Published: Aug 18, 2008 at 6:09 PM CDT
Story Updated: Aug 18, 2008 at 6:09 PM CDT

The McLean County Chamber of Commerce says it’s on board to help save the Pontiac Prison.
Monday, state lawmakers were present along with representatives from the chamber of commerce to show their support. The McLean County Chamber of Commerce says the Pontiac prison is an integral part of the nations economy.

State Senator Bill Brady says the move is all about political gain for Governor Blagojevich.

“Watching our Governor, pit one community, Harrisburg, against another, Springfield, with the relocation of over 250 jobs. Wanting to bring jobs from one area to the other for political reasons. The same circumstances exist here,” said Brady.

A hearing will be held on the Pontiac Prison at Pontiac Township High School at 5 p.m. on August 20th.

Republicans talk solidarity during their day at fair

By ADRIANA COLINDRES and DOUG FINKE
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Aug 15, 2008 @ 01:15 AM
Last update Aug 15, 2008 @ 06:48 AM

Bickering and disarray within the state’s Democratic Party are creating an opportunity for Illinois Republicans to regain their once-mighty political strength, and they hope to start that process in November, GOP stalwarts said Thursday.

But they’re really looking farther ahead, to the 2010 elections, when the marquee races will be for governor and other statewide constitutional offices.

A day after Democrats got together for Governor’s Day, members of the GOP congregated in Springfield to celebrate Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair. The day’s activities included a breakfast and meetings in the morning and an afternoon rally at the fairgrounds.

Republicans are clearly the state’s minority party. Democrats hold every statewide elected office, as well as control of the Illinois Senate and House.

But state Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, noted that after the 1994 election, Republicans dominated state government in the same way that Democrats do now.

“That pendulum eventually swung,” Rutherford said. “I think that the public has now heard the gong of the bell of the swing too far and (is) ready for a correction to come.”

Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, said Republicans have caused some of their own political troubles in the past several years. For example, he said, former GOP Gov. George Ryan was convicted on corruption charges, and the party put up a weak candidate, Alan Keyes, for an open U.S. Senate seat that Barack Obama eventually won.

“We’re not going to be able to make great progress in ’08. We can make progress and build toward what really matters, and that’s the 2010 elections,” Brady said.

Democrat Obama’s run for president this year presents some challenges to the GOP, Republicans said. “There’s no getting away from that,” said Bob Kjellander of Springfield, who soon will step down as Illinois’ Republican national committeeman. “You will see a lot of potential new faces come forth for statewide office in 2010. 2008 is going to be difficult because you will have Obama at the top of the ticket.”

But Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, said he isn’t convinced Obama’s popularity will extend to Democratic candidates who are listed lower on the ballot.

Roy Hertel, Montgomery County GOP chairman, while acknowledging that Obama’s being from Illinois won’t help, added, “I still think there’s enough stuff going on in Illinois right now that we can elect some Republicans that may have not had a chance to be elected before.”

One of those people could be Steve Sauerberg, the GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Dick Durbin, said David Snider, a farmer in rural Tazewell County.

While Sauerberg faces an uphill battle, Snider said, “I don’t think it’s impossible.”

Republicans agreed their party stands to gain from what they termed the failure of all-Democratic control in state government.

“We’re looking forward to this election, where we can make some inroads and balance this thing up a little bit better,” said Rep. Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg.

Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson called Democrats “the party of arrogance.” “There has to be a political price to pay for the manner in which they’ve governed this state,” Watson said.

House Republican Leader Tom Cross added: “I think we have one question to ask voters in this state: Why on earth would anybody vote for a Democrat in the state of Illinois in November in 2008? The answer is they shouldn’t, and we will remind them of that, time and time again.”

Republicans aren’t likely to “win a bunch of seats” in the Nov. 4 election, Cross said. “Hanging on (to offices the GOP already holds) and looking at a couple of other spots to win would be a good year for us.”

At the Republicans’ fairgrounds rally, the featured speaker, retired U.S. Marine Col. Jack Jackson, credited the state of Illinois for sending “two of the finest men” to the White House — Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

“I want to tell you something, though,” added Jackson, a John McCain supporter. “Don’t send me a third. I want the next one to come from Arizona.”

Political writer Bernard Schoenburg contributed to this report. Adriana Colindres can be reached at 782-6292. Doug Finke can be reached at 788-1527.

GOP Day at fair sounds mostly like ‘wait till next election’

Gains unlikely in ‘08, Republican revival seen in 2010 at best

By Rick Pearson and Jeffrey Meitrodt | Chicago Tribune reporters
August 15, 2008

SPRINGFIELD — Despite the feuding among Democrats that has dominated Illinois’ political scene, Republican leaders conceded Thursday that a GOP revival isn’t likely until 2010 due to the appearance of Barack Obama at the top of the fall ballot.

At a low-key, low-attendance Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair, GOP legislative leaders cautioned that the appearance of the favorite son senator as the Democratic presidential nominee would place a premium on their own political survival.

“I’m not going to suggest we’re going to win a bunch of seats [this November]. Hanging on and looking at a couple of other spots to win would be a good year for us,” said Rep. Tom Cross of Oswego, who heads the Republican minority in the Illinois House.

Out of the governor’s office for nearly six years and with no political foothold among the statewide offices, Republicans are looking ahead to a ballot in two years. In 2010, they believe can capitalize on public discontent over Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s tenure as a way to re-enter the game.

In the short term, however, Republicans still find themselves struggling to be heard in a Democratic-controlled state. Promises of a party reformed from the days of Republican George Ryan’s scandal-clouded tenure are still the subject of long-standing tensions between moderate and conservative wings.

Even as Republicans sought to rally around a unity theme with an “action agenda” of principles, some GOP legislators who have spent years castigating Blagojevich for a lack of trust eagerly jumped aboard the Democratic governor’s statewide construction program this spring. Some even went as far as embracing the long-taboo Republican issue of expanded gambling in hopes of bringing some projects back to their districts.

Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, among several potential 2010 candidates for governor to attend the fair, chided some of his GOP legislative colleagues for backing a Blagojevich-driven construction plan.

“Some of the Republicans have been put into a position to where they feel they’ve got nothing else to do but trust,” said Brady, who has opposed the governor’s construction plans. “Do I applaud our leadership for trying to do something to work across the aisle? Yeah. It’s just not something I would have negotiated or I would have supported.”

Along with Brady, an unsuccessful 2006 Republican primary candidate for governor, other possible statewide contenders in 2010 at the fair included DuPage County State’s Atty. Joe Birkett, the unsuccessful GOP contender for lieutenant governor in 2006, and Sen. Christine Radogno of Lemont, who lost a bid last time for state treasurer.With the state party putting a premium on holding congressional seats being vacated by Republicans, Robert Kjellander, the retiring Republican national committeeman for the state, acknowledged that what he called “Obama-mania” will be a significant hurdle for Illinois’ GOP to overcome this year.

“I think where you’re going to see the real turn of events is as we start looking at the statewide elections in 2010,” said Kjellander, whose consulting business amid a Democratic administration has been a source of conflict.

Illinois GOP hopes Democratic feuding aids party

By JOHN O’CONNOR  |  AP

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois Republicans say they have a chance to win in November if they can capitalize on Democrats’ legislative gridlock and fend off Obamamania.

GOP faithful gathered at the state fair Thursday and rallied outside the Capitol with an “agenda for action” in hopes of putting a dent in Democratic armor this fall. Democrats control every statewide office and both houses of the General Assembly.

Complicating their plans is Barack Obama, the Illinois senator who is the Democrat’s expected presidential nominee.

“I don’t know how you go down further,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett, who’s considering a 2010 run for governor or attorney general, offices he’s failed to win before.

The GOP needs to tell voters “it’s all about how we manage government, look at where we’re at today and come back to our party,” Birkett said. “If we do that and we have a constant drumbeat, we’re going to bring them back.”

Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson told a crowd on the statehouse lawn there’s a big difference between unified Republicans and divided Democrats. A day earlier, most key Democrats skipped a rally at the state fair with Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Watson and House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego released an “agenda for action” that called for a major statewide construction program, tough ethics laws and giving voters the chance to recall elected officials.

Republicans say voters are becoming weary of Springfield’s near-paralysis because of the feuding between the second-term governor and lawmakers in his own party.

“If people continue to vote Democratic, the problems aren’t going to go away,” Macon County Republican County Chairman Jim Gresham said. “The message has to be the history of what’s gone on here the last six years. If people want things to change, we’re going to have to change the way our state is operated.”

The GOP doesn’t dismiss the Obama factor.

“There will be some effect from that but the issue is leadership in Illinois and voters are beginning to respond to it,” state Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna said. “The papers also wrote that Obama was going to have this tidal wave against John McCain, and you see that the race is even.”

Bloomington Republican state senator Bill Brady said the Democrats’ problems will be most helpful in 2010, when every statewide office will be on the ballot. Brady is considering seeking the GOP gubernatorial nod, as he unsuccessfully did in 2006.

“It does give us the opportunity to build a stronger party,” Brady said. “People realize this state can’t function under this one-party monarchy rule that divides the leadership through their own egos.”

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

Panel rejects IDOT jobs move; governor going for it anyway

BY MIKE RIOPELL, The Southern Springfield Bureau
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 5:14 PM CDT

SPRINGFIELD — A panel of lawmakers Tuesday unanimously rejected Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s plan to move state jobs from Springfield to southern Illinois, but the governor appears to be going forward anyway.

The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability heard more than six hours of testimony on the controversial subject earlier this month.

But Tuesday the group voted 12-0 to recommend against the governor going forward, saying cheaper state space for the 136 workers was already available in Springfield.

For months, the union-represented Division of Traffic Safety workers have argued the move would tear families apart. The governor has said the employees could get similarly paying state jobs in Springfield if they don’t want to move.

”There are hundreds of people who would be adversely affected by this move,” said state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington.

Despite the unanimous vote, the lawmakers’ recommendation isn’t legally binding, and Blagojevich appears ready to move forward.

Friday, the governor repeated his statement that the move was already a ”done deal.” And Tuesday, his spokesman did the same.

”We plan to move forward with the relocation of IDOT’s traffic safety division to Harrisburg,” said Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen.

He said the move is still planned for some time in the next fiscal year, which begins July 2009.

The vote was a disappointment to state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, who has lobbied for the governor to bring jobs to his district as a way to help the region.

”It would really boost our economy,” Phelp said.

Phelps said he wasn’t surprised about the outcome of the vote because no members of the panel represent areas south of Interstate 70.

”It didn’t shock me. It was against us going in,” Phelps said.

State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat and chair of the commission, said the governor should go along with the recommendation because lawmakers have studied the issue exhaustively.

Springfield-area lawmakers and leaders have already said they plan to use testimony and evidence from the debate in a lawsuit if necessary.

”It would not be the first issue that ended up in the courts,” Schoenberg said.

The same panel plans to take up Blagojevich’s proposal to close Pontiac Correctional Center Aug. 20 at Pontiac Township High School. Blagojevich said recently he doesn’t want to close the prison, so Schoenberg quipped that the commission might not have to hold the planned hearing.

But he later confirmed the panel plans to go forward with the meeting.

Next Page »