Lots of states are having a hard time with Medicaid. In states with Republican Governors, like oh, for instance, Arizona? The "answer" is to cut people from the rolls without regard to long-term impact on the health and welfare of their citizens.

Here in Illinois we did something a little different. We re-elected (in a very close race) our admittedly lackluster, but hard-working Governor, Pat Quinn. Quinn and the Democratic-led legislature put together a bi-partisan committee to reform Medicaid in Illinois, and the Bill was signed into law at the end of January. Medicaid recipients were informed by mail of the changes with their April Medicaid cards.

The reforms include:

Make recipients prove current income and state residency on a regular basis (duh). I can't believe this is a new requirement, but it is.

Limit on income for recipients is now $66,000 for a family of four. If a family of four at that income has to buy health insurance that's a real hardship, but if you're a state trying to cost-contain, you can make the argument that 66 grand a year isn't poor.

There's a two-year moratorium on expanding the program while they figure out what's happening with the economy. More unemployment will mean a higher demand, less unemployment will mean a stronger revenue stream. It's amazing what happens when a state doesn't depend on Laffer-curve economics, and it's real dollars when people find a job.

Illinois is also expanding "coordinated care" for Medicaid, which means you have to have a medical home and a regular doctor for your family. They are also expanding use of 90 day prescriptions to save money.

I can't believe Governors aren't freaking out on Congress and demanding single payer and reform of big pharma's pricing structure, but then again for certain Republicans (not here, this bill had BI-PARTISAN support) it's easier on your campaign coffers to cut poor people from their health insurance.

This bill is expected to save the state $774 million over 5 years.

I don't have to tell you that our Democratic Governor has no plans to strip unions of their collective bargaining rights, either. And I'm not going to lie to you and say we haven't had a tax increase, we have. But our state income tax now matches that We-Love-Taxes state of ALABAMA.

Anyway, as an Illinois Medicaid recipient, I'm so glad our Governor is a Democrat. Perhaps the Democratic Governors' Association could have a simple slogan: "Competent government makes a positive difference in people's real everyday lives."

Mark Kirk has a problem. Someone keeps leaking documents from his campaign -- highly confidential documents with donor names and fundraising information, goals and alliances. Via Capitol Fax Blog:

Congressman Mark Kirk’s US Senate campaign has been plagued by strange internal leaks for months. And now we have one that includes a plan for a “Bejing fundraiser,” which was held the day before a House vote to close tax loopholes for companies that send jobs out of the country.

The latest leak is the internal agenda of a mid-May Kirk campaign finance meeting. Click here to read it. (PDF)

[...]

The Kirk campaign says that the candidate held a “Skype” fundraising meeting with American businesspeople in Bejing, China. I’m told that 12 people participated in the event.

FEC records show that Geoffrey Enck contributed $1,000 to Kirk that day. Enck is the CEO of ITI China Holdings. One of the things the company does is investment banking for Chinese manufacturing plants.

And then the next day, Kirk voted “No” on a bill to close a tax loopholes that would prevent companies from “using current U.S. foreign tax credit rules to subsidize their foreign activities .”

Now, it’s not like the contributions from Americans doing business in China likely swayed Kirk much. Just about every Republican voted against that bill. And the Kirk campaign points to a story from 2008 about the Obama campaign sending people to China for fundraisers.

But Kirk co-chairs the China Congressional Working Group, and he’s taken heat several times for his ties to the nation. He infamously told Chinese officials that US budget numbers shouldn’t be believed, for instance. Kirk opposed legislation on Chinese currency manipulation.

“When you hear Congressman Kirk talk about job creation, he’s talking about jobs he created in China,” has been a standard line from Alexi Giannoulias this year. And while the campaign fundraiser looks legal, there are plenty of American businesses over there who are, indeed, exporting jobs to that country.

Of course, the author is right. Kirk would have voted against the bill because that's what Republicans do now. They don't really do anything besides vote against things. But the other side of it is also right -- Republicans have a vested interest these days in profiting from Chinese business relationships, and fostering the outsourcing of American jobs to China.

Just this past Tuesday, Think Progress reported on joint ventures between the US Chamber of Commerce and their Chinese affiliates, like the one sponsored by Sheldon Adelson teaching American businesses how to outsource to China.

Based on that alone, I'd say Mark Kirk isn't going to be a friend to unemployed Americans. Beyond that, it appears that he has some difficulty managing even the simple things, like keeping confidential memos secure.

City of Chicago uses Ebay!

Chicago to auction Windy City 'experiences'

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- City officials hope there are people willing to pay plenty of money to own a vintage Playboy Bunny costume, toss green dye into the Chicago River or throw a dinner party prepared by Oprah Winfrey's chef.

The Chicago-related items and experiences -- Playboy Enterprises and Winfrey's show are both based in the city, and turning the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day is a hallowed city tradition -- will be up for sale December 2-16 on eBay.

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, which is sponsoring the auction, has seen its budget from federal, state and city sources decline from $11.8 million in 2002 to a projected $8.8 million next year, said department spokeswoman Anne Dattulo.

Hmmm...I guess Dick Cheney was right!

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We knew this was coming:

SPRINGFIELD---In a historic vote, the Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, directing the Senate to put the state’s 40th chief executive on trial with the goal of removing him from office.

The vote by the House was 114-1 and marks the first time in the state's 190-year history that a governor has been impeached, despite Illinois' longstanding reputation for political corruption.

Meanwhile, it appears that Roland Burris may have been less than forthcoming about his contacts with Blago:

For the first time, Burris indicated that he asked Blagojevich's former chief of staff and college classmate, Lon Monk, to relay his interest in the Senate seat to the governor last July or September.

"If you're close to the governor, you know, let him know I'm certainly interested in the seat," Burris said he told Monk.

That testimony appears to differ from an affidavit Burris submitted to the impeachment panel this week in which he stated he spoke to no "representatives" of the governor about the Senate post prior to Dec. 26.

What else would you expect from a guy who would take this appointment under these circumstances anyway?

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In today's episode of As The Stomach Turns, Harry Reid signaled at this morning's presser that he's leaving open a door for Roland Burris to walk through.

After a 45-minute meeting this morning between Burris, Reid and his lieutenant, Sen.Dick Durbin, Reid said Senate Democrats would wait to see if the Illinois Supreme Court would order Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to sign Burris' appointment by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

I think we can probably count on the Illinois Supreme Court informing Jesse White he has to sign the appointment. Which leaves Harry Reid holding a nice stinky bag of crap.

If it's any consolation, the public agrees with Reid that Burris' appointment is tainted and he shouldn't be seated. That will make it tougher for Burris to win the seat in two years, but that's the price Rod Blagojevich is making us all pay. Including Harry Reid.

Meanwhile, Reid is saying he expects to keep leading the Senate for a good long time. All he's really doing is making an argument against seniority and incumbency, because he has done nothing to demonstrate he's worthy of leading the Senate. Especially not recently. As Jane says, I'd sure like to play poker with Reid -- and I usually make a habit of never playing against guys from Nevada.

Roland Martin thinks Democrats just need to suck it up and accept that Burris is the selection. I suspect he's right.

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MSNBC analyst Jim Warren, discussing the Rod Blagojevich-Roland Burris mess, sounded a deeply cynical note yesterday on Hardball with Chris Matthews and Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cynical, but probably right:

Warren: And one vision you didn't -- along with, you know, Lynn's vision of what might happen tomorrow, one we should have that would make us slightly dyspeptic, is that of Rod Blagojevich back there grinning like a Cheshire Cat, because -- the Saturday Night Live caricature aside, the bipartisan animus toward him aside, the likelihood that he will be indicted aside -- he has every legal right to do this. And I think he has pulled one over on Harry Reid and Dick Durbin. And Harry Reid is left looking like some parent huffing and puffing and warning his kid that there's gonna be big punishment unless he does what he says, and then the kid doesn't stop doing it, and then Harry Reid doesn't have anything left to go to, unless what? He's going to send it to the Rules Committee? And Chuck Schumer, head of the Rules Committee? Who wants Al Franken seated ASAP because Minnesota's gotta have two senators on that floor as quickly as possible. Boy, I think Blagojevich has really played this in the most cynical but adroit of ways.

Sweet goes on to suggest that Reid may cave if Burris agrees not to run in two years, but then Warren appropriately notes that Burris doesn't believe he has anything to negotiate.

I'm not sure why Burris needs it explained to him that Blagejovich himself tainted the process of selecting this Senate seat by his own actions and words, and that anyone he chose would be similarly tainted. It's kind of sad, really.

Let's just say that this is not an auspicious start to a Senate career, much less a Democratic defense of that seat. A better man would not have let himself be so tainted. Hell, even Danny Davis -- who hasn't enough sense not to take part in coronation ceremonies for Rev. Moon -- thought better of this.

Roland Burris may believe he has the legal right to this seat. But politically, it's another story. The voters of Illinois have no reason whatsoever to believe that he was chosen with their best interests in mind, because they have very good reason to believe Blago was only looking out for himself. They have no reason to believe otherwise now. This selection was Blago's, and because of that, it will always be about Blago.

Burris may force himself upon the Senate, but he may want to savor his two years while they last.

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We all kind of watched agape yesterday as Rod Blagojevich plowed ahead with his selection of Roland Burris to Obama's Senate seat yesterday, assuming that better sense would prevail eventually.

But perhaps not, according to Sam Stein:

Rod Blagojevich's decision to appoint Roland Burris to Illinois' vacant Senate seat, even as the governor faces intense criminal scrutiny, is being treated as a crazy political power grab. It also seems very likely to be permanent.

A legal scholar writes in to say that precedent surrounding the Senate's right to not seat certain members seems very likely to fall in Burris' favor.

"My reading of Powell v. McCormack, 395 U.S. 486, is that the Senate probably can NOT constitutionally block Burris from being seated," writes the constitutional law professor. "Art. I, sec. 5 gives each House the power to judge the qualifications of its own members. Powell holds (inter alia) that the qualifications to be judged are those stated in the Constitution (see Art. I, sec. 3, cl. 3 and the 17th Amendment)."

"Burris has met all of those qualifications: he's over 30, been a US citizen for 9 years, he's an Illinois resident; he was appointed by the executive authority of the state to fill a vacancy, pursuant to Illinois law."

Even on the state level, Democrats seem fairly hamstrung when it comes to stopping Blagojevich. Secretary of State Jesse White's office has said it will not certify the Burris appointment. But, here again, the law may not be on their side.

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Wottamaroon:

Defying U.S. Senate leaders and his own state's lawmakers, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

Blagojevich, accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder, praised the 71-year-old Burris' integrity and asked that the corruption allegations not "taint this good and honest man."

Other than the surprise that Blagojevich is deluded enough to believe he can proceed with filling Barack Obama's Senate seate without permanently tainting anyone he names, the only real surprises in this press conference were Burris' surprise at finding out he'd given $14,000 or so to Blagojevich's re-election campaign, and Blago's screwed-up admonishment at the end:

Feel free to castigate the appointer, but don't lynch the appointor.

I think he meant "appointee." But even more noteworthy was his use of the word "lynch" to describe what refusal of Burris's seating in the Senate might mean in terms of the politics of this mess. Combined with Rep. Bobby Rush's threat at the conference to make it a racial issue if an African-American wasn't named to fill Obama's seat, I think it's clear that Team Blago intends to flourish the race card in this matter.

Now, it's already been pointed out that the Senate cannot refuse to seat a duly elected member on any grounds other than constitutional ones (that is, citizenship qualifications, etc.).

But just before the press conference, MSNBC read a statement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying that the Senate Democratic Caucus would refuse to seat any member appointed by Blagojevich. Moreover, the Illinois Secretary of State has also announced he will refuse to sign the papers certifying Burris as the nominee.

Worth noting: Only a couple of days ago, the lieutenant governor announced that Blago would be removed before mid-February.

Looks like Blago decided to have a last laugh at their expense. He's throwing a monkey wrench at them, mostly it appears, out of spite.

Now that's what I call chutzpah:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected today to name former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

The action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that they would not seat anyone appointed by the disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell the post, sources familiar with the decision said.

Shortly after Obama's Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich's arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor's support.

Though he is 71, Burris has said that Obama's replacement should be able to win re-election and he has noted that despite a string of primary losses in races ranging from Chicago mayor to governor and U.S. senator, he's never lost to a Republican.

All this shows what a complete screwhead Blagojevich is. Burris is an old-school Chicago politician who, within the Democratic Party in Illinois, is considered well on the other side of the aisle from Obama. Early word from the Senate indicates that Burris will not be considered acceptable -- especially if he has Blago's blessing.

What a mess.