Illinois state Senator Toi Hutchinson is Blue America's first congressional endorsement since the general election. She's running in a special election in IL-02 to replace Jesse Jackson, Jr. Tomorrow she'll be our live guest here at Crooks and Liars at 1pm (CT) and it would be awesome if you could come and meet her live. We have a special ActBlue page set up to help her campaign. Here's the message she sent us this morning, celebrating both the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and the inauguration of President Barack Obama:

I think it’s wonderful that today is both the day we inaugurate President Obama for his second term in office and the day we commemorate the work of one of our greatest Americans, Martin Luther King, Jr.

For me, my grandfather’s story is how I remind myself of the progress our country has made. He started his career as a door-to-door World Book Encyclopedia salesman. He worked hard and saved his money so he would have something to leave his children. By the time he retired he’d become one of the first African American branch managers in the country. He broke ceilings, and his example inspires me every day.

This anniversary is an important time for Americans to reflect on the great progress we have made, and the great work still before us to create the kind of equal, open society we seek. We must never end our fight for equality and fairness. Over the next years we have to close the achievement gap, the wealth gap, the pay equity gap so that our communities are safe and thriving and everybody gets a chance. No matter what happens, I’m eager to be a part of that conversation.

[Mitt Romney invokes Reverend Jeremiah Wright during interview with Sean Hannity]

Ah, I smell the odor of desperation in the morning. When the Fox polls are showing Obama pulling ahead of Romney, it is required that Mitt Romney's billionaire boys step up with a proposal for a smear, and so they have. Disturbed that the President is well-liked, this particular proposal is to mount a coordinated media campaign to make him a little less likable.

I should hasten to add that since this story originally broke in the New York Times, the Obama campaign has denounced the plan and accused Mitt Romney of failing to lead to a higher ground, Romney has responded by repudiating it outright after the Obama campaign called him out on it, and the originator, Joe Ricketts (founder of TD Ameritrade and Chicago Cubs owner), has now rejected it while claiming he is just an independent who is tired of government spending.

Such are the days in the life of a national campaign. Repudiated or not, the 54-page proposal is an instructive look at how these billionaire idiots hatch their plan, get PR flacks to put together a proposal, and agree to write a ginormous check for the whole shebang.

The trial balloon went up earlier this year, when Mitt Romney invoked Jeremiah Wright in an interview with Sean Hannity, who loves to mention Wright's name whenever he can, preferably in concert with Bill Ayers'. It gives Hannity a tingle up his leg every single time, and Mitt obliged (audio at the top).

The Campaign

It begins with an image:

Continue reading »

WASHINGTON -- The progressive movement lost one of its biggest primary battles in the 2012 cycle Tuesday. Ilya Sheyman, a 25-year-old community activist, was defeated by businessman Brad Schneider, who will now face Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.) in the November election for Illinois' new 10th Congressional District.

Schneider received 47 percent of the vote, with 99 percent reporting. Sheyman received 39 percent, and the other two candidates -- John Tree and Vivek Bavda -- received a combined 14 percent.

Sheyman conceded shortly after 9 p.m. CT to a full room at an election night party at the Ramada Inn in Waukegan, Ill., according to a source at the gathering. He told his supporters that he already had called Schneider and conceded.The progressive movement threw all its muscle behind Sheyman, who had a team of 600 volunteers participating in a get-out-the-vote effort. He told The Huffington Post Tuesday, before the polls closed, that in the past couple days his campaign had knocked on more than 12,000 doors and made more than 15,000 phone calls.

"We have 15,000 MoveOn members on the ground in the 10th Congressional District," he said. "We have thousands in the American Federation of Teachers, AFSCME, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America," Sheyman said. "So these are literally the people who are the boots on the ground, who have worked in campaigns in the past, who are fired up to elect a progressive. They're the ones who have built the backbone in the district with their volunteer army."

And as Paul Blumenthal reported, USAction, MoveOn.org and the Communications Workers of America united prior to Tuesday's election to paper primary voters' houses with negative mailings about Schneider.

Continue reading »

State: Illinois

Type of election: Primary

How it works: 66 delegates are at stake, but the statewide primary is only advisory. Delegates pledge to vote for a particular candidate and are elected individually and are not bound by the statewide results. The primary is open because Illinois doesn't require voters to register by party, but a voter can only vote in one presidential primary. 54 of the delegates are allotted via congressional districts which are given delegates based on previous performance in the 2008 presidential election, with stronger Republican districts getting four delegates instead of three.

Official election results: Illinois State Board of Elections

Republican candidates: Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum (all others have dropped out or are polling at less than 1 percent)

Democratic candidates: There is no Democratic primary.

Previous performance: In 2008, Romney finished second with more than 28.5 percent of the vote. Paul finished fourth with 5 percent of the vote. Obama won the Democratic primay with 65 percent of the vote.

Newspapers: Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, full list

Television stations: Full list

Progressive blogs: ArchPundit, Progress Illinois

Latest polling: New York Times:

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.

DOWNLOAD (468)

PLAY (239)

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?

DOWNLOAD (197)

PLAY (221)

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.

DOWNLOAD (197)

PLAY (222)

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.

DOWNLOAD (264)

PLAY (339)

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.